muche as is possible doe our commendacions and these Popingeys Faustine presenteth vnto her Marcus the Romaine Emperour wryteth to thee with his owne hande ¶ Howe the Gentils honoured those whiche were deuout in the seruice of the Gods Cap. xix THE auncient Romayne historiographers agree that at the beginninge there were seuen kynges whiche gouerned Rome for the space of .xxiiii. yeares The seconde whereof was named Pompilius who amongest all the other was moste highly estemed for none other cause but for that he was a great worshipper of the Gods and a sumptuous builder of the temples For the Romaine princes were as much beloued for seruing the gods as they were honoured for vanquishing their enemies This man was of suche sorte that he allowed Rome wholy for the Gods and made a house for him selfe without the citie For it was an auncient lawe in Rome that no man should be so bolde to dwell in any house consecrated for the Gods The fifte kyng of the Romaines was Tarquinius Priscus And as Tarquinius Superbus was vitious and abhorred of the people so was this vertuous and welbeloued of the gods and was greatlye praysed in al his doynges because he feared God and continually visited the temples and not contented with those whiche were finished but buylte also in the highe Capitoll the sacred temple of Iupiter For that no Prince could buylde any house in Rome for hym selfe vnlesse firste he made a temple for the Gods of the common wealth This temple was had in so greate reuerence that as the Romaines honoured Iupiter for the God aboue all other Gods so was that temple estemed aboue al other temples In the warres betwene the Falisques and the Carpenates two Romaine captaines were vanquished of the whiche the one named Gemetius died whereupon rose suche a great feare among them that many flyeng from the warres came backe agayne to Rome For the victorious hath alwayes this priuiledge that thoughe they be fewe yet they are alwayes feared of them that be ouercome This occasion moued the Romaines to chose newe captaines and truly they did lyke wyse men For oftentimes it happeneth by alteringe the captaines of the warres fortune likewyse chaungeth her doinges And the captayne that was elected for the warres was Marcus Furius Camillus who though he were stoute and hardy yet before he went to the warres he offered great sacrifices to the Gods and made a vowe that if he returned to Rome victorious he would buylde a solempne temple For it was the custome in Rome that immediatly when the Romaine captaine would enterpryse to doe any notable thinge he shoulde make a vowe to buylde temples Nowe when Camillus retourned afterwardes victorious he did not onely buylde a temple but also furnished it with all maner of implementes thereunto belongyng whiche he gotte by spoyle and vanquishing his enemies And sithe he was for this reprehendid of some saying that the Romaine captaines shoulde offer their hartes to the Gods and deuide the treasours among the Souldiours he answered these wordes I like a mā did aske the gods but one triumphe and they like gods gaue me many Therfore considering this it is but iust sithe I was briefe in promysinge that I shoulde be large in perfourminge For euen as I did thanke thē for that they gaue me double in respect of that I demaunded so likewise shal thei esteme that which I do giue in respect of that which I promised At that time when the cruel warre was betwixt Rome the citie of Neye the Romains kept it besieged fiue yeres togethers in th end by policy toke it For it chaunseth sondry times in warre that that citie in shorte time by pollycy is won which by great strength a long time hath bene defended Marcus Furius dictatour of Rome at that time captaine commaunded a proclamation to be had through his hoste that incontinently after the citie was taken none should be so hardy as to kyll any of the citezens but those which were found armed Which thing the enemies vnderstanding vnarmed them selues all so escaped And truly this example was worthy of noting For as the captaines ought to shew them selues fierce cruell at the beginning so after the victory had of their enemies they should shewe them selues meke pitifull This dictatour Camillus for an other thing he did was much cōmended aboue the residue That is to wete he did not only not consent to robbe the temples nor dishonour the gods but he him selfe with great reuerence toke the sacred vessels of the temples the gods which wer therin especially the goddesse Iuno brought thē al to Rome For amongest the aunciētes there was a law that the gods of them which were vanquished shoulde not come by lot to the captaines being conquerours Therefore he made in the mount Auentino a sumptuous tēple wherin he placed al the gods togethers with all the other holy reliques which he wan For the greater triumphe the Romains had ouer their enemies so much the better they hādled the gods of the people vanquished Also you ought to know that the Romains after many victories determined to make a crowne of gold very great and ryche and to offer it to the god Apollo But sithe the common treasour was poore because there was but litle siluer lesse gold to make that crown the Romaine matrons defaced their Iewels ouches of gold siluer to make the crown with all For in Rome there neuer wanted money if it were demaunded for the seruice of gods to repaire temples or to redeme captiues The Senate estemed the well willing hartes of these women in such sort that they graunted them thre thinges that is to wete to weare on their heads garlandes of flowers to go in chariottes to the common places to go openly to the feastes of the gods For the aunciēt Romains were so honest that they neuer ware gold on their heads neither went thei at any time to the feastes vncouered A man ought not to maruaile that the Romaines graunted such priuileges vnto the auncient matrones of Rome For they vsed neuer to be obliuious of any benefite receyued but rather gentill with thankes and rewardes to recompence the same An other notable thing chaunsed in Rome which was that the Romains sent two tribunes the which were called Caulius Sergius into the I le of Delphos with great presentes to offer vnto the god Apollo For as Titus Liuius saith Rome yerely sent a present vnto the god Apollo Apollo gaue vnto the Romaines counsaile And as the Tribunes went out of the way they fell into the handes of pirats rouers on the sea which toke them with their treasours and brought them to the citie of Liparie But the citizens vnderstanding that those presentes were cōsecrated to the god Apollo did not onely deliuer them all their treasure againe but also gaue thē much more and guydes therwith to conduicte them safely both going and comming from
oke Ryches youth pride and lyberty are fower plagues which poison the prince replenysh the common wealth with filth kill the lyuing and defame the dead Let the old men beeleeue mee and the yong men mark well what I say that where the gods haue geeuen many gyfts it is necessary they haue many vertues to susteyn them The gentle the peaceable the couÌ„terfait the simple and the fearful doo not trouble the common wealth but those whoÌ„ nature hath geeuen most gyfts For as experience teacheth vs with the fayrest weomen the stews are furnyshed the most proper personages are vnshamefast the most stout and valiaunt are murderers the most subtill are theeues and men of clearest vnderstanding oft times beecome most fooles I say and say again I affirm and affirm agayn I sweare and sweare agayn that if two men which are adorned with naturall gyfts doo want requisyt vertues such haue a knife in their hands wherewith they doo strike and wound them selues a fyer on their shoulders wherewith they burn them selues a rope at their necks to hang them selues a dagger at their breast wherewyth they kyll them selues a thorn in their foote wherewith they prick them selues and stones whereat they stumble so that stumbling they fall and falling they fynd them selues with death whom they hate and without lyfe which so much they loued Note well Panutius note that the man which from his infancy hath always the feare of the gods beefore his eyes and the shame of men sayeth trouth to all and lyueth in preiudice to none and to such a tree though euil fortune doo cleaue the flower of his youth doo wither the leaues of their fauors drye they gather the fruits of hys trauailes they cut the bough of hys offices they bow the highest of his braunches downwards yet in the end though of the winds hee bee beaten hee shall neuer bee ouercome O happy are those fathers to whom the Gods haue geeuen quick children wyse faire able lyght and valiaunt but all these gifts are but means to make them vicious And in such case if the fathers woold bee gouerned by my counsayl I woold rather desire that members shoold want in them then that vyces shoold abound Of the most fairest chyldren which are born in the Empire my sonne Commodus the Prince is one But I woold to the immortal gods that in face hee resemble the blackest of Ethiope in maners the greatest philosopher of Greece For the glory of the father is not nor ought not to bee in that his childe is faire of complexion and handsome of person but that in his lyfe hee bee very vpryght Wee will not call hym a pytifull father but a great enemy who exalteth foorth his childe for that hee is faire and dooth not correct him though hee bee vicious I durst say that the father which hath a chyld endued with many goodly gyfts and that hee dooth employ them all to vices such a chyld ought not to bee born in the world and if perchaunce he were born hee ought immediatly to bee buried ¶ The Emperour Marcus Aurelius concludeth his matter and sheweth that sundry yong princes for beeing vicious haue vndoone them selues and impoueryshed their Realmes Cap. liij O What great pyty is it to see how the father buyeth his chyld of the gods with sighs how the mother deliuer them with payn how they both nourish them with trauailes how they watch to susteyn them how they labor to remedy them and afterwards they haue so rebelled and bee so vicious that the myserable fathers oftentimes doo dye not for age but for the greeues wherewith their children torment theÌ„ I doo remember that the prince CoÌ„modê° my sonne beeing yong I aged as I am with great payns wee kept him froÌ„ vices but I fear that after my deth hee wil hate vertues I remeÌ„ber many yong princes which of his age haue enherited theÌ„pire of Rome who haue beene of so wicked a life that they haue deserued to lose both honor and life I remember Dennis the famous tyraunt of Scicil of whom is sayed that as great reward hee gaue to those that inuented vices as our mother Rome dyd to those which conquered realmes Such woork could not bee but of a Tyrant to take them for most famyliar which are most vicious I remember fower yong princes which gouerned the empire but not with such valyauntnes as the great Alexander that is to weete Alexander Antiochus Siluius and Ptholomeus to whom for their vanyty and lightnes as they called Alexander the great Emperour in Greece so likewise doo they call these yong men tiraunts in Asia Very happy was Alexander in life they vnhappy after his death For all that which with glorious triumphs hee wanne with vile vices they lost So that Alexander deuided between them fower the world and afterwards it came into the hands of mo then fower hundreth I doo remember that kyng Antigonus litle exteemed that which cost his lord Alexander much Hee was so lyght in the beehauior of his person and so defamed in the affaires of the common wealth that for mockry and contempt in the steede of a crown of gold hee bare a garland in the steede of a scepter hee caryed neitels in hys hand of this sort and maner hee sat to iudge among his counsailours and vsed to talk with straungers This yong prince dooth offend mee much for the lightnes hee coÌ„mitted but much more I marueyl at the grauity of the sages of Greece which suffred him It is but meete hee bee partaker of the payn which condescended to the fault I doo remember Calligulus the fowerth Emperour of Rome who was so yong and foolysh that I doubt of these two thyngs which was greatest in his time That is to weete the dysobedyence which the people beare to their lord or the hate which the lord beare to hys people For that vnhappy creature was so dysordered in his maners that if all the Romayns had not watched to take life from him hee woold haue watched to take life from them This Caligula ware a brooche of gold in his cap where in were writen these woords Vtinam omnis populus vnam precise ceruicem haberet vt vno ictu omnes necarem Whych is to say woold to god all the people had but one neck to the end I might kyll them all at a stroke I remember the Emperour Tiberius thadoptiue sonne of the good Cesar Augustus whych was called Augustus beecause hee greatly augmented the empire But the good Emperour did not so much augment the state of hys common wealth duryng hys lyfe as Tiberius dyd dymynish it after hys death The hate and mallyce which the Romayn people bare to Tiberius in hys lyfe was manyfestly dyscouered after the tyme of hys death For the day that Tiberius dyed or better to say when they kylled him the Romayn people made great processyons and the Senators offred great presents to the Temples and the priests
but also before them he did dishonour hym and shame him to his power whiche thinge made him vtterly to dispaire For there is nothing that spiteth a man more then to haue before hys enemies any iniurie or dishonoure done vnto him of his superiour The empresse Sophia therfore deserued great reproche for speakinge suche dishonest wordes to Narsetes to send him to thread the nedels in that occupacion where the damsels wrought For it is the duty of a noble princesse to mitigate the ire of Princes when they are angry and not to prouoke them further to anger Narsetes then alwaies dowting the empresse Sophia neuer after retourned into Naples where she was but rather came from Naples to Rome a yeare before the Lumbardes came into Italy where he receiued all the sacramentes and like a deuout ChristiaÌ„ dyed His body was caried to Alexandria in a coffine of siluer al sette with precious stones and ther was buried And a man cannot tel whither the displeasour were greater that all Asia had not to see Narsetes aliue or the pleasour that Sophia had to see him deade For the vnpacient hart especially of a woman hath no rest vntill she see her enemye dead ¶ Of a letter the Emperour Marcus Aurelius sente to the Kynge of Scicile in which he recordeth the trauailes they endured togethers in their youth and reproueth him of his small reuerence towardes the temples Chapter xvii MArcus Aurelius sole Emperour of Rome borne in mouÌ„te Celio called the old tribune wisheth health and long lyfe to the Gorbin Lord kynge of Sicile As it is the custome of the Romaine Emperoures the firste yeare of my reigne I wrate generallye to all that I le the seconde yeare I wrate generallye vnto thy courte and palace and at this presente I write more particulerlye to thy parsone And although that Princes haue greate Realmes yet they ought not therfore to cease to coÌ„municate with their old frendes Since I toke my penne to write vnto the I stayed my hande a great while from writing and it was not for that I was slouthfull but because I was a shamed to see all Rome offended with the. I let the to weâ—e most excellent prince that in this I say I am thy true frend for in my hart I fele thy trouble and so sayd Euripides that whiche with the harte is loued with the hart is lamented But before I shew thee the cause of my writing I will reduce into thy memory some thinges past of our youth and therby we shall see what we were then and what we are now for no man dothe so muche reioyce of his prosperitie present as he whiche calleth to minde his miseries past Thou shalt call to minde most excellent Prince that we two togethers did learne to reade in Capua and after we studyed a litle in Tarentum and from thense we went to Rhodes where I redde Rhethorike and thou hardest philosophie And afterwardes in the ende of x. yeres we went to the warres of Pannonia where I gaue my selfe to musike for the affectioÌ„s of yong men is so variable that daily they would know straunge realmes and chaunge offices And in all those iourneis with the forse of youth the swete company with the pleasaunte communicacion of sciences and with a vaine hope we did dissemble our extreme pouerty which was so great that many times and ofte we desired not that whiche manye had but that litle which to few abounded Doest thou remember that when we sayled by the goulfe Arpin to goe into Helesponte a long and tempestuous torment came vpon vs wherin we were taken of a pirate and for our raunsome he made vs rowe about .ix. monethes in a gally wheras I cannot tell whiche was greater either the wante of bread or the abundaunce of stripes whiche we alwaies endured Hast thou forgotten also that in the citie of Rhodes when we were beseged of Bruerdus puissaunt kyng of Epirotes for the space of fourtene monethes we were tenne withoute eatyng fleshe saue onely .ii. cattes the one whiche we stole and the other whiche we bought remember that thou and I being in Tarent were desired of our host to go to the feast of the great goddesse Diana into the whiche temple none coulde enter that day but those which were new apparelled And to say the trouthe we determined not to go thither thou because thy garmentes were torne and I because my shoes were broken and that bothe the tymes we were sicke in Capua they neuer cured vs by dyet for our dyseases neuer proceded of excesse but of extreame hunger An often times Retropus the phisician for his pleasour spake to vs in the vniuersitie and sayd Alas children you dye not through surfeting and muche eatinge And truly he sayde trouth for the contrey was so dere and our mony so scarse that we did neuer eate vntyl the time we could endure no lenger for famine Dost thou not remember the great famine that was in Capua for the which cause we were in the warre of Alexandria wherin my fleshe dyd tremble remembring the great perilles whiche we passed in the goulfe of Theberynthe What snowes all wynter what extreme heate all sommer what general famine in the fieldes what outragious pestilence amongest the people and worste of all what persecution of straungers and what euill will we had of ours remember also that in the citie of Naples when we made our prayer to the profetesse Flauia she told vs what shoulde become of vs after we lefte our studies She tolde me that I should be an Emperour and sayde that thou shouldest be a kynge To the whiche aunswere we gaue suche credite that we toke it not onelye for a mocke but also for a manifest iniurye And nowe I doe not merueile in that then we bothe marueled wonderfull muche For enuyous fortune practised her power more in pluckyng downe the ryche then in setting vp the poore Beholde excellente Prince the greate power of the goddesse the whele of fortune the variety of times who would haue thought when I hadde my handes all rough and scuruy with rowing in the galley that betwene those handes the scepter of the Romayne Empire should haue ben put who would haue thoughte when I was so sicke for lacke of meat I should euer haue surfited by to muche eating who would haue thought when I could not be satisfied with cattes fleshe that I shoulde haue then glutted with to moch dainty meates who wold haue thought at that time when I left going into the temple because my shoes were broken that another tyme should come when I shoulde ryde triumphyng in chariotes and vppon the shoulders of other menne who woulde haue thought that that which with my eares I hard of the prophetesse in Campagnia I should see here with my eyes in Rome O how many dyd hope at the time we were in Asia to be gouernours of Rome and lords of Sicille which not only fayled of the honour that they desired
In this case lette no manne saye I am excepted for vntyll thys daye there hath noo Prynce nor Knyghte beene seene but hathe trauayled vnder thys yooke I warne and praye and importunatelye requyre you all that you be loyall and faythefull seruauntes to the ende you may deserue to haue louing Lords For generally the prince that is wicked causeth his subiects to rebel the sedicious subiect maketh his lord to become a tiraunt It is a great thing to the people that their Princes be good or euil For there are no Princes so stable nor so temperate that alwayes will dissemble the euil nor there is no gouernor so very a tyraunte but sometimes wil acknowledge the good Oftimes god suffereth that ther be Emperours in the Empire kinges in realmes and gouernors in the prouinces Lordes in the cities and prelates in the churches not al only as that common wealth desireth nor as the good gouernmente requyreth but as the offence of the multitude deserueth For now a dayes we se many the haue the charge of soules in the church which deserue not kepe the sheape in the field That to be true plainly it doth appeare For such do not gouerne but disorder they do not defend but offend they do not resist the enemyes but ingage sel the innocent they are no iudges but tirannes they are not gentil pastores but cruel hangmen they are not incre asers of the common wealthe but distroyers of iustice they are not ordeynors of lawes but inuentors of trybutes their hartes wake not to good but to inuent and worke al mischefe and finally God sendeth vs such prelates and gouernors not for that they shoulde be mynisters of his lawes but for that they should be scourges for oure offences ¶ That in a publike weale there is no greater destruction then where princes dayly consent to new orders and chaunge olde customes Cap. xxix IN the first booke of the Kinges the viii Chapter of the holye and sacred scripture is sayde that Samuel when he was old in his steade placed his two sonnes to gouerne the people whose names were Iohel and Abiah for that naturally the fathers are desirous to aduaunce their children to honor The sonnes of Samuell were residente and helde the iudgemente in the citye of Beersheba whyche was the fortheste parte of Iudea and the olde Samuel wente to dwell in the citie Ramah The honorable and moste aunciente menne amonge the people of Ierusalem assembled togither and decreed to send Embassadors to Samuel which should be the wisest men of all the Sinagoge For the auncientes in those dayes were so circumspect that they neuer committed any affayres of the common wealthe into the handes of yonge men The auncientes then being arriued at Ramah spake these wordes vnto Samuel Samuel thou art now old and for thy yeres thou canst not gouerne the people therfore thou lyke a pytefull father hast committed the gouernmente of the people into the handes of thy children Wherfore we let the know in this case that thy children are couetous First they do receiue brybes of the suters And secondarilye they do great iniurie to the people Therfore we are come to require the to giue vnto vs a king that may gouerne vs and that might leade vs in battaile For we wil no more iudges to iudge vs but kinges for to gouerne vs. The aged Samuel hearinge the imbassage was ashamed of that the auncientes of Iudea had told him First seing his children to be euill Secondarily because they would take their offices from them And truly herein Samuell had iust occasion both to be ashamed also sorye For the vyces wickednes of the yong children are swords that passe throughe the hartes of the old and aunciente fathers Samuel seing that the Hebrues were determined to depriue theym of their office and gouernement of the people had none other remedye but euen to make his mone to god of his griefe god hearing his complaintes said vnto him Samuel be not sad nor lament not for their demaunding a kinge as they do they do not mislike thy parson but they dispraise my prouydence maruel not though they forsake thy children for they are somwhat to yong sith they haue forsaken me their god worship false idolles Syth they demaund a king I haue determined to giue them one but first tel tow thē the cōdicions of the king which are these The king whom I wil geue you shall take your chyldren with your chariottes beastes shal sende them loden with burdens And yet therwith not contented he shall make your children postes by the wayes tribunes cēturions in his battailes shal make them laborers and gardyners in his gardins he shal make them sowe his sedes past his bread and furbishe his harnes and armour You shal haue besides delicate tender doughters the which you shal litle enioy for the king that I wil geue you shal commaund them to kepe attend those that are wounded in the warres he shal make them cookes in his pallace and caters of his expences The king that I wil geue you if he hādel your sonnes and doughters euil much worse he wil handle your goods For on the beastes fertile feldes that you haue his herd shal fede he shal gather the best grapes of your vines he shall chose of your oliue trees the best olyues oyles and if anye fruit afterwards remaine in your feilds he wil they shal be gathered not by you but of his workemen afterwards the king that I wil geue you shal oppresse you much more For of euery pecke of corne you shal geue him one of tenne shepe you must nedes geue him one so that of al things which you shal gather against your wylles you shal giue the tenth of your slaues the king shal be serued soner then you and he shal take al your Oxen that labour and trauaile in your owne possessions shal bring them to ploughe in his owne ground and tenements So that you shal pay tribute and the king shal take his owne profite for the wealth and commoditie of his pallace And al thys which I haue rehersed before the King shal haue whom I wil geue you The historye which here I haue declared is not Ouide neither yet the Eglogges of Virgil ne yet the fayninge of Homer but it is the sentence the very worde of god O mortal ignoraunce that we demaund and know not why nor wherfore to whom nor wher neyther when we demaund which causeth vs to fall into sondry errors For few men are so wise that they offend not in chosing that they can aske with reason The Hebrues asked as they thinke the better and god geueth them the worse they aske one to gouerne them and god gyueth them a Tiraunt to destroy them they aske one that should maintayne them in iustice and he threatneth them with tiranny they require one that should geue them
graue Leauing aside the said opinions I say that for sinne only seruitude came to dwell in vs entered into the world for if there had ben no sinners we ought to beleue there had bene no lordes nor seruauntes For as much as seruitude generally entred into the world through sinne I say that the signorie of princes is by the deuine commaundement for he saith by me the king doth gouerne and by me the prince doth minister iustice I conclude in this sorte with this reason that since it is true princes are sent by the handes of god for to gouerne vs we are bounde in all and for all to obey them for there is no greater plague in a publike weale then to be disobedient to the prince ¶ Howe king Alexander the great after he had ouercome king Darius in Asia went to conquere the great India and of that whiche happened vnto him with the Garamantes and howe the good life hath more power then any force of warre Cap. xxxii IN the yeare of the creation of the worlde .4970 in the firste age of the worlde and in the .4027 yeares of the foundation of Rome Iaâ—o being highe priest in Hierusalem Decius and Mamilius at Rome consulles in the thirde yeare of the monarchie of the Greekes Alexander the great sonne to Philipe of Macedonia king gaue the laste battayle to Darius kinge of Persia wherein kyng Alexander escaped very sore wounded Darius slayne so that the whole Empire of the Perses came vnder the gouernaunce of the Grekes For the vnfortunate princes doe not onely lose their lyues with which they came into the worlde but also the realmes whiche they did inherite After that Darius was dead and Alexander sawe him selfe lorde of the fielde that the Perses and Medes were become subiecte to the Gretians thoughe manye kynges and lordes died in those cruell battayles yet it semed to Alexander a trifle to be gouernour of all Asia wherefore he determined in persone to goe conquere the great India For proude and stoute hartes obteining that which they desire immediatly begin to esteme it as litle All his armies repaired placing gouernours in all the realmes of Asia Alexander departed to conquer the great India for he had promised and sworne to his gods that through al the world there should be but one Empire and that that shoulde be his and more ouer that he would neuer passe through any straunge realme or countrey but it should geue obedience vnto him or els forthwith he woulde destroye it For tyrannous hartes haue neuer any regarde to the domage of another vntill they haue obtained their wicked desiers Alexander then going to conquere realmes and destroye prouinces by chaunce one said vnto him that on the other syde of the mountaines Riphei towardes the partes of India was a barbarous nation whiche were called Garamantes as yet neuer coÌ„quered neither by the Perses Medes Romaines nor Grekes neither any of theÌ„ euer triumphed ouer them For they had no weapons nor estemed them not sithe they had no ryches Kinge Alexander who for to subdue realmes and straunge countries was very diligente and hardy and to see newe thinges very desyrous determined not onely to sende to see that countrey but also to go him selfe in persone and in that place to leaue of him some memorye which thing forthwith he accomplished For he left them Alters as Hercules left in Gades pillars For mans harte is so stoute that it trauayleth not onely to compare with many but also to excell all The Embassadours of Alexander were sent to Garamantes to aduertise them of the comming of kyng Alexander the great and of the terrible and cruell battayles whiche he in warres had ouercome and to declare vnto them howe the puissaunt kynge Darius was slayne and that all Asia was vnder his subiection and howe euery citie did yelde them selues against whome he neither lifted spere nor sworde because all yelded to his commaundement With these and suche other lyke thynges they would haue feared them for wordes oftimes maketh menne more afraide specially when they are spoken of stoute menne then doe the swordes of cowards Lucius Bosco saith in his thirde booke of the antiquities of the Gretians of whom the originall of this historie is drawen that after the Embassadours of Alexander had spoken to the Garamantes they were nothyng at all troubled for the message neither did they flie from Alexander nor they prepared any warre neither toke they in hande any weapons nor yet they did resiste him Yea and the chiefest of all was that no man of all the countrey euer departed out of his house finally they neither aunswered the Embassadours of Alexander to their message nor yet spake one worde vnto them And truly the Garamantes had reason therin and did in that right wysely for it is a folly for a man to perswade those men with wordes whiche enterpryse any thing of will It is a marueilous matter to heare tell of the histories of those Garamantes that is to saye that all their houses were of equall height all men were appareled a lyke the one had no more authoritie then another in fedyng they were no gluttons in drynking wyne they were temperate of plees and debates they were ignoraunt they would suffer no idle man to lyue among them they had no weapons because they had no ennemies and generally they spake fewe wordes but that whiche they spake was alwayes true Kyng Alexander being somewhat informed of those Garamantes and their lyfe determined to sende for them and called them before his presence and instantly desired them if they had any wyse men amonge them to bryng them vnto hym and by wrytinge or by worde of mouthe to speake somewhat vnto him For Alexander was suche a frende to sage men that all the realmes whiche he ouercame immediatly he gaue to his men excepting the sages whiche he kepte for his owne persone Quintus Curtius by kyng Alexander sayeth that a prince doeth well spende his treasours to conquere many Realmes onely to haue the conuersation of one wyse man And truly he had reason for to princes it is more profite in their lyfe to be accompanied with sages then after their death to leaue great treasures to their heires Certayne of those Garamantes then beinge come before the presence of Alexander the greate one amonge them as they thought the moste auncientest him selfe alone the residue keapynge silence in the name of them all spake these wordes ¶ Of an oration whiche one of the sages of Garamantia made vnto kyng Alexander A goodly lesson for al ambitious men Cap. xxxiii IT is a custome king Alexander amongest vs Garamantes to speake seldome one to another and scarsely neuer to speake with straungers especially if they be busy and vnquiet men for the tongue of an euyll man is no other but a playne demonstration of his enuious harte When they tolde vs of thy comming into this countrie immediatly we determined not
that the vayne glory which they haue and their beauty also shal haue an end to day or to morow A man that is faire and wel proportyoned is therfore nothyng the more vertuous he that is deformed euil shapen is nothing therfore the more vicious so the vertue dependeth not at all of the shape of the bodye neyther yet vyce procedeth of the deformitye of the face For dayly we se the difformytie of the body to be beautyfied wyth vertues of the mynd and the vertues of the mynd to be defaced wyth the vyce of the body in his works For truly he that in the vsage of his lyfe hath any botche or imperfectyon is worse then he that hath foure botches in hys shoulders Also I say that though a man be great yet it is not true that therfore he is strong so that it is not a general rule that the bigge body hath always a valiaunt and couragious hart nor the man whych is lytle of parson shold be of a vyle false hart For we se by experyence the greatest men the most cowards the least of personage the most stout and hardy of hart The holy scripture speake of king Dauid that he was redde in his countenaunce not bygge of body but of a meane stature yet not withstanding as he and the mighty Gyaunt Golias were in campe Dauid kylled Golias wyth a sling with hys owne sword cut of hys head We ought not maruayle that a lytle sheaperde should sley so valyaunt myghty a Gyaunte For oft tymes of a lytle sparke commeth a great lyght and contrary wise by a great torche a man can scarsely see to do any thinge This kinge Dauid dyd more that he being lytle of body and tender of yeres killed the Lions recouered the lambes out of the Woulfes throtes and besides this in one day in a battaile with his owne handes he slew to the nomber of 800 men Though we cannot find the like in our tyme we may well ymagine that of the 800. which he slew there were at least .300 of theym as noble of linage as he as riche in goodes as faire in countenaunce and as high of stature but none of these had so much force courage since he escaped aliue they remayned in the field deade Thoughe Iulius Cesar was bigge enoughe of body yet notwithstandinge he was euyll proporcioned For he had his head all bald his nose very sharpe one hande more shorter then the other And albeit he was yong he had his face ryuelled his coulour somewhat yeallowe and aboue all he went somewhat croked his girdel was halfe vndone For men of good wittes do not employ themselues to the setting out of their bodyes Iulius Cesar was so vnhandsome in his bodye that after the battaile of Pharsalique a neighbour of Rome said vnto the great Oratour Tullius Tell me Tullius why hast thou folowed the parcialities of Pompeius since thou art so wise knowest thou not that Iulius Cesar ought to be lord and monarche of all the world Tullius then aunswered I tell the true my frend that I seing Iulius Cesar in his youth so euyl vnsemely girded iudged neuer to haue sene that that is sene of him and did neuer greatly regard him But the old Silla knew him better For he seinge Iulius Cesar so vncomely and so slouenly appareiled in his youth oftentimes sayd vnto the Senate beware of this yong man so euil marked For if you do not watche wel his procedings it is he that shall hereafter destroye the Romaine people as Suetonius Tranquillus affirmeth in the booke of Caeser Albeit that Iulius Caeser was vncomely in his behauiour yet in naminge onlye his name he was so feared through the worlde as if bechaunce any king or princes did talke of him at their table as after supper for feare they coulde not slepe that night vntill the next day As in Gallia Gotica wher Iulius Caesar gaue a battaile by chaunce a Frenche knight toke a Cesarian knight prysonner who being ledde prisonner by the frenchmen sayde Chaos Cesar whyche is to say Let Caesar alone Which the Gaulloys hearing the name of Caeser let the prysoner escape and without any other occasion he fel besides his horse Now then let princes and great lordes se how lytle it auayleth the valiaunt man to be faire or foule sith that Iulius Caesar being so deformed only wyth naming his name caused all men for feare to chaunge their countenaunce Hannibal the aduenturous Captaine of Carthage is called monstruous not only for his deedes he did in the world but also for the euyl proporcion of his bodye For of hys two eyes he lacked the right and of the two feete he had the left foote croked and aboue al he was lytle of body verye fyerse cruell of countenaunce The deedes and conquestes which Hannibal did among the people of Rome Titus Liuius declareth at large yet I wyll recite one thing which an historiographer declareth and it is this Frontine in the booke of the stoutnes of the Penians declareth that in xvii yeres that Hannibal warred with the Romaines he slew so great a nomber that if the men had bene conuerted into Kyne and that the bloud which was shed had bene turned into wine it had bene sufficient to haue fylled and satisfyed his hole armye being 80. thousand foote men and 17 thousande horse men in his campe I demaunde nowe howe many were at that tyme faierer and more beautifull of their bodies and countenaunce then he was whose beautie at this daye is forgotten where as his valiauntnes shall endure for euer For there was neuer prince that lefte of him eternall memorie onely for beinge beautifull of countenaunce but for enterprysinge great thinges with the sworde in the hand The great Alexander was no fairer nor better shapen thē an other man For the chronicles declare of him that he had a litle throte a great head a blacke face his eies somewhat troubled the bodie litle and the members not well proporcioned and with all his deformitie he destroyed Darius king of the Perses and Meedes and he subdued al the tyrauntes he made him selfe lorde of all the castles and tooke many kynges and disherited and slewe mightie Lordes of great estates he searched all their ryches and pylled all their treasours and aboue all thinges all the earth trembled before him not hauinge the audacitie to speake one worde against him ¶ Of a letter the Emperour Marcus Aurelius wrote to his Nephew worthy to be noted of all young gentlemen Cap. xlii SExtus Cheronensis in his seconde booke of the lyfe of Marcus Aurelius declared that this good Marcus Aurelius had a syster called Annia Milena the whiche had a sonne named Epesipus who was not onely nephewe but also disciple to Marcus Aurelius And after he was created Emperour he sent his nephewe into Grece to studye the Greeke tongue and to bannyshe him from the vices of Rome This
declareth that he was more valiaunte in feates of warre then comely of personage For though he was lame of one foote bleamished of one eye lackyng one eare and of bodye not muche bygger than a dwarfe yet for all thys he was a iuste manne verye constant stoute mercyfull couragious and aboue all he was a great enemy to the ignoraunt and a specyall frende to the sage Of thys Kynge Cresus Seneca speaketh in hys booke of clemencie and sayeth that the sages were so entierly beloued of hym that the greekes whyche hadde the fountaine of eloquence dyd not call hym a louer but entitled hym the loue of sages For neuer no louer dyd so muche to attayne to the loue of hys ladye as he dyd to drawe to hym and to hys countreye sage menne Thys kynge Cresus therefore beyng lorde of many Barbarous nations the whiche loued better to drinke the bloude of the innocent then to learne the science of the wise lyke an excellent Prince determined for the comfort of his person and remedye of his common wealth to searche out the greaetst sages that were in Grece At that tyme flourished the famous and renowmed philosopher Anacharsis who though he was borne brought vp amonges the Scithies yet he was alwaies resident notwithstāding in Athens For the vniuersitie of Athens dyd not despise those that were Barbarians but those that were vitious The king Cresus sent an embassatour in great auctoritie with riches to the Phylosopher Anacharsis to perswade and desire him and with those giftes and presentes to present him to the end it myght please him to come and see his person and to sette an order in his common wealth Cresus not contented to send him giftes which the imbassatour caried but for to let him vnderstande why he dyd so wrote hym a letter with hys owne hand as hereafter foloweth The letter of kyng Cresus to Ancharsis the Philosopher CResus kyng of Lydes wysheth to the Anacharsis great Philosopher which remainest in Athens health to thy person and encrease of vertue Thou shalte see howe well I loue the in that I neuer saw the nor knew the to write vnto the a letter For the thinges whiche with the eyes haue neuer bene sene seldome times with the hart are truly beloued Thou doest esteme litle as truth is these my small giftes and presentes which I send the yet I praye the greatly esteme the will and hart wherwith I doe visite the. For noble hartes receyue more thankefully that whych a man desireth to gyue them then that which they doe giue them in dede I desire to correcte thys my Realme and to see amendement in the common wealth I desire some good order for my person and to take order touchyng the gouernement of my palace I desire to communicate with a sage som thinges of my lyfe and none of these thinges can be done without thy presence For there was neuer any good thyng made but by the meane of wisdom I am lame I am crooked I am balde I am a counterfeyte I am black and also I am broken finally amongest all other men I am a monster But all these imperfections are nothyng to those that remayne that is to wete I am so infortunate that I haue not a Philosopher with me For in the world ther is no greater shame than not to haue a wyse man about him to be conuersaunt withall I count my selfe to be dead though to the symple fooles I seme to be alyue And the cause of my death is because I haue not with me some wyse person For truly he is only aliue amongest the lyuyng who is accompanied wyth the sages I desire the greatly to come and by the immortall gods I coniure the that thou make no excuse and if thou wilt not at my desire do it for that thou art bound For many men oftentimes condescend to do that whych they would not more for vertues sake then to satisfye the demaunde of any other Thou shalt take that which my embassatour shal giue the and beleue that which he shall tell in my behalfe and by this my letter I do promise the that when thou shalt ariue here I wil make the treasourer of my coffers only coūsailour of mine affaires secretary of my coūsail father of my childrē refourmer of my realm maister of my person gouernour of my cōmō wealth finally Anacharsis shal be Cresus because Cresus may be Anacharsis I saye no more but the gods haue the in their custodie to whome I praye that they may hasten thy commynge The imbassatour departed to goe to Athens bearyng with him this letter and many iewels and bagges of gold and by chaunce Anacharsis was reading in thuniuersity at the arriual of the imbassatoure to Athens Who openly said and dyd his message to Anacharsis presenting vnto hym the giftes and the letter Of whiche thinge all those of the vniuersitie marueiled for the barbarous princes were not accustomed to seke philosophers to gouerne their cōmon wealth but to put them to death and take from them their liues After the great philosopher Anacharsis had hard the embassage sene the giftes and receiued the letter without alteryng his countenaunce or elacion of his person impedimente in his tong or desire of the riches immediately before all the philosophers said these wordes which heare after are writen The letter of the Philosopher Anacharsis to the king Cresus ANacharsis the least of the philosophers wisheth to the Cresus most mightye and puissaunt king of Lides the health whiche thou wisshest hym and the increase of vertue which thou sendest him They haue told vs many thinges here in these parties aswel of thy realme as of thy person and there in those parties they say many thinges as wel of our vniuersity as of my selfe For the harte taketh greate pleasour to knowe the condicions and liues of all those in the world It is wel done to desier and procure to know all the liues of the euill to amend our owne It is wel done to procure and knowe the liues of the good for to follow them but what shall we do since now a dayes the euill doe not desire to knowe the liues of the euil but for to couer them and kepe them secrete and do not desier to know the liues of the good for to followe them I let the know king Cresus that the philophers of Greece felte not so muche payne to be vertuous as they felte in defendyng thē from the vicious For if a man once behold vertue immediatly she suffreth to be taken but the euil for any good that a man can doe vnto them neuer suffereth them selues to be vanquished I beleue well that the tirannye of the Realme is not so great as they talke of here neyther oughtest thou lykewyse to beleue that I am so vertuous as they reporte me to be there For in mine opinion those whiche declare newes of straunge countries are as the poore which were their garmentes al to
realme but that first he had bene brought vp in the studies of Grece I will not denie that all the renowmed tyrauntes haue not bene nourished in Scicile but also thou shalt not deny me that they were not borne in Grece Therfore see and beholde to whom the fault is from the mother whiche bare them or froÌ„ the nurse which gaue theÌ„ suck I do not say that it shal be but I say that it may wel be that if I were there in Grece I should be a better philosopher than thou if thou were here in Agrigentine thou wouldest be a worser tyraunt thaÌ„ I. I would thou shouldest thinke that thou mightest be better in Grece where thou art and that I might be worse in Agrigentine where I am For thou dost not so muche good as thou mightest doe and I do not so much euil as I may do The conning man Perillus came into these partes and hath made a Bul wherin he hath put a kind of torment the most feare fullest in the world and truly I caused that that which his malyce had inuented should be of none other than of himselfe experimented For there is no iuster law that when any workeman haue inuented engins to make other men dye then to put them to the torments by them inuented to know the experience in them selues I beseche the hartely to come and se me and be thou assured thou shalt make me good For it is a good signe for the sicke when he acknowledgeth his sicknes to the Physitian I saye no more to the but that once againe I returne to solicite the that thou faylest not to come to se me For in the end if I do not profite of the I am sure thou shalt profite by me and if thou winnest I cannot lose ¶ How Philippe kyng of Macedonia Alexander the great the king Ptolomeus the king Antigonus the king Archelaus and Pâ—rrus kynge of the Epirotes were all great louers and frendes of the sages Cap. xlvii IF Quintus Curtius deceiue me not the great Alexander sonne to kyng Philyppe of Macedome dyd not deserue to be called great for that he was accompanied with thousands of men of warre but he wanne the renowne of great for that he had more philosophers on his counsaile then all other princes had This great prince neuer toke vpon him warres but that firste the order of executyng the same shoulde before his presence be examyned of the sages and wise philosophers And truly he had reason For in affaires wher good counsaile haue proceded they may alwayes loke for a good end These Historiographers whych wrote of great Alexander as wel the Grecians as the Latines knowe not whether the fiersnes wherwith he stroke his enemyes was greater or the humanitie wherewith he embraced his counsayle Though the sage philosophers whych accompanied the great Alexander were many in nombre yet notwithstandyng amongest all those Aristotle Anaxarcus and Onosichrates were his most familiars And herein Alexander shewed hymselfe very wise For wise princes ought to take the counsaile of many but they ought to determine and conclude vpon the opinion of few The greate Alexander did not contente himselfe to haue sages with hym neyther to sende onlye to desire those whiche were not his but oftentymes himselfe in personne woulde goo see theym vysite theym and counsayle with theym Saying that the Princes whiche are the seruauntes of sages come to be made maisters and Lordes ouer all In the time of Alexander Magnus Diogenes the philosopher lyued who neither for entreatye nor yet for any promises made would come to see Alexander the great Wherfore the great Alexander went to se him and when he had desired him to go with him and acompany him Diogenes aunswered O Alexander since thou wilte winne honoure in keapinge of menne in thy companye it is not reason that I shoulde loose it to forsake my study For in folowing the I shall not folow my selfe and being thyne I shal cease to be myne Thou arte come to haue the name of the greate ALEXANDER for conqueringe the worlde and I haue attayned to come to renowme of a good Phylosopher in flyeng the world And if thou dost ymagine that thou hast gotten and wonne I thinke that I haue not erred nor lost And since thou wilt be no lesse in aucthoritye then a king do not thinke that I wil lose the estimacion of a philosopher For in the world there is no greater losse vnto a man then when he looseth his proper lybertie When hee had spoken these wordes Alexander said vnto them that were about him with a loude voyce By the immortall gods I sweare and as god Mars rule my handes in battaile if I were not Alexander the greate I would be Diogenes the Philosopher And he sayd further in myne opinion there is no other felycitie vpon the earth then to be Alexander king who commaundeth al or to be Diogenes to commaund Alexander who commaundeth all As king Alexander was more familyar with some philosophers then with others so he estemed some bookes more then others And they say he read oftentimes in the Iliades of Homere which is a booke where the storye of the destruction of Troy is and that when he slept he layde vnder his head vpon a bolster his sword and also his booke When the great king Alexander was borne his father King of Macedonie did two notable things The one was that he sent many and very riche giftes into the I le of Delphos wher the Oracle of Apollo was to the end to present theym with him and to praye him that it would please him to preserue his sonne The other thing that he did was that immediatly he wrote a letter to the greate Philosopher Aristotel wher in he sayd these words ¶ The letter of king Philippe to Aristotle the philosopher PHilippe king of Macedonie wisheth healthe and peace to the Philosopher Aristotel which readeth in the vniuersitie of Grece I let the vnderstand that Olimpias my wife is brought to bedde of a goodly man child wherof both she and I and all Macedonie do reioyce For kinges realmes ought to haue great ioy when there is borne any sonne successour of the naturall prince of the prouince I render thankes vnto the immortall gods haue sent many great giftes to the Temples and it was not so much for that I haue a sonne as for that they haue giuen him vnto me in the time of so great and excellent philosopher I hope that thou wilt bringe him vp and teache him in such sort that by heritage he shal be Lord of my patrimonye of Macedonie and by desert he shal be lorde of all Asia so that they should call him my sonne and the his father Vale foelix iterumque vale Ptolomeus father in lawe who was the viii kinge of the Egiptians did greatly loue the sages as wel of Caldea as of Grece and this thinge was estemed for a great vertue in king Ptolome
but for the residue it is a greuous burden and painfull office The like matter came to Ptolomeâ—s king of Egipt of whom the queene his wife did greatly complaine Admitte that all the Grekes haue bene estemed to be very wyse amongest all those the Athenians were estemed of most excellent vertue for the sages that gouerned the common wealth remained in Athens with the philosophers which taught the sciences The sages of Athens ordeined that all the neighbours and inhabitauntes might kepe twoo lawful wiues furthermore vpon paine of greuous punishmentes did coÌ„maunde that none shuld presume nor be so hardie to maintaine any concubine for they sayde when men haunte the companie of light women commonly they misuse their lawfull wiues As Plutarche saith in his politiques the cause why the Grekes made this lawe was considering that man coulde not nor ought not to liue without the company of a womaÌ„ and therfore they wold that man shuld mary with two wiues For if the one were diseased and lay in yet the other might serue in bedde wayte at the table and doe other busynes in the house Those of Athens had an other great respect and consideration to make this lawe which was this that if it chaunced the one to be barrayne the other should brynge foorth chyldren in the common wealthe and in suche case she that brought forth children should be estemed for maistres and the other that was barraine should be taken for a seruaunt WheÌ„ this law was made Socrates was married with Xantippa and to accomplish the lawe he toke an other called Mitra whiche was the doughter of the philosopher Aristides and sithe those two women had great quarrels debates together and that thereby they slaundered their neighbours Socrates sayde vnto them My wyues you see righte well that my eyes are holowe my legges are wythered my handes are wryncled my head is balde the body is litle and the heares are whyte why doe ye then that are so faire stand in coÌ„tention and strife for me that am so defourmed though Socrates sayde these wordes as it were in ieste yet suche woordes were occasion that the quarrelles and strifes betwene them ceased The Lacedemonians that in tyme of peace and warre were alwayes contrarie to the Athenians obserued it for an inuiolate lawe not that one man should mary with twoo wyues but that one woman should mary with twoo husbandes and the reason was that when one husbande should go to the warres the other should tary at home For they sayde that a man in no wyse should agree to leaue his wife alone in the common wealth Plinie wryting an Epistle to his frende Locratius and saint Hyerome wryting to a friere called Rusticus saieth that the Athenians dyd vse to marie the bretherne with the sisters but they did not permitte the Auntes to marie with their nephewes neither the vncles with their neices For they saide that brothers and sisters to marye togethers was to marye with their semblable but for vncles to marye nieces and auntes with nephewes was as of fathers to doughters of mothers to sonnes Melciades whiche was a man of great renowne amongest the Gretians had a sonne called Cymonius who was maried to his syster called Pinicea and beinge demaunded of one why he toke his sister in mariage he aunswered my syster is fayre sage ryche and made to my appetite and her father and myne dyd recommaund her vnto me and since by the commaundement of the Gods a man ought to accomplishe the behestes and requestes of fathers I haue determined since nature hath geuen her me for my syster willingly to take her for my lawfull wyfe Diodorus Siculus sayth that before the Egiptians receiued any lawes euery man had as many wyues as he would and this was at the libertie of both parties for as muche as if she would go she went liberally and forsooke the man and likewise he left her when she displeased him For they saide that it was impossible for men and women to liue long togethers without muche trouble contentions and brawles Diodorus Siculus said one thing speaking of this matter that I neuer red in any booke nor heard of the auncientes paste whiche was that amongest the Egiptians there was no difference in children for they accoÌ„pted them all legittimate though they were children of slaues For they saide that the principall doer of the generation was the father and not the mother and that therefore the children whiche were borne among them toke only the fleshe of the mother but they did inherite the honour and dignitie of the parte of the father Iulius Caesar in his commentaries saieth that in great Britaine called nowe Englande the Britons had an vse that one woman was maried vnto fiue men the which beastlines is not redde to haue bene in any nation of times paste for if it be sclaunder for one man to haue diuers wyues why shoulde it not also be a sclanderous and shamefull thing for one woman to haue many husbandes The noble and vertuous women ought to be maried for twoo causes The first to the ende God should geue them children and benediction to whome they may leaue their goodes and their memory The second to th end they should liue euery one in their owne house accompanied and honoured with their husbandes For otherwise I saie for a truthe that the woman that is not contented and satisfied with her owne propre husbande will not be contented nor satisfied with all men in the worlde Plutarche in his apotheames sayeth that the Cymbres did vse to mary with their propre naturall doughters the whiche custome was taken from them by the Consul Marius after that he did ouercome them in Germany and that of them he had triumphed at Rome For the chylde whiche was borne of suche mariage was sonne of the doughter of one sole father and was sonne and brother of one onely mother and they were also cosins nephewes and brother of one onely father brother Truly suche custome procedeth rather of wylde beastes then of reasonable creatures for many or the more parte of brute beastes after the females haue brought forth males within one yeare after they doe accompany with their dammes which brought them forth Strabo in the situation of the worlde and Seneca in an Epistle saye that the Lydes and the Armenians had a custome to sende their doughters to the Ryuers and hauens of the sea to gette their mariages selling their owne bodies to straungers so that those whiche would marie were firste forced to sell their virginitie The Romains whiche in all their affayres and busynesses were more sage and modeste then other nations vsed muche circumspection in all their mariages For they kepte it as an auncient lawe and vse accustomed that euery Romaine should marie with one woman and no mo For euen as to kepe two wyues among the Christians is a great conscience so was it demed amongest the Romaines muche infamie Amongest the
great age and grauitie such request can not bee called loue but grief not pastime but losse of time not mockry but villany for of loue in iest ensueth infamy in deede I ask you Claude and Claudine what a thing is it to see an old man to bee in loue Trulye it is no other but as a garland before the tauern dores wher al men think that ther is wine and they sel nought els but vineger They are egges white without and rotten within they are golden pilles the tast wherof are very bitter and as ēpty boxes in shops which haue new writings on them or as a new gate and with in the house is full of filth and cobwebs finally the old louer is a knight of Exchetes which helpeth to lose mony and can deliuer no man from peril Let this woord bee noted and alwayes in your memory committed that the old man which is vitious is but as a leeke which hath the head white the tayle green Mee thinketh that you ought to break the wings of time since that you haue feathers to flye withal Deceiue not your self nor your frends and neighbours saying that ther is time for all For the amendment is in your hands but time is in the hands of god to dispose Let vs come now to remedy this great domage do what you can by the day of youth and deferr it not vntil the night of age for ill cutteth the knife when the edge therof is dulled and ill can hee knaw the bones which is accustomed to eat the flesh I tel you and aduertise you that when the old and rotten houses beeginneth to fall vnder set not them with rotten wood but with hard timber I mean with the vpright thoughts of accompts which wee ought to geue to the gods of our life and to mē of our renoume Forthe I say that if the vine bee gathered of our vertues we ought to graffe againe the amendment and if the shreds of our gatherings bee drye and withered through our peruers woorks wee ought to set them agayn with new mould and good desires The gods are so gentle to serue and so good to content that if for all the seruices wee ow them and for the gifts which they geeue vs wee can not pay them in good woorks they demaund nomore in payment but good willes Finally I say that if thou Claude and Claudine haue offred the meale of youth to the world offer now the blood of age to the gods I haue written longer then I had thought to do Salute all my neyghbours specially Drusio the patrician and noble Romayne widdow I remember that Gobrine your niece did me a pleasure the day of the feast of the mother Berecinthia wherfore I sēd 2. thou sand Sesterces one thousand to help to mary her and the other thousand to help to reliue your pouerty My wife Faustine is sick and I send you another .1000 Sesterces to geeue to the vestal virgines to pray to the gods for her My wife sendeth to thee Claudine a cofer by the immortal gods I swear vnto thee I can not tel what is in it I beeseech the godds sithens you are aged to giue you a good death and to mee Faustine they suffer vs to lead a good life Marcus of mount Celio with his owne hand writeth this ¶ Princes ought to take heede that they be not noted of auarice for that the coueious man is both of god and man hated Cap. xxiii THe great Alexander king of Macedony and Darius the vnfortunat king of the Persyes were not onely contrary in warres and conquests which they made but also in the conditions and inclinations which they had For Alexander naturally loued to geeue and spēd and Darius to the contrary to heape lock keepe When the fame of Alexander was spred abrode through out all the world to bee a prince of honor and not couetous his owne loued him entierly and straungers desyred to serue him faithfully The miserable kyng Darius as hee was noted of great auarice and of small liberality so his did disobey him and straungers hated him Whereof may bee gathered that princes and great lords by geeuing do make them selues rich in keeping they make theym selues poore Plutarche in his apothegmes declareth that after king Darius was dead Alexander had triumphed ouer al the oriental parts a man of Thebes beinge in the market place of Athenes setting foorth the fortune of Alexander for the sundry countreys which hee had conquered and describing the euel fortune of Darius for the great nomber of men which hee had lost a philosopher with a loude voice sayd O man of Thebes thou art greatly deceiued to think that one prince loseth many seignories and that the other Prince winneth many realmes For Alexander the great wanne nought but stones and couerings of cities for with his liberality he had alredie gotten the good willes of the cite sins And to the contrary the vnfortunat Darius did not lose but stones and the couertures of cities for with his couetousnes and auarice he had now lost al the hartes of those of Asia And farther this philosopher sayd vnto him that princes which wil enlarge their estates and amplify their realmes in their conquests ought first to winne the harts to bee noble and liberal and afterwards to send their armies to conquer the forts and walls for otherwise litel auayleth it to winne the stones if the hartes do rebell Wherby a man may gather that that which Alexander wan hee wan by liberalitye and stoutnes and that which king Darius lost he lost for beeinge miserable and couetous And let vs not meruail hereat for the princes great lordes which are ouercome with auarice I doubt whither they euer shal see theym selues cōquerors of many realmes The vice of auarice is so detestable so euel so odious so perilous that if a mā shoold ēploy hī self to write al the discōmodites therūto belongīg my penne should do nought elles then to presume to dry vp all the water in the sea For the stomake where auarice entreth causeth a man to serue vices worshippe Idolles If a vertuous man woulde prepare him selfe to think on the great trauaile and litell reste that this cursed vice beareth with him I thinke that none would be vicious therin Though the couetous man had no other trauaile but alwayes to go to bed wyth daunger and to rise vp with care Me thinketh it is a trouble sufficient for such one when he goeth to bed thinketh that he should be killed in his bed or that sleping his cofers should be rifled and from that time he riseth he is alwayes tormented with feare to lose that which he hath wonne and careful to augmēt that litel in to much The deuine Plato in the first boke of his common welth said these wordes the men be made riche because they neuer learned to bee riche for he which continually and truelye will become riche
thou canst geeue mee to redeeme thy parson for I let thee to weete that I am not contented any phlosopher shoold perysh in my countrey because you other philosophers say that yow wyll willyngly renounce the goods of the world syth yow can not haue it The phylosopher Silenus aunswered hym Mee thinketh kyng Mydas that thou canst better execut tyrāny then to talk of phylosophy for wee make no accompt that our bodies bee taken but that our willes bee at lyberty Thy demaund is very symple to demaund raunsome of mee for my parson whether thow takest mee for a phylosopher or no. If I bee not a phylosopher what mooueth thee to feare to keepe mee in thy realme for sooner shooldst thow make mee a tyrant then I thee a phylosopher If thou takest mee for a phylosopher why doost thow demaund money of mee sins thow knowst I am a phylosopher I am a craftesman I am a poet and also a musicion So that the time that thow in heapyng vp riches hast consumed the selfsame tyme haue I in learning sciences spent Of a phylosopher to demaund eyther gold or siluer for raunsome of hys parson is either a woord in mockery or els an inuention of tyranny For sithens I was borne in the world riches neuer came into my hands nor after them hath my hart lusted If thou kyng Mydas wooldst geeue mee audience and in the fayth of a prynce beeleeue mee I woold tell thee what is the greatest thyng and next vnto that the second that the gods may geeue in this life and it may bee that it shal bee so pleasaunt vnto thee to here and so profytable for thy lyfe that thou wilt pluck mee from my enemies and I may diswade thee from tirannies When king Mydas hard these woords hee gaue him lycence to say these two things swearing vnto him to heare him wyth as much pacyence as was possible The phylosopher Silenus hauyng lycence to speak freely taking an instrument in his hands beeganne to play and syng in thys wyse The senate of the gods when they forethought On earthly wights to still some ryall grace the chiefest gyft the heauenly powers had wrought had bene to sow his seede in barrayne place But when by steps of such diuine constraint they forced man perforce to fyxe his line The highest good to help his bootles plaint had been to slyp his race of slender twine For then the tender babes both want to know the deare delight that lyfe doth after hale And eke the dread that griefly death dooth shew Er Charons bote to Stigeanshore dooth sal◠THese two thinges the philosopher proued with so high and naturall reasons that it was a marueylous matter to see with what vehemency Sylenas the philosopher sang them and with what bitternes Mydas the tirant wept Without doubt the sentences were marueilous profound which the philosopher spake and great reason had that king to esteeme it so much For if wee doo prepare our selues to consider whereof wee are and what wee shall bee that is to weete that wee are of earth and that wee shall retourn to earth Wee woold not cease to weepe nor sygh One of the greatest vanities which I fynd among the children of vanity is that they imploy them selues to consyder the influences of the starres the nature of the planets the motion of the heauens and they wil not consider them selues of which consyderacion they shoold take some profyt For man geeuing his minde to think on straunge things commeth to forget his own propre O if wee woold consider the corruption whereof wee are made the fylth whereof wee are ingendred the infinit trauaile wherew t wee are borne the long tediousnes wherew t wee are norished the great necessities and suspicions wherein wee liue and aboue all the great peryll where in wee dye I sweare and affirme that in such consideracion wee fynd a thousand occasions to wysh death and not one to desire life The children of vanyty are occupyed many years in the schools to learn rethoryk they excercise them selues in philosophy they here Aristottel they learn Homere without booke they study Cicero they are occupied in Xenophon they herken Titus Liuius they forget not Aulus Gelius and they know Ouide yet for all this I say that wee can not say that the man knoweth lytell which doth know him self Eschines the philosopher sayd well that it is not the least but the chiefest part of phylosophy to know man and wherefore hee was made for if man woold deepely consyder what man is hee shoold fynd mo things in him which woold moue him to humble him self then to stirre him to bee proud If wee doo beeholdyt without passion and if wee doo examin it with reasō I know not what there is in man O miserable and fraile nature of man the which taken by it self is littel woorth and compared with an other thing is much lesse For man seeth in brute beasts many things which hee doth ēuy and the beasts doo see much more in mē whereō yf they had reason they woold haue cōpassion The excellency of the soule layd asyde and the hope which wee haue of eternall lyfe yf man doo compare the captyuyty of men to the lyberty of beasts wyth reason wee may see that the beasts doo liue a peacible life and that which men doo lead is but a long death If wee prepare our selues to consyder from the tyme that both man and beast come into this world vntill such time as they both dy and in how many things the beasts are better then men with reason wee may say that nature lyke a pitifull mother hath shewed her self to beasts that shee doth handle vs as an iniust stepmother Let vs beeginne therefore to declare more particularly the original of the one and the beginning of the other wee shall see how much better the brute beasts are endowed how the myserable men are disherited ¶ The auctour followeth his purpose excellently compareth the mysery of men with the lyberty of beasts Cap. xxxiij WE ought deepely to consyder that no wilde nor tame beast is so long beefore hee come to his shape as the myserable man is who wyth corruption of blood vile matter is nine moneths hyd in the womb of his mother Wee see the beast when shee is great if neede require doth labor all exercises of husbandry so that shee is as ready to labor when shee is great as if shee were empty The contrary happeneth to women which whē they are bigge with childe are weary with going troubled to bee layd they ryde in chariots through the market places they eat lytle they brooke not that they haue eaten they hate that which is profytable loue that which doth thē harm Fynally a woman with childe is contented with nothing and shee fretteth and vexeth with her self Sithens therefore it is true that wee are noysome and troublesome to our mothers when they beare vs in theire wombs why
well aduysed that albeeit the kyng for his pleasure doo priuely play wyth his hands or iest with his tong with the courtier and that hee take great pleasure in it yet that hee in no case presume to doo the lyke yea though hee were assured the kings maiesty woold take it well but let him modestly beehaue him self and shew by his woords and countenaunce that hee thinketh the prince dooth honor him in pleasing his maiesty to vse those pastymes and pleasant deuyses with so vnwoorthy a person as hee is For the prince may lawfully play and sport him self with his lords and gentlemen but so may not they again wyth him For so dooing they might bee counted very fond and lyght With a mans compagnions and coequals it is lawfull for euery man to bee mery and play with all But wyth the prince let no man so hardy once presume further more then to serue honor and obey him So that the wyse courtier must indeuor him self alwayes to come in fauor by his wisedom and courtly beehauiour in matters of weight and importaunce and by great modesty and grauity in things of sport and passe tyme. Therefore Plutarch in his Apothegmes sayth that Alcibiades amongst the Greekes a woorthy captayn and a man of hys own nature disposed to much myrth and pleasure beeing asked once by some of hys familiar frends why hee neuer laughed in theaters bankers and other common plays where hee was aunswered them thus Where others eat I fast where others take pain play I rest mee am quiet where other speak I am silent where they laugh I am curteous iest not For wise men are neuer knowen but among fooles and light persons When the courtier shall vnderstand or heere tell of pleasant things to bee laughed at let him in any case if he can fly frō those great laughters foolries that hee bee not perhaps moued too much with such toys to laugh to loud to clap his hands or to doo other gestures of the body or admirations to vehement accompanied rather with a rude and barbarous maner of beehauiour then wyth a cyuyll and modest noblenes For ouer great and excessiue laughter was neuer engendered of wisedome neither shall hee euer bee counted wyse of others that vseth it There are also an other sort of courtiers that speak so coldly and laugh so dryly and with so yl a grace that it were more pleasure to see them weepe then to laugh Also to nouel or to tell tales to delyght others and to make them laugh you must bee as brief as you can that you weary not comber not the auditory pleasant and not byting nor odyous Els it chaunceth oft times that wanting any of these condicions from iesting they come many tymes to good earnest Elius Spartianus in the lyfe of the Emperor Seuerus sayth that the said Emperor had in his court a pleasaunt foole and hee seeing the foole one day in his domps and cogitacions asked hym what hee ayled to bee so sadd The foole made aunswer I am deuysing with myself what I shoold doo to make thee mery And I swere to thee my lord Seuerus that for as much as I way thy lyfe deere possible I study more in the nights for the tales I shall tell thee in the morow after then doo thy Senators touching that they must decree on the next day And I tell thee further my lord Seuerus that to bee pleasaunt and delighting to the prince hee must neyther bee a very foole nor altogeether wyse But though hee bee a foole yet hee must smatter somewhat of a wise man and if hee bee wyse hee must take a lyttle of the foole for his pleasure And by these examples wee may gather that the courtier must needes haue a certein modesty and comely grace as well in speakyng as hee must haue a soft and sweete voice in singing There are also some in court that spare not to goe to noble mens bords to repast which beeing in deede the vnseemely grace it self yet in their woords and talk at the boord they woold seeme to haue a maruelous good grace wherein they are oft deceyued For if at tymes the Lords and gentlemen laugh at them it is not for any pleasure they take in their talk but for the yl grace and vncomly gestures they vse in their talke In the bankets and feasts courtyers make some tymes in the sommer there are very oft such men in theyr company that if the wyne they drank tooke theyr condition yt shoold bee drunk either colder or whotter then it is ¶ How the Courtier shoold beehaue him self to know and to visit the noble men and gentlemen that bee great with the Prince and continuing still in court Cap. vi THe courtier that cometh newly to the court to serue there must immediatly learn to know those that are in aucthority and fauor in the court that are the princes officers For if hee doo otherwise neither shoold hee bee acquainted with any noble man or gentleman or any other of the princes seruaunts neither woold they also geeue him place or let him in whē hee woold For wee bee not conuersant with him wee know not not beeing conuersant with him wee trust him not and distrusting him wee commit no secrets to him So that hee that will come in fauor in the court must make him self known bee frend to all in generall And hee must take heede that hee begin not to sodainly to bee a busy suter in his own priuate affairs or for his frend for so hee shal bee soone reputed for a busy soliciter rather then a wise courtier Therefore hee that wil purchase fauor and credite in the court must not bee to carefull to preferre mens causes and to entermedle in many matters For the nature of princes is rather to commit their affairs in the hands trust of graue and reposed men then to busy importunate soliters The courtier also may not bee negligent to visyt the prelates gentelmen and the fauored of the court nor to make any difference beetween the one the other and not onely to vysyt their parents and frends but his enemies also For the good courtier ought to endeuour him self the best hee can to accept all those for his frends at least that hee can not haue for parents and kinsfolks For amongst good and vertuous courtiers there should neuer bee such bloudy hate that they should therefore leaue one to company with an other and to bee courteous one to another Those that bee of base mynd doo shew their cankred harts by forbearing to speak but those that bee of noble blood valiaunt courage beegynne first to fight ere they leaue to speak togethers There is also an other sort of courtiers which beeing sometimes at the table of noble men or els where when they heare of some quarell or priuate dyspleasure they shew them selues in offer like fyerce lyons but if afterwards their help bee
those wee hate Therefore the fauored of princes shall doo great seruyce to God and much profitt to the common weal if they geeue order to dispatch all suters high or low speedely Since it is to the kyng only that they impute the denyall of their suites but for the delay and prolongation of them they only lay it to the charge of the fauored and beeloued of princes And those that are great with the Prince may not excuse them selues by reason of the nombers of matters they haue in theyr hands For if hee bee alone and that it lye in his hands only to dyspatch all and that hee is not able to satisfy them all yt cannot bee but that some one of his frends wyll aduertise the kyng that hee cannot doo all and how the people complain and the poore suters fynd them selues agreeued whych purchase him great enemies and yll willers by reason the common wealth ys so altered So that hee shall not tarry long but the Prince vnderstandyng of these complaynts will ioyn a companion with him to ease hym of some part of his paine And therefore the good Princes shoold admonish and warne the officers well whom they take to help to dispatch matters that they bee wise and learned men and of good lyfe and that they bee not too partiall in their dooings nor too sharp rough in their aunswers For many tymes there happen more troubles and sinister chaunces to Prynces and noble men for the vncurteous language of their offycers and deputyes then for any yll that they them selues doo commit And therefore those that are in fauor and auctority wyth the prince must of necessity foresee to choose vnder them such persons to whom they geeue the care and charge of theyr affayrs and busynes to dispatch mens matters and suyts that they bee liberall of condition pleasant in their conuersation curteous in aunswers true in their wrytings easy and dyligent in their dispatches very honest and modest in that they geeue or take and sincere and perfitt in all their other vertues if it bee possible So that they may euer bee more carefull to gett frends for their maisters then money For lyke as the lyfe of the maister of the ship consisteth and dependeth in the only guyde and iudgement of the Pilot and the consciens of the iudge in hys constitute the goods of the marchant in his factor and the victory of the prince in his Captayn Euen so likewise dooth the honor of the fauored consist in those hee hath chosen officers vnder him for the dispatch of mens affairs And although the seruaunt of the beelyked bee no partaker with his maister of his fauor with the prince yet is hee a coadiutor to him to support his credit and fauor and many tymes also a ready mean vtterly to vndoo his maister and to dishonor him for euer The lyke watch and care the good bishop hath ouer his flock to preach vnto them the Gospell of Ihesus Christ the self same ought the magistrats and higher powers haue to their officers that are vnder them in taking heed that they bee not slow and negligent in dispatching such busines as they haue in charge that they bee not dishonest of lyfe presumptuous in demaunding and false in their writing For the least of these faults suffiseth vtterly to vndoo the seruaunt and also to defame the maister And therefore so soone as the beloued of the court haue any suspition in the world or ynkling bee it neuer so little that his seruaunt is growen to bee proud dishonest and of a naughty consciens hee ought not only immediatly to correct him for it but to put hym out of his seruyce forthwith and to turne his coat ouer his ears Otherwise they will murmure so much at the seruaunt that dooth all these faults as at the maister that will not see them and suffereth them Therefore the reputed of court must first see and peruse ouer the writings and dooings of their seruaunts and secretaries before they dispatch them out of their hands and to moderat their gayn with reason that is due to them Otherwise their enemies might iustly say that they keepe not such vnder them to dispatch poore men that sue to their maisters but rather to spoyle robbe them And therefore they were better augment their wages they geeue those officers and seruaunts then to confent or dissemble with their theft For so dooing the seruaunt can neuer ryse in wealth but the maister must needes diminish in honor It may happen many tymes that the esteemed of the court shal bee so occupied in thaffairs of the comonweal that hee cannot though hee woold geue audiens to the suters But when they are thus occupied that they cannot in deede they must then commaund their seruaunts and officers that they curteously entreat them and heare them and not check or rebuke them and call them importunat suters For it is no reason that for dispatch of their busines the poore soules shoold bee laden with iniurious woords ¶ That the derelings of the court beware they bee not proud and hygh mynded For lyghtly they neuer fall but through this wicked vyce Chap. xiii WE read that Hieroboham succeeded his father in xii realmes that were his although they were but small realms Who being requested and exhorted by the graue aged men of his realm to bee curteous and temperat and not gredy nor auaricious in recouering the tribuis subsidies the other realms gaue him mercifull pittifull in punishing the offences cōmitted aunswered them thus My father beat you only with simple whips but I wil not scurge you with whips but plague you with scorpiōs for my litle finger is greter thā was his whole arm Which happened very yl to him that for to chastise the proud arrogant woords he spake to thē to punish him for his wicked doīgs enormities cōitted they afterwards reuolted agaīst him took frō him .xi. of his realms al his frēdz forsook hī so that as he augmēted ī greatnes of hys fyngers hee diminished as much in hys realms and riches So gret was the pride likewise of king Pharao that not contented that god had pardoned him his sinnes and with the tenne plagues that hee had sent him did yet notwithstanding resist and pursue the people of Israell Wherefore the sea that was made a plain passage and high way for the sauegard of the children of Israell his enemies was prepared a sepulture for him and hys Pompey the great also beeing in Asia when it was told him that hee shoold leuy his power and prepare his men to bee in redines to resist the battel the Iulius Cesar came to geeue him with a great fury hee stamped his foote vppon the ground and proudly spake these woords Next to the gods I fear no man no not all mortall men although they all were bent against mee my power beeing so great that I am able to destroy Iulius Cesar
armies ioyned together and fought betwene Verona Trento wher king Syndual was conquered and taken aliue and the same day without any delay was hanged openly And because that Narsetes was not accustomed to vse such cruelty against those that were ouercome especially against kings and worthie Knightes he commaunded his title to be set on the gibbet wheron the kinge hanged which said this ¶ A simple corde here stopt king Synduals breath By fautles doome of hye Narsetes hest Not that he sought by warlike deedes his death But that in peace he dyd a Traitor rest Such and many other battailes and victories had this aduenturous and good captaine not only in the borders of Italye but also in Asia where for many yeres he had the gouernement of the country And as he was a good christian so almighty god in all his affaires did prosper him After all these warres past Iustinian the younger sent him to the kyngdome of constantinople to be chiefe gouernour of al those prouinces and although he dyd wel in warlike affaires yet he did much better in the administracion of the common wealth For men that are accustomed to trauaile in warres haue a good lerning howe to gouerne the people in peace For this occasion amongest all mortall men Narsetes was praysed and estemed that is for his valyauntnes in the batailes which he ouercame for his riches through the spoyles that he toke and for the iustice he ministred to all men where he ruled Narsetes because he was a Gretian borne was enuied of the Romaines chiefly because he dayly encreased both his honour and riches For truly vertue honour riches in a mā are but a brond to light enuy to al the world And thus was the case One daye ther came many noble Romaines to the emperour Iustinian to the Empresse Sophia Augusta to complaine of Narsetes and of his behauiour gouerning said these words vnto them We let you to wete most noble prince soueraigne lady that we had rather of the two to serue the Gothes then to obey the Greekes we speake this because that the Eunuch comaunded vs more to his owne seruice then hee dooth to that of yours and the worst is that you know it not if you know it at the lest you do not remedie it Chose therfore one of these two things whether you wil deliuer vs frō the gouernment of the greke or suffer that we put Rome our selues into the hands of the Gothes For it is lesse griefe for the Romaines to be subiect to a puisant king then to an effeminate Eunuch a tiraunt Narsetes being present hearing these quarelles as they say said thus O noble prince if I haue committed any euil it is vnpossible for me to find one that wil do me good but if I haue done wel no man shal be able to do me wrōg The empresse Sophia of long time before had hated Narsetes some saide it was because he was an Eunuch other thinke it was because he was rich some other iudge because he was in greater authoritie in the empire then shee Wherfore perceuing she had good occasion oportunitie for the same she spake a word much to his reproche which was this Sith thou art an Eunuch Narsetes not a man it is not fit for the to haue a mans office therfore I cōmaund the to worke with my handmaidens and ther thou shalt serue to spin and weaue clothes Narsetes toke this word heauily truly it was with great spight spoken Wherfore he stoutly couragiously spake vnto the Empresse Sophia these words said I had rather most excellent Princesse thou haddest chastised me as a noble dame then to haue reproued me with a word as a simple womā but since it is so that you haue liberty authoritie to comaund me know you also that I haue the selfe same to obey you and therfore I take my leaue now I go to weaue my webbe which perhappes your self whilest you liue shal neuer vntwine Narsetes immediatly went his way came into Italye into the citye of Naples chiefe and head of Campagnia and from thense he depeached his imbassadours immediatly to the king of Hungarie wher the Lumbardes at the time had their mansion place coūsailing them to forsake that land so euyl tilled so barren cold and litle that they shold come enhabite Italye which was a plaine countrie fartile ample temperat very riche and that now or neuer they should conquere it And Narsetes therwith not contented but to prouoke his frends the more make them the more couetous sente theym part of euery good thing that was in Italy that is to wete lyght horses riche armour swete pleasant dainty fruits fine mettailes many kinds of oyntments very odiferous silkes marchaūdises of many diuers sortes The embassadors ariued in Panony which now is called Hungarie were honorably receiued the Lumbardes seing that ther wer suche so many goodly things in Italie determined to leaue Pannonia go spoile conquere Italy although it belōged to Rome were at the season frends with the Romaines yet notwithstanding they had litle respect to this And hereat no man ought to merueile for in the place ther is neuer perfite frendshippe wher he that commaundeth is cōstrained to demaund helpe of others The Lumbards determined to passe into Italy at the time ther was sene of the Italians visibly in the ayer sondry armies of fire the one cruelly killing the other Whiche thinges greatly feared the hartes of the people For by this they knew that with in a short space much of their bloud of their enemies also should be shed For it is an old auncient custome that when any great matter doth chaunce to anye Realme first the planetes elements do declare the same by secret tokens The ingratitude of the Emperour Iustinian against Narsetes his captaine the euyll words which Sophia spake vnto him wer thoccasiō that the Lumbardes inuaded destroyed al Italy which thing valiant Princes ought wel to note to kepe them selues from ingratitude towards their seruauntes who hath don them great seruice For it is a general rule that the ingratitude of a great benefit maketh the seruaunts dispaire of recompence or of a faithfull seruaunt maketh him become a cruel mortal enemy And let not Princes trust men because they be natife of their realmes brought vp nourished in their palaces alwaies haue bene faithful in their seruices that therfore they wil not of good subiectes be turned to euill nor yet of faithful become disloyall For suche imaginacion is vaine For the Prince that in his doings is vnthankefull cannot keape nor reteyne anye honest man longe in his seruice One thynge the noble Iustinian did with Narsetes whereof all noble and sage Princes ought to beware that is to know he did not onely giue eare vnto his enemyes and beleued them
knewe howe small a thing it is to be hated of men and howe great a comfort to be beloued of god I sweare that you woulde not speake one worde although it were in ieste vnto men neither woulde you cease night nor day to commende your selues vnto god for god is more mercifull to succour vs then we are diligent to call vppon hym For in conclusion the fauour whiche men can giue you other men can take from you but the fauour that god will giue you no man can resiste it All those that possesse muche should vse the company of them whiche can doe muche and if it be so I let you princes wete that all men can not thynke so muche togethers as god him selfe is able to doe alone For the crie of a LyoÌ„ is more fearefull then the howling of a woulfe I confesse that princes and great lordes maye sometimes gayne and wynnne of them selfes but I aske them whose fauoure they haue neade of to preserue and kepe them we see oftentymes that in a short space many come to great authoritie the whiche neither mans wisedome suffiseth to gouerne nor yet mans force to kepe For the authoritie whiche the Romaines in sixe hundred yeares gayned fighting against the Eothes in the space of three yeares they loste We see dayly by experience that a man for the gouernement of his owne house onely nedeth the councell of his friendes and neighbours and doe princes great lordes thinke by their owne heades onely to rule and gouerne many realmes and dominions ¶ What the Philosopher Byas was of his constancie whan he lost all his goodes and of the ten lawes he gaue worthy to bée had in memorie Cap. xxi AMong all nations and sortes of men whiche auaunt them selues to haue had with them sage men the Gretians were the chiefest whiche had and thought it necessary to haue not onely wyse men to reade in their scholes but also they chose them to be princes in their dominions For as Plato saith those whiche gouerned in those daies were Philosophers or els they sayde and did like Philosophers And Laertius wryteth in his second booke De antiquitatibus Grecorum that the Gretians auaunted them selues muche in this that they haue had of all estates persons moste notable that is to wete seuen women very sage seuen Queenes very honest seuen kings very vertuous seuen Captaines very hardy seuen cities verie notable seuen buildinges very sumptuous seuen Philosophers well learned whiche Philosophers were these that folowe The first was Thales Milesius that inuented the Carde to sayle by The seconde was Solon that gaue the first lawes to the Athenians The thirde was Chilo who was in the Orient for Embassadour of the Athenians The fourth was Pittacus Quintilenus who was not only a philosopher but also Captaine of the Mitelenes The fifth was Cleobolus that descended froÌ„ the auncient linage of Hercules The sixte was Periander that long tyme gouerned the realme of Corinth The seuenth was Bias Prieneus that was prince of the Prieneans Therfore as touching Bias you muste vnderstande that when Romulus reigned at Rome and Ezechias in Iudea there was great warres in Grecia betwene the Metinenses and the Prieneans and of these Prieneans Bias the philosopher was prince and Captaine who because he was sage read in the vniuersitie and for that he was hardy was chiefetaine in the warre and because he was wyse he was made a Prince and gouerned the common wealth And of this no man ought to marueile for in those dayes the Philosopher that had knowledge but in one thing was litle estemed in the common wealth After many contentions had betwene the Metâ—nenses and Prienenses a cruell battayle was fought wherof the philosopher Bias was captaine and had the victorie and it was the first battayle that euer anye Philosopher gaue in Greece For the whiche victorie Greece was proude to see that their Philosophers were so aduenturous in warres and hardy of their handes as they were profound in their doctrine and eloquente in their toungues And by chaunce one brought him a nomber of women and maydens to sell or if he listed to vse them otherwyse at his pleasure but this good philosopher did not defile them nor sell them but caused them to be apparailed and safely to be conducted to their own natiue countries And let not this liberalitie that he did be had in litle estimation to deliuer the captiues and not to defloure the virgins For many times it chaunseth that those whiche are ouercome with the weapons of the conquerours are conquered with the delightes of them that are ouercome This deede amongest the Grekes was so highly commended and likewyse of their enemies so praysed that immediatly the Metinenses sent Embassadours to demaunde peace of the Prienenses And they concluded perpetuall peace vpon condition that they shoulde make for Bias an immortall statue sith by his handes and also by his vertues he was the occasion of the peace and ending of the warres betwene them And trulye they had reason for he deserueth more prayse which wynneth the hartes of the enemies in his tentes by good example then he whiche getteth the victorie in the fielde by shedding of bloud The hartes of men are noble and we see daily that oftentyme one shal soner ouercome many by good then many ouercome one by euyll and also they saye that the Emperour Seuerus spake these wordes By goodnes the least slaue in Rome shall leade me tied with a heere whether he wyll but by euill the most puissaunt men in the worlde can not moue me out of Italy For my harte had rather be seruaunt to the good then Lorde to the euill Valerius Maximus declareth that when the citie of Priene was taken by enemies put to sacke the wyfe of Bias was slayne his children taken prysoners his goodes robbed the citie beaten downe and his house set on fire but Bias escaped safe and went to Athens In this pytiful case the good philosopher Bias was no whit the sadder but rather sang as he went by the way and when he perceiued that men marueiled at his mirthe he spake vnto them these wordes Those whiche speake of me for wantinge my citie my wife and my children and losing al that I had truly such know not what fortune meaneth nor vnderstande what philosophie is The losse of children and temporall goodes cannot be called losse if the life be safe and the renowne remaine vndefiled Whether this sentence be true or no let vs profoundly consider if the iust god suffer that this citie should come into the handes of the cruell tyrauntes then this prouision is iuste for there is no thing more conformable vnto iustice then that those whiche receyue not the doctrine of the Sages shoulde suffer the cruelties of the Tyrauntes Also thoughe my ennemies haue kylled my wyfe yet I am sure it was not withoute the determynation of the Gods who after they created her bodye immediately appoynted the
in great felicitie than the poore labourer who liueth in extreme misery And also we see it eftsones by experience that the sodaine lightning tempestes and the terrible thonder forsaketh the small lowe cotages battereth forthwith the great sumptuous buildinges Gods wil determination is that for as much as he hath exalted them aboue al others somuch the more they should acknowledge him for lorde aboue all others For god did neuer create high estates because they should worke wickednes but he placed them in that degree to th end they should therby haue more occasion to do him seruice Euery prince that is not a good Christian a feruente louer of the catholike faith nor will haue any respect to the deuine seruice let him be assured that in this world he shall loase his renowme and in the other he shall hazarde his soule For that all euill Christians are the parishioners of hell ¶ The authour proueth by twelue examples that princes are sharply punished when they vsurpe boldly vpon the churches and violate the tēples Cap. xxiii ¶ Why the children of Aaron were punished IT is now time that we leaue to perswade with wordes reasons and to begin to proue that which we haue said by some excellēt histories notable examples For in th end the hartes of mē are stirred more through some litle examples then with a great multitude of words In the first booke of the Leuitici the .x. chap is declared how in the time of Moyses the sonne in law of Iethro priest that was of Media who was chiefe prince of all the image of Seph with whom the brother of Mary the Iepre had charge of the high priesthod For among al the lawes where god at any time put his handes vnto he prouided always that some had the gouernement of ciuile affaires and others thadministration of the deuine misteries This high priest had then two children whose names were Nadab Abihu which two were yonge beautiful stout sage during their infancy serued their father helped him to do sacrifice For in the old law they suffred that priestes should not onely haue wiues children but also that their children should succede thē in their temples and inherite their benefices There came a great mischaunce for the two childrē being apparailed in whyte their bodies bound with stoels their handes naked in one hand holding a torche in thother the senser being negligent to light the new fyre contrary to that the law had ordeined taking coles which were prohibited a marueilous thing was sene in the sight of the people which was that sodainly these two children fel flat on the earth dead al their sacrifice burned Truly the sentēce was marueilous but it was iust enough For they wel deserued to lose their liues sithen they durst sacrifice the coles of an other This thing semed to be true for those yonge children saued their soules made satisfaction of the fault with their liues but other wicked men god permitteth to liue a short time because they shal loose their soules for euer ¶ The cause why the Azotes were punished THe realme of Palestine being destitute of a kyng at that time an honourable old man gouerned the realme whiche was father to two knightes named Albino and Phinides for at that tyme the children of Israell were not gouerned by kinges that did moleste them by iniuries but by sage men whiche did mainteine theym by iustice It chaunced that the Azotes made warre against the Palestines and were a kynde of the Arabians stoute and warrelyke the whiche fought so couragiously that the Palestines and Hebrues were constrayned to bringe their Arke into the middes of the battaile whiche was a relicke as a man should haue put the holy sacrament to deuide a great multitude of people But fortune shewed her countenaunce vnto them so frowningly that they were not onely ouercome but also were spoyled of the Arke whiche was their chiefe relicke And besides that there were .400 Palestines slayne The Azotes caried awaye the Arke ful of relicks vnto their temple in the citie of Nazote and set it by Dagon their cursed Idol The true God whiche wyll not suffer any to be coequall with him in comparison or in any thing that he representeth caused this Idoll to be shaken throwen downe and broken in pieces no man touching it For our god is of suche power that to execute his iustice he nedeth not worldly helpe God not contented thus though the Idoll was broken in pieces caused those to be punished likewyse whiche worshipped it in suche sorte that all the people of Azote Ascalon Geth Acharon and of Gaza whiche were fiue auncient and renowmed cities were plaged both man and woman inwardly with the disease of the Emerodes so that they could not eate sitting nor ryde by the wayes on horsebacke And to th ende that al men might see that their offences were greauous for the punishment they receiued by the deuine iustice he replenished their houses places gardeins seedes and fieldes full of rattes And as they had erred in honouring the false Idoll and forsaken the true god so he would chastise them with two plagues sending them the Emerodes to torment their bodies and the rattes to destroye their goodes For to him that willingly geueth his soule to the deuill it is but a small matter that god against his wyll depriue him of his goodes This then being thus I would nowe gladly knowe whether of them committed moste offence eyther the Azotes whiche set the Arke in the temple whiche as they thought was the moste holiest or the Christians whiche without the feare of God robbe and pylle the Churche goodes to their owne priuate commoditie in this worlde Truly the lawe of the Azotes differed as muche from the Christians as the offence of the one differeth from the other For the Azotes erred not beleuing that this Arke was the figure of the true God but we beleue it and cōfesse it and without shame committe against it infinite vices By this so rare sodaine a punishement me thinkes that Princes and great Lordes should not onely therfore acknowledge the true god but also reuerence and honour those thinges which to him are dedicated For mans lawes speaking of the reuerence of a Prince doe no lesse condemne him to die that robbeth his house then him whiche violently layeth handes on his persone ¶ The cause why Prince Oza was punished IN the booke whiche the sonne of Helcana wrote that is the seconde booke of the kynges and the sixt Chapter he saieth that the Arke of Israell with his relikes which was Manna the rodde and two stones stode in the house of Aminadab whiche was the next neighbour to the citie of Gibeah the sonne of Esaye who at that tyme was kyng of the Israelites determined to transpose the relickes into his citie and house for it semed to him a great infamy that to a mortall
Prince a house should abounde for his pleasours and to the immortall God there should wante a temple for his relickes The daye therefore appointed when they should carie the relicke of Gibeah to Bethleem there mette thirty thousand Israelites with a great nombre of noble men which came with the king besyds a greater nombre of straungers For in such a case those are no which come of their owne pleasure then those which are commaunded Besides al the people they say that all the nobilitie of the realme was there to thend the relicke should be more honoured his persone better accompanied It chaunced that as the lordes and people wēt singing and the king in persone dauncing the whele of the chariot began to fall and goe out of the waye the whiche prince Oza seing by chaunce set to his hand and his shoulder against it because the Arcke wher the relick was should not fall nor breake yet notwithstanding that sodainly and before thē all he fell downe dead Therfore let this punishmēt be noted for truly it was fearfull and ye ought to thinke that since god for putting his hande to the chariot to holde it vp stroke him with death that a prince shoulde not hope seking the destruction and decaye of the churche that god will prolong his life O princes great lordes and prelates sith Oza with suche diligence loste his life what do ye hope or loke for sith with such negligence ye destroy and suffer the churche to fall Yet once againe I doe retourne to exclaime vpon you O princes and great lordes syth prince Oza deserued such punishement because without reuerence he aduaunced him selfe to staye the Arke which fell what punishement ought ye to haue whiche through malice helpe the churche to fall ¶ Why kyng Balthasar was punished DArius kyng of the Perses and Medes besieged the auncient citie of Babilon in Chaldea wherof Balthasar sonne of Nabuchodonosor the great was kinge and lorde Who was so wicked a childe that his father being dead he caused him to be cut in .300 pieces gaue him to .300 haukes to be eaten because he should not reuiue againe to take the goodes and riches from him which he had left him I knowe not what father is so folishe that letteth his sonne liue in pleasures afterwardes the intrelles of the hauke wherewith the sonne hauked should be the wofull graue of the father which so many men lamented This Balthasar then being so besieged determined one night to make a great feast and banket to the lordes of his realme that came to ayde him and in this he did like a valiaunt and stoute prince to th ende the Perses and Medes might see that he litle estemed their power The noble and high hartes do vse when they are enuironed with many trauayles to seeke occasions to inuent pleasours because to their men they may giue greater courage and to their enemies greater feare He declareth of Pirrus kynge of the Epirotes when he was besieged very streightly in the citie of Tharenta of the Romain captaine Quintus Dentatus that then he spake vnto his captaines in this sort Lordes frendes be ye nothing at al abashed since I neuer here before sawe ye afraide though the Romaines haue compassed our bodies yet we haue besieged their hartes For I let you to wete that I am of such a cōplexion that the streighter they kepe my body the more my hart is at large And further I say though the Romains beate down the walles yet our harts shall remaine inuincible And though there be no wall betwene vs yet we wyll make them knowe that the hartes of Greekes are harder to ouercome then the stones of Tarentine are to be beaten downe But retourninge to king Balthasar The banket then being ended and the greatest parte of the night spent Balthasar the kyng being very well pleased that the banket was made to his cōtentation though he was not the sobrest in drynking wyne commaunded all the cuppes of golde and siluer with the treasour he had to be brought and set on the table because all the bidden gestes shoulde drinke therin King Balthasar did this to that ende the princes and lordes with all his captaines shoulde manfully helpe him to defende the siege and also to shewe that he had muche treasour to pay them for their paynes For to saye the truthe there is nothing that encourageth men of warre more than to see their rewarde before their eies As they were drinking merily at the banket of these cups which Nabuchodonosor had robbed from the temple of Hierusalem sodenly by the power of God and the deserte of his offences there appeared a hand in the wal without a body or arme which with his fingers wrote these wordes Mane Thetel Phares which signifieth O kinge Balthasar god hath sene thy life and findeth that thy malice is nowe accomplished He hath commaunded that thou and thy realme shoulde be wayed and hath found that ther lacketh a great deale of iust weight wherfore he comaundeth that thy life for thine offences be taken from thee and that thy realme bee put into the handes of the Perses and Medes whiche are thine enemies The vision was not frustrate for the same night without any lenger delay the execution of the sentence was put in effect by the enemies The king Balthasar died the realme was lost the treasours were robbed the noble men takē and al the Chaldeans captiues I would nowe knowe sith Balthasar was so extreamely punished only for geuing his concubines and frindes drinke in the sacred cuppes what payne deserueth princes and prelates then which robbe the churches for prophane thinges How wicked so euer Balthasar was yet he neuer chaunged gaue sold nor engaged the treasours of the Sinagoge but wat shall we say speake of prelates whiche without any shame wast chaunge sell and spende the churche goodes I take it to be lesser offence to giue drinke in a chalice as king Balthasar did to one of his concubines then to enter into the churche by symony as many do nowe a daies This tyraunt was ouercome more by folie than by couetousnes but these others are vanquished with foly couetousnes and simony What meaneth this also that for the offence of Nabuchodonosor in Hierusalem his sonne Balthasar shoulde come and be punished For this truly me thinke not consonaunt to reason nor agreable to mans lawe that the father should commit the theft and the sonne should requite it with seuen double To this I can aunswere that the good child is bounde to restore all the good that his father hath lefte him euill gotten For he that enioyeth the thefte deserueth no lesse punishement then he that committeth the theft For in th end both are theues and deserue to be hanged on the galowes of the deuine iustice ¶ Why Kyng Ahab was punished IN the first booke of Malachie that is to wete in the third booke of kinges the .viii. chap. It is
as an innocent and that the Emperour Valent had iudged euill and like a tyraunt For the innocencie of the good is the great enemy of the euill At the same time when Theodosius demaūded baptisme according to the saying of Prosper in his cronicle he sayd vnto the bishop whiche should baptise him these wordes O byshop sainct Roger I doe coniure thee by the creatour whiche made vs and doe desire thee for the passion of Iesu Christe who redemed vs to geue me the water of baptisme for I haue made a vowe to become a Christian if god graunted me victory Wherefore I wyll accomplishe my vowe for those thinges whiche necessitie causeth vs to promyse our owne free wyll ought to accomplishe I am sory with all my heart that beynge a Christian I can liue no longer and sith it is so I offer my life for his sake and into his mercifull handes I commende my soule I leue a sonne of myne who is called Theodosius and if the fatherly loue begile me not I thinke he wyll be a vertuous and stoute young man and besides that he wil be wise and sithe by thy handes he hath bene baptised I require thee holy father that thou through thy wysedome wilt bring him vp in the true faith for if he be a good Christian I trust in god he will be a great man in the Empire This Theodosius was the father of the great Emperour Theodosius so that the father was a Christian and the sonne a Christian Not longe after the Emperour Valent had caused Theodosius which was father to the great Emperour Theodosius to be executed Valent by the commaundement of God was by the Gothes persecuted and in th end put to death and truly this was the iust iudgement of god For he of right should suffer death him selfe whiche vniustly procureth the death of others Rufinus in the seconde booke of his histories saith that after the tyraunt Thirmus was put to death by the captaine Theodosius and that the Emperour Valent had caused this Theodosius to be put to death and that the same Valent was slaine of the Gothes the Romains created a king in Afrike whose name was Hismarus called for a right Christian in that time which was from the buylding of Rome .377 There was in the citie of Carthage a holy byshop called Siluanus a man in humaine and deuine letters excellently well learned and sithe the kyng was so iuste and the byshop so holy both the faith encreased and also the affayres of the common weale prospered For commonly the warres beginne rather through the pride of the highest then through disobedience in the lowest Therefore this holy byshop and good Christian king being desirous in their tyme to geue good example to the subiectes and for the time to come to leaue good preceptes they celebrated in the citie of Bona a counsaile with all the byshoppes of Affryke in the whiche kyng Hismarus was in persone For in auncient coūselles the kynges were not onely there in persones but also al the lordes and hie estates of their Realmes Amongest many excellent thinges which Rufinus mentioneth that were ordayned in this place it semed good vnto me to remember here these few to the ende christian princes nowe present may see what deuout christians those kinges were in times paste ¶ A collection or Purport of the counsell of Hyponense THese were the thinges which in the sacred counsayle of Hyponense were ordeined where there was in persone the catholyke kyng Hismarus and the relygious byshoppe Siluanus and in that whiche was ordeined the kinge spake in some of theym and dooth counsaile in other some Because in suche semblable affayres it is both mete and requisite that the royall preheminens be reuerenced and the auctoritie of the Churche not diminished We ordeine that from two yeares to two yeares all the Byshoppes Abbottes and prelates of our Realme doe assemble and celebrate a prouintial counsaile and that in this counsayle there be no temporall matters spoken of but of the disorders and misgouernaunce of Churches for the Churche is not lost for the lacke of scarsitie of money but for the to great aboundance of riches We ordeine and all prelates which are now and shal be here after we desire that when they will cal any counsaile in our Realmes that before the celebracion of the same they certifye vs leste that vnder the couler or cloke of a holy counsaile there shoulde some suspicious assembly be had We ordaine that from henceforth the Princes and great Lordes be bounde to repaire to the sacred counsaile wyth all the company of the holy Bishoppes For it were more mete they should come to destroye false heretikes in winning their soules then to fyght agaynst their enemyes in losinge their lyues We ordeine that the Prince whyche commeth not to the counsailes through negligence that vnto hym the Sacrament of the body of Christe be not ministred vntyll the next counsell be celebrated And if perchaunce he refuse not to come throughe negligence but throughe malyce we will that thenne they proceade against him as a suspect parson in the faith of Christe For the Christian Prince that of malyce onely committeth an offence is not parfitte in the holy catholyke fayth We ordaine that at the firste assemblie of the counsaile all the prelates togethers openlye and afterwardes eche one by hym selfe priuatelye shall saye the crede singynge the whyche thinge finished the Kynge hym selfe alone shall saye the crede lykewise For if the prince be suspected of the holy catholyke fayth it is vnpossible that hys people should be good Christians We ordaine that in thys counsaile the prelates haue lybertye and aucthoritie to saye vnto the kyng that that is comelye and decente and the kynge likewise to saye in the counsayle what hee thinke best soo that the prelates might tell the king without feare of hys lytell care he hath in destroyenge the heretikes and heresies of his realme and likewise the king might tell the prelates their neglygence that they vse in the charge of their flocke For the end and intencion of counsayles oughte not to be any otherwise then a scourge for offences paste and a reformacion of the euils to come We ordaine that all the princes of Affricke immediatly before they do any other thinge in the morning do openly and dilygently come to morning prayer and we wil also that ther be present al his courtiers and priuate counsellours which with them ought to enter into counsaile For that creature can not giue any good counsaile who hath not reconsiled himselfe vnto god before We ordaine that the Archbishoppes Bishoppes and Abbottes continually duringe the time of the counsaile do euery daye confesse them selues to almighty god seruing him deuoutly and that one of them do preach to the people gods word For if euery prelate be bound to giue good example alone then being altogether they shal giue it much better We ordaine the princes asmuch as lyeth in
whan they had no ambition nor couetousnes they knewe not what battaile mente It is reason therfore that in this wrytinge we declare the cause why the first battaile was fought in the worlde to the ende princes may therof be aduertised and the curious reader remaine therin satisfyed The maner was thus that Bassa being king of Sodome Bersa kyng of Gomorrhe Senaab kyng of Adamee Semebar king of Seboime and Vale king of Segor were al fyue tributaries to Chodor laomor kynge of the Aelamites which fyue kynges conspired agaynst hym because they woulde paye hym no tribute and because they woulde acknowledge no homage vnto hym For the Realmes payeng tribute haue alwayes rebelled and sowed sedicions This rebellion was in the 13 yere of the reigne of Chodor Laonâ—or king of the Aelamytes and immediatly the yere following Anraphel king of Sernaar Arioch kinge of Ponte and Aradal kinge of the Allotali ioyned with Chodor-Laomor The which altogether beganne to make warres to destroy cities countreys vppon their enemyes For the olde malice of the warre is that where they cannot haue their enemyes whiche are in the faulte they put to sacke and distroy those which are innocent and giltlesse So the one assaulting and the other defending in the end all come to the field they gaue battayle as two enemyes and the greatest part was ouercome of the fewest and the fewest remained victorious ouer the greatest which thing GOD would suffer in the first battaile of the world to the end princes might take example that all the mishappes of the warres come not but because they are begon of an vniust occasion If Chodor Laomor had held himselfe contented as hys predecessours dyd and that he had not conquered Realmes in makinge theym subiect and had not caused theym to paye trybute neither they vnto him woulde haue denied reason nor he with theym woulde haue waged battaile For throughe the couetousnes of the one and the ambition of the other enmyties grewe betwene the people This considered whiche we haue spoken of sygnorye and of those which came into contentions for signoryes Let vs now se from whence the first oryginal of seruitude came and the names of seruauntes and lordes whiche were in the olde tyme and whether seruitude was by the discord of vertuous men firste brought into the world or els inuented by the ambytion of Tyrauntes For when the one commaundeth and the other obeyeth it is one of the nouelties of the world as the holy scripture declareth vnto vs in this maner The patriarche Noah had 3. sonnes which wer Shem Ham and Iaphet and the second sonne which was Ham begotte Cush and this Cush begot Nimrod Nimrod made him selfe a honter of wild beastes in the woodes and mountaines he was the first that began to play the tyraunt amongeste men inforcynge theyr personnes and taking theyr goodes and the scriptures called him Oppressor hominum which is to say an oppressor of men For men of euyl life alwayes coÌ„mit much euill in a common wealth He taught the Chaldeans to honour the fyre he was the first that presumed to be an absolute lorde and the firste that euer requyred of men homage and seruice This cursed tyraunte ended his lyfe in the golden world wherin al thinges were in common with the common wealth For the auncientes vsed their goodes in common but their willes onelye they reserued to them selues They ought not to thinke it a lighte matter for his person to haue bene a Tiraunt but they ought to thinke it a greater mater to haue bene a rebell in a common wealthe And muche more they oughte to take and esteame it as an euill matter in hym whyche hathe bene as he was a disturber of the good customes of hys countrye but the moste vniuste of all is to leaue behynd hym anye euyll custome brought into the common wealthe For if hee deserue greate infamye whyche woorketh euyll in hys lyfe trulye hee deserueth muche moore whych trauayleth to bryng that euyl in vre after hys death Eusebius semeth to affirme that after this Nimrod had destroyed the realme of Chaldea by his plagues he came to dwel in Italy with viii sonnes built the citie of Camesa which afterwards in Saturnes time was called Valentia in the time of Romulus it was called as it is at this present Rome And sithe this thinge was thus a man ought not to maruaile that Rome in auncient time was possessed with tyraunts and with tirauntes beaten downe since by so famous renowmed tyraunts it was founded For euen as Hierusalem was the doughter of the pacient the mansion of the quyet kinges in Asia so was Rome the mother of proude princes in Europe The histories of the gentiles which knew not the holy scripture declare in an other sort the beginninge of Signorye and seruitude when they came into the worlde for the Idolatrers not onlye did not know the creatoure of the world but also they were ignoraunte of many things which beganne in the world They therefore say that the Tyranne Nimrod amongest the others had a sonne called Belus that this Belus was the first the raigned in the land of Syria that he was the first that inuented warres on the earth that he set vp the first monarchie among the Assirians in the end he died after he had reigned 60 and 5. yeres in Asia left the world in great warres The first monarchie of the worlde was that of the Assirians continued 132. yeres The first king was Belus the last king was Sardanapalus whom at that tyme when he was slaine they found spinninge with women hauing a distaffe in his hand wherwith they vse to spinne truly this vile death was to good for such a cowardly king For the prince ought not to defend that with the distafe that his predecessours had wonne with the sworde As we haue said Nimrod begat Belus who had to wife Semyramis which was the mother of Ninus which Ninus succeded his father in tyranny in the empire also and both the mother the sonne not coÌ„tented to be Tyraunts inuented statues of newe gods For mans malice poursueth rather the euil which the wicked do inuent then the good which vertuous men begine We would haue shewed you how the graundfather the father the mother the sonne were Idolatrers warlicke to the end princes and great Lords might se that they beganne their Empyres more for that they were ambitious parsonnes then for that they were good paciente or vertuous men Albeit that Nimerod was the first that euer committed anye tyranny whether it be true or not that Belus was the firste that inuented warres and that Chodorlaormor was the first that inuented battayles and that ther be others wherof the writinges make no mencion euery man taking for himselfe afterwards all togethers those were occasions of euyll enough in the world to agre vnto those things Our inclinacion is greatly
this innocent trauayler Truly hearing no more he would iudge him to be a foole for he is muche infortunate that for all his trauaile loketh for no rewarde Therfore to our matter a prince which is begotteÌ„ as an other man borne as an other man lyueth as an other man dieth as an other man and besides al this commaundeth all men if of suche one we should demaunde why god gaue him signory and that he should answere he knoweth not but that he was borne vnto it in such case let euery man iudge how vnworthy suche a kyng is to haue such authorie For it is vnpossible for a man to minister iustice vnlesse he knowe before what iustice meaneth Let princes and noble men heare this worde and let them imprinte it in their memory whiche is that when the liuing god determined to make kinges and lordes in this worlde he did not ordeyne theym to eate more then others to drynke more then others to sleape more then others to speake more then others nor to reioyce more then others but he created them vpon condition that sithe he had made them to commaunde more then others they shoulde be more iuste in their lyues then others It is a thinge moste vniuste and in the common wealth very sclaunderous to see with what authoritie a puissaunt man coÌ„maundeth those that be vertuous and with how much shame himselfe is bounde to all vices I knowe not what lorde he is that dare punishe his subiecte for one onely offence committed seing him selfe to deserue for euery deede to be chastised For it is a monsterous thing that a blynd man should take vppon him to leade him that seeth They demaunded great Cato the Censor what a king ought to do that he should be beloued feared and not despysed he answered The good prince should be compared to hym that selleth tryacle who if the poyson hurte hym not he selleth his triacle well I meane thereby that the punyshement is taken in good parte of the people which is not ministred by the vicious man For he that maketh the triacle shall neuer be credited vnlesse the profe of his triacle be openly knowen and tried I meane that the good lyfe is none other then a fine triacle to cure the coÌ„mon wealth And to whome is he more lyke whiche with his tongue blaseth vertues and imployeth his deades to all vyces then vnto the man who in the one hand holdeth poyson to take away lyfe and in the other tryacle to resiste deathe To the ende that a lorde be wholy obeyed it is necessary that all that he coÌ„maundeth be obserued firste in his owne persone for no lorde can nor may withdrawe him selfe from vertuous workes This was the aunswere that Cato the Censor gaue whiche in mine opinion was spoken more like a Christian then any Romaine When the true god came into the worlde he imployed thirtie yeares onely in workes and spente but two yeres and a halfe in teaching For mans harte is perswaded more with the worke he seeketh then with the worde whiche he heaâ—eth Those therefore whiche are lordes let them learne and knowe of him which is the true lorde and also let princes learne why they are princes for he is not a Pylot which neuer sayled on the seas In mine opinion if a prince will know why he is a prince I would saye to gouerne well his people to commaunde well and to mainteyne all in Iustice and this should not be with wordes to make them afrayde neyther by workes whiche should offende them but by swete wordes whiche should encourage them and by the good workes that shoulde edifie them For the noble and gentle harte can not resiste hym that with a louynge countenaunce commaundeth Those whiche wyll rule and make tame fierce and wylde beastes doe threaten and rebuke them a hundred tymes before they beate them once and if they keape them tied they shewe them sondrie pleasures So that the wyldenes of the beaste is taken away onely by the gentyll and pleasaunt vsage of the man Therefore sithe we haue this experience of brute and sauage beastes that is to wete that by their wel doing and by the gentle handling of them they voluntarely suffer them selues to be gouerned muche more experience we reasonable men ought to haue that is to knowe that being right and well gouerned we shoulde huÌ„blye and willingly obey our soueraigne lordes For there is no man so harde harted but by gentyll vsage will humble him selfe O princes and noble men I will tell you in one worde what the lorde oughte to doe in the gouernement of his commoÌ„ wealth Euery prince that hath his mouth full of troth his handes open to geue rewardes and his eares stopped to lyes and his hert open to mercy such a one is happy and the realme which hath him may wel be called prosperous and the people maye call them selues fortunate For where as truth liberalitie and clemency ruleth in the harte of a prince there wronges iniuries and oppressions doe not reigne And contrariwyse where the prince hath his harte flesshed in crueltie his mouthe full of tyrannies his handes defyled with bloude and enclineth his eares to heare lyes suche a prince is vnhappy and muche more the people the whiche by suche one is gouerned For it is vnpossible that there is peace and iustice in the common wealthe if he whiche gouerneth it be a louer of lyes and flatterers In the yere foure hundreth and fourty before the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ whiche was in the yere .244 of the foundation of Rome Darius the fourthe being kyng of Persia and Brutus and Lucius at Rome Counsulles Thales the great Phylosopher floryshed in Greece who was prince of the seuen renowmed sages by the whiche occasion all the realme of Greece had and recouered renowme For Greece boasted more of the seuen sages whiche they had then Rome did of all the valiaunt captaines whiche she nouryshed There was at that tyme muche contention betwene the Romaynes and the Greekes for so muche as the Greekes sayde they were better because they had mo sages and the Romaines sayde the contrary that they were better because they had alwayes mo armies The Greekes replied againe that there were no lawes made but in Grece And the Romaines to this answered that though they were made in Greece yet they were obserued at Rome The Greekes sayde that they had great vniuersities to make wyse men in And the Romaines sayde they had many great temples to worship their Gods in for that in the ende they oughte to esteme more one seruice done to the immortall goddes then all the other commodities that myghte come vnto men A Thebane knight was demaunded what he thoughte of Rome and Greece and he aunswered me thynkes the Romaines are no better then the Greekes nor the Greekes than the Romaines For the Greekes glorie in their tongues and the Romaines in their lances But we referre it to vertuous workes For one good worke
loued of his subiectes cannot liue in peace nor quyet and the realme that is not feareful of their king can not be wel gouerned The realme Sicilia had alwayes mightye Princes and gouernours for in auncient time it was gouerned by vertuous princes or els by cruel malicious tirauntes In the time of Senerus the Emperour ther reigned in Cecil a king called Lelius Pius who had so many good things in him that throughout al the empire he was very wel estemed and chiefly for foure lawes amongeste others hee ordayned in that Realme whiche were these folowing We ordaine that if amongeste equall persones there bee anye iniuries offered that they be punished or els that they be dissembled for wher enuye is roted betwene two it profiteth more to reconsile their good willes then to punish their persones We ordaine that if the greatest be offended by the least that such offence be litle reproued wel punished for the audacite litle shame also the disobedience of the seruaunt to the maister ought not to be reformed but by greuous punishment We ordaine that if any resist or speake against the comaundement of a prince that presently without delay he suffer death before them al for they may boldly by the way of supplycacion reuerently declare their grieffes and not by slaunder rebellyously dysobeye their lordes We ordaine that if anye rayse the common wealthe agaynste the Prince hee that canne fyrste strycke of hys heade maye lawefullye wythe oute fearynge anye daunger of punyshemente for hys heade is iustelye taken frome hym that woulde there shoulde be manye heades in the common wealthe Of all this before spoken Herianus is the authoure in hys fourthe booke of the kynges of Sicille where hee putteth manye and singuler lawes and customes which the auncientes had to the great confusion of these that be present For truly the auncientes did not onlye exceade these that be present in their workes and doings but also in speaking profound wordes Therfore returning to our matter mans life greatly trauaileth alwayes to defend the head in such sort that a man would rather suffer his hand to be cut of then to suffer a wound to be made in his head By this comparison I meane that a fault in a common wealth is a cut which cankereth festereth but the disobedyence to a prince is a wound which forthwith killeth Yf a man did aske me what vnion princes shoulde haue with their common wealth I would answere them in this sort that the wealth of the king realme consisteth herein That the king shold accompany with the good bannishe the euil For it is vnpossible that the king should be beloued of the common wealth if the companye he hath about him be reputed vicious He should also loue his Realme without dissymulacion the realme should serue him vnfainedly for the common wealth which knoweth it to be beloued of their Prince shal not find any thing to hard for his seruice Further that the kinge vse his subiectes as his children and that the subiectes serue him as a father for generallye the good father can not suffer his children to be in daunger neyther the good children wil dissobeye their father Also the king ought to be iust in his commaundementes and the subiectes faithful For if it be a good thinge in their seruices to liue vnder a iust law it is much better to lyue vnder a iust king Also the king ought to defende his subiectes from enemies they ought wel to pay him his tribute for the Prince who defended his people from enemyes and tirannye worthely deserueth to be lord of al their goodes Also the king ought to kepe his common wealth in quiet and ought not to be presumptous of his persone so the prince whych is not feared wel estemed shal neuer be obeyed in his commaundement Finally I say that the good king ought to do his Realme pleasure and the faithfull subiectes ought to endeuour them selues neuer to displease their kinge For that prince cannot be called vnfortunate who of his common wealthe is loued and obeyed ¶ As there are two sences in the head smelling and hering So likewise the prince whiche is the heade of the common weale oughte to here the complaintes of al his subiectes and should knowe them al to recompence their seruices Cap. xxxvii WE haue shewed how the prince is the common wealthe and nowe we wil let you vnderstand another notable thing which is this that as all sences are in the heade so oughte all estates to be in princes For the verues which are in many spred and skattered should be in one prince founde and gathered The office of the feete is not to se but to goe the handes office is not to heare but to labour the shoulders not to feele but to beare all these offices are not semely for the membres which are his subiectes but apperteineth to the king alone to exercise them For the head to haue eyes and no other members meaneth nought els but that onlye to the prince and to none other apparteyneth to know all for Iulius Cesar knewe all those of his host and named them by their proper names I counsel and admonishe you O you princes which shal heare see or read this thing that you do reioyce to visite and to be visited to see to be sene to talke to be talked with for the thinges whych wyth your eyes you se not you cannot perfectly loue A man ought also to know that the head only hath eares to note that to the king and to none other apperteyneth to here all and to kepe the gates open for them that haue any sewtes for it is no small matter to a common wealth to haue and obtaine of the prince easye audyence Helius Spartiahus commendeth highly Traian the Emperour that when he was on horsebacke to go to the warres alyghted againe to here the complainte of a poore Romaine which thing was meruelously noted amongest al the Romaines for if men were not vaine they should geue a Prince more honoure for one worke of iustice then for the victorye of many battayles Truly to a king it is no pleasure but rather paine and griefe and also for the common people auoyaunce that the prince alwayes should be enclosed and shut vp For the prince which shutteth hys gates agaynste his subiectes causeth theym not to open there hartes wyllynglye to obey hym How many and great slaunders doth their arise in the common wealth only for that the prince somtime wil not speake Iulius Cesar was Emperoure and the heade of all the empyre and because he was musing of weighty matters would not herken to him which would haue reueled the treason conspired agaynst him was that same day with .33 wondes in the Senate murdered The contrarye is red of Marcus Aurelius the Emperoure who was so famyliar with all men that howbeit he was chiefe of al and that the affaires which
For there was asmuch enuy betwene the Philosophers of Greece and the sages of Egipt as betwene the captaines of Rome and the captaines of Carthage This Ptolome was very wise and did desire greatly to be accompained with philosophers and after this he learned the letters of the Latynes Caldes and Hebrues For the which cause though the kinges named Ptolomei were .11 in nombre and all warrelyke men yet they put this for the chiefe and captaine of all not for the battayles which he wanne but for the sentences which he learned This king Ptolomeus had for his famyliar a philosopher called Estilpho Megarense who was so entierlye beloued of this prince that laying aside the gentlenes and benifites which he shewed him he dyd not only eate with the king at his table but oftentimes the king made him drincke of his owne cuppe And as the fauours which princes shew to their seruauntes are but as a watche to proue the malycious it chaunsed that when this king gaue the phylosopher to drincke that whyche remayned in his cuppe an Egiptian knight moued with enuye sayd vnto king Ptolome I thinke Lord how that thou art neuer satisfyed with drinking to leaue that whiche remayneth in the cuppe for the philosopher to drinke after the. To whom the king aunswered Thou sayst wel that the phylosopher Estilpho is neuer fylled with that which I do giue him For that which remayneth in my cuppe doth not profite him so much to drinke as the phylosophye which remayneth in hym should profite the if thou wouldest take it The king Antigonus was one of the moste renowmed seruauntes that kinge Alexander the great euer had who after his death enherited a great part of his empire For how much happie the king Alexander was in his lyfe so much he was vnhappie at the tyme of his death because he had no children whych might enherite his goodes and that he had such seruauntes as spoyled him of his renowme This king Antigonus was an vnthrift and excessiue in all vyces But for all that he loued greatly the Phylosophers which thing remayned vnto him from kinge Alexander whose palace was a scoole of all the good Phylosophers of the world Of this ensample they may se what great profite ensueth of bringing vp of them that be yonge for there is none that euer was so wicked or enclyned vnto euyl but that in longe contynuannce may profyte somewhat in his youth This kyng Antigonus loued ii philosophers greatly the which florished in that tyme that is to wete Amenedius Abio of which ii Abio was wel learned very poore For in that time no phylosopher durst openly read phylosophy if he were worth any thing in temporall goodes As Laertius sayth and as Pulio declareth it better in the booke of the rulers and noble men of the Greekes The scholes of the vniuersytie were so correct that the Phylosopher whych knew most had least goodes so that they did not glorifie of any thing els but to haue pouertye and to know much of philosophy The case was such that the philosopher Abio was sicke and with that sicknes he was so vexed that they might almost see the bones of his weake body The king Antigonus sēt to visite him by his owne sonne by whom he sent hym much money to he helpe him wyth all For he lyued in extreame pouerty as it behoued the professours of Philosophy Abio was sore sicke being aged and croked and though he had made himselfe so leaue with sicknes yet notwithstanding he burned always vpon the weeke of good life I meane that he had no lesse courage to dispise those giftes then the kinge Antigonus had nobles to send them This Philosopher not contented to haue despised these giftes in such sort said vnto the sonne of Antigonus who brought theym Tell king Antigonus that I giue him great thankes for the good enterteinment he gaue me always in my life and for the giftes he sendeth me now at my death For one frende can doo no more to an other thanne to offer him hys parsonne and to departe withe his proper goodes And tell the kynge thy father that I maruayle what he shoulde meane that I nowe beinge foure score yeres of age haue walked al my lyfe time naked in this world should now be laden with vestures money since I must passe so streight a goulfe in the sea to goe out of this world The Egiptians haue a custome to lighten the burden of their camels when they passe the desertes of Arabia which is much better then to ouercharge them I meane that he only passeth without trauayle the daungers of the lyfe which bannisheth from him the thought of temperal goods of this world Thirdly thou shalt say to the king thy father that from henceforth when any man will dye he do not succour nor healpe him with money gold nor riches but with good and ripe counsayle For gold wil make him leaue his lyfe with sorow and good counsail-will moue him to take his death with pacience The fift king of the Macedonians was called Archelaus who they say to be the grandfather of kinge Philip father of the great Alexander This kinge bosteth himselfe to descend from Menelaus king of the Grecians and principall captaine which was at the distruction of Troy This kyng Archelaus was a great frend to the sages and amongest others there was a Poete with him called Euripides who at that tyme had no lesse glory in his kind of Poetrie then Archelaus in his kingdome being kyng of Macedonia For now a days we esteme more the sages for the bookes which they wrote then we do exalt kynges for the realmes which they ruled or the battayles whych they ouercome The familiarity whych Euripides had wyth the kyng Archelaus was so streight and his credite wyth Archelaus was so great that in the Realme of Macedonie nothyng was done but first it was examined by the hands of this phylosopher And as the simple and ignoraunt would not naturally be subiecte to the sage it chaunsed that one nyght Euripides was talkyng a long time wyth the kyng declaring vnto hym the auncient hystoryes and when the poore Poete would depart to go home to his house hys enemyes espyed him and let hungrye dogges fly vpon hym the whych dyd not only teare hym in peces but eate hym euery morsell So that the intraylles of the dogges were the wofull graue of the myserable poete The king Archilaus being certifyed of this woful case immedyatly as sone as they told hym was so chafed that almost he was bereft of hys sences And here at merueile not at al. For gentle hartes do alter greatly when they are aduertysed of any sodayne myshappe As the loue whych the kyng had to Euripides in hys lyfe was much so lykewyse the sorow whych he felte at hys death was very great For he shed many teares from hys eyes he cut the heares of hys head he rounded his beard he chaunged the
in their gardeynes banqueting others in the market byeng and others in the middes of the streates here and there gaddyng but the famous Lucretia was found in her house alone weuing in silke so that she flyeng company for that she would not be sene made her selfe in her honour and renowne better to be knowen I wil giue an other counsell to Princesses and great Ladyes the which I am willyng to giue so I wishe they would be as desyrous to receiue that is to wete if they will be estemed and counted for honest women that they must kepe them selues from euil company For thoughe the stinking carreine doth no harme because we eate it not yet the vnsauorye sent therof annoyeth vs by smelling The honour of women is so delicate a thing that if we giue them lycence to go abrode to vysite women we must also giue them leue to be visited of men For that one Dame should visite an other it semeth much charitie but that men should vysite women I cannot but thinke it much dishonestye In the presence of their husbandes and nere kynnesfolkes they may be visited and talked withall and this is to be vnderstode of approued and honest personnes not withstanding I say if the husband be not at home I would it shold be compted sacrilege if any man passe the thresshold of the doore to visite the wife Plutarche saith in the booke of the prayses of women that the wiues of the Numydians when their husbandes were gone out of their houses kept their gates shut locked them selues in their houses and they had a lawe that what so euer he were that knocked at the dore beyng shutte without calling he should haue his righte hand cutte of Cicero in the booke of his lawes saieth that amongest the Romaines ther was an auncient law and much vsed that if perchaunce any woman did owe any monye to any man and that the husbande beinge the detter were out of his house the creditour should not aske his wife the debt bycause that vnder the couller of recouering the goodes he should not dishonour her in her fame I would say therefore that if the creditour was not permitted in Rome to recouer his good for that the wife was not of her husbande accompanyed muche lesse they woulde giue lycence to visite a woman alone For it were more reason that the creditour shoulde enter for to recouer his goodes then thou shouldest enter onlye for thy pastime The deuine Plato in the bookes of the common wealth sayth and by profound reasons perswadeth the wiues of Grece that they haue no secret frendes but that euery one kepe this saying in memory for a principal that the woman ought not to haue any other frend but her husband For women oughte not to haue lycence to make frendes nor condicions to make ennemyes Princesses and greate Dames oughte to consider that euery one of them geueth their bodies their goodes and their liberty to their husbands Then since it is so I say that with the lybertie she ought also to geue him her will For it lytel auaileth the man and the wife that their goodes be common if their willes be priuate For to the end that god be serued and the people edified both ought in one house to abide at one table togethers to eate in one bedde to slepe and besides this they both ought one thinge to loue For if the man and the wife in loue do differ in their lyues they shal neuer be quiete I admonysh desire and counsel all women if they wil be wel maried that they thinke it good that their husband wil that they prayse al that he prayseth that they proue al that he proueth that they content them selues with that wherwith their husbandes are contented aboue al that they loue no more then their husbandes shal loue for otherwise it might be that the wife should set her eyes vpon one and the husband ingage his hart to an other Plutarche in the booke of his pollytikes sayth that a woman after she is maried hath nothing propre for the day that she contracteth mamariage she maketh her husband the only Lord of her goodes her libertie and of her personne So that if the wife willeth any other thing then that which the husband willeth if she would loue any other thing then that that her husband loueth we wil not cal her a true louer but an open thefe for theaues do not so much harme to robbe the husband of his moneye as the wife doth in withdrawing from him her hart If the woman wil lyue in peace with her husband she ought to marke wherunto he is enclyned for so much as if he be mery she ought to reioyce and if he be sadde she must temper her selfe if he be couetous she should kepe if he be prodigall she shoulde spend if he be vnpacient she should dyssemble and if he be suspected she must beware For the woman which is wise and sage if she can not as she would she ought to wyl what she may Wel whether the husband be euil inclined or in his condicions euyl manered I sweare that he cannot suffer that his wife shold haue any other louers For though the man be of a meane stocke he had rather alwayes that his wife should loue him alone then the best of the nobilitie in the towne One thing I cannot dissemble bycause I se that god is therwith offended Which is that many Ladyes make their excuses through sicknes because they would not past once in the weke come to here seruyce and yet we se them busye dayly trotting about to vysite their frendes and the worst of al is that in the morning for cold they wil not ryse to go to the churches and yet afterwardes in the heate of the daye they go a gaddyng from house to house wheras they are often tymes vntyl night I would that the Ladyes would consider with theym selues before they should go out of their houses on visitacion to what end they go abroad and if perchaunce they go abroad to be loked on let them know for a sewerty that ther be few that wil prayse their beautye but ther be manye that will dyscommend their gaddyng And wherfore do these Dames assembel together for some graue matters I warrant you shal I tel you it is eyther to banquet with some dainty dishes to talke of their petigres to deuyse of their husbands to see who hath the best gowne to note who is euil attired to flatter the faire to laugh to scorne the foule to mourmure of their neighbours and that which is worst of al that they them selues which speake euyll of them that are absent do gnaw the one the other with enuye Seldome tymes it chaunceth that the Dames chide not with their husbands after that in this sort they haue bene together for somuche as the one noteth the euil apparel the other babblyng they note the one to be a foole and the other
woordes What thing is more pleasaunt to the father then to see them and to the mother to agree to it when the chyldren doe sucke they plucke forth the brestes with the one hande and with the other they plucke their heere and further they beate their feete together and with their wanton eies they caste on their parentes a thousande louyng lookes what is it to see them when they are vexed and angry how they wyll not be taken of the fathers howe they stryke their mother they caste awaye things of golde and immediatly they are appeased with a litle apple or russhe what a thing is it to see the innocentes howe they aunswer when a man asketh them what follies they speake when they speake to them how they play with the dogges and runne after the cattes how they dresse them in wallowing in the dust how they make houses of earth in the streates how they weape after the birdes when they see them flie away Al the which thinges are not to the eies of the fathers and mothers but as Nitingales to sing and as bread and meate to eate The mothers peraduenture will saye that they will not bringe vp their children because when they are younge they are troublesome but that after they shoulde be nourished and brought vp they would be glad To this I answere them that the mothers shal not denay me but that some of these things must neades meate in their children that when they be old they shal be either proud enuious couetous or negligent that they shal be lecherous or els theues that they shal be blasphemours or els glottons that they shal be rebelles or fooles and disobedient vnto their fathers I beleue that at this daie there are many mothers in the worlde which did hope to be honoured serued with the children which they had brought vp and afterwarde perceiuing their maners would willinglye forgo the pleasures whiche they hoped for so that they might also be deliuered frō the troubles which through their euill demeanours are like to ensue For that time which the parentes hoped to passe with their childrē in pleasures they consume seing their vnthrifty life in sorowfull sighes I councel admonishe humbly require princesses great ladies to nourishe enioy their children when they are young and tender for after that they are great a man shal bring them newes euery day of diuerse sortes and maners they vse for as much as the one shal say that her sonne is in pryson another shal say that he is sore wounded another that he is hid others that he hathe plaied his cloke others that he is sclaundered with a cōmon harlot another that he stealeth his goodes from him another that his enemies do seke him another that he accompanieth with vnthriftes and finally they are so sturdy vnhappy and so farre from that which is good that oftentimes the fathers would reioyce to see them die rather then to see thē liue so euill a life Me thinketh that the knot of loue betwene the mother and the childe is so great that not onely she ought not to suffer them to be nourished out of the house one whole yere but also she ought not to suffer thē to be out of her presence one only day For in seing him she seeth that which is borne of her intrails she seeth that which she hath with so great paines deliuered she seeth hym who ought to inherite all her goodes she seeth him in who the memory of their auncestours remaineth and she seeth him who after her death ought to haue the charge of her affayres and busines Concludynge therefore that whiche aboue is spoken I saye that whiche the greate Plutarche saied from whom I haue drawen the moste parte of this chapter that the mother to be a good mother ought to haue kepe her chylde in her armes to nourishe him and afterwardes when he shal be great she ought to haue him in her harte to helpe him For we see oftentymes great euils ensewe to the mother and to the chylde because she did not bringe hym vp her selfe and to put hym to nouryshe to a straunge breaste there commeth neither honour nor profite ¶ That princesses and great Ladies ought to be very circumspecte in chosinge their nources Of seuen properties whiche a good nource should haue Chap. xx THose whiche ordeined lawes for the people to lyue were these Promotheus whiche gaue lawes to the Egiptians Solon Solmon to the Grekes Moyses to the Iewes Licurgus to the Lacedemonians and Numa Pompilius to the Romaines for before these princes came their people were not gouerned by written lawes but by good auncient customes The intention of those excellent princes was not to geue lawes to their predecessours for they were now dead neither they gaue them onely for those which lyued in their tyme being wicked but also for those which were to come whom they did presuppose would not be good For the more the worlde increaseth in yeares so muche the more it is loden with vices By this that I haue spoken I meane that if the princesses and great ladies euery one of them woulde nourishe their owne childe I neade not to geue them counsell But since I suppose that the women which shal be deliuered hereafter wil be as proude and vaine glorious as those whiche were in times past we will not let to declare here some lawes and aduises how the ladie ought to behaue her self with her nource and howe the nource ought to contente her selfe with the creature For it is but iuste that if the mother be cruell and hardy to forsake the creature that she be sage pitiefull and aduised to choose her nource If a man finde great treasoure and afterward care not how to kepe it but doth commit it into the handes of suspected persons truely we would call hym a foole For that which naturally is beloued is alwayes of al best kept The woman oughte more wysely kepe the treasure of her owne body then the treasure of all the earth if she had it And the mother which doth the contrary and that committeth her child to the custody of a straunge nource not to her whom she thinketh best but whom she findeth best cheape we will not call her a foolishe beaste for the name is to vnseamely but we will call her a sotte which is somewhat more honester One of the things that doth make vs moste beleue that the ende of the world is at hande is to see the litle loue which the mother doth beare to the child being young and to see the wante of loue which the childe hath to his mother beinge aged That whiche the childe doth to the father and the mother is the iust iudgement of God that euen as the father would not nourishe the childe in his house being younge so likewise that the sonne should not suffer the father in his house he beinge olde Retourning therefore to the matter that sith the woman
if those hauing no conscience doe not geue it then they blaspheme complayne of those whych are in fauour with princes as yf they had done them greate iniurye O what trouble is it to good men to accomplishe the desyre of the euill For the couetous and ambicious persons doe but desyre that the good men had the lyke payne in geuyng that they haue in demaunding Many tymes I haue thought with my selfe wherin so many damages of the common wealth should consist such disobedience such contrarieties and so many theftes and in the ende I fynde that all or the most part procede in that that they prouyde for ministers of iustice not for conscience sake but for couetousnes onely Admyt that it appertayne to all to desyre and procure iustice yet to none it appertaineth so muche to procure and defend it as to the royall personne whiche the subiectes ought some tyme to feare but princes are bound to minister it equally to all It is a great matter that princes be pure in lyfe and that theire houses be well ordered to the end that their iustice be of credyte and auctoritie For he which of him selfe is vniust geueth no hope that an other at hys handes shoulde haue iustice He whiche cannot gouerne his owne house can euill gouerne the whole common wealth These princes which are true in theire wordes cleane in theire lyues iust in theire woorkes though some tyme they erre in the administratiō of the cōmon welth all excuse them sayeng that they erre not thorough the malyce of them selues but rather thorough the euill counsayle of others So that all which the good prince doth they commende and all the euill that chaunceth they excuse Plutarche in the seconde booke of hys common wealth sayeth that herein some princes differ from others For the euyll prince is onely obeyed but the good prince is obeyed feared and loued And more ouer he that is good maketh heauy thinges light with his goodnes and the tyraunt that is euyll maketh thinges whiche are light to be very heauy through his naughtynes Happy is the Prince whiche is obeyed but muche more happy he which is obeyed feared and loued For the body is weary often tymes to obeye but the harte is neuer constrained to loue Titus the Emperour was once demaūded of these 2. thinges that is to wete whether to rewarde the good or to punish the euill were for a prince more naturall He answered As naturall as bothe the right and left arme is in a man so necessary is reward punyshement in a prince But as we helpe our selues more with the right arme then with the lefte so the prince ought more to endeuour him selfe to rewarde then to punishe For punishemement ought to be by the handes of a straunger but reward ought to be wyth hys owne proper handes When we perswade princes to be iuste and that they doe iustice it is not to be vnderstanded that they should behead murtherers bannishe rebelles and sedicious persones hange theues and burye felons aliue For suche or other lyke thinges rather appertaine to bloudy hangemen then to pitiefull kings All the profite of iustice is in that the prince be honest of person carefull for hys housholde zelous of the common wealth and not large of his conscience For princes ought not to bee commended for murderyng many cruelly but for refourmyng the common wealth louyngly Plutarche in the comfortable oration that he wrote to Appoloni speakynge of the lawes whiche Promotheus gaue to the Egiptians amongest the residue he resited these three that followe We ordeine and commaund that princes laye not handes on others for any crymes or offences done vnto hym selfe For princes ought not to vse their handes to reuenge theire owne iniuries but rather by iustice to defende other that be iniuried We ordeine and commaund that all tymes when they shal be in their common wealth and not in warres they shal not weare weapons defensiue and muche lesse offensiue For good princes neither ought to be hastye to the end they may kill nor yet to haue vyces whereby they may be killed We ordeine cōmaund that the prince do not onely not kill with his hāds but also that he do not see them do iustice with his eyes For howe muche noble and woorthy a thing it is before the presence of a prince that all shoulde receiue honour so sclaunderous a thing it is that anye in his presence should loase their lyues ¶ The way that princes ought to vse in chosing theire iudges and officers in their countreys Cap. ii SParthianus in the lyues that he wrote of .30 tyrauntes saide that Ciriacus the tyraunt had a memoriall made of certeine of the Senatours whome he woulde haue killed and when the thinge was discouered they slewe him They founde in the handes of an other tiraunt named Regilius after he was deade a memoriall of those whiche with his owne handes he had depriued of their lyues wherefore they afterwarde depriued him of his buriall O how many iudges are there in this worlde that do asmuch auaunce them selues of those whom they haue caused to be whipt to be slaine to be beheaded to be hāged quartered slaine as others do which haue redemed many captyues or haue maryed many orphanes Those iudges which according to the order of lawes customes and iurisdiccions doe punishe the euill I doe well allowe but to reioyce and auaunce them selues of them whome they haue condemned I vtterly abhorre For the vertuous and christian iudge ought rather to shed teares in the churches then by affection to shed bloude of men in the seate of iudgement And for the confirmacion of that whiche I haue sayde I affirme that the good iudge and gouernour of the common wealth ought not to beare in mynde the murthers and slaughters done by others but to recorde the iniuries whiche they haue done them selues For in other mens offences we ought to be silent and for our owne iniquities we ought to be penitent Iudges execute some punishementes whiche menne disallowe and god doth approue an other tyme god condemneth thē though the world do allowe them therefore the surest thing for suche iudges is not to reioise of their brethren whom they haue corrected but what they them selues for their owne offences haue deserued In iudging others by false witnes the iudges manye tymes against theire wils doe erre but in theire owne matters they can neuer erre vnlesse they will since the offences whiche we committe are alwaies certaine Therefore it greueth mee that there bee some so euill whiche beinge accused before god woulde excuse them selues before menne yet theire owne brethren with false witnesses they dare condempne Greate care ought princes to haue to examine them whome they will make iudges and gouernoures For the iudge whyche daylye maketh not an accoumpte with his conscience in secrete shall commit euerye houre a thousande euylles in the common wealth O poore and miserable common
to lawe and the christian wyth the pagan without comparison the soule of a christian oughte more to be estemed then the lyfe of a Romayne For the good Romaine obseruethe it as a lawe to dye in the warre but the good christian hathe this precepte to lyue in peace Suetonius Tranquillus in the seconde booke of Cesars sayethe That amonge all the Romayne prynces there was noe prynce so wellbeloued nor yet in the warres so fortunate as Augustus was And the reason hereof is beecause that prynce neuer beganne anye warre vnlesse by greate occasyon he was thereunto prouoked O of how many prynces not ethnicks but christians we haue hearde and reade all contrarye to thys whyche is that were of suche large conscience that theye neuer tooke vppon them anye warre that was iuste to whom I sweare and promyse that since the warre which they in thys worlde beeganne was vniuste the punishemente whiche in an other theye shall haue is moste righteous Xerxes kynge of the Perses beynge one dayeat dynner one broughte vnto hym verye faire and sauourye fygges of the prouince of Athens the whyche beeinge sette at the table he sweare by the immortal goddes and by the bones of his predecessours that he would neuer eate fygges of hys countreye but of Athens whych were the beste of all Greece And that whyche by woorde of mouthe kynge Xerxes sweare by valiaunt dedes withe force and shielde he accomplished and wente foorthwith to conquere Gretia for noe other cause but for to syll him selfe wythe the sygges of that countreye so that he beganne that warre not onelye as a lyghte prynce but also as a vicious man Titus Liuius sayethe that when the Frenche men did cast of the wine of Italy immediately they put them selues in armes and went to conquere the countreye witheout hauinge anye other occasion to make warre againste them So that the Frenchemen for the lycorousnes of the pleasaunt wynes loste the deare bloude of theire owne hartes Kyng Antigonus dreamed one nighte that he sawe kinge Methridates withe a fyeth in hys hande who lyke a mower dyd cut all Italy And there fell suche feare to kynge Antigonus that he determined to kyll kynge Methridates so that this wicked prince for credytinge a lighte dreame set all the worlde in an vprore The Lumberdes beeinge in Pannonia herde saye that there was in Italy sweete fruites sauowry fleshe odoriferous wynes faire women good fish litle colde and temperate heate the whyche newes moued them not onelye to desire them but also theye toke weapons to goe conquere Italye So that the Lombardes came not into Italye to reuenge them of theire enemies but to bee there more vicious and riotous The Romaynes and the Carthagiens were friendes of longe time but after they knew there was in Spaine great mynes of golde and of siluer immediatelye arose betweene them exceadynge cruell warres so that those twoe puissaunt realmes for to take eche from other their goods destroyed their own proper dominions The authors of the aboue said were Plutarchus Paulus Diaconus Berosus Titus Liuius O secret iudgements of god which suffreth such thyngs O mercyful goodnes of thee my Lord that ê‘mitteth such things that through the dreame of on price in his chaÌ„ber another for to robbe the treasures of Spayne another to fly the colde of Hungary another to drinke the wines of Italy another to eat figges of Grece shoulde put al the countrey to fire bloud Let not my pen be cruel against al princes which haue vniust warres For as Traianus said Iust warre is more worthe then fayned peace I commend approue and exalt princes whiche are carefull stout to kepe and defende that which their predecessours lefte them For admit that for dispossessing them hereof cometh all the breache with other Princes Loke how much his enemy offendeth his conscience for taking it so much offendeth he his common wealth for not defending it The wordes whiche the diuine Plato spake in the first booke of his laws dyd satisfye me greatly which were these It is not mete we should be to extreme in coÌ„mending those which haue peace nor let vs be to vehement in reprouing those whiche haue warre For it may be now that if one haue warre it is to the end to attaine peace And for the contrary if one haue peace it shal be to the ende to make warre In deede Plato sayde verye true For it is more worthe to desire shorte warre for longe peace then short peace for longe warre The philosopher Chilo being demauÌ„ded whereby a good or euil gouernour might be knowen he auÌ„swered There is nothing wherby a good and euill man maye be better knowen then in that for the which they striue For the tyranous Prince offrethe him selfe to dye to take from an other but the vertuous prince trauaileth to defend his own WheÌ„ the redemer of this worlde departed from this worlde he sayde not I geue ye my warre or leaue ye my warre but I leaue ye my peace and geeue you mye peace Thereof ensuethe that the good christian is bounde to keepe the peace which Christ so muche commaunded then to inuent warre to reuenge his proper iniurye which god so much hated If princes dyd that they oughte to doe and in this case woulde beleue me for no temporall thing they shoulde condescend to shed mans bloud if nothinge els yet at the leaste the loue of hym whiche on the crosse shed hys precious bloude for vs shoulde from that cleane disswade vs. For the good Christians are commaunded to bewaile theire owne sinnes but they haue no licence to shed the bloude of their enemies Fynally I desire exhorte and further admonishe al princes and great lordes that for his sake that is prince of peace they loue peace procure peace kepe peace and liue in peace For in peace they shal be rich their people happye ¶ Themperour Marcus Aurelius writeth to his friend Cornelius wherein he dyscribeth the discomodyties of warre and the vanitie of tryumphe Cap. xiiij MArcus Emperoure wysheth to thee Cornelius hys faithful frend helth to thye person and good lucke against all euill fortune Withein fiftene daies after I came from the warre of Asia whereof I haue triumphed here in Rome remembrynge that in times paste thou weare a companyon of my trauaile I sent immedyatly to certyfy thee of my triuÌ„phes For the noble harts do more reioice of their friÌ„ds ioy theÌ„ they do of their own proê‘ delights If thou wilt take pains to come wheÌ„ I seÌ„d to cal thee be thou assured that on the one part thou shalt haue much plesure to se the great abuÌ„daÌ„s of riches that I haue brought out of Asia to beeholde mye receiuinge into Rome on the other thou canst not kepe thy selfe from weepinge to se suche a sorte of captiues the which entred in before the triuÌ„phant chariotes bounde naked to augment to the coÌ„querours most glory also to them vanquished to be a greater
that litell he hath and from the rich man he taketh contentacion of the great deale he possesseth So that to the couetous man we se troubles encrease hourely and the gaine cometh vnto him but monethly Let vs compare the riche and couetous man to the pore potter and we shall se who shall profite most eyther the potter with his pottes that he maketh of earthe or els the couetous with the mony which he hathe in the earth Though I make no aunswere to this yet answere herein hath ben alredye made that the one is muche better at ease with the earth then the other is with the good For the potter getteth his liuing by selling pottes and the couetous man loseth his soule by keping riches I humblye require the high princes and also I besech the great lordes further I admonishe the other nobles and Plebeiens alwayes to haue this worde in memorye I saye and affirme that the more strongly the man keapeth and locketh his treasures the more strongly and priuely is he kepte for if he put two keyes to keape his treasure he putteth seuen to his harte not to spende them Let the noble and valiaunt men beware that they geue not their myndes to heape vp treasoures for if once their hartes be kindled with couetousnes for feare of spendinge a halfpeny they wyll daylye suffer them selues to fall into a thousād miseries The Plebeiens which are very riche may saye that they haue not heaped vp much treasures sithens they can not behold a hundred or two hundred duccates To this I aunswere that the estates considered tenne duccates do asmuch harme to a treasurer as to others tenne thousand For the faulte consisteth not in keaping or hidīg much or litel riches but for so much as in keapinge them we cease to doe many good workes To me it is a straūge matter that nigardlines hath greater force to the couetous then conscience hath in others For there are many which notwithstandynge conscience doe profite with the goodes of others and the couetous hauinge more misery then conscience cannot yet profite with their owne With much care and no small dilygence the couetous men doe prouyde that the myllers doe not robbe the meale that their beastes make no wastes that the hunters runne not through the corne that their wine perish not that those which owe them any thing do not go make them selues bank routes that wynetts doe not eate their corne and that theues robbe not their goods but in the ende they watche none so wel as them selues For al the others erely or late haue alwaies oportunitye to robbe from them somewhat but the couetous hath neuer the herte to chaunge a duccate Men ought to take great pity of a couetous man who by his owne wil not of necessity weareth his gowne al to torne his shoes out his poyntes without aggletes an euill fauored girdle his cote rente his hatte olde hys hose seame rent hys cappe greasy and his sherte lowsy fynally I say that dyuers of these mysers fayne that they haue a great summe to pay and it is for no other thing but for not wearyng a good garment What can the couetous doo more then for keeping a peny in his pursse hee will goe two moneths and not trimme his beard Sithens it is true that these pynchpenies doo behaue theire personnes so euyll doo ye thynk they haue their houses any thing the better furnished I say no but you shall see their chambers full of cobwebbes the doores out of the hingels the windows riuen the glasses broken the planches lose the couertures of the house wythout gutters the stooles broken the beds woorme eaten and chimnies ready to fall so that to herber a frend or kinsman of theirs they are cōstrained to lodge him in their neighbors house or els to send to borrow all that they want And passing ouer the garments they wear and the housen wherin they dwel let vs see what table they keep◠for of their gardeins they eat no fruyt but that that falleth of the tree of their vines but rotten grapes of their sheepe the sickest of their corne the wettest of wine that which hath taken wind of lard that is yelow of milk that is turned and finally I say the felicity that glottons haue in eating the self same haue they in keeping O vnhappy are the glottons and much more are the couetous for the tast of one consisteth only in the throte and the felicity of the other cōsisteth in that hee may lock vp in his chest Wee haue now seen how the couetous were symple apparayl keepe a poore table and dwell in a filthy house and yet they lesse regard those things that touch theyr honor For if they had their eares as open to heere as they haue their harts bent at ech hour to gather and heap vp they should hear how they are called mysers vserers nygards pinchepenies oppressors cruell vnthankfull and vnfortunat Fynally I say that in the commonwealth they are so hated that all men had rather lay hands vppon their bodyes to kill them then tongues on their renowm to defame them The couetous man is of all other most vnlucky For if wee fall at strief with any hee shall fynd no one frend that wyll come to visit him in his house but hee shall haue a hundred theeues whych will robbe him of his goods For to reuenge a couetous enemy a man neede desire nought els but that hee liue long for hee is more tormented in his life with his own couetousnes then hee can bee otherwise with any penaunce If rych men woold say vnto mee that they do not reioice to haue fair houses sithens they may haue them neither of curious aparel since they may were it nor of deinty meats sithens they may eat them and that that which they doo is not to bee couetous but for that they are good christians In so iust a thing reason woold my pen shoold cease but I am sory they so lyttle esteeme things touching their honor and much lesse the matters touching their consciēce If the auaricious say hee keepeth goods to doo almes I doo not beleue it for daily wee see that if a poore man ask him almes hee answereth them immediatly god help you for hee hath neither purse nor peny The couetous vseth this that hee neuer geeueth any almes in his house but fatt meat and resty baken rotten cheese and hore bread so that it seemeth rather that they make clean their house then geeue almes to the poore If the couetous man woold tel vs that that which they haue is to discharge some dets of their predecessors wherwith they are burdened I say it is a vain excuse sithens wee see that the willes of their fathers of their mothers of their graundfathers bee not as yet performed neyther will they think to performe them which seemeth to bee very true For since the hour that they layd their fathers in the graue they
vnderstandyng And if in this case I may bee beeleeued they ought to bee well noted of wyse men not written beefore the gates but imprinted within the harts Better knew hee fortune then thow since hee tooke him self for one disherited and not as heire and when hee lost any thing as thow hee knew that hee receiued it by loan and not that it was his own Men in this lyfe are not so much deceiued for any thing as to thynk that the temperall goods shoold remayn with them duryng lyfe Now that god dooth suffer it now that our wofull fortune dooth deserue it I see no greater myshaps fall vnto any then vnto them which haue the greatest estates and ryches so that truly wee may boldly say that hee alone which is shut in the graue is in safegard from the vnconstancy of fortune Thy messenger hath told mee further that this sommer thow preparedst thy self to Rome now that it is winter thou wylt sayl to Alexandria O thou vnhappy Mercury tell mee I pray thee how long it is sythens thow lost thy sensis forasmuch as when this lyfe dooth end thy auaryce beeginneth a new Thou foundest two cyties very meete for thy traffyck that is to weete Rome which is the scourge of all vertues and Alexandria which is the chiefest of all vyces And if thow louest greatly these two cyties here I pray thee what marchaundise are solde therein In Rome thow shalt lode thy body with vyces and in Alexandria thow shalt swell thy hart with cares By the fayth of a good man I sweare vnto thee that if perchance thou buyest any thing of that that is there or sellest ought of that thou bringest from thence thou shalt haue greater hunger of that thou shalt leaue then contentacion of that thou shalt bryng Thou doost not remember that wee are in winter and that thou must passe the sea in the which if the Pyrats doo not deceiue mee the surest tranquyllyty is a signe of the greatest torment Thow myghtst tel mee that thy ships should retourn without frayt and therefore they shal sayle more surely To this I aunswere thee that thou shalt send them more loden with couetousnesse then they shall returne loden with silks O what a good chaunge shoold it bee if the auarice of Italy coold bee chaunged for the silk of Alexandry I sweare vnto thee that in such case thy sylk woold frayght a shyp and our couetyse woold lode a whole nauy That couetousnes is great which the shame of the world dooth not oppresse neither the feare of death dooth cause to cease And this I say for thee that sythens in this daungerous time thou durst sayle eyther wisedome wanteth or els auaryce and couetousnes surmounteth To satisfy mee and to excuse thee with those which speak to mee of thee I can not tell what to say vnto them but that GOD hath forgotten thee and the seas doo know thee I pray thee what goest thow to seeke synce thow leauest the gouernaunce of thy howse and saylest in Alexandrie Peraduenture thow goest to the goulph Arpyn where the maryners cast in thy lead Take heede Mercury and consyder well what thow doost for peraduenture where as thow thinkest to take from the fysh the hard lead thow mayst leaue vnto them thy soft flesh I haue knowen many in Rome which for to recouer one part of that that they haue lost haue lost all that which was left vnto them O my frend Mercury note note note well this last woord whereby thou shalt know what it is that you couetous men gape for in this life Thou seekest care for thy selfe enuy for the neighbours spurs for straungers a bayt for theeues troubles for thy body damnacion for thy renowm vnquietnes for thy life annoyance for thy frends and occasion for thy ennemies Finally thou searchest maledictions for thy heires and long sutes for thy children I can not wryte any more vnto thee beecause the feuer dooth so behemently vexe mee I pray thee pray to the gods of Samia for mee for medecines littel profiteth if the gods bee angry with vs. My wife Faustine saluteth thee and shee sayeth that shee is sory for thy losse shee sendeth thee a rich iewell for Fabilla thy doughter and I send thee a cōmission to th end they shall geeue thee a ship in recompence of thy lead If thou saylest with it come not by Rhodes for wee haue taken it from their pirats The gods bee in thy custody geeue mee and Faustine a good life with ours a good name amōg straungers I doo not write vnto thee with mine own hand for that my sicknes dooth not permit it ¶ That Princes and noble men ought to consider the mysery of mans nature and that brute beasts are in some poynts reason set a part to be preferred vnto mā Cap. xxxij MYdas the auncient kyng of Phrigia was in his gouernment a cruell tyrant and contented not him self to play the tiraunt in his own proper countrey but also mainteined rouers on the sea and theeues in the lād to robbe straūgers This king Mydas was wel knowen in the realms of orient and in such sort that a frend of his of Thebes sayd vnto him these woords I let thee to weete king Mydas that all those of thy own realm doo hate thee and al the other realms of Asia doo feare thee and this not for that thou canst doo much but for the crafts and subtilties which thou vsest By reason where of all straungers and all thine own haue made a vow to god neuer to laugh during the time of thy life nor yet to weepe after thy death Plutarche in the book of pollitiques sayth that when this king Mydas was born the ants brought corn into his cradel and into his mouth and when the nurse woold haue taken it from him he shut his mouth and woold not suffer any parson to take it from him They beeing all amazed with this straunge sight demaūded the oracle what this beetokened Who aunswered that the chyld should bee marueilous rych and with that exceeding couetous which the ants dyd beetoken in fylling his mouth with corne And afterwards hee woold not geeue them one onely grayn and euen so it chaunced that kyng Mydas was exceedyng rych and allso very couetous for hee woold neuer geeue any thyng but that which by force was taken from him or by subtelty robbed In the schools of Athens at that tyme florished a philosopher called Sylenus who in letters and purenes of lyfe was highly renowmed And as kyng Mydas was knowen of many to haue great treasures so this phylosopher Silenus was no lesse noted for despysyng them This phylosopher Silenus trauaylyng by the borders of Phrigia was taken by the theeues whych robbed the countrey and beeing brought beefore kyng Mydas the kyng sayd vnto hym Thow art a phylosopher and I am a kyng thou art my prisoner and I am thy lord I wyll that immedyatly thow tell mee what raunsome
are old For how can hee loue hys health which hateth vertu All that which I haue spoken heere beefore is to the end you may know and beeleeue that I am sick and that I cannot write vnto the so loÌ„g as I would and as thou desirest so that hereof it followeth that I shall bewayle thy payne and thou shalt bee greeued with my gowte I vnderstood here how at the feast of the god Ianus through the running of a horse great stryfe is rysen beetweene thee and thy neighbour Patriciê° And the brute was such that they haue confiscated thy goods battered thy house banished thy children depriued thee from the Senate for x. years And further they banished thee out of Capua for euer haue put thy felow in the prison Mamortine so that by this lytle fury thou hast cause to lament all the dayes of thy lyfe All those which come from thens doo tell vs that thou art so wofull in thy hart and so chaunged in thy parson that thou doost not forget thy heauy chaunces nor receiuest consolation of thy faithfull freends Think not that I speak this that thou shouldest bee offended for according to the often chaunges which fortune hath shewed in mee it is long since I knew what sorow ment For truly the man which is sorowfull sigheth in the day watcheth in the night delyteth not in company and with only care hee resteth The light hee hateth the darkenes hee loueth with bitter tears he watereth the earth with heuy sighes hee perceth the heaueÌ„s with infinite sorows he remembreth that that is past and forseeth nothing that that to coÌ„e is Hee is displeased with hym that dooth comfort hym and hee taketh rest to expresse his sorowes Fynally the vnfortunat man is coÌ„tented with nothing and with hym self continually hee doth chafe Beeleue mee Domitiê° that if I haue well touched the condicions of the sorowfull man it is for no other cause but for that my euill fortune hath made mee tast them all And herof it commeth that I can so wel dyscribe them for in the end in things which touche the sorrows of the spiryte and the troubles of the body there is great dyffereÌ„ce from hym that hath read them and from hym that hath felt them If thou dydst feele it there as I doo fele it heer it is suffycient to geeue thee and thy frends great dolor to think that for so small a trifle thou shouldest vndoo thee and all thy parentage And speaking with the trouth I am very sory to see thee cast away but much more it greeueth mee to see thee drowned in so litle a water When men are noble and keepe their harts high they ought to take their enemies agreable to their estates I meane that when a noble man shal aduenture to hazard hys person and hys goods he ought to doo it for a matter of great importaunce For in the end more defamed is hee that ouercommeth a laborer then hee which is ouercome with a knight O how variable is fortune and in how short space dooth happen an euill fortune in that which now I wyll speake I doo condemne my self and accuse thee I complayne to the Gods I reclayme the dead and I call the lyuing to the end they may see how that before our eyes wee suffer the greeses and know them not with the hands wee touch them and perceue them not wee goe ouer theÌ„ and see them not they sound in our eares and wee heare them not dayly they doo admonysh vs and wee doo not beeleue them fynally wee feele the peryl where there is no remedy of our greefe For as experyence dooth teach vs with a lytell blast of wynde the fruit doo fall with a lytell spark of fyer the house is kyndled with a lytell rock the shipp is broken at a lytell stone the foot doth stumble with a lytell hook they take great fysh and with a lytell wound dyeth a great person For all that I haue spoken I meane that our lyfe is so frayl and fortune so fykcle that in that parte where wee are surest harnessed wee are soonest wouÌ„ded Seneca wrytyng to hys mother Albina which was banished froÌ„ Rome sayd Thou Albina art my mother and I thy sonne thou art aged and I am not yong I neuer beeleued in fortune though shee woold promise to bee in peace with mee And further hee sayd al that which is in mee I count it at the dysposition of fortune aswell of ritches as of prosperitye and I keep them in such a place that at any hour in the night when shee listeth shee may carye them away neuer wake mee So the though shee cary those out of my cofers yet shee should not rob mee of this in my intrails With out doubt such woords were merueylous pythy and verye decent for such a wise man The Emperor Adryan my Lord did weare a rynge of gold on his fynger which hee sayd was of the good Drusius Germanicus and the woord about the ring in latin letters sayd thus Illis est grauis fortuna quibus est repentina Fortune to them is most cruell whom sodenly she assaulteth Wee see oftentimes by experience that in the fystula which is stopped and not in that which is open the Surgion maketh doubt In the shallow water and not in the deepe seas the Pilot despayreth The good man of armes is more afrayd of the secreate ambushment then in the open battayle I mean that the valiant man ought to beware not of straungers but of his owne not of enemyes but of frends not of the the cruel warre but of the fayned peace not of the manyfest domage but of the pryuy perill O how manye wee haue seene whome the myshaps of fortune coold neuer chaunge and yet afterward hauyng no care she hath made them fall I ask now what hope can man haue which wyll neuer trust to the prosperity of fortune Since for so lyght a thing wee haue seene such trouble in Capua and so great losse of thy person and goods If we knew fortune wee woold not make so great complaynt of her For speakynge the trouth as she is for all and would contente all though in the end she mock all shee geeueth and sheweth vs all her goods and wee others take them for inherytaunce That which shee lendeth vs wee take it for perpetuall that which in iest she geeueth vs wee take it in good earnest in the end as she is the mocker of all so shee goeth mockyng of vs thinkynge that she geeueth vs another mans and she taketh our owne proper I let thee wete that knowing that of fortune which I know I fear not the turmoyles of her traueyles neyther dooth her lightnings or thuÌ„ders astony mee nor yet wyll I not esteme the pleasantnes of her goodly fayr flatteryes I wyll not trust her sweete reioysings neither wyll I make accompt of her frendshyps nor I wyll ioyne my selfe with her enemyes nor I wyll take any
thousand sexterces Trauaile to augmēt them for her not to dymynish them I commend vnto thee Drusia the Romain wydow who hath a proces in the Senat. For in the times of the cōmotions past her husband was banished proclamed traytor I haue great pyety of so noble worthy a widow for it is now .iii. moneths since shee hath put vp her cōplaint for the great warres I could not shew her iustice Thou shalt find my sonne that in .xxxv. yeares I haue gouerned in Rome I neuer agreed that any widow should haue any sute beefore mee aboue .viii. dayes Bee carefull to fauour and dispatch the orphanes and wydows For the needy wydows in what place so euer they bee doo encurre into great daunger Not which out cause I aduertise thee that the trauaile to dispatch thē so sone as the maist to administer iustice vnto thē For through the prolōging of beautiful womēs suites their honor credit is diminished So that their busines being prolōged they shal not recouer so much of their goods as they shal lose of their renowm I cōmēd vnto thee my sonne my old seruaunts which with my long yeares and my cruell warres with my great necessityes with the combrance of my body and my long disease haue had great trouble as faithfull seruaunts oftentimes to ease mee haue annoyed them selues It is conuenient since I haue preuailed of their lyfe that they should not loose by my death Of one thing I assure thee that though my body remaine with the wormes in the graue yet beefore the gods I will remember them And heerin thou shalt shew thy selfe to bee a good child when thou shalt recompence those which haue serued thy father well Al princes which shall doo iustice shal get enemies in the excucion therof And sith it is doone by the hands of those which are neere him the more familiare they are with the prince the more are they hated of the people al in generally doo loue iustice but none doo reioyce that they execute it in his house And therfore after the Prince endeth his lyfe the people will take reuenge of those which haue beene ministers therof It were great infamy to the empire offence to the gods iniury to mee vnthankfulnes to thee hauing found the armes of my seruants redy xviii yeares that thy gates should bee shut against them one day Keepe keepe these thinges my sonne in thy memorye and since particulerly I doo remember them at my death cōsider how hartely I loued them in my life ¶ The good Marcus Aurelius Emperor of Rome endeth his purpose life And of the last woords which hee spake to his sonne Commodus and of the table of counsels which hee gaue him Cap. lvii WHen the Emperor had ended his particuler recommendacions vnto his sonne Commodus as the dawning of the day beegan to appeere so his eies beegan to close his tong to faulter his hands to tremble as it dooth accustome to those which are at the point of death The prince perceiuing then litle life to remaine commaunded his secretory Panutius to go to the coffer of his books to bring one of the coffers beefore his presence out of the which hee tooke a table of .iii. foot of bredth and ii of length the which was of Eban bordered al about with vnycorne And it was closed with .2 lyds very fine of red wood which they cal rasing of a tree where the Phenix as they say breedeth which dyd grow in Arabia And as there is but one onely Phenix so in the world is there but one onely tree of that sorte On the vttermost part of the table was grauen the God Iupiter on the other the goddesse Venus in the other was drawen the God Mars the goddesse Diana In the vppermost part of the table was carued a bull in the neythermost part was drawne a kyng And they sayd the paynter of so famous renowmed a woork was called Apelles The Emperor takyng the table in his hands casting his eies vnto his sonne sayd these woords Thou seest my sonne how from the turmoyls of fortune I haue escaped how I into miserable destenies of death doo enter where by experience I shall know what there is after this lyfe I meane not now to blaspheme the gods but to repent my sinnes But I would willingly declare why the gods haue created vs since there is such trouble in life such paine in death Not vnderstāding why the gods haue vsed so great cruelti with creatures I see it now in that after .lxii. yeres I haue sayled in the daunger peril of this life now they commaund mee to land harbour in the graue of death Now approcheth the houre wherin the band of matrimoni is losed the thred of life vntwined the key dooth lock the slepe is wakened my lyfe dooth end I go out of this troublesome paine Remembring mee of that I haue doone in my lyfe I desire no more to liue but for that I know not whyther I am caryed by death I feare refuse his darts Alas what shal I doo since the gods tel mee not what I shal doo what coūsail shal I take of any mā since no man will accompany mee in this iourney O what great disceite o what manifest blindnes is this to loue one thing al the days of his life to call nothing with vs after our death Beecause I desired to bee rych they let mee dy poore Bycause I desired to lyue with company they let mee dy alone For such shortnes of life I know not what hee is that wyl haue a house since the narow graue is our certain mansiō place beeleeue mee my sonne that many things past doo greeue mee sore but with nothing so much I am troubled as to come so late to the knowledge of this life For if I could perfectly beeleeue this neyther should men haue cause to reproue mee neither yet I now such occasion to lament mee O how certaine a thing is it that men when they come to the point of death doo promise the gods that if they proroge their death they will amend their life but notwithstanding I am sory that wee see them deliuered from death without any maner of amendment of life They haue obteyned that which of the gods they haue desired haue not perfourmed that which they haue promised They ought assuredly to think that in the sweetest time of their lyfe they shall bee constreyned to accept death For admit that the punishment of ingrate persons bee deferred yet therfore the fault is not pardoned Bee thou assured my sonne that I haue seene enough hard felt tasted desired possessed eaten slept spoken and also liued inough For vices geeue as great trouble to those which follow them much as they doo great desire to those which neuer proued them I confesse to the immortall Gods that I haue no desire to lyue yet I ensure thee
saluation the euil gotten good a cause of his eternal dānation More ouer yet what toyle and trauayl is it to the body of the man how much more perill to the liuing soule when hee consumeth his hole days and life in wordly broile and yet seely man hee can not absent him self from that vile drudgery till death dooth sommon him to yeeld vp his accoūt of his lief and dooings And now to conclude my prologue I say this booke is deuided into two parts that is to weete in the first tenne chapters is declared how the new come courtier shall beehaue him self in the princes court to winne fauor credit with the prince the surplus of the woork treateth when hee hath atcheeued to his princes fauor acquired the credyt of a worthy courtier how hee shal then continew the same to his further aduaūcement And I doubt no whit but that my lords gentlemen of court wil take pleasure to read it and namely such as are princes familiars and beeloued of court shall mostly reap profyt thereby putting the good lessons aduertisements they fynd heretofore writen in execucion For to the yong courtiers it sheweth them what they haue to doo putteth in remembraunce also the old fauored courtier lyuing in his princes grace of that hee hath to bee circūspect of And fynally I conclude sir that of al the treasors riches gyfts fauors prosperities pleasures seruices greatnes power that you haue possesse in this mortal transitory life by the faith of a christian I sweare vnto you also that you shal cary no more with you then the onely time which you haue wel vertuously emploied during this your pilgrimage ¶ The Argument of the booke entituled the fauored courtier wheare the author sheweth the intent of his woork exhorting all men to read and study good and vertuous bookes vtterly reiectyng fables and vayn trifflyng stories of small doctrine erudicion AVlus Gelius in his booke De noctibus atticis sayeth that after the death of the great poet Homer seuen famous Cyties of Greece were in great controuersy one with the other ech one of them affirmyng that by reason the bones of the sayd poet was theirs and onely apperteined to them all seuen takyng their othes that hee was not onely born but also norished and brought vp in euery one of them And this they did supposing that they neuer had so great honor in any thing but that this was farre greater to haue educated so excellent and rare a man as hee was Euripides also the philosopher born and brought vp in Athens trauayling in the realme of Macedonia was sodeynly striken with death which wofull newes no sooner came to the Athenians ears declared for a trouth but with al expedicion they depeached an honorable imbasy onely to intreat the Lacedemonians to bee contented to deliuer them the bones of the sayd philosopher protesting to them that if they woold franckly graunt them they woold regratify that pleasure done them and if they woold deny them they should assure them selues they woold come to demaund them with sweord in hand Kyng Demetrius held Rhodes beesyged long tyme which at length hee wanne by force of armes and the Rhodians beeing so stubborn that they would not yeeld by composition nor trust to his princely clemency hee commaunded to strike of all the Rhodians heads and to rase the cyty to the hard foundacions But when hee was let vnderstand that there was euen then in the cyty Prothogenes a phylosopher and paynter doutyng least in executyng others hee allso vnknowen myght bee put to the sweord reuoked his cruel sentence and gaue straight commaundement foorthwith they should cease to spoyle and deface the town further and also to stay the slaughter of the rest of the Rhodiens The diuine Plato beeing in Athens aduertised that in the cyty of Damasco in the realme of Palestine were certayn bookes of great antiquity whych a philosopher born of that countrey left beehynd hym there when hee vnderstoode it to bee true went thither immediatly led with the great desyre hee had to see them and purposely if they dyd lyke him afterwards to buy them And when hee saw that neyther at his sute nor at the requests of others hee could obtein them but that hee must buy them at a great price Plato went and sold all his patrimony to recouer them and his own not beeing sufficient hee was fayn to borrow vpon interest of the cōmon treasory to help him So that notwithstanding hee was so profound and rare a philosopher as in deede hee was yet hee woold sell all that small substaunce hee had only to see as hee thought some prety new thing more of philosophy As Ptholomeus Philadelphus kyng of Egipt not contented to bee so wise in al sciences as hee was nor to haue in his library .8000 bookes as hee had nor to study at the least .4 howers in the day nor ordinaryly to dispute at his meales wyth philosophers sent neuertheles an imbassage of noble men to the Ebrews to desire them they woold bee contented to send him some of the best lerned and wisest men among them to teach him the Ebrew tongue to read to him the bookes of their laws When Alexander the great was born his father kyng Phillippe wrote a notable letter immediatly to Aristottle among other matters hee wrote there were these I doo thee to weete O greatest philosopher Aristotle if thou knowst it not that Olimpias my wife is brought to bed of a sonne for which incessantly I geeue the gods immortal thanks not so much that I haue a sonne as for that they haue geeuen him mee in thy tyme. For I am assured hee shal profit more with the doctrine thou shalt teach him thē hee shal preuail with the kingdoms I shal leaue him after mee Now by the examples aboue recited and by many more we coold alledge wee may easly consider with what reuerence and honor the auncient kyngs vsed the learned and vertuous men of their tyme. And wee may also more playnly see it syth then they held in greater price and estimacion the bones of a dead philosopher then they doo now the doctrine of the best learned of our time And not without iust occasiō dyd these famous heroycal princes ioy to haue at home in their houses abrode with them in the feeld such wise learned men whilst they liued after they were dead to honor their bones and carcases and in dooing this they erred not a iot For who so euer accompanieth continually with graue wise men enioyeth this benefit and priuiledge beefore others that hee shall neuer bee counted ignorant of any Therefore continuing still our fyrst purpose let vs say that who so euer will professe the company of sober and wise men yt can not otherwise bee but hee must maruelously profyt by their comapny For beeing in their company they will put all
troble his eares with tryfles and matters of small moment hee should bee reputed of the hearers a rash man and of the king him self a witlesse foole Let vs consider a little what is fit for the courtier to doo and what beecometh him best and whether it bee lawfull for him to conferr with the prince and then wee shall come to know if yt bee decent for him to speake oft to the prince Therfor to go to the kynge to speake ill of any man I think no wise man will offer to doo yt and if it bee to geeue him secret intelligence of any thing hee must first dout whether the kynge will beeleeue him or no and to think to counsell him it is a token of a light head and to presume to sleyt with the prince and to beemery with him to passe the tyme away let euery man beeware hee runne not into that error nor that hee once prease to doo it To send to reproue a prince I know not what hee is that would bee so foolish hardy once â—o dare to open his lippes against him and to flatter him if the prince bee wise hee will vnderstand him and if hee fynd him once it is enough to turne the flatterer to greate displeasure yea and to put him quite out of fauor wish him And therfor to liue in suerty and auoyde these dangers mee thinkes it is best to speake but seldome to him Lucullus was a great frend to Seneca and was also gouerner of Sicilia and demaunding one day of Seneca what hee might doo that might bee acceptable to the emperor Nero his lord and master Seneca answered him thus If thou desier to bee acceptable to princes doo them many seruices and geeue them fewe words And so like wise the diuine Plato sayd in his bookes De repub that those that haue to moue the prince in any thing in any case bee brief for in dilating to much they should both comber the prince and make him also not geeue attentiue eare nether could hee haue leysure to heare them nor pacyens to tary them And hee sayd further Those matters and subiectes they treate with princes in and that are vsed to bee told them ought to bee graue and sententious eyther tendyng to comodyty of the weale publyke to his honor or profit or to the seruyce of the kyng to whome hee speakes Theise counsells and aduertysements of Plato and Seneca in my poore opinion deserue to bee noted and had in memory And notwithstanding all that I haue spoken I say yet further to you that there is nothing disposeth the prince better to loue and fauor his seruants then to see them diligent in seruice and slow in speaking For to reward him that only seekes it by meanes of his tongue and by words it is in our free wills to doo it but to recompeÌ„ce him that by his diligent seruice only craueth a good turne and not in woords wee are in consciens bounde to yt And hereof springeth the vulgare prouerbe The good seruice is demaund sufficient though the tongue bee silent ¶ What maners and gestures beecome the courtier when hee speaketh to the prince Cap. v. WHen the courtier determineth to speake to the prince hee must fyrst showe him self vnto him with greate reuerence beefore hee come at him if the kyng bee set hee must knele to him vpon one knee with his cappe in his left hand holding yet nether to farre nor to neere his body but rather downwards towards his knee with a good grace and comly fashion not to lustely nor to much boldly but with a sett shamefast grauity putting him selfe on the left hand of the prince to speake with him whether hee bee sitting or standing For placing our selues on the left hand wee leaue the king on the right as duty willeth vs For the right hand beelongeth euer to the best person Plutarke sayeth that in the bankets the kings of Persia made they sate him whome they loued and made most account of cheeke by cheeke and on the left hand of the prince where the hart lieth saieng that those whome they loued with their hart should bee sett downe also on that syde the hart lay and in no other place Blondus sayeth to the contrary that the Romaines dyd honor the right hand somuch that when the Emperor entred ted into the senate no man durst euer put him selfe on his right hand And hee saieth more ouer that if a yong man were perchanse found sitting on the right hand of an old man or the seruant on the vpper hand of his master the sonne on the right hand of his father or any page prentise or seruing man on the vpper hand of a burgeis or cytesin they were no lesse punished by Iustice for that fault and offence then if they had doon any notable cryme or delicte Who so euer will speake to the prince must speake with a soft voyce and not to hastely For if hee speake to loud those that stand by shall heare what hee sayth to the kynge and in speaking to fast the king shall not easely vnderstand what hee sayeth And hee must alsoere hee speake to the prince premeditate long beefore what hee will say to him and put into him good woords and aptly placed for wise men are more carefull what words theyr tongues should vtter then what theyr hands should doo There is greate difference beetwixt speaking well and dooing well for in the ende the hand can but strike and offend but the tongue can both offend and defame Euen when the courtier is telling his tale to the prince let him bee aduised in all his actioÌ„s gestures that hee play not with his cappe from one hand to an other much lesse that hee beehold the prince to earnestly in the face For in the one hee shoold bee taken for a foole and esteemed in the other for a simple courtier Hee must take great heede also that hee spitt not coffe nor hawk when hee speakes to him and if it bee so hee bee constrayned by nature to it then let him hold down his head or at least turn at one syde that hee breath not in the kings face Plinie wryting to Fabatus saith that the kings of India neuer suffered any man in speaking to them to approch so neere them that their breth might come to their face And they had reason to doo it to auoid strong and vnsauery breths growing rather of the indisposition of the stomak or of the putrefaction of the lungs or of the corruption of the brayn And if the courtier haue to speak with the king after dinner or supper let him beeware hee eat no garlyke nor onyons nor drink wine without water For if hee sauour of garlyk or onyons the king may think hee lacketh discretion to come wyth those sents to his presence or if his breath were strong of wyne that hee were a drunkard Hee must bee very circumspect also that when hee speaketh to the king
hee dooth commād the like and self same should the esteemed and fauored of the court obserue in his requests hee maketh For many tymes the requests of the beeloued in court are with more celerity performed then the comissions of the prince are accomplished Let the courtier alwayes haue in his mynde also that if hee meete with any nobleman or Knyght by the way hee doo in any condition retorne with him and keepe him compaigny although the nobleman or Knight stryue with him not to haue him goe back with him yet let him not suffer him self to bee ouercome to let all men know that notwithstanding the noble man or Knight passe him in degree or apparell yet hee shall not exceede him in curtesy and ciuility This compaigny is to bee vnderstanded to bee offered the knyght when hee rydeth in to the city of pleasure and not whā hee goth alone and showeth by his forehead an vnpleasant countenance trobled in his mynd Yet the courtyer neuerthelesse must offer him selfe to accompaigne him which if hee doo accept hee may not then importune or withstand him to doo yt For wheare hee should think to bee accounted courteous they would repute him a troblesom man Whan the courtier shall accompaigny any noble man of the court let him not then seme to contend with other courtiers for place and honor in his presence who should bee before or behynd an other For this strife comyng to the noble mans eares whome they accompaginy it myght easely happen that that compaigne that came to wayte vpon him and to doo hym honor and seruice should then seeme to dishonor and offend hym Lytel knoweth hee what honor meaneth when in these trifles hee seeketh it For the wise and curteous courtier hath not only to seeke honor with them with whome hee rydeth cheeke by cheeke but also with those that are beeloued of the prince Now when the noble man is accompaignyed and that hee is come hard by the court you courtyers bee ready to lyght of your horse quickly before him and when hee shall lykewise take his horse agayne bee as redy to take your horse back before him For dooing thus you shal bee nere about hym when hee lighteth of on his horse and afterwards help him when hee mounteth on his horse againe If perhapps at the comyng in of a chamber the lords seruants want consideration or that they remember not to hold open the cloth ouer the doore the good and dilygent courtyer should sodenly put hym selfe beefore hym to lyft and holde yt vp For many tymes yt is as great an honor for a courtier to bee accounted one of good maner and bringing vp in the court as out of the court it is to bee reputed a great and famous captaine in warres And seence the courtier is determined to accompaigne some noble man to the court hee is also bounde by the lawes of the court to wayte vpon hym home agayne which if hee doo the noble man shal bee more beeholding to him for the attendance hee hath geeuen vpon him then for his compaigne to ryde with hym If any came to speake with the courtier that were equall with him in degree or meaner of calling or condition then him selfe yt is one of the first and cheefest poynts of ciuility and good maner not to suffer him to open his lippes to speake to him beefore hee haue his cappe on his head for one to talke comonly with the other with his cappe in his hand is of great autority and reuerēce as from the duty of the subiect to the prince or that of the seruant to the master The good courtier must euer speake agayne to him that speaketh to him doo him reuerence that dooth him reuerens put of his cappe to him that putteth of his and this hee must doo without any respect that hee is his frend or foe For in the effects of good maner no man ought to bee so much an enemy that the enmity should breake the boundes of curtesy and humanity It is rather fyt for comon persons then for courtlike gentlemen in so mean things to show their ēmitt For to say truly the good courtier should not show the enmity of his hart by putting on or pulling of his cappe but by takyng sworde in hand to reuenge his quarel And yf the courtier were in the church court or in the chappell of the prince and set and an other gentilman happely cometh in the same place wheare hee is hee must doo him the curtesy to geeue him his place and seate to pray him to sit downe yea and if there were no other place fyt for the gentilmā to sit in and that of courtesy also hee would not offer him that iniury to accept yt yet at the least let the courtier doo what hee may to make him take a peece of his stoole that parting with him his seate the other may also come to part with him his hart If those that were sett hard by the courtier beegonne to talke in secret togethers hee should ryse from thence or go a litell asyde from them For in the court they will say hee is ill taught and brought vp and wanteth ciuility and good maners that will seeme to harken to any bodyes tale or secrets The courtiers must haue frendshipp also with the porters to open him the court gates that are kept fast cheyned in that they bee contented to suffer theyr moyle or foote cloth nagge to enter into the vtter court And the like must bee practised with the gentlemen vsshers of the chamber and captaine of the garde to whome hee must doo a thousād pleasures that they may respect his person let him come in whan hee will And the next way to wynne this frendshipp and to contynew them frends and to bee welcome of them is to feaste them otherwhile sometyme with a dinner some tyme with a bancket but especially not to saile them of a new yeares gift on neweyears day what trifle or present so euer it bee That courtier that is not acquainted with the vsshers and dooth them no pleasures may bee well assured that those aboue in the hall will make hym tarry in the vtter courte and those that stand at the gate of the cheyne they wil make him light in the myer With the vsshers of the priuy chamber he must needes deale honorably withall as to come and see them somtymes and to doo them much honor in giuyng them some fayre iewell or presentyng them with a gowne or coate cloath of silke or veluet And thus hee shall bee assured they will not only let him into the priuy chamber but they will also procure hym to speake with the prince euen at his best leysure To make the yemen of the garde also that maketh gentlemen geeue place and stand alofe of from the prince yet can not bee but very profitable for the courtier to haue them his frends For many tymes they may helpe vs to a fit
charges for his dinner or supper let him looke in hys purse hee shal fynd these mates haue pickt vp in rewards asmuch as the hole charges of his dinner or supper besides More ouer they are dayly visited of their frends kinsfolks vitells are so deere of so excessiue price that to make their prouision at the best hand they must send out postes lackeis into all parts to bee their purueiers And yet are they further recharged that many times their seruants robbe them of all their money runne their way when they haue doon sometimes they must new aray them selues al with things the courtier in respect of his estimacion is bound to doo thorowly with the best maner or els to sequester banish him self from court courtiers life It is true that a poore gentelman or other suiter that of necessitie must follow the court knoweth very well the cause that mooueth him to bee a courtier attend on the court but yet hee shal not know what his charge expense wil bee about the suyt If hee haue any fauor or credit in the court hee may happely obteyn a quick and redy dispatch so perhaps saue some part of his money in his purse hee determined to spend without which hee shal not onely bee enforced to borrow but to send a new messenger to his house for more money O the more is the pyty how many haue I seen in princes courts spend til that euer they brought to the court to follow their suyt yet could not bee dispatched in any thing hee came for saue that in steede of their money they cōsumed they haue purchased them great troubles displeasures bewayling their lost time vayn expence And it is to bee considered also that if it bee a great dyfyculty to speak to the prince in our matter to the presedent of the counsell to the master of the requests to the priuy counsell to the marshals of the house to the treasorers to the cofferers to the fouriers to the fauored of the court it is farre greater more trouble to enterteigne content their seruants offycers For I dare assure you you shal sooner more easly winne the loue of the maister then you shal obtein the fauor good will of the setuant Princes are contented if wee obey them the fauored of the court if wee serue them but the seruants are neuer contented nor in quiet if they see wee doo not worship them entreat thē And surely I wil tel you a true tale wil not lye a woord to you In those days when I my self was also a courtier in the court of princes it stoode mee vpon many times rather to trouble the maisters then to pray the seruants If perhaps for penaunce of his sinnes the suter shew him self importunat in his affaires that hee presume to dare say to him some nipping or vnpleasant woord let him bee wel assured he wil not bee reuenged on him to hurt him with sweord or launce but onely in holding back his penne to delay him in his dispatch For I remember that once beeing but a poore preest I was entreated by the procter of a prouince to say him a douzen of masses for a great noble man in great fauor in the court that had his matter in hys hands hee coniured mee very earnestly that I should not say them for the health saluacion of his soule but onely that god would inspire him put into his mynd to dispatch him quickly of his buysines Therefore as wee haue spoken of the one it is reason wee should also speak of the other And therefore I say that there are some of these officers clerks of Iudges Magistrates counsellers secretaries treasorers marshals fouriers and other officers also of the court that are so wise men of such honesty ciuility that the dyscurtesyes wrongs sometimes their lord maisters doo to vs they doo the best they can either to take them from vs quite or at the least to lessen or dymynish them For the contrary also others there are so proud shameles such tatlers vile persons so vnconscionable with all of whom as it is a great pleasure for vs to see that they write and to heare that they can speak so well promesse so liberally onely to winne your money pick your purse so it is a great spight to vs and more shame reproche and infamy for them when afterwards wee see the contrary effects of their faire woords and fayned promises where with they feede vs continually And addyng thereto also wee see many times that such a yong courtier in lesse then fower years that he hath remayned in seruice with a noble man or other officer of the kings in the court hath gotten by his practise pollicy a faire moyle of great price with her harnes all gilt his cofers well sylled his tent for the feelde with feeld bed other furniture to it his carpets on his table his clothes of tapestry ouer his doores his gowns richly furred for the winter and those of sattin damask and taffeta for the sommer and yet notwithstanding al this glory hee may possyble keepe a curtesan for his pleasure maintayn her Al which things considered put together it is impossible hee should doo it by the gaines of his penne or seruice but onely by dishonest means robbing of his master I saw once in my presens a poore suter offer the clark of a Secretary eight Rialls of siluer for to dispach him of his suyt and hee refused them flatly and would none of them by no means notwithstandyng the poore man turned him vp the bottome of his purse and showed him that hee had but onely fower rialls left to bring him home withall So the poor man came to mee intreated mee to speak to this clark for him to perswade him to take his money hee offered him and to dispatch him since hee had no more left then hee shewed hym And I did so And this woorshipfull clerk made mee this vnhonest aunswer Sir behold my face and complexion and you shall fynd that it is all of gold and not of siluer For I sweare to you by our blessed lady of Lancet that yt is more then two years that I receiued for reward of my payns no other but gold and not siluer layd in my hands It can not bee but that seruant the vauntes him self to haue a face of gold wil one day put his maisters face in the myre Now albeit wee see the kings officers and others peraduenture vnder them to ryde on their nagges with their foote clothes to bee braue in apparell to bee rich in iewels and happely to haue a hundreth crownes in his purse wee should not maruell of it at all but if wee haue cause to think any thing yll in them it is for that many times they play away
Rhodian iesting wyth Eschines the philosopher sayd vnto hym By the immortall gods I swere to thee O Eschines that I pity thee to see thee so poore to whom he aunswered By the same immortall gods I swere to thee agayn I haue compassion on thee to see thee so rytch Syth ryches bring but payn and trouble to gett them great care to keepe them displeasure to spend them peryll to hoard them and occasion of great daungers and inconuenyences to defend them and that that greeueth mee most is that where thou keepest thy treasure fast lockt vp there also thy hart is buryed Surely Eschines woords seemed rather spoken of a christian then of a philosopher In saying that wher a mans treasure is there is also his hart For there is no couetous man but dayly hee thinks vpoÌ„ his hid treasure but hee neuer calleth to mind his sinns hee hath coÌ„mitted CoÌ„paring therfore those things wee haue spokeÌ„ with those things wee wil speak I say that yt becoÌ„meth the fauored of princes to know that it is lesse seemly for theÌ„ to bee couetous then others For the gretnes of their fauor ought not to be shewed only in beiÌ„g rich but also in beiÌ„g noble worthy Plutark sheweth that Denis the Siracusan commyng one day into the chamber of the prince hys sonne and fyndyng gryat ryches of gold and siluer that hee had geeuen hym hee spake very angerly to hym and sayd thou hadst beene farre fytter for a marchaunt of Capua then to bee as thou art the kynges sonne of Scicilla syth thou hast a wyt to gather but not to spend Which is not fyt nor lawfull for thee if thou wylt succeede mee after my tyme in my kyngdome And therefore I doo remember thee that kyngdomes and hygh estates are not maynteyned with keepyng of ryches but onely wyth geeuing and honorably bestowyng them well And to this purpose also recyteth Plutarke that Ptholomeus Philadelphus was demaunded why hee was so slow and with so great difficulty receyued the seruices of others and was so liberall and noble in geeuing and grauntyng fauors hee aunswered I wil not get reputacion amongst the gods nor good renowne amongst men for beeyng rych but onely I will bee praysed and esteemed for makyng of others rych and hauyng vnder mee rich subiects These woords that Tholomee sayd to a frend of his those that Denis spake to his sonne mee thynks the beloued of the court should not onely bee contented to read them but to seeke to keepe them styll in mynd syth by them wee may manifestly see that ryches are euer more profytable for a man that oweth them and geeueth them bountifully then to haue them and with couetousnes to hoord lock them vp in their coffers And the fauored of prynces should not bee enuyed for the goods that they can get by their fauor and credit but onely for the good that thereby they may doo to their frends and kynsfolk For they are those that wyth others goods make the people slaues to theÌ„ What greater nobility can there bee in thys world then to make others noble what greater ryches then to make others rich and what more lyberty then to make others free The glory that the princes and those that they esteeme and haue in their sauor ought to haue should not consist in getting together much goods but in winnyng many seruaunts and frends Great are the priuileges that the noble and lyberall men haue for their chyldren are obedient to them their neyghbors loue them their frends doo accompaigne them their seruaunts serue them faythfully straungers vysyt them and the enemies they haue dare not speak against them for although they spight at their greatnes and fauor yet they dare not once presume to rebuke or reproue their lyberalyty Phalaris the Agrigentine Denis the Siracusan Catelyne the Romayn and Iugurth the Numidian These fower famous tyraunts dyd not mayntayn their states and roial kingdoms with the vertues they had by only but force ample gifts they gaue So that wee may well say that in the world there is no stone so phylosophicall nor hand so liberal as treasor riches syth that in geeuing it good men become great tyraÌ„ts therby are supported I would those that are princes familiars woold note wel this woord that is that great fauor ioined with much couetousnes is a thing vnpossible to continew long in any For if hee mean to keepe him self in fauor he must needes flye auarice and if hee wil needes stick to auarice hee must of necessitie lose his fauor There is no better means for hym that seekes the princes fauor to get into fauor then to serue him dilygently and to trouble him seldomly The kyngs officer that serueth him in his house must endeuor to make the kyng know that hee serueth him more for the loue hee beareth him then for any gayn or profyt he hopeth at his hands For in dooing so the king wil not only with his fauor benefits bestowed on him treat handle him as one hee loueth maketh account of but also loue hym as if hee were his own sonne It is most iust the beloued of the prince loue honor the prince with al his hart sence hee loueth him needeth not Those that are beloued made of fauored in princes courts should make great account of yt therefore they shayld serue willingly For the loue wee beare to princes cometh coÌ„monly rather of the necessity wee haue of them then of our own proper willes But the loue of princes to vs coÌ„meth of meere good will not of necessitie If any man doo company mee speak to mee serue mee yt ys onely in that respect that I euer geeue him for that hee hopeth I wil geeue him in tyme to come And to such a man I might truely say hee rather flaterith then loueth mee The esteemed of the court must note if it please theÌ„ that though the prince haue others about him whoÌ„ hee fauoreth loueth as well as him self that hee bee not therefore offended nor displeased a whit For els all those hee seeth accepted into fauor with the prince hee woold make theÌ„ his enemies because they may auoid this incoÌ„uenieÌ„ce they must take it in very good part For albeit the prince geeue his fauor to one alone yet hee imparteth his gifts to diuers Those that newly begun to rise in the court to doo much may not euen vpon a soden show them selues to bee rich but onely study dayly to increase in fauor For euery time that the courtier dooth assure mee hee dooth not diminish in fauor I will bee bound to him hee shal neuer bee poore The way they must obserue in the court to bee great to bee able to doo is this That is to visit oft to suffer to present to ê‘seuer to bee beloued to continew in the princes fauor Which I assure you is a great secret right alchimyne of court
inough But the auncient phylosophers were not of this mynd and much lesse are the wise men vertuous men at this day For wee see that in the court of prynces many rather lack fauor then lyfe and others lack both fauor and lyfe togethers and others not onely their lyfe and fauor but also all their goods and faculties So that all that that their fauor and credit haue geeuen them in many yeares and by sundry greefes and troubles they come afterwards to lose them euen vppon a sodeyn and in short time I graunt notwithstanding that it ys a great honor profyt and furtheraunce for the courtier to bee in his princes fauor but neuertheles hee cannot deny mee but that it is a daungerous thing also For naturally a great famyliarity bringeth also a great enuy wyth yt syth the beloued of the prince is commonly ill willed of the common weale And that that is yet most daungerous is that to obtayn the sauor of hys prince hee must so behaue him self that his seruice must bee more rare better and exquysite then all others and otherwise to fall in disgrace and to make the prynce forget all the good seruice hee hath doone hym hys whole life tyme hee neede but the least displeasure and fault hee can commit Eusenides was maruelously beloued with Tolomey who after fortune had exalted and brought him to honor and that hee was growen to great wealth sayd one day to Cuspides the phylosopher these woords O my frend Cuspides tell mee I pray thee of thy fayth is there any cause in mee to bee sad syth fortune hath placed mee in so great autoryty and honor as shee can deuise to doo and that the kynk Tolomey my lord hath now no more to geeue mee he hath alredy beene so bountyfull to mee To whom the philosopher aunswered saying O Eusenides yf thou wert a phylosopher as thou art a beeloued seruaunt thou wouldst tell mee an other tale then that thou tellest mee now For although kyng Tolomey hath no more to geeue thee knowst not thou that spyghtfull fortune hath power to take away from thee many thynges For the noble hart feeleth more greefe and displeasure to come down one staire or step then to clymme vp a hundred Not many days after these woords passed betweene Cuspides and Eusenides yt happened that one day Kyng Tolomey found Eusenides talkyng with aleman or curtesan of hys which hee loued deerely whereat hee was so much offended that hee made her straight drink a cuppe of poyson and caused him to bee hanged before his own gates The emperor Seuerus had one in so great fauor and credit which was called Plautius hee loued hym so extreamely trusted him so much that hee neuer read letter but Plautius must read it and hee neuer graunted commissyon or lycence to any man but it must passe vnder Plautius seale neither dyd hee euer graunt any thyng but at the request of Plautius nor dyd make warres or peace without the counsell and aduice of Plautius The matter fel out so that Plautius entring one night into the emperors chamber armed with a priuy cote his yll hap was such that a litle of his brest before was open whereby was spyed the mayle which Bahhian seeyng beyng the emperors eldest sonne sayd vnto hym these woords Tell mee Plautius doo those that are the beloued of prynces vse to come into they re bed chamber at these howers armed with Iron coate I sweare to thee by the Immortall gods and let them so preserue mee in the succession of the Empire that syth thou comest armed with Iron thou shalt also dye with Iron Which presently tooke place For before hee went out of the chamber they strake of his head The Emperor Comodus that was sonne of the good Emperor Marcus Aurelius had a seruaunt called Cleander a wise and graue man old and very pollytyck but with all a litle couetous This Cleander was oft times requested of the pretoryne compaigny that is to say of the whole band of souldiours that hee woold commaund they might bee payd their pay dew to them and to perswade him the better to pay it they shewed him a bill signed from the Emperor to which bill hee aunswered That the emperor had nothing to doo in the matter For although hee were lord of Rome yet had hee not to deale in the affaires of the common weale These discourteous and vnseemely woords related to the emperor Comodus and perceiuing the small obedyence and respect of duty that Cleander shewed to him hee cōmaunded foorth with hee should bee slayn to his great shame that all his goods should bee confiscat Alcimenides was a great renoumed kyng among thee Greekes as Plutark writeth of him and hee fauored one Pannonius entierly wel to whom only hee did not commit his person his trust but also the whole affaires and dooings of the the comon weale hee might dispose of the goods of the kyng at his wil and pleasure without leaue or licence So that al the subiects found they had more benefit in seruing of Pannonius then in pleasyng of the Kyng Therefore the king the beloued Pannonius playing at the balle togethers they came to contend vppon a chase and the one sayd it was thus the other sayd it was contrary and as they were in this contention the kyng commaūded presently those of his gard that in the very place of the chase where Pannonius denied they should strike of his head Constantius the Emperor also had one whom hee lyked very well and made much of called Hortentius which in deede might well bee counted a princes derling for hee dyd not onely rule the affaires of the common weale of the pallace of warres his goods and person of the emperor but also hee was euer placed aboue all the Imbassatours at his table And when the emperor went in progresse or any other iorny hee euer had him to his bedfellow Thus things beeing in this state I tel you it happened that one day a page geeuing the emperor drink in a glasse the glasse by myshap fell out of the pages hand and brake in peeces whereat the emperor was not a litle displeased and offended And euen in this euil vnhappy hower came Hortentius to the Kyng to present hym certayn bylles to signe of hasty dyspatch which was a very vnapt tyme chosen and the emperor contented yet to signe yt could neither the first nor the second tyme because the penne was ill fauordly made and the ink so thyck that yt would not wryte whych made the kyng so angry that euen presently for anger hee commaunded Hortensius head to bee striken of But to the end wee may come to the knowledge of many things in few woords I wyll shew you how Alexander the great slew in hys choller hys deere accounted Cratherus and Pirrhus Kyng of the Epirotes Fabatus hys secretory The Emperor Bitillion hys greatest frend Cincinatus Domitian the emperor Rufus of his
chamber Adrian the Emperor hys onely fauored Ampromae Dioclesian hys frend Patritius whom hee loued as hym self and always called hym frend and compaignion Diadumeus Pamphilion hys great treasorer For whose death hee was so sorowfull that hee would haue made him self away beecause hee caused him to bee so cruelly slayn All these aboue named and infynyt others also some were maisters some lords some kyngs and some of great autority and fauor about princes by whose tragicall histories and examples wee may plainly see that they did not onely lose their goods fauor and credit but also vpon very light occasions were put to death by sweord Therefore mortall men should put no trust in worldly things syth that of lytle occasion they become soone great and of much lesse they sodeinly fall and come to woorse estate then before And therefore kyng Demetrius askyng one day Euripides the philosopher what hee thought of humayn debility and of the shortnes of this lyfe aunswered Mee thinks O Kyng Demetrius that there is nothyng certayn nor suer in this vnstable life syth all men liuing and al things also that serues them indure dayly some clipse and hereunto replied sodainly Demetrius sayd O my good Euripides thou hadst sayd better that all things vegitiue and sensitiue and ech other liuing thyng dooth not onely feele the eclipses efforce and chaunge from day to day but from hower to hower and minute to minute Meaning kyng Demetrius by these woords hee spake that ther is nothing so stable in this world bee it of what state or condicion yt will bee but in a twyinkling of an eye is ready to runne into a thousand daūgers and perils albeit wee bee all subiect of what state or degree so euer wee bee to sundry diuers thrales mishaps yet none are so neere neighbors to them as those that are in highest autority and greatest fauor with princes For there are many that shoots to hit down the white of their fauor but few that beyng down will once put it vp agayn and restore yt to his place For to lyue a contented life a man had neede to want nothing neither to haue any occasion to trouble him But the things that trouble vs in this vale of misery being so many and of such aboundaunce and those things contrarily so few rare to come by that wee neede and want wee may iustly account this life wofull and myserable aboue all others For sure farre greater are the greeues and dyspleasures wee receyue for one onely thing wee want then the pleasures are great wee haue for a hundreth others whereof wee haue aboundaunce Besides that the familiars of princes cannot think them selues so mighty and fortunat that any man may presume to cal them blessed or happy For if some serue and honor them others there are that persecute them and if in their houses they haue that flatter them and make much of them there wāt not in the court others that murmur at them and speak ill of them And yf they haue cause some times to reioyce that they are in fauor so haue they likewise continuall trouble and feare that they shal fall and bee put out of fauor And if they glory to haue great treasure they sorow also to haue many enemies And if the seruices and company they haue doo delight them the continuall buysines they haue doo vex them So that wee may say of thē as of plaistering of houses which are neuer so faire but they become black with some spot in time and woormes and other vermine do eat and wast them If there bee none that dare once admonish these great men in authority and tell them their faults by woord of mouth yet I will take vppon mee to doo yt wyth my wrytyng and say that they speake nothyng but it is noted their steps they tread are seene euery morsell of meat they eat ys marked they are accused for the pleasures they take and all thyngs that they haue are obserued All the pleasures that is doone them is regystred and all ill that that they know by them is published And fynally I conclude that the fauored of prynces are a game at tables whereat euery man playeth not wyth dyce nor cardes but onely with serpents tongues And therefore I haue sayd it and once agayn I returne to say That all those that are accepted of prynces must lyue contynually very wisely and aduysedly in all their dooyngs for it is trew and too trew that euery mans tongue runnes of them and much more yf they had tyme and opportunity like as they defame them with their tongues so would they offend them with their hands Wee doo not speak thys so much that they should looke to defend their lyfe but to foresee that they may preserue their honor and goods from perill and to geeue them by thys precept a good occasion to looke about them For to put them in disgrace wyth the Kyng all the days of they re lyfe to their vtter vndooyng and ouerthrow the kyng neede but onely geeue eare to his enemies ¶ The aucthor admonisheth those that are in fauor and great with the prynce that they take heede of the deceipts of the world and learne to lyue and dye honorably and that they leaue the court beefore age ouertake them Cap. xvi WHan kyng Alderick kept Seuerine the Romayn consull prisoner otherwise named Boetius that consull complayned much of fortune Saying alas fortune why hast thou forsaken mee in my age since thou dyddest fauor mee so much in myne youth and that I had serued thee so many years why hast thou left mee to the hands of myne enemyes To which complaynts fortune made aunswer thus Thou art vnthankfull to mee O Seuerius sith I haue vsed my things with thee in such maner as I neuer vsed the like with any other Romayn And that this ys trew I tell thee Consider O Seuerius that I made thee whole and not sick a man and no woman of excellent wyt and vnderstandyng and not grosse and rude rych and not poore wyse and not foolysh free and not bond a Senator and no plebeyan noble and valyaunt and not cowardly a Romayn and no barbarus or straunger born in great and not mean estate a graue man and no light nor vayn person fortunat and not vnlucky woorthy of fame and not obliuyon to conclude I say I gaue thee such part in the common weale that thou hadst good cause to haue pyty of all others and all others cause to haue spight and enuy at thee Agayn replyed Seuerius to this aunswer and sayd O cruell and spightfull fortune how liberall thou art in the things thou speakest and resolute in the things thou disposest sith always thou doost what thou wilt and seldome that thou oughtst And thou knowest there is no such myshap as to remember a man hath once been rich and fortunat in his tyme and to see him self now brought to extreame mysery Heare
court to chaunge that seruile trade of lyfe for quiet rest at home Thinking assuredly that enioying rest at home in his own house hee myght easely bee damned and abyding the payns and seruyce of court hee beleeued vndoubtedly hee shoold bee saued Surely wee may aptly say that thys old courtier was more then a dotard and that hee had mard the call of his conscyens since hee beleeued it was a charge of conscience to depart the court The ābition to doo much the couetousnes to haue much maketh the miserable courtiers beleeue that they haue yet tyme enough to lyue to repent them when they will So that in the court thinking to lyue two yeres only in their age good men they lyue fifty and three score yeres wicked naughty persons Plutarch in his Apothegmes saith that Eudonius that was Captain of the Greekes seeing Xenocrates reading one day in the vniuersity of Athens hee being not of thage of eyghty fyue yeres asked what that old mā was it was aunswered him that it was one of the philosophers of Greece who followed vertue and serched to know wherein true philosophy consisted Whereuppon hee aunswered If Xenocrates the philosopher tell mee that hee being now eyghty fyue yeres old goeth to seeke vertue in this age I woold thou shooldest also tell mee what tyme hee shoold haue left him to bee vertuous And hee said more ouer in those yeres that this philosopher ys of it were more reason wee shoold see him doo vertuous things thā at this age to goe and seeke it Truely wee may say the very lyke of our new courtier that Eudonius said of Xenocrates the philosopher the which if hee did look for other three score yeres or three score yeres and tenne to bee good what time shoold remain for him to prooue and shew that goodnes It is no maruel at al that the old courtiers forget their natiue countrey and bringing vp their fathers that begat them their frends that shewed thē fauor the seruants that serued them but at that that I doo not only woonder at thē but also it geeueth mee cause to suspect them is that I see they forget them selues So that they neuer know nor consider that they haue to doo till they come afterwards to bee that they woold not bee If the courtiers which in princes courts haue been rich noble in auctority woold counsel with mee or at least beleeue my writing they shoold depart from thence in time to haue a long tyme to consider before of death least death vnwares sodeinly came to take executiō of their liues O happy thrise happy may wee call the esteemed courtier whom god hath geeuen so much wit knowledge to that of him self hee doo depart frō the court before fortune hath once touched him which dishonor or layd her cruell hands vpon him For I neuer saw courtier but in the end did complain of the court of their yll lyfe that they lead in court And yet did I neuer know any person that woold leaue it for any scruple of conscience hee had to remain there but peraduenture if any did depart from the court it was for some of these respects or altogether that is to say Either that his fauor credit diminished or that his money failed him or that some hath doon him displeasure in the court or that hee was driuen from the court or that hee was denyed fauor or that his syde faction hee held with had a fal or for that hee was sick to get his health hee went into the countrey So that they may say hee rather went angry displeased with him self then hee dyd to lament his sinnes If you ask pryuatly euery courtier you shal find none but will say hee is discontented with the court either because hee is poore or afflicted enuyed or yll willed or out of fauor hee wil swere reswere again that hee desyreth nothing more in the world then to bee dismissed of this courtiers trauel painfull life But if afterwards perchaunce a lytle wynd of fauor bee put stirring in the entry of his chāberdore it wilsodeinly blow away al the good former thoughts frō his mynd And yet that that makes mee wonder more at these vnconstant courtiers vnstable brains is that I see many buyld goodly stately houses in their countrey yet they neither dwel in them nor keep hospitality there They graffe set trees plant fruits make good gardeins and ortchyards and yet neuer go to enioy them they puchase great lands and possessiōs and neuer goe to see them And they haue offices and dignities geeuen them in their countreys but they neuer goe to exercise them There they haue their frends and parents and yet they neuer goe to talk with them So that they had rather bee slaues and drudges in the court then lords and rulers in their own countrey Wee may iustly say that many courtiers are poore in riches straungers in their own houses and pilgrimes in their own countrey and banyshed from all their kinreds So that if wee see the most part of these courtiers bakbyte murmure complayn and abhorre these vyces they see dayly committed in court I dare assure you that this discontentation dyslyking proceeds not only of these vyces and errors they see committed as of the spight and enuy they haue dayly to see their enemies grow in fauor and credit with the prince For they passe lytle of the vyces of court so they may bee in fauor as others are Plutarch in his booke de exilio sheweth that there was a law amongst the Thebans that after a man was fyfty yeres of age if hee fell sick hee shoold not bee holpen with phisitians For they say that after a man is once aryued to that age hee shoold desire to lyue no lenger but rather to hast to his iorneys end By these exāples wee may know that infancy is till vii yeres Childhood to .xiiii. yeres youth to xxv yeres manhod till .xl. and age to three score yeres But once passed three score mee think it is rather tyme to make clean the nets and to content themselues with the fish they haue til now then to goe about to put their nettes in order again to fish any more I graunt that in the court of princes all may bee saued and yet no mā can deny mee but that in princes courts there are mo occasions to bee damned then saued For as Cato the Censor saith the apt occasions bring men a desire to doo yll though they bee good of them selues And although some do take vppon them and determyne to lead a godly and holy lyfe or that they shew themselues great hipocrits yet am I assured notwithstanding that they cannot keepe their tongue from murmuring nor their hart from enuying And the cause heereof proceedeth for that there are very few that follow the court long but only to enter into credit and afterwards to waxe rich
of the earth and deaw of heauen So that the sustenance for men is called meate and that of plāts trees Increase This beeing true therefore that wee haue spoken wee must needes confesse that to lyue wee must eat and yet with all wee must vnderstand that the synne of gluttony consisteth not in that that wee eat for necessity but onely in that that is eaten with a disordinat appetite and desire And sure now adays men vse not to eat to content nature but to please their lycorous and deinty mouthes Hee that geeueth him self ouer to the desire of the throte dooth not onely offend his stomack and distemper his body but hurteth also his conscience For al gluttons and dronkards are the children or the brothers of synne And I speak but lytle to say that the mouth sinne are cosin germayns togethers for by they re effects and operations mee thinketh them so knyt and combined together as the father and the sonne Syth burning leachery acknowlegeth none other for her mother but onely the insatiable and gurmand throte And the dyuersity of meats is but a continual importunat awaking of dishonest thoughts Doo wee not read of saint Iherom that albeit hee remayned in the wildernes burned of the sunne his face dryed vp and wrinckled barefooted and also bare headed clothed with sackcloth his body scourged with bitter stripes watchinge in the night and fasting in the day cōtinually exercising his penne and his hart in contemplacion and yet for all this greeuous penance hym self confessed that in his sleepe hee dreamed and thought hee was among the courtisans of Rome And saint Paule the apostle who was a man of rare and exquisite knowledge and deserued to see the very secrets of paradise neuer heretofore seen trauailing in his vocation more then any other of the apostels did not hee get his liuing with his own hāds and also went a soote preaching through all the world bringyng infynit barbarous people to the fayth of christ being beaten in the day tyme by others for that hee was a christian and in the night tyme hee beat him self for that hee was a sinner punishing the flesh to make it subiect to the spirit And yet neuertheles hee sayth also of hym self that hee coold not defend him self from dishonest thoughts which did euer let him to preach and pray with a quiet mynd Saint Austin reciteth of him self in his booke de confessionibus that al the while hee inhabited in the deserts hee eat litle wrote much prayd oft and sharply chastised his body with continuall fasts and greeuous disciplines But yet perceauing that notwithstanding all this his dishonest thoughts suppressed hys holy desires hee beganne to crie with a lowd voyce thorough the deserts rocky hills saying O lord my god thou commaundest mee to bee chast but this frayle and accursed flesh can neuer keepe yt And therefore I humbly beseech thee fyrst to indue mee with thy grace to doo that thou wilt haue mee then commaūd mee what shall please thee otherwise I shal neuer doo yt If therefore these glorious saints with their continuall fasts and contemplations and extreame punishing of theyr bodyes could not defend them selues from the burning motion of the flesh how shall wee beleeue that a company of dronkards and gluttons can doo yt which neuer lynne bibbyng and eatyng Wee may bee assured that the lesse wee pamper and feede our bodies with delicacy idlenes the more wee shall haue them obedient and subiect to our willes For though wee see the fier neuer so great flaming yet it quickly wasteth is brought to ashes if wee leaue to put more woode vnto yt Excesse is not onely vnlawful for the boddy but it is also occasion of a thousād dyseases both to the body the soule For to say troth wee haue seene more rych mē dye through excesse thē poore mē of necessity And in my opiniō mee thynkes the sinne of Gluttony neede not to bee otherwise punyshed by diuine iustice syth that of yt selfe yt brīgeth penance inough And to prooue this trew let vs but require these gluttōs to tel vs vpon theyr othes how they fynd thē selues in tēper beeyng ful paūched they wil confesse to vs that they are worse at ease thē yf they had fasted That their mouth is dry their body heauy yl disposed that their head aketh their stomack is colde that their eyes are slepy their bellye 's ful but yet that they desire to drink styll And therefore Diogenes Cinicus deryding the Rodians sayd these woords O you dronken gluttonus Rodians tell mee I beseech you what occasion mooues you to goe to the church to pray to the gods to geeue you health whē at al tymes keeping sober diet you may keepe yt with you And more ouer hee sayd vnto thē also yf you wil bee ruled by my coūcel I tel you you neede not goe to the churches to beseech the gods to graūt you health but onely to pray to them to pardon you your synnes iniquities you dayly cōmit Also Socrates the philosopher was wōt to say to his disciples of the vnyuersity of Athens Remēber O you Athenians that in the wel gouerned pollycies mē lyue not to eat to glut the body but doo onely eat to lyue sustayn the body O graue saiyng of the good philosopher I woold to god euery good christian would cary this lesson in mynd For if wee woold but let nature alone geeue her lyberty dispositiō of her self shee is so honest of such temperaūce that shee will not leaue to eat that that shall suffice her neither wil also trouble vs with that that is superfluous Yet an other foule offence bringeth this vice of Gluttony that is that many put them selues in seruice to wayt on others not somuch for the ordinary fare that is commonly vsed in their house as for the desire they haue to fyll theyr bellies with dainty and superfluous meats And in especiall whē they know they make any mariages or feasts for their frends then they geeue double attendance not consēted alone with that themselues haue eaten but further in remembraunce of the worthy feast committeth to the custody of his trusty cater hys great hose perhaps a two or three days store of those rare dainty dishes which I am ashamed to write and much more ought they to bee ashamed to doo yt For that mā that professeth to bee a mā ought to inforce himself neuer to engage his liberty for that that his sēsual appetite incyteth him to but onely for that that reason byndeth hym to Aristippus the phylosopher washyng lettyse one day with his owne hāds for his supper by chaūce Plautus passing by that way and seeyng hym sayd If thou wooldst haue serued Kyng Dionisius wee should not haue seene thee eat lettises as thou doost now Aristippus aūswered him again O Plautus if thou wert cōtent to eat of these lettyses
shoold bee lesse euil for vs to haue him our enemy then to account of him as of our deere frend Him whom wee wil choose for our faithfull frend amongst other maners and condicions hee must chiefely and beefore all bee indued with these that hee bee curteous of nature faier spoken hard and stout to indure payn pacient in troubles sober in dyet moderate in his woords graue and rype in his counsels and aboue all stedfast in frendship and faithfull in secrets And whom wee shall fynd with these laudable vertues and conditions adorned him may wee safely take and accept for our frend But if wee see any of these parts wanting in him wee ought to shon him as from the plague knowing for certeinty that the frendship of a fayned and fantasticall frend is much woorse and perilous then the enmity of a knowen and open enemy For to the hands of one wee commit our hart and faith and from the deceipts and treasons of the other wee defendour selues with our whole force power Seneca wryting to his deere faithful frend Lucillus sayth vnto hym I pray thee O Lucillus that thou order determyne thine affaiers by thaduise counsel of thy frend but also I doo remember thee that first thou see well what maner of frend thou hast chosen thee for there is no marchandise in the world this day that men are so soone beegyled in as they are in the choise of frends Therefore the graue sentence of Seneca wysely wayed wee shoold assent with him in oppinion that sith no man byeth a horse but hee first causeth him to bee ridden nor bread but first hee seeth and handleth it nor wyne but hee tasteth it nor flesh but first hee wayeth it nor corne but hee seeth a sample nor house but that hee dooth first value it nor Instrument but first hee playeth on it and iudgeth of his sound yt is but reason hee shoold bee so much the more circumspect beefore he choose his frend to examin his lyfe and condicion since all the other things wee haue spoken of may bee put in dyuers houses and corners but our frend wee lodge and keepe deerely in our proper bowels Those that write of the emperor Augustus say that hee was very straunge and scrupulous in accepting frends but after hee had once receyued theÌ„ into his frendship hee was very constant and circuÌ„spect to keepe them For hee neuer had any frend but first hee had some proofe and tryall of him neither woold hee euer after forsake him for any displeasure doon to him Therefore yt shoold always bee so that true frends shoold bere one to an other such loue and affection that the one beeing in prosperity should not haue occasion to complayn of him self in that hee did not reliue his frends necessity beeing in aduersity nor the other beeing poore and needy shoold grudge or lament for that his frend beeing rich and welthy woold not succor him with all that hee might haue doone for him For to say the truth where perfect frendshyp is there ought no excuse to bee made to doo what possible is the one for the other The frendship of young men cometh commonly or for the most parte at the least by beeing companyons in vyce and folly and such of right ought rather to bee called vacabonds then once to deserue the name of true frends For that cannot bee called true frendship that is continued to the preiudyce or derogation of vertue Seneca wryting agayn to Lucillus sayth these woords I woold not haue thee think nor once mistrust O my Lucillus that in all the Romayn empire I haue any greater frend then thou but with all assure thy self that our frendship is not so streight beetwene vs that I woold take vppon mee at any tyme to doo for thee otherwyse then honesty shoold lead mee For though the loue I bere thee hath made thee lord of my lyberty yet reason also hath left mee vertue free ¶ The aucthor proceedeth on Applyeng that wee haue spoken to that wee will now declare I say I wil not acknowledge my self your seruant for so shoold I bee compelled to feare you more then loue you much lesse will I vaunt my self to bee your kinsman for so I shoold importune and displease you and I will not brag that heeretofore wee haue been of familier acquaintance for that I woold not make any demonstration I made so lyttle account of you and lesse then I am bound to doo neither will I bost my self that I am at this present your famyliar and welbeeloued for in deede I shoold then shew my self to bee to bold and arrogant but that that I will confesse shal bee that I loue you as a frend and you mee as a kinsman al bee it this frendship hath succeeded dyuersly tyll now For you beeing noble as you are haue bountifully shewed your frendship to mee in large and ample gyfts but I poore and of base estate haue only made you sure of myne in woords Plutarche in his Polytikes sayd That it were farre better to sell to our frends our woorks and good deeds whether they were in prosperity aduersity or necessity then to feede them with vayn flattering woords for nothing Yet is it not so general a rule but that sometymes it happeneth that the high woords on the one syde are so profitable and the woorks so few and feeble on the other syde that one shal bee better pleased and delighted with hearing the sweete and curteous woords of th one then hee shal bee to bee serued with the cold seruyce and woorks of the other of small profyt and value Plutarch also in his booke De animalibus telleth vs that Denis the tyrant beeing one day at the table reasoning of dyuers and sundry matters with Chrisippê° the philosopher it chaunced that as hee was at diner one brought him a present of certen suger cakes wherefore Chrisippus cesing his former discours fell to perswade Denys to fall to his cakes To whom Denys aunswered on with your matter Chrisippus and leaue not of so For my hart is better contented wyth thy sweet and sugred woords then my tong is pleased with the delycate tast of these mountayn cakes For as thou knowest these cakes are heauy of digestion and doo greatly annoy the stomake but good woords doo maruelously reioyce and comfort the hart For this cause Alexander the great had the poet Homer in greater veneration beeing dead then all the other that were alyue in hys tyme not for that Homer euer did him seruyce or that hee knew him but only beecause of his lerned bookes hee wrote and compyled and for the graue sentences hee found therein And therefore hee bare about him in the day tyme the booke of the famous deedes of Troy called the Illiades hanged at his neck within hys bosom in the night hee layd it vnder his bolster at hys beddes head where hee slept In recompence therefore syr of the many
good turns I haue receiued at your hands I was also willyng to compyle and dedicate this my lytle treatise to you the which I present you wyth all my desyres my studyes my watches my swett and my troubles holding my self fully satisfyed for all the payns I haue taken so that this my simple trauell bee gratefull to you to whom I offer yt and to the publyke weale profitable Beeing well assured if it please you to trust mee and credyte my wrytyng you shall manifestly know how freely I speak to you and lyke a frend and not deceiue you as a flatterer For if the beeloued and fauored of princes chaunce to bee cast out of fauor it is beecause euery man flattereth hym and seeketh to please him and no man goeth about to tell him troth nor that that is for his honor and fittest for him Salust in his booke of the warres of Iugurtha sayth that the hygh heroycall facts and noble deedes were of no lesse glory to the historiographer that wrote them then they were to the captayn that dyd them For it happeneth many tymes that the Captayn dying in the battell hee hath woone lyueth afterwards notwythstandyng by the fame of his noble attempt and this proceedeth not only of the valyaunt deedes of armes hee was seene doo but also for that wee read of him in woorthy authors which haue amply written thereof Wee may well say therefore touching this matter that aswell may wee take hym for a true frend that geeueth good counsell as hee whych dooth vs great pleasure and seruyce For according to the oppinion of the good Marcus Aurelius who sayd to his secretary Panutius that a man with one pay may make full satisfaccion and recompeÌ„ce of many pleasures and good turns shewed but to requyte a good counsell dyuers thanks and infinite seruices are requisite If wee wil credit the auncient historiographers wee shall fynd it true that the vertuous emperors the fortunate kyngs and the valyaunt Captains when they shoold enterprise to goe conquer their enemies either they sought for some philosopher or they choose some other honest learned man of whom they tooke councel touching all their affayrs beefore they prest any soldiers Comparing the tymes past with the tymes present wee think that haue read some what that the tyme past was as pure grayn and this now as chaffe and straw the one as the tyme calme and still in the sea and this as wauering and tempesteous that then the fyne and pure mettall and this now the drosse thereof The other the marie and this the bones the one the cleer day and the other the dark night For in these days in princes courts and noble mens houses they glory more to haue a scoffing knaue or iester to make them laugh then they recken of a graue and wyse man to geeue them counsell Alexander the great in all hys warres woold always bee accompanyed with the wyse Aristotle Cyrus kyng of Persia with the philosopher Chilo Kyng Ptolomie wyth Pithinus the philosopher Pirrhus kyng of Epyre wyth Zatirus Augustus themperor wyth Symonides Scipio thaffrican wyth Sophocles Traian themperor wyth Plutarche Antonius themperor wyth Gorgias now all these famous princes caried not with theÌ„ so many learned philosophers to fyght in battell with armed weapon in hand like other their soldiers but only to vse their couÌ„cel aduice So that the great battels they ouerthrew and the woorthy victories they wanne with the noble tryumphs doon was as much by the graue counsell of these good and wise Philosophers as by the force of their army and prowes of their Captayns The greatest good turn and benefit one frend can doo for an other is to know to geeue good counsell to his frend in his greatest neede and not without cause I say to know to geeue counsell For it happeneth oft tymes that those that thought to haue geeuen vs good remedy by their counsell wanting in deede discrecion and iudgement in the same haue caused vs to runne into further daungers And therefore Seneca beeing once demaunded of themperor Nero what hee thought of Scipio thaffrican Cato the censor answered him in this maner I think it was as necessary that Cato was born for the comon wealth as Scipio for the warres for the good Cato wyth his prudent counsell expelled vice out of the wealth publike and the other with his noble courage and great armies did euer wythstand the force of the enemies According to the saying of Seneca let vs also say after him that hee is very arrogant that presumes to geeue an other counsell but with all wee say agayn that if the counsell bee found good hee hath geeuen to his frend in his neede and necessity asmuch praise deserueth hee that gaue it as hee that knew how to take it Now after thexample of the auncient philosophers which went to the warres not to fight but only to geeue counsell I will syr for those things that pertayn to your seruyce and profit take vppon mee the offyce of a philosopher and for the first doctrin of my philosophy I say that if it please you to receiue these counsels whych my penne dooth write to you at this present I promise you and by the faith of a christian man I swear that they shal bee such excellent helps to you for the preseruation of your credyt and fauor you are now in as you may bee enriched by the true and diligent seruice of your seruaunts For if a man woold with an oth ask the trueth of Plato Socrates Pithagoras Diogenes Licurgus Chilo Pittachê° and of Apolonius and also of all the vniuersity and company of the other philosophers they woold swere and affirm that the felicity of man consisteth not in great might in great aucthority and possessions but only in deseruing much For the honor fauor and dignityes of this mortall lyfe are more to bee praised and had in veneratioÌ„ when they are placed in a condigne and woorthy person then they are beeing possessed of an vnwoorthy and graceles man allotted to hym not by vertue but by fortune And therefore your aucthority beeing great at this present exalted thereto by gods diuine will and prouydence and now in the hyghest degree of prosperity I woold wish you my good lord lesse then any other courtier to trust to fortunes impery For yf the earthquakes sooner bryng to ground the proud and stately Pallaces then the mean and low howses if ofter fall on the highest mountayns the dreadfull lightnings and tempests then on the lowest hilles if among the greater multitude of people the plagues bee rifer then amongst the fewer nomber yf they vse rather to spread their netts and lay the byrdlyme on the green and thickst bows then on the dry and wythered sticks to snare the sely byrds withall If always the stillest seas doo foreshew to vs a greater tempest following and if that long health bee a watch vnto a great and daungerous sicknes ensuyng by this