sigh and mourne so is there a time to laugh sing and be merry When Salomon by his great wisedome experience and iudgement had prooued all things vnder the sunne to be nothing but vanitie miserie and vexation of minde He concludeth that the best thing for a man in this world all the dayes of his life is to eate drinke and be merry in his labour Behold sayth the Lord by the Prophet my seruants shall eat drinke reioyce and be merry He giueth bread and wine to strengthen and make glad the heart of man oyle to make him a chearefull countenance and swéet oyntment and incense to make his heart merry Reioyce in the Lord alwayes sayth the Apostle and againe I say reioyce S. Iames exhorteth Gods children to sing and be merry A light heart sayth the wiseman maketh a chearefull countenance and a flourishing age but sorrow and heauinesse dryeth vp the bones and shortneth the daies Heauinesse is called the graue of mans life and mother of foure daughters Idlenesse pouertie sicknesse and miserie It is the propertie of the distressed to complaine of the desperate to sigh of children to wéepe and of weake cowardly crauens to yéeld and shrinke downe in trouble and aduersity but of the valiant mind to plucke vp a good hart cast off solome pensiue dumps put on a chearefull countenance to the world and beare it out merrely with a good courage Knowing that though mischiefe and misery do come by pounds and go away by ounces yet a pound of sorrow will not pay an ounce of debt And as those euil humors which surfet the body are expelled by medicine so are such heauy pensiue dumps as infect the braine auoyded by mirth and merry company No better meane to preserue health therefore then morning and euening to receaue an ounce of merry conceits pounded with the pestle of pacience in the morter of quiet content applying oftentimes a plaster of hearts-ease to the left side These will purge the patient from coller melancholike and all gréeuous paines of the stomacke make him féede heartely sléepe soundly and walke chearefully To a merry heart sayth Iesus Syrach euery thing hath a pleasant aste Of exercises profitable for health and recreation THough all such gaming as depende vppon idlenesse chance and desire of money be vtterly condemned as a thing intollerable amongst Christians Notwithstanding such honest exercisâ— as being eyther marshall for seruice in the field phisicall for health of the body or morall for the recreation of the minde Moderately vsed in time and place conuenient is no lesse profitable and necessarie especially for gentlemen studients then meat drinke and sleepe Mindes that are wearied with serious affayres must sometimes be refreshed of necessity For as continuall bending doth weaken the stiffest bowe so long studie without recreation doth weaken the finest brayne Yet some more curious then wise hauing as it were a pride to be péeuish séeme rather to hate dispise and detest all mirth pastime and humaine societie as vnfit for such as professe Christianitie Whereas if any exercise be euill it is not of it selfe but through abuse of the wicked which is no sufficient condemnation to a thing ordeyned to be well vsed Though some haue béene burned with fire some drowned with water and some surfâ—cted with meate and drinke yet must we neither cast away the vse of fire and water nor cease from eating and drinking So though some dumpish natures can brooke nothing that is contrary to their owne stoicall disposition Yet no reason that therfore the better sort more pleasant sociable and familiar of condition should forgo their honest recreation to féede the humors of such To the cleane all things are cleane and if any offence be it is not giuen but rather taken without cause Iohn Baptist and the Pharisies liued a straight life and our Sauiour Christ vsing his libertie was more familiar like the common people yet Iohn Baptist and the Pharesies were not holier then Christ himselfe Wise Salomon maketh mention of times as well for pastime and sport to recreate and make merry as for serious affaires to fatigate and make wearie The Israelites in obseruing the feast of Tabernacles were commanded to gather boughes branches of palmes willowes and fruitfull trées reioysing and making merry before the Lord the space of 7. dayes When Dauid was returned from the slaughter of the Philistians the women came out of all Cities with instruments of Musicke playing singing and dauncing with great ioy When God sent the Prophet to comfort his people of Ierusalem amongst others his mercies he promised them this securitie that their boyes and damsels shoulde sport and play in the stréetes The taking away of mirth and melodie from the people was alwayes a token of Gods curse Take thy pastime at home and doe what thou will sayth Iesus Syrach so as thou do none euill The Apostle exhorteth men to loue and delight in brotherly fellowship Dauid Chytreus affirmeth playing and sporting amongst friends to be very good and necessary to auoyde wicked thoughts and dumpish fantasies Master Caluin sayth that God doth not only bestowe vpon men things sufficient for their necessarie vses but also procéedeth further in helping forwardes their pleasures and delights Cato calleth honest pastime a whetstone for the memorie Gallen preferreth tennisse play as an exercise most profitable for health because it mooueth euery part of the bodie and hath written a whole booke in coÌ„mendation therof Shooting in the long bowe is greatly liked of many being a pastime of great antiquitie Marcillius Phicinus hath written in prayse of it M. Latimer doth greatly commend it And M. Ascam in his Toxophilus doth teach it as most profitable and commodious to preserue health It incourageth the minde strengthneth the synewes clenfeth the poures cleareth the senses maketh good disgestion and wrastleth against a number of diseases in the body Plato incourageth young men to practise the weapon commending it amongst the best exercises and not without good reason for if it be lawefull for a man to defend himselfe from violence it is both lawfull and conuenient not only to weare a weapon but also to learne how to vse it if néede shall require He that desireth peace sayth Ireneus let him prepare for warre For recreation of the mind Chesse play is much coÌ„mended as a delectable pastime and pleasant study a princely exercise hauing in it a certaine Maiestie wherein is shewed a warlike order and politike gouernement It was first inuented by a wiseman called Xerxes to declare vnto a tyrannous Prince howe necessary his subiectes were to the safegarde of his person Plato séeming to commend table play compareth it vnto the life of man that like as an euill chance may bee holpen by cunning play So may a crooked nature bee made better by
swallowed vp in the bowels of the earth And rather then the obstinate stubborne and disobedient should scape vnpunished euen Satan himselfe the master and captaine of all traytorous rebels would mooue him to be his owne hangman as Achetophell and Iudas the very hayre of his head for want of other would yéeld it selfe for a haltar to strangle him as Absolon and his partakers and the trées of the field offer their stretched out armes as fit Iebbets to confound him as a member vnworthy to liue in a common wealth And here by the way a question might arise touching 3. sorts of people in this land The first are certaine seditious preachers possessed with proud erronious spirits euery one hauing a Church plot or common wealth in his head who vnder an hipocriticall shew of holinesse turning vp the white of the eye with déepe groning sighes in their long pharisaicall prayers to blind the multitude presume to walke at libertie according to their owne lustes speaking peruerse thinges to drawe disciples after them beating dayly in the peoples heads what possible they can to conceiue a loathing and misliking of her Maiesties gouernment and order of religion established The second are certaine of the inferiour Magistrates put in trust as the rest to execute the office of Iustice. keepe the people in due obedience to her Maiesties proceedings punish contemners of her laws Who notwithstaÌ„ding vpoÌ„ a greedy couetous desire to pray vpon the spoyle of church-liuings do preuily vnder a colour of zeale both fauour further incourage maintaine the faid seditious Scismatikes as fit instruments to serue their purpose to y e great disturbance of the church disquiet of the common wealth The third are a sort of fickle headed people who hauing their eares itching for nouelties are apt and readie vpon euery light occasion to cast off the yoke of obedience and giue héede to those spirits of error getting them heaps of teacherâ— after their owne fantisies without regarde of dutie eyther to Prince or lawes Now the question is this Whether these thrée sorts of priuie whispering murmurers their conditions and manners rightly considered may iustly be taken in the number of faithfull true and loyall subiectes or rather more dangerous enemies to y e state then open professed Papists Certaine morall rules and profitable aduertisements touching ciuill behauiour and gouernement of life THe rules of ciuill gouernement requireth a man to frame his manners apt and méete for all honest company and societie of men as discréete amongest the wise merry with those that be merry and mourne with those that mourne to yéeld sound reasons in graue matters and pleasant conceits in light trifles Sobrietie without sullomnesse is commendable and mirth with modesty a vertue delectable A merry mind doth commonly shewe a gentle nature where a sower grimme countenance is a manifest signe of a curious teastie churle and disdainfull hypocrite Humilitie and lowlinesse of minde winneth the fauour of God and gentle speech and courteous behauiour the hearts of men To be silent of tongue and seâ—ret of heart Nature hath giuen vnto man two eares and but one tongue sayth the Philosopher to teach him to heare much and speake litle Pithagoras being asked the best way for a rich foole to get estimation let him weare costly attyre quoth he speake litle for a foole holding his peace séemeth to be wise The trée of the field is knowen by the fruits the thoughts of mans heart by his wordes Honor and worship is in a mans wise talking sayth Iesus Syrach but the tongue of the vndiscréet is his owne destruction Life and death are in the instruments of the tongue sayth Salomon he that can temper his words with discretion kéepeth his soule froÌ„ troubles Words spoken in due season are compared vnto apples of gold in a siluer dish But better he speake not when wisedome prouoketh not Then wiseman he séeme not when silence he kéepeth not To auoyd the company of the wicked For as bodies infected with contagious diseases are lothsome and odious so mindes corrupt with false doctrine rude manners and vicious liuing are most irkesome and dangerous He that toucheth pitch sayth Iesus Syrach shall be defiled therewith and he that kéepeth company with the wicked shall hardly escape without blemish either in life or credite And therefore it was not lawfull for the Israelites to associate themselues with the Cananites least they should be infected with their manners Abraham was commanded to depart from Caldea Lot and his daughters from Sodom and the congregation of God from the tents of Corah Dathan and Abiram What fellowship hath light with darknesse Christ with Baliall or the faithfull with an Infidell The Israelites dwelling in Sytim committed whordome with the daughters of Moab And the heart of Salomon for all his wisedom by kéeping company with heathen Idoloters was turned away from the Lord. Let common societie be vsed in equalitie Like with like do alwayes best agrée for as the kettle with the pot the Lambe with the Wolfe and the Asse with the Lion Such is the fellowship betwéene the poore and the rich Requitall amongst equals is of common courtesie but recompenee in vnequals inforced of necessitie Shew a child an apple and he will cry for it but make thy superiors priuie to thy pleasures and he will haue it or else make thee cry for it Not dainty in dyet nor ryotous in expenses but moderately to liue within his bounds To cut his coat according to his cloth not with the prodigall to spend all nor with the couetous to kéepe all but with the discréet to vse all He that hath litle and spendeth much is called a prodigall foole he that hath much and spendeth little a miserable carle but he that can moderate his expences according to abilitie is wise Measure is called a merry meane liberalite is a vertue consisting to spend not as a man would but as he may A thinne spare dyet is most holesome for health profitable for wealth I like M. Tussers alowaÌ„ce Two dishes well dressed and welcome withall Both pleaseth thy friend and becommeth thy hall Much spice is a théefe so is candle and fire Swéet sawse is as crafty as euer was Fryer And as varietie and excesse in dyet do surfet the bodie and consumeth the wealth so change of gorgious apparell sheweth pride without profit and commonly couereth a threed bare purse Attyre most commendable is neither curious nor clownish sumptuous nor costly but sober and decent as best beséemeth his estate and calling Mistresse Fortune is sayde to be handmaide to Ladie Uertue who esteeming more of simplicity with securitie then pride without profit is coÌ„pared to a poore simple woman in ragged attyre as one dispised of the world bearing a bridle in the one hand
friend will helpe at néed And make thy sorrowes lesse Oh precious Iem Oh iewell great Oh friendship pearle of price Thou surely doest each thing excell That man can well deuice The golden mines are soone decayde When Fortune turnes the wheele And force of armes are soone allayed If body sicknesse féele And cunning art soone ouerthrowne Experience teacheth plaine And all things else their course doth change When friendship doth remaine But since by proofe they haue beene taught A fained friend to know I will not trust such glosing tongues More then my open â—oe Where fairest face doth harbour foulest hart And sweetest tongue most treason doth impart Oh false deceat I'le trust to such no more But learne to kéepe a hatch before the doore A friendly aduertisement touching marriage THough wedlocke be a thing so doubtfull and daungerous to deale withall as to séeke roses amoÌ„gst thorns honny amongst hornets or Celes amongst adders Notwithstanding might my words craue pardon though more willing to wish well then able to perswade I would according to my simple skill shew my opinion touching the commoditie and discommoditie of mariage and the best meane to liue quiet in wedlock chaunsing vpoÌ„ a shrew First considering the state of mariage in generall God himselfe hath ordayned it as holy nature hath established it as honest Reason doth counsell it as profitable And all nations haue allowed it as necessarie And therefore with the Apostle I commend it as honorable amongst all men Happy is that man sayth Iesus Syrach that hath a vertuous wife The number of his yeares shall be double A vertuous woman maketh her husband a ioyful man whether he be rich or poore he may alwayes haue a merry hart A woman that is silent of tongue shamfast in countinance sober in behauiour and honest in condition adorned with vertuous qualities correspondent is like a goodly pleasant sâ—ower dect with the colours of al other flowers in the field which shall be giuen for a good portion to such a one as seareth God But he that shall preferre the gifts of nature and fortune before grace and vertue Hauing more respect to a cleane hand with a faire smiling countenance theÌ„ a cleane hart with good conditions shall after find that he feareth and misse that he most desireth Wanting neyther time to repent nor matter to complaine vpon Fauour sayth the wise man is deceitfull and beautie but a vaine thing Without vertue it is compared to a swéete poyson in a boxe of Iuorie or a faire shooe y t wrings the foote or the beast called an Armin whose skinne is desired and his carkasse dispised A short pleasure full of paine and miserie much like Tantalus apples which are no sooner touched but turne vnto ashes And in the ende sayth the Preacher she is more bitter than death I heard once a learned man shew a pretie note concerning mariage which though it were a Iewish inuension yet hath it a diuine vnderstanding Ish and Isha in the Hebrew tongue signifieth vir vira the man and the woman which being ioyned together maketh Chaa signifiing God as Iehouah From which word take away these two Hebrewe letters Chod Hee that makes it God And that remaines is Ash which signifieth paine and miserie Meaning that in such a marriage where vertue is absent there God is not present and where God is not present there paine and miserie is neuer absent A quiet man that matcheth himselfe to a shrewe taketh vpon him a verie harde aduenture hee shall fâ—nde compackt in a little flesh a great number of bones too hard to disgest Yea such saintes are some men matched withall that if all their demaundes should be graunted and all that they are agréeued withall redressed Sampsons strength Iobs patience and Salomons wisedome were all too little And therefore some do thinke wedlocke to be that same purgatorie which learned Diuines haue so long contended about or a sharpe penance to bring sinnefull men to heauen A merry fellow hearing a Preacher say in his sermon that whosoeuer would be saued must take vp and beare his crosse ran straight to his wife cast her vpon his back Diogines being asked what age was most fitte for mariage for young men quoth he it is too soone and for old men too late One Paurimio sonne to a Senator in Rome béeing desirous to marry his father willed him tarry till he were wiser Nay sir quoth he if I once growe wise I shall neuer marry Arminius a great Ruler in Carthage beeing importunately perswaded to marry no quoth hee I dare not for if I chance vpon one that is wise she will be wilfull if wealthy then wanton if poore then peeuish if beautifull then proud if deformed then lothsome and the least of these is able to kill a thousande men Where married couples agrée together is a great happinesse and a thing very acceptable in the sight of God But as in musicke are many discords before there can be framed a true diaâ—asan so in wedlocke are many iarres before there be established a perfect friendship In housholde matters are many occasions of variance in generall but where the parties want conformitie of manners and conditions most apt to fall at contention especiall For as the earth to the ayre and the water to the fire are in nature and propertie dissonant and contrarie So where the one is constant the other wauering The one prodigall the other a nigard Or the one young and the other olde They may well conioyne in law but neuer continue in loue Being prompt and ready vpon euerie light occasion to resolue into strife and dissention Agréeing like harpe and harrowe or rather two cats in a gutter And if the husband will liue in quiet then must he shew his wisedome eyther by dissembling the cause to turne it vnto sport or else goe his way and say nothing vsing his shrewde wife gently as a necessary instrument to exercise his pacience least she waxe worse For by other meanes he getteth no faithfulnesse of her This was the best remedie that Socrates could finde against his wife Zantippa The best helpe that Iob could haue against his wife in all his afflictions And the best counsell that Marcus Uarro could giue vnto married men Vitium vxoris si corrigi non possis ferendum esse let her say what shee will Better her tongue wagge then her heart breake It is sayde that an Asse a walnuttrée and a woman asketh much beating before they be good But I am verily resolued that a vertuous woman that is wise one word of her husband doth suffice But if she be such a one as neyther gentle admonition the feare of God the spéech of people nor the shame of her person can preuaile All the wise sayinges of Salomon with an hundred stripes to mends will not suffice to reforme or amend her A woman is aptly compared to a drinking glasse
good education Reading of bookes amongest the wise hath alwayes béene accounted the pleasantest mirth the swéetest musick and soundest counsell Alfonsus king of Arragon being asked what counsellers he liked best answered bookes for quoth he they will tell me the truth without flattery They are neyther obstinate nor gréedy of rewardes If I list they speake and if I list not they hold their peace Marcus Aurelius sayd he would not giue y e little he had learned by reading in one day for al the goods in the world Of Musicke MUsicke is an Arte compounded of Number Harmonie and Melodie called the mistresse of delightes the delight of Princes both auncient and honorable highly estéemed and richly rewarded in all ages A singuler blessing of God sent downe from heauen as a pleasant companion to comfort our sorrowes and abbreuiat our wearinesse on earth Daintie meates are delicate to the taste Beautifull colours pleasant to the eyes And swéete perfumes delightfull to the nose But the harmonial consent of Musicke most precious to the eares It rauisheth the sences reuiueth the spirites sharpeneth the witt inflameth the heart encourageth the valiant terrefieth the dastard relieueth the distraughted expulseth Melancolike dumps recreateth wearied mindes and stirreth vp an aptnesse vnto vertue and godlinesse King Saul by Musick was deliuered from grieuous tormeÌ„ts The Prophets by Musicke was moued to prophisie Orpheus and Amphion by Musicke were saide to moue stones rockes and trees Wilde beastes by Musicke haue béene tamed birdes allured fishes delighted and serpents charmed The fiercenes of the Wolfe is mitigated by the sound of the cornet the Elephant delighted with the Organe the Bée with the noyse of brasse the Crane with the trumpet and the Dolphin with the harpe And such humaine creatures as can finde no pleasure nor delight in the swéete harmoniall consent of concordes and proportions which speake them so faire must néedes be monsters in Nature hauing their bodies without sence and their heads out of proportion The Gréekes accounted no man learned without skill in the art of Musicke the swéetenesse whereof is by Iesus Syrach compared to a Carbuncle stone set in gold Cassiodorus affimeth that the kinde of melidie called Dorius giueth wisedome to the minde Phrigins increaseth courage to the heart Lydius stirreth vp an aptnesse to conceiue and Aeolius pacifieth the affections A soft dolefull melody full of solome mourning swéetnesse not onely pearceth the minde maketh tender the hart and allureth the outward sences but also by the artificiall harmony of numbers and proportions it delighteth euen reason it selfe And therefore Pithagoras had his scholers brought a sléepe and waked againe with the noise of the Harpe And the better to moone and stirre vp mans drowsie affections to deuotion and godlinesse that the doctrine of saluation might more easily pearce the hearts and minds of the hearers It hath pleased God in all ages sayth S. Augustine to haue his precepts of instruction mingled with the delightfulnesse of Musicke his diuice seruice adorned with the swéetenesse of melody and his prayses comprehended in verses and songs after the custome of wise Phisitions who season their bitter medicines with swéete syropes The ordinarie seruice appointed to the Iewes was solemnely obserued with singing of Psalmes sounding of trumpets and playing vpon diuers instruments When the Arke of God was carryed home to Ierusalem Dauid himselfe did both sing and dance before it When it was brought into the temple the Leuites in white robes stood at the East end of the altar singing and playing vpon Psaltaries Symbals Shalmes Harpes And with them an hundreth and twentie Priestes sounding of Trumpets whose pleasant Harmoniall consent in their prayses and thankes giuing was so gratefully excepted of God that he filled the house with the presence of his owne glorie Iohn hard the voyce of singing harping and playing of vials from heauen The Apostle exhorteth the Ephesians to speake vnto themselues in Psalmes Himnes and spirituall songes making melody vnto the Lord in their harts God is well pleased sayth Ierom with the morning and euening Himns of the faithfull And séeing the Prophet Dauid hath appointed his Psalmes to be song with sondry notes varietie of tunes and diuersitie of musicall instruments as Simbals Organes Psaltaries Shambes Trumpets Harpes and Lutes c. I thinke it as tollerable to adorne Musicke in Churches with art and cunning as to beautifie paynting with colours or set foorth spéech with filed eloquence As for often repetitions they do not dimme the worde as some suppose but rather make it more plaine to the hearers Some do figuratiuely compare the sound of the voyce to the sound of the Gospell the melodie of the Orgaine to the deuotion of the heart and the playing of the fingers to the charitable concord of the faithfull where euery one hath a pleasure in doing his dutie which is most acceptable Musicke vnto Gods diuine eares according to this old verse taken out of the decrées Non vox sed votum non cordula Musica sed vox Non clamans sed amans cantat in aure Dei What the heart doth beléeue and the tongue doth confesse Becommeth euery member the same to expresse If sickenesse do oppresse thy corps Prepare swéete Musickes art Which pensiue dumps and carefull thoughts To mirth will soone conuart Here followeth certaine prety notes and pleasant conceits delightfull to many and hurtfull to none The naturall inclination of an English man AN English man by nature is sayde to be firme in friendship constant in promise vnpatient in anger courragious in fight without feare of death courteous to his inferiours pitifull to strangers faithfull to his friends and fearefull to his foes More readie to reuenge an iniurye then proffer any without cause he can not brooke a stranger to be his equall nor to be dared of any Alwayes desirous of nouelties neuer long content with one state nor one fashion greatly delighted in royal brauery and excesse of dyet taking more pâ—easure to heare himselfe commended with lyes then reproued with truthes He is sayd to haue long eares a short tongue broade eyes and light fingers quicke to heare slow to speake ready to spye and apt to strike Few words and gentle spéeches winneth his heart The naturall disposition of most women MOst women by nature are the saâ—de to be light of credite lustie of stomacke vnpatient full of words apt to lye flatter and wéepe whose smiles â—re rather of custome then of curtesie and their teares more of dissimulation then of griefe all in extreames wiâ—hout meane eyther louing dearely or hating deadly desirous rather to rule then to be ruled despising naturally that is offred them and halfe at death to be denyed of that they demande They are aptly compared to the Musitian who being intreated will scant sing Sol Fa but vndesired straine aboue Ela. Amongst 1000. men sayth Salomon I haue