in nothing delighted so much as by straunge hands to put men to death and to dryue away flies wyth his owne hands Smal is the nomber of those that I haue spoken in respect of those which I could recite of whom I dare say affirme that if I had bene as they I cannot tel what I would haue done or what I should haue desired but this I know it would haue bene more paynes to me to haue wonne the infamy that they haue wonne then to haue lost the lyfe that they haue lost It profyteth hym lytle to haue his ponds ful of fish his parkes ful of deere whych knoweth neyther how to hunte nor how to fysh I meane to shew by this that it profiteth a man lytle to be in great authority if he be not estemed nor honored in the same For to attayne to honour wysedome is requisite to kepe it pacience is necessarye Wyth great consyderacions wyse men ought to enterpryse daungerous thyngs For I assure them they shal neuer winne honour but wher they vse to recouer slaunder Returnyng therfore to our matter Puisaunt prynce I sweare durst vndertake that you rather desyre perpetual renowne through death then any idell rest in this life And hereof I do not merueile for ther are some that shal alwayes declare the prowesses of good prynces others which wyl not spare to open the vyces of euyl tiraunts For although your imperial estate is much your catholike person deserueth more yet I beleue wyth my hart se with these eyes that your thoughts are so highly bent vnto aduenturous dedes your hart so couragious to set vpon them that your maiestie litle estemeth the inheritaunce of your predecessours in respect of that you hope to gaine to leaue to your successours A captaine asked Iulius Cesar as he declareth in his commentaries why he trauailed in the winter in so hard frost in the sommer in such extreme heate He aunswered I wyl do what lyeth in me to do and afterward let the fatal destinies do what they can For the valiaunt knyght that gyueth in battayle thonset ought more to be estemed then fickle fortune wherby the victory is obtayned sins fortune gyueth the one aduenture gydeth the other These words are spoken like a stout valyaunt captayne of Rome Of how many prynces do we read whom trulye I muche lament to see what flatteries they haue herd wyth their eares being aliue and to redde what slaunders they haue susteyned after their death Prynces and great lords shold haue more regard to that whych is spoken in their absence then vnto that which is done in their presence Not to that whych they heare but to that whych they would not heare not to that whiche they tel them but to that which they would not be told of not to that is wryten vnto them being aliue but to that which is wryten of them after their death not to those that tell them lyes but to those whych if they durst would tel them trouth For men manye times refrayne not their tongues for that subiects be not credited but because the prince in his auctority is suspected The noble vertuous prince shold not flit from the trouth wherof he is certified neyther with flateryes lyes should he suffer himselfe to be deceiued but to examine himselfe se whether they serue him with trouth or deceiue hym with lyes For ther is no better witnes iudge of truth lyes then is a mans owne conscience I haue spoken al this to thintent your maiesty myght know that I wil not serue you wyth that you should not be serued That is to shew my selfe in my wryting a flaterer For it wer neither mete nor honest that flateries into the eares of such a noble prynce shold enter neither that out of my mouth which teach the deuine truth such vaine tales should issue I say I had rather be dispraysed for trew speaking then to be honoured for flatery lieng For of truth in your highnes it shold be much lightnes to heare them in my basenes great wickednes to inuent them Now againe folowing our purpose I say the historyes greatly commend Licurgus that gaue lawes to the Lacedemonians Numa Pompilius that honoured and adourned the churches Marcus Marcellus that had pitye on those whych were ouercome Iulius Cesar that forgaue his enemyes Octauius that was so welbeloued of the people Alexander that gaue rewards and giftes to al men Hector the Troyane because he was so valiaunt in warres Hercules the Thebane because he emploied his strength so wel Vlisses the Grecian because he aduentured himselfe in so many daungers Pirrhus king of Epirotes because he inuented so many engins Catullus Regulus because he suffered so many torments Titus the Emperour because he was father to the Orphanes Traianus because he edified sumptuous goodly buildings The good Marcus Aurelius because he knew more thē al they I do not say that it is requisyte for one prynce in these dayes to haue in him all those qualyties but I dare be bold to affirme this that euen as it is vnpossible for one prince to folow al so likewise it is a great slaunder for him to folow none We do not require princes to do al that they can but to apply themselues to do some thing that they ought And I speake not without a cause that whych I haue sayd before For if princes did occupy themselues as they ought to do they shoulde haue no tyme to be vycious Plynie saith in an epistle that the great Cato called Censor did were a ring vpon his fynger wherin was wryten these wordes Esto amicus vnius inimicus nullius which is be frend to one enemy to none He that would depely consider these few words shal find therin many graue sentences And to apply this to my purpose I saye the prince that would wel gouerne his common weal shew to al equal iustyce desire to possesse a quiet lyfe to get among al a good fame that coueteth to leaue of hymselfe a perpetual memory ought to embrace the vertues of one and to reiect the vices of al. I alow it verye wel that princes should be equal yea surmount many but yet I aduise theym not to employ their force but to folow one For oftētimes it chaunseth that many which suppose themselues in their life to excel al when they are dead are scarcely found equal to any Though man hath done much blased what he can yet in the ende he is but one one mind one power one byrth one life and one death Then sithen he is but one let no man presume to know more then one Of al these good princes which I haue named in the rowle of iustice the last was Marcus Aurelius to thintent that he should weaue his webbe For suppose we read of many prynces that haue compyled notable things the whych are to be redde and knowen
an auncient malediction on riches hydde and treasours buried which Epimenides casteth out sayinge these words All the treasours hurded vp by the couetous shal be wasted by the prodigall You say through that I wast in few dayes you shall haue neither to giue to wast nor yet to eate at the yeres ende To this I aunswere most gracious princesse that if you had bene as ready to releue the poore as you Iustinian were dilygent to robbe the riche then you should iustly haue complayned and I worthely might haue repented Tyll now we haue not sene but that of the riche you haue made poore notwithstanding this yet you haue not gotten enoughe to buyld an Hospital for the poore You say the Princes to resist their enemyes haue neede of greate treasours To this I aunswere if Princes be proud gready and of straunge realmes ambicious it is most certaine that they nede great treasours to accomplishe their disordinate appetites For the end of a tyraÌ„nous prince is by hooke or by crooke to make him selfe riche in his lyfe But if the Prince be or wil be a man reposed quyte vertuous paciente peaceable and not couetous of the good of an other man what nede hath he of great treasours For to speake truly in princes houses ther is more offence in that that auaunceth then in that that wanteth I wil not wast many words in aunsweringe sithe I am muche more liberal of dedes then of wordes but I conclude that ther is no Prince which in vertuous dedes wasteth so much but if he wil he may spend much more For in the end princes become not poore spending their goodes vpon necessaries but for wasting it vpon things superfluous And take this word for al that for this he shal not be the porer but rather the richer For it is a general rule in Christian reglion the god wil giue more to his seruaunts in one houre theÌ„ they wil wast in 20. yeres Iustinian was Emperour .11 yeres who being a foole and obstinate in the heresye of Pellagien died to the great offence of the Romaine people whose death was asmuch desired as his life abhorred For the tirannous prince that maketh many wepinge eyes in his life shall cause many reioysing harts at his death Iustinian being dead Tiberius was elected Emperour who gouerned the empire through so great wisedom and iustice that no maÌ„ was able to reproue him if the histories in his time did not deceiue vs. For it seldoÌ„ hapeneth to a prince to be as he was vpright in iustice pure in life clene in conscience For few are those princes which of some vices are not noted Paulus Diaconus in his 18 boke of the Romain gestes declare a thing merueilous which be fell to this emperour at that time and very worthy to know at this present And it is that in the Citie of Constantinople the Romaine Emperours had a palace very sumptuous and besemyng the auctoritie of the imperiall maiesty which was begonne in the time of Constantine the greate and afterwardes as the succession of good or euyll Emperours was so were the buildings decayed or repayred For it is the deede of a vertuous Prince to abolyshe vices of the common wealth and to make greate and sumptuous buildinges in his country This Emperour Tiberius hadde spent treasours to redeme poore captiues to build hospitalles to erect monasteries to marie and prouide for the Orphanes and widowes in this he was so prodigall that it came almost to passe that he had nothing to eate in his palaice And truly this was a blessed necessitie For catholike Princes ought to thinke that well employed which in the seruice of Christ is bestowed And hereof the Emperoure was not ashamed but thought it a great glory and that which onely greued him was to see the Empresse reioyce so much at his miserye For the high and noble hartes which feele them selues wounded do not so much esteme their owne paine as they do to see their enemyes reioyce at their griefe God neuer forsoke theym that for his sake became poore as it appeareth by this It chaunced one day that euen as the Emperour Tiberius walked in the middest of his palace he saw at his feete a marble stone whiche was in fourme of the crosse of the reademer of the world And because it had bene to vniuste a thing as he thoughte to haue spurned that with his feete wherwith we trust from our enemyes to be defended he caused the stone to be taken vp not thinking any thing to be ther vnder and immediatly after they found an other wherin likewise was the forme of the crosse and this beyng taken vp they founde an other in lyke maner and when that was pluct vp from he bottome there was found a treasor which conteyned the some of 2. millions of Duckettes for the which the good Emperour Tiberius gaue vnto all mighty god most high thankes and wheras before he was lyberal yet afterwardes he was much more bountiful For all those treasours he distrybuted amongest the poore and needye people Let therfore mighty princes and great lords see reade and profit by this example and let them thinke them selues assured that for geuing almes to the poore they nede not feare to become poore for in the end the vycious man caÌ„not cal him self rich nor the vertuous man can counte him selfe poore ¶ How the Chefetaine Naâ—setes ouercame manye battailes only for that his whole confidence was in god And what happened to him by the Empresse Sophia Augusta wherin may be noted the vnthankefulnes of Princes towardes their seruauntes Cap. xvi IN the yere of the incarnacion of Christ 528 Iustinian the great being Emperour who was the sonne of Iustines sister his predecessour in the Empyre the histories say in especially Paulus Diaconus in the 18. booke Degestis Romanorum that ther was a knighte of Greece in Rome who from hys tender yeres hadde bene broughte vppe in Italye He was a man of meane stature of a colericke complexcion and in the Lawe of Christe verye deuoute whyche was no small thinge For at that tyme not onelye manye knightes but almoste all the Bishoppes of Italye were Arrians This knightes name was Narsetes and because he was so valliant in armes and so aduenturous in warres he was chosen Chefeteyne generall of the Romane Empire For the Romaines had this excellency that when they had a valiaunt and stoute captaine although they might haue his weighte of gold giuen them they would neuer depart from his person He enterprised so great thinges he ouercame such mighty realmes and had suche notable victories ouer his enemyes that the Romaines said he had in him the strength of Hercules the hardinesse of Hector the noblenes of Alexander the policye of Pirrus and the fortune of Scipio For many of the vaine gentils held opinion that as the bodyes dyd distribute their goodes in the lyfe so did the soules parte their giftes after the deathe This
to breake the good auncient customes We ordeine and commaund that the gouernour of the Prienenses do worship and honour the gods and that he be a louer of the sacred temples For otherwise he that honoreth not god wil neuer mynister equal iustice vnto men We ordeine commaund that the prince of Prienenses be contented with the warres which his auncetours lefte him and that he do not forge new matters to inuade any other straunge countreis and if perchaunce he would that no man in this case be bounde neyther with money nor in person to follow or serue him For the god Apollo tolde me that that man whiche will take another mans goods from hym by force shall lose his owne by iustice We ordeine and commaunde that the gouernor of the Prienenses go to pray and worship the gods twise in the weeke and lykewise to visite them in the temples and if he do the contrarie he shal not only be depriued of the gouerment but also after his death he shal not be buried For the prince that honoreth not god in time of his lyfe deserueth not his bones should be honored with sepulture after his death ¶ How god from the beginning punished men by his iustyce and speciallye those Princes that dispise his Churche and howe all wicked Christians are parishioners of hell Cap. xxii WHen the eternall creator who measureth the thinges by his Omnipotencye and wayeth them by his effectuall wisedome created al things aswel celestiall as terrestial vysible as inuisible corporate as incorporate not only promised to the good whyche serued him but also threatened the euyll with plagues whych offended hym For the iustice and mercy of god go alwayes together to thintent the one should encourage the good and the other threaten the euyl This thinge semeth to be true for that we haue but one god which hath created but one word wherin he made but one gardeine in the whiche garden ther was but one fountaine and neare to that fountayne he appointed only one man one woman and one serpente nere vnto which was also one tre only forbidden which is a thinge meruelous to speake and no lesse feareful to see how god dyd put into the terrestial paradyse the same daye that the creacion of the worlde was finyshed booth a sword and gibet The gibet was the tree forbidden wherof they dyd eate wherfore our fathers were condemned And the sword was the punishment wherwyth we al as miserable chyldren at this day are beheaded For truly they dyd eate the bytternes of their fault and we do feele the griefe of the paine I meane not to shewe howe our God by hys power doothe raise vppe that whyche is beaten downe howe wyth his wysedome he guideth those which are blind how by his wyl he dissembleth wyth the euyll doers neyther wil I tel how he through his clemency pardoneth the offences and through his light lyghtneth the darknes nor how through his ryghteousnes he amendeth that whych is broken and through hys liberality paieth more then we deserue But I wyll here declare at large howe our omnipotente God through his iustice chastiseth those whiche walke not in his pathes O Lorde god howe sure may thy faithfull seruauntes be for their small seruices to receiue great rewardes and contrary the euill ought alwayes to lyue in as great feare lest for their heynous offences thou shouldest geue them cruel punishmentes For though god of his bounty will not leaue any seruice vnrewarded nor of his iustice will omitte any euill vnpunished yet for all that we ought to knowe that aboue all and more than all he wil rigorously chastise those which maliciously despise the holy catholyke faith For Christe thinketh him selfe as much iniuried of those whiche persecute his church as of those that laide handes on his persone to put him to death We rede that in times past god shewed sondry greuous and cruel punishmentes to diuerse high lordes and princes besides other famous and renowmed men But rigour had neuer such power in his hande as it had against those whiche honoured the infamed Idoll and violated the sacred temples For to god this is the most heinous offence to forsake the holy catholike faith in his life and to dispaire in his mercy at the houre of his death Woulde to god we had so much grace to acknowledge our offences as god hath reason to punishe our sinnes For if it were so thē we would amend in time to come god would graunt vs a generall pardon for al that is past I see one thing wherin as I thinke I am not deceiued which is this that the frailnes miseries which we commit we thinke them naturall and in the satisfaction and amendement of the same we say they are straunge so that we admit the fault condemne the paine which therby we do deserue The secret iudgements of god do suffer it and our offences do deserue it I do not deny but that the euyll may hold possesse this life at their pleasour but I sweare vnto them when they shal lest thinke of it they shal lose their life to their great displeasour for the pleasurs of this life are so vnconstant that we scarce begin to taste thē when they vade out of their sight It is a rule infallible whiche bothe of the good euill hath bene proued that all naturally desire rather to abound than to want and all that which greatly is desired with great diligēce is serched and through great trauaile is obteined and that thing which by trauaile is attained with loue is possessed that which by loue is possessed with much sorow is lost bewailed lamented For in th end we can not deny but that the watry eies do manifestly shewe the sorowfull hartes To the fine wittes and stout harts this is a continuall torment and endlesse paine a worme that alway gnaweth to cal to mind that he must lose the ioyfull life whiche so entierly he loued and taste the fearfull death whiche so greatly he abhorred Therfore to proue this matter which I haue spoken of before it is but reason that princes know if they do not know that euen as the diuine prouidence exalteth them to high estates they not deseruing thē so likewise his rigorous iustice will bring them to nought if they be vnthankeful for his benefites For the ingratitude of benefittes receiued maketh the man not worthy to receiue any mo The more a man through benefits is bound the more greuous punishment if he be vnthankefull he deserueth Al wyse men shuld finde if thei apply their mindes therunto that in chastising god calleth those offences first to his mind which are furthest from the thoughtes of men For before the tribunal of god our secret faultes are alwaies casting out bloud to th end he should execute of our persons open iustice And further I saie that in this case I doe not see that the prince is exempted more though he liue
but the first theefe they remaine free hauing robbed al the people Which ought to thinke them selues assured that though punishement be deferred yet in the ende the fault shal not be pardoned For the offences whych men in theire lyfe tyme doe dissemble the gods after theire death doe punishe It is muche good for the common wealth and no lesse honour for the prince which hath the charge thereof that the Iudge be honest of parson and diligent in iustice and that in no vyce for the which he punisheth other he be either noted or defamed himselfe For muche is the office of iustice peruerted when one thiefe hangeth another on the galouse ¶ The Emperour foloweth hys purpose in his letter againste cruell 〈…〉 declareth a notable imbassage whych came from Iudâ—a to the 〈…〉 to complaine of the iudges that gouerned that Realme Cap. x. IN the thyrde yeare after Pompeius tooke the cuâ—e of â—elya whyche now is called Hierusalem Valerius Gracchus a Romayne borne was â—ente at that tyme into that region for the Romaynes This Gracchus was verye stoute of courage subtyle in affayres and honeste in lyfe but notwithstanding all this in conuersacion hee was vnbrydeled and in the administracion of iustyce exceadynge rigorous When the Iewes saw them selues not onely subiecte to the Romaynes but besydes that euyll handeled they determined to sende theire embassadour to Rome to thintent to infourme the Senate of the tyrannyes and oppressions whiche were committed in the land And for to accomplyshe the same they sent a verye aged manne as by the heares of hys heade dyd well appeare whoe was learned in the Hebrue greeke and lattine letters For the Hebrues are verye apte to all sciences but in weapons greate towards This Hebrue came to Rome and spake to the Senate in this wise O fathers conscripte O happy people your good fortune and fatall destenies permittinge it or to saye better Wee forsakinge our God Ierusalem whyche of all the cities of Asia was lady and maystres and of all the Hebrues in Palestine mother wee see it nowe presentlye seruaunt and trybutarye to Rome wherof we Iewes ought not to maruaile neyther ye Romaines to be proud For the highest trees by behement wyndes are soonest blowen downe Greate were the armyes whyche Pompeius hadde whereby wee were vanquished but greater hathe oure offences beene synce by them we doe deserue to bee forsaken of oure God For wee Hebrewes haue a God whyche dothe not put vs vnder the good or euyll fortune but dothe gouerne vs wyth hys mercye and iustice I wyll that ye heare one thynge by monthe but I had rather ye shoulde see it by experyence whyche is that wee haue so mercyfull a God that thoughe amongest 50. thousande euyll there was of vs but .10 thousande good yet hee shewed suche tokens of mercye that bothe the Egiptians and the Romaynes myght haue seene howe oure god can doe more alone then all your goddes together Wee Hebrues agreeynge in one faithe and vnitye haue one onelye God and in one God onelye we put oure truste and beliefe and hym wee desyre to serue thoughe wee doe not serue hym neither shoulde serue hym on suche condycion to offende him Hee is so mercyfull that hee woulde not let vs proue what hys mercyfull hande canne doe neyther woulde hee put oure wofull people in captiuitie as hee hath nor also oure God can deceyue vs neyther oure wrytynges cannot lye But the greater offenders wee bee the greater lordes shall ye bee ouer vs. And as longe as the wrathe of God shall hange ouer vs so longe shall the power of ye Romaynes endure For our vnhappye realme hath not geeuen ye our realme for youre desertes nor yet for that you were ryghtfull heyres thereunto but to the ende ye shoulde bee the scourge of oure offences After the wyll of oure God shal bee fulfilled after that hee hath appeysed hys wrathe and indignacion againste vs and that we shal bee purged of oure offences and that hee shall beholde vs with the eyes of hys clemencye then we others shal recouer that which we haue lost and you others shal lose that whiche you haue euyll wonne And it may so chaunce that as presentlye of ye romaines we are commaunded so the tyme shall come that of ye others wee shal be obeyed And for asmuche as in this case the Hebrues feele one and ye Romaynes feele an other neyther ye can cause mee to woorship manye gods and muche lesse shoulde I bee sufficient to drawe ye to the faithe of one onelye God I referre all to God the creatour of all thinges by whose myght wee are created and gouerned Therefore touchinge the matter of my embassage knowe ye nowe that in all tymes paste vntill this presente Rome hath hadde peace with Iudea and Iudea hath had frendship with Rome so that wee did fauour ye in the warres and ye others preserued vs in peace In generallye nothinge is more desyred then peace and nothing more hated then warre And further all this presupposed we se it with our eyes and also do reade of our predecessoures that the worlde hath beene alwaies in contencion and reste hath alwaies bene banished For in deede if we see manye sighe for peace we see manye moe employe them selues to warre If ye other woulde banishe those from you whyche doe moue you to beare vs euyll will and we others knewe those whiche prouoke vs to rebell neyther Rome shoulde bee so cruell to Iudea nor yet Iudea should so muche hate Rome The greatest token and signe of peace is to dyspatche out of the waye the distourbers thereof For frendshippe oftentymes is loste not so muche for the interest of the one or of the other as for the vndiscretenes of the mediatoures When one common wealthe stryueth against another it is vnpossible that theire controuersies endure longe if those whiche come betwene them as indifferent mediatoures be wyse But if suche one whych taketh vppon him those affaires be more earnestlye bent then the enemie wherwith the other fyghteth wee will saye that hee more subtylye casteth woode on the fyre then he draweth water to quenche the heare All that whyche I saye Romaynes is because that since the banishment of Archelaus from Iudea sonne of the greate kinge Herode in his place ye sent vs Pomponius Mareus Rufus and Valerius to bee oure Iudges whoe haue bene foure plagues the leaste whereof suffyseth to poyson all Rome What greater calamitye coulde happen to oure poore realme of Palestine then Iudges to bee sente from Rome to take euyll customes from the euyll and they them selues to bee inuentoures of newe vyces What greater incoÌ„uenience can chaunce to iustyce then when the Iudges whiche oughte to punishe the lyghtnes of youthe doe glorifie them selues to bee captaines of the lyghte in theire age What greater infamye can be to Rome then when those whyche ought to bee iuste in all iustice and to geue example of all vertues be euyll in all
fynde that the more I eate the more I dye for hunger the more I drinke the greater thirste I haue the more I rest the more I am broken the more I slepe the more drousier I am the more I haue the more I couet the more I desire the more I am tormēted the more I procure the lesse I attaine Fynally I neuer hadde so greate paine through want but afterwarde I had more trouble with excesse It is a great follye to thinke that as longe as a man lyueth in this fleshe that hee can satisfye the fleshe for at the last cast she may take from vs our lyfe but wee others can not take from her her disordynate couetousnes Yf men dyd speake with the goddes or the gods were conuersant with men the first thing that I woold aske thē shoold be why they haue appointed an end to our woful dayes and wyl not geue vs an end of our wicked desires O cruel Gods what is it you do or what do you suffer vs it is certain that we shal not passe one good day of life only but in tasting this and that life consumeth O intollerable life of man wherin there are such malices from the which we ought to beware and such perils to fal in and also so many thinges to cōsyder that then both she and we do end to know our selues when the houre of death approcheth Let those knowe that knowe not that the world taketh our wil and we others like ignorauntes cannot denay it hym and afterwardes hauing power of our wil doth constraine vs to that which we would not so that many times we would do vertuous workes and for that we are now put into the worldes handes we dare not doe it The world vseth another subtiltye with vs that to the end wee should not striue with it it prayseth the times past because we should liue according to the time present And the worlde saieth further that if we others employ our forces in his vices he geueth vs licence that we haue a good desire of vertue O woulde to god in my dayes I myghte see that the care whiche the worlde hath to preserue vs the wordlyngs would take it to withdraw thē from hys vyces I sweare that the gods shoulde then haue more seruauntes and the world and the fleshe should not haue so many slaues ¶ The Emperoure procedeth in his letter proueth by good reasons that sithe the aged persons wyl be serued and honored of the yong they oughte to bee more vertuous and honest then the yonge Cap. xxi I Haue spoken al this before rehersed for occasion of you Claude and Claudine the which at .3 score and 10. yeares wyl not kepe out of the prison of the world You I say which haue your bodies weake and corrupted what hope shale wee haue of young men which are but .25 yeares of age if my memorye deceiue mee not when I was there you had nephewes maried and of their children made sure and two of the children borne and since that is true mee thinketh when the frute is gathered the leafe is of no value and after the meale is taken from the mylle euil shal the mil grinde I meane that the old man ought to desire that his daies might be shortned in this worlde Do not thinke my frendes that a man can haue his house full of nephewes and yet say that he is very yong for in lodīge the tree with frutes the blossomes immediately fall or els they become wythered I haue imagined with my selfe what it is that you might do to seme yonge and cut of some of your yeares and in the end I know no other reason but when you maried Alamberta your doughter with Drusus and your neere Sophia the faire with Tuscidan which were so yonge that the daughters were scarce 15. yeres olde nor the yonge mē .20 I suppose because you were ritche of yeares and poore of money that hee gaue to euery on of them in steede of money for dowrye 20. yeares of yours hereof a man may gather that the money of your nephews haue remained vnto you and you haue geuen vnto them of your own yeares I vnderstand my frendes that your desire is to bee yonge and very yong but I greatly desire to see you old and very old I do not meane in yeares which in you doeth surmount but in discrecion which in you doth want O Claud Claudine note that which I will say vnto you and beare it alwaies in youre memorie I let you wete that to mainteine youth to deface age to lyue contented to be free from trauayles to lengthen lyfe and to auoyde death these thinges are not in the handes of men whiche doe desire them but rather in the handes of those which geueth them the which accordinge to their iustice and not to our couetousnes doe geue vs lyfe by weight and death withoute measure One thinge the olde men do which is cause of slaunderinge manye that is that they wyl speake firste in coūsels they wylbe serued of the yonge in feastes they will bee fyrste placed in all that they saye they wyll bee beleued in churches they wil be hygher then the resydue in distributinge of offyces they wyll haue the moste honoure in there opinyons they wyll not bee gayne sayde fynallye they will haue the credite of old sage men and yet they wyl leade the lyfe of yonge dotynge fooles All these premynences and pryuileges it is verye iuste that old men shoulde haue spent their yeares in the seruice of the common wealthe but with this I dooe aduyse and require them that the auctority geuen them with their white heares bee not dyminyshed by their euil workes Is it a iust thinge that the humble and honest yonge man doe reuerence to the aged man proude and dysdaynefull is it a iust thinge that the gentyll and gratious yonge man doe reuerence to the enuious and malycious old man is it a iust thing that the vertuous and pacyent yonge man doe reuerence to the foolishe and vnpacyente olde man is it a iust thinge that the stoute and liberall yonge man doe reuerence to the myserable and couetous olde man is it iuste that the dylygente and carefull yonge man doe reuerēce to the neglygente olde man Is it iuste that the abstynent and sober yonge man doe reuerence to the greedye and gluttonous old man Is it iuste that the chaste and contynente yonge man do reuerence to the lecherous and dyssolute olde man Mee thinketh these thinges shoulde not bee such that therby the olde man should bee honored but rather reproued and punyshed For olde men offende more by the euel example they geue then by the faulte which they doe commit Thou canste not denaye me my frende Claude that it is thirtye and thre yeares sythe we bothe were at the Theathers to beholde a playe when thou camest late and found no place for thee to sit in thou sayedst vnto mee who was
taketh away fear from death The deuine Plato demaūded Socrates how hee beehaued him self in life and how hee woold beehaue him self in death hee aunswered I let thee weete that in youth I haue traueled to liue wel and in age I haue studied to dye well and sith my life hath been honest I hope my death shal bee ioyful And though I haue had sorow to lyue I am sure I shall haue no payn to dye Truely these woords were woorthy of such a man Men of stout harts suffer maruelously when the swet of their trauel is not rewarded when they are faithful and their reward answereth nothing to their true seruice when for their good seruices their frends beecome vnthankful to them when they are woorthy honor and that they preferre them to honorable rome and office For the noble and valyant harts doo not esteeme to lose the reward of their labor but think much vnkindnes when a man dooth not acknowledge their trauel O happy are they that dye For without inconuenience and without payn euery man is in hys graue For in this tribunall iustice to all is so equally obserued that in the same place where wee haue deserued life in the same place wee merited death There was neuer nor neuer shall bee iudge so iust nor in iustice so vpryght that geeueth reward by weight payn by measure but somtimes they chastice the innocent and absolue the gylty they vex the faultlesse and dissemble with the culpable For litle auayleth it the plaintif to haue good iustice if conscience want to the iudge that shoold minister Truely it is not so in death but all ought to count them selues happy For hee which shall haue good iustice shal bee sure on his part to haue the sentence When great Cato was censor in Rome a famous Romayn dyed who shewed at his death a merueylous courage and when the Romayns praised him for that hee had so great vertu and for the woords hee had spoken Cato the Censour laughed at that they sayd for that they praised him And hee beeing demaunded the cause of his laughter aunswered Ye maruell at that I laugh and I laugh at that you maruel For the perils and trauels considered wherein wee liue and the safety wherein wee dye I say that it is no more needful to haue vertue strength to liue then courage to dye The aucthor heereof is Plutarch in his Apothegmes Wee cannot say but that Cato the Censour spake as a wise man since dayly wee see shamefast and vertuous persons suffer hunger cold thrist trauel pouerty inconuenience sorows enmities and mishaps of the which things wee were better to see the end in one day then to suffer them euery hour For it is lesse euill to suffer an honest death then to endure a miserable lyfe O how small cōsideration haue men to think that they ought to dye but once Since the trueth is that the day when wee are born and comen in to the world is the beeginning of our death and the last day is when wee doo cease to liue If death bee no other but an ending of lyfe then reason perswadeth vs to think that our infancy dyeth our chyldhod dyeth our manhod dyeth our age shall dye whereof wee may consequently conclude that wee dye euery yere euery day euery hour and euery moment So that thinking to lead a sure lyfe wee tast a new death I know not why men fear so much to dye since that from the time of their birth they seeke none other thing but death For time neuer wanted to any man to dye neither I knew any man that euer failed of this way Seneca in an epistle declareth that as a Romain woman lamented the death of a child of hers a philosopher said vnto her Woman why beewaylest thou thy child she aunswered I weepe beecause hee hath liued .xxv. yeres I woold hee shoold haue liued till fyfty For amongst vs mothers wee loue our children so hartely that wee neuer cease to beehold them nor yet end to beewayl them Then the Philosopher said Tell mee I pray thee woman why doost thou not complayn of the gods beecause they created not thy sonne many yeres beefore hee was born as well as thou complaynest that they haue not let him liue .l. yeres Thou weepest that hee is dead so soone and thou doost not lament that hee is borne so late I tel thee true woman that as thou doost not lament for the one no more thou oughtst to bee sory for the other For wythout the determination of the gods wee can not shorten death and much lesse lengthen life So Plinie sayd in an epistle that the cheefest law whych the gods haue geeuen to humayn nature was that none shoold haue perpetuall life For with disordinat desire to liue long wee shoold neuer reioice to goe out of this payn Two philosophers disputyng beefore the great Emperor Theodose the one sayd that it was good to procure death and the other lykewise sayd it was a necessary thing to hate lyfe The good Theodose takyng hym by the hand said All wee mortalles are so extreem in hatyng and louyng that vnder the colour to loue and hate lyfe wee lead an euyll lyfe For wee suffer so many trauels for to preserue it that sometymes it were much better to lose it And further hee sayd dyuers vayn men are come into so great follies that for fear of death they procure to hasten death And hauing consideration to this mee seemeth that wee ought not greatly to loue lyfe nor with desperation to seeke death For the strong and valiaunt men ought not to hate lyfe so long as it lasteth nor to bee displeased with death when hee commeth All commended that whych Theodose spake as Paulus Diaconus sayth in his lyfe Let euery man speak what hee will and let the philosophers counsell what they list in my poor iudgement hee alone shal receiue death without payn who long before is prepared to receiue the same For sodayn death is not only bitter to hym which tasteth it but also it feareth him that hateth it Lactantius sayd that in such sort man ought to liue as if from hence an hour after hee shoold dye For those men which will haue death beefore their eies it is vnpossible that they geeue place to vain thoughts In my oppinion and also by the aduyse of Apuleius it is as much folly to fly from that which wee cannot auoyd as to desire that wee cannot attain And this is spoken for those that woold flye the vyage of death which is necessary and desire to come agayn which is vnpossible Those that trauell by long ways if they want any thing they borow it of their company If they haue forgotten ought they returne to seeke it at their lodging or els they write vnto their frends a letter But I am sory that if wee once dye they will not let vs return agayn wee cannot speak and they will not agree
I am sory they know so much only for that they subtilly disceiue and by vsury abuse their neighbours and kepe that they haue vniustly gotten and dayly getting more inuenting new trades Finally I say if they haue any knowledge it is not to amend their life but rather to encrease their goods If the diuil could slepe as men do he might safely slepe for wheras he waketh to deceiue vs we wake to vndoe our selues wel suppose that al these heretofore I haue sayd is true Let vs now leue aside craft take in hand knowledge The knowledge which we attaine to is smal that whych we shold attaine to so great that al that we know is the least part of that we are ignoraunt Euen as in things natural the elamentes haue their operacions accordyng to the variety of time so moral doctrines as the aged haue succeded and sciences were discouered Truly al fruites come not together but when one faileth another commeth in season I meane that neyther al the Doctours among the Christians nor al the phylosophers among the gentyles were concurrant at one time but after the death of one good ther came another better The chiefe wysedome whych measureth al thyngs by iustyce and disparseth them accordyng to his bounty wyl not that at one time they should be al wyse men and at an other time al simple For it had not ben reason the one should haue had the fruite and the other the leaues The old world that ran in Saturnes dayes otherwyse called the golden world was of a truth muche estemed of them that saw it and greatly commended of them that wrote of it That is to say it was not gilded by the Sages whych did gilde it but because there was no euyl men whych dyd vngild it For as thexperience of the meane estate nobility teacheth vs of one only parson dependeth aswel the fame and renoume as the infamy of a hole house and parentage That age was called golden that is to saye of gold and this our age is called yronne that is to say of yron This dyfference was not for that gold then was found now yron nor for that in this our age ther is want of theym that be sage but because the number of them surmounteth that be at this day malicious I confesse one thing and suppose many wil fauour me in the same Phauorin the philosopher which was maister to Aulus Gellius and his especial frend sayde ofttimes that the phylosophers in old time were holden in reputacion bycause ther were few teachers and many learners We now a daies se the contrary for infinite are they whych presume to be maysters but few are they whych humble theym selues to be scholers A man maye know how litle wise men are estemed at this houre by the greate veneracion that the phylosophers had in the old tyme. What a matter is it to se Homere amongest the Grecians Salomon amongest the Hebrues Lycurgus amongest the Lacedomoniens Phoromeus also amongest the Grekes Ptolomeus amongeste the Egiptians Liui amongeste the Romaynes and Cicero lykewyse amongeste the Latines Appolonius among the Indians and Secundus amongest the Assirians How happy were those philosophers to be as they were in those dayes when the world was so ful of simple personnes and so destitute of sage men that there flocked greate nombers out of dyuers contries and straung nacions not only to here their doctrine but also to se their persons The glorious saint Hierome in the prologue to the bible sayth When Rome was in her prosperitie thenne wrote Titus Liuius his decades yet notwithstaÌ„ding men came to Rome more to speake with Titus Liuius then to se Rome or the high capitol therof Marcus Aurelius writing to his frend Pulio said these words Thou shalt vnderstand my frend I was not chosen Emperour for the noble bloude of my predecessours nor for the fauoure I had amongest them now present for ther were in Rome of greater bloud and riches then I but the Emperour Adrian my maister set his eyes vpon me and the emperour Anthony my father in law chose me for his sonne in law for no other cause but for that they saw me a frend of the sages an enemy of the ignoraunt Happie was Rome to chose so wise an emperoure and no lesse happye was he to attaine to so great an empire Not for that he was heire to his predecessoure but for that he gaue his mynd to study Truly if that age then were happie to enioye hys person no lesse happie shal ours be now at this present to enioy his doctrine Salust sayth they deserued great glory whych did worthy feates and no lesser renowme merited they whych wrote them in high stile What had Alexander the great ben if Quintus Curtius had not writen of him what of Vlisses if Homere hadde not bene borne what had Alcibiades bene if Zenophon had not exalted him what of Cirus if the philosopher Chilo had not put his actes in memory what had bene of Pirrus kinge of the Epirotes if Hermicles cronicles were not what had bene of Scipio the great Affricane if it had not bene for the decades of Tâ—tus Liuius what had ben of Traiane if the renowmed Plutarche had not bene his frend what of Nerua and Anthonius the meke if Phocion the Greke had not made mencion of them how should we haue knowen the stout courage of Cesar and the great prowesse of Pompeius if Lucanus had not writen them what of the twelue Cesars if Suetonius tranquillus hadde not compiled a booke of their lyues and how should we haue knowen the antiquityes of the Hebrues if the vpright Iosephe had not ben who could haue knowen the commyng of the Lombardes into Italy if Paulus Diaconus had not writ it how could we haue knowen the comming in the going out and end of the Gothes in Spayne if the curious Rodericus had not shewed it vnto vs By these things that we haue spoken of before the readers may perceyue what is dew vnto the Historiographers who in my opinion haue left as great memorye of theym for that they wrote with their pennes as the prynces haue done for that they dyd with their swordes I confesse I deserue not to be named amongest the sages neyther for that I haue wryten and translated nor yet for that I haue composed Therfore the sacred and deuyne letters set a side ther is nothing in the world so curiouslye wryten but neadeth correction as I say of the one so wil I say of the other and that is as I wyth my wyl do renounce the glorye which the good for my learning woulde gyue me so in like maner euyl men shal not want that agaynst my wil wil seke to defame it We other writers smally esteme the labour and paynes we haue to wryte although in dede we are not ignoraunt of a thousand enuyous tongues that wyl backbite it Many now a dayes are so euil taught
to goe out to receyue thee nor to prepare our selues to resiste thee neyther to lyfte vp our eyes to behold thee nor to open our mouthes to salute thee neither to moue our handes to trouble thee ne yet to make warre to offende thee For greater is the hate that we beare to ryches and honors whiche thou louest then the loue is that thou hast to destroye men and subdue countreis which we abhorre It hath pleased thee we should see thee not desiring to see thee and we haue obeied thee not willing to obey thee and that we shoulde salute thee not desirous to salute thee wherewith we are content vpon condicion that thou be pacient to heare vs. For that whiche we will saye vnto thee shall tende more vnto the amendement of thy lyfe then to diswade thee frō conquering of our countrey For it is reason that princes whiche shall come hereafter do know why we liuing so litle esteme that which is our own why thou dieng taking suche paynes to possesse that whiche is an other mans O Alexander I aske thee one thing and I doubte whether thou canst aunswere me thereunto or no for those hartes which are proude are also moste commonly blinded Tell me whether thou goest from whence thou commest what thou meanest what thou thinkest what thou desirest what thou sekest what thou demaundest what thou searchest and what thou procurest and further to what realmes and prouinces thy disordinate appetite extendeth without a cause I doe not demaunde thee this question what is that thou demaundest and what it is that thou sekest for I thinke thou thy selfe knowest not what thou wouldest For proud and ambitious hartes knowe not what will satisfie them Sith thou art ambitious honor deceiueth thee sithe thou art prodigall couetousnes begileth thee sithe thou art younge ignoraunce abuseth thee and sithe thou art proude all the worlde laugheth thee to scorne in suche sorte that thou followest men and not reason thou followest thyne owne opinion and not the counsel of another thou embrasest flatterers and repulsest vertuous menne For princes and noble men had rather be commended with lies then to be reproued with truthe I can not tell to what ende you princes lyue so disceiued and abused to haue and kepe in your pallaces mo flatterers iuglers and fooles then wyse and sage mē For in a princes pallace if there be any which extolleth their doings there are tenne thousand which abhorre their tyrannies I perceiue by these dedes Alexander that the gods wyll soner ende thy lyfe then thou wilt ende thy warres The man that is brought vp in debates discentions and strife al his felicitie consisteth in burning destroying and bloudsheding I see thee defended with weapons I see thee accompanied with tyrauntes I see thee robbe the temples I see thee without profite wast the treasours I see thee murder the innocent and trouble the pacient I see thee euill willed of all and beloued of none whiche is the greatest euil of al euilles Therfore how were it possible for thee to endure suche and so great trauayles vnlesse thou art a foole or els because god hath appointed it to chastise thee The Gods suffer oftetimes that men being quiet should haue some weighty affaires that is not for that they should be honored at this present but to the end thei should be punished for that which is past Tell me I praye thee peraduenture it is no great folly to empoueryshe many to make thy selfe alone riche it is not peraduenture folly that one shoulde commaunde by tyranny and that al the rest lose the possession of their signorie It is not folly perchaunce to leue to the damnation of our soules many memories in the world of our body It is not folly perchaunce that the Gods approue thy disordinate appetite alone and condemne the wil and opinion of all the worlde besyde peraduenture it is not folly to winne with the teares of the poore and comfortlesse wydowes so great and bloudie victories peraduenture it is no folly willingly to wette the earth with the bloud of innocentes onely to haue a vayne glory in this world Thou thinkest it no folly peraduenture god hauing deuided the worlde into so many people that thou shouldest vsurpe them to thee alone O Alexander Alexander truly such workes proceade not from a creature noryshed among men on the earth but rather of one that hath bene broughte vp among the infernall furies of hell For we are not bounde to iudge men by the good nature they haue but by their good and euyll workes whiche they doe The man is cursed if he haue not bene cursed he shal be cursed that liueth to the preiudice of all other in this world present onely to be counted couragious stoute and hardy in tyme to come For the gods seldome suffred them to enioye that quietly in peace whiche they haue gotten vniustly in the warres I would aske the what insolency moued the to rebel against thy lorde king Darius after whose death thou hast sought to conquere all the worlde and this thou doest not as a kyng that is an inheriritour but as a tyraunt that is an oppressor For him properly we call a tyraunt that without iustice and reason taketh that which is an other mans Either thou searchest iustice or thou searchest peace or els thou searchest ryches and our honor thou searchest rest or els thou searchest fauoure of thy frendes or thou searchest vengeaunce of thyne enemies But I sweare vnto thee Alexander that thou shalt not finde any of all these thinges if thou seakest by this meanes as thou hast begonne for the swete suger is nor of the nature of the bitter gumbe Howe shall we beleue thou searchest iustice sith against reason and iustice by tyranny thou rulest all the earth howe shall we beleue thou searchest peace sithe thou causest them to paie tribute which receiueth thee and those which resiste thee thou handlest them like enemies howe can we beleue that thou searchest reste sithe thou troublest all the worlde How can we beleue thou searchest gentlenes sithe thou arte the scourge and sworde of humaine fraylnes howe can we beleue that thou searchest ryches sithe thine owne treasure suffiseth thee not neyther that whiche by the vanquished cometh vnto thy handes nor that which the conquerours offer thee how shal we beleue thou searchest profite to thy frēds sithe that of thyne olde frendes thou haste made newe enemies I let thee vnderstande Alexander that the greatest ought to teache the leaste and the leaste ought to obeye the greatest And frendshippe is onely amongest equalles But thou sithe thou sufferest none in the worlde to be equall and lyke vnto thee loke not thou to haue any frende in the worlde For princes oftymes by ingratitude loase faithfull frendes and by ambicion wynne mortall enemies Howe shall we beleue thou searchest reuenge of thine enemies sythe thou takest more vengeaunce of thy selfe being aliue then thyne enemies woulde take of
and reproue the .40 yeares of an other Ther are many princes tender of yeres but ripe in counsailes and for the countrary there are other princes old in yeares yong in counsailes When the good Emperour Vespasian died they determined to put his sōne Titus in the gouernement of the empire or some other aged Senator because they said Titus was to yong And as they were in controuersie of the matter the Senatour Rogerus Patroclus said vnto the Senate For my parte I require rather a Prince which is yong and sage then I do a prince which is old and foolysh Therfore now as touchyng the children of Theodosius one day Estilconus the tutour of Archadius speaking to a greke philosopher very sage whose name was Epimundus sayde thus vnto him Thou and I long time haue bene acquainted together in the palace of the emperour Theodose my lord who is dead and we ar aliue thou knowest it had bene better that we .2 had died and that he had liued For there be many to be seruauntes of princes but there ar few to be good princes I feele no greater griefe in this world than to know many princes in one realme For the man whiche hath sene many princes in his lyfe hath sene many nouelties and alterations in the common wealth Thou knowest well that when Theodosius my maister died he spake to me these wordes the which wer not spoken without great sighes and multiplienge of teares O Estilconus I dye and am going into an other world wherin I shall giue a streighte accompte of the Realmes and seignories which I had vnder my charge And therfore when I thinke of myne offences I am meruelously afrayed But when I remember the mercy of God then I receiue some conforte and hope As it is but mete we should trust in the greatnes of his mercy so likewise is it reason we should feare the rigour of his iustice For truly in the christian law they are not suffred to liue as we which are Princes that liue in delightes of this world and afterward without repentaunce to goe streighte to Paradyse Then when I thinke of the great benefittes which I haue receiued of God and of the great offences which I haue committed when I thynke of the long tyme I haue lyued and of the litle which I haue profited also that vnprofitably I haue spent my time On the one part I am loath to dye for that I am afrayed to come before the tribunall seate of Iesus Christ and on the other part I would liue no lenger because I do not profit The mā of an euil life why doth he desire to lyue any longer My lyfe is now finished the tyme is shorte to make amendes And sithe god demaundeth nought els but a contrite harte with all my harte I doe repente and appeale to his iustice of mercie from his Iustice to his mercy because it maye please him to receiue me into his house and to giue me perpetuall glorie to the confusion of al my synnes and offences And I protest I dye in the holy catholike faith commend my soule to god my body to the earth to you Estilconus Ruffinus my faithful seruauntes I recōmende my dere beloued children For herby the loue of the childrē is sene in that the father forgetteth thē not at the houre of his death In this case of one only thing I doe warne you one only thing I require you one only thing I desire you one onely thing I cōmaund you that is that you occupye not your mindes in augmentinge the Realmes seignories of my childrē but only that you haue due respect to giue thē good education vertuous seruāts For it was only the wise men which I had about me that thus long haue mainteined me in this great auctoritie It is a goodly thing for a prince to haue stoute captains for the warres but without comparison it is better to keape haue wise men in his palace For in the end the victory of the battaille consisteth in the force of many but the gouernement of the common weale oftentimes is putte vnder the aduise of one alone These so dolefull and pitiefull wordes my lord and maister Theodosius spake vnto me now tell me Epimundus what I should doe at this present to fulfill his commaundement For at his harte he had nothing that troubled him so much as to thinke whether his children would vndoe or encrease the cōmon wealthe Thou Epimundus thou art a Grecian thou art a philosopher thou hast vnderstandyng thou art an olde seruaunt thou arte my faithfull frend therfore for al these thinges thou art bound to giue me good healthful counsaile For many times I haue heard Theodosius my maister say that he is not accompted sage which hath turned the leaues of many bookes but he which knoweth and can geue good healthful counsailes Epimundus the philosopher aunswered to these wordes Thou knowest wel Lord Estilconus that the auncientes and great Philosophers ought to be brief in wordes and very parfect in their workes For otherwise to speake muche worke litle semeth rather to be done like a tyraunt then like a greeke philosopher The Emperour Theodosius was thy Lord and my frend I say frend because it is the libertie of a greeke Philosopher to acknowledge no homage nor seruice to any superiour For he in his hart can haue no true sciēce that to rebuke the viicous kepeth his mouth shut In one thing I cōtent my selfe in Theodose aboue al other princes which were in the Romaine empire and that is that he knew and talked wisely of al his affaires and also was very diligēt to execute the same For all the fault of Princes is that they are prompte bold to talke of vertues and in executing them they are very slacke fearefull For such Princes can not continew in the vertue which they doe commende nor yet resyste the vyce which they do dispraise I graunt that Theodosius was an executour of iustice mercifull stoute sober valiaunt true louyng thankfull and vertuous and finally in all thinges and at all times he was fortunate For fortune oftentimes bringeth that to Princes which they will and desire yea many times better then they looke for Presuppose it to be true as it is most true that the time was alwayes prosperous to the Emperour Theodosius yet I doubte whether this prosperity wil continew in the succession of his children For worldlye prosperitie is so mutable that with one only man in a moment she maketh a thousande shrewde turnes and so much the more it is harde to continue stedfast in the second heyre Of slowe and dull horses come oftentimes couragious and fyerse coltes and euyn so of vertuous fathers come children euill brought vp For the wicked children inherite the worste of the father whiche is ryches and are dysenherited of the best whiche are vertues That whiche I perceyue in this matter as
apparayle whych he weare and aboue all he made as solempne a funeral to Euripides as if they had buried Vlisses And not contented wythal these thyngs he was neuer mery vntil such tyme he had done cruel execuciō of the malefactours For truly the iniury or death whych is done vnto him whom we loue is no other but as a bath and token of our owne good willes After iustice was executed of those homycides and that some of the bones all gnawen of the dogges were buryed a Grecian knight sayd vnto kyng Archelaus I let the know excellent kyng that all Macedonia is offended with the because that for so small a losse thou haste shewed so greate sorow To whom kynge Archelaus aunswered Among sages it is a thinge sufficientlye tried that noble hartes oughte not to shewe theymselues sadde for mishappes and sodaine chaunces For the king being sadde his realme can not and though it might it ought not shew it selfe mery I haue heard my father say once that princes should neuer shedde teares vnlesse it were for one of these causes 1 The first the Prince should bewaile the losse and daunger of his common wealth for the good Prince ought to pardon the iniuryes done to his parson but to reuenge the least act done to the common wealth he ought to hasarde himselfe 2 The second the good prince ought to lamente if any man haue touched his honour in any wise for the Prince which wepeth not droppes of bloud for the thinges touchinge hys honoure deserueth to be buryed quycke in his graue 3 The third the good Prynce ought to bewayle those whych can lytle and suffer muche For the Prynce whych bewayleth not the calamities of the poore in vaine and without profite lyueth on the earth 4 The fourth the good Prince ought to bewayle the glory and prosperity wherin the Tiraunts are For that prince whych wyth tyrannye of the euil is not displeased wyth the hartes of the good is vnworthye to be beloued 5 The fift the good Prynce ought to bewayle the death of wise men For to a Prynce there can come no greater losse then when a wyse man dyeth in his common wealth These were the words which the king Archelaus aunswered the Grecian knight who reproued him because he had wept for the death of Euripides the phylosopher The auncient Historiographers can say no more of the estimacyon whych the Phylosophers and wyse men had as well the Greekes as the Latynes but I wyl tell you one thinge worthy of noting It is wel knowen through all the world that Scipio the Ethnicke was one of the worthyeste that euer was in Rome for by hys name and by hys occasion Rome gotte such a memorye as shall euermore endure And this was not only for that he cōquered Affrycke but for the great worthynes of hys person Men ought not to esteme a lytle these two giftes in one man that is to wete to be happie and aduentures For many of the auncientes in times past wanne glory by their swords after lost it by their euil liues The Romaynes historographers say that the first that wrote in heroical meeter in the Latin tongue was Ennius the poete the workes of whom was so estemed of Scipio the Ethnicke that when this aduenturous so lucky Romaine dyed he commaunded in hys wil and testament that they should hange the image of thys Ennius the Poet ouer his graue By that the great Scipio did at his death we may wel coniecture how great a frend he was of sages in his life since he had rather for his honor set the statue of Ennius on his graue thā the banner wherwith he wanne and conquered Affricke In the time of Pirrus which was king of the Epirotes great enemy of the Romaines florished a philosopher named Cinas borne in Thessalie who as they say was the disciple of Demosthenes The historiographers at that time did so much esteme this Cinas that they sayd he was the maister measure of mans eloquence For he was very pleasaunt in words profound in sētences This Cinas serued for 3. offices in the palace of king Pyrrus 1 First he made pastime at his table in that he dyd declare for he had a good grace in thinges of laughter 2 Secondarily he wrote the valyaunt dedes of his history for in his stile he had great eloquence and to write the truth he was a witnes of syght 3 Thirdly he went for embassadoure in affaires of great importaunce for he was naturally subtyle and wittie and in dispatching busines he was very fortunate He vsed so many meanes in his busines and had so great perswasion in his wordes that he neuer toke vpon him to speake of thinges of warre but either he set a longe truce or els he made a perpetual peace The king Pyrrus sayd to this Cynas O Cinas for thre thinges I thanke the immortal gods 1 The first for that they created me a king and not a seruaunt for the greatest good that mortal men haue is to haue lyberty to commaund many and not to be bound to obey any 2 The second I thanke the immortal gods for that they naturaly made me stout of hart for the man which wyth euery tryfle is abashed it were better for him to leaue his life 3 The third I giue the immortal gods thankes for that in the gouernment of my common wealth and for the great affaires and busines of my real me as wel in warres as in other thinges they gaue me such a man as thou art in my company For by thy gentle speach I haue conquered and obtained many Cyties which by my cruell sword I could neuer wynne nor attayne These were the wordes which Pyrrus sayd to his frend Cinas the Poete Let euery Prince know now how great louers of wise men those were in tymes past and as vppon a sodaine I haue recyted these few examples so with smal study I could haue heaped infynite Historyes FINIS The ende of the firste Booke The Seconde booke of the Diall of princes vvherein the Authoure treateth howe Princes and greate Lordes shoulde behaue theym selues towardes their wyues And howe they ought to noryshe and brynge vp their Children ¶ Of what excellencye mariage is and wheras common people marie of free will Princes and noble men oughte to marye of necessitie Cap. i. AMonge all the frendships and companyes of this lyfe ther is none so naturall as that betwene the husbande and the wife lyuing in one house for all other compagnies are caused by free wil only but this procedeth both by wil necessity Ther is at this day no Lion so fierce no Serpent so venimous no Viper so infectiue no Aspicke so mortall neyther any beast so tirrible but at the least both male female do once in the yere mete conioyne and thoughe that in brute beastes there lacketh reason yet notwithstandynge they haue a naturall instinction to assemble themselues for the
watche narrowly to know wheÌ„ and how much the nources doe eate whiche doe nourish their children For the child is so tender and the milke so delicate that with eatyng of sondrye meates they become corrupte and with eatyng muche they waxe fat If the children suck those which are fatte and grosse they are commonly sicke and if they sucke milke corrupted they ofte tymes go to bed hole and in the mornyng be found dead Isodore in his etimologies saieth that menne of the prouince of Thrace were so cruell that the one dyd eate the other and they dyd not onely this but also furder to shew more their immanitie in the sculles of those that were deade they dranke the bloud of him that was lately alyue Thoughe men were so cruell to eate mennes flesh and to drynk the bloud of the vaines yet the women â—hich nourished their children wer so temperat and moderat in eatyng thaâ—â—hey dyd eate nothyng but nettelles sodden and boyled in goates milke And â—â—ause the women of Thrace were so moderate in eatinge the philosopher Solon Solynon brought some to Athens for the auncientes sought no lesse to haue good women in the commen wealthe then to haue hardy and valiant captaines in the warre The auctoure addeth .iii. other conditions to a good nourse that giueth sucke that they drinke no wine that she be honest and chiefly that she be well conditioned Chap. xxi THe Princesses and great ladies may know by this example what difference there is betwene the women of Thrace which are fed with nettelles only and haue brought forth suche fierce men and the women of our tyme whiche through their delicate and excessiue eatyng bryng forthe suche weake and feable children Fiftly the Ladies ought to be very circumspecte not onely that nources eate not much that they be not gready but also that they be in drinkynge wine temperat the which in old time was not called wine but â—enym The reason hereof is apparant and manifest ynough for if we doe forbyd the fat meates which lieth in the stomacke we should then much more forbidde the moyst wine whyche washeth all the vaines of the body And further I say that as the child hath no other nourishement but the milke only that the milke proceadeth of bloud that bloud is nourished of the wine and that wine is naturally whot from the first to the last I say the woman whyche drinketh wine and geueth the child sucke doth as she that maketh a greate fire vnder the panne wher ther is but a litle milke so that the panne burneth and the milke runneth ouer I will not denaye but that some times it maye chaunce that the child shal be of a strong complexioÌ„ and the nource of a feable and weake nature and theÌ„ the child would more substanciall milke wheÌ„ the womeÌ„ is not able to geue it him In such a case though with other thinges milke may be conferred I allow that the nource drink a litel wine but it ought to be so litel and so well watered that it should rather be to take awaye the vnsauorines of the water then for to tast of any sauour of the wine I do not speake this without a cause for the nource being sicke and feable of her selfe and her milke not substancial it ofte times moueth her to eate more then necessitie requireth and to drinke wine which is somewhat nutritiue so that they supposyng to giue the nource triacle do giue her poyson to destroy her child Those excellent auncient Romaines if they had bene in our time and that we had deserued to haue bene in their time thoughe our time for beyng Christians is better they had saued vs from this trauaile for they were so temperat in eatyng meates and so abstinent in drynkyng wynes that they dyd not only refrayne the drinkyng therof but also they would not abyde to smell it For it was a greater shame vnto a Romayne woman to drynke wyne then to be deuorced from her husbande Dionisius Alicarnaseus in his boke of the lawes of the Romaynes sayed that Romulus was the fyrste founder of Rome and that he occupyed hym selfe more in buildyng houses to amplifie Rome then in constituting lawes for the gouernement of the commen wealth But emongest .xv. lawes which he made the seuenth therof was that no Romaine woman on paine of death shold be so hardy to drinke wine within the walles of Rome The same Historian saieth that by the occasion of this law the custome was in Rome that when any Romain Ladye would drinke wine or make any solempne feast she must nedes goe oute of Rome where euery one hadde their gardens and dwellyng place because the smell also of wine was prohibited and forhidden women within the circuite of Rome If Plinie do not deceyue vs in his .xxiiii. booke of his naturall history It was an auncient custome in Rome that at eche time that parentes met both men and women they did kisse the one the other in the face in token of peace and this ceremony began first for that they would smel whether the woman hadde dronke any wine And if perchaunce she sauored of wine the Censor mighte haue banished her from Rome And if her kinseman found her without Rome he might frely and without any daunger of lawe put her to death because within the circuite and walles of Rome no pryuat man by Iustice could put any Romaine to death As aboue is rehersed Romulus was he which ordeined the paine for dronkardes and Ruptilius was he which ordeined the paine for adulterers And betwene Romulus and Ruptilius there was .xxxii. yeares so that they ordeyned this strayght lawe for dronckardes a long time before they dyd the law for adulterers For if a woman be a dronckarde or harlot truly they are both great faultes and I can not tell whether of them is worst for beyng a harlot the woman loseth her name and for being a dronckard she loseth her fame and the husbande hys goods Then if women for the honestie of their personnes only are bound to be temperat in eating and drincking the woman which nourisheth giueth the child sucke ought to be much more corrected and sober in this case For in her is concurrante not only the grauitie of their personnes but the health and lyfe also of the creature whiche she nourisheth Therfore it is mete that the nource be kepte from wine since the honour of the one and the lyfe of the other is in peryll Sixtly the princesses and great Ladies ought to take hede that their nources be not gotten with child And the reason herof is that in that time wheÌ„ the woman is with child her natural course is stopped and that corruption is mingled with the pure bloud so that she thinking to giue the child mylke to nourish it geueth it poison to destroye it And nothyng can be more vniuste then to put the childe whiche is alredy borne and aliue in daunger for that which
And what more to say I know not Romaines of the litle care the goddes do take of the great audacitie that meÌ„ haue For I see that he which possesseth much doth oppresse hym which hath but litle he that hath but litle waieth not him that hath much So disordered couetousnes striueth with secret malice secret malice geueth place to open theft open robbery no man resisteth therof commeth that the couetice of a malicious man is accomplished to the preiudice of a whole state Harken ye romaines herken by the immortal gods I do coniure you geue eare to that I wil say which is consider wel what you haue doÌ„â— for the gods wordes be in vaine or els men must haue an ende the worlde in time must nedes fal or els the worlde shal be no worlde Fortune must nedes make sure the pinne of the whele or els that shal be sene which neuer was seene which is that which in .8 yeares ye haue wonne ye shal withein .8 daies lose For nothing can be more iust since ye by force haue made your selues tirants then that the gods by iustice should make ye slaues And do not think ye romains though you haue subdued Germany and be lordes therof that it was by anye warrely industrye for ye are no more warlike no more coragious nor more hardy ne yet more valiauÌ„t theÌ„ we Germaines but sins through our offeÌ„ces we haue prouoked the gods to wrath they for the punishmeÌ„t of oure disordinate vices ordeyned that ye should be a cruel plague scourge to our ê‘soÌ„s Do not take your selues to be stroÌ„g neither repute vs to be so weake that if the gods at that time had fauoured the one part asmuch as the other it might perchance haue happened ye should not haue enioied the spoile For to say the truth ye wan not the victory through the force of weapoÌ„s that you brought froÌ„ Rome but through the infynyte vices which ye founde in Germany Therefore since we weare not ouercome for beinge cowards neither for being weake nor yet for beinge fearefull but only for being wicked not hauing the gods fauourable vnto vs what hope ye Romaines to become of you being as you are vicious hauing the gods angry with you Do not think Romaines to be the more victorious for that ye asseÌ„ble great armies or that ye abound in treasures neither for that you haue greater gods in your ayd or that ye build greater teÌ„ples nor yet for that ye offer such greate sacrifices For I let you know if ye do not know it that no man is in more fauor with the gods than he which is at peace with vertue If the triumphes of the conquerours coÌ„sisteth in nothing els but in subtill wittes politike captaines valiant souldiers great armies wtout doubt it would litle auaile to cary al this to the warre sins afterwards we se by experieÌ„ce that men can do no more but geue the battailes the gods theÌ„ selues must geue the victories If I be not deceyued I thynke that for our offences we haue sufficientlye satisfyed the gods wrath But truelye I beleue that the cruelties which ye haue done vnto vs and the vnthankefullnesse whiche you haue shewed the goddes though as yet ye haue not payd it that once ye shall pay it And hereafter it may chaunce that as presentlye ye count vs for slaues so in tyme to come ye shall acknowledge vs for lordes Synce the trauaylynge by the waye I haue seene the highe mouÌ„taines diuers prouinces sundrye nations countreis so sauage people so barbarous suche and so manye miles as Germany is distaunt from Roome I muse what fonde toye came in the Romaines heades to sende to conquere Germany If couetousnesse of treasures caused it I am sure they spent more money to conquere it and at this present doe spende to kepe it then the whole reuenewes of Germany amountethe or maye amount in manye yeares and perchaunce theye maye lose it before they recouer that they spent to conquere it And if ye say vnto me Romaines that Germanie is not conquered of Rome for euer but that onelye Rome shoulde haue the glorye to be mistres of Germanye this allso I saye is vanitye and follye For litle auaileth it to haue the forts and castels of the people when the hartes of the inhabitauntes are absente If ye saye that therefore ye conquered Germany to amplifie and enlarge the limittes and boundes of Rome allso mee thinkethe this as foolishe an enterprise For it is not the point of wise and valiaunt men to enlarge their dominyons and diminishe theire honour If ye saye ye sent to conquere vs to the end we shoulde not be barbarous nor liue like tirauntes but that you woulde we shoulde liue after your good lawes and customes yf it bee so I am well content But how is it possyble ye should geue laws to strauÌ„gers wheÌ„ you break the laws of your own pÌ„decessours great shame ought they to haue which take vpoÌ„ theÌ„ to correct others when they haue more nede to be corrected theÌ„ selfes For the blinde man ought not to take vppon him to leade the lame If this be true as presently it is what reason or occasion had proude Rome to take and conquere the innocent Germanye Let vs all go therfore to robbe to kyll to conquere and to spoile sins we see the worlde so corrupte and so far from the loue of god that euery man as we may perceiue taketh what hee caÌ„ kylleth whom he will and that which worst of all is that neither those which gouerne wil remedy so many euils as are committed neither those which are offeÌ„ded dare complaine Ye chiefe iudges at this day are so harde to bee entreated ye take so litle regard vnto the poore oppressed that they think it more quiet to remaine in trouble at home then to come and put vp theire complaintes before you here at Rome And the cause hereof is that there in theire countrey theye haue but one which pursueth theÌ„ and here in this senate theye are euil willed of al and that is because he which complaineth is poore and the other whiche is complained on is riche Therefore since fortune would it and the fatall destinies permit it that the proude Rome should be mistresse of our Germanye it is but reason ye should kepe vs in iustice and mainteine vs in peace But you do not so but rather those which come thither do take from vs our goods and ye that are here do rob vs of our good name saying that since we are a people without law without reason without a king as vnknowen barbarous ye maye take vs for slaues In this case ye Romains are greatly deceiued for me thinketh with reason ye can not cal vs wtout reason since we being such as we are and as the gods created vs remaine in our proper countreis without desiring to seeke or inuade foreine realmes For with more reason we mighte
common wealthe and not with a mynde to reuenge To the ende the faultye maye haue occasion to amende the faultes past and not to reuenge iniuries present the diuine Plato in the bookes of his common wealth saide that iudges ought to haue two things alwaies present before their eyes that is to wete that in iudging thinges touching the goodes of others they shewe no couetousnes and in punishing anye man they shewe no reuenge For iudges haue lycence to chastice the bodye but therefore they haue not lycence to hurte theire hartes Nero the emperour was greatly defamed in his lyfe and verye cruell in his iustice and with all hys crueltyes i◠chaunced that as one on a daye brought him a iudgement for to subscribe to behead certeine murtherers He fetching a greate syghe said these woordes O howe happye were I that I had neuer learned to write onlye to be excused to subscribe this sentence Certaynly the Emperour Nero for speking such a pitifull worde at that tyme deserued immortall memorie but afterwardes his so cruell lyfe peruerted so notable a sentence For speaking the cruche one euil worke suffiseth to deface many good words O how manye realmes and countreys haue beene loste not so muche for the euilles whyche in those the wicked haue committed as for the disordinate Iustices whyche the ministers of iustice therein haue executed For they thinkinge by rigour to correct the dommages past haue raised vp present sclaunder for euer It is knowen to al men who and what the emperour Augustus hath beene whoe in all his doinges was exceadinge good For he was noble valyaunt stoute fyerse and a louer of iustice and aboue all verye pitiefull And for so muche as in other thinges he shewed his pitye and clemency he ordained that no prince should subscribe iudgementes of deathe with his owne hande neyther that he shoulde see iuystce done of anye wyth hys owne eyes Truelye the lawe was pitifullye ordeyned and for the cleannesse and purenes of Emperours verye necessarye For it semeth better for Prynces to defende theire lande with the sharpe sworde then to subscribe a sentence of deathe with the cruell penne Thys good Emperour Augustus was verye diligent to choose ministers of iustyce and verye carefull to teache them howe they shoulde behaue them selues in the common wealth admonishing them not onely of that they had to doe but also of that they ought to flye For the mynisters of iustyce oftentymes sayle of theire dutye In Capua there was a gouernour named Escaurus who was a iuste iudge thoughe he were somewhat seuere whome the Emperour Augustus sent to the realme of Dace to take charge of that prouince And amongest dyuers other thynges he spake these wordes vnto him to retayne theym in hys memorye Frynde Escaurus I haue determyned to plucke thee from Capua and to put into thy custodye the gouernement of the prouynce of Dace where thou shalt represent the roiall maiestye of my persone and thou oughtest also to consyder well that as I make thee better in honour and goodes so thou in like case shouldest make thy selfe better in lyfe and more temperate in iustice For hitherto in iustice thou hast bene a lyttle to rigorous and in thy lyfe somewhat to rashe I counsaile thee therefore I doe desire thee and further I commaunde thee that thou chaunge thy trade of lyfe and haue great respecte to my honour and good name For thou knowest right well that the onelye profite and honour of the common wealth of Romayne Princes consysteth in hauinge good or euyll ministers of theire iustyce If thou wylt doe that I woulde thou shouldest I let the vnderstande that I doe not commyt my honour in thy truste neyther my iustyce to thintente thou shouldest bee an enuyer of the innocent a scourge of transgressours but that onelye wyth the one hande thou helpe to sustanie the good and wyth the other thou healpe to amende the euyll And if thou wilt more perticulerly knowe my entencion I do send the to the end thou shouldest be graundfather to the Orphanes an aduocate for the wydowes a plaister for the greued a staffe for the blynde and a father to all Let therefore the resolution of all be to reioyce myne enemies to comfort my frindes to lift vp the weke to fauour the strōg so that thou be indifferent to all parcyall to none to the end that through thy vpright dealing myne may reioice to dwel there strangers desire to come serue me here This was the instruccion whiche the emperour Augustus gaue to the gouernour Escaurus And if a man wil consider way his words wel he shal synde them compendious enough that I would they were written in our iudges hartes By thy letter thou declarest that the iudges whom the Senate sent to that I le are not very honest nor yet without some suspicion of couetousnes O wofull cōmon wealth where the iudges therofare cruell dishonest couetous forthe cruell iudges seeke nought elles but the bloude of innocentes they couet the goods of the poore they sclaunder the good to suche so wicked a common welth I would saye that it were better to remaine in the mountains among the brute bestes then by such vniust iudges to be gouerned in a comō wealth For the firce Lyons which of all beasts are moste cruell if in his presens the hunter prostrate him self on the earth before him the Lyon wil neither touch him nor his garment O my frinde Antigonus dost thou thinke that if the cōmon welth be vnhappy which hath such iudges that therfore Rome may reioise which prouyded them By the faith of a good mā I swere vnto the that I count the Senatours worse which sent them than the Iudges which wēt thither It is a great griefe to a noble stoute harte to demaunde iustyce of a man which neither is true nor yet obserueth Iustice but it is a greater grief to see a Iudge that to many hath executed tyrāny to many poore men hath done sundry wronges afterwardes not with the lyfe he leadeth but with the authoritie he hath presumeth to correct diuers Iudges He that hath the offyce to punish the vicious ought him selfe to be voide of all vyces otherwyse he that hath that office by tyrāny executeth iustice furthermore he is a traitour to the common welth It is vnpossible that any Iudge shoulde be good vnlesse he hath the aucthoritie of his office for accessary and his pure lyfe for principall The ende why a iudge is sente in prouinces is to defyne doubtfull causes to refourme their maners to fauour those which can lytle by vyolēce to enforce those whiche can do muche And for the most parte there is no common welth so weake but may well hang a thefe on the gallouse though there came no Iudge from Rome to geue sentence O how many iudges are there now a dayes in Rome whiche haue caused dyuers to be hanged regardynge nothyng
wherwith eche parte proued his purpose For the good emperour attributed the whole laude for a perpetual memory vnto the people because of the great obediēce diligent seruice and faithful loue which he had found in them And on the other part the fortunat people gaue the glory vnto the emperour for his clemency mercifulnes for his vprightuous gouerninge for his honestie of liuing for his stout courage in conquering It was a thing worthy of noting to se how the people gaue the honour to their emperour and howe the emperour attributed the prayse to his people These matters were deliuered in truste to the straunge Embassadours to th end that all people might learne to obey their princes and also princes learne to loue their people to th ende that by such examples as it was reason the good should be encouraged and the euil discomforted Thus the emperour prepared al thinges ready with his capitaines and captiues for his entring and the people of Rome made as great preparation for to receiue him It was a meruailous thing to see what people came forth of Rome to mete him what an infinite numbre were at Salon to behold him They that were at Salon had their eies there and their hartes at Rome and they that were at Rome had their hartes at Salon in suche sorte that their eies daseled with that they sawe and their hartes also reioyced for that they hoped to see For there is no greater tormente to the harte then when it is deferred from that which it greatly desireth ¶ How at the intercession of many whiche the Empresse had sent the Emperour graunted his doughter Lucilla licence to sporte her selfe at the feastes Cap. lxi YOu shal vnderstande that the Romaines vsed alwayes in the moneth of Ianuary to permit that their emperoures should triumphe And it chaunced that at that time when they prepared for the triumphe Faustine the empresse caused diuers noble barons to demaunde licence of the emperoure that her doughter might come from her mistres where she was taught to the feastes Her name was Lucilla who was elder then the prince Comodus her brother She had a goodly gesture she was well made in the body derely beloued of her mother whom she resembled not only in beauty but also in liuing Though the request semed to be reasonable and those that made it his counsellers great about him though him whom they asked was the father and she that demaunded it was the mother and she for whom this request was made was the doughter yet the emperour would not graunt it but halfe against his wil. Faustine when she had obteined licence was exceading glad and so sone as she might possible she brought her doughter home vnto the pallace And when the daye of the great feast solempne triumphe came the young damoisel perceiuing her selfe at large without any gouernour trusting in the innocencie of her selfe estemed not the malice of any other man but reioyced with those that reioyced talked with them that talked behelde them that behelde her and she thought because she mente euyll to no man that no man wylled euyll to her In those dayes it was as great an offence for a mayde of Rome to laughe in the company of men as it was for a woman of Grecia to be taken in adultery with a priest So greatly was the honestie at that tyme of the Romaine Matrones regarded and the lyghtnes of the maydens was so detested that they gaue more sharper punishement for one offence done openly then for twoo other whiche were committed in secreat Amonge all other thinges from these seuen the Romaine Matrones did marueilously refrayne that is to wete from talkyng muche at feastes from gready eating amonge straungers From drynkyng wyne whyles they were whole From talkyng in secreate with any man From lyfting vp their eyes in the temples From gasyng muche out at the wyndowes And from wandryng abroade without their husbandes For the woman that was apprehended in any of these thynges was alwayes after counted as one defamed There are many thynges suffred in persones of meane estate whiche can not be endured in those of hygher degree For Ladies of highe renowme can not kepe the reputation of their estates vnlesse they are marueilous circumspecte in all their doynges All thynges that degenerate from their kynde deserue blame but the dishonest woman meriteth infamy If ladies wylbe counted ladies in dede let them knowe howe muche they excell others in ryches so muche lesse lycence haue they then other to goe gaddinge in the streates For of a suretie the aboundaunce of their ryches and the lybertie of their personnes should not be a spurre to prouoke them to gadde abroade but rather a brydle to keape them within All this is spoken for this cause that Lucilla as a mayde tender and younge and Faustine her mother as one not very olde sometymes on foote and sometymes ryding sometymes openly and nowe and then secreatly Sometymes with company and at other tymes alone Sometymes by day and ofttymes by night vsed to foote the streates of Rome to view the fieldes of Vulcane To sport them by the ryuer of Tiber to gather the fruites in the Ortechardes of Saturne to suppe at the conduites of Nero and suche other vagaries they vsed The whiche thinges though their age did desyre and their idlenes allure them vnto yet the grauitie of suche ladies ought to haue withdrawen them from it I wyll speake one thing to th ende that other ladies and gentlewomen may take warning thereby whiche is that I can not tell whiche was greater either the small discretion whiche moued Faustine and Lucilla to wander in suche sorte aboute the streates or the audacitie that euyll men tooke thereby to talke of their personnes and doubte of their honesties The keaping of women in their houses is lyke vnto a brydle to holde styll euyll mens tongues The woman that is a strayer abroade putteth her good name in muche daunger Of trouth it were better for a woman neuer to be borne then to lyue with an euyll name Amonge all the families of the auncient Romaines that of the Cornelians was counted moste fortunate for among the men there was neuer anye founde a cowarde nor among the women any that was defamed The historiographers saye that there was one woman of that lynage onely for beyng light in her behauiour was by the handes of her owne parentes executed and put to death Surely it was well done of the Romaines to thintent that the lightnes of one woman alone should not defame the whole family Where as is noblenes and honestie there the matters that touche the honor ought not to tary whyles they be remedied by iustice but from that man or woman which among al hath lost his good name from the nombre of the liuing he also ought to be taken It is not sufficient for one to him selfe to be good but it is requisite that he geue no
thy children haue no nede to be maried For one thing we are bound to thee that is the example of thy pacience for since thou suffrest Faustine in so many open infamies it is no great nede we suffer any secretes in thee For this present I say no more I end my letter desiring to se shortly the ende of thy life ¶ Marcus Aurelius wryteth to the lady Macrine the Romaine of whom beholding her at the wyndowe he became enamoured Whiche declareth what force the beauty of a fayre woman hath in a weake man Cap. xiii MArke the very desirous to the lady Macrine greatly desired I know not whether by my euyl aduenture or by happe of my good aduenture not long agoe I saw the at a window where thou haddest thy armes as close as I my eyes displayd that cursed be they for euer for in beholding thy face forthwith my hart abode with the as prisoner The beginning of thy knowledge is the end of my reason and fallyng in shonnyng one euyl come infinite trauayles to men I say it for this if I had not bene ydel I had not gone out of my house and not gone out of my house I had not passed by the streat And not going through the streate I had not sene that at the window and not seing the at the window I had not desired thy person And not desiringe thy person I had not put thy fame in so greate peril nor my life in doubt nor we had geuen no occasion to Rome to speake of vs. For of troth lady Macrine in this case I condemne my selfe For willyngly I dyd behold the. I did not salute the althoughe thou desiredst to be sene Sith thou were set vp as a white it is no merueile though I shotte with the arrowes of my eyes at the but of thy beauty with rollyng eyes with browes bent wel coloured face incarnate teth ruddy lipps courled heere hands set with ringes clothed with a thousand maner of coloures hauyng purses full of swete sauoures the bracelettes and earinges ful of pearles and stones Tel me what this meaneth The most that I can thinke of this is sith you shew vs your bodies openly ye would we should know your desires in secret And if it be so as I beleue it is it semeth to me lady Macrine thou oughteste to loue him that lyketh the to enfourme him that seketh the to aunswere him that calleth the to feale him that fealeth the and to vnderstand him that vnderstandeth the and sith thou vnderstandest me I do vnderstand the vnderstand that thou knowest not I do wel remember as I went by the streat solitarily to se ii theues put to death my eyes saw the at a window on whom dependeth al my desires More iustice thou dost to me then I to the theaues for I being at iustice thou hast iusticed the iustice none dare paine the. The gallowes is not so cruel to them which neuer knew but doing euyl as thou art to me which neuer thought other but to serue the. They suffer but one death but thou makest me suffer a thousand They in one daye one houre end their lyues and I each minute do fele the pāges of death They died gilty but I innocently They dy openly I in secret What wilt thou I saye more to thee they wepte for that they died and I wepe teares of bloude from my hart for that I liue This is the differēce their torments spreadeth abrod through al their body I kepe mine together in my hart O cruel Macrine I know not what iustice this is that they kil men for robbing stealing of money suffer women to liue which steale mens harts If they take the liues from them that picke purses why then do they suffer ladies which robbe our entrailes By thy noblenes I pray the by the goddesse Venus I coniure the eyther satisfye my desire or restore to me my hart whych thou hast robbed from me I would thou knew lady Macrine the clere intencion of my hart rather then this letter written with my hande If my hap were so good as thy loue would permit me to speake with the I wold hope by sight speche to win that which I am in suspect by my letter to lose The reason wherof is because thou shalt rede my rude reasons in this leter if thou sawest me thou shouldest se the bitter teares which I would offer to thee in this my vnhappy life O that my mouth could publishe my cruel peines as my harte fealeth thē I sweare to thee lady Macrine that my woful plaintes would stirre vp thy small care and as thy beauty hath made thee thine owne so the knowledge of my griefe should make the myne I desire thou wouldest regarde the beginning and therewith note the ende For of truth the same day that thou imprisonest my hart at the window in the dungeon of my desires I had no lesse weakenes to ouercome then thou haddest strength to enforce me greater was thy power to take me frome my selfe then my reason was to put me from the. Now lady Macrine I doe not aske other mercy of the but that we may declare our minds together But in this case what wilt thou I say vnto the but that thou hast somuch power ouer me and I so lytle of my libertie that though I would not my hart must nedes be thine that being thine thou wilt shewe thy selfe to be mine And sith it may not be but that my life must be condemned in thy seruice be thou as sure of my faith as I am doubtful of thy good wil. For I shal haue a greater honor to be lost for thy sake thē to winne any other treasure I haue no more to say to the now but that thou haue respect to my perdicion draw life out of my death tourne my teares to ioy And because I hold my faith and wil neuer dispaire in thy hope I send the x. litle ringes of gold with x. ringes of Alexandria and by the immortall gods I cōniure the that when thou puttest thē on thy finger thou receiuest my loue into thy hart Marcus thy louer wrote this with his owne hand ¶ Of an other letter whiche the emperour sent to the Lady Macrine wherin he expresseth the firy flames which consume sonest the gentle harts Cap. xiiii MArke thy neighbour at Rome to the Macrine his swete enemy I cal the swete for it is iust I die for the enemy because thou ceasest not to kil me I cannot tel how it is but sithe the feast of Ianus hitherto I haue writen thre letters vnto the in the aunswere wherof I would haue ben cōtented to haue receiued but ii from the. If I wuld serue the thou wil not be serued if I speake to the thou wilt not aunswere me If I behold the thou wilt not loke at me if I cal the thou wilt not answer me If I visite