And atte this houre you knowe not that they that do hate her wold her yll what dishonour theyr tongues doo speake of her Newe loue in yonge bloudde in the springinge tyme and flouryshynge youthe is a poyson that forthewith spredethe in to euery vayne It is an herbe that by and by entreth the entrayles a swownyng that incontinently mortifieth al the membres a pestilence that sleeth the hartes and finally it maketh an ende of all vertues I wote not what I saye yet al though I knowe what I wyll say For I wold neuer blasen loue with my tonge without I were sore hurte in myn vnderstandynge Ouyde sayth in his boke of the arte of loue Loue is I wote not what that commeth I wote not whens who sent it I wote not it engendreth I wote not how it is contented I wote not wherwith it is felte I wote not howe ofte nor I wote not wherfore And fynally loue taketh rote without breakynge of the flesshe outwarde or percinge the entrayles inwarde I wote not what Ouide meaneth hereby but I trowe whan he saide these wordes he was as farre banysshed from hym selfe as I am at this tyme from my selfe O Faustin they that loue togither shewe the signes of their hartes by dyuers wayes and in slepyng they reason and speake and by sygnes they vnderstande eche other The great voyce outewarde is sygne of lyttell loue inwarde and the great inwarde loue kepeth silence outwarde The entrayles within imbraced in loue cause the tonge outwarde to be muet He that passeth his lyfe in loue ought to haue his mouth close And to the entente that ye shall not thynke that I speake fables I wyll proue this by auncient hystories ¶ We fynde aunciently that in the yere .ii. C. and .lx. after the foundation of Rome Estrasco a yonge Romayne that was dombe and Veronne a fayre lady of the Latins that was dombe also These two sawe eche other on the mount Celyoit at a feest and there fel in loue eche with other And their hartes were as soore fixed in loue as theyr tonges were tyed for wordes It was a meruaylous thing to se them and feareful to note here The yong lady came fro Salon to Rome and he went fro Rome to Salon by the space of .xxx. yeres togither without the wityng of any persone nor they two spake not Than at the laste died the husbande of the lady Veronne and the wyse of Estrasco and than they discouerd their loue and treated a mariage betwene them of whome descended the noble lygnage of our Scipions whiche were more lyberalle in the feates of armes than theyr father and mother were in their tonges Than Faustine marke this thynge Lyttell aduantage it had ben to haue cut out the tonges of the two doÌ„be folkes to haue remedied their loue and not to haue cutte out theyr hartes ¶ Also I shall tell you of Massinissa a worthy knyght of Numedie and Sopharise a famous ladye of Carthage al onely by one sight as they sawe eche other on a ladder he declared his desire vnto her and she knowyng his lust breakynge the oores of feare and lyftynge vp the ankers of shame incontinent raised the sailes of theyr hartes and with the shippes of their ê‘sons they ioyned eche to other Here may we gather how the first sight of their eies and knowlege of their persons and the leage of their hartes and the mariage of their bodies the pardition of theyr estates and the infamie of their name in one day in one houre in one moment and in one steppe of a ladder were agreed What wyll ye that I saye more to this pourpose Do ye not knowe that Helayne the Greke and Parys the Troyan of two strange nations and of farre countreys with one only sight in a temple their wylles were so knyt togither that he toke her as his captiue and she aboode his prisoner In Parys appered but smal force and in her but lyttel resistence So that in maner these two yonge ê‘sons the one procuring to vanquishe and the other sufferinge to be vanquisshed Parys was cause of his fathers deathe and Helayne of the infamie of her husbande and they bothe of their owne deathes losse to theyr realmes and sclaunder to all the worlde All this loue caused one onely syght ¶ Whan great kyng Alexander wold haue gyuen bataile to the Amazons the quene capitayn of them no lesse faire than stronge and vertuous came to a ryuer syde and the space of an houre eche of them beheld other with theyr eies without speakynge of any worde and whan they retourned to their tentes the fiersnes was turned into swete waÌ„ton amorous wordes ¶ Whan Pyrrhe the faythefull defender of the Tarentynes and renoumed kynge of Epirotes was in Italy he came to Naples and he had not ben there but one day the same season there was a lady in the same citie named Gamalicice of a highe lygnage and greatly estemed in beautie The very same day she was goten with chyld and shamed through out al Italy and was thruste out of the citie and after she was delyuered of chylde she was slayne by one of her owne bretherne ¶ Also Cleopatra in the prouince of Bithinye in the wod Sehyn made a goodly banket or solempne feast to Marcus Anthonius her louer And thoughe she was not very honest yet had she with her right chaste women and thus the banket enduryng a great parte of the nyghte and the wod beinge thicke the yonge damsels were not so wily to hyde them but the yonge men Romayns founde them so that of .lx. doughters of senatours .lv. were gotten with chyld among the thycke bushes which thyng made a gret sclandre in the people and augmented the infamy of Cleopatre and minished the honestie of Marc Anthony ¶ Thus as I haue shewed of a smal nombre I coude say of many other Al men are not men nor all women be not women I say it bycause I wolde it shulde be sayde let it touche them that it toucheth and let them that can vnderstand me There is some shyppes that are so lyghte that they wyll sayle with a lytell wynde and there be some milles that wyll grinde with a lyttell water I saye there be some women so brittel that as a glasse with a fyllop wyll breke and wyl slyp with a lytel myre Shewe me Faustin haue you suffered your doughter to speke but with her vncles and kept company but with her cosins I say in this case as moche wilenesse hath the mother as the doughter to renne in peryll Do you not knowe that the quicke fire doth not forbere the wod be it wete or dry but in lykewyse it consumeth the harde stones Doo you not knowe that the hongre excessiue causeth beastes to deuour with theyr tethe the thynge that was bredde in their entrayles Doo you not knowe that the goddes made a lawe ouer al thinges except on louers bycause they may not abyde
made a face in the worlde .xxxiii yere thou hast ben in the grace of the world nowe it is tyme fro hensforth to fall at some discorde therwith Abell kyng of the Assiriens hoped to haue but seuē yeres of good prosperitie Queene Simiramis but onely syxe Abell kynge of the Lacedemoniens fyue Eutrete kynge of the Caldeens .iiii. Alexander kynge of the grekes .iii. Amylcar the great of Carthage but two and our Gayus Cesar Romayne but one onely and many before and sythe not one yere And sith thou were the mooste vnknowen of lynage the grosseste of vnderstandynge and the leaste of power the darkest of fame and the most weke in merites wherfore than complayneste thou on fortune If thou haddest ben vertuous in all these .xxx. yeres thou haddest neuer eaten without thoughte nor neuer spoken without suspection nor slepte without stertyng thinking what thou haddest to do and wherin fortune myghte begyle the. He that is so longe besette aboute with soo many enemies I can not tell howe he shuld take any sure slepe Ah Torcate Torcate the worlde hath so many falles and we knowe so yll howe to continue amonge theym that be worldly that scantly we are fallen whan our handes and fete lyke sclaues be so faste tyed that we can not lose them It fylleth our persons full of vices strengtheth our sinewes to wickednes weaketh our hartes in vertues and fynally rendreth our spirites in a traunce and masethe our vnderstandynge and chaungeth our taste and sufferethe vs as beastes to shewe our euylles that we fele with waylynges all though as men we durst not shew it And that this is true it appereth that whanne we see that we lose we lament and complayne and none can helpe hym selfe This smal lesson I writte to the to the ende thou shuldest lyue in lesse thoughte The horse colte that thou dyddeste sende me leapeth very well The spanyell that thou sente to me is well but he is wylde the calfe was verye fatte and I wolde haue eaten it forthwith but my wyfe Faustyn besily prayed me to kepe it and thynketh that it was stolen in a gardeyne I sende to the .ii. M. sexters for to succour the in thy trauayles And as touchinge thy banyshement at tyme conuenient I shal dispatch thy matters with the senate The consolation of the goddis and the loue of man be with the Torcate The sodeynnes of euils and the yre of the furies be seperate froo me Marcus Aurelius Faustyn my wyfe greteth the and in lyke wise fro her parte and ours to thy mother in lawe and thy wyfe haue vs recommended Marc of Rome sendeth this writynge to Torcate of Gayette ¶ A letter sent to Domitius of Capue to comforte hym in his banisshemente The fourth letter MArke oratour Romayn borne on mount Celio to the Domitian of Capue salute and consolation of the goddis consolatours In this right colde wynter there arose in this lande a myghty gret wynd and by reason of the great wynde arose great quantitie of waters and the waters haue caused great humidites and great humidities brede dyuers maladies and diseases and amonge all the infirmities of this lande I haue the goute in my hande and the ciatica in my legge For the helth of my wyfe Faustine I can neyther go nor write I saye it bycause I can not write to the so longe as the case wolde require and as thy thankes meryteth and my desyre coueteth It is shewed me that by occasion of a hors thou hast had strif with Patricio thy neyghbour that thou art banished fro Capue and set in the prison Mamartyn Thy goodis are cōfisked and thy chyldren banished thy house caste downe and thy neuewe is putte out of the senate and banysshed the senate for .x. yeres It is tolde me that all the daye thou wepest and wakest by nyght in company thou diest and doest loue to reste solytarilye Thou hateste pleasure and louest pensyuenes And I haue no meruayle for the sorowefull hartes lyue with teares and wepynge and be mery laugh in dienge I am ryght sory to se the lost but moche more that for so smalle a thynge thou shuld be cast away as for a hors to lese al thyn estate O howe variable is fortune and howe soone a mysaduenture falleth before our eies Fortune gyueth these euyls we see it not with her handes she toucheth vs and we fele it not she tredeth vs vnder fete and we knowe hit not she speaketh in our eares and we here her not she crieth alowde vnto vs and we vnderstande her not and this is bycause we wyll not knowe her and finally whan we thynke we are moste surest than are we in moste peryll Trouth it is that with a lyttell wynde the fruyte falleth fro the tree and with a lyttell sparcle the house is sette a fyre a small rocke breaketh a greatte shyppe and with a lyttell stone the legge is hurte I saye that oftentyme of that we feare not cometh greatte peryll In a close Fistula rather than in an open the surgiens doubte the peryll In depe styll waters the pilote feareth more than in the great hye wawes Of secret enbushement rather than of open armies the warriour doubteth I wyll not onely say of straungers but of hys owne propre not of ennemyes but of frendes not of crewelle warre but of peace not of open domage or sclaunder but of secrete peryll and myschiefe a wyse man ought to beware Howe many haue we sene that the chances of Fortune coulde not abate and yet within a shorte whyle after vnwarenes with great ignomynious shame hath ouerthrowen them I wolde witte of the what reste can a persone haue that trusteth euer vpon the prosperitie of fortune syth for so lyght a cause we haue sene so great a stryfe in Rome and suche a losse to thy howse Seynge that I see I wyll not feare the wyndes of her trauayles nor beleue in the clerenesse of her pleasures nor her thunders shal not feare me nor wil trust vpon her flatteringes nor thanke her for that she leueth with me nor be sorye for that she taketh froo me nor wake for any trouthe that she sayth to me nor ryse for any of her leasynges nor lawghe for any thyng that she desyreth of me nor wepe for gyuing me leaue If thou knowest not the cause of this I shal tel the. Our lyfe is so doubtefull and fortune so way warde that she dothe not alway threate in strykynge nor striketh in thretnynge The wyse man gothe not soo temperately that he thynketh at euery steppe to falle nor lyue with so smalle athought to thynke to ouerthrowe in euery playn pathe For oftentymes false fortune shaketh her weapon and striketh not and an other tyme stryketh without shakynge Beleue me of one thynge Domitius That parte of the lyfe is in moste perylle whan with lyttell thoughte or care men thynke them selfe moost sure Wylt thou se the trouthe therof Cal to thy minde Hercules
of his mother syde was so enamored of a woman of Thebes that he taught her al his coūnynge and whan he was sycke in his bedde she redde in the schole for hym Epimenides of Crete that slepte .xv. yeres without waking and though he was .x. yere a great worshypper of the goddis yet he was banysshed frome Athenes for the loue of women Archyta Tarentyn mayster of Plato and disciple of Pythagoras occupied his mynde more to inuente the kindes of loue than his forces in doctrines of vertues Gorgio Cleontino borne in Sycyll kepte rather concubines in his chambre than bokes in the scholes All these were wyse men and yet we maye se howe at the laste they were ouercome with the flesshe Than blame not me alone for as I haue tolde of so fewe in noumbre so I coude recyte of other a holle armye Of trouth he ought to haue many thynges that wylle be taken as curious in loue He muste haue his eien displayed on her that he loueth his vnderstandynge fore altered in that he thinketh his tonge troubled in that he shulde say So that in seinge he be blynded in thoughtes wandring and in speakynge troubled O lady Libia the louynge in mockerie passeth by mockerie but where as the true hart is there is the grefe and no mockerie Loue shedeth her poysone and cruell Cupydo fyxeth his arowes vppe to the fethers Than the eien wepe the harte syghethe the flesshe trymbleth the synewes shrynke the vnderstandynge waxeth grosse reason fayleth and so all falleth to the erthe so that fynally the heuy louer abydynge in hym selfe holdeth lyttell or nothynge of hym selfe All this I say bicause that knowlege to loue fayleth in me yet be ye sure that the workes faile me not to worke in thy seruice And syth it was myn aduenture to see the nowe it is my chaunce to knowe the I demaunde nothyng elles of the but that thou wylte loue me truely syth I loue the withoute feynynge And if thou haste harde that I am sycke at my harte I desyre the to do me some good for sythe it is all onely in the it is reason that thou all onely seke for remedy I was greatly comforted whan Fabius Carlynus desyred me in thy behalfe to be a prisoner and I dyd incontinent all that thou dyddest desyre to thentente that thou on some day shuldest do that I desyre And beholde lady Lybia the woman that is serued with seruyces it is reasonne that she receyue some prayers And though my strengthes haue no power to open the gates of thy pourpose as not to agree to thy demaunde yet all my labours be bycause of thy renoume I praye the discouer not the one nor begyle me nat with the other For now thou seest that in grauntynge is remedy and in truste is comforte but promesse is deceyuable the delayenge is peryllous and the entreatynge byndeth I see verye welle that the hasty demaunde deserueth a longe aunswere but I wold not that thou shuldest do soo but as I desyre the soo desyre me I saye agayne I am all thyne and not myne owne And as for my selfe in al thynges I wyll serue the. And lady Libia regard that it were as moche honour for the as profytable for me to tourne thy disordinate desyres and pourposes For thou seest well it is moch better to heale shortly than to late with faylynge of thy pourpose All women kepe one daungerous opynyon that is they wyll neuer receyue counsell that is gyuen them in a great cause and if it be so as I thynke syth thou arte praysed and estemed of great beautie than be estemed to receyue good counsell And in this maner in case that my domage be very great and thy pacience very lyttell I shalbe called wise to gyue the suche counsell and thou ryghte gratious to folowe it One thynge I saye and pardone me though I shewe it to the howe that women be greatly infamed that wyll take no counsell and suche as wylle assure their renoume by the opinion of other as moche as though they were determyned so to doo their selfe Wherfore I wolde ye shuld do one thyng for an other as I coūsayle you And if thou fyndest any ylle therby withdrawe thy hande I wyll say no more to the but that I doo present to the al my vnhappy troubles my desperate syghes and my seruyces as thy seruaunt My troubled dolours my wordes of philosophy and my amorous teares Also I sende the a gyrdelle of golde and I gyue it the on the condition that thou sette thyn eies theron and apply thy harte to me I pray the goddis to gyue me to the and the to me Marcus Aurelius the philosopher writeth this in very great secrete ¶ THVS ENDETH THIS GOLDEN Boke of the eloquent Marc Aurelie emperour who so euer be reder therof may take it by reason for a ryche and a newe labour and specially pryncis and gouernours of the common welth and mynisters of iustyce with other Also the common people eche of theym may fynde the labour conueniente to their estate And therin is conteyned certayne right hygh and profounde sentences and holsom counselles and meruaylous deuyses ageynst thencumbraunce of fortune and ryght swete cōsolations for them that are ouerthrowen by fortune Finally it is good to them that digeste it and thanke god that hath gyuen suche grace to a paynym in gyuynge vs exaumple of vertuous lyuynge with hye and salutary doctrines and meruaylous instructions of perfectnes Certainly as great prayse as ought to be gyuen to the auctour is to be gyuen to the translatours that haue laboriously reduced this treatyse oute of Greke into latyn and out of latyn into Castilian and out of Castilyan into frenche and out of frēche into englishe writen in high and swete styles O ryght happy trauayle sythe that suche fruyte is issued therof And also blessyd be the handes that haue wrytten hit A ryghte precyous meate is the sentences of this boke But finally the sauce of the sayd swete style moueth the appetite Many bokes there be of substancial meates but they be so rude and so vnsauery and the style of so smal grace that the fyrste morsell is lothesome and noyful And of suche bokes foloweth to lye hole and sounde in Lybraries but I truste this wylle not Of trouthe great prayse is due to the auctour of his trauayle And syth there can be no grace equipolent in erthe lette vs pray to god to gyue hym grace rewarde in heuen Amen Graces to god FINIS ⧠Thus endeth the volume of Marke Aurelie emperour otherwise called the golden boke translated out of Frenche into englyshe by Iohn̄ Bourchier knyghte lorde Barners deputie generall of the kynges towne of Caleis and marches of the same at the instant desyre of his neuewe syr Francis Bryan knyghte ended at Caleys the tenth day of Marche in the yere of the Reygne of our souerayn lorde kynge HENRY the VIII the XXIII LONDINI IN AEDIBVS THOMAE BERTHELETI REGII IMPRESSORIS ANNO M.D.XXXVII CVM PRIVILEGIO LUCRECIA ROMANA THOMAS BETHELETVS
done they retourned all into the temple that they came out of and there offred echeone as they myght And in the sayde processions it was of custome that the emperours went accompanied with the senatours but this good emperour was soo famylier that he wolde honour and accompany euery man It was accustomed in Rome that the sayde day themperour shulde weare on his robe and mantelle unperiall And all prisoners and captiues that myght touch hym with their hāde were deliuered al trespassours were pardoned and banished folke were forgiuen and called agayn And this emperour to vse his clemency and to leaue after hym perpetuall memorie lefte the procession of senatours and without any gard went the procession with prisoners and captiues The whiche doinge was occasion to leaue behynde hym perpetuall memory of hym selfe and greate example of clemencie and lowlynes to princes for to come Howe be it there is nothynge so well done of them that be good but forthwith it shalbe contraried of them that be yl And therfore this example was soo moche dispraysed of theym that were yll as praysed and allowed of theym that were good And in likewise as among them that be good there is one noted to be pure good so amonge them that be yll there is one noted to be right ylle And that worse is that the vertuous person estemeth not the glorie his vertue so great as the malitious person by his malice is shamid This is sayde bycause there was a senatour in the senate named Fuluius whiche was as blacke by his malyce as whyte by his heares He laboured soore in the dayes of Adrian to haue ben emperour and had Marcus always as competitour And as it is a naturall thyng to theym that haue yll hartes to shewe theyr malyce in smal thynges so this emperour dyd neuer no good thynge openly but this Fuluius wolde grudge therat secretely And though this emperour was greatly praysed for the delyuerynge of prisoners yet the sayd senatour coude not haue the prudence for to suffre it and so part in mockery and part in erneste he sayd these wordes to the emperour in the senate Why gyuest thou thy selfe to all men ¶ Howe Marcus the emperour aunswered a senatour in the senate Cap. xvi THe emperour Marcus Aur̄hering what the senator had said to him in the p̄sence of the senators y t is to wite Wherfore he gaue him to all men He aunswered Frende I giue me to all men bycause all men giue them to me and ar glad of me Beleue me that ouer great rigour in a prince causeth hatred of the people The goddis wyll not nor the lawes permit not nor the agreement of the cōmon welthe wyll not suffre y e princis be lordes ouer many to accompany but with a fewe I haue redde in bokes haue proued it by my selfe that the loue of subiectes the suretie of the prince the dignitie of thempire and the honour of the Senate do conserue the prince not with rigour but with gentyll conuersation The fysher goth not to take dyuers fyshes of the riuer with one baite nor y e mariner with one nette entreth into the see I promyse you the depenesse of good wylles ought to be wonne with the depenesse of the harte some with gyftes some with wordes some with promyses and some with fauours The insaciate couetous men are neuer content nor wyll open their affection but locke vp their treasours And such as serueth for loue ar lesse content with openyng of their treasure than locking vp their wylles It is an olde prouerbe of Pythagoras Loue is payd with other loue O how yl fortune it is to a prince how vnhappy it is to a cōmon welth whā y e people serue not their lordes but for rewardes the lordes to kepe mayntayne them but for their seruice With diuers stones and one ciment buyldynge is reysed and of diuers men and one lord is composed a common welthe And if geometrie begile me not the morter that ioyneth one stone with an other ought to be medled with sande and slecked lyme by reson Separate the stones and the wal openeth and let the cyment fayle and the edifice falleth He that is wyse may well vnderstande me Loue betwene neybours suffereth to be mitigate with water but hit is requysite that the loue of the prince and his people be pure Dyuers trowbles and acte dyuers tymes I haue seene among the common people of Rome in one day moued and appeased but one discorde reysed betwene the lorde and the common welthe vnto the death is neuer accorded It is a difficile thinge to make appoyntment of many with many and more difficile to accorde one with an nother But without comparison more harder it is to appoynt diuers with one than one with dyuers And in this case I wyl not saue the prince nor leue the people vncondēpned Fro whens as ye thynk cometh it now adays that lordis with annoyance commaunde vniuste thinges and in iust thinges the subiectes are vnobediente Nowe here me I shall tell you The prince doinge a thynge in dede and not of righte wyl confounde the wyl of euery manne and beleue his owne vnderstandynge and drawe of hym selfe and all other his onely wyl Contrary wise the multitude of the people dispraysynge theyr lordes vnderstandynge do as they will not as all wyll but as euery manne desireth hym selfe Of trouth it is a greuous thing although it be greately accustomed to wyll that all gounes shulde be mete fore one man and that one mans harneis shuld be mete to arme all men Than what shall we do that our fathers haue lefte thus in the worlde also we hold that we be theyr chyldren and that worse is we leaue the same to our heires O howe many princis of my predecessours I haue redde of that haue bene loste in shewynge theym selfe ouer straunge and beloued of none I wyll tell you of somme of them for exaumples that I haue redde in my bokes to thintent that pryncis maye se what they wynne by amiable conuersation and what they lose by ouermoch straungenes In the realme of Assiens greatter in armes than the Caldeens and lesse in aduantage and antiquitie than the Assiriens One maner forme of kynges endured amonge them CC. and .xx. yeres by reason they were of lowable conuersation And an nother fourme and maner as Homer sayth lasted but .xl. yeres bicause their kinges were of an yll condition And the .ix. Epiphanes of the Egiptiens was vnnombred and put down bycause there was a lawe that eche one shulde be bare legged in the temples vpon the holy dayes And this kynge on a day riding came before the god Apis god of the Egiptiens the whiche thyng was not suffred for besyde that he was put out of his realme he was chastised Also the .vi. Arfacidauel the inuincible kynge of Parthes not onely was depriued but also banyshed out of his realme bycause he dyned
wyse women to be neyghbours to fooles Great peryll it is to them that be shamefast to be with them that be shameles great peryl it is to them that be of a meke and styll maner to be with them that be bolde and rude great perylle it is for them that be chaste to be with them that lyue in auoutrie great peryll it is for the honourable to be with them that be disfamed For the women defamed thinke that all other be defamed and desyre that they shulde be defamed and procure to haue them defamed and say they be yll famed And to thentent to couer theyr owne infamy they infame all other that be good O you ladyes in amours it is longe syth ye knew me and I you and if ye speke I speke if ye knowe I knowe if ye be styll I am styll if ye speke openly I wyl not speke in secret Thou knowest wel Auilina that made the ieste how Eumedes solde calues deter in the boucherie than thou soldest the innocent vyrgins in thy house Thou knowest wel Turinga that one day thou recknedst all thy louers but thou coudest not recken them on thy fyngers but desyredst to haue a bushell full of peason And thou Lucia Fuluia knowest welle whan thou were thou wotest where with Breto and madest peace with thy husbande thou tokest hym a syde and saydeste but if thou myghtest lye out of thy house ones a weeke he shuld not lye in the house And thou Retoria knowest wel that in thy yonge dayes two yeres thou were appoynted on the see with a Pyrate so that he shulde take no moo to satisfie a. C. men of warre in the galey Thou Egna Corcia knowest well that whan the censure entred to take the he founde .v. mens gownes in which thou wentest euer by nyght thou haddest but one womans gowne that thou warest on by day Thou knowest well Pesylane Fabrice that Aluinus Metellus thou beinge maried before the Censure demaunded openly his part of that thou gatest in thy house with thy secrete louers And thou Camil knowest well not beinge content with thyn owne nation but by reason of the great hauntynge that thou haddest with straungers thou canst speake all maner of languages I wyl marke them that haue marked me hurte theym that haue hurte me persecute theym that haue persecuted me and infame them that haue infamed me All other my pen doth pardon bicause they haue perdoned me in their play And bycause my letter hath begonne in that ye haue done to my person therfore I wyl end it in that it feleth of your good names And thus I conclude that a man may scape free fro all domages with absteynynge fro them But fro women there is no way but to fle fro them Thus I ende and demaunde of the goddis that I may see of you as ye desyre to se of me And sythe ye be louers I counsell you as ye haue sent me your ieste for a mocke in lykewyse for a mocke to receyue the answere Marke Rodian to the amorous ladies of Rome ¶ A letter sent by Marc the emperour to Boemia a louer of his that wolde haue gone with him to the warres The .xv. letter MArc pretour Romayn sent to the warres of Dacy sēdeth salute to y e his louer Boemia which art in y e pleasures of Rome I being scaped fro the cruel battel haue red the few lines writen with thy hande haue harde of the a long informatiō I say to the thou haste put me in a more great abashement than the feare of myn enmies In takynge thy letter into my hande forthwith the herbe of malyce entred into my herte Whan I tempre my body with thy delytes I thinke my hart is fre fro the venym of thy amours I of my wyll and thou bicause thou canste do no more we haue giuen vs to be free of our pleasures I thinke as wel as to make a deuorse of our enmies But suche as ye be so ye do banyshementes of amours and treasures of passions The loue of you al ought to be digested with pylles but the passion of one of you wyll not be oppressed with al the Rubarbe in Alexandrie Ye shewe your selfe cruell to pardon an ennemy and euery day light to chaūge louers Curiously I haue kepte you al the whyle that delytes ouerpressed my youth yet I coude neuer se in any woman no certayntie nor reason in loue but hate at the last Thy present lightnes quarelleth with my youthe past and it is bycause thou seest not in me the auncient will towarde the nor the present seruice And certaynly herynge thyn accusation and not my iustification as iustly thou paiest me with deth as I paie the with forgetfulnes The whiche forgettynge is as straunge to be in him that serueth as vngentilnes in the ladye that is serued Thinkest thou that I haue forgotten the lawe of Venus where as it commandeth that the curious louers shuld exercise their strēgthes in armes and occupie theyr hartes in loue and also that their apparell be very clenely their fete well compassed their bodies stedfast and not waueryng their voyces lowe and softe and sadde in coūtenance their eies open gasynge at wyndowes and their hartes redy to fle in the aire Of trouth my loue Boemia he is but a grosse louer that holdethe his wylle in captyuitie and his vnderstandynge free The vnderstandynge oughte to be loste where as wyll is in prison I saye this to thentent that thoughe myne age haue lefte the exercyse yet my spirite hathe not forgotten the art Thou complaynest bicause I gyue my selfe to rest that I haue greatly forgotten the. I wyll not deny the trouthe the day of forgettynge maketh the muster of my thoughtes and reason whiche is prouisour declareth that it is not to my grauite to permyt that I shuld loue nor thy age to suffre to be beloued As nowe thou knowest that dyuers thynges that youthe dissimuleth in yonge persons in age meryteth greuous correction The dedes done in youthe procedethe of ignorance but the vilanies done in age procedeth of malyce Whan I kepte the Cautons I ietted in the stretes I sange balades I gased to the wyndowes I played on instrumentes I scaled the walles I wakened lyght persons thinkest thou that I wyst what I dyd in my youth and nowe that I se my selfe promoted fro these pleasures and decked with soo many whyte heares and apparayled with soo many dolours I thynke nowe I was not than or elles I dreame as nowe not knowynge the wayes that I haue gone not seinge the wayes full of stones I haue fallen ere I was ware I haue fallen in snares seking no guyde I was entred into the whirlepoole and by the grossenes of my boldnes I was lost and therfore I haue deserued pardon And nowe that I am out of the thornes and bushes thou woldest haue me farther in than euer I was And now that I can not take the purgations
of bokes and to cowardes to babble of armes I say it bycause the answerynge to a letter was not of necessitie to reherse to a woman as I am whether it were before the battayle or after I know well thou art scaped fro it for thou were not the first that fought nor the laste that fled Whan thou were yonge I neuer sawe the go to the warre that euer I dredde or had suspecte of thy lyfe for knowyng thy cowardyse I neuer toke care for thyne absence for therin I was mooste sure of thy persone Than Marc tell me nowe what thou dost in thyn age I thinke thou bearest thy speare not for to iust in the warre but for to leane on whan the gowte greueth the. Thy helmette I deme thou bearest with the to drynke within tauernes and not to defende the fro the strokes of swerdes for I neuer sawe the stryke man with thy swerd but I haue knowen the slee a. M. women with thy tonge O malicious and vnhappy Marc if thou were as valyaunt as thou arte malycious thou shuldest be as greatly dredde of the barbarycke nations as thou arte hated as reasonne is of the matrones of Rome Tell me what thy lyste at the least thou canste not denye but as thou haste ben a weake and slacke louer soo thou arte nowe a weake and slacke cowarde knyght an vnknowen frende auaricious infamed malicious cruell ennemy to euery man and frend to no body And we that haue knowen the yōge stronge and lusty condempne the for an olde foole Thou sayest that takynge my letter into thy handes thy harte toke the poyson of malyce I beleue it wel without swearynge for any thyng beinge malicious forthwith fyndeth lodging in thy house Beastes that be corrupt lightly take the poyson that they that ben of good complexion caste away Of one thyng I am in certayn thou shalt not die of poyson For one venyme oftentymes dystroyeth an other venym O malycious Marc yf all they in Rome knewe the as well as sorowfull Boemya dooth they shuld soone se what difference were betwene the wordes that thou spekest and the intention of thy hart And if by the writinges that thou makest thou meritest to haue the name of a philosopher by the ylnes that thou doest inuente thou doste merite to haue the name of a tyraunt Thou sayest thou sawest neuer certitude in the loue of a woman nor ende of her hate I haue great glorie that other ladyes besyde me haue knowlege of thy small wysedome A se Marc I wyll not mocke the thou arte suche one as neuer deserued that one shoulde begynne to loue the nor leaue to hate the. Wylte thou haue certitude in loue and thou vnfaythfull of thy seruyce Wylt thou serue with mockeries and woldest be loued truely Wylte thou enioye the personne without spendynge of any of thy goodes Wylt thou haue no complayntes of the and thou not ceassynge thy malyces Thou sayest thou knowest the ylnes of women I wil thou know we be not so folyshe as thou thinkest nor thou so wyse as thou weneste to prayse thy selfe ▪ yet hytherto hath ben sene mo men to folowe the appetyte of women than there hath ben women folowynge the wylle of men 〈◊〉 none of bothe is great truste and yet we both practyse that one man hath his harte so myghty to be more wyser than thre wyse women and one woman thynketh her soo strong to put vnder her feete and ouercome .iii. C. suche as be lyght Thou sayest thou arte abashed of my lyghtnes to leaue Rome and come to the being in the warres Great is the loue of the countrey sith that many leaue dyuers welthes that they haue in straunge landes and lyue straitly for to lyue in their owne lande but greatter is my loue syth that I wolde leaue Rome with al the pleasures to go and serche for the in strange landes among the cruel battayles O malicious Marke O straunge louer yf I leaue Rome it were to go and seke my harte beynge in the battayles with the. And certaynly dyuers tymes whanne I doo thynke on thyne absence I swowne and sorowe as my hart were not with me and yet I fynde no perfyte remedy I thynke our loue is not lyke these beastes that ioy of their pleasures without to wyll and desyre theyr wylles I sweare to the by the goddesse Vesta and by the mother Berecinthia that thou owest me more for one day of loue that I haue had to the than for the seruyces that I haue done to the in .xxii. yeres Beholde vnhappy Marc howe moche in thy presence I haue always regarded the and in thyn absence I haue alwayes thoughte on the and slepynge I haue alwayes dreamed of the I haue wepte for thy trauayle and laughed at thy pleasure and finally all my welthe I haue wyshed the and al thyn ylles I haue wyshed me I ensure the one thynge that as nowe I fele not soo moche the persecution that thou doest to me as I do the mysknowlege that thou makest to me It is a great sorowe for an auaricious man to see his goodes loste but without comparyson it is farre greatter for the louer to se his loue yll bestowed It is a hurt that is alway soore a peyn alway peynful a sorow alway sorowful it is a deth that neuer endeth O ye men if ye knewe with what loue women loueth you in perfytenes whan they loue with what harte they hate whan they are set to hate I swere to you ye wold neuer cōpany with thē in loue or if ye do loue them ye wold neuer leue thē for feare of their hate there is neuer gret hate but where as moch loue was fyrst But thou shalt neuer be gretly hatid for thou were neuer truly loued of ladies The sorowfull Boemia hath loued y e .xxii. yere of her lyfe now she only hateth y e tyl after her deth Thou sayest I may be eaten for veriuyce and yet I wold be solde for wyne I knowe wel I haue erred as one that hath ben yonge and lyght and whan I perceyued that I had loste my way and that my mysaduenture can fynd no way nor remedy It is the greatest losse of al losses whan there is no remedy I haue erred lyke a feble and a weake woman but thou hast erred as a stronge man I haue erred by simple ignorance but thou haste erred of a prepensed and wilfull malice I haue erred not knowinge that I shulde haue erred but thou knewest what thou diddest I haue trusted to thy wordes as to a faythfull gentylle man and thou haste begyled me with a thousande lesynges as a lier Telle me diddest thou not seke occasion to comme into my mothers house Getulia to allure me her doughter Boemia to thy minde Dyddeste thou not promise my father to teache me to rede in one yere and thou taughtehe me to rede the boke of Duidius of the arte of loue Diddest thou not sweare
to be my husbaunde and than withdrewest thy hande as a false aduoultrer Doest thou not knowe that thou neuer foundest villanie in my personne nor I neuer founde trouthe in thy mouthe At least thou canst not denie but thou hast offended the goddis and arte infamed of men odious to the Romaynes sclaundred of good folkes and example to the yll folkes and fynally a traytour to my father and mother a breker of thy faythe and to me sorowefull Boemia an vnkynde louer O malycious Marc hast thou not cutte me in leaues offrynge to my father to kepe his vines surely Ill may the chekyn truste the kyte or the lambes the wolues worse the to bring vp the doughters of thē that be good O cursed Marke a domageable keper of vines hathe the matrones of Rome founde the in kepynge their doughters I swere that there was neyther grape nor cluster but it was eaten or cut by the. Thou dydst eate me beinge grene I promyse the it hathe sette thy tethe on an yl edge Thou sayeste I ryped by power of heate and strawe It displeaseth me not so moche that thou sayest as thou gyuest me occasion to say to the. Thy shame is so shamefull and thy malyce so vnshamefaste that I can not aunswere the to the pourpose withoute hurtynge or touchynge the quycke I wolde wytte of the whan thou maryedste Faustyn whether thou foundest her grene or rype Thou knowest well and lyke wyse so do I that other beside the gauged the vessel and thou drankest the lies other gathered the grapes and thou gleynedst the vine other dyd eate the grapes and thou haddest the huskes O wycked Marc beholde thyne euylles and howe the goddis haue gyuen the iuste chastysemēt that thou being yong meritedst not to be desyred of thy louers nor that thy wyues kepe feithe to the in thyne age For to be aduenged of thy personne I nede none other thinge but to se the maried to Faustyne By the mother Berecynthia I promyse the y t if thy small wysedome myght atteyne to knowe entierly what is said of her and the in Rome surely thou woldest wepe nyghte and day for the lyfe of Faustyn and not leue the thoughtfull Boemia O Marc lyttell thoughte is taken for the how fer is our vnderstādyng vncoupled fro thy thoughtes bycause that with thy great doctrine by day tyme thy house is made a schole of philosophers and the wantonnesse of thy wyfe Faustyne by nyghte maketh it a bordell of ruffiens It is a iuste iugement of the goddis that sith thyn onely malyce suffiseth to poyson many that be good that one alone may suffise to vnbend and lose thy renome One difference there is betwene the and me and thy wyfe Faustine for my dedes are but in suspecte and yours are openly knowen in dede myn are secrete and yours are euident I haue stōbled but ye haue fallen Of one thyng alone I haue merited to be chastised but ye haue deserued no forgyuenes My dishonour is deed with the faut and is buried with myn amendmēt but your infamie is borne with your desyres and is broughte vp with your wylles and lyueth styll with your werkes finally therfore youre infamie shall neuer dye for you lyued neuer well O malicious Marcus with all that thou knowest wotest thou not that forlosynge of a good name an yll fame is recouered and in the ende of a good lyfe begynnethe a good faame Thou ceassest not to saye ylle onely by suspicion the whiche thy false iugementes shewe the and yet thou woldest we shulde not speake that we se with our eies Of one thynge be thou sure that neyther of the nor of thy wyfe Faustyne there is no false wytnesse for the trouth is so euident that there nedeth not to inuent any lyes Thou saist that it is an olde quarel of amorous ladies of Rome that in takinge fro many we are the pooreste of all other bicause we faile in credence we are honoured for syluer It is of certayntie that we mystruste the hollie bicause of his prickes the acornes for his huskes the roses among nettyls and thy mouth for thy malyce I haue curiouslye taken hede that thou neuer saydest well by women nor I neuer coud fynde that any wolde the good What greatter correction shuld I haue of thy wickednes or more vengeance for myn iniuries but to be certayne that all the louynge ladies of Rome are sorye of thy lyfe and wolde be gladde of thy dethe The lyfe of that man is wycked that many bewayle and in whose dethe euery body reioyseth It is the propertie of poore vnkynde persons as thou art to forgette the great goodnesse done to them and to be sory for the lyttell that they gyue As moche as noble hartis glorifie them in gyuinge to other so moche are they ashamed to receyue seruices vnrewarded For in giuinge they make them selfe lordes and in receyuyng they are as sclaues I wolde wytte what thou haste gyuen me or what thou haste receyued of me I haue aduentured my good name and gyuen the possession of my personne I haue made the lorde and mayster of all my goodes I haue banyshed my selfe out of my countrey and putte my selfe in peryll only for thy sake and in recompence of al this thou reprochest me now of miserie Thou neuer gauest me any thing with thy good wyl nor I neuer receyued it willingly nor it dyd me neuer profyt Il thinges recouer a name not for the common warke that we see but for the secrete intention with the whiche we worke And thou vnhappy man desiredst me not to enioy my personne but rather to haue my money We ought not to cal the a clere louer but a thefe a wyly see rouer I had a litel ringe of the whiche I am determyned to caste into the ryuer and the clothynge that I had of the I haue brente in the fire And yf that my body were any thing amēded with the breade that I haue eaten of thyn I wolde cutte my fleshe and let out the blode without any feare O cursed Marke thy darke malyce wolde not suffre the clerely to vnderstande my letter for I entended not to aske moneye to releue my pouertie and solytarynesse but reknowlegynge and thynkynge to satisfie my wyllyng harte Suche vayne and couetous menne as thou arte thy selfe are pleased with gyftes but the hartis incarnate in loue are lyttell satisfyed with syluer For loue onely is payde with loue agayne The manne that loueth not as a manne of reasone but as a brute beaste and the woman that loueth not but for the interest of her person suche ought not to be trusted in theyr wordes nor their persones desyred For the loue of her endeth whan the goodes fayle and the loue of hym whan her beautie fayleth If thy loue proceded onelye of the beautie of my face and my loue only for the money of thy pours it were no ryghte that we were callyd wyse louers but
rather very nyce persons O wycked Marke I neuer loued the for thy goodes though thou louedst me for my beautie with all my harte I loued the than with all my harte I hate the now Thou sayst the goddis haue shewed me great pitie to gyue me fewe chylderne and to them many fathers The greattest blame in women is to be vnshamefast and the moste vylanie in men is to be yll sayers Diuers thinges ought to be suffred for the fragilitie of women whiche are not permitted in the wisedom of men I say this bicause I neuer sawe temperaunce in the for to couer thyne owne malyces nor wysedome to excuse the debilities of other Thou sayest that my sonnes haue dyuers fathers I sweare vnto the that though thou dye the chylderne of Faustine shall not be fatherlesse And of trouthe if the goddis as thou sayest haue be pitiefull to my chyldern no lesse art thou to strange children For Faustyne kepeth the but to excuse her blame and to be tutour of her children O cursed Marc thou mayst well reioyce take no thoughte for thyn owne chyldren haue noo nede to be maried For oone thynge we are bounde that is for the example the whiche thou doste gyue of thy pacyence For sithe thou suffrest Faustine in so many infamies it is no great nede that we suffre any secretes in the. I saye no more at this tyme makynge an ende of my letter desyring the ende of thy person ¶ A letter sent by Marcus the emperour to Matrine a yonge mayden of Rome of whom he was enamoured seinge her at a wyndowe ¶ The .xvii. letter MArke themperour the very desyrous to the Matrine greatly desyred I wote not if by good aduenture of myn yll aduenture or by yll aduenture of my good aduenture I dyd see the of late at a wyndow where as thou heldest thyn armes as close as myn eien were spred abrode that cursed be they for euer For in beholdyng thy face my harte forthewith abode with the as prysoner The begynnynge of thy knowlege is the ende of my reason and felynge of flyght Of one trauayle cometh infinite trauayles to mē I say it for this if I had not ben ydel I had not gone out of my howse and yf I hadde not gone out of my howse I had not gone oute into the stretes and yf I had not passyd through the strete I hadde not sene the at thy wyndowe and if I hadde not sene the at thy wyndowe I had not desyred thy persone and not desyring thy person I had not put thy name in so great perylle nor my lyfe in trauaile nor had gyuen none occasion in al Rome to speke of vs. Of a trouth lady Matrine in this case I condemne my selfe syth I wold beholde the. And thou woldest be saluted syth thou desyredst to be sene And syth thou were set as a whyte marke it was no greate meruaylle that I that with the arowes of myne eyes at the buttes of thy beauty with rollynge eies with browes bent well coloured face incarnate tethe ruddy lyppes cryspe heares handes sette with rynges clothed with a. M. maner of clothynges bearyng purses full of swete smelles and bracelettes full of knackes with perles and stones at the eares Tell me what becometh of a woman with these thynges that wyl shewe her selfe at a wyndowe The mooste cause is that I can esteme or thynke therin that sith you do shew your bodies openly to vs at the eie that your wylle is that we shulde knowe your desires secretely And if it be soo as I afferme that it is so it semeth me madame Matrine thou shuldest desire hym that desyreth the to enforme hym that sercheth the to answere hym that calleth the fele that he feleth intende to hym that intendeth to the and sythe I vnderstande the vnderstande me and vnderstande sythe thou doest not vnderstande I am aduysed as I went by the strete Falaria to se theues putte to Iustice myne eyen sawe the at a wyndowe on whome dependeth all my desires Thou doest more Iustyce to me then I to the theues for I beinge at Iustice thou haste iusticied the Iustice none dare peyne the. The gybet is not so cruell to them that neuer knew but il doing as thou art to me that neuer thought but howe I myghte doo the seruyce The theues suffre but one death and thou makest me to suffre a. M. in a day In one houre the theues liues are ended and I dye euery mynute I drawe towarde deth wrongfully and they suffre for theyr fautes I suffre an innocēt they openly and I in secrete What shall I saye more to the of trouthe they wepte watry droppes with their eyes bycause they dye and I wepe teares of bloud in my harte bycause I lyue This is the difference theyr tourmentes spredeth abrode through all theyr bodies and I kepe myn together in my hart O cruell Matrine I canne not telle what iustyce it is to put men to dethe that steale money suffre women to lyue that robbe mennes hartes If theyr eares be cut of that picke mens pourses why are women than pardoned that robbe mens inwarde hartes and entrayles By thy noblenes I pray the and by the goddesse Venus I coniure the eyther answere to my desyre or elles restore my harte agayne whiche thou hast robbed fro me I wolde thou knewest the clere fayth of my harte rather than this letter writen with my hande If myn aduenture were so good as to speke with the and that thy loue were not ashamed therof I wolde hope with the sight speche to wynne that whiche I am in suspect to lese by my letter The reason is bycause thou herest my ylle and rude reasons redynge my letter And if thou sawest me thou shuldest see the cruelle teares that I offre to the by my lyfe I wolde my mouth coulde publysshe myn enraged euylles as my harte feleth than I swere to the lady Matrine that my greuous dolour shulde awake thy small thought And as thy beautie myn affection haue made me thyn owne so the knowlege of my passion shuld make the mine I desyre that thou shuldest regarde the begynnynge and therwith regarde the ende Certaynly the same day that thou enprisonedst my harte at thy wyndowe in the doungeon of my desyres I had no lesse weakenesse to be ouercome thanne thou haddeste force to constrayne me And more greatter is thy power to putte thy selfe from me than my reason is to put me fro the. I aske no mercye of the but that we myghte declare oure wylles togyther But in this case what wylte thou that I shulde say but that thou hast so moch power ouer me and I so lytel of my lybertie that wyll I nyll I my hart can not be but thyne And hit beinge thyne thou mayste and wylte not declare thy selfe to be myn And syth it may not be but that my life must be condemned in thy seruice be thou as sure
of sorowe and pensyfenes to the Lybia takynge but lyttell thought or care if thy small thought passed any thynge on me and also if my troubles and dolours were lodged and dydde reste in 〈◊〉 thanne thou shuldest perceyue and se howe smalle the quarell were the whiche I make to the in respecte of the tourment that I doo suffre if the blasinge flames issued out as the fyred brondes do brenne me within the smoke wolde reache to the heuens and make ymbres of the erthe yf thou doest well remembre the fyrst tyme that I sawe the in the temple of the virgins vestales thou beynge there praydste the goddis for thy selfe and I on my knees prayed the for my selfe I knowe well thou offredst hony and oyle to the goddis and I offred to the soore wepynges and syghes It is a iuste thynge to gyue more to hym that offreth his inwarde entrayles than to hym that draweth money out of his purse to offre I haue determined and disposed me to write to the this letter that thou shuldest se howe thou art serued with the arowes of myne eies that were shotte at the whyte of thy seruices Alas howe sorowful am I to thynke least the calme tyme now doth threten me with the tempest to come I wyl say that disloue in the causeth the hope doubtfull in me Beholde what mysaduēture I had lost a letter and I as I retourned to the temple to seke for it I hadde nere lost my selfe in going thyther so often cōsydering my smal merite I se well that mine eies the ladders of my hope are set on soo hie a walle that no lesse is the doubte of my fall than the daunger of the clymmynge vppe Thou bowinge downe the leaues of thy high merites haste broughte me to the poynte of continuall seruice Lette me haue the fruite and giue the leaues to whome thou wylte By the immortalle goddis I haue great meruayle for surely I thought that in the temple of the virgins Vestales no manne shoulde haue had temptations But as nowe I doo fynde by experience that that woman is more lyberall and sooner ouercome that is faste and straytly kept and watched than other Al the corporal domages are first hard of er they be knowen and knowen er they be sene and sene er they be felte and felte er they be tasted yet it is not so in loue For fyrst they fele the stroke therof er they see the way howe it cometh The lyghtnynge is not so sodeyne but it is sene afore the thonder clappe nor the wall fallith not so sodeinly but fyrste some stones breake asonder nor the colde cometh not so faste on but some smalle sheuerynges cometh before but all onely loue is not felte tyll it be setled in the entrayles Let euery man knowe it that know it not and thou lady Libie if thou wylt knowe Loue slepeth whan we wake and waketh whan we slepe and laugheth whan we wepe and wepeth whan we laugh it assurethe in takynge and taketh in assuryng And speketh whan we be styll and is styll whan we speke And fynally it is of that condicion that for to gyue vs that we desyre it causeth vs to lyue in peyne I sweare to the whan my wyll becamme thy seruaunte and thy beautie caused that thou were my lady whan I was in the temple and returned ageyn thyther not desyrynge the thou beheldeste me and I as vnhappy loked on the. But O what a thoughte came to me that my harte beinge hole thou haste dyuyded beinge in helthe thou haste hurte being alyue thou haste slayne beinge myn thou haste stollen it and that worst of all is not helpynge to my lyfe thou consentest that loue assaylle me to the dethe Many tymes lady Libia consyderynge that al my thoughtes ben high and my fortune lowe I wolde haue seperate my felfe fro the. But consyderynge that my trauayles are well applyed in thy seruyces I say thoughe I myght I wyll nat be seperate fro the. I wyll not denye one thynge and that is that cursed loue taketh away the taste of al thynges and yet therby alonly it gyueth vs appetite the whiche gyueth vs moche yll proufyte This is the profe of hym that loueth hartily For one disfauour of hym that is beloued is more than all the fauour of this lyfe I thinke lady Libia thou art gretly abashed to se me outwarde as a philosopher and to knowe me inwarde a secrete louer I praye the Lybia discouer me not For yf that the goddis gyue me longe lyfe I am mynded for to amende And thoughe I be at this howre but a yonge foole in the arte of loue whan I am olde I shall be wyse the goddis knowe what I desyre and the force that I do enforce me to but as the fleshe is weake and the hart tender and hath many occasions and fewe vertues and the worlde subtyll and the people malitious I passe this beginninge and spring of floures with hope that in haruest I shall haue some fruite Dame Libia doest thou thinke that philosophers thought they were neuer so sage be not stryken with the cruelties of loue and that vnder their cours clothes their fleshe is not smoth Certaynly among the harde bones softe fleshe is bred vnder the sharpe huskes the chestnutte is nourysshed I saye that vnder course apparel is true and perfyte loue I deny not but that our slacke nature resysteth not with vertues nor I denye not but there be yonge wāton desyres not repressed with vertuous purposes I deny not but that the bytte of youth is not refreyned with the brydell of reason I denye not but that that the fleshe procureth is dyuers tymes withstande by wysedome And also I knowlege well that he that is not amorous is a foole And thou knoweste that thoughe we be wyse we leaue not therfore to be men All that euer we lerne in all our lyues suffiseth not to knowe howe to rule the fleshe one houre To wyse menne in this case hathe fallen many errours there be many maysters in vertues and many moo hath bene and yet they haue ben ouercome with vices wherfore than doest thou meruayle of me alone I confesse of trouthe that I had neuer myne vnderstandyng so clere as whan Cupyde fanned wind on me with his winges There was neuer none vnto my tyme that euer was noted wyse but fyrst he was a prisoner bound with the loue of Cupide Gratian was amorous on Tamyr Solon Salaminus giuer of the lawes was amorous of Grecyane Pytacus Mitelenus lefte his owne wyfe and was enamoured of a bond womā that he brought from the warres Cleobulus of Caria whan he was ful .lxx. yere olde and haddered philosophy xlv yere scalynge the house of his neyghbour felle of the ladder and dyed Periander prince of Acaye and a great philosopher of Grece at y e preier of one of his louers slewe his wyfe Anacharsis a philosopher a Scithian of his father syde and a greke
is wonte to doo so the emperour set more his intention on wyse men than his eies on fooles He sawe .v. of them satte beatyng the pauement with their feete and arose frome their places clappynge theyr handes speakynge lowde and laughyng excedyngely the whiche was noo lesse marked of the emperour than beholden Whan the feaste was done he called them asyde and sayde Frendes lette abyde with me the pitiefull goddis and lette the good dedes go with you I haue chosen you to thentent that foles shuld be conuerted to wyse men but I see wyse men become foles Do ye not knowe that with the fyre of myxture golde is drawen and by the lyghtnes of fooles wyse men are proued Certaynly the fyne gold defendeth his qualities in the quycke fournayes and lykewise the wyse man sheweth his vertues amonge fooles Wote ye not that a foole can not be knowen amonge fooles nor a wyse manne amonge sage folke Amonge wyse men the fole is made bryght and amonge foles wyse men do shyne Do you not knowe what shame it is to make the disciples of foles masters of princis Knowe ye not that of the couragious vnderstandyng procedethe the composytion of the bodye the reste of the person to be the temperance of the tonge What profiteth it you to haue an experte tongue a quicke memorie a clere vnderstandynge great science profounde eloquence or a swete style if with all these graces ye haue a wycked wyll Wherfore wyl wise men haue their wordes so distincte and moderate if their wordes be lyght And to thentent that it shulde not seme to you that I speake of pleasure I wyl brynge to you an antyke lawe of Rome In the seuenthe table of the lawes of our fathers was written these wordes We commaunde that a more greuous chastysement be gyuen to the wyse manne for a lyght dede done openly than to a secrete murderer O iuste lawe and iust men that ordeyned it For the symple labourer sleeth but one with his knyfe in his angre but he y t is wyse sleeth many with the euyll example of his lyuynge Curiousely I haue regarded that Rome begynneth to declyne when our senate fayllethe of meke and wyse Senatours and multyplieth with these serpentines The holy senate was adorned with olde prudent persons And not without teares I saye at this houre it is full of ianglers and lyers Auncientely in the scoles of Grece was taught onely wordes leauynge the werkes and than in Rome was taught to do werkes and leaue wordes But nowe it is contrarye for nowe in grece the lyers and ianglers are banyshed and hath sente them to Rome and Rome hath banished and sent the good wyse menne in to Grece and in this maner I desyre rather to be banyshed into Grece with wyse menne than to abyde in Rome with fooles To the prayse of a good man I sweare to you my frendes that whyles I was yonge I sawe in the senate the philosopher Crisippus broughte vp with good Traian speake oftentymes and he was so swete in his wordes that many tymes he was harde more than thre houres to gyther And he neuer spake word but it was of eternall memorye And whan so euer he wente out of the senate I neuer sawe hym do dede wherby he deserued to haue greuous peyn Certainly it was a meruaylous thynge to se here the estimation of his eloquence the infamie of his person All Rome was abasshed of his high eloquence and all Rome and Italy were sclandered with his wycked werkes The prosperitie of Rome dured CCC yere And so long Rome was Rome as it had simplicitie in wordes and grauitie in workes One thynge I shal shewe you ▪ which is great confusion to them alyue and great admyration of them that be deed that of all the auncient men I neuer redde a lyght word that they spake nor an yuell dede that they dydde What thynge was sene than in that glorious worlde but to reioyce in so glorious wyse men And nowe at this daye the worlde is so corrupted bycause there is so many yong corrupt surely I haue greatter enuie of their dedes thanne of our wrytynges Their fewe wordes and good werkes haue lefte vs example of greate admyration And the wyse men of this tyme teache vs openly and write vs secretely doctrines of pardition Than by this that I haue sayde and by other examples that I shall say ye maye knowe what I meane Whan the realme of Acaye submitted his peryllous hornes and his proude heed to the swete obeysance of the empire they drewe theym to this condicion that they wolde haue benne the hoostes of the garnysons of all Asye and not disciples of the oratours of Rome At that seson there was in Rome a great lorde ambassadour of Acaye temperate in wordes and honeste of lyuynge with a whyte heed He was enquired of the senate why he was so cruel to leade into his countrey for men of warre poore and couetous squiers and leaue wyse men of greatte harte He aunswered with suche loue as he had to his countrey and with suche grauitie as longed to suche a person and also with suche hardynes as his offyce required saying O fathers cōscriptes O happy peple It is .ii. days syth I yete any thynge and .ii. dayes sythe I slepte cursynge the fatall destenyes of fortune that hath brought me into Italye and lamenynge vnto the goddis that kepe me in this lyfe bycause my spirite is betwene the harde anuelde and the importunate hammer where as I do se all is as harde as the anuelde wheron the hammer often strykethe The thynge moste peryllous amonge all perylles is to make election ye constrayne me to chose and myne vnderstandynge canne not attayne therto and the goddis doo not shewe me what I haue to choose If I leade garrysons of menne of armes it shall be verye noyfull to the familyes if I brynge aduocates it shall be peryllous for the common welthe Sorowfull that I am what shall I do Oh heuy and vnhappy realme that abydeth for theym and ye cruel that commaundeth them Than sythe hit is thus I determyne me to leade them that shall waste our goodes and spende them rather thanne those that should corrupte and breake our customes For a legyon and an army by necessitie may put to affliction and sorowe onely a people But an oratour or an Aduocate by his malyce may corrupte a hole realme Than sayde the emperour to these wyse men Frendes howe greatte is the credence of ignorant people and losse of lerned men Wherfore shuld they of Acaie rather gyue meate to poore sowldiours men of armes than to haue for their neyghbours oratours and wyse speakynge aduocates So whan this communycation of the emperour was ended the .v. greate maysters wente awaye with greatte shame and the .ix. other taryed with great feare In all this whyle it passed not two monethes after that the prince Comode was come from his norces where as he hadde lerned
Nowe wyl we speke of his laudable exercyses of them that came to hym To be welle condicioned the malyce of mankynde is so great that as good men are bounde to regard the yll so do they that be yll regarde to distroy the good The trace of vertu is as good in good thingis with them y t be good as the vice dishonestie of euyll folkes is in euyll thinges What greatter corruption in this worlde may be than a vertuous persone for one worke of vertue can not fynde one to helpe hym to worke it and whan he alone hath wroughte it there cometh tenne thousande to gaynsaye hym The greattest goodnes of all goodnes is whan tyrannies are putte vnder by vertues acquyred or to fynde remedye agaynste accustomed vyces with good inclynations And the greattest euyll of all euyls is whan a persone forgetteth that he is a manne puttynge reason vnder fote straynynge his hande agaynst vertue and letteth vice rule the bridell This emperour Mar. Aurel. susteyned in his lyfe great glorie in the eschewyng the villany of vyllaynes no lesse merited he immortall memorye in sufferynge dyuers dyshonesties in the execution of his vertues An vnfallible reule hit is amonge the chyldren of vanitie to chylde the vices of theym that be vycyous And the vertues welle incorporate nourysshe many enuious They that be ylle benne allwayes double ylle bycause they beare armour defensiue to defende theyr owne yuelles and armes offensyue to assaylle the good maners of other The trowthe is if good menne be dylygente to seke other that be good no lesse oughte they for to hyde theym from theym that be ylle for a good manne with one fynger hathe power ouer all theym that be vertuous but for to withstande one ylle personne he hathe nede of handes feete and frendes And thoughe fortune be ylle to good menne theyr owne propre fame shall be spente as of straungiers This good emperoure was stronge in vertue meeke in wordes attemperate in his exercyses homely with euery manne sadde amonge sadde men hasty amonge hasty men mery with mery men and wise amonge wyse men as it is conuenable for a curyous prince to be And whan these are approued in the lawe of good men by clere vnderstandynge as well shall they be condempned by theym that haue yll intencions Thanne as the cooles canne not be in the embres without sparkis nor corruption of the carion withoute stenche no more can he that hath a hole and clere herte be without inforsynge hym to vtter louynge wordes And he that hathe an ylle harte alwayes ouercommeth other with wordes of malyce For it is certayne for a small seasone the louer maye absteyne his loue and yette lesse tyme the payne of hym that is payned with loue hydde The sorowfulle syghes shewe the hurte of the harte and the malicious wordes discouer the yll of the harte We haue sayde all this bycause that the bountie of this good Emperoure Marcus Aurelius set all his ioy and gladnes in them that were good and bewayled theym that were ylle And as in semblable thynges the worthy men shewe their worthynes and wise men their wysedome beinge vertuous in workynge and wise in knowlegynge were very wise in dissimulyng One of the vertues that a wyse man ought to haue wherin he shall be knowen as wyse is that he can suffre well For a man y t can suffre well was neuer but wyse wel manerd and therwith to suffre the vertue of yll busines is a thing reasonable of all reasonable beastis and of them that be good very good And by contrarye wise the man that can not well suffre though it be in very iuste thynges hopeth not to be welle treated And lykewise as this Emperoure Marcus in all vertues hath ben egall with all the emperours of Rome that haue benne In this vertue of sufferaunce he hath surmounted all them of the world He was wont to saye many tymes I haue not attayned to the empire by the sciēces that I haue lerned of the philosophers but by the pacience that I haue had with them that were frowarde and not lerned And this semeth to be true for oftentymes this Emperour beynge with the Senate at Collisee or the Senate with hym in the hygh Capytolle he seynge in his presence dyuers that praysed hym and other that in his absence amonge the people blamed hym and rebuked hym his attemperance yet was soo greatte and shewed him selfe so iuste with one and other that neyther his frendes that agreed with him were sorowful nor his ennemies for any disfauour went away complayning and angrye ¶ Of the feaste that the Romaynes kepte to the god Iano in Rome and what chaunced to the sayde emperour there Cap. xvi AMonge the solemne feastes y t the auncient Romaynes had inuented was one of the god Ianus kept the fyrst day of the yere whiche as nowe is the fyrste day of Ianiuer He was paynted with two faces to shewe that it was the laste daye of the yere passed and the begynnyng of the newe yere To this god was dedicate a sumptuous temple in Rome which temple Numa Pōpilius called it the temple of peace And except the temple of Iupiter it was holden in most reuerence of all other Whan the Romayn emperours went or came to Rome to vysite the high capitoll and the vestall vyrgins forthwith they wente to praye worshyp and to offre at the temple of Ianus The day of celebration of the sayd feast all Rome reioyced and put on them the beste clothes that they hadde brennynge great lyghtes in euerye hous and made many playes of interludes of gestes and iuglyng watched all nyght in the temples delyuered al the prisoners that were in prison for dette payde the debtes with the common treasour They had tables with meate before their doores in such haboundance that more was left thā eaten wherwith all the poore folkes in Rome were releued The Romayns thought that what so euer they spent that daye that the god Iano whiche was god of tymes wolde rewarde them double The Romaynes sayde that this god Ianus was not vnkynde nor no nygarde for yf they spente a lyttell he wolde recompence theym with a great deale At this feaste was made greate processions euery sorte of people by them selfe the senate went apart the priestes aparte The Censores aparte the Plebeyens aparte The matrones and yonge maydens by them selfe and the ambassadours went in procession with al the captiues and prisoners Thus they wente euer two and two the ende of one company was the beginnyng of an other And thus out of the temple of Ianus they wente aboute all the temples of Rome and soo out of Porte latine into the fieldes and rounde about the walles of Rome And bycause the circuite of Rome was greatte the processions went but from one gate to an other so that towarde night all the processions of Rome had gone euerychone in theyr company aboute And that
at a knyghtes bridale and wolde not eate at the bridale of a cōmuner Yet also though the realme of Italy was scant theyr hartes were greatte for bycause one of their Marranes for so were their kynges called had shette his gates by nyghte for to slepe the surelyer he was depriued of his realme bycause a lawe was made that noo prynce shulde shette his gates nyght nor day for they saide they had made him kynge for to dryue awaye their ennemyes and not to be daintily nourished Tarquine the last kyng of the Romayns was vnkynde to his father in lawe diffamed his blod and kynrede was a traytour to his countrey cruell of his persone and aduoutrer with Luctece but for all that he was not called vngentyll nor infamed nor traytour nor cruell nor aduoutrer but he was named Tarquine the prowde bycause he was of ylle condicions and complexions And yet by the lawe of good menne I swere to you that if the sayd vnhappy Tarquine had had good wyll in Rome for the aduoutry of Lucrece he hadde not be put out of his realme for as moche as other greatter and more greuous harmes hadde benne doone before his tyme and also moche wors sithen by aged emperours in the empire the whyche crymes by theym commytted were suche that the offence of this frayle yonge man was but small in estimation For thynge certayne these prynces holde that if they gyue dyuers occasions for their yll wyll yet a lyttell thing suffiseth if he shewe that the hate that he hath is for none yll wyll but the hate that the subiecte hath to the lorde is bycause he hath no power ¶ Iulius Cesar the laste dictatour and firste emperour bycause he forgate to be a man among men but thinking to be a god amonge goddis beynge a lawdable custome that the senate shulde salute the emperour on their knees and the emperour to ryse courteysly agaynste theym bycause of a presumptuous mind he wold not kepe the seremonie he merited to lese his lyfe with .xxiii. strokes of pen kniues And as I saye of these so fewe a nombre I maye saye of many other The phisitions with a lyttel Rubarbe purge many humours of the body and the emperor with a littel beneuolence taketh many greues fro the stomakes of his subiectes The people owe obedience to the prynce and to do his persone great reuerence and fulfyll his cōmaundementes and the prince oweth egall iustice to euery man and meke conuersation to all men ¶ Marcus Portius sayde dyuers tymes in Rome That the publycke welthe is there perpetuall and without any sodayne falle where the prynce fyndethe obedience and all the people fyndethe loue with the prynce For of the loue of the lorde bredethe the good obedience of the subiecte and of the obedience of the subiecte bredeth the good loue of the lorde The emperour in Rome is lyke to a spider that is in the myddes of her webbe For if the sayde coppe webbe be touched with the poynte of a nedell forthwith the spider feleth hit I meane that all the werkes of the emperour in Rome benne streyghte waye knowen in all the erthe I beleue that this daye I haue bene iudged of humayne malyce for accompanyenge the processyon of the captiues and that I suffredde theym to towche me that they myghte enioy the priuilege of lybertie I yelde and gyue great graces to my goddis of my good happe bycause they haue made me pitifull for to delyuer prisoners and not cruell as a tyraunte for to make theym bonde that be free The prouerbe sayth One snare maye take two byrdes So it hath ben this daye for that benefyte rebounded onely to the myserable prisoners but the fauour to all theyr nations And doo ye not knowe that by the takyng away of their yrons I haue drawen to me the hartes of all theyr realmes and countreys Fynally hit is more sure to a prince to be serued with free hartes and loue of them that be at libertie than of subiectes constreyned with feare ¶ Howe themperour Marcus deuided the howres of the day for the busynesses of thempire Ca. xviii HEre before we haue shewid how this good emperour had great hatrede of men that were of yll lyuynge and that passed their tyme in ylle exercyse It suffiseth not the philosopher to repreue the vice of other by wordes but it is necessary that he do the werkis that he requireth other to do It is reason nowe to shewe howe this Emperour by his great prudēce compassed dispatched the great and huge busynesses of the empire the particularities of his householde the recreation of his persone thexercyse of his studies the infinite reasonynge with one and other with suche peyne takyng and in so shorte tyme. He was soo apte and wel aduysed that by hym there was no tyme yl spent Nor neuer fayled to dispatche the besynes of the empire And bycause the tyme is glorious of hym that gloriously spendeth it and the tyme is accursed that to our domage and without profyte to other passeth leauing vs ignorant as brute beastes He departed the tyme by times the order wherof was thus Seuen howres he slepte in the nyght and rested one howre in the daye At dyner and supper he wasted but onely two howres he deputed two howres for the matters of Asie Other two howres for the busynesse of Europe and Affrike and in conuersation of his house and with his wife and children seruantes and frēdes that came to see him he spente other two howres And for the outwarde besynesse as to here the complayntes of theym that were greued The suites of poore men wantynge iustyce the wydowes the robberies of pyckers of mychers and vacaboundes he deputed an other houre All the rest of the day and nyght in reding of bokes to write workes to make metres to studye antyquities to practyse with wise men to dispute amonge philosophers he passed thus ordinately in wynter And in sommer if cruel warres letted hym not or that he were troubled with great and hainous matters he went euer to bed at .ix. of the clocke and awoke at .iiii. It was of custome that emperours hadde euerlyghtes brennynge in their chaumbre And therfore whan he awoke bycause he wolde not be ydel he had euer a boke at his beddes heed And thus in redynge he spente the rest of the nyght tyll it was day He rose at .vi. of the clocke and made hym redy openly not angrely but merily he wolde demaunde of them that were presente howe they had spent all the nyght tyme. And there he wolde reherse what he had redde that nyght Whan he was redye he wolde washe his handes with very well smellynge waters for he was a great louer of al swete odours He had a good and a quycke smellynge Than in the mornynge before euery man he wolde take .iii. or .iiii. morselles of electuarie of sticados and two draughtes of Aqua vite After that in sommer he wold go forthwith
not her folyshenes Herken to me and I shall tell you more All women wolde speake and haue all other to be stylle they wolde gouerne and be gouerned of none other One thyng they desyre that is to se and to be sene And suche as be lyghte in folowynge theyr lyghtnes they holde as theyr subiectes and sclaues and suche as be wyse and reproue theyr appetites they pursue as enemies In the annales Pompeyens I haue founde a thyng worthy for to be knowen and that is Whan Gnee Pompeie passed into the Orient on the mountaynes Rifees he founde a maner of people called Masagetes whiche had a lawe that euery inhabitaunt or dweller shuld haue two tonnes or fattes bycause there was lacke of houses in the sayde mountaynes In one was the housbande the sonnes and men seruauntes and in the other the wyfe the doughters and maydens On the holy dayes they dydde eate to gether and ones in the weke they laye together Whan great Pompeye had questioned the cause of theyr lyuynge in that maner for that he neuer sawe nor knewe a more extreme thynge in all the worlde One of them aunswered Pompey behold the goddis haue gyuen vs but a shorte lyfe for none of vs may lyue aboue .lx. yere at the moste and those yeres we trauayle to lyue in peace And in hauing our wyues with vs styll in companye we shulde lyue euer dyenge for we shulde passe the nyghtes in herynge their complayntes and the days in sufferynge their brawlynges and chydynges In kepynge them this wise from vs apart they nourishe their chyldren more peasibly eschewynge the noyses that sleeth the fathers ¶ I tell the Faustin that though we cal the Masagettes barbariens in this case they be wiser than the Romayns One thing I wyl tel you Faustin and I pray you marke it wel If the beastly mouynge of the flesshe enforced not the wyll of man to do his luste and that he wolde not desire women I doubte whether women wolde suffre it or loue it the lesse Of trouth if the goddis hadde made this loue voluntarie as it is naturall that is as we wolde we myght and not as we wold and may not with great peyn a man myghte be satisfied though he shuld lose him selfe for any woman It is a great secrete of the goddis and a great myserie to man that the faynt and weke fleshe doth force the herte whiche shulde be free to loue that it abhorreth and to alowe that that domageth This is a greatte secrete that men can fele hit euery houre as men and yet by discretion may not remedy it I enuie not the lyuynge goddis nor the menne that be deed but for two thynges and they ben these The goddis lyue without feare of thē that be malycious and they that be deed are in peace with out nede of women The ayre is so corrupt that it corrupteth euery man with two pestilent plages so deadely tha the fleshe and the harte endeth O Faustine is the loue of the fleshe so naturall that whā the fleshe fleeth scornefully we shulde leue the true harte as captiue And the resonne as reason put her to flyght the fleshe as fleshe forthewith yeldeth her to you as ouercome ¶ The emperour reherseth the perylles of them that haunt women excessiuely Cap. xx THemperour folowynge his purpose declareth the vniuersall domages that come to man by ouermoche conuersacyon and hauntynge of women And after he had tolde some particular cases that he had suffred with Faustin his wyfe he sayd I am well remembred y t in my yong age I folowed the fleshe to moch with purpose neuer to returne And therfore I cōfesse y t if I had good desires in one day in stede therof a. M. dayes I wrought yll It is reson that ye women flee from them that flee from you to hyde you from them that hyde them fro you to leue them that leaue you to seperate you fro them that separate them fro you to forgette them that forget you For some scape fro your handes yll famed and effeminate and other are hurt with your tonges many ben persecuted with your werkes and the better to scape free they come awaye abhorred of your hartes and bounde to your lyghtnesses Than who that feleth this what getteth he by the attaynynge therof O to howe many perylles offerethe he hym selfe that with women is greatly conuersant If a man loue theym not they count hym as a villeyne if he loue them they thinke hym lyghte yf he leaue theym they repute hym for a cowarde if he folowe them he is loste if he serue theym he is not regarded if he serue theym not he shall be hated of them yf he wylle haue theym they wylle not haue hym yf he desyre theym not they wylle seeke on hym yf he haunte theym he is ylle named if he haunte theym not they recken hym no man What shall the vnhappye man do Let men take this for certayne that thoughe the husbande do for his wyfe all that he can do as a mā and that he ought to do as a husbande and with his weakenes do the beste that he can for to fynde remedy agaynste pouertie with his trauayle and put hym selfe in danger for her euerye houre al this shall not please his wyfe nor make her the better but she wyll say that the traytour louethe other and that all that he dothe is onely to accomplysshe his pleasure on them Many dayes ago Faustyne I haue wylled to tell the this but I haue differred it tyll now hopynge that thou woldest gyue me occasion to telle it the the whiche longe agoo thou haste caused me to feele It is no poynte of wyse men that for euerye tyme they are annoyed with theyr wyues forthewith to hurte theym with wordes For amonge wise men the sayd wordes are moste estemed whan they are well appropried and sayd to good purpose I do bethynke me that it is .vi. yere sith Anthony Pie thy father dyd chuse me to be his sonne in law and thou me to be thy husbande and I the for my wyfe this my fatall destenie dyd permytte at the commaundemente of Adrian my lorde My father in lawe gaue the his fayre doughter to me for wyfe and the very sadde and ponderous empyre in maryage I trowe we were all begyled He to take me for his sonne and I to chuse the for my wyfe He was named Anthony Pius bycause he was pitiefull in all thynges saue vnto me to whom he was cruell for in a lyttell flesshe he gaue me many bones and to say the trouthe I haue no tethe to gnawe it nor no heate in my stomacke to dygeste hit and manye tymes I haue thoughte my selfe loste with it For thy beautie thou were desyred of many but for thyn yuell condicions thou were abhorred of all O howe vnhappy ben thy destenies Faustyne and howe yuell haue the goddis prouided for the. They haue giuen the beautie and
and yet without comparison my greattest grefe is whan my losse may be remedied and he that may wyll not and he that wyll can not remedy it O ye cruell Romaynes if the sorowes all onely shulde be reduced to memory that we suffre my tonge shulde be wery and all my membres faynte and myne eyes shoulde wepe bluddy teares my fleshe wold consume This in my laÌ„de maye be sene with eies harde with eares and felte in propre persone Certaynly my harte departeth and my soule is troubled myn entrayles breake And I beleue yet the goddis wyll haue compassiion I wylle desire you to take my wordes for sclaunder For ye Romaynes if ye be Romayns ye may well see that the trouble that we haue cometh by men and amonge men and with men and by the handes of men Than it is no meruayle though men fele it as men One thynge comforteth me and dyuers tymes amonge other that be vnfortunate it cometh to such purpose the whiche is I thinke the goddis be so ryghtwise that their fierce and cruell chastisementes come not but by our owne cruell shrewdnes our secrete sinnes awaketh vs so that we haue open iustyce But of one thynge I am sore troubled bicause the goddis can not be conteÌ„ted For a good person for a lyttel faut is greatly chastised and he that is yl for many fautes is not punished at al. So thus the goddis forbeare some some haue no mercy Thus it semeth that the goddis wyl turment vs by the handes of suche men as greue vs extremely So that if there were any iustyce in the worlde whan they chastise vs with their handes we shoulde not merite to haue our heedes on the shulders Therfore I say to you ye Romayns and swere by the immortal goddis that in .xv. days that I haue ben in Rome I haue seene suche dedes done in your senate y t if the leest dede of them had ben done at Danubie the galowes gibettes had ben hanged thycker of theues than the vineyard with grapes and reysons And sith y t my desire hath sene that it desireth my harte is at reste in spredynge abrode the poyson that was in it If my tonge hath offended you in any thing I am here redy to make recoÌ„pence with my throte For in good sothe I had rather to wynne honour offerynge my selfe to the deathe thanne ye shuld haue it in takynge my lyfe fro me Thus this vilain ended his purpose Than the emperour sayd How thinke ye my frendes what kernel of a nut What golde of filth what grayne of strawe what rose of thornes What marowe of bones dyd he vncouer what reason so hie what wordes so wel sette what trouth so true and what malice opened he soo He discouered the duetie of a good manne And I swere to you as I may be deliuered from this euill feuer that I haue that I saw this vilayn standing a hole houre on the erth boldly we holdinge downe our hedes abashed coude not answere him a word The next day it was accorded in the senat to send new iuges to Danubie And we coÌ„manded the vilaine to delyuer vs in writing al that he had sayd that it might be regestred in the boke of good sayinges of strangers And the saide vilayne for his wise wordes was made patricien so taried styl at Rome and for euer was susteyned of the common treasure ¶ Howe the emperour desired the welth of his people and the people his welthe ca. xxxiii IN the seconde yere that Mar. was chosen emperour the .xlv. yere of his aege as he retourned fro the warres that he had in conqueryng the Germains and the Aragons whereby he got glory riches for the Romaynes empire he lay at Salon to reste him and to appointe his armye and to the entent that the Romaynes shulde apparell his triumph in Rome right glorious and rychly There was one thynge done that was neuer sene before in Rome For the day of his triumph by al the people and consent of the senate the prince Comodus sonne to Marcê° Au. was chosen after the dethe of his father to be emperour vniuersall of thempire He was not chosen by the petition of his father for he was agaynste hit with all his power sayinge that the empire oughte not to be gyuen for the lawde of them that be deed but he shoulde be chosen for his owne good warkes Often tymes this emperour wolde saye Rome shall be loste whan the election shal be taken frome the Senate and the Emperour to enheryte the empire by Patrimonie ¶ Nowe to returne where as we lefte This emperour beynge at Salon studied sore to entre into Rome in good order and Rome studied soore howe to receyue hym as it appertained triumphantly for suche a warre He was sore desyred of thempire and euer he imagined howe to do plesure to the people and the people were redy to dye in his seruice Dyuers tymes was moued a pleasant purpose in the senate which of these thynges was moste to be loued The emperour to loue the people of the empire or the people of thempire themperour On a daye hit was determyned to sette iuges in that case There were chosen the ambassadours of the Parthes and Roodes and vppon that effecte they hadde writynge It was layde for the emperour the good dedes that he had done in his absence and the tokens of loue that they hadde alwayes shewed in his presence And on an other day the emperour moued an other question before the senate saying that it was a greatter glorie to haue such subiectes than the glorie of the senate to haue suche an emperour Than the Senate sayde nay Affirming that it is a greatter glorie that they had of hym than he coude haue of them And in this maner the emperour gaue the glorie to the people and the people to the emperour Thus in sporte and play they toke iudges agayn It was a merueylous thyng to se the ioy that they al had to proue their intentes And the good emperour for a memorye gaue the laude to the people bycause of theyr great obedience and seruice and extreme loue that he had founde in them And the happy people recounted the gret clemencie and mercy that was in the emperour and his vertue and worthynes in gouernynge his honestie of lyuynge and his force and valiantnes in conqueringe It was a great thing to se the honour that the people gaue to themperour and the good renoume that themperour gaue to the people The writinges were gyuen to the straunge ambassadours to thentent that the people myght lerne to obey theyr princes and princes to loue theyr people To the ende that by such examples as it was reason the good people shuld enforce them selfes and the yl to withdrawe Thus this emperour adressed his entre with his capitaynes and captiues and Rome apparayled theym with all their senatours and people to receyue hym
I meane that though ye haue past the day in the see with peryl the nyght of dethe wyll take you at the porte of helthe Mockes do passe with mockynges and trouth with trouthe though I haue sene you ryghte yonge and hardy nowe I se you very olde Though the knyght passe his course yet it is not his faute yf the hors be not well reyned but at the ende of his course he wylle trymme his hors Let not that begyle you that of custom hath begyled men That is ye shalbe as wel estemed therby as though ye had moche money I beleue ye folow diuers and yet they all haue enuy at you But trust me that at the ende honour is gyuen to a yonge persone poore and vertuous rather than to an olde person ryche vycious The ryche may haue power to be more estemed with pore people and accompanyed with ryche and couetous but the vertuous poore person shall be better estemed and lesse hated What can be greatter confusyon to a personne or more shame to our mother Rome than to se in dyuers places the old people behaue and appoynte theym as yonge folke as though they lyke the vyne leaues dyd newly burgein What thinge is it to see the olde persones nowe in our dayes brayde and make fayre theyr whyte heares trymme and kembe theyr beardes weare strayte showes their hosen garded their shurtes frounced their clokes of scarlette their bagges enbrodred their chaynes of golde about their neckes fringes of gold and syluer about their apparell estrige fethers vppon their hattes lyke grekes perles and rynges on their fyngers lyke Indiens theyr gownes long lyke flamine pristes and fynally worst of al whan dethe hath gyuen them day than they answere that newely they wyll serue a lady O howe many haue I knowen in Rome that were highly renoumed in their youth and after through wanton lyghtnes they were but loste in their age and worste of all they loste their renowme in their age and the fauour of their parentes and the profytte of their chyldren Certaynly Guagyn Caten of the ancient lynage of the Catons was in Rome a priest of the lawe .v. yeres prouost .iii. yeres and Censure .ii. yeres dictatour one yere and Consule .v. tymes whan he was paste the age of .lxv. yeres than he began to serue Rosane doughter of Gneus Curcius a lady ryght fayre yonge and he doted so farre in her loue that he spente all that he had to serue her and wold wepe lyke a chyld whan he sawe her It fortuned this lady fell sycke of a feuer and she lysted to eate newe grapes and it was in springe tyme whan there was none rype as than in Rome He sent for some to the felde of Danubius that was a. M. and .v. C. myle thense and this was shewed to the senate and they ordeyned that Rosana was closed in with the virgins vestales and the old man was banyshed perpetually out of Rome and his chyldren lyued in greatte pouertie and the father dyed infamed I beleue that ye haue harde of this There were dyuers that reputed for a greate vylanye the dede of the olde louer and praysed the sentence of the senate But I thynke if Guagin had had as many yonge persones in his banyshement as there were old amorous persons that toke by hym example I thinke there shuld not be so many men loste nor soo many women so yll maryed And therfore the best is that suche people whan they be warned by their seruantes and reproued by their parentes and desired by their frendes that they make not excuse say howe they be not amorous but in mockerye Whan I was very yōge both of age wyt on a night I met with a neyghbor of myn nigh to the capitoll I was his neuewe son to his sonne sayd to hym My lorde Fabricius ye are amorous thus and thus He answered me I do it but for pastyme Certaynly I had meruayle to mete hym at that houre and I was abashed of that answere that he gaue me In them that be soore aged and of sadnes and grauitie suche requestes ought not to be called amours but rather dolours not a pastyme but a loste tyme no mockerie but a foolyshnes For in loue with mockery foloweth the trouth of infamie To the Claudius and Claudine I demaunde of you olde louers what is it to be polyshed and arrayed as ye be so gayly but the bronde of the tauerne where there is nothynge but vynegre fayre egges and nothynge in theym gylte pylles and bytter in taste an olde botell and a newe stoppell a hole wounde rancled vndernethe the fygure of an oxe to take partriches a slypper way where no fote is sure and fynally an old louer is as a knyght decayd that helpeth to lese money and can helpe no man fro peryll Of trouth the old lecherous louer is as a swyne with a whyte heed and a grene rayle Than me thynke ye that be my frendes and neyghbours ye take no hede in breakyng the winges out of seson whan the fethers be gone and yet ye begyle me not to say that there is tyme ynough Beleue me that that may be done in the daye leaue it not tylle the nyght of your age For the blunt knyfe cutteth but yl with the edge and he that is wont for to eate the fleshe can not eate the boones Than lette vs comme to the remedye to redresse this dommage that is yf that the house begyn to falle shore and staye it not with pieces of sclender tymbre but with streight pyllers of the lyfe that we haue to yelde the goddis and to men by good fame And if the vyne of all our vertues be redy to be gathered at the least lette vs gather that is lefte vs by vnderstandynge And sythe the waters of our reste are wasted with our yll werkes lette vs water them with newe muste of good desires and thā the good goddis wyl be content with the seruyces that we ought to do for the merytes and rewardes that they do to vs soo that if we desire to attayne golde for our warkes yet to pay vs with the copper of our good desires And finally I say to you Claudius and Claudine if ye haue offred the floure of your youth to vyces offre nowe at this tyme the branne of your age to the goddis I haue wrytten thus largely to you as I thynke and bycause ye shall not be taken as cowardes nor I for hardy gyue no parte of this letter to any person ¶ And I desyre you to haue me recommended vnto all my neighbours in Rome namely vnto Drusine the honorable wydowe I sende to the two thousande sexters thou shalte gyue a thousande of theym to Gaurina the doughter to thy doughter I sende it to her for a pleasure whiche she dyd me at a feaste Faustine my wyfe is very sycke Thou shalte gyue the other thousande to the Vestale virgines that
always she hath him quicke in her harte It is a generall rule that the person that is entierly beloued causeth euer great grefe at the deth And as for me I passe the lyfe ryght sorowfully though I shewe a ioyfull face yet I want myrth at my harte And amonge wyse men beynge sorowfulle and she wynge their faces mery is none other thynge but burienge the quicke hauynge no sepulture And I sweare by the goddis immortal I fele moch more than I haue sayde And dyuers tymes me thynke I shuld fal downe bycause I dare not wepe with myne eies yet I fele it inwardly I wolde fayne common with the in dyuers thynges Come I pray the to Bryette to thentent that we maye speake to gether And sythe it hath pleased the goddis to take my chylde fro me that I loued so well I wolde counsell with the that art my louyng frend But fewe dayes passed there came hyther an ambassadour fro the Rodes to whom I gaue the moste part of my horses and fro the farthest part of Spayne there were broughte me .viii. of whiche I sende the .iiii. I wolde they were suche as myght please the. The goddis be thy safegard and sende me and my wyfe some ioye Marcus Aurelius right sorowfull hath written this with his owne hande ¶ A letter sent by Marc the emperour to Marcurino being at Sanny nowe called Benauente The .ix. letter MY speciall frende and auncient companion a messanger of thyne and a lackeye of myne wente out togyther at Capue the one bare my desyre and affection to the and the other broughte a letter to me And if thou loke well thou mayste see my hart as full of thoughtes as I se thy letter full of complayntes Thou dost sende to comfort me in my feuer tercyan I thanke the greately therof and it is come in a good season For the goynge of the feuer out of my poulse and the ioy of thy letter to my spirite is all one And surelye if this case be lefte in my hande and that my feuer retourne not thaÌ„ thy consolation shal serue Lo beholde the miserie of man that presumethe to take away realmes from other and yet caÌ„ not take the feuer out of my bones Thou knowest well that we loue togyther and of a longe season thyn amitie hath trusted in me My trouthe byndethe me that thyne ylles shoulde be myne and my goodes thyne And there is trewe loue where be two bodies seperate and but one hart togither And there is but a bytter loue where the hartes be as ferre asonder as the straungenes of their persones Take hede I praye the that our loue be not inuenimed with vnkyndnes nor our remembrance enpoysoned with small thoughtes and I beinge an other than thou arte here thou beinge an other than I am there in maner that myn absence with thy presence and my presence with thy absence may speake to gither Thy messager hath shewed me the losse of thy goodes and by thy letter I knowe the anguysshe of thy personne And it hath ben shewed me that thou haste hadde a shyppe peryshed and that thy factours lyke wyse men to saue theyr personnes dydde throwe thy marchandyse in to the see Me thynke thy shyppe hathe eased the of thy charge But I thinke as it semeth by the they threwe not so many fardels into the see as thought is into thy harte And accordynge as thou were before I shoulde be moore bounde to serche for thy leade and tynne thanne for thy harte Thy leade is sonken to the bottome but thy counsell is sprede abroode ouer all the worlde If thou shouldeste nowe dye and thy bodye be opened of trouthe I thynke that thy hart shuld be rather found drowned with thy leade than alyue with thy body O Mercurius atte this houre thou felest no maladye of any feuer tercian as I doo for the harte of thy bodye and the dolour of thy spirite causeth the to haue a quartayne And this euyll is not in the body but in the shyppe not on the erthe but in the see not with phisitions but philosophers I couÌ„sayle the to seke helth For there thy lyfe is drowned where thy leade is sonken Be not angry for though thou haste not thy leade with the thy leade hath the with it Ofte tymes auarice seketh out the auaricious and somtyme the auaricious seke auarice Iâ—â—â— shewed me thou arte sory bycause thy domage can haue no remedy and doest thou not know that where no remedy is thou oughtest to take pacience O Mercurius nowe thou knoweste y t whan thou diddest aduenture thy goodes to the suspecious rockes thy desyres to the depe wawes of the see and thy couragious auarice to the importunate wyndes and thy leed to straunge waters and as ioyous and desirous as thy factours went forth in truste of wynnynge as moche nowe thou art sure of the losse and thus is thy desire drowned and thy hope scaped Doest thou not remembre that Socrates castinge into the see not leade but golde not a lytell but a great deale not goodes of other mennes but of his owne not by fortune but by his wysedome sayde I wyll drowne these gylefull richesses to thentent that they shall not drowne me But I thinke if a man should se the do so he shulde here the say O my swete rychesses I had rather drowne my selfe thaÌ„ other shuld drowne you This auncient wise man durst not trust in golde and thou wylt trust on leade cast lottes among your goddis he of Athenes and thou of Rome which of you hath most failed or els is moste assured he that cast his gold from the erth in to these orelles thou that woldest brynge thy leade out of these vpon the erth I knowe that the ancient Romains wyl say it is he and the present couetous folke wyll saye it is thy selfe and I thynke in this thou art dispraysed in the prayse therof and the dispraysed is alowed of all men Thy messager tolde me that thou were right sorie and heuy and crieste out in the nyghte callynge on the goddes and wakeste thy neyghbours complaynynge on fortune I am soore dyspleased for thy heuines bycause sorowe is nexte frende to thy solytarines and ennemy to company and heyre of desperation I am sorye for thy cryenges in the nyghte for it induseth foly For the nyght couerynge all the worlde with derknes thou alone wylt discouer thy harte with crienges I am not plesed that thou coÌ„playnest vpon the goddes bicause they haue taken some thing fro the bycause thou that were aloft they haue broughte lower Nor I am not plesed that thou awakest thy neighbours for thy ryches that caused them to enuy the thy pacience shuld moue them to coÌ„passion Nor I am not coÌ„teÌ„t that thou shuldest so complayne on fortune for the thinge so wel knoweÌ„ of many shuld not be infamed by one alone O Mercurius remeÌ„bre that with them with whom truce is taken thou wylt entre
may that he wyl not and wylleth that he may not More ouer the coūsell of his frendes profiteth hym not nor the shame of his enmies nor losse of his goodes nor the aduenture of honour nor loosynge of his lyfe nor sekynge of deathe nor comynge nere nor goinge ferre nor seinge with eyes nor herynge with eares nor tastyng with mouthe nor yet feelynge of hande and finally to attayne vyctorie he hathe alway warre agaynst him selfe I wold these louers knew fro whens loue procedeth it is this The entrayles that we are bredde in is of fleshe the brestes that we sucke are of fleshe the armes that we are nourished in be of fleshe the werkes that we doo are of the fleshe by the which occasions commeth the repeale of our fleshe to their flesshe Many free hartes falle into the snares of loue It semeth well my ladies that ye are brought vp in puddels as the Egiptiēs say The puddels kepe no clere water to drinke nor fruite to eate nor fyshe to be taken nor vessell to sayle with I do say ye are fowle in your lyuynge shamefull in your persons in aduersytie feble and lethy in prosperitie subtyll and wyly false in wordes doubtfull in your werkes In hatynge ye kepe a disorder extreme to loue auaricious to gyue vnshamfaste to take and I saye ye are a receite of feare where as wyse men finde perille and simple men suffre In you wise men holde their renomes disalowed and the symple men their lyfe in penury ¶ Let vs leaue the opinyon of the Egyptiens and come to the Grekes whiche say that in the desertes of Arabye the sonne shyneth moste hote and they say that at the begynnynge there appered a woman alone with a byrde called Phenyx the whyche byrde they say was created of the water and the woman of the great heate of the sonne and of the corruption of the powdre that falleth fro the trees whiche the wormes do eate In this wyse there was a tree soore eaten with wormes and it chaunced by heate of the sonne and dryth of the powder that a fyre kendled and soo brente it and than of the fyre and powder of the sayd brent tree the fyrste woman was made And though I be a philosopher Romayne I wyll not say that the opinyon of the philosopher greke was yll For of truthe ye ladyes that be amorous haue your tonges of the nature of fyre your condicions of the rottennes of the pouder of wood After the diuersite of beestis nature hath put some strēgth in dyuers partis of their bodyes as the egle in the beake the vnicorne in the horne the serpent in the tayle the bull in the heed the beare in the armes the hors in the brest the dogge in his tethe the hogge in the groyne the wod doue in her wynges and women in their tonges Of trouth the flyghte of the wood doue is not so highe as the fantasie of your folyes nor the catte scratcheth not so soore with her nayles as ye scratche foles with your importunities nor the dogge hurteth not them that he renneth at as ye doo the sorowfull louer that seruethe you nor he is not in soo greatte perill of his lyfe that catcheth the bulle by the hornes as the good fame of the louer is that falleth into your handes And finally the serpent hath not so moche poyson in his tayle as ye haue in your tongues Set all the good Romayne ladyes apart for there be many of whom there is no complaynt of their persones nor suspection of their good names Of all suche my letter speketh not nor my penne writeth not of them but of other I speake of women that be suche that all venemous beastes haue not so moch poyson in their bodies as they haue in their tonges And sith that the goddis haue commaunded and our destenies do permyt that the lyfe of men can not passe without women therfore I aduertyse these yonge people and pray them that be olde and awake wyse men and tech the symple to flee away from women of yl name rather than from a comon pestilence ¶ Redynge the auncient lawes of Plato I fynde writen thus we cōmand y t al women opēly infamed be opēly put out of the citie to thentēt that other seing their sinnes not vnpunished may abhorre the sinne for feare to fal into the same peyne Also the same lawe sayth We command that pardon be giuen to a woman of all the fautes commytted by her owne body if any amendement be sene in her but neuer to pardon theym that haue commytted synne with their tonges For commyttynge synne with an yl persone is of fragilitie but with the tongue it is of pure malyce ¶ O diuine Plato master measure of al vnderstāding and prince of all philosophers whanne thou madeste that lawe in the golden world that there was neuer such scarcitie of yll women and so great aboundance of good women in Grece What shall we doo nowe in Rome where there be so many ylle openly amd so fewe good in secrete Naturally they were wonte to be shamefaste in theyr vysages temperate in wordes wyse of wyt sobre in goinge meke in conuersation pitiefull in correction well regardynge their lyuynge not kepynge companies stedfaste in promesse and constant in loue Fynally let not the woman that wyll be good truste in the wisedome of wise men nor in the flatterie of lyghte folkes But lette her vertuously regarde her renoume and beware alwayes of any manne that maketh her any promys For after that the flames of Venus be set on fire and Cupide hath shot his arrowes the ryche man offereth all that he hath the poore man all that he may the wyse man sayth he wyll be her great frēd and the symple alway her seruaunt the wyse man wyl lose his lyfe for her and the foole wyll take his deathe for her The olde man wyl say he wyl be frend to her frendes and the yong man wyl say he wyl be ennemie to her enemies Some wil promys to pay her debtes and other to reuēge her iniuries Fynally to hyde their pouertie and to shewe their beautie they leaue these fooles losing their persones and good fames I wille leaue to speake of good women for it is not myn intent to laye any thynge to theyr charge but to aduertyse them well I demaunde of you amorous ladies if Platon was there whan ye made a playe of my lyfe and drewe my fygure about in Rome No surely in dede by that I se in you at this tyme it is suspecious that is sayde of other For there is but a fewe in Rome whom Plato and his lawe dothe excuse One thynge ye can not deny if I were the worste of all menne at the laste ye haue founde the ende of my vilanies And ye can not denye me but she that is leaste yll of you in all my lyfe I coude not shewe the malyce of her lyfe It is greatte peryll to
thou offereste to me syropes I haue watched all nyghte and touched newly the alarme For thy ancient amitie I pray the and coniure the in the name of the goddis sythe that my harte is rebell againste thy wyll whiche is right doutfull cause me to leaue to desire the thus without doubte And to thentent that thou shuldest not think any vnkindnes in my white heares as I may argue thy face of ydelnes I wyll that we recken what we haue wonne or hope to wynne Shewe me what cometh of these pleasures the tyme yll spent good name in scaterynge to pardicion the patrimonie wasted the credence loste the goddis annoyed the vertues sclaundred the name of brute beastes got and surnames of shame suche ye and we and other be Thou wrytest in thy letter howe thou wylte leaue Rome and come se me in the warres of Dacy Seinge thy foly I laugh and knowledgynge thy boldnesse I beleue the. And whan I thynke thus I take the letter agayne out of my bosom beholde the seale doubtynge if it be thy letter or not Thou alterest my pulces and felynges of my hart the colour of my face chauÌ„geth imageninge that either shame surmounteth in the or elles grauitie fayleth in me For suche lyghtnes shuld not be beleued but of lyke light persones Thou knowest well he that dothe yll meriteth peyn soner than he that doth infamy I wold wytte whither thou wylt go Thou hast ben cutte for vertinace and nowe thou woldest be solde for wyne Thou beganst fyrst as cheries and thou wilte be laste as quynces we haue eten the in blosomes and thou wylt be lyke the fruite the nuttes ar very good but the shales be harde with strawe and donge thou arte made rype and thou art rotten and if thou be rotteÌ„ thou art to be lothed Thou art not coÌ„tent with .xl. yeres that thou haste of the whiche .xxv. yeres art passed in tast as wyne that is to be sold and as straweberies hyd vnder the leaues that are corrupte and rotten Art not thou Boemia that lacketh two tethe the eies holowed with white heares a riueled face one hande loste with the gout a rybbe marred with childe beryng whyther wylt thou go put thy selfe thaÌ„ in a barel caste the it into the riuer thou shalt come out al weate We haue eaten the freshe fyshe nowe thou woldest bring hyther y e rusty old salt fishe in sted therof O Boemia Boemia now I knowe there is no trust in youth nor hope in age Thou complayneste that thou haste nothynge That is an olde quarell of the amorous ladies of Rome whiche takynge all say they haue nothynge and that ye lacke of credence ye do fulfylle with money Therfore beleue me louynge freÌ„de the folyshe estate that procedeth of vnlaufull wynnynge gyueth small suretie and lesse good name to the persone I can not tell howe thou haste spende so moche For if I drewe of my rynges with one hande thou dyddest open my purse with the other hande I had greatter warres with my coffres than than I haue nowe with myn ennemies I coude neuer haue iewell but thou woldest demaÌ„d it nor I dyd neuer deny the. Nowe at this houre I meruayle for in this myn age I fynde great hynderaunce by my youthe Thou complaynest of trauayle and pouertye I am he that hath great nede of that medicine for this opilation and a playster for that soore and to haue somme colde water for that hote feuer Art thou not aduised that I banyshed my necessitie in the londe of forgetfulnes and dyd set vp thy wyll for the request of my seruice In wynter I went all bare and in sommer charged with clothes I went on fote in the myre and rode in the faire way whaÌ„ I was heuy I laughed and whan I was mery I wept For dred I drewe forthe my strengthes and out of my strengthes cowardise The nightes to sigh and on the day to wayte where thou wentest by Whan thou haddest nede of any thynge I was fayne to robbe my father for it Tel me Boemia with whom fulfilledst thou thyn open folies but with the yll orders that I putte my selfe to in secrete wot ye what me semeth by you amorous ladies of Rome ye are in the court as the lytel mothes eating olde clothes and a pastime for lyght folkes tresorers of fooles sepulchres of vices This that semeth me is that if in thy youth euery maÌ„ gaue to the bicause thou shuldest gyue y t to euery maÌ„ now thou giuest thy self to euery maÌ„ bycause euery maÌ„ shuld giue him to the. Thou tellest me that thou haste ii sons lackest helpe for them Yeld graces to the goddis of the pitie that they haue vsed with the they haue giuen to .xv. children of Fabricio my neyghbour but one father to two of thy chyldren onely they haue gyuen .l. fathers Therfore deuyde them amonge theyr fathers and euerye maÌ„ shall not haue one fynger Lucia thy doughter in dede and myn by suspecte remembre that I haue done more in marienge of her thaÌ„ thou didst in her procreation For to the gettyng of her thou didst call dyuers to mary her I dyd it alone I write to the but lyttel to the respect of that I wold write Butrio Cornelio hath spoken moche on thy parte he hym selfe shall shewe the as moche of my parte It is longe ago syth I knewe thyn impacience I knowe well thou wylt sende me an other letter more malicious I pray the sith I wrote to the secretely defame me not opeÌ„ly And whan thou redest this letter remeÌ„bre what occasions thou giuest me to write though y t we be not frendes yet wyl I not leue to send the syluer I send the a gowne the goddis be with y e bring me out of this warre with peas Marke pretour in Dacie to his auncient louer Boemia ¶ The answere to the emperours letter sent by Boemia The .xvi. letter BOemia thyn ancient louer to the Marc of mouÌ„t Celio her mortal enmy I desire veÌ„geaÌ„ce of thy person yll fortune for al thy life I haue receyued thy letter therby ê‘ceyue thy daÌ„nable inteÌ„tes thy cruell malices Suche yll persons as thou art haue this priuilege y t sith one doth suffre your vilanies iÌ„ secret ye wyll hurte them openly but thou shalt not doo so with me Marc for though I be not tresouresse of thy tresours yet at leaste I am treasouresse of thyn ylnesse and where as I can not reuenge me with my persone I shall labour to do it with my tongue And thynke that though we women be weake and our bodies sone ouercome yet wyte it for certayne that our hartes are neuer vanquyshed Thou sayest that scapyng from a battayle thou dyddest receyue my letter wherof thou were soore abashed It is a very common thyng to theym that be weke and slacke to speke of loue wanton fooles to treate