impurity of the hart and doe watch it with all diligence that they can and labour to restraine that the corruption thereof burst not out eyther to the hurt of themselues or others Let no deuout soule be dismayed because his prayer is not suddainly heard but hope with patience the visitation of our Lord because he will poure his mercy plentifully on all those that call vpon him In our prayers we ought diligently to aske for mortification of our appetites and passions for they are subtile enemies The Romaines vpon certaine high dayes prayed for encrease of wealth to the people of Rome which Scipio beeing Censor changed saying that it was sufficient and that they ought onely to pray vnto God to preserue it such as it was Thy prayer is thy speech to God when thou readest God speaketh to thee when thou prayest thou talkest with God Let prayer ascend that grace may descend Hee that knoweth how to pray well knoweth how to liue well VVher the mercy of the giuer is not doubted the negligence of him that prayeth is to be reprehended Prayer must be accompanied with the exercise of mortification No prayer can tie the will of God vnto vs except first of all we renounce and conquer our owne wills Pray in thy hart vnto God at the beginning of all thy works that thou mayst bring them to a good conclusion Fixe thy iudgement in prayer on thy faith and not on thy experience because fayth is true and experience deceitfull Pray not to God to giue thee sufficient for that hee will giue to euery man vnasked but pray that thou maist be contented and satisfied with that which he giueth thee Heauen shall cease to be when it shall cease to runne and men cease to prosper when they cease to pray The wrath and loue of God follow each other but the former is mittigated by prayer and repentance Prayer repentance bringeth peace to the vnquiet conscience Orans considerare debet quid petit quem petit seipsum qui petit Bernardus Flectitur iratus voce rogante Deus Of Blessednes Defi. Blessednesse or beatitude is the grace of God and his benefits bountifully bestowed on them that serue him and keepe his commaundements TRue blessednes from mortall eyes is hid and left as obiect to the purer spirits That man cannot be truly blessed in whom vertue hath no place A man that is wise although he fall into extreame pouerty yet is hee very rich and greatly blessed Aristotle calleth blessednes an outward quietnes Blessednes farre of beginneth from humilitie A blessed man cannot erre There is no truer happines in this life then that vvhich beginneth euerlasting happines and no truer misery then that which leadeth to euerlasting misery The first felicity that godly men haue after this life is the rest of their soule in Christ the second shall be the immortality and glory of their bodies Socrates and Plato of all the Philosophers were in the rightest way to blessednes yet that small sparkle of truth was often quenched with opinions This is perfection and happines euen for euery thing to attaine the ende for which it was created and therein to rest and be blessed Since in euery thing the excesse is hurtfull the aboundance of felicitie is most daungerous It is not true blessednes which hath an end Hatefull and haplesse is that happines that trayneth men from truth to insolence If thou knowest all that ought to be known thou art truly blessed They are to be accounted blessed to whom Fortune hath equally wayed the good with the euill All things truly belonging to blessednes do cheefely consist in the noble vertue of wisedome True blessednes consisteth in a good life a happy death Not the rich but the wise auoyde miserie and become happy and blessed They that thinke riches the cause of happines deceaue themselues no lesse then if they supposed that cunning playing vppon the Lute or Harpe came from the instrument and not from Art That man is vvorthily counted blessed to whom nothing can seeme intollerable which may discourage him or nothing so pleasant that may proudly puffe him vp or make him vaine-glorious Those men be truly blessed whom no feare troubleth no pensiuenes consumeth no carnall concupiscence tormenteth no desire of worldly wealth afflicteth nor any foolishnes mooueth vnto mirth True felicity consisteth in the good estate of the soule Felix anima quae spreto turbini seculi pertransiens corporis claustra illius summi et incompres hensibilis lucis potest aliquo illustrari radio faelix cui victa voluptas Terga dedit longi quem non fregere dolores Of Loue. Defi. Loue is the most excellent effect of the soule whereby mans hart hath no fancie to esteeme value or ponder anie thing in this world but the care and study to know GOD neyther is it idle but worketh to serue him whom it loueth and this loue is heauenlie There is also a loue naturall and that is a poison which spreadeth through euery vaine it is an hearb that being sowne in the intrailes mortifieth all the members a pestilence that through melancholy killeth the hart and the end of all vertues LOue is the Maister of boldnes and confidence Loue is an vnreasonable excesse of desire which commeth swiftly departeth slowly VVhosoeuer loueth is deceaued and blinded in that which he loueth The loue that a man getteth by his vertues is most permanent Loue is full of speach but neuer more aboundant therein then in praises A friend loueth alwayes a louer but for a time The loue of beauty is the forgetting of reason Loue begun in perrill sauoureth of greatest delight when it is possessed Loue inchanteth the harts of men with vnfit fanciees and layeth beauty as a snare to intrap vertue Fancie is neuer painted but treading vpon thornes Parrahsius drawing the counterfaite of loue paynted her tickâ—ing youth on the left side with a feather and stinging him on the right side with a Scorpion Loue is a fading pleasure mixed with bitter passions and a miserie tempered with a fewe momentary delights Loue is a vertue if it be mesured by dutifull choise and not maimed with wilfull chance Lawlesse loue neuer endeth without losse nor the nuptiall bed defiled escapes without reuenge Zeno. Fancie is a vvorme that byteth forest the flourishing blossomes of youth Loue is not to be supprest by wisedom because not to be comprehended by reason Hote loue is soone colde and faith plighted vvith an adulterers vowe is tyed vvithout conscience and broken without care Loue as it is variable so is it mighty in forcing effects without deniall As Venus hath her charmes to inchaunt so Fancie is a sorceresse that bevvitcheth the sences Cupid is not to be resisted with courage but entertayned with curtesie Loue vanquisheth Tirants conquereth the mallice of the enuious and reconcileth mortall foes vnto perfect loue and amity Loue is a heate full of coldnes a sweete full of bitternes a paine full of
deterret sapientem mors quae propter incertos casus quotidie imminet et propter breuitatem vitae nunquam longé potest ab esse Tria sunt generamortis vna mors est peccati vt anima quae peccat morte morietur alter a mistica quando quis peccato moritur et Deo viuit tertia qua cursum vitae buius explemus Aug. Of Time Defi. Time is a secrete and speedie consumer of howers and seasons older then any thing but the first and both the bringer forth and waster of whatsoeuer is in this world THere is no sore which in time may not bee saued no care vvhich cannot bee cured no fire so great vvhich may not bee quenched no loue liking fancie or affection vvhich in time may not eyther bee repressed or redressed Time is the perfit herrald of truth Cic. Time is the best Orator to a resolute mind Dailie actions are measured by present behauiour Time is the herrald that best imblazoneth the conceits of the mind Time is the sweete Phisition that allovveth a remedie for euery mishap Time is the Father of mutabilitie Time spent without profit bringeth repentance and occasion let slip vvhen it might be taken is counted prodigalitie There is nothing among men so entirelie beloued but it may in time bee disliked nothing so healthfull but it may bee diseased nothing so strong but it may be broken neyther any thing so well kept but it may be corrupted Truth is the Daughter of Tyme and there is nothing so secrete but the date of manie dayes will reueale it In time the ignorant may become learned the foolish may â—e made wise and the most wildest wanton may be brought to be a modest Matron Biâ—s The happier our time is the shorter while it lasteth Plinie Say not that the time that our fore-fathers liued in was better then this present age Vertue and good life make good dayes but aboundance of vice corrupted the time Ierom Nothing is more precious then time yet nothing lesse esteemed of Bern. As oyle though it be moist quencheth not fire so time though neuer so long is no sure 〈…〉 t for sinne As a sparkle raked vp in cinders vvill at last begin to glowe and manifest flame so treachery hidde in silence and obscured by time will at length breake foorth and cry for reuenge VVhatsoeuer villanie the hart doth thinke and the hande effect in proces of time the worme of conscience will bewray Tyme draweth wrinkles in a fayre face but addeth fresh colours to a fresh friend Things past may bee repented but not recalled Liuius A certaine Phylosopher being demaunded what was the first thing needfull to winne the loue of a vvoman aunswered opportunitie Beeing asked what was the second he answered opportunitie and beeing demaunded what was the third hee still aunswered opportunitie Delayes oftentimes bring to passe that hee which should haue dyed doth kill him which should haue lyued Clem. Alex. Procrastination in perrill is the mother of ensuing misery Time and patience teacheth all men to liue content Take time in thy choyce and bee circumspect in making thy match for nothing so soone gluts the stomacke as sweet meate nor sooner fills the eye then beautie Oportunities neglected are manifest signes of folly Time limitteth an end to the greatest sorrowes Actions measured by time sildome prooue bitter by repentance Reason oft-times desireth execution of a thing which time will not suffer to bee done not for that it is not iust but because it is not followed Many matters are brought to a good end in time that cannot presently be remedied with reason Time is lifes best counsellor Antist Time is the best gouernour of counsels Tyme tryeth what a man is for no man is so deepe a dissembler but that at one time or other he shall be easily perceiued Time maketh some to be men which haue but childish conditions A little benefit is a great profit if it bee bestowed in due time Curtius Times dailie alter and mens minds doe often change Time is so swift of foote that beeing once past he can neuer be ouer-taken The fore-locks of time are the deciders of many doubts Time in his swift pace mocketh men for theyr slownes Non est crede mihi sapientis dicere viuam Sera nimis vita est crastina viue hodie Omnia tempus edax depascitur omnia carpit Omnia sede mouet nec sinit esse diu Of the World Defi. This word worlde called in greeke Kosmos signifieth as much as ornament or a wel disposed order of things HE that cleaueth to the customes of the world forsaketh God Cicero and the Stoicks were of opinion that the world was wisely gouerned by the Gods who haue care of mortall things The world is vain worldly ioyes do fade but heauen alone for godly minds is made He that trusteth to the world is sure to bee deceiued Archim The disordinate desire of the goods of thys world begetteth self-selfe-loue Our honours and our bodily delights are worldly poysons to infect our soules The worlde seduceth the eye with varietie of obiects the sent with sweete confections the taste with delicious duties the touch with soft flesh precious clothing and all the inuentions of vanitie Hee that mortiâ—ieth his naturall passions is sildome ouer-come with worldlie impressions Greg. No man that loueth the world can keepe a good conscience long vnâ—orrupted The worldly man burneth in heate of desire is rauished with the thought of reuenge inraged with the desire of dignity briefely neuer his owne 〈…〉 he leaue the world Thys world thoâ—gh neuer so well beloued cannot last alwayes Thys worlde is the chaine vvhich fettereth men to the deuill but repentance is the hand which lifteth men vp to God Thys world is but the pleasure of an houre and the sorrowe of many dayes Plato The worlde is an enemy to those whom it hath made happy Aug. The world is our pryson and to lyue to the world is the life of death The delights of this world are like bubbles in the water which are soone raysd and suddainly layd The world hateth contemplation because contemplation discouereth the treasons and deceits of the world Erasmus VVee may vse the world but if wee delight in it we breake the loue wee should beare to him that created it Hee that loueth the worlde hath incessant trauaile but hee that hateth it hath rest Man hath neuer perfit rest or ioy in thys world neither possesseth he alwayes his own desire The world hath so many sundry changes in her vanitie that shee leadeth all men wandering in vnstedfastnes He which seeketh pleasures from the world followeth a shadow which when hee thinketh he is surest of it vanisheth away and turneth to nothing Socrat. The world the flesh and the deuil are three enemies that continually fight against vs we haue great need to defend vs from them The vanities of thys worlde bewitch the mindes of many men God created thys world a place
offence and from the iust hee takes away the occasions of his sinne Epirus King of Arcadia for breaking vp of Neptunes Temple was strooken blind Mardorus spoyling Circes temple was strooken mad with all his souldiers Alexanders souldiours seeking to spoile the Temple of the same Goddesse vvere slayne with lightning The Sibarites desirous to know frō Apollo howe long their prosperity should last were aunswered that so soone as they beganne to prefer men before God theyr state should be destroied Brennus the captaine of the French entring the Temple of Apollo and spoiling it was strooken with madnes and slew himselfe Scipios souldiers that robbed the Temple at Tolossa dyed all myserably As it is impossible with one the same eye to behold heauen and earth so it is as impossible with one disordinate wil to loue God the world Like as God surmounteth all other creatures so the remembrance of him surmounteth all other imaginations God is hie if thou lift thy selfe vp vnto him he flieth from thee but if thou humblest thy selfe vnto him he commeth downe to thee Gods doctrine is the rule of prudence his mercy the worke of iustice and his death the standard of patience Bernard The Resurrection of Christ to the deade is lyfe to the Saints glory to sinners mercie Simonides the more hee studied to knowe what God was the harder still it seemed vnto him If God helpe hee is mercifull if not vvee must not thinke hym vniust Diuinitie cannot be defined The operation of God is threefold creation formation consumation God is eternitie and therefore not founde but of such as continually seeke him God although he be omnipotent could neuer make a creature equall to himselfe The Lorde of hosts is called God the Father the Sonne is the image of the Father The Father the Sonne knowne the goodnesse of them both which is the holy Ghost is made manifest Augustine Iupiter est quodcunque vides quocunque moueris Quae Deus occulta esse voluit non sunt scrutanda quae autem manifesta fecit non sunt neganda né et in illis illicité curiosi et in istis damnabiliter inueniamur ingrati Of Heauen Defi. Heauen is generally taken for that part of the world which is ouer our heads a place full of diuine residence and that Land where the faithfull after this lyfe expect their portion and inhearitance HEauen is the seate of GOD and the Earth is his foote-stoole Heauen is the seate of glory the habitation of Angels the resting place of the faythfull fayre beyond thought and glorious beyond report VVe deeme it hard to knowe the things on earth and finde the obiects of our eyes wyth toyle but who can search the secrets of the heauens Heauen is neither infinite in forme nor figure but one in nature Heauen as it had his creation of nothing so it shal be dissolued to nothing The disposition and places of the Heauens are not of power to expresse our good or bad fortunes No man knoweth the property of the fixed starres neyther their natures therefore no man can iudicially speake of their effects Neither hath the eare of man heard the eye seene nor the tongue able to expresse vvhat ioyes the Elect possesse in heauen As Hell is the place of all horror so Heauen is the Hauen of all rest Heauen is the habitation of the Elect the throne of the Iudge the receit of the saued the seat of the Lambe the fulnesse of delight the inhearitance of the iust and the reward of the faythfull From Heauen our soules receiue their sustenance diuine Heauen is the church of the Elect the soule of the iust field of the faithfull Hee is most myserable that is denyed to see the Sunne shine and hee is most accursed to whom God denyeth his heauenly fauours It is hard to liue well easie to die ill hard to obtaine Heauen easie to keepe from thence None knoweth better how great is the losse of Heauen then they that are iudged to lyue continually in Hel. A good lyfe begetteh a good death and a good death a glorious inhearitance in heauen The way to heauen is narrower thē the way to hell In gloria caelesti mira serenitas plena securitas aeterna felicitas Esque Dei sedes nisi terra et pontus et aer Et coelū et virtus superos quid querimus vltra Of Angels Defi. Angels are indeede nothing els but the diuine messengers of the will of God for so much the word signifieth ANgels at all tymes and in all places behold the face of our heauenly Father self-Selfe-loue the ruine of the Angels is the confusion of men Angels are carefull of mens actions protectors of their persons lightners of their soules and conductors in theyr iourneyes Angels were created of God immortall innocent beautifull good free and subtile of the essence of God hymselfe Angels haue theyr habitation in Heauen theyr eyes fixed on the maiestie of GOD theyr tongues formed to his prayses and themselues onely in him The Angels exceed not in desire desire not because they want not vvant not in beholding theyr Creator Ambr. Angels intende two thinges the first is the glory and seruice of God the second is the health and saluation of hys Chyldren Angels are the comforters instructers and reformers of men Angels are Tutors of the Saints Herralds of Heauen and Gardiants of our bodyes and soules The Angels haue charge to conduct men wisedome to instruct men and grace to preserue men Angels vvere the first creatures that euer God made Angels wheresoeuer they are sent doe alwayes behold the face of God There are nine orders of Angels Angels Archangels Vertues Powers Principalities Dominations Thrones Cherubins Seraphins Tho. Aqui. Angels vvere of the light created with the light ordayned to serue God who is the Lord of light Angels Sunne Moone starres and other celestiall motions confirme and approoue a superior Dietie The diuine nature of Angels suffereth neyther change nor end for they are immutable and diuine All the world is the Temple of God and all Angels his ministers Euery true Minister is a true Angell and their tongues bear the embassage of the most high God The loue of men is written on the bosoms of Angels Angeli sic foris exeunt vt internis contemplationis gaudijs non priuentur Apostatae Angelo similis efficitur homo qui hominibus esse similis dedignatur Of Vertue Defi. Vertue is a disposition and power of the reasonable part of the soule which bringeth into order decencie the vnreasonable part by causing it to propound a conuenient end to it owne affections and passions whereby the soule abideth in a comly and decent habit executing that which ought to be done according to reason briefely it is a proportion and vprightnesse of lyfe in all poynts agreeable to reason HE that desireth to be called vertuous it is first requisite that he be good therfore in the account of reputation it is
pleasantnes making thoughts haue eyes and harts eares bred by desire nursed by delight weaned by iealousie kild by dissembling and buried by ingratitude That which with the hart is loued with the hart is lamented Loue is a worme vvhich commonly liues in the eye and dies in the hart Legmon To be free from loue is straunge but to think scorne to be beloued is monsterous Loue and royalty can suffer no equals Loue being honest may reape disdaine but not disgrace Loue is the daughter of desteny the simpathy of afectiōs is fore-pointed by the stars He that feedes vppon Fancy may be troubled in the disgestion Loue vvithout his fruite is lyke a picture without a face Loue neuer tooke thought but neere her lifes end hope of heauen had neuer feare of hell Things immortall are not subiect to affection Affection bred by inchauntment is like a flower wrought in silke in colour and forme most like but nothing at all in substance and sauour Loue gotten by witch-craft is as vnpleasant as fish taken with medicines vnwholsome Loue is a Camelion vvhich draweth nothing into the mouth but ayre nourisheth nothing in the body but the tongue Loue breaketh the brain but neuer bruseth the brow consumeth the hart but neuer toucheth the skinne and maketh a deep scarre to be seene before any wound be felt A man hath choyse to begin loue but not to end it It is meet for Louers to prefer manners before money and honesty before beauty Lawlesse loue without reason is the verie load-stoue to ruth and ruine Loue couereth a multitude of sinfull offences and loyaltie recouereth a world of infirmities Loue knots are tyed with eyes cannot be vntyed with hands made fast with thoughts not to be vnloosed with fingers To haue a saire Mistresse in loue and want golde to maintaine her to haue thousands of people to fight and no penny to pay them maketh your Mistres wilde and your souldiours tame True loue is neuer idle but worketh to serue him whom he loueth Aug. As Iuie in euery place findeth some-what to cleaue vnto so loue is sildome without a subiect Likenes of manners maketh loue stedfast and pure Haunt not too much thy friends house for that ingendereth no great loue neyther bee thou long frō thence for that begetteth hate but vse a meane in all things Socrates Better are the rebukes of him that faythfully loueth then the flattering wordes of hym that deceitfully hateth Mar. Aur. VVithout loue no vertue can be perfect Loue as Plato the Phylosopher sayth is threefold the first onely embraceth vertue the second is infamous which preferreth bodilie pleasure the third is of the body and soule nothing more noble thē the first then the second nothing more vile the third is equall to both Loues scope beeing pleasure it will not so much as vtter griefe in the forme of pleasure Loue is a cruell impression of that wonderfull passion which to bee defined is impossible because no wordes reach to the strong nature of it and onely they knowe it which inwardly doe feele it Hee that makes not his Mistresse a Goldsinch may perhaps in time finde her a VVagtayle The assaults of loue must be beaten back at the first sight least they vndermine at the second Pythag. He that looketh to haue cleere water must digge deepe hee that longeth for sweet musicke must straine Art to the highest and he that seeketh to win his loue must stretch his labour and hazard his lyfe It falleth out in loue as it doth with Vines for the young Vines bring the most wine but the old the best Byrds are trayned with sweet calls but they are caught with broad Nets so louers are inlured with fayre lookes and intangled vvyth disdainfull eyes Of loue mixed with mockery foloweth the truth of infamie Pythag. He that hath sore eyes must not behold the Candle nor he that would leaue his loue fall to the remembrance of his Lady for the one causeth the eyes to smart and the other procureth the hart to bleede A louer is like the hearb Helitropiam which alwaies inclineth to that place where the sun shyneth beeing depriued of the sun dyeth Like as the fire wasteth the wood so scornfulnes consumeth loue Her There must be in euery triangle three lines the first beginning the figure the second augmenteth the figure and the third concludes it So in loue there are three vertues affection which drawes the hart secrecie which increaseth the hope and constancie which sinisheth the worke Loue can neuer be truly fixed when in him that is beloued there wanteth merrit It is conuenient in loue to be discreet and in hatred prouident and aduised Loue is a frantick frenzie that so infects the mindes of men that vnder the tast of Nectar they are poysoned with the water of Stix Loue brings one lewd lookes to command by power and to be obeyed by force Loue and Fortune fauors them that are resolute Louers oft tymes proceed in theyr sutes as Crabs whose paces are alwayes backward As affection in a louer is restlesse so if it bee perfect it is endlesse Loue is a sweet tyrannie because the louer endureth his torments willingly The mind of a louer is not where he liueth but where he loueth Loue fixed on vertue increaseth euer by continuaunce The passionate Louer if he sayle loue is his Pilot if he walke loue is his companion if he sleepe loue is his pyllow Loue is onely remedied by loue and fancie must be cured by affection Sophocles being demaunded what harme he would wish to his enemy aunswered that he might loue where he was not fancied Loue is most fortunate where courage is most resolute Affections are harder to suppresse then enemies to subdue Louers othes are like fetters made of glasse that glister fayre but couple no constraint Loue maketh a man that is naturally addicted to vice to bee endued vvith vertue forcing him to apply himselfe to all laudable exercises that thereby he may obtaine his louers fauour coueting to bee skilfull in good letters that by his learning he may alure her to excell in musicke that by his melodie hee may intice her to forine his speech in a perfect phrase that by his learning eloquence he may perswade her and what nature wanteth he seeketh to amend by nurture the onely cause of thys vertuous dysposition is loue Loue be it neuer so faythfull is but a Chaos of care fancie though neuer so fortunate is but a masse of myserie Chilo Loue is to be dryuen out by reason not to be thrust out by force Amidst the naturall passions of man loue is the fountaine of all other The louer being angry doth flatter hymselfe with many lyes The louer knoweth what hee dooth desire but he knoweth not what he should desire Loue may wither by little and little but the roote will not be remooued on a suddaine It is a profit for young men and a fault for old men to
onely the praise and sirname of vertue Omnes boni semper nobilitati fauemus et quia vtile est rei publicae nobiles esse homines dignos maioribus suis et quia valere debet apud nos clarorum hominum senex de republica meritorum memoria etiam mortuorum Cicero Nobilitas sola est atque vnica virtus Of Honour Defi. Honour is a passion of the soule and a mighty desire naturallie desired of all creatures yet manie times mistaken by inacquaintance with vertue HOnour is the first step to disquiet and dominion is attended with enuy Honour and glory labourerh in mistrust are borne Fortunes bond-slaues The faith of a Knight is not limitted by value but by honour and vertue Honour lost bids farwell to hope Honour is the fruite of vertue and truth Honour glory renowne is to many persons more sweet then life The higher honour is seated by vertue the greater is his fall being ouerthrown by vice It is the chiefest part of honour for a man to ioyne to his high office and calling the vertue of affabilitie lowlinesse tender compassion and pitty for thereby hee draweth vnto him as it were by violence the harts of the multitude The greater the persons be in authority that commit an offence the more foule and filthy is the fault It better becommeth a man of honour to praise an enemy then his friend Happy is that Country whose Captaines are gentlemen and whose gentlemen are Captaines Honour is no priuiledge against infamy There is no greater honor thē quiet nor no greater quiet then content A man ought not to think it honor for himselfe to heare or declare the newes of others but that others should declare the vertuous deedes of him To attaine to honor wisedom is the poalestar and to retaine it patience is necessary The next way to liue with honour and dye with praise is to be honest in desires temperate in our tongues Honour iudgeth with patience The conditions of honour are such that shee enquireth for him she neuer sawe runneth after him that flyes from her honours him that esteemes her not demaundeth for him that wills her not giueth to him that requires her not and trusteth him whom shee knoweth not Noble-men enterprising great thinges ought not to imploy theyr force as theyr owne mind willeth but as honour and reason teacheth High noble harts which feele themselues wounded do not so much esteeme their own paine as they are angry to see theyr enemies reioyce The Captaine which subdueth a country by entreatie deserueth more honour then hee that ouercommeth it by battaile Honour without quiet hurteth more then it doth profit Honor is a high conceit and fortune is euer friend vnto a forward mind He that regards his reputation must second all things to his honour The heauens admit but one sunne and high places but one commaunder Men in authority are eyes of estate according to whose life euery priuate man applieth his manner of liuing It is not the place that maketh the person but the person that maketh the place honourable There is more honour purchast in pleasuring a foe then in reuenging a thousand iniuries VVhere hate beares souerainty honor hath no certainty Honour is brittle and riches are blossoms which euery frost of fortune causeth to vvither VVhere the martiall minde is instructed in Philosophie there prowesse strengthened with policy proues best honourable Better it is for the honourable to bee praysed for manie foes foild then for many barnes filde A man hauiug honor and wanting wisdom is like a faire tree without fruite Exiguum nobis vitae curriculum natura circūscripsit sed honoris cursus sempiternus Is honos videri solet qui non propter spem futuri beneficij sed propter magna merita claris viris defertur et datur estque non in uitamentum ad tempus sed perpetuae virtutis praemium Of Liberalitie Defi. Liberality is an excellent vse of those benefits which God putteth into our hands for the succouring of many which vertue is altogether ioyned with iustice and ought to bee guided by moderation and reason BOunties best honor is to help the poore happines to liue in good mens thoghts True bounty is neuer tyed vnto respect Liberality is approoued by two fountaines the one is a sure iudgement the other is an honest fauour That man is onely liberall which distributeth according to his substance and where it is most needfull The whole effect of bounty is in loue Liberality taketh his name of the substance of the same person from whence it proceedeth for it consisteth not in the qualitie or quantity of the things that be giuen but in the true and naturall disposition of the giuer That bounty is the best most approued that without perrill of renowne is past VVho in theyr bounty doe begin to want shall in their weakenes finde their friends and foes He is called a liberall man which according to his reuenewes giueth freely when where and to whom he should Gifts makes beggers bold he that lends must loose his friend or els his mony without heede VVhat-soeuer may be giuen vvithout thy detriment that freely to a straunger mayst thou lend Bounty hath open handes a zealous hart a constant fayth in earth and a place prepared in heauen He neuer giues in vaine that giues in zeale They that be liberall doe with-hold or hide nothing from them whom they loue wherby loue increaseth and friendship is also made more firme and stable As liberality maketh friends of enemies so pride maketh enemies of friends Liberality and thankfulnes are the bonds of concord Cic. A liberall minded man can neuer be enuious Bounty forgiuing fraile mortall things receiues immortall same for his reward The deedes of the liberall doe more profit the giuer then benefit the receauer Liberalitie in a noble minde is excellent although it exceede in the terme of measure Liberality bestowed vpon flatterers dooth not onely perrish but is spoiled deuoured A liberall hart causeth beneuolence though some-times through misfortune abilitiy be wanting It is a token of righteousnes to acknowledge heauens liberality and to giue praises to God for so great benefits Liberality when it lauisheth out of reason is called prodigality and being nothing at all extended it purchaseth the name of couetousnesse The office of liberality consisteth in giuing with iudgement That liberality is most comendable which is shewed to the distressed vnlesse they haue deserued that punishment for good deedes bestowed vpon vndeseruing persons are ill bestowed The best property in a king is to let no man excell him in liberality Anaxilaus Extra fortunam est quicquid donatur amicis Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes Liberalitate qui vtuntur beneuolentiam sibi cōciliant et quod aptissimum est ad quieté viuendum charitatem Cic. Of Benefits Defi. Benefits are those good turnes which are receiued eyther by desert or without desert tending to
worst God did not couer nor hide the truth vnder a Mountaine to the ende that none but such as toyled for her might finde her but as with the heauens hee hath enuironed the earth and the hells so hath hee couered the truth with the vaile of his charitie which whosoeuer will knock at the heauenly dore might enter in The end of Grammer is to speake aptly and agreeably and the ende of speach society of Rethorick to carry all mens minds to one opinion of Logicke to finde a truth amidst many falshoods all other Arts doe likewise tend to truth Speech is but the shadow of effect which as Euripides sayeth agreeing with the truth is single plaine without colour or counterfait Pharamonde the first King of Fraunce was named VVarmond which signifieth truth Truth feareth nothing more then to be hid shee careth for no shadowing but is content with her owne light Truth is a vertue that scaleth the heauens illumineth the earth maintaineth iustice gouerneth common-weales kils hate nourisheth loue and discouereth secrets Truth is a sure pledge not impaired a shield neuer pierced a flower that neuer dyeth a state that feares not fortune and a port that yeelds no danger Cicero Truth is health that is neuer sick a life that hath neuer end a salue that healeth all sores a sunne that neuer setteth a moone that is neuer eclipsed an hearb that is neuer withered a gate that is neuer lockt and a voyage that neuer breeds wearines Truth is such a vertue that without it our strength is weakenes our iustice tyrannous our humility trayterous our patience dissembled our chastity vaine our liberty captiue and our piety superfluous Truth is the Center wherein all things repose the card whereby we sayle the wisedom whereby we are cured the rock whereon we rest the lampe that guideth vs and the shield which defendeth vs. Truth is the ground of Science the scale to Charity the tipe of eternity and the fountaine of grace By truth the innocent smyleth before the Iudge and the traytor is discouered before he is suspected Truth is a good cause and needs no help of oratory and the least speach deserues the best credite Qui veritatem occultat et qui mendacium prodit vterque reus est ille quia prodesse non vult iste quia nocere desider at August Non boue mactato coelestia numina gaudent Sed quae praestanda est et sine teste fides Of Conscience Defi. Conscience generally is the certaine and assured testimony which our soules carry about with them bearing witnesse of what we speake thinke wish or doe it is to the wicked an accuser a Iudge a hangman and a rope to the godly a comfort reward and ayde against all aduersities A Guilty conscience is a worme that biteth and neuer ceaseth The conscience once stained with innocent blood is alwayes tyed to a guilty remorse Conscience is a worme that fretteth like the Seres vvooll secretly and deepely easily gotten and hardly worne out VVhere the conscience is drowned vvith worldly pompe and riches their wisedome is turned to foolishnes He that frameth himselfe outwardly to doe that which his conscience reproueth inwardly wilfully resisteth the law of God Plato writeth that many when they are in health doe thinke all but toyes which is spoken of hell but at the point of death when their conscience pricketh thē they are troubled and vexed out of measure calling their former life into minde The conscience is wasted where shipwrack is made of faith A good conscience is the onely liberty The conscience is a booke wherein our daylie sinnes are written A good conscience is a continuall quietnes Although the consciences of many seeme to be seared with an hote yron as if it were voyde from all feeling of sinne yet at the point of death it is awakened yea and it driueth the miserable soule to desperation VVe shall carry nothing with vs out of this life but either a good or a bad conscience Discerne discreetly and practise reuerently those thinges that are good that thine owne conscience may be cleere and others by thy dooings not offended A cleere conscience needeth no excuse nor feareth any accusation None is more guilty then hee whose conscience forceth him to accuse himselfe To excuse ones selfe before he is accused is to finde a foule crack in a false conscience Conscience beareth little or no sway where coyne brings in his plea. The conscience loaden with the burthen of sinne is his owne Iudge and his own accuser VVhereas any offence is cōmitted through ignorance or any other violent motion the causes that increase the same beeing cut off penitence and remorse of conscience presently followeth The Philosophers account those men incurable whose consciences are not touched with repentance for those sinnes which they haue committed There is no greater damnation then the doome of a mans owne conscience The conscience of the wicked shall tremble lyke the leafe of a tree shaken vvith euerie wind but the conscience of a good man shall make him bold and confident The violence of conscience commeth from God who maketh it so great that man cannot abide it but is forst to condemn himselfe The Furies which Poets faine to reuenge euils figure the torments of euil consciences A wicked conscience pursueth his Maister at the heeles and knoweth how to take vengeance in due time Nulla paena grauior paena conscientiae vis autem nunquam esse tristis bene vire Isodorus Heu quantum paenae mens conscia donat Sua quemque premit terroris imago Of Prayer Defi. Prayer as some Diuines affirme is talke with God crauing by intercession and humble petition eyther those things necessarie for the maintenaunce of this lyfe or forgiuenesse of those things which through frailety we daily commit THe iust mans prayer appeaseth the wrath of GOD. Prayer must be freely giuen neuer sold. Prayer is the oblation of a thankful hart the token of a contrite and penitent mind Prayer is not to be attempted with force violence of heart but with simplicity and meekenes of spirit Augustine Happy is that man whom worldly pleasures cannot draw from the cōtemplation of God and whose life is a continuall prayer Prayer kindeleth inflameth and lifteth vp the hart vnto God and the incense of meditation is pleasing in his eyes The prayer of the poore afflicted pierceth the clouds Prayer is the wing wherewith the soule flyeth to heauen and meditation the eye wherby we see God Prayer is a vertue that preuaileth against temptation and against all cruell assaults of infernall spirits against the delights of thys lingering life and against the motions of the flesh Bernard Praier engendereth confidence in the soule confidence engendereth peace and tranquility of conscience Fayth ioyned with prayer maketh it more forcible but humility coupled with it maketh it benificiall and effectuall Vertuous and godly disposed people doe daily pray vnto God for the clensing of the
for pouertie sith no man lyueth so basely as he was borne Salust It is giuen onely to a wise man to bee content in pouerty Suffer that with patience which thou canst not auoyde be not displeased at thy poore estate The beggars crutch serueth him both to leane vpon and to fight withall Patiently should that bee borne vvhich no strength can ouer-come nor counsell auoid whether it be pouerty to pinch the body or aduersity to crosse the minde It is better to suffer necessitie then to borrow of him whom a man may not trust Pouerty possessed in safetie is better then great riches enioyed with much feare VVhen a man is plagued with pouerty and sicknesse both ioyned together without any succour or easement then riseth in him an intollerable griefe a fire not able to be quenched a sorrow without remedy a tempest full of wracks Pouerty is a vertue of it selfe Diog. Hee liueth in most wretched estate of beggery that is not indued vvith any good qualitie Si ad naturam viuas nunquam eris paâ—per si ad opinionem nunquam eris diues exiguum natur a desiderat opinio immensum Seneca O vitae tâ—ta facultas Paâ—peris angustiquelares ô munera nondum Intellect a Deum Of Banishment Defi. Banishment is a putting away or driuing out of any man eyther from the place where he ought and should inhabite or from thence where he tooke delight desired to dwell FOr sinne was man thrust into the world therfore his life in it is banishment No banishment is sweete but the banishment of a righteous soule from the prison of a world wearied body Stebeus Banishment is there where is no place for vertue Cic. The banished man without a house to dwell in is like a dead body without a graue to rest in It is better for a man to bee banished his country with wise men then to liue there still amongst fooles He that denieth himselfe to his Country is in banishment already VVheresoeuer a man liues well there is his Country Cic. In exile calamity wee know friends from aduersaries A chast eye exileth licentious lookes To exile a true friend is to loose a persit soule To banish hope is to call home dispaire Good fortune attends not euerie great estate nor euill chance euery exild person To stuffe thy coffers with coyne is to commit thine honour to exile True happines is neuer had till after death nor exile welcome but in death There was neuer foule loue nor faire prison welcome death nor desired banishment It is a needlesse question to aske a sick man if he be willing to haue his health or an exile if he would be called from banishment There is nothing better then a contented minde nor any thing worse then the name of a fugitiue There is more sorrowe in loosing a mans owne Countrey then in conquering a world of other nations Death banishment come soone enough if slow enough In time custome becomes a second nature and long banishment breedes loath in delightfulnes The ayre is neuer vvithout some vvind or some clowde nor a banished man vvithout some crosse or trouble Sweet is rest after long pilgrimage great is the comfort a banished man takes at the tidings of his repealement It is the nature of man to loue those things deerest which are banisht farthest from him Hee that in the morning is proude of his possessions may happen ere night to be banished from his pleasures Seneca Beauty and youth once banished neuer repeale The comfort of fugitiues is that there bee many fugitiues Care followeth a fugitiue person euen as a shadow followes the body Exilium terribile est ijs quibus quasi conscriptus est habitandi locus non ijs qui omnem orbem terrarâ—â— vnam vrbem esse dicunt Cic. Priuari patria magnum malum est sed maius ve quam sermone Of absence and presence Defi. Absence is the departing or losse of a friend or anie other obiect wherein wee take delight and presence is the continuall companie of the partie with whom wee desire to be most conuersant THe presence of the minde is to be preferred before the presence of the body VVee neuer know how profitable the presence of a friend is vntill vvee haue felt the want of his absence for a time Absence in loue makes true loue more firme and constant The absence of friendes is the presence of griefes As contraries are knowne by contraries so the delight of presence is knowne by the hell of absence Man seperate from money is like a soule seperated from a body The griefe of vnwished absence is vvorse then the wound of a stubborne launce The diuorce of sorrow is slow-footed and lasie A teadious presence decayes loue a long absence forgets true familiarity The absence of couetousnes is the prosperitie of present estates Trauaile not to gaine absence for society is the strength to happines Absence puts off happines and time alters resolutions VVhen thought absents it selfe from truth the soule presents her selfe to sinne Demost. The euills got by absence wisedome recureth Take heede of speaking ill of the absent The solitary man is either a God or a beast Much absence is a signe of small loue Life and faith once absented neuer returne The fayrest presence is but a dunghill couered ouer with white and purple VVhilst the presence of power by pleasures gets acquaintance vertue is vnknowne and liues in absence Infamy is neuer absent from arrogancy Men gaine theyr desires by trauaile sustain them by thought and are absent from them by anoyance Aristip. The presence of one day blameth the absence of another but the last shall giue iudgement of all that is past Absence from euill cleeres vp of euill The absence of punishment is no pardon for transgressions Absence is death death is rest absent death is deaths rest Non vna eademque molestia est rerum praesentium et absentium Euripides Distantia locinon seperat amicitiam sed operationem Aristotle Of Acts. Defi. Acts are the monumentall deedes of our liues and our actions are the Ensignes by which are knowne the perfectnes of our good or euill lyuing ALl the praise of inward vertue consisteth in outward action An action without reason a reason without an action are both alike imperfit Action is the ready entrance into contemplation A silent deede is better then an vnperformed word Crates Neyther can good words colour a bad action nor badde vvordes depraue from a good action Shape beautifies an image good actions commends a man Actions are by so much more manifest then words by how much the eyes are surer witnesses then the eares It is an argument of too much weakenesse to remember what should haue been doone Action is the life of contemplation and the tongue of conceit In action a man doth not onely benefit him selfe but profit others S. P. S. God would neuer haue deliuered a soule into the body which hath
to complaine vpon God for the shortnes of their life when as they themselues as short as it is doe through ryot malice murthers care and warres make it much shorter both in them selues and others Theophrastus hoc est Viuere bis vitâ posse priore frui Est nostra vno vita quam sâ—millima Acescit est quem reliqua parua portio Of the Soule Defi. The soule is a created substance inuisible incorporall immortall resembling the image of her Creator a spirit that giueth life to the body where-vnto it is ioyned a nature alwaies mouing it selfe capable of reason and the knowledge of God to loue him as beeing meet to be vnited to him through loue to eternall felicity THE greatest thing that may be said to be contained in a little roome is the soule in a mans body An holy vndefiled soule is like heauen hauing for her Sunne vnderstanding the zeale of iustice and charity for the Moone fayth and her vertues for the starres Euery soule is eyther the spouse of Christ or the adultresse of the deuill Chris. The minde is the eye of the soule The soule is compounded of vnderstanding knowledge and sence from which all Sciences and Arts proceede and from these she is called reasonable The soule is deuided into two parts the one spirituall or intelligible vvhere the discourse of reason is the other brutish which is the sensuall will of it selfe wandring where all motions contrary to reason rest and delighting onelly to dwell vvhere euill desires doâ— inhabite The actions of the soule are vvill iudgement sence conceiuing thought spirit imagination memory vnderstanding The incomparable beauty of the soule is prudence temperance fortitude iustice All the felicity of man as well present as to come dependeth on the soule Clement The soule is the organ and instrument of God whereby he worketh in vs and lifteth vs vp to the conteÌ„plation of his diuine power and nature The sweetest rest and harbor for the soule is a conscience vncorrupted The Philosophers set downe foure powers to rule in the soule reason will anger and concupiscence in which they lodged foure vertues to euery one one prudence iustice fortitude and temperance The soule payeth well for her hire in the body considering what she there suffereth The soule of the iust man is the seat of wisedome August The body is the sepulcher of a dead soule The soule is the breathing of God Ambr. If thy soule be good the stroke of Death cannot hurt thee for thy spirit shall liue blessedly in heauen Basil. As they that haue healthfull bodies easily endure both cold and heat so they that haue a stayed and setled soule haue the dominion ouer anger greefe ioy and all other their affections Plato It is not death that destroyeth the soule but a bad lyfe A sound soule correcteth the naughtines of the body All mens soules are immortall but the soules of the righteous are immortall and diuine Socrates It is good to haue a regard to the health of the mind that the body thereby may be preserued from danger The power of the minde is two-fold one part is in the appetite the other in reason which teacheth vvhat is to be followed and vvhat to be eschewed By this reason commaundeth and appetite obeyeth The diseases of the body are easie to be cured but for the malady of the minde no medicine can be found The pleasure of the minde excelleth the pleasures of the body By vvhat other name canst thou call the soule then God dwelling in a mans body It is as great charity to edefie the soule as sustaine the body Bernard The nobility of the soule is alwayes to be thought vpon The soule in the flesh is as amongst thorns Bernard The soule is the naturall perfection of the body Aurel. The body considereth nothing but what is present the minde conceaueth vvhat is past and what is to come The soule of man is an incorruptible substance apt to receaue either ioy or pain both heere and else where Solon The soule despiseth all worldly busines and being occupied onely about heauenly matters she reioyceth greatly vvhen she is deliuered from these earthly bands VVhile the soule is in the company of good people it is in ioy but vvhen it is among euill men it is in sorrow and heauines As the body is an instrument of the soule so is the soule an instrument of God The body vvas made for the soule and not the soule for the body Looke hovv much the soule is better then the body so much more greeuous are the diseases of the soule then the greefes of the body Diogenes By the iustice of God the soule must needs be immortall and therfore no man ought to neglect it for though the body dye yet the soule dieth not The delights of the soule are to knovv her Maker to consider the works of heauen and to know her owne state and being Tres vitales spiritus creauiâ— Omnipotens vnum qui carne non tegitur alium qui carne tegitur sed non cum carne moritur â—â—eâ—tium qui carne tegitur et cum carne moritur Primus AngeloruÌ„ secundus hominum tertius brutorum est Anima dum viuificat corpus anima est dum vult animus dum scit mens dum recolit memoria dum rectum iudicat ratio dum spirat spiritus dum aliquid sentit sensus est Of the Sences Defi. Sences are the powers of the soule body in number fiue seeing hearing smelling tasting and touching Of Seeing THe eyes vvere giuen to men to be as it were theyr vvatch-towers and sentinels the guiders and leaders of the body Of more validitie is the sight of one eye then the attention of ten eares for in that a man seeth is assurance and that he heareth may be an error The piercing power of the sight is able to reade Homers Iliads though they were written in the compasse of a nut-shell The sight the affection and the hands are instruments to gather bribes Sight increaseth compassion and compassion calleth vp care S. P. S. VVhat can saying make theÌ„ beleeue whom seeing cannot perswade S. P. S. Sight is the riches which nature graunteth to the poorest creature S. P. S. A wanton eye is the messenger of an vnchast hart Aug. Marcus Varro was surnamed Strabo for his quicke sight that from Libaeum a prouince in Sicilia he could tell the number of the saile of shippes vvhich came out of the Hauen of Carthage Hee that is borne blinde is wiser then the deafe or dumb Arist. Blindnes it selfe commends the excellency of sight Aug. The eyes are the iudges seat of the mind The eye is the most precious part of the body and therefore it is saide I vvill keepe thee as the apple of mine eye The eyes are the windowes of the body or rather of the soule which is lodged in it The sight is the chiefest sence and the first Mistresse that prouoked men forward to
suffer constant to loue friendly to her neighbours prouident for her houshold Theophrastus Marriage vvith peace is this worlds paradice with strife this lifes purgatory Silence and patience causeth concord betweene maried couples It is better to mary a quiet foole then a witty scold In marriage rather enquire after thy wiues good conditions then her great dowry Spirituall marriage beginneth in Baptisme is ratified in good life and consumated in a happy death Thales seeing Solon lament the death of his sonne sayd that for the preuention of such like troubles he refused to be married Lycurgus noted them of infamie that refused to marry Hee which would faine finde some meanes to trouble himselfe neede but to take vpon him eyther the gouernment of a shyppe or a wife Plautus A chast Matron by obeying her husbands will hath rule ouer him The first coniunction of mans societie is man and wife An honest vvife is the health of her husbands body Qui cogitat de nuptijs non cogitat bené Cogitat enim contrabit de hinc nuptias Malorum origo quum sit haec mortalibus Dotatam enim si forté pauper duxeris Non iam ille coniugem sed habet heram sibi Cuiseruit at sipauper aliquam duxerit Nil afferentem seruus ille rursum erit Dum victum vtrique non sibi tantum parat Duxitné faedam vitam de hinc acerba erit At iam pigebit ingredi limen domus Duxitné formosum nihilo erit haec magis Sui mariti quam suae viciniae Ita in aliquod necesse est vt incidat malum Of Chastitie Defi. Chastity is the beauty of the soule and purity of life which refuseth the corrupt pleasures of the flesh and is onely possessed of those who keepe their bodies cleane and vndefiled and it consisteth eyther in sincere virginity or in faithfull matrimony CHastitie is of small force to resist where wealth and dignity ioyned in league are armed to assault Pure chastity is beauty to our soules grace to our bodies and peace to our desires Selon Frugality is the signe of chastity Plinie Chastity in wedlock is good but more comendable is it in virginity and widdowhood Chastity is a vertue of the soule whose coÌ„panion is fortitude Amb. Chastity is of no account without humility nor humility without chastity Greg. It is better with Ficinus the beautifull young Romaine to deface the maiesty of comly fauour and beauty then vvith Narcissus to be confounded with his owne folly Chastitie is the seale of grace the staffe of deuotion the marke of the iust the crowne of virginity the glory of life and a comfort in martirdome Chastity groweth cheape vvhere golde is not thought deere The first degree of chastity is pure virginity the second faithfull matrimony Idlenes is the enemy to chastity As humility is necessarie so chastity is honourable Chastity humility and charity are the vnited vertues of the soule Chastity vvithout charity is a lamp vvithout oyle In the vvarres of Caius Manlius Torquatus against the Gallogrecians the wife of Oriagontes their Prince beeing taken prisoner by a Centurion who mightily assaulted her for loue caused him to â—ec slayne by her slaues after she was raunsâ—med and carried the letchers head as a pledge of her chastitie to her barbarous husband The Lady Bona of Lombardy fearing her chastitie should be assailed in her husbands absence followed him in the holy warres in Palestine and rescued him in many dangers to her eternall honour The daughters of Romilda after theyr mother had dishonourably betrayed both her husband and Country into the hands of Cucanus King of the Vandales hauing especiall care of theyr chastities and fearing the incestuous assaults of the Barbarians hid peeces of raw flesh vnder their garment which putrifying by heate sent out such a stench that the Vandales supposing it some naturall defect fled from them and by this meanes they escaped their dishonour Omphale of Lydia seeing the incestuous lyfe of those Country-men hovv hainously and tirannously they betrayed the honours of many virgins forceably tooke the signiory of the Countrey teaching them slauishly to obey vvhich could not vertuously gouerne Androchia and Alcide two chast and vertuous Thebane virgins hearing by the Oracle of Apollo that theyr Countrey should haue victorie ouer the Orchianemians if tvvo of theyr chastest virgins vvould by voluntary death destroy themselues slew themselues Numa first instituted and erected a Temple to the Vestall Virgins ordained such a law that those which were taken in adultery and had betraied their chastity should be put into a Caue in Campo scelerato with water milke and honey and a light taper and there buried quick At the sack of Cassannoua in Italy the souldiers of Frauncis Sforza bringing him a yong virgin prisoner of incomparable beauty hee first attempted her with wordes then with gifts lastly with threats and seeing none of these able to diuert her from honour he sent her raunsomlesse to her betrothed husband endowing her with his owne spoiles who was so carefull of her chastity Chastity and modesty are sufficient to inrich the poorest and wise-men in marriage rather make choyce of honesty manners then loosenes of behauiour with great lands and rich possessions It is more coÌ„mendable with Alexius to forsake tke concupiscence of the flesh follow the sweet contemplation of vvisedome then with vnhappy Caphalus to seeke the tryall of faithlesse folke and fall into the snares of inuiolable mischiefe Chastitie is knovvne in extreamitie and crowned in the end with eternity If chastitie be once lost there is nothing left prayse-worthy in a vvoman The first steppe to chastitie is to knowe the fault the next to auoyde it Though the body be neuer so fayre vvithout chastitie it cannot be beautifull Beauty by chastitie purchaseth prayse and immortalitie Beautie vvithout chastitie is lyke a Mandrake apple comlie in shewe but poysonfull in tast Feastes daunces and playes are prouocations to inchastitie Quintil. Beautie is like the flowers of the spring and chastitie like the starres in heauen VVhere necessity is ioyned vnto chastitie there authoritie is giuen to vncleannesse for neither is shee chast which by feare is compelled neither is she honest which with need is obtained August A wandering eye is a manifest token of an vnchast hart Gracious is the sace that promiseth nothing but loue and most celestiall the resolution that lyues vpon chastitie The true modestie of an honest man stryketh more shame with his presence then the sight of many wicked and immodest persons can styrre to filthines with theyr talkings Chastitie with the raines of reason brideleth the rage of lust Chastitie is the treasure of the soule and the virginity of the body Doe not say that thou hast a chast minde if thine eye be wanton for a lasciuious looke is a signe of an incontinent hart Amongst all the conflicts of a Christian soule none is more hard then the vvarres of a chast minde for the
esse sui Ouid. Omnibus qui patriaÌ„ conseruauerint adiuuerint auxerint certus est in caelo et definitus locus vbi beati aeuo sempiterno fruuntur Cicero Of Hope Defi. Hope is that vertue whereby the spirit of man putteth great trust in honest waightie matters hauing a certaine and sure confidence in himselfe this hope must be strong ly grounded vppon a sure expectation of the helpe and grace of God without which it is vaine and imperfect TO be cleane without hope is a hap incident to the vnhappy man He that will loose a fauour for a hope hath some wit but small store of wisedom Fortune may take away our goods but death cannot depriue vs of hope Hopes aboue fortune are the fore-poynters of deepe falls If thou chaunce to loue hope vvell vvhatsoeuer thy hap be That which is most common is hope Hope is a waking mans dreame Pyndarus To put our confidence in the creature is to dispaire of the creator Grego Vaine is hope that doth not feare God Gre. This mortall life is the hope of the life immortall Aug. They onely hope vvell who haue a good conscience Aug. Hope is the companion of loue Hope cannot be without fayth Aug. Hope is the God of the wretched Bernard Hope grounded on God neuer faileth but being built on the world it neuer thriueth Hope apprehendeth things vnseene and attaineth things by continuance Plato The euenings hope may comfort the mornings misery Hope is the fooles God the Merchant-mans comfort the souldiers companion and the ambitious mans poyson Hope of life is vanity hope in death is life and the life of hope is vertue Hope waiteth on great mens tongues and beguileth beleeuing followers Sweet words beget hope large protestations nourish it and contempt kils it He that supposeth to thriue by hope may happen to beg in misery Bion. The apprehention of hope derideth griefe and the fulnes of hope consumeth it As all mettalls are made of Sulphur so all pleasures proceede from hope As the one part laboureth for the conseruation of the whole body so hope for the accomplishment of all desires Sadnes is the punishment of the hart hope the medicine of distresse Crates Hope is a pleasant passion of the minde vvhich dooth not onely promise vs those things that we most desire but those thinges also which we vtterly dispaire of Our high hopes haue oftentimes hard fortunes and such as reach at the tree commonly stumble at the roote To hope for requitall of benefits bestowed may rather be counted vsury then vertue A cowardly louer without hope shall neuer gaine faire loue with good fortune To hope against all hope is the excellence of a mighty resolution In a little place is hid a great treasure and in a small hope a boundlesse expectation Confidence except it be guided by modesty and proceed from iudgment may rather be called arrogancy then hope Hope of all passions is the sweetest and most pleasant and heereof it is said that hope onely comforteth the miserable Hope is the Gouernour of men Symonides Perdicas seeing Alexander largelie bestovve many benefits vppon his friends asked him what hee would leaue for himself he aunswered hope A good and vertuous man ought alwaies to hope well and to feare nothing Hope is the beginning of victory to come and doth presage the same Pyndarus Sola spes hominem in miserijs consolari solet Miserum est timere cum sâ—eres nihil Of Charity Defi. Charitie is the indissoluble band of God with vs whereby wee are inflamed with the loue of him for that which we owe vnto him and therby also are induced to loue our neighbours for the loue of God CHaritie is the scope of all Gods commaundements Chris. Charity delayd is halfe lost Charitie raunsommeth vs from sinne and deliuereth vs from death Charitie increaseth fayth begetteth hope and maketh vs at one with God As the body without the soule enioyeth no life so all other vertues without charity are cold and fruitlesse Charity is a good and gracious affect of the soule whereby mans hart hath no fancy to esteeme any thing in this world before the study to know God Hermes The charitable man is the true louer of God Seuerus As the sunne is to the vvorld and life to the body so is charity to the hart Charity resembleth fire vvhich inflameth all things it toucheth Erasmus Charitie in aduersitie is patient in prosperitie temperate in passions strong in good works quicke in temptations secure in hospitalitie bountifull amongst her true chyldren ioyfull amongst her false friends patient Charitie in midst of iniuries is secure in hart bountifull in displeasures meeke in concealing euills innocent in truth quiet at others misfortune sad in vertues ioyfull Charitie in aduersity fainteth not because it is patient and reuengeth not iniuries because it is bountifull Hee that truely loueth beleeueth and hopeth Aug. By charitie one seeth the glorious light of God Aug. Hee alwayes hath to giue that is full of charitie Bernard To loue with all the soule is to loue wisely to loue with all the strength is manfully to suffer for truth to loue with all our hart is to prefer the loue of God before all things that flatter vs. Aug. The measure in louing of God is to loue him without measure Bernard Charity is the way of man to God and the way of God to man Aug. If any man waxe drunke vvith the loue of God he is straightwayes apt and ready to all good he laboureth and is not weary hee is weary and feeleth it not the malicious mock him and he perceiueth it not Bernard The loue of God hath power to transforme man into God Charity maketh a man absolute and perfect in all other vertues Neither the multitude of trauailes nor the antiquity of seruice but the greatnes of charity increaseth the reward God is charity vvhat thing is more precious he that dwelleth in charity dwelleth in God what thing is more secure God in him what thing is more delectable The nature of charity is to draw all things to it selfe and to make them participate of it selfe Lactan. There is no vertue persit without loue nor loue without charity Charity is neuer idle but worketh for him it loueth The greatest argument of godly loue is to loue what God loueth Charitable loue is vnder no rule but is Lord of all lawes and a boundlesse Emperor There is true charity where two seueral bodies haue one vnited hart Of charity mixed with mockery followeth the truth of infamy Pythag. Charity is the child of faith and the guide to euerlasting felicity All charity is loue but not all loue charity Augustine The filthy effects of bribery hinder exceedingly the works of charity Plato Charity causeth men to forsake sinne and embrace vertue Charitie is a word vsed of many and vnderstood but of a few Cicero By charity with God we learne what is our duty towards man By charity all men
of pleasure and reward wherefore such as suffer in it aduersity shall in another world be recompenced with ioy Hermes He which delighteth in the world must eyther lacke what he desireth or els loose what he hath wonne with great paine He that is enamoured of the worlde is like one that entereth into the Sea for if hee escape perrils men will say he is fortunate but if he perrish they will say hee is vvilfully deceiued He that fixeth his minde wholy vppon the world looseth hys soule but he that desireth the safetie of his soule little or nothing regardeth the world After the olde Chaos vvas brought into forme the Poets faine that the vvorld vvas deuided into foure ages the first vvas the golden age the second vvas the siluer age the thyrd the brazen age and the fourth the yron age all which may bee more largelie read of in the first booke of Ouids Metamorphosis The worlde in the foure ages thereof may bee compared vnto the foure seasons of the yeere the first resembling the spring-tyme the second sommer the third autumne and the fourth winter Perdicas Hee that yeeldeth himselfe to the vvorlde ought to dispose himselfe to 3. things which hee cannot auoyde First to pouerty for hee shall neuer attaine to the riches that hee desireth secondly to suffer great paine trouble thirdly to much businesse without expedition Solon Mundus regitur numine deorum estque quasi communis vrbs et ciuitas omnium Cicero Mundus magnus homo homo paruus mundus esse dicitur Of Beginning Defi. Beginning is the first appearance of any thing and there can be nothing without beginning but onely that Almightie power which first created all things of nothing EVill beginnings haue most commonlie wretched endings In euery thing the greatest beauty is to make the beginning plausible and good It is better in the beginning to preuent thē in the exigent to worke reuenge That thing neuer seemeth false that dooth begin with truth The preface in the beginning makes the whole booke the better to be conceiued Nature is counted the beginning of all things death the end Quintil. To beginne in truth and continue in goodnesse is to gette praise on earth and glorie in heauen The beginning of superstition was the subtiltie of sathan the beginning of true religion the seruice of God There is nothing wisely begunne if the end be not prouidently thought vpon Infants beginne lyse with teares continue it with trauailes and end it with impatience A foolish man beginneth many things and endeth nothing The beginning of thinges is in our owne power but the end thereof resteth at Gods disposing Stobaeus Neuer attempt any wicked beginning in hope of a good ending The most glorious and mightie beginner is GOD who in the beginning created the world of nothing Small faults not hindered in the beginning amount to mighty errors ere they be ended A worke well begun is halfe ended Plato In all workes the beginning is the chiefest and the end most hardest to attaine The beginning the meane and the end is a legacie which euery one enioyeth Sodaine changes haue no beginning Nothing is more auncient then beginning That which is betweene the beginning and the end is short Greg. The feare of God is the beginning of wisedome Sirach The beginning of all thinges are small but gather strength in continuaunce The beginning once knovvne vvith more ease the euent is vnderstood Begin nothing before thou first call for the helpe of God for God whose power is in all things gyueth most prosperous furtherance and happy successe vnto all such acts as vvee doe begin in his name Take good aduisement ere thou begin any thing but being once begun be careful speedily to dispatch it He that preuenteth an euill before it begin hath more cause to reioyce then to repent Take good heede at the beginning to what thou grauntest for after one inconuenience another will follow Begin to end and ending so beginne As entrance to good life be end of sinne Principijs obsta seró medicina paratur Cum malaper longas inualuere moras Principij nulla est origo nam ex principio oriuntur omnia ipsum autem nulla ex re alia nasci potest Of Ending Defi. The ende is that whereto all thinges are created by GOD which is the glory of his Name and saluation of his Elect albeit the order which hee obserueth the cause reason and necessitie of them are hid in his secrete counsaile and cannot bee comprehended by the sence of man THE end of thys worlde is a good mans meditation for by thinking thereon hee preuenteth sinne Basil. The end of trouble bringeth ioy the end of a good life euerlasting felicitie VVhat thing soeuer in this world hath a beginning must certainly in thys world haue also an ending The last day hath not the least distresse Felicitie is the end and ayme of our worldlie actions which may in this life be described in shadowes but neuer truly attained but in heauen onely Nothing is doone but it is doone to some end Arist. The end of labour is rest the end of foolish loue repentance The end is not onely the last but the best of euery thing Arist. The end of euery thing is doubtfull Ouid. The end of warre is a iust Iudge Liuius As there is no ende of the ioyes of the blessed so is there no end of the torments of the wicked Greg. The end of this present life ought to haue respect to the beginning of the life to come Bernard The end we hope for is euer lesse then our hopes VVhat was doubtfull in the beginning is made certaine by the end therof Hugo Seeing the euent of things doe not aunswer to our wils we ought to apply our wils to the end of them Arist. The end of a dissolute life is most cōmonly a desperate death Bion. Our life is giuen to vse and to possesse but the end is most vncertaine and doubtfull The end of sorrow is the beginning of ioy At the end of the worke the cunning of the work-man is made manifest Good respect to the ende preserueth both body and soule in safety Before any fact be by man committed the end therof is first in cogitation Many things seeme good in the beginning which prooue bad in the end Exitus acta probat careat successibus opto Quisquis ab euentu facta notanda putat Multi laudantur in principio sed qui ad finem prefeuerat beatus est Of Day or Light Defi. The word Dies which signifieth day is so called quod sit diuini operis it is Gods faire creature and the cheerefull comfort of man who by his word made the light thereof to beautifie it to the worlds end THose children which are borne betweene the foure and twenty houres of midnight and midnight with the Romans are said to be borne in one day Numa Pompilius as hee deuided the yeere into Moneths so hee deuided the
As meate and drinke is foode to preserue the body so is Gods worde the nourishment of the soule Greg. A vertuous soule hath better tast of godlie discourses then the body hath of a well relished meale Anacharsis vvas of thys minde The first draught that a man dronke ought to be for thirst the second for nourishment the third for pleasure and the fourth for madnes Then is the mind most apt to comprehend all good reason when teh operations of the braine are not hindered by vapours vvhich excesse of feeding distempers it withall King Cyrus beeing asked by Artabazus as he marched one day in warre what he would haue brought him for his supper Breade quoth hee for I hope wee shall finde some fountaine to furnish vs with drinke VVisedome is hindered through wine and vnderstanding darkned Alphon. Nothing can bee more abiect and hurtfull then to liue as a slaue to the pleasures of the mouth and belly Salust Diseases gather together vvithin our bodies which proceede no lesse of beeing too full then beeing too emptie and oftentimes a man hath more trouble to digest meat then to get meate Howe hard a matter is it saith Cato to preach abstinence to the belly which hath no eares and which will take no deniall howe euer the case standeth Gluttony dryeth the bones and more dye by it then perrish by the sword Gluttony stirreth vp lust anger and loue in extreamity extinguishing vnderstanding opinion and memory Plato Gluttony fatteth the body maketh the minde dull and vnapt nay which is vvorse vndermineth reason VVine hath as much force as fyre for so soone as it ouer-taketh one it dispatcheth him it discloseth the secrets of the soule and troubleth the whole mind Homer approouing that the Gods dye not because they eate not alludeth that eating and drinking doth not onely maintaine lyfe but are likewise the cause of death VVee are sicke of those things where-with we lyue for there is no proper and peculiar seede of diseases but the corruptions of those things within vs which we eate the faults and errors we commit against them Plut. Socrates enuyting certaine of his friends to a feast was reproued for his slender prouision vvhereto he answered If they be vertuous there is enough but if they bee not there is too much They which are addicted to belly seruice not caring for the foode of the minde may well be coÌ„pared to fooles that depend more vpon opinion then reason It is an olde prouerbe much meate much maladie Intemperancie is a roote propper to euery disease Hee that too much pampereth him-selfe is a grieuous enemy to his owne body Vessels being more fully fraught then they are able to carry doe sincke so fareth it with such as doe eate drinke too much Origen Ptholomy by reason of his gluttony was termed the belly man By surfeit many perrish but he that dieteth himselfe prolongeth his life Excesse came from Asia to Rome ambition came from Rome to all the world Maximilian the Emperour in one day deuoured fortie pounds of flesh and dronke an hogshead of wine Geta the Emperour for three vvhole dayes together continued his festiuall and his delicates beeing brought him by the order of the Alphabet Gluttony causeth innumerable maladies shorteneth mans lyfe Heraclit Surfeiting is the rediest meanes to procure sicknesse and sicknesse is the chastisement of intemperate diet Gorgias beeing demaunded howe he attayned to the number of a hundred and eyght yeeres aunswered in neuer hauing eaten or dronken any thing through pleasure Omne nocet nimium mediocritur omne gerendum Tantum cibi et potionis adhibendum est vt reficiantur vires non opprimantur Cic. Of Concupiscence Defi. Concupiscence or Lust is a desire against reason a furious and vnbrideled appetite which killeth all good motions in mans mind and leaueth no place for vertue LVst is a pleasure bought with paynes a delight hatcht with disquiet a content passed with feare and a sinne finished vvith sorrow Demonax Lust by continuaunce groweth into impudencie Shame and infamie waite continually at the heeles of vnbrideled lust Lust is an enemy to the purse a foe to the person a canker to the minde a corrasiue to the conscience a weakener of the wit a besotter of the sences finally a mortall bane to all the body so that thou shalt finde pleasure the path-way to perdition and lusting loue the load-stone to ruth ruine Plinie Lust in age is lothsomnesse in youth excesse howsoeuer it is the fruite of idlenesse Lust enforceth vs to couet beyonde our power to act beyond our nature and to dye before our time Sensuall vice hath these three companions the first blindnes of vnderstanding the second hardnesse of hart the thyrd want of grace Draco wrote such lawes against incontinencie that he is sayde not to haue written them with Incke but rather to haue signed them with blood The channels which riuers long time haue maintained are hardly restrained from their course and lust wherein we haue beene long plunged is hardly purged Aurelius Such thinges as maintaine vs in euill or change our goodnes to vvickednesse are eyther nourished or begun by lust Tarpeia a Romaine Lady to auoyde lust pulled out her owne eyes Surinus a man of admirable beautie to auoyde the loue of vvomen dys-figured hys owne face Nicetas the martyr cut out his own tonge because hee woulde not consent to the vvanton embracements of a wicked harlot Adultery is called the iniury of nature Our tongues most willingly talke of those things which our harts most desire Chastitie is a punishment to the incontinent and labour to the slothfull Seneca Adultery desireth not procreation but plesure Aâ—selm Lust maketh a man to haue neyther care of his owne good name nor consideration of the shame which his posteritie shall possesse by his euill lyuing Thys monstrous sinne altereth marreth drieth the body weakening all the ioynts and members making the face blubbed and yellow shortning lyfe deminishing memorie vnderstanding and the very hart Adultery is vnlawfull matrimony Adultery is hated euen amongst beastes Adultery in Germanie is neuer pardoned Tacitus Lust is a strong tower of mischiefe hath in it many defenders as needinesse anger palenesse discord loue and longing Diogenes Concupiscence doth iniury prophane and defile the holinesse of the soule The Corinthians for theyr incontinencie haue beene euill spoken of they vvere so inchast that they prostrated their owne daughters to inrich themselues hence came the prouerbe It is not fit for euery man to goe to Corinth for they payd vvell for theyr pleasure Messalina and Popilia were so incontinent that they contended with most shameful harlots prostrating themselues without respect of time place or company to any though neuer so base The Babilonians Tyrrhenians and Massagelans vvere greatly spotted with this vice abusing their bodies in such monstrous sort that they vvere reputed to lyue rather lyke beast then men Clodius deflowred his owne sisters Semiramis burned