that I shulde say but that one ought to haue enuy of his deth compassioÌ„ of my life bicause in dienge he lyueth in lyuinge I die In yl fortunes in case of lyfe in y e subtyl aduersities of fortune where as her gyles profiteth but lyttell and her strength lesse I thinke the beste remedy is to fele it as a man and dissimule it as discrete and wise If all thynges as they be felte at harte shulde be shewed outwarde with the tonge I thynke that the wyndes shoulde breake the harte with sighinges and water all the erthe with wepynge O if the corporall eies sawe the hurt of the hart with a true wound I swere to the there they shuld se more of a droppe of bloudde sweatynge within thanne all the wepynge that is made out warde There is no comparyson of the great dolours of the bodye to the leest peyne that the spirite feleth For all trauayle of the body menne may fynde some remedy but if the heuy harte speke it is not harde if it wepe it is not sene if it complayne hit is not beleued What shall the poore harte do Abhorre the lyfe wherwith it dieth and desire deth wherwith it liueth The high vertues amonge noble vertuous people consystethe not al only to suffre the passions of the body but also to dissimule them of the sowle They be suche that alter the humours and shewe hit not outwarde They brynge a feuer without alterynge the of poulce They alter the stomake They make vs to knele to the erthe to suffer the water vp to the mouth to take death with out leauynge of the lyfe And fynally they lengthe our lyfe to thentente that we shulde haue the more trauaylle and denyethe vs our sepulture to thentente that we shulde not reste vs. But consideringe If I be troubled with tribulations as well am I lette with consolations For euer I haue either desyre of the one or werynes of the other I take this remedye to dissimule with the tongue and to wepe with the eyes â–ª and to â—ele it with my harte I passe my lyfe as he that hopethe to lese all that he hathe and neuer to recouer that is lost I say this â–ª though ye se me not now make funerall wepynges and waylynges as I dyd at the deth of my sonne yet thynke not but it doth brenne my hart so that with the inwarde greatte heate is consumed the humyditie of the eies outwarde for it brennethe all my spyrites inwarde Thou mayste knowe what an honourable father suffrethe to lese a good chylde In all thynges the goddes be lyberall excepte in gyuynge vs vertuous chyldren Where there is aboundaunce of great estates there is greattest scarsitie of good inheritours It is a great hurte to here and greatter to see howe these fathers clyme to haue ryches and to see their chyldren discende to haue vycyousenes To se the fathers honour theyr chyldren and the chyldren to infame theyr fathers yea and the fathers to gyue rest to theyr chyldren and the children to gyue trouble to their olde fathers yea and sometyme the fathers dye for sorowe that theyr children dye so soone and we se the chyldren wepe bycause theyr fathers dye soo late What shulde I saye more but that the honour and riches that the fathers haue procured with great thought the chyldren lose with lyttell care I am certayne of one thynge that the fathers may gather ryches with strength and crafte to susteyne theyr chyldren but the goddis wyll not haue durable that that is begon with euyll intention and is founded to the preiudice of other and is possessed with an euyll heire And though the heuy destenies of the fader permit that the riches be left to their childreÌ„ to serue them in all their vyces for their pastyme at last according to their merites the goddis wyll that the heire heritage shulde peryshe Marke what I say I hadde two sonnes Comode the prince Verissimus the yonger is dead that was greatest in vertue Alway I imagined that while the good lyued I shuld be pore now that the yl remaineth I thynke to be ryche I shall shewe the why the goddis ar so pitieful that to a pore father they neuer giue yl chyld to a riche father they neuer giue a good child And as in al prosperite alway there falleth some sinister fortune either soone or late so therwith fortune doth arme apparel vs wherin she seeth we shal fal to our greattest hurt And therfore the goddis permit that the couetous faders in gaderyng with great trauayle shuld die with that hurt to leue their riches to their vicious childreÌ„ yll implied I wepe as moch for my child y t the goddis haue left me as for him y t they haue taken fro me For the small estimation of hym y t liueth maketh immortal memory of him y t is deed The yl rest coÌ„uersation of them that liue cause vs to sigh for the company of them that be deed The yll is alwaye desired for his ilnes to be deed the good alway meriteth to haue his deth bewailed I say my frend Catulus I thought to haue lost my wit whaÌ„ I saw my son Verissime dye but I toke comfort ayen for either he of me or I of him must se the ende CoÌ„sidering that the goddis dyd but lend him to me gaue him not how they be inheriters I to haue y e vse of the fruit For al thing is mesured by the iust wyll of the goddes not by our disordinate wyls appetites I thinke whaÌ„ they toke away from me my chylde I restored hym to an other not that they haue taken myn But sith it is the wyll of the goddis to gyue rest to the good childe and hurte the father bycause he is yll I yelde thankes to them for the seasone that they haue suffered me to enioye his lyfe And for the pacyence that I haue taken for his deth I desire them to mytigate therwith the chastisement of their yre And I desyre syth they haue taken away the lyfe from this chylde to cause good customes to be in the prince myne other sonne I knowe what heuynesse thou haste take in Rome for my sorowe I pray to the goddis to sende the ioye of thy chylderne and that I maye rewarde the with some toye for that thou haste wept for my peyne My wife Faustine saluteth the and thou woldest haue coÌ„passyon to se her For she wepeth with her eies and sygheth with her harte and with her handes hurteth her selfe and curseth with her tonge She eateth nothynge on the daye nor slepeth in the nyght She loueth darkenes and abhorreth lyght and therof I haue no meruayle for it is reasone that for that was nourished in her entrayles she shulde fele sorowe in the same And the loue of the mother is soo stronge though her chylde be deed and layde in sepulture yet
iourney and to the begynnynge of my firste iourney with the goddis It is reason that syth I haue loued you in time past that ye beleue me nowe For the time is come that ye can demande nothyng of me nor I haue nothing to offre you nor myn eares as now can not here flatteries nor my harte suffre importunities if ye neuer knewe me knowe me now I haue ben he that I am and am he that hath ben in tymes paste lyke vnto you some what nowe ye se I am but lyttell and within a lyttell whyle I shalbe nothynge This daye shall ende the lyfe of Marke your frende this day shall ende the lyfe of Marc your parente this day shal ende the fatal destenies of Marc your lorde this day shal ende the seignory of Marke your emperour and this day shall ende his empire I haue vanquysshed many and nowe I am ouercome with deth I am he that hath caused many to dye and I can not as now gyue my selfe one day of lyfe I am he that hathe entred into chariottes of golde and this day I shall be layde on a biere of wodde I am he for whome many haue songe meryly and this day they wepe I am he that hath had company in all exercites and this day I shall be gyuen to hungrye wormes I am Marcus greatly renoumed that with famous triumph mounted into the high capytolle and this day with forgetfulnes I shall discende into the sepulchre I see nigh with myn eies that was farre hyd in my harte And as the goddis be fauourable to you in this worlde equalle and fauourable to me in an nother worlde as my fleshe neuer toke pleasure to passe this lyfe but my harte was sodaynly taken with the feare of death than take no peyne for me for eyther I muste see the ende of you or you of me I yelde great thankes to the goddis that they take away this olde persone to rest with theym and leaue you yonge for to serue in thempire For there is no comparyson for to speake of dethe to the lyfe nor to eschewe the deathe at the houre therof And yet I wylle not denye but I do feare dethe as a mortal man Whan the lyfe passeth there is no prudence in a prudente nor vertue in a vertuous nor lordshyp in a lorde that can take away the feare of the spirite nor peyne of the flesshe Atte this tyme the sowle and the fleshe are so combyned and so conglutinate togyther and the spirite with the bloude are soo annexed that the separation of the one from the other is the mooste terrible and the last terrible of all terriblenes Certaynly it accordeth vnto good reason that the sowle departe dolorously leauyng the fleshe vnto wormes and the bodye as enuious to se the sowle go and sporte with the goddis O what lyttell thoughte we take in this lyfe vntylle we falle grouelynge with oure eies vppon deathe Beleue me Sythe I haue passed from whens ye be and haue experimented that ye doo se that is the vanities of vs that are vayne is so agreable to vs that whanne we begynne to lyue we ymagyne that our lyfe wylle endure a holle worlde and whanne it is ended it seemeth vs to be but a puffe or a blaste of wynde And bycause than sensualitie peyneth for sensibilitie and the flesshe for the flesshe reason guyded with them that be mortall tellethe me that it peyneth not with the departynge If I haue lyued as a bruetbeast it is reason that I dye as a discrete man ought to do I dyenge this day shal dye all my sickenes hungre shal dye colde shal dye al my peynes shal die my thought shall dye my displeasure shall dye and euery thynge that gyueth peyne and sorowe This day the nyght shall be taken away and the sonne shyne bryghte in the skye This daye the ruste shall be takem from myne eies and I shall see the sonne clerely This daye the waye shall be made smothe for to goo righte this is the daye shall ende the iourney wherin I shall not drede the stayes of Fortune I thanke the goddes immortall that haue suffered me to lyue so clerely and soo longe a tyme. This daye I shall haue an ende of al vnhappy destenes of enuyous fortune and not they of me Of trouthe if the goddis haue commaunded my flesshe to be hydden in the sepulchre and to be as mortalle yet if they be iuste and doo well they wyll make my renoume to be immortall bycause I haue lyued well Than sith I change this wery lyfe and company of menne for the swetenes of the goddis and the doubtes of fortune for this sure lyfe and greate and continuall feare for perpetuall peace and this ylle and naughty corrupte lyfe for good renoume and glorye I thynke veryly this shuld be none yll change ¶ It is nowe thre score and two yeres sythe the erthe hath susteyned and fedde the erthe of my bodye It is nowe tyme that the erthe knowledge me for her sonne and I wyl also take her for my mother Verely it is a pitiful mother that wylle nowe take me in to her entrayles for euer sythe that I haue soo longe space troden her vnder my feete And yet thoughe that I were as I am for to be as she is I am in certayne that she wolde kepe me surer amonge her wormes than Rome amonge the Senatours And all though it be peynefulle to you if it plese the goddes to haue it thus no mā can excuse nor scape it I shuld be right well eased if this webbe were broken and my possession taken in the Sepulcre Than shulde I haue the fyrst thyng propre of myn owne and perpetuall without any feare of lesynge therof All thynges mortal that mortalle folkes haue and the enuye of them that be enuious maye be broken except the deth and the sepulcre the whiche are priuileged from enraged hongre of enuy I se you wel shedynge teres from your eies and reise heuy sighes frome the depenes of your hartes Wylle ye not that I shulde desyre deathe sith the phisitions gyue me but thre houres of lyfe and there are conteyned in me .iii. M. yeres of peynes the length wherof is a cyronisme of deathe And all though our debilite be weake yet for all that our honour is so sensible that at the houre of deathe the more that the bones dischargeth them of the fleshe the more is the hart charged with thoughtes In manner that whan the sinewes vntie them from the bones of the bodye than newely they tye agayne a soore knotte to the herte Nowe let vs leaue speakyng of that that to wchethe particularly my selfe and speake we in generall of it that is conuenyente to a yonge Prynce and to you that are his tutours and maysters ¶ Ye se here my sonne Comodus only prince and heire abydynge for the heritage of thempire neyther for beynge good that he meriteth praise nor for being
souerayne folye to be borne wepynge to dye syghynge and to lyue laughynge The rule to gouerne all partes ought to be egall O Cincinate who hath begyled the that for a potte full of water thou haste nede of a greatte laake of this world to passe this wretched lyfe Wylt thou flay away the skynne of thy handes with the corde of thoughtes breake thy body in bataylle with great trauayle and aduenture thyne honour for one potte of water What wylte thou more that I shulde say but that to fyl a potte of thy goodes thou wylt suffre a. M. perylles And in the vyle exercysing of thy marchandyse thou doubtest not for lesynge of thy credence And fynally I sweare to the thou shalt abyde deed for thurste as thoughe there were no water in the feldes If thou wylt do by my counsell desyre deathe of the goddis to reste the as an aged wyse man and demaunde not rychesse to lyue yll as a yonge foole I haue soore wepte for many that I haue sene in Rome departed oute of this worlde and for the I haue wepte droppes of blode to se the retourne newly vylely to the worlde My amitie and the credite of the senate the bloude of thy predecessours the auctoritie of thy person and the honour of the countreye oughte to refrayne thy couetousnesse Oh frende thy whyte heares sheweth honour and wysedome the whiche shuld exercise and be occupied in noble dedes Regarde It auayleth more to folowe reason by the ways of them that be good than the cōmon opinyon whiche is the large way of them that be yll For though the one be strayte for the fete it reiseth no duste for to blynde the eies as the other dothe to lyghte younge persons the whyche procure lyghtnesse ignoraunce excuseth them but the disordinate couetyse of the olde persones causeth theym to occupie their lyfe with trauayle and to take deathe with great annoyaunce and in the one as welle as in the other abydeth great infamy O Cyncinate take this counsayle of a frende Charge not thy selfe with takynge of these vayne goodes syth thou haste soo smalle a morselle of thy lyfe For suche as thou arte we see consume and waste and not to quicken Put no trust in frendes in the present prosperitie for it is a pronostication of an euyll fortune And sythe thou arte in a hasarde lyke a foole me thynke thou oughtest to discende a foote lyke a sage person And thus euery man wyll saye howe Cincinate is discended and not fallen I wyll say no more but the goddis be thy sauegarde and defende bothe the and me frome gylefulle fortune My wyfe Faustyne saluteth the and she is withdrawen frome me bycause I wrote this letter to the and hathe coniured me to write this worde to the that is she saythe thou oughtest to haue wytte whan thy necke is full of heare and I thynke thou oughteste in continente to take a barber shaue away the heare that thy wytte maye come forth I wold thy couetyse shuld forsake the and foly Faustin and the gowte me and the soner our soules may departe fro our fleshe than gile shuld remayne in our hartes Marc of mount Celio writeth this with his hande ¶ A letter sente fro Marc the emperour to Catulus censorious that was sorowfull for the deth of his sonne Verissimus The .viii. letter MArc censore newe and yonge salute and reuerence to the Catulus censorius olde and auncient I haue writen two letters to the thou haste made aunswere to none of them If it be bycause thou couldest not I holde my peace If it be bycause thou woldest not than I complayne me If it be for forgetfulnes thā I accuse the If it be bycause thou setteste lyttelle by me than I appeale the If thou haste dreamed that thou haste wrytten I saye beleue not in dreames And if thou wylte not it shulde vayle to glorifie me as a frende yet thou mightest take it write in aduertisinge repreuynge as the father to the son Yong vertuous persons are bounde to honour aunciente wise men no lesse old wyse men ought to endoctrine the yong people and very yonge as I am A iuste thynge it is that the new forces of youth supply serue them that are worne by age For theyr longe experience mocketh our tender age natural ignorance youth is yl applied when it surmōteth the force of the body faylleth the vertues of the soule age is honored wherin the force dyeth outwarde wherby vertues quickneth the more inward we may se the tre whē the fruite is gadered the leues fal and whan flowers dry than more grene and perfyte are the rotes I meane that whan the first season of youth is passed which is the Somer tyme than cometh aege called wynter and putrifieth the fruite of the fleshe and the leaues of fauour falle and the floures of delyte are wyddered and the vynes of hope dried outwarde than it is right that moche better the rotes of good workes within be good They that be old and auncient ought to prayse theyr good werkes rather than theyr white heares For honour ought to be gyuen for the good lyfe and not for the whyte heade Glorious is that common welthe and fortunate is that prince that is lord of yonge men to trauayle and ancient persons to counsel As to regarde the susteynyng of the naturalitie of the life in lykewise ought to be consydered the polycie of gouernaunce the whiche is that al the fruites come nor drie not al at ones but whan one beginneth an other fayleth And in this maner ye that be auncient teachynge vs and we obedient as olde fathers and yonge pullettes beynge in the neste of the senate Of some their fethers fallyng and other yonge fethered and where as the olde fathers can not flye their trauaylles are maynteyned by theyr tender chyldren Frende Catulus I purposed not to write one lyne this yere bycause my penne was troubled with thy slouthe but the smallenesse of my spirite and the greatte peryll of myn offices always called on me to demande thy counsell This priuilege the olde wyse men holde in their houses where they dwelle They are alwayes lordes ouer them that be symple and are sclaues to them that be wyse I thynke thou haste forgotten me thynkynge that sythe the dethe of my dere sonne Verissimus the tyme hath ben so longe that I shulde forgette it Thou hast occasion to thynke so for many thynges renneth in tyme that reason can not helpe But in this case I can not tel whiche is the greattest thy trumperie or my dolour I sweare to the by the goddis immortall that the hungry wormes in the entrayles of the vnhappy chylde are not so puisante as are the cruell dolours in the harte of the father sore wounded And it is no comparison for the son is ded but one tyme ▪ y e heuy father dieth euery moment What wilt thou more
that he shoulde be good bycause I haue nourysshed hym well and fearynge that he shulde be ylle bycause his mother Faustine hath brought hym vppe wantonly and the yonge man is inclined to yll And as ye se a thynge made by artyfice peryshe and a naturall thynge laste I am in great feare that after my dethe he wyl tourne that waye that his mother hath chylded hym and not as I haue norished hym O how happy were I if I had neuer a childe to leue behinde me to be emperour Then a childe myght be chosen amonge children of good fathers and I shulde not haue ben troubled with him that the goddis haue gyuen me Panutius I demaunde one thynge of the whether thou callest moste fortunate Vaspasian the naturalle father of Domitian or els Nerua the father adoptiue of Traian Vaspasian was good and Nerua verye good Domitian was of all other mooste cruelle and Trayane the myrrour of all clemency Thā regard how Vaspasian in the fortune to haue chyldren was vnhappy and Nerua in the mysfortune to haue chyldren was happy I knowe not why these fathers desyre to haue children sith they ben the occasion of so moche trauayle O Panutius I wyll say one thynge to the as a frende to a frende as thou knowest wel we be in this worlde I haue lyued .lxii. yeres in whiche tyme I haue redde many thinges and haue hard sene desired atteyned possessed suffred and rested moch and nowe at this tyme I must dye and of al thing I shal beare nothing away bycause bothe it and I are nothyng Great besines the hart hath to serche for these goodes and great trauayle to come to them but without comparison the greattest dolour is at the houre of the dethe to depart and leaue them What greatter disease can be to the body than sodaynely to be surprised with ennemies What peryll of the see or losse of frendes can be egall to se a vertuous man drawe to his deathe to leaue the sweate of his face the auctoritie of the empire the honour of his persone the company of his frendes the remedye of his dettours the rewardynge of his seruantes and to leaue it to a chylde that hath not merited it nor hath not the power to wyll to merite it ¶ In the .ix. table of the lawes were these wordis written We cōmaunde and ordeyne that euery father who in the opinion of all men is good shall disheryte his sonne that is yll in euery mans opinion Also euery chylde what soo euer he be that disobeyeth his father or robbeth any temple or hurt any wydowe so that she blede flee fro the battayle or do any treason to a stranger who so euer is found in any of these fyue cases lette hym be banysshed for euer the habitation of Rome and caste out fro the herytage of his father ¶ In good soth this lawe was good and in the tyme of Quintus Cincinate hit was ordeyned and nowe by vs whiche be vnhappy it is cleane lefte and forgotten Panutius without doubte I am wery to speake and also I haue suche an impediment in my stomacke that I wante brethe or elles I coulde shewe the all by order if myne vnderstandynge fayled me not howe manye Parthiens Mediens Assiriens Caldiens Indiens Egypeyens Hebrewes Grekes and Romaynes haue lefte theyr chyldren poore and myght haue left them ryche and all was bycause they were vicious and other chyldren that were very poore were lefte ryche bycause they were good and vertuous I swere to the by the immortall goddes that whan I came fro the warres betwene the Parthiens and Rome and that the triumphe and glorye was gyuen to me and my sonne confirmed to be emperour I wolde the Senate hadde lefte me my sonne Commodus poore with all his vyces and that I hadde made the Senate heire and lorde to the empire and to haue chastised hym to the exaumple of all the worlde I wyll that thou knowe I shall carie fyue thynges with me out of this worlde intermedled the whiche is great sorowe to my harte The fyrste is that I haue not determyned and iudged the ple◠and processe of the noble wydowe Drusia with the Senate seinge that she is very poore and hath noo bodye to doo her Iustyce The seconde is bycause I doo not dye in Rome to the intente that I myghte cause to be cryed and proclaymed euery where in Rome er I dyed to wyte if any complayned on me the thyrde is that where as I dyd slee .xiiii. tyrantes that vndyd the countreye that I hadde not as well banyshed all the Pirates that kepte the sees ▪ the fourth is that I lefte my dere sonne Verissimus deed and the .v. that I haue lefte alyue as heire to the empire my sonne Commodus O Panutius the greattest happe that the goddis can giue to a man not couetous but vertuous is to gyue him renoume in his lyfe a good heire to conserue him after his deathe Fynally to conclude I pray to the goddes if I shall haue any parte with theym that if by my sonnes offences Rome be sclandred and my renoume minished and my hous lost by his life that they wyll take a way his lyfe yet or I dye ¶ What themperour sayde to the maysters of his sonne and to the rulers of thempire Cap. xliii I Se you aunciēt fathers and noble Romayns and ryght faythful seruantes take peyne and sorowe for that I must yelde me to dethe and leaue this lyfe and treate with my sepulchre Ye sorow for my sorowe ye are tourmented with myn anguyshe peyned for my peyne it is no meruaylle For the clere vnderstandynge of the pure blod of true and faythfull frendes is to double theyr trauayles and to wepe for other if one brute beast morne for an other moch more ought one humayne creature to so towe for an other And this I say bycause I know by the teares of your eyes the felynge of your hartes And sythe that the greattest rewarde for any benefite is to knowe it and thanke the patie therof as moche as I can I thanke you And if my weake thankes be not correspondente to your pitiefulle wepynge I require the goddis after they haue taken awaye my lyfe to rewarde you for my duetie It is greate pleasure for the familie to knowe their mayster go with the goddis and great peyne to hym to leaue them For company of many yeres is loth to leaue the life In my lyfe tyme I haue done with you as I ought to do and as nowe I must do as I may The goddis wyll take my sowle away Comodus my sonne the empire the sepulchre my bodye and ye my speciall frendes my harte And sothly it is reason that sith ye were in the lyfe my hartes that it be yours after my deth And in that I wyll speake more particular this nyght shall be our reasonnyng Now my harty frendes ye se that I am come to the ende of my laste
passeth in my thoughte than the shorte clothe doothe in a false weuers handes Ye haue strayned it on the tentours and drawen it on the perche for to to lengthen the lyfe If ye were made faire and clere cordwainers waxe and swete of sauour that ye myghte be drawen out at lengthe hit were welle doone but ye are but as fruyte of almondes semynge drie without and worme eaten within For the loue that I haue to you and for neyghbourheed that ye haue had with me I desire styll frendshyppe of you that lyke as I knewe you yonge and very yonge so to knowe you olde and very olde I say not that ye surmoūt in age but your wytte fayleth you O Claudius and Claudine I wylle ye knowe that to susteyne youthe and to deface age to length the lyfe and driue awaye dethe it is not in mennes handes that desyre hit it is the goddis that doo gyue it whiche accordinge to iustyce and our couetyse giueth vs lyfe by weighte and deathe without measure Ye may know that our nature is corruption of our body and our bodye is putrifaction of our wytte and our wytte is guyde to our soule and our soule is mother of our desyres and our desires are sleers of our youthe our youth token of our age and our age spye of our dethe and dethe the house of our lyfe wherinto youthe gothe on fote and from age we canne not flee on hors backe I wolde wyte a thinge of you what fynde ye in this lyfe wherfore dothe lyfe content you after .lxxx. yeres of age eyther ye haue ben good or yl if ye haue bene good and vertuous ye shal not reioyce you with yll goddis if ye haue benne yll ▪ than as well desire dethe to thentente ye shulde be no more yll orels iustly ye might be slayn by iustice For he y t hath ben yll tyll .lx. yeres of age in him there is no hope of amendmente Whan the couragious great Pompeie and Caius Cesar were ennemies and beinge in cruell ciuil battailes Rome was infamed and them self lost The annales shew that suche as came in fauour of Iulius Cesar cam out of the west and the succours of Pompeie out of the easte among other there came certayne people out of Barbarie dwellyng amonge the mountayns Riffees toward Inde Their custome was whan they came to thage of .l. yeres to make great fyres and brenne them selfe quicke in sacrifyce to theyr goddis and the same daye the parentes and chyldren wolde make great feastes and eate of the flesshe halfe brente and drynke wyne with the ashes of the bones This was sene with the eies of Pompei bicause that som accomplyshed the yeres of fyftye in the campe O golden worlde wherin were suche men O happy people that in all the worldes to come hath left such a memorie of them They dispised the worlde and forgatte them selfe What strokes gaue they to fortune What delytes for the fleshe and howe lyttell sette they by theyr lyues and yet more to set so small store by deathe O what bridel was this for the vicious and what hope for the vertuous what confusion for them that loued this lyfe and what ensaumple not to feare dethe haue they left vs And sith they dispised their owne propre lyfe it is then to be thoughte that they dyed not to thentent to take other mens goodes to thynke that our lyfe neuer shall haue ende therfore our couetyse neuer hath ende O glorious people and .x. M. tymes blessed that lefte theyr sensualitie and vanquyshed theyr natural wyll beleue not that ye se but gyue faythe to that ye neuer sawe as they that se nothyng go agaynst the fatal destenies who goethe agaynste the waye of fortune gyue a wrynche to the lyfe robbe the body at the dethe wynne honour of the goddis not that they shulde length your lyfe but to take the reste of the lyfe Archagatus surgien and Anthonius the phisitien and Esculapius the father of medicines I thynke wanne but lyttell in that lande Who commaunded these Barbariens to take sirope in the mornyng and to take pylles at night and to refreshe them with mylke to take clere barly to annoynt theyr lyuers to daye to be lette blode and to morowe to take a purgation to eate one thing and to absteyn fro many thinges Than me thinke that they beynge of .l. yere of aege and you of lxxx at the leaste shulde be egall with them in wysedome And if ye wyll not take deth in good worth yet at the leest amende the yll lyfe I remembre well of a long tyme that Fabricius our neybour wylled vs to beware of a mockerie the whiche if it be not broken there shall folowe great dysshonour And sith he shewed me soo good a lesson I wyll paye you with the same money I wyll shewe it you if ye poore aged folkes doo not knowe it ye be suche that your eyes are bleared your noses droppynge your heares whyte your herynge dulle your tongue faulterynge your tethe waggynge your face wrincled your fete swollen your shuldres croked and your stomake distempered finally if the graues coude speake they myght ryghtfully calle for you to come and inhabite in them Of trouthe it is great compassion to beholde yonge ignoraunce that open theyr eies to knowe the infortunes of this lyfe whan it is tyme to close them and to entre into the graue And therof cometh that it is in vayne to giue counsaile to vain yong peple For youth is without experiēce of that it doth is suspect of that it hereth wyl not beleue that is said and disprayseth other mens coūsel is ryght pore of their owne And therfore I saye Claudius and Claudyne my frendes I fynde without comparison none so ylle an ignorance of goodnes that holdethe these yonge personnes as is the obstinacy of these aged personnes in yll The diffinition of yll is a manne not to knowe that he oughte to knowe yet it is wors to haue the knowlege of wysedome and to lyue lyke a brute beaste O ye olde goutye people ye forgette your selfe and renne in poste after the lyfe and ye neuer regarde whatte shall falle tyll ye be suche as ye wolde not and without power to retourne backe herof cometh that ye lacke of lyfe ye wyll supplye it with foly Than awake ye that be slombringe haue no force to slepe open your slepy eies and accustome you to do well Take that is nedeful for you and fynally appoynt you betimes with dethe or he make execution of your lyfe Lii yeres I haue knowen them of the worlde yet I could neuer know none so olde nor so putrifyed in their membres but that their hartes were hole to thynke vnhappynesse and their tongues hole to make lyes Take hede ye poore olde persons me thynke syth somer is paste ye haste forward with the tyme and if ye tary a small season yet ye make haaste to take lodgynge