well rigged and furnished with all necessaries hauing winde at wil and seas fauourable Therefore we will heere conclude this poynt thus Seeing that the happines of man doth lye in procuring of his good and that his good is to liâ—e according vnto nature and to liue according vnto nature is not to bee troubled with any passions or perturbations of the minde but so to behaue himself happen what happen may as that he do not exceed patience or passe the bounds of reason that if wee will bee truelie happie we must purge our minds of all manner of passions learne how to be affected in minde towards all things which shall happen Now there is nothing which can so soone set vs in this way and learne vs how to obtaine the right course of ordering our affections mindes and wils according vnto reason as Wisedome which is in my simple opinion both the beginning and end of all vertues For causing vs to haue an exact and true knowledge of the condition and qualitie of things which come into our considerations viewes she teacheth and telleth vs what is according vnto nature and what not and like wise what is to be desired and followed or shunned and auoyded She remoues al false opinions out of our heads which trouble our braines makes our affections kind and naturall and finally vpon her waite all other vertues as being their mother nurse and keeper O how happie would mans life bee if it were alwayes led and guided by her direction But alas as this vertue is most faire and excellent so she is most rare and hard to be found for she is so hidden in the bottome of our mindes as the veynes of gold lye secret in the bowels of the earth and are found but in few places This is as I beleâ—ue that great stately and impenetrable buckler which Vulcan forged for Achilles wherein were ingrauen heauen earth the sea clowdes starres lightnings cities weapons assemblies of people and combats and in a word there was nothing in the world which was not there to bee seene signifying vnto vs by that deuice that wisedome the true knowledge of things doth better preserue the minde of man from danger then the buckler or helmet doth keep the bodie from wounds But as Achilles went to schoole vnto Chiron to learne the vse of that buckler so we must go to schoole to Philosophy to know the right vse of wisedoome And if wee will hearken vnto her she will tell vs that wisedome hath two properties and vses the one to prick vs forward to that which is good the other to pull vs backe from following that which is euil Now because when we come vnto Philosophie we doe not bring with vs a mind pure and neat but alreadie distempered euilly disposed and possessed with filthie humours and such as are incident vnto the common sort of people because I say wee come vnto her as vnto a skilfull leach or cunning phisition therefore if we will bee cured wee must doe as surgeons doe which haue to doe with sores and wounds who before they apply any medicine or salue to cure them doe first draw out all the bad humours and dead flesh and so must we also in like manner begin first of all to purge our minds of all such passions as doe arise in them and with the smoke of them darken and obscure the eye of reason for otherwise precepts of manners and wholesome instructions would profite our soules as little as plentie of meate doth a corrupted bodie which the more you feede the more you offend Now to know what these passions are you must vnderstande that we doe terme them a violâ—nt or vehement motion of the soule in the sensitiue part which is caused in the following or eschuing of that which seemeth to be either good or euill For albeit there be but one soule in euery one of vs which is the cause of life fountaine of all our actions and is all in all and all in â—uery part yet there bee many faculties in the soule which it is straunge to see how diuers yea how contrariâ— they be many times one towards another according vnto the diuersitie of instruments and vessels where it is kept and varietie of obiects which are offered vnto her In one place she causeth vegetation in another motion in another sence in another desire or appetite in another imagination in another remembrance in another reason and discourse euen as the Sunne which though he bee all in his owne essence yet diuiding and parting his beames in diuers places he bringeth heat to one place and light to another softeneth waxe and hardens clay scattereth the clowds and drieth vp standing pooles and lakes And when the parts where the soule lieth inclosed doc retaine and vse her but in a proportion of their capacities and as farrâ— foorth as it is necessarie for their conuenient vse then she bringeth foorth gentle sweet and orderly effects but contrariwise if her parts doe take morâ— heate and motion then is requisite and conuenient you shall haue cleane coÌ„trary operations such as will proue very hurtful and preiudiciall vnto the soule and right so for all the world fareth it with the Sunne who as long as his beames do wanderabroad according vnto their naturall and wonted libertie doe gently and moderatly heate the earth but if they be gathered and knit together in the hollow of a burning Christall they doe burne and â—â—nsume that which they were wont before to cherish and quicken Now it hath pleased nature to grant vnto sence this power and strength which commeth from the soule to applie it selfe vnto things and extract their formes and afterwards either to choose or refuse them as they shall best please or displease him and agree or disagree with his nature And this is done for two reasons one because they should be in stead of sentinels vnto the bodie still watching and warding for his good the other which is a principall cause indeede because they should bee messengers and vantcouriers from the soueraigne and chiefest part of the soule and also serue for ministers and instruments of bettering our discourse and reason But as she hath alotted them this power and authoritie so she doth most straitly will and command them to coÌ„tent themselues with their office which is to call to mind things past thereupon to aduise themselues what is best to be done not presuming or daring to disquiet the higher and stronger faculties or breede any further vprore or confusion For so it falleth out many times in an armie that the watch because they know not the purpose of the Generall whose direction they should follow may be deceiued and take the enemie comming vnto them disguised for friends and their friends which come in good will to succour and relieue them for enemies and euen so the sences because they cannot throughly conceiue and comprehend thinges appertaining vnto reason as being
things contrary vnto them euil what doe we els but tesâ—ifie vnto all men that there is no true felicitie in this world and that our minds are here held in perpetuall torment For a man must needes haue death and griefe continuallie before his eyes both which are esteemed euils and whereof one is oftentimes present with him the other neuer â—easeth to threaten and menace him If then they be things euill the feare of them is iust if he be alwaies in feare how can hee bee at any time happie Let vs therefore confesse that either man hath no good ordained and prepared for him in this world which he may compasse and attaine vnto or els acknowledge that this good doth wholly and entirely consist in vertue For it must needs be that the end of euery thing should be proportionable vnto the strength and nature of the thing it selfe for other wise if the end were vnpossible to be atchieued in stead of being mans good it would turne to be mans further torment And so he should nothing but labour and trauaile in vaine as the daughters of Danaus are sayd to doe in hell striuing to fill certaine bottomles vessels with water which caÌ„ hold no water at all Againe if there bee no Science nor Arte in the world which hath not one end or other limited her which they may come vnto by keeping of certaine precepts and rules what shall we thinke that nature the mother of Arts and Sciences hath proposed vnto man which is her chiefe worke an end which it is vnpossible for him to come vnto because it is out of his power Will as we say is that which seeketh after our good now a ruled and well gouerned will neuer coueteth as indeede it ought not to doe but that which she may and which it is in her power to procure she busieth not her selfe about hauing of that which it is not in her power to haue when she will as health riches and honors For if our good did consist and depend of them wee should not neede to imploy reason or will to the procurement of them but we might as well compasse them by prayers wishes for it is a thing which is subiect vnto a thousand casualties which cannot bee prâ—â—ented or foresâ—ene as not being in our hands to dispose of them as we list but subiect vnto the rule of Fortune their good Ladie and mistris What shew or probabilitie of reason is there I pray you in this that Nature should so create man the perfection of all other creatures that his good which is his perfection should depend not onely vpon other matters but vpon so many things that a maÌ„ hath no hope to haue them all fauourable vnto him but that he shuld here beneâ—th with Tantalus lye miserabliâ— thirsting and crying after water Nay doubtles Nature doth offer you so much to the getting of this good as a minde well disposed and fit to vse any thing which shall be layd before it and to passe ouer those things which doe farre passe his reach and capacitie Will you then rather choose to runne vnto Fortune and waite at her deceitfull handes for that good which you may giue vnto your selfe and if you will For this is a diuine and inuiolable lawe which hath been made since the beginning of the world that if we will haue any good we must purchase and get it our selues by our owne labour and industrie For nature hath prouided a rich store-house of all good things and inclosed it in our minds let vs then but stretch forth the hands of our will and we shall take as much as we will For if the will of man bee well guided and ordered it will turne all things to her good as Mâ—das turned all things that he touched into golde There is no accident so grieuous which can befall a man either in bodie or riches whence a man may not reap some rest and comfort of minde so that if we can here rest content our selues wee haue alreadie found out our end For though we should remit so much of the seueritie of this sect as to confesse that the bodie or goods which are but instruments of mans life were a part of mans substance and might by their qualitie alter the qualitie of the soule yet may wee not auouch this for good that losse â—ither in goods or bodâ—e is able to hinder the felicitie and happines of man if his minde enioy quiet rest and content In things which are compounded of many partes the most noble part giueth both name and lawes vnto the rest and they take their denominatioÌ„ from her what doubt then can there bee but that man should bee wholly happie if his minde enioyeth his happines And so wee say that a Common-wealth is happie after a great victorie although there bee many citizens lost because the happinesse thereof is measured by the person of the Prince or els of the state to the good and seruice of whom all the rest must be obedient Hence is it that particular men doe euen glorie in their wounds doe euen bragge and boast of them if they haue receiued them in the defence of either Prince or countrie Shall we than assigne vnto the bodie any other motion or desire then that by the which it referreth all things that come vnto him vnto the ioy and happines of the mind shall we I say bee so foolish as to linke and knit the soule so fast vnto the bodie that the good thereof should remaine as a slaue within his members and so farre foorth depend on them that accordingly as the bodie should be well or ill disposed the mind should be altered and accounted either happie or vnhappie Truly if so bee that nature would haue had mans happines and perfection to haue depended on his bodie or consisted in his goods she would haue giueÌ„ vnto all men like bodies and like measure and quantitie of goods for so she should not haue been partiallâ— but equall vnto all and so haue passed from the generall vnto euery particular of that kinde But on the contrary side she hauing made all men of very diuers natures and conditions both in respect of their bodies as also in regarde of their goods hath notwithstanding graunted vnto all men like power and abilitie of wel vsing their bodies or riches of what sort soeuer they bee in such sort that the action of the minde may bee as honorable and glorious in one sort as in another yea the excellencie thereof doth appeare shine foorth more gloriously and merit more praise then when being destitute of meanes and instruments he commeth of himself vnto his wished end For so in my opinion wee are to iudge him to bee the skilfuller pilot in a shippe which can in a great tempest amidst the raging flouds guide an old sea-beaten ship full of holes whose sayles are rent and ropes broken then hee which can tell how to gouerne a new ship
aboue their reach are beguiled with shew and appearance of thinges and doe oft times iudge that for a friend vnto vs which is our greatest aduersarie And so whilest they presently rush forward without staying or looking for any commandement from reason they prouoke and stir vp that part of the soule where concupiscence and anger dooth lodge whereby springeth such a â—umult hurly burly in the mind that reason during this furie can not bee heard nor vnderstanding oâ—eied no more theÌ„ lawes or Magistrates are regarded in a state rent and torne with euill dissention But in this trouble the passions which doe waxe most mutinous and troublesome vnto the quiet rest of the spirit doe first arise in the appetible or concupiscible parte that is to say in that place where the soule doth exeâ—cise this facultie of desiring or reiecting things presented vnto her as being things proper or contrary vnto her welfare and preseruation So then their first moouing and springing is vpon a shew and apparance or imagination of some good or euill Now if it be of some present good which she doth alreadie begin to possesse wee call this motion by the name of pleâ—sure but if it bee of some good â—o come which is as yet farre estranged from vs we call it desire â—f it be of a present euill the incoâ—uenience and griefe whereof we doe alreadie feele being moued and incensed against another we call it hatred or horror and being moued within our selues discontentednes which if it happen vpon occasion of any thing which concernes vs we call it sorrow if by reason of another mans euill pitie if by occasion of an apparant good where wee pretend a part ielousie if otherwise enuie Againe to fall backe vnto the second part of our second generall diuision if it be of some after ensuing euill it is rightly termed by the name of feare See here the first band of these seditious passions which so much trouble the quiet rest of our soule which are accoÌ„panied with most daungerous effects and yet nothing like so daungerous as are those which follow after For why these first motions being bred and formed in that part by meanes of the obiect which presents it selfe doe passe foorth incontinentlie vnto the irascible part of y e mind that is to say to the place where the soule seekes al meanes possible of obtayning or auoyding that which seemeâ—h vnto â—er good or euill And then foortâ—with as a wheele which is alreadie mouâ—d being to receiue a fresh motion is carried about with greater swiftnes so the minde being mooâ—ed with the first apprehension hauing a second strength added vnto the former is whirled about with greater violence then before and stirres vp more strong and vntameable passions because they are doubled and coupled with the former and so being ioyned together doe stay and strengthen one another with mutuall helpe and consent For the first passions which are found of the obiect of some imagined or seeming good considering with themselues of the meanes how to obtaine and acquire it do stirre vp in vs either hope or despayre but those affections which are made of the obiect of some seeming euill doe bring forth feare and anger which foure passions are wonderfullie strong and violent and doe wholly ouerturne the frame of reason which they finde alreadie tottering Heere beholde and marke the foure winds as I verely suppose from whence spring the cruell tempests of our soules Their den from whence they come is nothing els as hath been alreadie shewed you but a false imagination which wee haue that those things which are presented vnto vs are either good or euill For by this meanes attributing that qualitie vnto them which indeede is not in them wee flye or follow after them with vehemencie and this is the very originall and spring of these passions Well then to stoppe this den assure the rest of our soules and prouide that they be not otherwise moued then it is meete for them to bee let vs call to minde that which was proued vnto vs in the very beginning and entrance into this discourse To wit that the good of a man and the perfection of his nature consisteth in the disposing and fashioning of his will to the right vse of things according vnto reason and contrariwise that his euill commeth from a disordered or vnskilfull vsing or rather abusing of them For by the first hee shall reape much profite receiue much content and quietnes and chance what chance nay he may set vp his rest and remain as stable andimmoueable as a rocke in the middest of the sea by the second euery small thing that chaunceth will trouble him and turne to his great griefe and disaduantage Now this disposition of our will lieth whollie in our power and consequently our good and euill Wherefore if at anytime there be presented vnto vs any obiect to the endethat we may not be troubled at all as with some good or euill which doth follow vs let vs consider whether the thing which happeneth be in our power or no. If it bee in our power well and good it may bee good or ill vnto vs. And yet in this case too wee must not be too passionaetly affected in any sort for if we can but moderate and guide our willes aright we shall make it good and so continue it still If it be out of our power then it is neither good nor euill and consequently wee ought not to seeke or prouide it Now the things which are in our power are these to approue vndertake desire and eschue a matter and in a word all our actions For our will hath authoritie and power to rule and gouerne them according vnto reason till they come vnto the place from whence our good and happinesse must come As for example sake she is able to dispose our opinion so that it yeeld not consent but to that which it is meete it should and which shall bee examined either by sence or reason that shee shal cleaue fast vnto things which are euidently true of themselues and keepe her selfe in suspence in things doubtfull and vtterly reiect thinges which are of themselues plainly vntrue and false Besides shee can so rule our desire that it shall follow after nothing but that which is agreeable with nature and eschue the contrarie The things which are out of our power are these our riches reputation and briefly that which doth no way depend of our willes and here if any thing doe happen wee may not say that it is contrarie to our natures because it happeneth either by the vniuersall and continuall order of things and ordinary coâ—tinuance of causes and therefore should not seeme strange vnto vs or els commeth to passe by some particular prouidence so ordering it and then we must know that nature hath made vs subiect thereunto Furthermore she hath giuen vs a power and abilitie in the soule of well vsing and applying our selues to all
delicate fare of the world And now if Epicurus gloried so much in the contempt of all dainties what thinke you should the Stoicks doe should not they reuerence and honour sobrietie as the very foundation of all other vertues and such a one as stifles all other vices in the cradle chokes them in the seede We reade that the families of the Curij and Fabricij in Rome did get many ample victories ouer their enemies yet were they not renowmed for any thing but for their frugalitie Their feates of armes did for a certaine time assure the state of the Romanes against their forraine enemies but their sobernes and frugalitie hath been a law to frame and fashion the mindes and courages of them which did afterwards ouercome all the world the figges and carrots which they preferred before the riches of the Samnites were more pleasant in taste to them which succeeded them then were the delicate meates of Axicius in his time These reasons may likewise serue vs to moderate those exceeding great pleasures which wee take in wearing costly apparell and building stately houses such other things which are to be referred vnto the vse of the bodie for otherwise if we doe not moderate and measure the pleasures which wee conceiue in them by the necessitie of nature the very opinion will draw vs into a perilous downfall where we shal neither finde shore nor bottome For example first our shewes must be made of veluet then of cloath of gold and lastly they must be finely embroydered with pearles and diamonds and so likewise our houses must bee first built with Marble then with Iasper and finally with Porphyre It shall bee good therefore for vs to obserue this course that our apparell bee sufficient to defend vs from the violence of heate and colde and our houses strong enough to resist winde and raine and let vs not seeke any thing els and if happily we finde any thing besides let vs not be moued therewith at all But it seemeth that reason hath more adoe in resisting the pleasures which come by sight and fruition of fayre and beautifull things then it hath in conquering the pleasures which wee haue but earst entreated of For wee imagine that the person which carrieth on his face the fauours of nature printed in a rare and beautifull sort hath a lawfull power ouer vs and that drawing our eyes vnto it it draweth our affections likewise thither and enthralles theÌ„ vnto it euen against our willes But what then let vs remember that it is a thing meerely without vs and that it is a grace and fauour which nature hath bestowed vpoÌ„ the person which enioyeth it and not vpon vs and that it is a thing the vse and possession wherof may be as preiudiciall as profitable vnto vs and last of all let vs consider that it is but a floure which continually fadeth and nothing els but as it were the colour of a bodie If you suffer your selfe to bee carried away with this mad and frantike passion where shall a man finde you you cannot bee your owne man any longer your bodie must needes endure a thousand paynes to seeke your pleasure and your mind a thousand torments to satisfie your desire When this desire shall grow to his full height it wil become low loue neuer leaues encreasing till in the end it proue starke madnes Let vs therefore prouide our selues of strong rampires and bulwarkes to warde vs against this passion and let vs take heede that we bee not cosoned or deceiued with her entising baits The more she dallieth with vs the more let vs defie her and let vs take this warning in good time that she neuer comes to embrace vs but she meanes to strangle vs that she neuer giues vs liberty and license but to bring vs into thraldome and slauerie she baites vs with honie to glut vs with gall she setteth before our eyes a vaine shew of pleasure which passeth away in a moment and leaues vs sorrow and griefe which remaineth for euer Let vs therefore order our mindes in such sort that in considering the excellencie of beautie we doe acknowledge the cunning workmanship of nature and let vs so esteeme it as wee doe the Sunne and Moone for the excellency which is contained within them And if the law doe grant vs any more particular fruition of it let it bee taken to that end that nature desires and so that we doe not lose the vse of reason which ought still to beare rule in vs remembring alwaies how much harme commeth by the immoderate vse of this pleasure how it wasteth the bodie weakeneth the soule and duls the spirit Let vs altogether abstaine from it if it be possible before wee bee married for besides that it wipes away all shame and modestie in youth it makes them lose the sweetnesse of marriage which they â—lone doe taste which haue not vsed it before a sweetnes which souldereth and knitteth together the friendship of marriage and ouer and besides all these inconueniences before mentioned it nourisheth vs in the libertie and license of an vnruly and inconstant loue But aboue all things let vs take heede that wee doe not commit any dishonestie the sooner to accomplish our filthie pleasures Let vs represent vnto our selues the manifolde dangers which haue befallen theÌ„ which haue bin too deeply plunged in them how some haue lost their goods others their liues others their mindes and wits Againe let vs on the contrary side consider how much more pleasure it will bee to vs to resist and conquer pleasure then to possesse it and how much more praise and commendation of all posterities hath Alexander deserued by his continencie then Darius wife and her daughters purchased by their exceeding pleasant beautifull faces Cleopatras eyes triumphed ouer Câ—sar and Anthonie but Augustus eyes did triumph ouer Cleopatras Last of all this kind of pleasure is accompanied with a kinde of delight which concernes the bodie and in this regarde it seemeth that it is somewhat naturall but the desire of goods and honours and the pleasure which men take in possessing of theÌ„ is rooted altogether vpoÌ„ a bare opinioÌ„ I know not what he was that first beguiled vs in giuing of names in calling that good which doth in no wise depend of vs but this I am sure that he hath fastened our happines vnto a rotten cable and anchored our felicitie vpoÌ„ the brittle and vnstable sand For what is there in the world so vncertaine and vnsure as the possession of such goods as goe and come slide and passe away as a torrent And I may very well say as a torrent for they make a noyse at their comming vnto a man are full of violence being possessed of him and are indeede nothing els but troubles and griefes it is long before they come and when they are come they stay not long with vs but vanish away suddenly and in a moment when they are gone they
and take away glorie and take away the very spurre of vertue It is a straunge thing that accordingly as we are disposed to vse and receiue the things which happen vnto other men so they serue vs either to a good vse or to a had vse for marke if the good of another man doe not breed ielousie within vs and keep vs in a continuall feare and perplexitie Againe on the other side how another mans euill doth cause a kinde of remorse and pitiâ— so that what for the one and what for the other wee are cleane transported ouâ— of our selues and doe come to our wits ends And whether it bee because of a secret consent within vs whereby we do communicate with one anothers miseries or whether it be for that we feare lest that should happen vnto vs which hath chanced vnto our friends we sigh and groane suffer and endure with them in their miseries And we are not greatly to bee blamed for so doing prouided that it bee done moderatly and so farre 〈◊〉 as that it may serue as a meanâ—sâ—â— waken and stirre vs vp to help and succour them For this is commanded by the law of humanitie but we are not biâ— to adopt vnto our sâ—lâ—es their griefesâ— or to darkeâ— the cleerenâ—â— of our mindes with the smoake of their miseries Now the â—ecessarie remedies which we must be prouided of against the discontentednes which wee take by another mans eâ—ill called pitie are common to that other kind of discontent which is called by y e name of griefe which is the feeling of some pretended euill in our selues For as soone as these euils for so wee call them doe assault vs foorthwith the strength of our soules withereâ—â— â—way vâ—lesse wee take the better â—eede and wee are drawne headlong into a kinde of languor womaniâ—hnes and want of couragâ— that it is strange to â—ee which â—â—keth from vs the vse of reason and meanes of 〈◊〉 for our own affayâ—es In this caâ—e it shall bee good for vs to remember what things are in our power and what not to 〈◊〉 that â—uill which is contrariâ— vnto the perfect disposition of our will For by this meanes wee 〈◊〉 â—â—me to know that grieâ— and pleaâ—â—re are drawnâ— both of them out of the â—ame well if a man haue but the skill to turne his bucket when he would â—ill him with either for the vse is all in a thing and euerything is as it is vsed good or bad Thus wee make â—iches become â—uill when wee make them serue iâ— stead of means to executeâ— out euill passions and 〈◊〉 pouâ—â—tie prooueth good vnto vs if we accompanie it with â—rugalitiâ— and 〈◊〉 thâ—s rest and quâ—etnes inâ—â—easeth our miserie if it incâ—â—ase our sloth and sluggishnes and labour and paine 〈◊〉 sweeteâ— when by ouâ— labour and industrie in seruing our 〈◊〉 we pâ—â—â—hase honour and creditâ— Wherefore let vs so take and esteeâ—e of euerything as it is to be taken and esteemeâ— ofâ— and we shal finde that therâ— is nothing but will yeeld vs some commoditiâ— or other For there is no chance in the world which can happen so croâ—â—ely but nature hath prouided a habit and disposition in vs to receiue it when it coÌ„meth turne it to our ioy and contentment Therefore when any thing dâ—th vse to trouble vs let vs consider two things the one the nature of that which hath chaunced vnto vs the other the nature of that which is in vs and then let vs learne to vse euery thing according vnto his nature and so wee shall be sure neuer to â—â—ceiue any lothing or discontentment at all For discontent being a diseâ—â—e of the soule is contraâ—ie vnto nature and therefore we may not suffer it to take deep â—oote within vs. Now there is nothing that causeth more offence oâ— diâ—contentment then the newnes or straungenes of a thing when it happeneth And this appeareth moâ—â— euidently in that the things which displease vs most are made pleasant and sweete by custome and continuance The gally slaues when they goe to sea weepe at first shipping but after three or foure moneths they sing as merrily as birds So that you see custome is al for they which haue not been accustomed to the sea are afraid and looke pale when they see them weigh anchors and lanch foorth into the sea though it be in a calme where contrarily the old and tried marriners laugh and are merrie in a tempest And looke what good custome bringeth vnto the common sort of people the same meditation bringeth vnto a Philosopher for by often thinking and meditating vpon things hee maketh them seeme most familiaâ— and ordinarie vnto him Let vs therefore exactly consider ruminate with our sâ—lues the nature of each thing that may molest and trouble vs and let vs cast before hand the worst that maye happen as sicknesse pouertie banishment and iniuries and let them sift them narrowly to finde out the nature of them or els that which is most contrarie vnto their natures It so falleth out that some of vs are diseased in bodie well it is not wee that are ofâ—ended but our bodies for the ofâ—ence being taken many timeâ— hindereth the excellencie and perfection of the thing whereas otherwise the disease may happen to bee a great deale fitter subiect and occasion to exercise our patience with praise and commendation then health now where there is most occasion of praise is there least good to be gotten As much as the mind is more to be accoâ—â—ted of then the body so 〈◊〉 the goods of the minde are more to bee valued and esteemed of then the goods of the bodie If then the bodie be the instrument of the miâ—de who will be so foolish as to complaine wheÌ„ hee seeth the instrument applyed vnto that vse for the which it is ordained A mans bodie is sick and diseased no great maruel for seeing it is a compound thing therefore it is subiect vnto alteration Yea sir it is true as you say but yet for all that the griefe of the disease is felt so violently that it makes vs cry out in spight of our teeth I grant indeed that it is felt I must needes confesse that but it is felt onely in bodie and it makes vs crie too and if we wil be so foolish Griefe is not intollerable but vnto them which 〈◊〉 that it is so for there bee which can indure and suffer it when it is at the sharpest Possidonius the Philosopher discoursing at large of certaine matters in the preâ—ence of Pompey was sorely troubled with the gowt and wheÌ„ the disease pained him most hee sayd no more but this Sir griefe you haue attempted your worst against mee what remedie but patience you thinke to make mee curse and speake ill of you no no farre be it from me that euâ—r I should say that you are euill and so hee went forwarde with his discourse and made as if he had neuer felt it Now I pray
tell me and if you can what new remedies had this Philosopher found out against this griefe what plaisters and oyntments had hee stored vp against the gowt Truly these two the knowledge of things and courage of minde For he was thorowly resolued that the body was made to serue the soule and that if so be the soule should be grieued for that which happened vnto the bodie that then it must â—f force bee subiect to the bodie Now if it ought not to bee troubled for that which happeneth vnto the bodie how much lesse ought she to bee grieued for the losse of goods For the losse of a mans goods dooth not touch a man so neere as the want of his health Indeed both of them are things meerely without vs yet of the two the bodie is neerer vnto vs then goods Man commeth naked into the world and shall goe naked out of the world can hee then truelie say that any thing is his which he neither brought hither with him neither may carrie away with him when he departeth The goods of the earth are like vnto household stuffe in an Inne which a man need not care for but as long as hâ— lodgeth in it Yea perhaps will some man say but if I haue them not I may happen to dye for hunger Well if this bee all the care that may trouble your minde follow mine aduise and you shall do well enough you were better dyâ— for hungeâ— in a good minde then to liue richly and fare daintily being in continuall griefe and torment You must make this account that the losses which you suffer are the prises wherwith you purchase quiet rest and content of mind If you employ them to some vse why then they are not lost if you doe not employ them then you lose both your goods and your mindes both together Would you therefore faine know an easie way to cure you of these wounds I will shew you it presently look vpon the skarres and wounds which other men of good account great resolution haue receiued and consider how they haue laught at such losses and taken occasion to thanke God for them Hearken what Zâ—no sayd that at that time when he suffered ship wracke the windes blew very luckely for they brought him vnto the hauen of Philosophie where he bestowed the remainder of his life in a most quiet and peaceable Sun-shine amidst the tempests of ciuill discorde and had a safe couert to defend him from a thousand scorching griefs which trouble and torment men in the affayres of this world Doe you know how to suffer losse of things so that it shall not trouble you It is quickly learned there is no more in it but this not to accustome your selfe to loue any thing otherwise then it is or better then it deserueth If a man haue an eartheÌ„ vessell let him loue it as a vessell of earth which may beebroken and so if it chance to be broken the matter will neuer trouble him much Let vs passe from smaller thinges to greater things from vile and baser things to things of greater value more account and let vs doe the like If wee loue our children let vs loue theâ— as men that is to say as men subiect vnto infinit casualties of death and then afterwards when they happen to dye their deaths will be neither straunge nor grieuous vnto vs. Indeed it is an imagination and opinion that vexeth and tormenteth vs more then the things themselues which is formed of those words which a man vseth when he is surprised with such accideÌ„ts for we call one thing by the name of another and imagine it to bee like vnto that other the image and Idea thereof remaineth so in our mindes And therefore let vs mollifie and sweeten our words as well as we can for if one of our children chaunce to dye say not I haue lost one of my children but this I haue restored one of my children to God of whom I borrowed them And likewise if wee lose any other of our goods let vs vse the like wordes If a naughtie fellow take away our goods from vs and it grieues vs at the verie heart say no more but this Was it not meet that God should haue that againe which he had lent me for a time For the rest remember your own opinion of the like mishaps when they did happen vnto othersâ— and consider with your self how theÌ„ you were not much moued but rather how you did blame them and neglect their friuolous and vaine complaints Suppose that the iudgement which you giue of them is a preiudice against your selfe which cannot be auoyded For our iudgements in another mans behalf are alwaies more iust and fauourable theÌ„ in a mans owne cause If a seruant of your neighbours chaunce to breake a glasse you say there is no great harme done it was but a glasse broken If his sonne dye you say he was of estate mortall not borne to liue euer and I pray why can you not say as much when your owne sonne dyeth without crying out tormenting your selfe or accusing God and men for the losse of that which is so ordinarie There happeneth nothing vnto you but that which you haue foreseene and thought on a thousand times and wherfore then are you so much astonished For verely I am perswaded that if wee were as prouident and careful as we ought to be and may be if we will wee shall little neede to bee afraide or troubled when any thing happeneth and principally wee should not greatly care for that which we call iniurie For let vs but set before the eyes of our mindes the manners and humours of men with whom we doe conuerse as they are for the most part and we shall bee quickly resolued I warrant you to suffer many lewd parts at their hands and to indure much of their indiscretion for the common nature of men is to reioyce in euil doing and to measure their authorities by nothing but by the iniuries and contempts of other men So few there be that take pleasure in well doing Let vs therefore determine with our selues that on what side so euer wee turne our selues wee shall finde some or other that will bee readie to offend vs so that a man may finde as many men so many iniuries But let vs take heed that we be not surprised by them standing alwaies vpon our garde and hauing due regarde vnto them when they come So that whither so euer wee goe and what busines so euer we vndertake let vs consider before hand what the euent is likely for to be and how we shall be entreated If we bee desirous to goe to the baths let vs wisely cast with our selues before hand what the actions of men are when wee shall come thither how one gapples and cryes another iustles and iumbles his fellow here one dashing them with water and there another readie to steale their garments If wee haue well premeditated and
our parts to giue place vnto them for all this cannot be better imployed then in purchasing of true friends On the contrary side there is but one onely reason which may excuse vs from leauing their friendship and amitie and that is when they abandon reason and philosophie which ioyneth and combineth vs together And yet this must be done very warily for we may not be at plaine enmitie with them for all this We must rather vnrip then rent their friendships from vs and seeke out all reasonable meanes if it be possible to bring them backe againe vnto their duties without blaming their actions or checking their opinios neuer fighting with them vnles it be by way of disputation and discourse which are the sacred weapons of true frieÌ„dship but though we lose al hope of preuailing with them this way yet wee may not become their open and professed enemies For though a good man leaue his friends when they leaue off to bee vertuous yet not withstanding so it is that in forsaking that friendshippe and familiaritie which hath been in former time betweene them he retaineth that common affection which ought to bee amongst men which bindeth them to wish wel vnto those which haue not well deserued at their hands telling them that this is to imitate God which as he loueth the good so he doth not hate the bad And therefore we haue a common saying that a good man hath no enemies at all because he hateth no bodie Thus you see the degrees of affection which are betweene man and the things which are without him But because it commeth so to passe many times that they doe draw vs vnto diuers ends and so hold vs suspended in doubtfulnes and incertaintie therfore we must establish a rule vnto our selues of preferring the former duties before the latter We ought to make great account of an oth and yet it were better broken then kept if by keeping of it we offend God We must of force highly reuereÌ„ce our fathers and mothers and yet if their wils doe contradict right reason which is appoynted by God himselfe to gouerne vs wee must rather forsake them then forsake God and reason Our kinsfolkes are to bee esteemed deare vnto vs but yet if they seeke to annoy and molest father or mother we may lawfully dissâ—nt from theÌ„ Friends may preuaile much with a man his wife and childreÌ„ much more and yet for all this there are certaine particular and priuate duties which are rather to be performed to them which are further off from vs then to them which be neerer but commonly it is in a matter of no great waight when ciuill societie because of the common necessitie of men incrocheth and vsurpeth somewhat vpon nature As when wee say we should helpe our neighbour in fetching in of his haruest and not our kinsman and in such like cases I haue hetherto as you see represented vnto you the respect which man oweth vnto thinges which are without him it is now high time to cause him to descend into himselfe and bring backe his affections vnto his owne proper person as lines are reduced vnto their center A wise man without doubt yeeldeth much respect vnto himselâ—e and though no body regard him but his owne conscience yet hee will bee very carefull that he doe neither speake nor doe any thing which is not fit and coÌ„uenient For right ordered reason which ought to gouerne all his actions is vnto him the seuerest iudge and censor of his actions that can be found And therefore wee must studie as well pubâ—kely as priuatly so to frame and fashioÌ„ our actions in such sort that wee may not haue occasion to blush and be ashamed of them that nature which ought to be â—he rule of all our actions be not violated in any sort Now it hath pleased nature to giue vs a bodie as a necessarie instrument for the preseruation of mans life Therefore we must take care for the bodie but no otherwise then we would doe for a thing which is vnder the protection of the minde which must bee carefull for the safetie thereof but no waies seruiceable vnto it he must entreate it so as if he were a Lord and no tyrant ouer the bodie still nourishing it without engrossing or fatting it so that it may euidently appeare vnto all men that hee doth not liue for it but that hee cannot liue without it A cunning workman is not a little forward in his busines when he hath gotten all his tooles about him in a readines and so hee that loueth philosophy doth not a little thing profit himselfe if he doe but once know how to serue himselfe with his bodie and make it a fit instrumeÌ„t for him to exercise vertue Now the bodie may be preserued in health two manner of waies the one is by moderation in his diet the other by good order in his exercise For why the nature of things here beneath is so slipperie and vncertaine that vnlesse a man doe continually repayre that which time doth waste and consume things will by little and little come in the ende to nought Therefore wee must sustaine and helpe the bodie once decaying by vse of meates but with this prouiso or caueat that wee doe not make it by making too great cheare heauie dull and vnfit for contemplation nor by too spare diet and ill entreatance weake and sickly so that it bee neither effeminated with riot nor by neglect of it accustome it selfe to filth and beastlines After meate followeth exercise although they seeme to bee confounded and to follow one an other indifferently For first wee exercise our selues and then wee take our repast and after meate then we fall a fresh to exercise the first exercise serues to prepare vs to the better appetite and receiuing our meates the second to waken nature and keepe the parts of the bodie in continuall motion We must vse our exercises so that the bodie may bee the better for them and our minde nothing the worse but we must not seek such exercises as wrastlers vse and such like which doe all things by compasse and measure and many obseruations which serue indeede to keepe the bodie vpright strong to no other vse but therby they weaken the strength of the soule and take away from her her true and naturall motions It is an absurditie for a wise man to be carefull for to find out fit exercises for the bodie seeing that he may find euery where so many as are requisite and needfull for the health thereof After the bodie is once nourished and exercised in such sort as I haue shewed you it is most easily fashioned and framed vnto modest seemely actions which we should so much regard and labour to attaine vnto that in our very countenances and gate shuld appeare a great tranquilitie of mind mixed with a sober pleasant kinde of grauitie I doe not speake this as if I would haue you to vse anie