honourable atchieuements of a vertuous life hath stamped in our soules a desire of delight and a ticklish reioycing in corporall pleasures in the fruition of which wee are sure to giue vnto our selues too too licentious a scope if the moderation of Reason doe not interrupt vs. On the other side also Nature hath imprinted in our hearts a great desire of praise and glory as well because this â—ast desire should resist the disorder of the former through feare of blame â—nd imputation which is neuer separated from a too voluptuous life disordered pleasures as also that it might serue as wings vnto our wils whereby they might desire and soare aloft vnto the glorious and celestiall palace of Vertue where Honor also is inthroned with state and maiesty and so heereby we might at last attaine vnto that end for the which we were at first ordained by our Creator Yet notwithstanding this is the difference between our two appetites The former beeing sensuall may bee defaced in a vertuous man by a long and a continuall exercise of commaunding himselfe and his tumultuous passions rendring them obseruant and dutiful homagers vnto Reason whereby they may bee made conuenient and capable of all good purposes that there shall not remaine in him the least iot of an extrauagant motion Euen in such sort that being so vtterly extinguished by temperance there shall be left no more appearance of their being there then if they neuer had bene there at all The second cannot be so vtterly extinguished but the print thereof will still remaine in all men generally For a good man desireth to bee honored for his Vertues and although he seeke not after glory through ostentation yet doth he not despise deserued praises or at least vseth his best indeuors to be worthy of the same and for the hauing heereof his owne merit doth appease his minde On the other side the wicked man deceiuing himselfe aswell in the knowedge of Glory as in the disquisition of the same may bee more fitly saide in respect thereof to flye from it then to follow after it And the feare of being blamed and branded with base ignominy he alwaies iustifying himself maketh vs to discerne most palpably the great desire he hath to be accounted vertuous Both of them tend then towards the prize of honour and reputation But hauing attainde vnto the angle of Pythagoras in the which both good and bad actions meete together the one trauaileth towards the right hand and the other turneth towards the left and so the ends of this their progresse are no lesse diuers then their waies are different wherein they walked For desire is the counterpoise of the soule which maketh it incline and weigh downe the balance on that side in the which the will is placed But because our desires are very different and are not equall in facility ease man doth oftentimes deceiue himselfe in making choyce For voluptuousnes and sensuality follow vs continually they accompany vs at all times in all places they offer themselues vnto vs they court vs louingly and the meanes to enioy them is very easie Againe they promise vs delights pleasures rest content honour and liberty So that indeed there needs a great deale of constancy to preserue our silly soules from ruine and destruction and which sugred perswasions to withstand we are not onely vrged pricked forward with shame feare of reprehension but also established confirmed by the glorious exemplary deeds of such as are truly generous Contrarily honour is distanced a great way from vs and besides the path that leadeth vnto it is maruailous straight laborious painful Whence it comes that the way which is onely one is hard to keepe it is as toylsome and slippery as can bee possible The path of Vertue through which such as tend towards Honour are to passe is full of pricking thornes affrighting terrors tedious irksomnes and grieuous anguish It is subiect to the opprobrious obloquies of backbiters And last of all the accesse thereof is so difficult that it meriteth almost to bee called impenetrable Man therefore when constantly resoluing with himselfe to proceed alwaies in that path which leadeth him to the stately palace of true Honour maugre all painefull and dangerous occurrences whatsoeuer bequeatheth all delicious sensuality and voluptuous pleasance vnto the delicate neat spruce effeminate and sweet faced womans-man and wholly dedicates him selfe and his indeauors vnto the gauling labours and almost intolerable trauailes of seuere Vertue It is more then reasonable that he by the generous and fearelesse resolution of a noble courage being arriued vnto the farthest end of so great a designe should now bee recompenced with a crowne of Honour for the gaining wherof he enterprizde a iourney so painefull so dangerous Nature then hath imprinted in the mindes of all a love of Honour and a desire of prayse and aboue all a certaine opinion that true glory cannot be atchieued by any other meanes but vertuous actions In such sort that we must take especial care not to be so vnnaturall as to prise glory at a meane value nor yet to thinke that shee can be acquirde by the wicked actions of impiety Behold therfore the necessity both of the theory and practise of Vertue which consisteth as well in the knowing and doing of good which wee ought alwaies to imbrace and follow as in the auoydance of that which is euill which we should shunne as a venomous serpent The wound which vice hath stabbed in the soule cannot bee cured by repentance alone but the correction and amendment of our life is also required The griefe thereof ought to be expeld by Vertue and not by a contraryvice for the Couetous miser becomming a Prodigall tumbleth headlong from one extream into another Vertue ought to place herselfe in the very center of the souls affections the soule ought to command the senses and the senses ought to guide the bodye in such sort as it is by their assistance that the affection becoms from being corporall to be spirituall They are the chariot that translateth this liuing clot of earth vnto the Temple of Immortality An admirable meanes had wee so great a blessing as to be able to attaine vnto the knowledge thereof Yet farre more admirable if we could vse it well For euen as the life of the soul is diuine Grace and the life of the senses the assistance of Reason euen so the helpfull support of the body hath its whole dependance on the orderly guiding of the senses beeing assisted by the first mouer whose office it is to spiritualize them being brought vnto it For if the soule would be contented to liue vnto her selfe without toyling and troubling her selfe for her companion she would depriue her selfe of all her glory being not able to be conioynd vnto that vnity whereunto she aspireth by any other meanes but by doing well So that then her salarye wholly depends on the administration and gouernement of
THE GOLDEN CABINET OF true Treasure Containing the summe of Morall Philosophie Translated out of French enlarged by W. IEVVEL Mr of Arts of Exeter Colledge in Oxford AT LONDON Printed by H.L. for Iohn Crosley 1612. To the Right Honorable and most vertuous Lady the worthy Patronesse of Learning ALICE Countesse of Darby c. RIght Honorable vertue was once esteemed the woorthiest shelter against the tempestuous storms of worldlie violence But now such is the miserie of these times thogh she deserue most yet is shee least desired and is so farre from being a Protectrix that shee her selfe doth want a Patronage Our predecessours were wont to saie Vilius argentum est auro virtutibus aurum As gold surpasseth siluer in account So in true value vertues gold surmount But those good daies are past the rudenes of our times giues the Lie to that worthy Sentence saying cleane contrarie Gold hath all the glory and shee is the onlie goddesse vnto whose sacred Altar each one almost will sacrifice his life his soule He that is wealthiest now is accounted worthiest And to bee vertuous saie the worldlings is not the waie to possesse riches Oculo eligunt non animo The eie of the bodie preuailes now far more with man then the eie of the soule The glittering lustre of a pompous traine drawes with it all your braue mindes and statelie Gallants according to the worlds phrase when as poor forsaken Vertue shal be constrain'd Tymon-like to liue alone They will scarce euer deigne to look on her or if they do it wil be in disdain taunting at her desolate and friendless condition saying scornfullie Is this shee that thirsteth to be the mistresse of manie followers yet cannot preserue her selfe from ragged pouertie Vice is so short a cut to honours pleasures and profit as the world tearmes them that they dare maintaine there needes no vertue saying with Seneca Cum vitia prosunt peccat qui iustè facit He is held most foolish that deales most faithfully and accounted most simple that is most sincere Beholde the height of monstrous iniquitie euerie vice hath its protection but naked Vertue wants a Patronage Which she would willingly not beg of any but onlie of those that are as readie to proffer it as shee to sue for it VVherefore most boldlie shee addresseth her selfe vnto your Honour beeing full of confidence through the Sympathy of both your affections to finde with you a pleasing Welcom For although shee be worthless indeede in the purblinde eie of the fantastick world yet shee is a world of worth in the iudicious eie of your honourable minde But Madame when your Ladiship shall behold mee who thus peremptorilie intrude into your honorable presence you cannot but maruaile much therat my much disturbed selfe being almost transform'd with amasemēt shal stand as mute as a marble statue Yet calling to remembrāce that old saying of the Philosopher Neminem timendo ad summū locū peruenire that fear is a fault in such as seek prefermēt I shal be bold to speak beseech your Ladiship to accept of this poor excuse to wit that this my presumptiō was occasioned through the fauours which my best friend hath receiued from your Honor firmly obliging both himself me to the dutiful performance of our best seruices Whō it is not to be maruailed at if you remēber not among so great a nūber as your Hon. doth good vnto forasmuch as you register not as most doe an exact diary of your good deeds in tables of brass The opportunitie of acknowledging this our obligement could neuer in my weake iudgement be fitter then by the mediation of Vertue who in requital of my louing and kinde office for bringing her vnto your Palace gate will speake vnto your Ladiship in my behalfe And so heereby I shall attaine I hope to be hereafter knowne vnto your Hon which I account the greatest part of my felicity Madame that heretofore hath been accounted vicious which by too much vse is now become a custome which is to depaint the vertues of those vnto whō men dedicate their books with immoderate praises Which I dare not attempt to doe fearing lest my words if it were possible might be preiudiciall vnto your worthiness also lest your Hon should haue cause to distrust the sincere truth of my spotlesse fidelitie It being both an vsuall and a true saying Much praising begets suspicion and that A flattering tongue hath alwayes relation vnto a false heart Which danger I will auoide hauing no occasion to fall thereinto sithence the sunne needs not the light of a candle to make it seen nor a perfect naturall complexion the disgracefull helpe of artificiall tinctures It being most true which the Poet saith Fucati sermonis opem mens conscia laudis Abnuit Ingenuous mindes in all true vertues rich Doe scorne the blason of a flattering speech That which Pomponius Mela said of Athens may with a modest face bee spoken of your vertues Clariores sunt quà m vt indicari egeant So that if anie shall looke into mine Epistle to see what Encomium I make of your vertues I must referre their search to the report of the world which is a copious Index of your honourable deeds it being a task farre too difficult for my vndertakings for who can paint the heauens And againe such commonlie doe most desire praises as least deserue them For in shewing their great loue of such windie puffes what do they lesse then giue the Lie vnto their flattering commenders But your Honourable selfe is most directlie opposite vnto such as those rather then you will endure it you will strike the flatterer on the check as the Emperour Sigismond did who thereupon being demanded by him Why doe you strike mee made aunswere Why dost thou bite mee Your Noble minde loues the substance onelie not the outward shew and ioyeth more in being vertuous indeed then in seeming so whereby you adde one vertue more vnto your manie others and deserue exceedinglie to be praised for not desiring it Thus beseeching your Honour to deigne the Patronage of this small Treatise I will alwaies remaine Your Honours most humbly deuoted William Iewell The Epistle to the Reader ALl things for the which men labour and trauaile in this world may bee reduced vnto one of these three points Honour Riches or Pleasure and yet notwithstanding the greatest part of men are often beguiled of their purposes because their election erreth in the meanes wherby they might attaine vnto the same For in lieu of aspyring thereunto by vertue which alone is able to crown their solicitous and painefull indeauours with the free possession and quiet enioyance of true honour true treasure and true felicitie which they pursue they slide voluntarilie into vices spacious and pleasant-seeming path and being seduced by false promises and deceitfull perswasions to detest the pricking thornes of penurious pouerty base disdaine and irksome trauells which encounter them in
of truely blessed in the world to come The third remarqueable point that ought to be obserued in the vse is to make our experience profitable forasmuch as it hath belonging vnto it two meanes to correct our foolishnes and increase out wisedom The one is deriued from our owne proper euill the other from the example of others miseries The first hath the more effectuall and preuailing efficacy but that is alwaies some thing preiudiciall vnto whomsoeuer it happeneth and that is the reason that it commeth still before it bee eyther wished for or welcome for it cannot bee entertained without both trouble and dommage As for the second each one courteth it both with a willing and familiar complement forasmuch as his owne person is somewhat free from perill and can behold that in another without hurt vnto himselfe which may aduertise him to vertuous courses For the experience which proceedeth from the remembrance of others miseries is a very powerfull doctrine to aduise vs. For it is a compendious course and an easy methode vnto euery one to discerne by the successe of others how he ought to demeane himselfe in the prosecution of businesse of â—he like condition It may then bee concluded from this discourse that euery good beginning next after God proceedes from nature the happy progresse and ample increase from reasons precepts and the full accomplishment thereof from vse In such sort then to make a man perfectly vertuous these three things must conspire together For nature without reason and vse is like vnto a good field that lyeth like a barren desert being neglectiuely left vnmannured Reason without nature and vse is like vnto seed that neuer springeth vp because it was neuer sowne vppon the earth And vse also without nature reason is like vnto a good labourer that picketh strawes or takes lesse paines onely through want of ground and seede And euen as a good parcell of ground produceth many bad weeds which destroy and quite choak vp the good and profitable fruites if it be not carefully preserued and husbanded Euen so a well disposed nature by bad instructions will soone bee corrupted and become pernitious as on the contrary hauing had wholesome education and vertuous nourture it will produce most excellent fruits which vertue begetteth in all those that doe conforme themselues vnto her disciplines For she is neyther dead nor barren in them as it is most euidently declared by the sweete and comfortable effects which shee produceth in a vertuous man leading him friendly to the palace of perfection whose entertainment is a happy blisse The first effect that vertue produceth in man which is thâ— knowledge of himselfe whereby he may be hâ—mbled CHAP. V. IT is the knowledge of himâ—â—lfe that hee may thereby â—â—scend by degrees vnto the â—â—â—wlâ—dge of the soueraigne good For it is the duety of â—â—â—udâ—nâ—â— man to looke into the natures of things and inquire their causes to the end that he may finde the diuine reason by which they subsist and hauing found it may also serue and adore the same and afterwards deriue there from both pleasance and profit In such sort that euery one that setâ—eth his Soueraigne and chiefest good â—n any thing that is fraile and corrupâ—ible and whereof he taketh ioy but for a little time may be more truely said to possesse a soule replenished with molesting thoughts and restlesse perturbations then with quiet content peaceful tranquillity and so consequently laboureth alwaies with a perpetuall error and blinde ignorance without beginning without end without felicity whereas the soueraigne good whereunto vertue still attaineth is a lasting and permanent beatitude which comprehendeth within it selfe what good soeuer man can wish and that whereunto man forceth himselfe to aspire to make himselfe thereby blessed for euermore Therfore wheÌ„ we say that it behoueth him to know himselfe that is he ought to be carefull for his soule preparing her to the knowledge of God his Creator who framed him after his owne Image to the end that we may thereby as in a mirrour contemplate on his inuisible diuinity the efficient cause of all wisedome and goodnes that by the knowledge of the Vertues with the which God hath inriched the soule of man he might vnderstand how much he is obliged vnto his maker knowing that he hath nothing of himselfe but hath receiued all from God aboue and so addressing himselfe vnto him make a reference of all his actions vnto his glory beeing the onely cause of his essence and sole mainetainer of his existence To begin therefore to know God we ought to haue a knowledge of our selues to vnderstand what wee are and to what ende wee were ordained But the perfect knowledge of our selues which harboureth in the soule is so combinde with the knowledge of God which is mans chiefe and soueraigne good that they cannot be truâ—y and perfectly accomplished the one without the other For in the one wee behold God the Creator and preseruer of the world who made al things therâ—n for the vse of man and man onely for himselfe creating and forming him for this onely cause after the similitude and likenes of himself Iust holy good and vpright in his humane naâ—ure the which hee did compose of soule and body Of a soule inspired by God with â—pirit and life indiuisible in respect of â—t selfe and yet distinguished in the effects thereof which are her natural faculties to wit vnderstanding memory and the will Of a body perfect in its own nature â—ormed of the earth composed especially of three principall parts to witte essence life and sense whereunto the vegetatiue and sensitiue soule serue as the middle betweene the body and the spirite for a knot and connexion of those distances which were so farre asunder And againe for the coniunction and vnion of the soule of man with gods diuinity it hath another middle ordained by God himselfe to stand between these two extreames which is called abstraction or a separating intelligeÌ„ce which is nought else but a heauenly grace sometimes working on our vnderstanding thereby to instruct vs other times vpon our wil thereby to incourage vs vnto good In the first place we call it intelligence In the second remorse of Conscience In such soâ—â— that it is by her that all good fortune happeneth vnto vs when wee obserue and beleeue her and on the other side all euil fortune when we carelesly neglect her Therefore O man know thine Originall And brauely scorne base celâ— oâ— earthly seede Sith thou shalt shineâ—â— hâ—auens glorious hall And art by birth a heauenly plant indeed Which is to bee vnderstood of the mans first knowledge created by God â—o make him partaker of immortality â—nd permanent felicity and so to haue â—lorified his Creatour had hee not so â—afely defaced his Image In the other we consider man fallen â—om so great a good of his owne freeâ—ill for his ingratitude and disobediâ—â—ce so that he is vtterly despoiled of al
the very threshold of vertues path are in fine transported through the resembling-paradise and pleasant way of all delight such as vice â—rotesteth the path of Voluptuousnes Ambition and Auarice to bee and at length soon enough to see but too late to repent them of their erroneous entrance vaine perseuerance they are throwen headlong into a sea of sadnes griefe and anguish a thousand thousand dolours and as many millions of restlesse miseries which they poore silly and deluded ignorants at first did surely think they should â—schewe For such things as are gilded ouer with the golden resemblance of honest pleasant and profitable and yet are not vertuous will in a while the adulterate out-side being worne away appeare to be vicious dommageable and ignominious In such sort that vice is so much the more dangerous and preiudiciall by how much the more it resembleth vertue For this reason haue I spent my best endeauours to set before your eyes that end and scope whereunto all the actions and operations of mankinde should be directed and not that alone but the meanes also vvhich conduce vnto it that so their election may be preserued free from delusion in the research and choice of true honour true riches and true pleasure And these are the pretious and rich Iewels which are contained in the Golden Cabinet of true Treasure being diuided into twelue seuerall chapters whose heads you may heer beholde in order following I. The description of Vertue and of her property in man page 1 II. The diuision of Vertue into four principal parts from the which as from their source all other subalternate Vertues spring 31 III. Of such things as are requisite in the acquist of Vertue and which make a man perfectly vertuous 43 IIII. Of the first effect which Vertue produceth in man which is the knowledge of himselfe whereby he may bee humbled 70 V. Of the second effect which Vertue produceth in man which is the knowledge of vice of the euils which proceed from it that he may growe in hatred and detestation of them 95 VI. Of the third effect which Vertue produceth in man which is both the Theory and Practice of Conquering himselfe 128 VII Of the fourth effect which Vertue produceth in man which teacheth him to performe his duty towardes all men demeaning himself worthily in his vocation 147 VIII The description of true Honor and how it ought to be acquired 167 IX The description of false Honor the true subiect and ground of contentions and quarrels 190 X. Of the pretended ground of quarrells wherunto false honor serueth as a subiect making man to be the worker of his owne destruction 209 XI The description of Choler of the euils which proceed froÌ„ it of the causes which produce it of the means of correcting and consequently of auoyding contentions and debates 223 XII The description of true and perfect pleasure wherwith Vertue accompanieth honour accomplishing man with all felicitie 234 Kinde Reader correct those faults with thy pen. Page 24. Line 2. read mens p. 27. l. 13. read ouerdaring rashnes p. 32. l. 25. read Good p. 49 l. 22. read fleshy p. 70. read Chap. 4. p. 84. l. 16. read tamed p. 107. l. 1. read stomack-settling p. 256. l. for can only read only is able to In Zoilum GRin snarl and bark The more to moue me rack Thy pois'ned passions till thine entrails crack When all thy spite is spet thou shalt as soon Supple the hardest flint or maime the Moon As wound my Minde with one least discontent Or crosse my wonted meanest merriment With settled patience I can well endure Thy bootlesse bitelesse barkings being sure That though thou belk-out fire bark-out stones Thou canst not scorch my skin nor break my bones W. IEVVELL The Golden Cabinet of true Treasure The description of Vertue and of her property in man CHAP. I. MARIVS the Great with the spoiles and pillage which he tooke from the Cimbrians and Teutonians whom hee vanquished erected two very sumptuous and magnificent Temples at Rome the one adioining to the other in the waie called via Appia where now stands S. Sebastians gate dedicating one of them vnto the Goddesse Vertue the other vnto the God Honour To the end that the Souldiers which departed from Rome addressing themselues vnto the Warres might alwaies remember Vertue whereby they were to attaine vnto Honours stately seate and not by any other way whatsoeuer And that the sence and meaning of the Temples dedications might be the better vnderstood hee ordained that there should be built but two gates only in such sort that those which went into the warres could not enter into the Temple of Honour but by the gate and passage of Vertues Temple within the which there stood carued in Marble a Goddesse wondrous glorious and rich in beauty but arraied with the respectless and worthless weeds of Pouerty enuironed on euery side with pricking thornes signifying vnto the World that none can attaine vnto true honor through the wanton delights and tender nicenesse of the world but rather through troublesome trauailes and a million of cares and crosses which ought to be subdued with mild patience alwaies persisting constantly in the intricate and painefull path of vertue Her torne abillament and ragged cloake of Pouerty declareth that she disdaines the glorious frailty and glittering lustre of worldly pomp and that she rather lodgeth vnder pouerties low roof then in the rich arrast chamber of a Princes Court she loues the ornaments of the soule not the proud-peacocke deckings of the bodie Whosoeuer could be so happily blest as to see her naked said the wise man would incontinently be inflamed with her beauty But because shee is one of the daughters of heauen wanting the abundance and superfluity of worldly treasures and cannot bee intertained but by the mind and soule nor espoused but by good maners and ciuil conditions the least part of the world seek after her by reason of the great authority and respectfull obseruance which sinne-steept sensualitie and quenchless couetousnes haue with men For they being so inamoted so sicke yea so drunke with the loue of these two former Minions cannot loue any thing but that which is presented vnto them by the wanton election of a lustful eye and allowed by the gratefull acceptation of a couetous hart which is the solâ— and onely reason that for the most part the body in their thoughts hath preheminence before the soule and a golden purse before a proper person But if man could know both himselfe and it and commit himselfe to the perâ—â— perfect guidance of diuine reason he would immediately discern his blamefull errour and plainely see that the circuling armes of the whole world imbrace nothing that is good but vertues Then would he see the weake frailty oâ— all other things and the permanenâ— good of neuer dying vertue There is nothing that merits to bee in equipage with her for the acquist of her onely is
â—â—r there is none that iudgeth after â—â—r decree Wherefore it is that her seate of Iuâ—â—â—ce is in the middest where she onely â—â—th commission to heare and deterâ—ine of all sorts of Causes of what naâ—â—re and quality soeuer shee hath â—â—rectly behind her Memorye in â—â—ade of a Scriuener or Secretary 〈◊〉 inrowle and register within a certaine booke all her ordinances and decrees Euery good thing also wherof maâ—â— is capable is preserued in the goldeâ— cabinet of the soul For this cause theâ—fore it is very conuenient for man 〈◊〉 be well aduised in the search hereof 〈◊〉 the end that he may be able to disceâ—â— and not to chuse the false and counteâ—faite in lieu of the good perfect bâ—ing only through the defect of knoâ—ing viz. of good from ill oftentimeâ— deluded with the outward apparanceâ— fained goodnesse which is farre froâ— being so indeed being only so accouâ—ted through errour and false opinioâ— by which the greatest part of men aâ—â— vsually deceiued making them to prâ—ferre imaginary and apparant good onely of the bodye before such as 〈◊〉 reall and essential of the soule yea sucâ— as are temporall before eternall And therefore euen as our eyes aâ—â— vnable to doe vs seruice or to behoâ—â— any thing in darkness without the benefit of light so haue our soules greâ—â— â—eed of reasons light to helpe our pasâ—â—ge through the darknes of error and â—â—ghtles clouds of ignorance that they â—â—ay thereby gaine a power to discern â—erity from forgery true good from â—ined good and honest vtility from 〈◊〉 contrary But euen as God out of the bowells 〈◊〉 his infinite goodness and mercye â—ath prepared for man a farre more â—â—cellent blessing then for beasts so 〈◊〉 like manner hath his bounty ordaiâ—ed meanes both for the finding and â—â—uition of it The difficulty of finding whereof some accursed wretches â—re to accuse God doth wholly proâ—â—ede from our owne imperfections â—â—r the darknes of error and cloudes 〈◊〉 ignorance which sinne hath vshered â—â—to our soules haue bene the onely â—â—solute cause thereof from the which â—ankinde should haue beene alwaies â—â—ee had it but persisted in the perfeâ—â—â—on of its first nature Yet howsoeuer notwithstanding the â—â—fect wherewith the soule is so foulely blemished we alwaies doe behold thâ—â— naturall light and glorious lampe 〈◊〉 shine brightly in the vnderstanding 〈◊〉 mind of man which is in farre greateâ—â— measure bestowed on him theÌ„ on brâ—â—â— beasts In such sort that wee haue abâ—litie to recount the excellency thereof by the discourse of reason 〈◊〉 shee passeth from thinges knownâ— to thinges vnknowne going froâ— generalls to specialls and theâ—â— discends to indiuidualls And in lâ—â—â— manner she remounts againe by 〈◊〉 same degrees from one vnto anothâ—â— and so compares them all among themselues For as soone as the imaâ—â—nation hath receiued the shapes 〈◊〉 impressions of those things which 〈◊〉 presented vnto her by the ministery the externall senses the consideratiâ—â— of reason immediately succeedâ—â—â— which maketh diligent inquisitioÌ„ ofâ—â— that whatsoeuer may be in the vndâ—â—standing both of the abundance and the want that is there making it toâ—â— turne vnto her view the more deâ—â—â—â—rately to contemplate thereon and â—â—e better to informe her selfe what 〈◊〉 is that shee hath or hath not how 〈◊〉 is and after what nature and quaâ—â—ty it is Then an on reason abstracteth from â—â—â—sible things things inuisible from â—orporeall incorporeall things secret â—nd mysticall from such as are plaine â—nd triuiall and lastly things geneâ—â—ll from things particular After this â—â—ee referres all these things to the â—udgement which is the chiefest verâ—â—e and power of the soule which â—omprehendeth all the other faculâ—â—es and which is reposed in the â—ontemplation of the Spirite which 〈◊〉 the ende of the search and inquiâ—â—tion of veritie and as a certaine â—nd sure respect of all other thinges which haue beene collected and choâ—en by reason and receiued and approâ—ed also by the Iudgement Wherefore it is that wee say that â—here is a double discourse of reason in â—an the one in the theorique and speculation whose end is verity which hauing found the same proceedes no farther The other in practicke whose end for which it worketh is good and which hauing founde doth not reâ—â— there only but passeth yet farther forth euen vnto the Will which is another power of the soule of wondrous excellencye which God hath endowed maâ— with that he might therby loue desire and followe that which is good and eschew hate and fly from that which 〈◊〉 euill and if he doe or haue erred to returne againe into the paths of Vertue by the helpfull guidance and direction of Reason The will of man hath two actions belonging to the same the first is an inclination vnto good whereby she desireth shee followeth she imbraceth it the second is a diuersion from euill wherby she flyeth and forceth his selfe from it Yet howsoeuer it is alwaies to be vnderstood that reason doth not sway dominere ouer the wil as Princess and commander but onely as a mistresse to informe and as a guide to instruct her telling and teaching her what is to be followed and what to be fled from For the will hath not any light from or by her selfe but is illuminated only by the shining rayes of the vnderstanding that is to say by reason Iudgement which are conioyned with her Euen so the will doth neyther couet nor reiect any thing but that which reason hath formerly declared â—o be eyther good or bad In such sort â—hat the act of the will proceedes indeed from her selfe but is both iudged and counselled by reason onely borne and brought foorth by the will which doth nothing else but put that â—n execution which the vnderstanding hath conceiued and iudged to bee good or flye from that which it reprooueth Wherfore if the Wil of man do conâ—oine it selfe with reason which is heauenly and diuine in the pursuit of vertue she would gaine by this her combination to be like vnto it and would also then with great facility bee able to rule and gouerne the sensuall parts which are vnder her remaining alwaies full of ability and power to constraine them all to obey her as their Lady and mistresse But if the will of man disdainefully disesteem her and contemâ—â— her counsells and in stead of mounting aloft towards that glorious seat of all admired excellency descend towards the ignoble part of filthy sensualitye dedicating her selfe and making a league with it shee shall then be like her lustfull copesmate and in lieu of her commander shall bee her seruant and heereby become both base and brutish where otherwise she might haue made that sensuall and earthly part to bee celestiall and diuine had she chosen rather to obey Reason then passions and preferred the heauens before the earth Therefore it may bee said that reason produceth the same effect in the soule of a Prudent man that health doth vnto a sickly body
manner that being depriued of the gift of grace shee runneth wilfully into the obscure dungeons of mischiefe and errour fully opposit and contrary to her owne naturall quality and condition which takes delight in nothing more then light and verity Beeing then destitute of true vnderstanding shee chuseth rather the euill then the good and falshood then verity Miserable and wretched conditioÌ„ of man which suffereth himselfe to bee thus transported vnto vice which hee ought so much the more to hate by how much the more inconueniences and greater infelicityes it bringeth to his soule This tree of death hath 3. sprouting branches euery one whereof spreads it selfe into many great boughs the fruits wherwith they are abundantly loaden are all sorts of vices and impiety The first of them is Auarice the root of all euils forasmuch as the nature quality hereof is an earnest desire and an endlesse coueting of all the riches and treasures of the Worlde which being congested in an huge heape haue a powerfull vertue to withdraw the eye of the soule from the soule to it or at least so to blind the same that shee shall neuer bee able to performe her duety her honour vnto God nor the well intended actions of her owne Conscience Of Auarice there are two kinds the one is pinching nigardly sordide sottish and brutish of which sort is that which possesseth the hearts and minds of those base and monstrous misers who for feare of losing the siluer and gold which oftentimes they enioy not through their owne labours and industry but descended vnto them closely enwrapped in a chest of iron from their couetous fathers grandfathers doe with a sollicitous and pensiue care imprison nay timorously intomb it within the secret bowels of the earth for feare of wasting or diminishing it Yet vnto such as these are their greedy and insatiable auarice neuer begets a iot of profit neyther to themselues nor their successours forasmuch as the desire of increasing ingendreth in their corrupted and dunghil-minds so strange a humour of sparing that they cannot finde in their consciences more then resistlesse and peremptory necessity constraineth to prouide bread for their euen famished bellies or conuenient apparel to hide their nakednes but dayly feede themselues on browne bread and potage and make their best liquor a cup of cold water All their labours and industries all their pleasures all their content and chiefest felicities consist in the contemplation admiration idolatrous worship of this their sweete Saint their good their God which they euerie moment of time warme cherish sit a brood on both with the eye of the bodye and of the soule not vnlike vnto the Tortoyse who burieth her egges in a heape of sand They are such cruel tyrants merciless enemies to poore nature that they will not lend vnto themselues eight or tenne angels to worke their owne redemption from a detested prison neither would they by any meanes whatsoeuer be induced to bestow any thing in procuring a medicine for their greatest malady And in this ridiculous and strange manner passe they ouer their wretched life in a voluntary pouerty that after their death they may be stiled rich The other is more violent and rauenous then the former which in some sort may be said to be contented with what it hath whereas this is alwaies tortured with a desire of hauing more which still increaseth with his ill-gained gold not respecting in the scraping in of it so it be haue-able eyther froÌ„ what men or by what meane In such sort that whosoeuer are ouertaken by this passion may be truly said to haue but a poore conscience For thus hee debateth with himselfe What shall the impiety of the action deterre my soule from the prosecution of mine owne commodity No On and faint not The sinne is but on affrighting bugbeare and a toye in respect of the gaines that are gotten making a subtill but diuellish separation betweene honest and profitable in such a fashion that neither shame nor feare can represse or repell his couetous cruelty Of this kind there are also two sorts The one is ambitious as when one man desireth to surpasse all others in lands and substances by what attempts or passages soeuer Fâ—â—â—in the pursuit of such a prize nothing shall bee refused that may be helpfull This kinde of couetousnesse is full of daunger and especially if it bee in such as haue authority and power For hauing force and conueniencie within the lists or compasse of their owne armes they haue by way of consequence a very commodious and facile meanes of vsing violence and extortion towards the increase of their golden dunghils not with an intent and determination of sparing parcimony as the former but of lauish profuse luxury of hauing wherewith to furnish their magnificence bouÌ„dlesse liberality so that reference being made vnto this it is not so much to be discommended as that which commeth after For this hath I know not how a generous disposition and the other following a violent and insatiable passion which killeth downright as many as are vnder the iurisdiction and power of its commaund with sorrow care anguish and trauell For shee will driue them through fields and woods through thicke and thinne by sea and by lande in winter and sommer night and day through hot and cold without the allowance of one poore minutes rest And after this manner will she inforce them to gather riches and treasures with paines and perill bereauing them presently of the right vse of them for couetousnesse increasing pleasure is diminished nay quite taken away O truely miserable and vnhappy condition Sithence man is neuer so blessed hauing the full fruition of all his desires as he should bee if he would not desire at all For if the desire of hauing bee not limmited with reasons bounding pillars which haue Ne plus vltra engrauen in them it is farre more full of danger then pinching pouertye because great desiring breedeth great want and is no more allayed with with purchased treasures then flames are quenched with wood and oyle For the desire of hauing doth alwaies increase by the hauing of things desired The medicinable remedy which hee searcheth after in siluer and gold for the qualification of his malady doth nothing else but increase his miserye Chests and coffers purses and pouches bagges and budgets may in time bee filled but the insatiable desire of a couetous man can neuer for the bottome of the sea is not so deepe as it The couetous man neuer regardeth what content hee might deriue from the substance which he possesseth but how wel he should be had he but some great matter which hee hath not and therefore presseth he all his indeuours by day care by night for the compassing of that which had tormenteth him This also is the most miserable most detestable passion that euer lodged in the heart of man Other desires are capable of sariety and so by
vertuously done whence may accrew profit and commodity vnto the coÌ„mon good of the weale publique but this vain-glory which some labor to inioy by the mediatioÌ„ of such actions as are partly vnlawfull partly ridiculous or this temporal Honour which is attributed vnto things which haue alwaies bene are yet at this very day by a vain and false opinioÌ„ esteemed admirable amongst men or a certain renowne glory which they pretend to acquire more by a seeming counterfaited Vertue then by that which is so indeed For vertue will not permit any that follow her to bee discomfited by vaine Ambition but rather to know and acknowledge sincerely with an open heart the slender meaneness of their poor abilities therby teaching them to haue an humble and lowly demeanour in the vertuous acquisition of true honour and not to make any dependance or hopefull relyance vppon the vniust and trustlesse purposes of vice which by false honours vain pleasures sloath and couetousnes drowns all her fauorites in a sea of miseries Voluptuous sensuality is the next that followes which is nothing else but a smooth tickling delightful mouing of our carnal appetite at the very instaÌ„t wheÌ„ it doth long for the thing desired It is ingendred within vs by the knowledge which we haue of the beauty the harmony fragrant sauor and pleasant sweeteness of those things which our heart wisheth for But seeing there is no man that can be saide to inioy a dureable reioycing in the transitory actions of voluptuousness men doe oftentimes indeauour to reiect the same that they may thereby gaine vnto themselues the quiet fruition of som small content but they assay it to a fruitlesse end For after a long reiteration of one and the same things their desires are cloyed with the vse thereof and then in stead of receiuing some content they finde nothing but satiety and a hatefull loathing of that they so much wished for before In such sort that voluptuousnes is nothing else but an immoderate irregularity in its beginning a defectiue want in its progresse and in its end a distastefull bitterness And then againe how many heart-burning molestations shall the minde be tortured with before this imaginary shadow of felicity can be attain'd vnto How many and great trauels how many heauy perplexities how many instant griefes how many importunate sorrowes how many tedious lothings and odious detestations shall interpose themselues betweene man and his desires Is it not true that as soone as plesure and voluptuousnes haue mastered man in the selfe same moment of time sorrow and griefe anguish and annoyance trouble vexation of spirit hang ouer his head And by how much the more the Iudgement is infected with this vice by so much the more wicked and violent are the affections and the number of them so much the more increased which doe not onely preiudice the internal faculties of the soule but hinder also in a high measure the health and safety of the body For from what cause proceede there so many noysom and corrupted humours so many incureable yea strange and vnknowne maladies as from voluptuousnesse and those accursed pleasures which wee purchase alwaies vnto ourselues with the soules perill and oftentimes with the destruction of the body which being obtaind bring with them without faile a thousand thousand occasions of sorrow repentance for one of perfect pleasure and true content Sadnes sullenness melancholy despaire dolefull pensiuenes and all other kinds of woefull discontents are not these the choycest flowers and godliest shady trees of thy voluptuous Paradise Are not the Crystall teares that trickle from thine eies and Crimson drops of bloud distilling from thine heart the pleasant bubbling fountains of the same Are not thy griefes thy groans thy sobs thy sighs thy lamentations the eare-inchanting tunes the warbling melody sweetest shrilling musicke of the pleasant groues O case O most vnhappy case â—as truly lamentable as it is strange and then which nothing deserueth more our most serious and considerate deliberations thereby that wee may bee lessoned to know the greatness of our miseries and the corruption of our Iudgement and to change our erroneous opinion whereby we striue to perswade our selues that there is no other content in the worlde but that which may be attainde vnto with the satisfaction of our depraued desires Whence it is that wee preserue with all possible care and feare of losing that which finally is to vs the onely cause of our owne destruction and by louing wherof we separate our selues farre off from the loue and pursuit of such riches such honour and such pleasures as are truely perfect truely certaine Thus then may wee see that vertue is soone drowned in the midst of pleasure In this onelie point the Couetous man becommeth prodigall and the Ambitious man tumbling headlong from one extreame vnto another liueth like aswine in voluptuous sensualitie For the vnbridled desires of the voluptuous can not haue any contenting satisfaction or determinate end because that inioying one pleasure for a little while they shortly desire and wooe a greater a quainter and a more ticklish delight so their wishes being voide of firm resolution setled constancy creep stil groueling forward til they fall into the searchless depth of disastrous calamity Man through vnlawfull irregular and immoderate pleasures growes to bee Intemperate a Gourmandizer a lickorous a sweet-mouth'd companion a drunken tossepot an incontinent lecher whoorish adulterous prodigal effeminate cowardly impudent slaunderous sloathfull lazy a gamester a poore snake a penurious starueling in the end a miserable wretch So then the euils that sprout from these three branches as from their stock are linked one vnto another as it were with a massye chayne which draggeth man vnto all kinds of impiety whatsoeuer the end of one beeing the beginning of another neuer leauing him vntill such time as they haue brought him full vnto the gates of hell For vice is alwaies blinde and runneth heedelesly into apparent dangers Shee inticeth man to assay all sorts of villanies shee is more full of perils then the miserablest chance that can befal a man She makes him accursed within that is in the outward shew a blessed man For indeed shee is nothing but a glorious-outsided sepulcher stuffed within with wormes and rottennes She beeing masked vnder the false appearance of vertues ornameÌ„ts doth oftentimes beguile vnwary man lending his eare too attentiuely to her inchanting phrases and heart-beguiling flatteryes in such sort that by her cunning subtiltie shee induceth his desires to couet that which they ought most to fear to loue what they should hate and follow what they should flye from blinding him in such a fashion that hee poore credulous wretch establisheth all his felicity in the frail fruition of earthly vanities neuer imagining that hee that settleth his hope of happiness in them is neuer without a soule full stored with restless disturbances and torturing vexations and so by consequence
is nothing else but in perpetuall seruitude vnto his owne passions Wherefore there is no danger or affliction whatsoeuer that can befall a mortall man but is better to bee vndergone then to suffer himselfe to be made a slaue to vice sithence it is the most cruel detestable Tyrant that can be imagined in all the world such a one as neuer giues one minute or moment of repose and quiet vnto the heauy soule wherein it harboureth For howsoeuer she vnderprop his sitting or lying with soft cushions or pleasing pillowes thinking by these nice and dallying flatteries to sooth and smoother-vp his painefull languishment so to lul his charmed thoughts asleep yet questionless the soule of him shall alwaies be found full of anguish horrour and confusion The lewd and vicious man experienceth vs that it is a great deale harder to worke actions of impiety then of godlines For the vicious man in the resolution of wicked purposes is much disturbed by the remorsefull pleadings of his owne conscience which cannot be adiudged the meanest torment for it cryeth on him without intercession More of thy selfe then others be asham'de Thy selfe art most wrongd by thine owne offence And of thy selfe thy selfe first selfely blamde Must giue account to thine owne Conscience It is also a great trouble to search out lurking corners and secret nookes which may serue as retyring couertures to his mischieuous actions But how closely soeuer he cloake his wickednes he feares to be descried euen in darknes it selfe inasmuch as hee beareth alwaies within him a tel-tale conscience which being notable by any bribes nor by the world it selfe to bee suborned will absolutely bewray his impious deedes Crying on him continually Thou labour'st much and tak'st great paine in wast To hide thy fault For none could er'e preuaile Nor shalt thou now for t' will appeare at last For from himselfe who can himselfe conceale Finally admit that sinne bee both conceiued and borne yet sweet mean must haue sower sawce and one pleasure must bee purchased or not had with a thousand paines and as many perills yea hel it selfe is within the conscience For the law of duty pronounceth It is vnlawfull to doe euill And presently the Conscience produceth at once all the testimonies that can be the Information the Iudge the Condemnation the Executioner and the punishment The law of Honor trumpeteth out by the mouth of Fame the reproachfull shame and shamefull reproach of base dishonour condemning the remembrance both of the vice and of the vicious man And yet againe this is the worst of all that the death and destruction of the body is not the last affliction to a wicked man For if death did bring vnto man as to the bruit beasts an absolute priuation of all sense and a totall annihilation of the soule certainely the vicious should enioy a farre greater aduantage then the vertuous in the fruition of all their wishes and desires in this â—â—fe and not be punished in the world to come But the Iustice of the Euerliâ—ing God pronounceth most clearely and with a high voyce The longer that a wicked man doth liue Without repentance so much the more paine He shall endure where God will none forgiue In hell which God for such did first ordaine For God doth not punish all wicked offenders in the earth to the ende that all might vnderstand that there is a future iudgement in the which al the impious actions and mischieuous intents of wicked men shall receiue vengeance As also hee rewardeth not all good men with temporall blessings here in this lower World to the end that all should knowe that there is another place where God will reward the patience of the vertuous with a Crowne of glory Againe God doth not inflict his punishments on all the wicked neyther yet bestoweth he blessings or benefits outwardly on al the good for fear lest it might be imagined that the vertuous followed and imbraced vertue through hope of receiuing a reward and for the sake of an earthly blessing and that they eschewed vice for feare onely of the worlds punishment For by this meanes vertue should bee no longer vertue forasmuch as there is no action that can truly challenge this glorious appellation if the agents intention regard the hope of an earthly recompence and doth not atchieue the same for the loue of vertue onely that thereby he may be rendred agreeable vnto God who alone is able to crowne his deedes with euerlasting blessednes Accursed then is the condition of al wicked men their liues are lamentable their deaths miserable sithence vice depriues them of that most excellent good which vertue bestoweth on such onely as doe conforme themselues vnto her discipline 〈◊〉 vs discouer Vices cousenage â—â—d then its loue will soone be turnde to hate 〈◊〉 Vertue will our soule so much engage â—at th' other will seeme harsh and out of date 〈◊〉 not astonisht Reader if thou tread â—â—tht full of griefe and seeming misery â—â—e waies with bitter anguishes are laide â—â—at Vertue trauells not with voluptie The third effect that Vertue produceth in Man which is both the theory and practice of conquering himselfe CHAP. VI. THE third effect is both the theory and practice of ouercomming our selues Which renowned and victorious Conquest we ought to striue so much the more courageously to attaine vnto by how much the more we know our natures strong and desperate in the eager resistance of our assaults sithence all the rebellious passions and lewd affections which are within vs are so many proclaimed-traiterous enemies which by a trecherous insurrection against Reason their dread Soueraigne will racke their abilities at the highest to conquer man and so to ransacke and robbe the poore soule of its tranquillity which is her chiefest most pretious treasure Well then sithence whatsoeuer inciteth vs is eyther passion or affection aswell that which setteth vs forwards to the acquist of Vertue as that which compelleth vs to imbrace vice according to the naturall disposition of euery one wee may conclude that our passions and affections are the true declarances of what we are forasmuch as there is nothing whatsoeuer in vs whereunto wee are more obsequious then vnto them bee it in the vndertaking of actions eyther good or euill Wherefore there is nothing that a Prudent man ought to take greater heede of then to keepe them alwaies obedient vnto reason neyther whose conquest can bee more glorious then the subduing of his owne affections not more dishonourable then to yeelde vnto them To this end therefore vertue teacheth vs not to depriue our selues of wishes and desires but that we should continually represse and master them for there is no man how stupidous dull soeuer that is not sometimes moued with the delights of pleasures and touched now and then with glory and honour For Nature being very precisely curious as well in beeing magnified by propagation as also in being conserued in her perfect estate by the
the body for therein onely her action consisteth For how can she imploy her selfe otherwise by what meanes can shee appeare vnto the world but by her faculties Therefore it is very requisite that she ayde and succour them guide and gouerne them as long as they remaine together that thereby at length triumphing in glory for hauing vanquished the Diuell the World the Flesh and its affections shee may bring them vnto the fruition of eternall blessednes Contrarily if shee by yeelding too obsequiously vnto their lustfull appetites and wanton concupiscences forgetting both office and place should slaue her selfe to the seruile subiection of their desires shee should truely merit by suffering her selfe to bee thus transported by their lewd and carnall affections to be depriued of all her soueraignty forasmuch as by giuing too facile an obseruance to their flattering perswasions she hath frustrated the serious intention of her Creatour which was that she shold assimulate vnto her selfe by vertuous actions such things as were impure and subiect to the dregs and blemishes of sinne that so at her returne shee might bring them with her to bee conioynd in him The course then that shee is to obserue in such contrarieties is so to demeane her selfe that both the senses and her selfe be nothing but Reason that is to say that she be not so spirituall that she forget her selfe to be conioyned with a body whereof she ought to haue great care to rule and gouerne it Nor yet so corporall that she should bee vnmindfull of her purer essence and that she is the secōd cause of both their felicities So thē Vertue producing these effects in a prudent mā impresseth in the soul of him not only a knowledge of that which is iust honest and profitable that he may thereby loue and imbrace it but also of that which is vniust dishonest vnprofitable that hee may therby shunne and hate the same holding his affections vnder the rule and moderation of her lawes to the ende that he may not be made a bondslaue to his enemy beeing fallen vnder the power of Vice And what is more miserable in the world then seruitude And what seruitude greater then to be in a slauish subiection to a mans owne disordered affections On the other side what greater happines in the world then liberty And what greater liberty then to bee master and commaunder of a mans selfe If the victory that is atchieued ought to bee valued according to the dignity and worth of him that is conquered it is most certaine that the Conquerour shall bee as greate as was his glory whom hee conquered In such sort the renowned victory which Achilles wonne when hee conquered Hector was so much the more noble by how much Hector was more mighty valiant Furthermore there is nothing in the World so greate as man nor any thing in man so excellent as his soule and courage which is the greatest and most puissant thing within the compasse of the Vniuerse For questionless that is chiefest that is noblest which approacheth neerest vnto the first beginning But the soule of man doth most resemble God because of his vnderstanding vse of reason and freenesse of will which shee hath farre aboue all the parts of mans body and all other terrestriall creatures whatsoeuer Whence it necessarily followeth that the reasonable soule is the most worthy most noble of all the vniuersall World If man then gaine the conquest ouer his own soule he ought to be esteemed more victorious then hee that hath subdued and conquered the whole world Wherefore it is that mans chiefest content during his continuance in this life is the soules quiet and peacefull tranquillity which cannot be gotten by things directly contrary such as are restlesse desires and greedy couetousnes wherewith the soule is miserably tormented Nor yet doth the peace and tranquillity of the spirit properly consist in the exemption of griefe and sorrow but also in the freeing of it from such violent passions as plunge the vicious in a sea of sadnes So that then he only is to be accounted free which domineereth ouer his owne affections and withstandeth the violence of such ill-seasoned desires as without resistance would destroy him If we esteeme that man to be attended on by an vnhappy chance and a miserable fortune which hauing bene once a Lord and Commander is now tumbled headlong downe by some disastrous accident or other into the subiection of his owne vassall what then shall wee say of him that is voluntarily becomme a seruile bond-slaue not onely vnto his passions but also vnto such things as are senselesse dead such as are gold and siluer and the like worldly vanities and so at length a seruaunt to sinne and which is worst of all vnto the Diuell himselfe Is not this a great punishment of God that man out of his owne free will for want of knowing and vnderstanding himselfe should make himselfe a seruant and a slaue vnto those things whereof hee if hee would eschewe Vice and imbrace Vertue so to vse his goods and fortunes with moderation might haue the mastery and full command Therefore if there bee any sparkle of Iudgement remaining in vs whereby wee may discerne the treacherous conspiracies and domestical treasons which our own passions contriue against vs shall wee not blush to suffer our selues to bee so shamefully surprised by those toyish fopperies which the least foresight in the world would vtterly haue queld Haue our painful indeauors in the school of Vertue gained no greater profit then that fraile riches and worldly vanities should haue greater power and preheminence ouer vs then Reason Are we willing our selues to deface that relique of Gods image and resemblance in vs that we may become wholy brutish Do we loue long for that which wee ought to hate to imbrace that which burneth vs and to kisse that which consumeth vs O where then is vertues loue and the affection due to her O where is the laudable desire of Glory and Honour whereunto all truely generous and noble spirits doe aspire by ciuill demeanours and commendable actions Well then let vs contemne all Ambition for Ambitions sake saue onely that which by arming our minds with true humility maketh vs so valiant against our selues as to ouercome our selues in such sort that flaying off our old skin with all his staines blemishes spots and imperfections we may put on a cleane a faire and a beautifull skin not onely laudable for its meekenes mildnes patience liberality humanity modesty and fidelity towards all men but also for its fortitude constancy and Iustice towards our selues whereby we may be able to daunt yea to subdue our greatest enemy who hath by smooth insinuation fortified himselfe euen in the Cittadell of our owne vnderstanding with a resistlesse and immutable resolution of forcing frō vs that little little residue that smal sparkle of brightness which suruiueth in vs to the end that beeing altogether in darknes we might
with greater facility slide into the soul wracking Charibdis of voluptuous sensuality from which it is almost impossible to bee redeemed And last of all if generous and magnanimous spirits present themselues within the lists ready to vndertake iust and lawful combats What nobler victory shall wee obtaine then by conquering the passions and affections of our owne selues that reason heereby may gaine the preheminēce ouer our vnruly wils which haue inclined our credulous soules to imbrace all mischieuous and wicked actions And then may we iustly triumph in so great a victory when wee our selues haue conquered our selues in so lawfull and iust a combat being ready now to enter which is the guerdon of our Conquest into the possession of the soules soueraign good which consisteth in the tranquillity of the mind and peace of Conscience And therefore wee will conclude this Chapter with these verses Our owne selues Conquest is great victory For in our selues ambush our greatest foes And the sole meanes our selues to glorifie Is by our Reasons force to vanquish those The fourth effect that Vertue produceth in Man which teacheth him to performe his duetie towards all men demeaning himselfe worthily in his Vocation CHAP. VII THe fourth effect is to teach man his duety towards other men that he may therby discharge the same worthily according to his place and calling be it either publiquely or priuatly For we are instructed by nature and confirmde by experience that men cannot liue one without another in such sort that from our beginning our Country our Parents our friends our neighbors wil yea ought to be profited by our indeauors So that wee are not to ascertain our selues of the security of any other fortress in this life but of doing counselling and saying all such things as are truely accounted honest and vertuous all this being but the discharge of that dutie and seruice which nature obligeth euery one to doe So that then if we will be guided by the direction of Nature we ought to labour for a publique good to imploy for the conseruatiō of humane society our goods our trauailes our industry yea whatsoeuer is within the lists of our ability For no mā liues a more shameful life then hee that alwaies liues vnto himselfe thinks on nothing but his priuate gain And he liues most worthily which liues vnto himselfe as little as is possible Neither indeede can any man liue in greater honor reputation thē he that thinks his imploymēts neuer bestowed better then for the generall cōmoditie of the weal publique In such sort that a vertuous man feeleth himselfe so liuely touched in soul with an earnest desire of profiting those with whom he liueth that he indeauoureth himselfe to assist and succour them and not to bee daunted by the greatnes of pain or the fear of peril He esteemeth his country as his own proper mansion wherein euery one ought to labor for the common good He foreseeth that no mā is able to protect his priuate house frō being rifled whē the enemies haue the whole City And therfore euery one ought to carry his hogsheads and ladders to the breach that they may by their diligēt endeauors makevp the reparation withstand the assault But if euery one should retire himselfe cowardly flye vnto his house hiding and locking vp all his mony plate iewells and other necessaries the city beeing surprizde hee doth not onely lose his gold but with his gold his glory Wherefore to secure thy particular thou must bestow thy labours and trauailes in the defence and safety of the generall which cannot be when the Citty is besieged except they shew themselues one to another like faithfull friends and louing Cittizens Wee are therefore obliged in dutie each towards other in this World to the end that wee labour not onely for our selues but for all those also which stand in need of our assistance hauing alwaies recorded in our memories that golden sentence Doe vnto others what thou wouldst haue others doe to thee For there is nothing more repugnant both to the law of nature and of men thē to make that the increase thy profit which cānot be had but by the preiudice of another For Nature will not nay cannot tolerate that what increaseth our golden heap shold be the cause of anothers heauines In such sort that whosoeuer would follow nature cannot be mischieuous or noysome some to his like but wold chuse rather to endure the crosses of the world and the fretting afflictions of contemptible pouerty then to augment his fortunes and exalt himself by the wrongfull deeds of bloudy tyranny forasmuch as the euill of the soule which is impiety is a thousand times worse then the euill of the body Therefore euery one ought to haue an especiall regard that the actions which he practiseth be honest iust and that the ende whereunto they are referred bee also profitable vnto the common vse society of those with whom whiles wee breath wee are alwaies conuersant For the great rich and potent men can very hardly or scarce at all liue without the succour and helpe of the meaner sort for these are they which turmoyle and tumble vp and downe to dresse their grounds and husband their possessions In like manner the mighty states-man so al descending to the Mechanicks can not liue the one without the mutual help succor of the other God being pleased to shew herein the great care and prouidence which he had of binding thē together with the indissoluble knotte of mutuall necessity It is also requisit that euery ones pains industry be accompanied with trustiness and loyalty to the end that the fruit and profit that the one may produce by the furtherance of the other be iust honest to the cōtinual maintenance of humane society which being taken away al things would be destroied by confusion so that bounty Iustice truth honesty would violētly be carried downe the streame when as priuate gaine should be preferd before the performance of ciuill duty or when it is deliberated whether that which is full of profit and commodity may be atchieued not sinning against honesty and Vertue Which proposition is quickly affirmed by such greedy minds as are easily drawne into such inconueniences A happy life which consisteth in the perfect vse of vertue cannot be accōplished if it want the assistance of corporall externall goods which serue as aides instruments to the better more happy execution of honest desires therefore it happeneth oftentimes that the feare which men haue of falling into pouerty esteeming it the greatest euill in the world leadeth thē to desire the goods and riches of the world to this effect perswadeth thē that it is their duty to labor for them to possess them as being one of the 3. main principal points to the obtaining wherof all the actions and industries of men are finally reduced thinking by the gaining of them to
cōmit themselues to a retired settlement and restfull quietness not considering the sentence of that wise Philosopher that he that would truely and perfectly become rich should indeauour not to increase and augment his riches but to diminish his greedy desire of hauing because such as leaue their desires without bounding limmits doe daylie increase their pouerty and want As on the other side the most excellent Vertue and neerest approaching vnto God himselfe is that which causeth mā to want as few things as is possible For to wish or couet nothing is to be in some sort like vnto God teaching vs to content our mindes with that little which we haue and not to account any pouerty eyther ashame or a reproach vnto vs saue onely that which proceedeth from sloathfulnesse and ignorance or rather from riotous expence and luxurious superfluity For when pouerty is found in a man of an honest and ciuil conuersation one that is laborious painefull stout and wise it serueth as an infallible cognizance of his magnanimity lofty courage such a one as imployeth his minde in the atchieuement of greater matters without incumbring it in the search pursuit of respectlesse vanities such as are the riches of the world And therefore we may say Externall goods which worldly men adore Are not cald goods if we them truely name Subiect they are to change for euermore But vertue onely still persists the same Wherefore it is that the liberty and freedome of the wise mans soule that knoweth the natures and qualities of external goods is neuer troubled with their pensiue perplexitie beeing certainely assured that his felicity is not a iot the greater nor his content any thing increased by beeing inuironed on euery hand with an infinite masse of riches and treasures if he haue not the fruition of that true ioy and comfort which only proceedeth from the soules tranquillity But because we ought not to liue in the world like idle droanes wee are bound by duty to imploy the talent which God hath bestowed on vs to the commodity of diuers others besides ourselues indeauouring to augment the same by all iust and honest meanes without the dommage preiudice of any that wee may heereby bee true imitatours of the painfull Bee conuerting all things into sweete and gentle meeknes contenting our selues with that which is necessary and spending the residue to helpe and succour those that want it For the life of Man with his industrious paines is not praised because he is rich and mighty but because he is iust and friendly and hath the true vse of the riches which he hath gotten forasmuch as liberality is the excellent vse of that meanes which God hath placed in our hands to be a helpe and succour vnto many So that naturall duty which wee call the source of all laudable actions and foundation of honesty obligeth vs to do nothing against the commodity of the common good nor to seek after any thing by the detriment of another but to render vnto euery one with a good will and a cheerefull countenance such things as rightly appertaine vnto him For euen as our duty is the end and scope whereunto Vertue tendeth to wit that wee should duly respect honesty and a seemely carriage in all our actions Euen so it is necessary and requisite that the cōmodity which accreweth vnto vs by the mediation of our industrious and painefull endeauours be honest and profitable both together because there is nothing profitable that is separated from honesty this disiunction beeing the fountaine of al wicked vices So that whensoeuer wee see profit presented vnto vs if wee perceiue that there are ingrediēces of vice mixt with it we ought to eschew the one for the others sake thinking it to be as full of annoyance vnto the peace of the soul as a sweet potion mixt with poyson to the safety of the body For equity and reason would haue some distinction betweene duety and that which is called commonly profit there beeing as great a difference and separation betweene them as there is betweene honesty and this profite For this kind of profite maketh man not to feare to violate his promise and to profane that which hath been both ordained by the law of God and confirmd also by the lawes of men alwaies prouided that it bring him gaine And the other on the contrary side maketh him with a liberall and free minde to imploye his goods trauailes and industry yea whatsoeuer lyeth within the compasse of his ability to make them profitable and auaileable vnto euery one not incited thereunto through a certaine hope of a gainefull recompence although indeed such as receiue any thing are bound also by dutie to bee gratefull to their benefactors and to render such things vnto them for their good deedes as the proportion of the benefit requireth and their abilities can affoorde Yet howsoeuer Vertue obligeth those that are well storde to doe pleasures vnto others more freely then to receiue because it is farre more honourable to oblige then to bee obliged to giue then to take forasmuch as hee that conferreth rewards on others exerciseth a very good and an honest action but hee that receiueth doth onely exercise an action of profite And profitable is much lesse gratious then honest For that which is honest is stable and permanent furnishing him that giueth with a constant gratification whereas that which is profitable slideth quickly away and is soone lost neither is the remembrance thereof so agreeable and pleasant to the minde And againe those things are esteemed the more pretious by how much the dearer they are Therefore it is better to giue then to receiue because giuing costeth more then receiuing Wherefore whosoeuer hath beene obliged by receiuing ought to redeeme his liberty if hee can possible For it argueth not a vertuous and a valiant spirit to remain long in the arrereages of curtesie But if wee haue bin beneficiall vnto any by the friendly performance of a ciuill curtesie we◠should desire to haue that obligation stand vncancelled rather then to haue it required by a mutuall recompence sithence the mind is well contented with the honour of friendly performances which commonly coueteth rather to deserue something and not to receiue then to receiue and not to merit forasmuch as to merit is honourable but to haue the enioyance of its desert is deemed nothing else but profitable Yet there is alwaies a regard to bee had in actions of honesty vnto the sort and quality of the obligation For a generall good ought to be preferred before a particular a man of merit before such a one as merits nothing Wherfore it is that this desire is vniust and dishonest which indeauoureth nothing else but to extract profit and commodity from euery one without doing good vnto any one and to receiue any kindnesse whatsoeuer without shewing so much as a willingnes to reward valuing true honour and glory atchieued onely by vertuous actions at a
meane reckoning nay scarce accounting eyther of them of any esteeme at all For indeede it is almost impossible for such as vse all the means they can for the reaping of profit to do that vnto Honour which is her due Forasmuch as dishonest gain is a carelesse regard nay an absolute despisall of true glory the shining splēdour whereof euery vertuous heart ought to be iealous to preserue not suffering it to bee eclipst by the obscure clowds of base actiōs but most especially the nobler sort such as haue bin exalted to the highest dignities whether by letter or Armes For Honour exacts the performāce of duty so much the more seuerely in those by how much their worths and dignities haue more distinguisht them frō the vulgar Therefore it is that the golden Merchant is not so much honoured as the simple Souldier For the one heapeth vppe a mountaine of treasure respecting onely his owne inriching the other practiseth but few meanes and those also as instruments of Honour and the onely end of all his parsimony is wholly referred vnto the acquist of Glory And then if naturall Duty haue obliged all sorts of men to doe their best indeauours in their seueral vocations to accomplish somthing that may bee profitable to the publique good it stands with greater reason that shee should oblige those which are the bright lamps and glorious starres of honour eyther by place or parentage to the end that they might enlighten the meaner actions of other men by the shining lustre of their examples Which they can neuer doe but by clearing first their owne hearts from filthy couetousnesse forasmuch as that is the principal cause which maketh men forgetfull of those thinges which appertaine to the purchase of Honour wholly addicting their minds to riches and suffring thē to think on nothing saue that alone which serues for increase of their reuenues wheron being wholly bent they oft times practise base and ignoble actions which in fine procure their miserable ruine against those that are of their own profession Wherfore it is very expedient for him that desireth earnestly to imbrace vertue to propose her alwaies before his eyes as the onely obiect wherat he aymeth and not to esteem of any profit saue onely that which is attaind vnto by her accord For how-soeuer the imposturous hypocrite and dissembling wretch seeme more faire in his affaires according to the censure of the World then the plaine honest and open hearted man yet certainely it is better to bee vnrespected with the last then with the first to be in great esteeme For the ends of such are alwaies miserable And therefore they that seek after nothing but their owne priuate gaine are miserably deluded because whatsoeuer their greedy minds induced them to follow was false riches coūterfeit treasures For true riches are not gaind but by the performance of our duties grounded on Vertue which is nought else but the practise of doing wel to all not in regard of gaine or hope of recōpence but only in respect of Vertue it selfe which is ought to be the sole profit of an honest man She it is that maketh all things profitable And hee that taketh care to perform his duty is neuer guerdor less For the obseruance therof being wel imployed procureth vs esteem credit amongst men credit preferres vs to the dignity of some high place wherein are gained orderly and quiet riches which are to bee accounted of farre more then great abundance mischieuously gotten It is a worthy cement that firmely vniteth honest and profitable For if they bee disioyned Vtility is nothing but deluding cosenage and Ouerreaching an irreligious policy which seuerely bindeth the trembling-guilty conscience to answere for the same It behooueth therefore euery particular man to bee as well in art as industry constantly resolued and resolutely confirmed in three especiall points before the atchieuement or execution of any action The first is that his enterprize bee iust The second is that the meanes which he practiseth by for the attainment therof be lawfull The last is that he surpasse not the bounds of his owne vocation be it eyther publique or particular but alwaies containe himselfe within its limits and do his best for the common good For than this there is nothing more agreeable vnto God nor more beseeming an honest man Let vs then learn our deuoir towards men to the end that wee may render thanks vnto God for all First for the good which he hath giuen vs next for the good which wee haue had to make it truly profitable for the prosperous successe thereof and lastly for the reward which wee are sure to obtaine I mean the beatitude felicity which is the true ground of perfect goodnes We haue formerly declared what are Vertues effects in man making him to loue and follow her besides the recōpence which she hath in her self of her own nature And because recompence hath a very great power ouer vs and is able to cause vs to affect things a great deale the more Vertue will neuer be without the same Now by how much the more her excellency surmounteth the worths of other things so much the richer and more pretious are the salaryes which she presenteth to vertuous men These are Honor Pleasure a double good without which shee neuer marcheth whereof now following we make description The Description of true Honour and how it ought to bee acquired CHAP. VIII ALl our actions whatsoeuer doe vsually tend towards Perfection We desire her for her own sake being not able to bee contented without her Imperfection is the mother of displeasure and nurse of discontent For which cause as many as haue treated of beatitude affirme that wee ought if we wish for true content true felicity to desire perfection For none can be said to be truely happy but such as haue attained vnto the perfect accomplishment of the same Her supportāce hath no referēce to the goods honours and pleasures of the Body because perfection is not found in thē being fraile inconstant momentary and lyable to decay through times tyranny We ought therefore to seeke after Wisedome and imbrace the vertues of the soule whose condition beeing permanent and estate eternall they scorn the violence of alteration whose constancy also is neuer mooued with the battering storms of angry fortune So then if all things labour for perfection and desire that which is good agreeable vnto them it stands with greater reason that the soule of man should couet that which is not onely appertinent but wondrous necessary The soule then being an immortall essence it is cleare that it ought not to appropriate such things vnto it selfe as are fraile and full of change but ought rather to be richly adorned and glorified by such as are permanent and proper only to its owne nature Amongst all the goods and treasures of the soule the acquisition of the Honour which proceeds from vertuous actions whether ciuill
victorie they vvould insult like bloudy minded Tyrants ouer vs taking away by cruell violence the peacefull tranquillitie and pleasures of the soule which vertue giues to Honour as solacing associates being the chiefest the comfortablest companions that mans heart can wish for And of these I meane to treat in this chapter following The description of true rest and perfect pleasure wherwith Vertue accompanieth Honour accomplishing man with all felicitie CHAP. XII ALL men naturally desire pleasure and ease and labour in the world to no other end but to settle themselues in such an estate as may crowne their affections with content All their practises and indeauours all their plots and counsells all their restlesse purposes and painefull enterprises aime at no other marke but this But who is it that findeth what hee searcheth for Euerie one complaines on the misery of his owne condition and bewailes the peruersitie of his froward fortunes informing the world by these his dolefull moanes that he continues still vnsatisfied The reason hereof is because hee seeketh in this life that which is not heere and therefore it is impossible to be found They search with watchfull eyes and restlesse hearts that celestiall pearle in the dunghill of the world which is reseru'd in heauen for those that will exclaime against the vanities of the world and the fraile incertaintie of all things therein for those I say that bend all their studies to extirpate the loue and liking which they beare towards the world out of their hearts and minds presenting them by the assistance of vertuous contemplations vnto the GOD of heauen In whom they obtaine as in a hauen of securitie that sweet repose and quiet comfort which they sought in this life with an earnest vehement but a fruitless pursuite For we learne by infallible demonstrations deduced from the knowledge of our owne selues that this life on earth is but as it were a pilgrimage a short yet tedious iourney whereby we trauell or tend towards another place which is celestial wherfore wee ought to demeane both our selues and substances with such a golden moderation whether it bee in giuing satisfactions to our vrgent necessities or elss in our pleasances delightful recreations that al conspire for the aduancement of vs vnto that other place which is the celestial treasury of our soueraigne good It is a thing maruailous ful of difficultie to be attain'd vnto but being gained it is as ful of profit ease and pleasure yea such a thing as in the acquisition whereof no paines or perills should seeme hard or fearefull For this is a prize so precious that the least and meanest particle thereof is throughlie sufficient of it selfe to recompence a worlde of paines And because the remonstrances and characters which may bee composed setting forth vertues beauty and excellencie gentlie inuiting vs to imbrace her and the manifold discourses of vice shewing vnto the world her vglie monstrous and deformed shape enforcing vs to detest and hate her are not sufficient remedies to cure our depraued passions and to appease the perturbations of our spirits pleasures and paines are propos'd vnto vs in the schoole of vertue to be the Directrices of al our actions the one seruing as a rewarde and salarie to encourage vs to vertue the other as a torture to deterre vs from vice for there are no intendments or actions eyther plotted or performed but it is through the consideration and respect either of the one or other It remaineth therefore in the conclusion and vpshot of this little tract to represent vnto you what and how wondrous great the delectation and pleasure is which a vertuous man reapeth in the inioyance of this rich and great treasure of honour and happines which vertue endoweth him with very profusely heere in this life but most aboundantly in the life to come Let vs therefore knowe what pleasure and delectation is Wee define it to be a contentment ful of pleasure and delight proceeding from a perfect action accompanied with the knowledge and vnderstanding thereof Sensible creatures are capable of action but because it is without the vnderstanding of such things as they doe they cannot haue any delectation thence Yet notwithstanding euery action done with knowledge doth not beget pleasure and delectation It must bee perfect also if you will haue it pleasant For imperfection and defect breede alwayes more displeasure then content Two things are necessary to the perfect accomplishment of an action and so by consequence to the fruition of pleasure A good constitution in the faculty that worketh and in the obiect also whereon it worketh There is small comfort in looking on any thing when the eye is badde and the obiect worse And poore content God knowes shall a man enioie in hearing when as the eare is almost deafe and the musicke dull But if the prospectiue which we beholde be full of glory and the eye good the musick curious and the eare acute then shal our eie content vs with beholding and our eare with hearing The like may bee said of the other senses Furthermore all delectation is not indiuiduall for there are diuers yea as manie sorts of them as there are perfect actions done vvith vnderstanding Euery action that is ioyn'd vvith knowledge issueth from the senses and is perfected by them Thence it is that there being in man two sorts of senses senses of the bodie and senses of the soule there are also found in him two sorts of actions one of the body the other of the soule and two kinds likewise of delectations the one corporeall the other spirituall The delectation of the body is externall and proceedeth from the perfect actions of the externall senses which are fiue in number euery one of them hauing a delectation proper vnto it selfe and which it most affecteth to weet seeing hearing smelling tasting and touching so that there is nothing more admirable amongst the workes of nature then the senses naturall combination and their subiection to the body The spirituall delectation is internall and issueth from the perfect action of the faculties of the soule so that the more perfect the action is the more pleasant is its delectation And by how much also the facultie is more excellent and the obiect more perfect so much the perfecter shall the action bee and so by consequence somuch the greater shal its pleasure be Wherefore it followeth that the delectation which proceedeth from the perfect actions of the soule doth farre surpasse the other issuing from the actions of the body because the powers and faculties of the soule are farre more efficacious and excellent then those of the body according to the proportion of the soule aboue the body as much as the obiect of the soule which properly is vertue and veritie doth surmount in excellency all the obiects of the corporeall senses so that the true ioy true peace and true rest of the soule wherein only consisteth true and perfect pleasure beare
great correspondency with truth vertue There is no delectation then which is truely worthie to be desired by man but that which proceedeth from the actions of the soule that onely being peculiar vnto him sithence beasts participate of all other as well as he And albeit the body haue its distinct pleasures apart from the soule yet they cannot be either truely pleasant or laudable in man if they be not contain'd within the precincts of moderation and vertue I will grant a man to haue as acute an eye as the sharp-sighted Lynx and that hee stand contemplating on the fairest the most admired obiect of the world hee may certainely conceiue some pleasure from such an action but if it be wanton lewd erronious too much or to a wicked end that action neither is nor ought to be imagin'd laudable For their is no true and laudable pleasure without perfection nor any perfection but within the lists of vertue Furthermore amongst corporall pleasures some are natural others vicious and superfluous The naturall pleasures are indifferent and are either good or bad according to their vse and end vnto the which they are referd For being vsed with mediocritie and applyed only vnto their owne proper end which is preseruation of health and continuance of the bodies perfect disposition they are then without question worthy to be prais'd much lesse then to be either reiected or despised Such as shew themselues to bee of too austere and rugged a disposition in the inioyance and vse of naturall pleasure are too too extreame For God did not make the creatures of the world only to serue vs and our necessities but that they should also afford vs pleasure and delight Which may easilie be proued by the varietie of the manifold and curious colours the diuersity of harmonious sounds the differences of pleasant tastes and multiplicitie of fragrant smells which hee particularly hath appropriated vnto euery kinde of creature shewing thereby to haue had more regard to giue cōtent pleasure to our senses then food and sustenance vnto our bodies Whence it may be inferd that superfluity which is both vaine and vicious in all things being eschewed we ought not to refuse or shew our selues disdainfull to accept the honest pleasures and moderate delights which God doth offer to vs in his Creatures and therefore are not eyther to be reiected or despised The seuere Stoickes which would haue the desires of men euen in these moderate inioyances of delectation to be stupid and senseless are as sharply censured as the dissolute and loose Epicures vvhich take from their strong-headed affections Reasons bridle being alwayes too tractable to the vaine inducements of sensuall appetite For such as would depriue man of his naturall affections because they dispose and allure him vnto certaine vices may be fitly likened vnto those that obstinately maintaine that none ought to drink wine because oftentimes it makes some men drunk or that a man should not ride a gallop for that diuers men haue beene destroyed thereby But what should become of vs if we were intirely despoyled of our naturall affections We should haue no more power to turne either to the one hand or the other then if a dead palsie had benumm'd our senses The affections are the nerues and synnewes of the spirit which serue to contract to slacken to lift vp to lay downe to stirre and settle her wheresoeuer shee will euen as the body is mooued and remooued by its ligaments VVherefore they ought to be preserv'd and moderated not taken away and vtterly destroyed We are to imitate in this a wel experienced horseman who for to tame and manage well his horse will not take from him agilitie and courage but endeauours especially to bring him to runne to turne to rise to curuct to stand how and when it pleaseth him and not according to the horses will Euen so when as we perceiue our affections inclining to stubborne disobedience we must correct and reforme them with iudgement reason and not attempt indiscreetly wholly to mortifie and extinguish them We must not then disallow and reproue naturall pleasures in the like sort as we doe such as are vicious and superfluous nor yet condemne the desire of them or their fruition For both in the one and the other that meane may be observ'd which is commended in all things Yet howsoeuer we must not take so much pleasure and delight that it preiudice the health and safety of our soules nor yet so little that our bodies growe feeble and sickly through defect thereof In so doing whosoeuer recreateth himselfe with the moderate delectation of an honest pleasure shall be much better reputed then hee that voluntarilie refuseth so great a good which freely prostitutes it selfe to his acceptance For hee neglecteth it eyther through despisall superstition or arroganee thinking to seeme more wise in refusing then his Creatour was in offering it As for vicious and dishonest pleasures they are to be detested of necessitie sithence such as are ingendred by gourmandizing and ebrietie doe not onely make men like to beasts but a great deale worse For they neuer eate and drink with such a greedy insatietie but that they haue alwayes remembrance and power to retire themselues into their owne nests and dennes whereas man tunnes such disproportionate measure of wine into his belly that reason and iudgement for all their shifts are drowned in the deluge through losse of whom he that ere whiles was rationall but now insensible vnknowes his friends his familiar acquaintance his seruants nay himself Moreouer his capacity of wine destroyes the capacity of his wit makes him absolutely vnfit for any performances beside the wrong it doth vnto his reputation to the health of his body and which is worst of all to the safety of his soule Voluptuous sensualitie and worldly delight are alwayes inseparable from a gluttonous belly which haue the power to transforme men into hogges vtterly depriuing them of the loue and knowledge of vertue honesty Such as hunt after them are induced therevnto by an apparant resemblance of true felicitie promised by voluptie but they find themselues incontinently strangely benumm'd both bodies and soules in such sort that the one can deliberate and determine nothing but that which is dishonest the other is as impotent in the execution of good and so at last it is the vtter ouerthrowe both of their sense and reason Volupty is not a iot more gracious vnto wealth riches thē it is vnto the soul body for there is no patrimony or inheritance so infinite in the world which it wil not deuour in a little time The greatest treasury that euer was seen or heard of was that of the Romanes For beside the pillage of gold siluer which they rauaged from all the richest cities kingdoms of the earth the reuenewes also of the Prouinces were yearly brought in to maintain expences supply their wants And yet notwithstāding the voluptuous