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THE
Prouerbes of the noSantillana, with the
Paraphraſe of D. Peter Diaz of
Toledo: Wherin is contai
Tranſlated out of
Spaniſhe by Barna
¶Imprinted at Lon
Santilliana.
I thought it not amis to be
Iames Lopes de
Mendoza, Marques of
Santilliana, & Earle of
the Realme of Mancanares,
Lorde of Vega,
ſonne of the Admirall
Don Diego de Hurtado, and nephewe to
Peter Goncales de Mendoza, Lord of Alua,
was a man of a meane ſtature, verie well
limmed and proporcioned, and of a gracious
countenance, diſcended of great parentage, a
Caſtilian and verie ancient. He was a man
of a quicke iudgement, and diſcrete, and of ſo
great a minde, that neither could the weighEleanor of Vega his mother, being left veAſturies of Santilliana and a greate
peece of his liuing beſide. But comming to riAragoneſes, and one other at the
riuer of Torotto. And theſe two Battailes
were indeed every hot and blooddy. For fighIohn, he was ſent LieutenaSarazens, which charge he toke vpoGranada & others of his captaines,
wherin he had alwayes the better. He made
many roades into the Country, where he wan
by fine force the towne of Huelma, & draue
the Moores to ſuch a ſtreigt, that hee
Santilliana & created, him Erle of the Real
of Mancenares, addorning him with great
lands & reuenues. Sometimes he committed
vnto him the charge of his owne perſon, and
many times the gouernment of al his dominiApollo:
& for his great valour in the field a 2
Hanibal. He was a great obſeruer of al ſuch
things as beloMy Sonne whom I doe dearely
loue. &c. In which Prouerbes are contaiTendilla the thirde was Earle of
Curunna: the fourth was Cardinal of Spain,
Toledo, Biſhop of Ciguenca,
& one of the greateſt Prelates that
was in his time: To theſe foure and to the
two others, Don Iohn, and Don Hurtado,
he left ſuch Lordſhippes,
rents, & reuenewes, as made
fiue great houſes, beſides
his owne principall
houſe.
Tullie in his booke
de Oratore teacheth,
ought principallye firſt, in making him that
ſhal reade him, wel minded towardes him,
procuring his fauour & goodwil, in calling
him by ye name of his ſoGeue eare.
And the meaning and matter of this ProSeneca
in the ſpeach that he hath with the EmNero (as he bringeth in, in his 9.
Tragedie) when the Emperour did ſtriue
to gouerne rather by feare then by loue, and
commaunded ſundrie things to be done by
force and diſorder, to the ende the people
ſhould feare him: becauſe Seneca did thereSeneca anſweared, that
the faith and true allegiance of his ſubiects
would better defend him.Seneca anſweareth: it is better that
he be beloued. The naked ſword (ſaith Nero)
ſhal make them doe what I wil haue theSeneca, you neuer fall into
ſuche an errour. The Emperour anſwereth,
I wil force the people to feare mee. Surely
ſaith Seneca, that which you force and comSeneca in
his thirde Epiſtle ſayeth, whereas hee
ſheweth the deliberation that a man ought
to haue in the getting and keeping of his
friende) If thou wilt be beloued, loue, or
as the Prouerbe ſayeth, By loue thou
ſhalt doe, that hated thou ſhalt neuer attayne
vnto. For there is nothing in the
world that is ſought wt loue, either by the
prince of his ſubiecte, the Lorde of his teVirgill ſaith in his
Bucolikes. Loue ouerco ̄meth al thinges,
inſomuch is for the great loue that the Alhee ſent his
only begotte ̄ ſonne, to take our fleſh vppon
him, and to die for vs, that he might
beare our faults and infirmities (as Eſai
ſaith,) and ſuffer for our offences. And
therefore if loue coulde cauſe God to abaſe
himſelfe to be conuerſant with man, and to
doe that, which might chiefly auayle vs,
Valerius in his thirde booke in the title of
Loue and delight, writeth that Damon and
Pithias, two of Pythagoras his ſchollers,
bare ſo great loue and affection one to the
other, as when Dioniſius of Sarragos
would haue put one of them to death, he ſeeDioniſius
ſuppoſing that none ſo faithfull a frieDioniſius was greatly aſtoniſhed, and
for the great faithfulnes & loue, that he ſaw
betweene them, pardoned the partie that
he had condemned, and deſired them both,
that they woulde vouchſafe him for a third
into their friendſhip. Wherby it is euident,
that loue is of ſo greate a force, that it forLoue,
and thou ſhalte beloued bee. For Seneca
in his thirde Epiſtle affirmeth,
that nothing doeth more trouble a man
in his proſperitie and wealth, then to
thinke that they can neuer bee to him good
and faithfull friendes, to whom he himſelfe
hath neuer been good. Howe manie
Ariſtotle in his eight booke of his Ethickes,
Tullie
in his booke of Friendſhippe,
and Seneca in his nienth Epiſtle, do
largely and thorowly diſcourſe. I ſhould alSeneca intreateth in his 3. Epi
IN this prouerbe the Marques his minde
is, to prooue by natural reaſon, that which
he hath written in the former prouerbe, that
is, that men ought to be geWho can aſſoyle the man that is
dread from care and deadly feare, &c.
For if he that feareth, haue not altogether
loſt his diſcretion and vnderſtanding, he wil
not feare him that he feareth: For he may et he feareth. For feare (as Ariſtotle
ſaith in the 3. booke of his Ethiks) is a conThyeſtes the Sonne of King Pelops hath
with his ſonne Philiſtines, where his ſonne
requireth him to forſake the place of his
baniſhment, and to come and gouerne and
liue together with his brother Araeus (as
Seneca ſheweth in his ſeconde Tragidie)
where Thyeſtes doth ſhew the reaſons, that
moueth him rather to liue in a poore eſtate,
then to be a man of greate place & authoriTullie ſaieth, in his
booke of Friendſhip, that in the life of TyBoetius in his third
booke of Comfort writeth, that ſuch as are
guarded with men of warre, ſtand in dread
of thoſe, whom they ſeeme to make affraide.
And therfore wel ſayth the Prouerbe, That
feare is a deadly griefe vnto the ſenſe.
Which is verified as well in the perſon
that feareth, as in him that is feared. It
is written of Dioniſius, as Boetius in his
3. booke of Comforte witneſſeth, that hee
was a great Tyrant, and ſuch a one as by tyDioniſius
made no anſwere at all, but bad him to dinDioniſius
cauſed him with ſundrie diſhes to
be deintily and delicately ſerued: the borde
being taken vp, he aſked his gheſt if hee
had not pleaſantly dined? Who anſweared
him: what pleaſure coulde I haue at myDioniſius, ſuch
is the life of all tyrantes, who for the miſe which I haue made a more
large diſcourſe in my Commentaries vpon
the Prouerbes of Seneca, in the Prouerbe
that beginneth, He that alwaies feareth, is
euerie day condemned. To the which beEſteeme, and
thou ſhalt be eſteemed: meaning, that it
lyeth in thine owne power to be feared, or
to be loued, and that feare is a deadly grief
to the ſenſe, of which euerie man will ſeeke
to ridde him ſelfe with as much ſpeede as
he may.
CAeſar (moſt woorthie prince) he that is
heere mencioned, was called by the
name of Iulius, and of others Caius, the
ſelfe ſame that paſſed the Rubicon againſt
Pompey, as Lucan writeth in his booke
of the Ciuill-warres, who after the death of
Pompey and Cato, triumphing with great
pomp in the citie of Rome, and taking into
his handes the common treaſurie, behaued
himſelfe with ſuch pride and outrage towBrutus and
Caſſius, as is more at large ſet foorth by
Eutropius in his booke of the Emperours
of Rome. Valerius Maximus doeth alſo
recorde the ſame, and Iohn Boccace in his
booke of Ladies, where he entreateth of the
vertues of women, commending Porcia
the daughter of Cato, and wife of this
Brutus.
IN this Prouerbe the Marques proueth
by familiar example, that which hee hath
ſhewed in the Prouerbe before by naturall
reaſon. For as Ariſtotle ſaith in the ſecond
of his Rhethorikes: In the workes and acIulius Caeſar, whoſe doinges are
largely ſet out by Lucan, in his booke that
hee wrote of the ciuill warres. This Iulius
Caeſar by force and tyrannie ſought
to aſpire (which nothing appertained vnto
him) to the gouernement of Rome, and
ſubdued and ouercame both Pompey, and
all his fauourers, who fought for the lawes
and liberties of their countrie. In the proCaeſar ſlue manie, diſinBrutus
and Caſſius, conſpired againſt him, and
in the Parliament houſe where he miſtruGreat Caeſar as the ſtories tell: and ſo ſaiLucan, moſt cruelly was ſlayne. AlBrutus and Caſſius trayteWho on the earth
ſo mightie is, that when hee is alone,
can of him ſelfe doe anie more, then
can a ſeelie one? That is to ſay, though a
man be neuer ſo mightie, yea, though he be
a king of many landes and countries, yet
is he but a man, and for his owne pere death of a thouſand others,
becauſe of the worthineſſe of the Prince or
Captaine: yet, as S. Hierom in one of his
Epiſtles affirmeth, though in the ordering
of a battaile, the worthineſſe of a Prince or
a Captaine is chiefly conſidered, when
it comes to the fight, not the degree, but
the dooinges of euerie partie, is reſpected:
for when it commeth to the ſhout, the force
and proweſſe of euerie one is his ſafegarde,
be he King or Emperour: If he fight not
as he ought to doe, he is of none account.
And though he be neuer ſo valiant, being
but one man, he can, as the Prouerb is, do
no more then an other man.
FOr the proofe and confirmation of that
which goeth before, the Marques affirAriſtotle in the firſt of his
Phiſickes ſayeth, If any that be wiſe doe
erre, touching their opinions in learning,
they may well be called backe againe, and
brought to the knowledge of the truth, by
natural reaſon and perſwaſion. But he that
Tullie,
in his booke of Friendſhip, howe great the
force of friendſhippe and concorde is, may
eaſily be knowne, by the harmes that aThat euery kingdome
diuided within it ſelfe, ſhalbe deſtroyed.
and come to nothing: & ſuche as liue in
peace and amitie, do proſper and encreaſe.
And Saluſt in the conſpiracie of Cateline
ſaith, that by loue and concord the ſmalleſt
thinges that be, encreaſe, and growe
to be great, where by diſcorde, great and
mightie thinges decay, & come to nothing.
For vertuous minds in bo ̄dage brought,
will ſlacke no time to trie by al the force
and meanes they can, to come to libertie.
It is lawful for euery man by the lawe
of nature to defend his life, his goodes and
his good name, by al the meanes & waies
that he may: Inſomuch as if any man will
kill me, it is lawful for me for the ſafegard
of my lyfe, to kill the partie, that doth ſo aſt I am in
to be murthered, and that yf I kill him not,
I am ſure to be ſlaine my ſelfe. In ſo much
that it hath been the opinion of ſome Docthat vertuous mindes in bondage
brought. And therefore hee ſayeth,
Vertuous or good men: becauſe the iniu
IN this Prouerbe, the Marques goeth
aboute to beate downe all manner of hauDauid in his Pſalme ſayeth: That the
Lorde reſiſteth the prowde, and giueth
grace to thoſe that bee humble and
meeke. And Solomon in his Prouerbes
affirmeth, that after pride commeth alThat euery man
ought to be amiable. That is gentle and
lowly in his ſpeach, & not hautie, not proud,
nor diſdainful: It is writteCaeſar, that he neuer ſaid
to any Gentleman, get you away. But come
you hither. And in the firſt booke of the worPhiloſophers, it is written, that
the great Caeſar paſſing by a court of iudget ſtood
by, to take his cauſe in hande, & to do the vtCaeſar, when you
were in the field, & like to be troden downe
of your enimies, I did not in your danger
ſerue you by a Proctor: but with ye great hae defence
of your perſon, at which baCaeſar.
Caeſar
had heard, without any pride or diſdain,
he preſently alighted, & coSeneca
in his firſt Tragedie ſaieth, That the
gracious & righteous God doth alwaies
hunt & perſecute the proude.
Forth of wicked & malitious
men auoide the co ̄pany: For al their doings
tend to ſtrife, and ende with villanie.
There is, nothing that more diſquieteth and
troubleth the coChilo that was one of the vii. wiſe men of
Athens, demau
IN this Prouerbe, the Marques ſheweth
the order that men ought to haue in their
anſweres, when they be ſpoken to, and that
howſoeuer it goeth with vs, we ought cone principall graces
that men can haue of God, as Dauid in his
Pſalmes witneſſeth, Thy mouth is full of
grace, & therefore the Lord hath bleſſed
thee. And though a man fal out & wrangle
with thee, yet if thou anſwereſt him gently
and mildly, not proudly nor frowardly, thou
ſhalt a great deale ſooner pacifie him. For
as Solomon in his Prouerbs ſaith, A ſoft
vorde wil breake the bone, and a ſweete
peach doth pacifie wrath. As Seneca in
its firſt boke yt he wrote of Anger & Wrath,
ſhewing that great Princes, ought to bee
gracious & gentle in their anſweres, bringAntigonus, who
hauing cauſed his men to march an vnreaAntigonus, for whoſe ſake a day
and night you haue taken ſuche paines.
Now ſpeake wel of him, that hath made
one amongeſt you and helped you,
in bearing part of your burdens, this
gracious anſweare made the king to be a
thouſande times better beloued of his ſoulHere well that the anſweare
ſhoulde alwaies be gentle, ſince
good woordes coſte but a litle. It aAthens was alwaies quaAnacharſis a Scithian, which
countrey was of all others of leaſt eſtimaAthenian for the more
deſpite called him a Scithian, Anacharſis,
anſwering him gently again, and ſmiling,
ſaide vnto him: my countrey is a ſhame to
me, and thou art a ſhame to thy countrey.
The Prouerbe goeth farther and ſaith, It
litle doeth auaile with words thy wrath
to wreake, that is: hee that threatneth
with woordes, and hath a will to be reuenSeneca, Medea vitterly threaIaſon, becauſe he had caſt her of,
and maried an other, the Nurſe reprehenAriſtotle
doeth entreate of in the fourth Booke of
Ethycks, he ſpeaketh of the vertue of
Magnanimitie, whiche is for a man to
ſtand vpon his honour that he knoweth, for
his vertues and qualities he deſerueth, and
to keepe his eſtimation, in ſuch ſorte as it
decay not: and to this ende ſaith the ProMy honor and my glory will I giue
to no other. This vertue hath two extreAriſtotle
ſaith, for a man to be vaineglorious, proude
and diſdainfull: which is, when hee taketh
vpon him, more then of right to him perMarques
ſpeaketh in the Prouerbe where hee ſaith,
Let not vnwoorthy honors pleaſe thee.
For, thoſe that are therewith all delighted,
are vaunters, vainglorious, and fooliſh, as
Ariſtotle ſaith, where he ſheweth the inconThe vaine man exalteth him ſelfe in
his pride, and thinketh that he is borne
free from ſubiection, as the Colte of a
wilde Aſſe. And before hee ſaith, I would
not haue thee ſo to throwe downe thy
ſelf, as to be counted an outcaſt. For this
is not humilitie, but baſeneſſe and weakeAriſtotle
prooueth in the authoritie aforeſaide. And
the Apoſtle ſaieth, that foraſmuch as hee
was ordained the Apoſtle of the Gentiles,Marques doeth heere diſaIſocrates in his AdmoBe not hautie
nor diſdainefull to thoſe that bee in
thy company, for euen the very ſeruants
IN the Prouerbe before, the Marques
hath ſhewed, what order men ought to obSalomon in his Prouerbe ſaith,
The Prince that is contented to heare
lies and tales, ſhall haue his court repleniſhed
with naughtie perſons. For when
the reſt of his ſeruantes perceiue that he
delighteth in a tatler or a taleteller, the
whole company will ſtraight addict them
ſelues to be liers and ſlaunderers, & pickeGregorie in the .xiiii.
chapter of his booke of Moralls ſaith, That
ſuche as delight in hearing of ſlaunders
& accuſations, are counted to be eaters
and deuourers of men, as Salomon ſayBe not preſent at the banquets
of ſinners, nor eate thou with thoſe
that come togeather to feede of fleſhe.
To come togeather to eate fleſhe is as S.
Gregorie ſaith, To gather, them ſelues
togeather, to ſpeake euill of their neighbours.
And therefore the Prouerbe ſaith,
that we ſhould flee taletellers as thoſe that
hurt & anoy Innocentes, For he that comValerius ſheweth a way, how to
reiect & rid away ſuch ſlanders, & picthanks,
& ſaith that there was 2 very deare friends
Tullie in his Inuectiue that
he made againſt Saluſt hath theſe wordes,
I haue ſeene (ſaith he) many that in telling
of other mens faultes, haue more
offended the hearers, then did they that
committed the faultes. And therefore
Tullie ſaieth, They more offende the
mindes of ſuch as heare them, with their
ſpitefull and euill ſpeech: then doe thoſe
that commit the euill in deede. And therBernard writeth in an Epiſtle, touRaymond, wherein he ſhewWhenſoeuer
thou art troubled with Coxecombes,
counterfaits, or geſters, make
as if thou diddeſt heare them, and let
thy minde be vpon other matters, for
if thou once anſwere them, and ſeeme to
take pleaſure in them, thou ſhalt neuer
be rid of them, thou ſhalt ſhewe thy ſelfe
to be but a light fellowe, in ſeeming to
take pleaſure in any ſuch follyes, & ſhalt
be forced to giue them rewards, looſing
and caſting away (in ſo doeing) whatſoeuer
thou giueſt.
ASſuerus was a man of ſo great powHeſter, Haman beeing in ſpeciall fauour
with the King, taking a diſpleaſure againſt
the Iewes (who liued vnder the gouernmeAſſuerus) procured the Kings diſpleaMardocheus, ſo as hee appointed
him to be hanged. And as it was a cuſtome
that Aſſuerus alwayes vſed, to haue many
times read vnto him a Booke, wherein was
contained the ſeruices that any of his ſubMardocheus had done vnto him,
(what ſeruice it was I leaue here to ſpeake
off, beeing a matter commonly knowne to
all ſuch as haue beene ſtudious in the ſcripHeſter, hee
commaunded that Haman ſhould bee truſMardocheus, whereby
according to the ſaying of Dauid, Hee fell
into the ſame pitte, that hee had digged
for other. With this Prouerbe agreeth
the ſaying of Solon, That euery well guy
IN this prouerbe the Marques ſheweth
by examples, that which he hath taught
in the prouerbe before, and to this intent he
bringeth in ye ſtory of king Aſſuerus, which
ſtory is written at large in the Booke of
Heſter, which is one of the Canonicall
bookes of the holy Scripture. Of which to
make you here a ſhorte relation, you ſhall
vnderſtand, that this Aſſuerus was one of
the greateſt & mightieſt Princes that was
in the world, and as it is written, was Lord
of an hundred and xxvii. Prouinces, who
toke to wife Heſter, a Iewiſh woman, and
of the linage of the Iewes, whom hee very
entirely loued. This Queene had an vncle
with whom ſhee had been brought vp, calMardocheus, who vſed to come dayly
to the Court, to learne and vnderſtande how
the world weMardocheus, did not diſcouer
what country man he was, neither was it
knowen that he was her vncle. This King
Aſſuerus had one that was very great about
him, called Haman, who bare all the ſway
Haman, beeMardocheus
would neither honor him, nor doe
him any reuerence, notwithſtanding that
the Kings ſeruaunts had many times blaHaman, nor
making obeiſance to him, as the reſt of the
Court' both did, and the king had commanHaman
of him: who caſting his eye vpon the
Iewe, and perceiuing plainely, that he vſed
no reuerence towardes him, conceiued a
great hatred againſt him, and for the diſMardocheus, and thereHaman in great
haſte cauſed letters to be directed to all the
Prouinces and Cities within the Kinges
dominions, yt they ſhould at a day appoinMardocheus, were not very
pleaſant vnto him: whereupon he hied to the
Queene, and perſwaded her to goe wt great
ſpede to the King, and to ſue for pardon for
her woful countrymen: which at the firſt ſhe
refuſed to doe, by reaſon of a law, that if any
ſhould preſume to enter the Kinges chamMardocheus, after that ſhe & al the Iewes
in the Citie had faſted three dayes & three
nights, ſhe got her to the king, whom when
the King perceiued, in token of his fauoure
towards her, he held foorth his golden ſcepHeſter,
What haue you to ſay to mee? Demaunde
the one halfe of mine Empire, and I will
giue it thee? Who humbly beſeeched the
King that it would pleaſe him & Haman,
to come to a Banquet that ſhe had prepaHeſter what
her petition was, promiſing that if it were
the halfe of his kingdome, hee would preHaman that is
heere preſent. Which when Haman heard,
he was ſuddainely nipped in the head, and
as the King flang foorth in a fury, towards
the garden, Haman came to the bed where
the Queene ſat, to beſeech her to haue merHaman vppon the bed, where the
Queene ſat, ſuppoſing that he had been too
familiar with her, began to conceaue a
great hatred againſt him, and then ſome
that were aboute him, tolde him that Haman
had made a paire of Gallowes for
Mardocheus: wherfore he commaunded,
that both he and his ſonnes ſhould bee hanAſſuerus had not giuen eare to Heſter,
ſhewing him, yt
Haman againſt all order of
iuſtice had determined to deſtroy the people
abuſed the
ſword, that he for iuſtice due did beare: &
which he was bound as a King and a good
Iuſticer wel to vſe. And into error had he
fallen, & wiſhed it ſtreight vndone: ſo had
the guiltles creature died, that no offence
had done. Which had been a great blotte
vnto him. For as the ciuill law ſayeth: It is
a better deed to leaue a fault vnpuniſhed,
then to puniſh an innocent.
IN this Prouerbe, the Marques meaneth
to prooue by naturall reaſon, that which
in the other Prouerbe he ſhewed by examabſent to be cleare, and that we ſeldome
guiltie ſee the man that doth appeare, Is
becauſe he that ſpeaketh euil of him that is
abſent, maketh his tale to ſeeme as true as
may be, and perſwadeth him that heareth
him, to giue credite to his wordes, & though
perhaps ſome ſpeake in his defence, yet the
partie that is abſent, is alwayes thought
to be faultie: and ſo likewiſe of the other,
that the preſent is not founde to bee guiltie,
becauſe he is able to anſwere to whatſoeuer
is ſpoken againſt him, and whatſoeuer his
aduerſarie hath ſet downe for certaine, by
his deniall of it, he bringeth it to be doubted
of. And as Tullie in his new Rethorike ſayIf any man be accuſed of any crime
or treſpaſſe, if he bee not guiltie, hee may
flatly denie it: and if he be guiltie, he may
alledge what great cauſe and reaſon hee
had to do, as he did, and ſo ſhal he cleare
himſelfe of the fault that is laide againſt
him.
Adam ofAdam,
where art thou? For the Lorde knew well
enough, in what place he was, but becauſe
he ſhould not ſay, that God had proceded aThe woman, that thou gaueſt me,
gaue me the apple that I ate. Vpon this
ground alſo ſtood Medea, (as Seneca in his
vii. Tragedie ſheweth) in the ſpeach that
ſhe had with king Creon, the father in law
of Iaſon, that would haue baniſhed her his
realme: when ſhe aſked, for what cauſe and
fault ſhe ſhould be baniſhed? And that they
ought not to proceede againſt her, without
hearing her cauſe, affirming that ſhee
was readie to proue her innocencie, and to
Creon ieMedea, is that which is before ſayde, That
according to the lawes both of God, of naYou muſt
heare the partie, and giue no iudgement,
till you haue well weyed the matter. For
there muſt information be had, and proofe,
whether it be trueth, that the contrarie part
alledgeth, and the proofe and the witneſſe
well examined by good foreſight and adSee that you take good deliberation in
iudgement.
THe Marques in this Proueth concluSolomon
in his Prouerbes ſaith, The determinations
of a man neuer come to good,
where counſaile is not afore had. The deuiſes
that are executed by good aduiſe,
are alwayes perfect & good. And Seneca
ſaith, Do al thy things by good aduiſe, &
thou ſhalt neuer repent them. For a man
not taking couValerius writeth, that
Scipio of Affrica was wont to ſay. It was
an euill fauoured, & a ſhameful thing, for
a man in any matter (eſpecially in ſuch as
belong to a man of warre) to ſay, I would
not haue thought it. For ſuch things as
are to be done with the ſword, ought well to
be thought of before. For the errours that in
Scipio
ſaith, be amended. And as Vegetius in his
booke that he made Of the knowledge of the
Warres affirmeth, There is no other reaſon
to be yeelded why the Romanes did ſubdue
the whole worlde, & conquered whereſoeuer
they came, but becauſe they did al that they
did by great deliberation & aduiſe, being veRomanes to the inFrenchmen? or what
could ſo ſleGermanes?
Certaine it is, that ye
Spaniards were more
in nuRomanes.
Affricanes, both in wealth & poGreeks
were farre beyond them in grauitie & wiſeRome
preuaile, becauſe of his ſkill, being continut they had not long time at that which is done by deAriſtotle ſayth in the
firſt of his Ethickes, The yong man by
reaſon of his ſmall experience, can haue
no great knowledge in anie matter, and
therfore not able to giue anie good cou
And beſide in his booke of Rethorike,
In mans affaires and actions, the thinges
that haue paſſed, be co And therefore Roboam
the ſonne of Solomon, for taking the adTullie in his booke of Age ſaith, The great
and notable exploites are neuer done by
force nor agilitie of body, but by counſaile,
aucthoritie, & ſecreſie, And among
the principal cauſes that we reade, why
Alexander had alwaies the victory and the
better hand, it was the chiefe, that he went
alwaies accompanied with graue & aunciTrogus Pompeius
in his eleuenth booke writeth, That Alexander
whenſoeuer he was in any iourney
of great daunger, he neuer called to
counſel, nor made priuie to his doinges
the young and luſty Gallantes, but the
olde expert ſouldiers, that had folowed
the warres with his father, and with his
vncle, whom he vſed not ſo muche for
ſouldiers, as for gouernours. And it is
ſaide that thoſe whom he put in his batAlexander attaine to
whatſoeuer he deſired, and was in all his
doinges, honourable and vertuous, becauſe
he neuer ſuffered, as the Prouerbe ſayeth,
The olde man to depart from his ſide.
IN this Prouerbe the Marques ſhewSenators, which woorde and name
commeth of the Latine woorde Senex,
which ſignifieth aged. In what ſorte and by
what meanes the Romanes proſpered,
is plainely declared by Iudas Machabee,
in the firſt boke of the Machabees: where
he ſaith, The Romanes by their wiſedome
and ſober behauiour poſſeſſed the whole
worlde, and ouerthrewe the Princes that
rebelled againſt them, and made TributaGalacia, and Spaine, ſubdued and oPerſians, and Antiochus
the king of Aſia, hauing in his
company a hundred and thirtie Elephants,
ſacked al their cities, and made TribuIudas the Machabee,
did enter frendſhip,
and make a perfect league with them.
For al their ſtudie & care was to maintaine
their coTullie ſaiTwo things they ought to doe, that
wil profite their countrey. The firſt is,
that leauing apart al priuate commoditie,
they beſtowe all that that they do vpon
the cōmon wealth. The ſecond, that
they be not forward in ſome one thing,
and backward in an other. And whileſt
the Romanes obſerued this order, their
common wealth increaſed ſtill greater and
greater, according to the ſaying of Cato,
whoſe wordes are witneſſed by Saint Auguſtine,
in the ſeuenth booke of the citie of
God, the .ix. Chap. Doe not think: (ſaith
Cato) that our forefathers brought the
common wealth of Rome from a ſmall
thing to be greate, only by the ſworde.
When Tirantes once began to rule and
beare the ſway. Which Tirants be thoſe,
that more regarde their owne priuate com
THe Marques in this Prouerbe ſheAriſtotle
in a boke that he made of the Soule
Cato ſaith,
Seek to get knowledge or Art: For when
fortune is fickle & wil faile, yet Art and
ſcience wil neuer forſake thee. And therePolicrates,
That the Emperour Octauian, as
great a Prince as he was, cauſed his chilThat a man ought not to ſeeke
learning for fonde deſire of prayſe,
but ſkilfully to reprehende the vnſkilfull
ſinners waies. For the intentes of ſuche as
ſeeke to be learned are diuers: Some, to
the end they might be counted wiſe & great
learned men, and for ſuche reputed and
co
HEere doeth the Marques declare
what profite & commoditie commeth
by knowledge,Ezechiel from the
Lordes owne mouth teſtifieth, We ſhal alAdam, are adiudged and condemned to eEſay ſaith, The price of our
redemption. Alſo by the Scriptures wee
know, what other benifites ſoeuer the Lord
hath doone for vs. Beſide, the ſcripture teaThe dreame is forgotte ̄ quite that ſoone
thou ſhalt forgoe. For our life is compaInnocentius ſaith in a
booke that he wrote of the wretchednes of
the ſtate of man, where he hath theſe words:
Tel me my brother,
IN this Prouerbe the Marques ſheweth
what maner of men ought to ſeeke for
learning and vnderſtanding, and for the
better vnderſtanding hereof, we muſt conMechanicall and
arts Liberal. Artes Mechanical are thoſe,
that are vſed by men of baſe condition, as
Shoemakers, Taylours, Carpenters,
Smithes and all other that are handicrafe ſeuen Liberal ſciences, &
therfore they are called liberal, or free, that
beſtow their time in theſe knowledges, beTo Gentlemen it doeth belong,
to know the artes diuine, That is to ſay,
to ſuche men as are of good eſtate and conTraian (as Policrates in his ſixth
booke writeth) who was a Spaniarde and
Emperour of Rome, in a letter that he
writeth to the Frenche king, perſwadeth
him, to bring vp his children in the knoweTraian was brought vp with
Policrates: The emperor Nero with Seneca:
& great Alexander with Ariſtotle. To
whom (as Policartes in the forſaid booke
ſaith) King Phillip vppon the birth of his
Alexander wrote his letters in this
ſort: Phillip the king, ſendeth greeting to
Ariſtotle the Philoſopher. I vnderſtande
that I haue a ſonne borne, for which I
geue thankes to the Gods, not ſo much for
his birth, as that he hapned to be borne in
thy time, by whom I truſt to haue him ſo
brought vp, that he ſhalbe woorthie to ſucThat he deſerueth
preheminence, that is garniſhed
with wiſdome and learning. And aſſuredDaniel in
his ſeconde viſion, and S. Ierome in his
preface to the Bible doe witneſſe, that
the learned and the wiſe ſhall ſhine, as the
brightneſſe of the firmament, and thoſe
that haue inſtructed many in godlyneſſe,
ſhall gliſter like the ſtarres for euer and
euer. And therfore great preheminence
doeth he deſerue, that is garniſhed with
wiſedome and learning.
IN this Prouerbe the Marques ſheweth
that one of the principall cauſes of wiſeSalomon in his prouerbes ſaith, The beginning
of wiſdome, is the feare of God,
and wiſedome & knowledge the fooliſh
doe abhorre, and therfore he ſaith, That
wiſedome is more woorth then the weaAriſtotle
hath written three bookes: In the one of
them he entreateth of the rules and orders
that are requiſite for the guiding of a counPolitiques: In the other he ſheweth howe a
man ought to gouerne his houſe, his wife,
and his children, & this booke is called the
Aeconomikes. The thirde, teacheth how a
man ſhoulde gouerne him ſelfe, wherein
there is a medlie of rules & obſeruations,
by which a man may knowe the vertuous,
and diſcerne and ſeuere them from the viWho ſo beginneth to liue well in his
youth, it is a ſigne that he ſhall not doe amiſſe
in his age. But it is not one vertuous
act alone, that can be called a beginning, as
Ariſtot. ſaith, no more then can one ſwallow
ſhew a ſpring. And the greateſt preſumption
by which we may cōiecture (as Ariſtotle
in the ſecond of his Ethickes ſayeth)
whether a man ſhall proue vertuous or
no, is the pleaſure or the heauineſſe that
he taketh in his well doing. For if he be
ioyfull, & take delight in the vertuous actes
that he doeth, it is a token that he wil proue
well in his age, and be verie vertuous. But
if he goe about them, with an euill will, and
ſeeme to take no delight therein, it is a
ſigne that his vertues will not long endure.
And therefore as the wiſe man ſayeth: By
the pleaſauntneſſe and heauineſſe of a
child in his youth, we ſhall eaſily gheſſe
what he will be in his age.
AS it is written in the thirde Booke
of the Kinges, Solomon the
ſonne of Dauid, after the death of his FaGabaon,
to offer ſacrifices to the Lord. And
that night the Lorde appeared to him in
his ſleep, and ſaid vnto him, Aſke what thou
wilt, that I may giue it thee. And Solomon
ſayd. Thou haſt ſhewed vnto thy ſerDauid my father great mercie, in
that thou haſt giuen him a ſonne to ſit vpon
his ſeate, and to ſucceede him in his kingDauid my father, and I am but yong, and
know not how to goe out and in, and thy ſerSolomon had deſired this thing. And God
ſaid vnto him, Becauſe thou haſt aſked this
thing, and haſt not aſked long life, neither
haſt aſked riches, nor the ſoule of thine eneSolomon ſought chiefly
for wiſedome, by which without debating
of anie matters, or calling of any counſaile,
hee was able ſufficiently to gouerne his
kingdome and dominions.
THe Marques here ſheweth in this
Prouerbe, what is the marke that a
man ought ſpecially to ſhoote at, and ſayth,
that although it be a goodly thing for a man
to be eloquent, and to haue a good tongue,
yet it is a great deale more worthie praiſe,
to be wiſe. Eloquence is a fine and ſweete
kinde of ſpeaking, by the pleaſantneſſe
whereof, it draweth men to the opinion of
the ſpeaker: The figures, and rules whereTullie in his Rethorike:
And if this eloquence be ioyned with wiſeTullie,
That farre better is wiſedome voyde of
eloquence, then fooliſh pratteling without
diſcretion. Wiſedome among all the
moral vertues, that Ariſtotle in his Ethicks
Ariſtotle ſayeth, It
is a thing vnpoſsible for a man to bee
wiſe, and not to be good. And therefore
the Prouerbe ſayeth, The wiſe man is all
his life obedient to morall Philoſophie.
ROboam was the ſonne of Solomon,
and King of Iſrael, who after his fa
TO proue the harmes and miſchiefes,
that he that wanteth wiſedome runneth
into, the Marques here bringeth in the
Storie of Roboam, the ſonne of Solomon:
Of whom it is written in the thirde
Booke of the Kinges, that after the death
of Solomon, the people aſſembled togiRoboam tooke
counſaile with the olde men, that ſtoode beIeroboam for their king. WherRoboam, becauſe he
was not wiſe, nor aduiſed, nor carefull, to
preuent ſuch miſchiefs as might happen, o
THe Marques ſheweth in this ProDauid
in one of his Pſalmes ſayth: The Lord
throweth downe one, and lifteth vp an
other, for the veſſell is in the hand of
God: And of ſuch as ſerue and feare God,
he ſayth, I haue not ſeene the iuſt forſaken,
nor his ſeede begging their breade:
And of thoſe that offende, and fall into his
diſpleaſure, he ſaith, I haue ſeene the wicked
in proſperitie, and flouriſhing like
the Cedars in Libanus, and within a
while I went by the place where he was,
and beholde, he was periſhed, and not to
be ſeene. And therefore well ſaith the ProThe Lord bringeth the mightie to
the ground, that offendeth him, & prouoketh
his diſpleaſure, & aduaunceth to
honour the poore man that feareth him.
And vpon this is the whole Scripture in a
maner grounded: that is to wit, that God
promiſeth euerlaſting ioy, & ſufficiencie of
worldly goods to all thoſe that ſerue him,
IT is written of Dauid the King, that for
feare of falling into the hands of Saule,
he fled into an other countrey neere adioyIſrael: And when
they had taken him, and brought him beAchis, becauſe they ſhould not detaine
him in priſon, nor gratifie Saule with the
deliuery of him, hee fayned him ſelfe to bee
Dauid, becauſe
he framed him ſelfe according to the time
and ſeaſon, whereas if he had doone otherCato
ſaith, That it is a great pointe of wiſedome,
to counterfaite follie in ſome
place: and in an other place, It is good for
a man to ſeeme half out of his wit & enraged,
when time and reaſon requires.
As Ariſtotle in his third Booke of Ethicks
witneſſeth, where he ſpeaketh of Fortitude:
At ſome time againe it ſhall behooue him
to ſhew him ſelfe to be humble and meeke,
yea and alſo fearefull, as Ariſtoſtle in the
very ſame booke writeth. The like is to bee
obſerued in the vertues of Temperaunce,
Liberalitie, and all other vertues, in knowThat a man ought to abhorr preſumption,
as the enemy, and contrary
to the cleare Lampe of Knowledge.
VVherevpon Sainct Hierome in one of
his Epiſtles writeth after this ſorte.
Iupiters, and ſet
him in a Chariot of Golde, which was
drawen with foure white Horſes, in which
ſorte they caried him to the Capitoll, with
great honor, ioy, and ſhowtes of the people.
THis is the onely difference betwixt
euerlaſting thinges, and tranſitory
things: The euerlaſting things, endure for
euer: the tranſitory thinges, as with time:
they come, ſo with time they decay, & thereSolomon in his Eccleaſtes ſaith, There is
a time to be borne & a time to die, a time
to build, & a time to pluck downe: neither
ought we as ye prouerb ſaith, to be offended,
if things fal not out according to our deſire,
for when it pleaſeth Fortune, ſuch things as
ſeeme diſpleaſant vnto vs; ſhall redound to
our commoditie. For the better vnderſtant be heathen people, as Boetius
in his firſt booke Of Conſolation ſaith, will
needs haue this Fortune to be a Lady, and
a great goddeſſe, vnder whoſe gouernment
and at whoſe diſpoſitioAriſtotle hath
alſo the like maner of ſpeach in his Booke
Of good Fortune, where he affirmeth, that
there are diuerſe and ſundry opinions aBoetius in his firſte Booke Of
Conſolation, And Saint Auguſtine in the
fourth Booke Of the Citie of God, doe
vnite, this Fortune & deſtinie, are no other
things, then the prouidence of God, & therWhen as
it pleaſeth Fortune, &c. is as much to
ſay, as when it pleaſeth the prouidence of
God, the thinges that bee hurtfull vnto vs,
ſhall turne to our profit, and ſuch things as
are profitable, to our hurt and deſtruction.
Whereof there is a very good example in
the holie Scriptures, in the firſt Booke of
Moſes, where it is written, that the ChilIacob, for the malice that they
bare to Ioſeph their brother, threw him inPharaoes, that vpon the vnfull
accuſation of his wife, kepte him a long
time in Priſon, from whence hee was ſent
for by King Pharao, and after that hee
had declared the meaning of his dreame
and foreſhewed the comming of the deare
and the barren yeares, he was made the
greateſt man aboute him, which was the
cauſe that the patriarch Iacob with all his
houſe eſcaped the great famine, & came to
liue honourably in Aegypt and thus did it
pleaſe fortune, that is to ſay, God, that the
hurtfull things, that is, the impriſonment
of Ioſeph, and all the other harmes and mi
THE Marques in this Prouerbe
ſheweth, that if a man be not able of
him ſelfe to rule and order his life, hee
ſhould ſeeke out, and ſet before his eyes,
ſame wiſe and notable man, according to
Seneca writeth to Lucilius, & it
is one of the chiefeſt leſſons that hee could
deuiſe to giue him, for the framing of his life
aright. He willeth him, that he ſhuld alwaies
imagine him ſelfe to bee in the preſence of
ſome good man, for example ſake either
Cato or Lelius, for ether of them were both
vertuous & wiſe: and that he ſhould frame al
his thoughts, and direct all his deedes, ace prouerbe, Follow the wiſe
man and his lawe. The law of the wiſeman
is his diſcretion, for as Ariſtotle ſaieth,
The iuſt and the vertuous man is a lawe
vnto him ſelfe, for hee meaſureth the
times, & diſpoſeth his things, according
as the time and reaſon doth require. And
the Prouerbe ſaith more, Speake thou no
euill of thy Prince: according to the doPaule, We are
bound to feare God, and to honour the
King. We ought to ſerue the King as our
naturall Lorde, and wee offende God grieHee that obeyeth not the Prince, ſhall
dye for it. And therefore as it is a grieSpaine. And the MarSolomon ſayth in his
Prouerbs.Speake no euill of the Prince
iu any wiſe, for if thou doeſt, be ſure the
verie birdes of the ayre will diſcloſe it.
The Byrdes of the ayre, as ſome DocThe very walles will witnes beare.
Ariſtotle in the firſt Booke of his
Ethicks affirmeth, that the cleereſt &
moſt bewtifull vertue of all others,That
Iuſtice comprehendeth in it ſelf all other
vertues. And Saint Auguſtine ſaith in his
fourth Booke Of the Citie of God, that IuEccleſiaſtes,
Follow iuſtice, all you that are
Iudges on the earth.
Whoſoeuer is a
Iudge, ought to bee as a Balance, and iuſt
weight, in all his doinges, and neither for
feare, friendſhip, nor any other reſpect, to
forbeare the executing of vpright Iuſtice.
And therefore Valerius ſheweth in his
ſixth booke, that where as a certaine Iudge
forbare to do iuſtice, becauſe of the loue that
he bare to ye partie that was accuſed,Cambiſes
cauſed his ſkin to be plucked ouer his
eares, & to be nayled to the bench where hee
ſat, commaunding his ſonne to be ſet in the
Athens, as it is written
in the liues of the Philoſophers, was wont
to ſay, that the lawes, where good Iuſticers
wanted, were like vnto Eobwebs, where
flyes and ſuch weake Creatures doe hange
and ſtick faſt: but the great and the ſtrong
doe breake thorow without any ſtop. Who
ſoeuer wil deale in iuſtice as he ought to do,
muſt haue no reſpecte of perſons, but muſt
puniſh aſwel the euil doeings of the great
ones, as the offences of the meaneſt ſort.
THe Marques here ſheweth how great
the excellency of Iuſtice is: and Tully
writeth in the dreme of Scipio, that for ſuch
as haue well gouerned in the coAriſtotle writeth in his Ethicks
Iuſtice is an externall good, and is pro There are many that can vſe them
ſelues well in ſuch matters as touch their
owne cot leadeth vs to heauen, &
as the Prophet ſaith, Righteouſnes (which
is God) loketh co• al men are bound to do IuElianus proueth by a prety tale in his
Romanes, where hee ſheweth
that Traian the Emperour, going with a
great armie againſt his enimies, there meeTraian
made her aunſwere, that as ſoone as he reTraian, my ſucceſſor. The widRome, becauſe he ſhewed the true and per
LEntus, as Valerius in his ſixth booke
declareth, was a Senatour of Rome,
by whom the citie was ſtrengthened with
good and profitable lawes. Amongſt a num
FRondinus was a Citizen of Rome, as
Valerius in his ſixth booke, and Iohn
Galenſis in a Breuiate that he made of the
foure principall vertues, writeth: ContenRome, about the deFrondinus forgetting
himſelfe, comming from the felde with his
ſworde about him, came into the Capitoll,
which when one of the ſtanders by percei
Valerius
hath diuers notable examples, but
ſpecially in his fifth booke, he writeth of one
Archita of Toranto, a man of great poſſeſPythagoras
his doctrine. And when hee returned
home, & had ſurueyed his manours and poſArchita choſe
rather to leaue the greate negligence and
euill dealing of his Stewarde vnpuniValerius
doeth alſo in the ſame booke tell vs, that
this Archita beeing extreeme angrie with
one of his ſeruantes, for a villaynous part
Spenſippus a
friend of his, to the ende that he, not mooSeneca
writeth alſo of the verie ſame Archita
in his thirde Booke of Anger, that beThat moderate Correction is good, and
free from blame: And when it is out of
meaſure, deſerues reproch and ſhame.
IN this Prouerbe, the Marques ſheweth
how men ought to behaue themſelues toGod deſireth not the death
of a ſinner, but to haue him to turne and
be ſaued. And the chiefeſt leſſon that olde
Anchiſes (as Virgil in the ſixth book of his
Eneados writeth) did will his ſonne to take
heede vnto, was to ſeeke in all his exploites
to mainteine peace, as much as he might, to
pardon ſuch as were ſorrowful for that they
had done, and to vſe the ſwoorde againſt
proude and diſdainfull tyrants. And to ſay
true, it is not the part of a man, to perſeIob
ſayth vnto God, Wilt thou ſhew thy power
againſt a leafe, that trembleth with the
winde? And perſecute a ſtraw that is drie
and withered? Meaning, that it was not
a thing beſeeming the maieſtie of God, who
was almightie, to perſecute ſo miſerable a
creature, as he was. And the Prouerbe ſayThat it is a point of manhood, to aſſaile
him, that mindeth to doe miſchiefe,
And to inuade with the ſworde, as Anchiſes
ſayeth to Enaeas, the proude and contempThat it is the ſigne of a valiant minde, to
reſiſt all ſuch, as ſeeke to doe wrong.
AMong the reſt of the vertues that Ariſtotle
in the fourth Booke of his
Ethickes ſpeaketh of, Magnanimitie, or
greatneſſe of minde is one. And the ſpeTullie writeth in
his Booke of the vertues of Caeſar, that
hee was of ſo greate a courage, and ſo
noble a hart, that where hee was verie
Auguſtine, in one of his
Epiſtles ſaith, that he that hath a greate
minde, and a noble and gentlemanly heart,
doeth not onely, not beare in memorie, an
iniurie doone vnto him, but alſo denieth,
that he receiued anie iniurie. And Seneca
in one of his Epiſtles ſayth, that if a man
of a noble and valiant minde, be at anie
time iniured, he ought to behaue himſelfe
as Plato did, who when one had giuen him
a blowe in the mouth, neither ſought for aSeneca in his booke of wrath telAtheniens hauing ſent their
Ambaſſadours to king Phillip: the king, afAthens. Wherwith one churliſhe knaue
amongſt them, called Democritus, ſtepped
foorth and tolde him, that the greateſt pleaAthens,
Phillip.
Athens, that much more proude
are they that doe vtter ſuch woordes, then
thoſe that heare them, and not reuenge
them: neyther is there any other cauſe of
this, but the modeſt clemencie and ver
SAint Iſidorus ſaith, Euill is that iuſtice
that pardoneth not the frailtie of man:
Gregorie in his Paſtorall ſayeth,
That iuſtice without mercie, and mercie
without iuſtice, are both vnperfect. And
therefore although a man haue offended
and done amiſſe, if he be not frowarde, ob
TO forgeue, and ſhew mercie to ſuch
as offend, we are ſtirred vp both by the
lawe of nature, the holie Scriptures, and
the gracious admonition of our Sauiour.
The lawe of nature doeth moue vs to bee
mercifull, as Seneca in his firſte booke of
Mercie writeth, and hereof we haue a natuIames, where he ſaith, that iudgement ſhalBleſſed are all
thoſe that are mercifull, for they ſhal obteine
mercie. The Prouerbe ſaith, That
the puniſhment of the ſword is miſliked
for if it bee once done, it is paſt all redreſſe.
And therefore Saluſt in the Conſpiracie
of Catiline ſayeth, that wee ough
IN this Prouerbe are limited and interForgiue,
and you ſhall be forgiuen. And touSpaine, that if the Prince vp
THe meaning of this Prouerbe, is deAuguſtine in his booke Of the citie of
God ſaith, Iuſtice is of ſuch an excellencie,
as the lewdeſt people that be, cannot liue
without it, much leſſe thoſe that be good
& vertuous. Likewiſe Saint Auguſtine,
as hath been alleaged before, ſayth, Take
iuſtice away, and your kingdomes
are nothing elſe but greate companies of
theeues, and therefore it is ordayned in the
ſtatutes of Spaine, that if there be in anie
Prouince or Countrie, great numbers of
euill diſpoſed perſons, and if they happen
to take one of them, though the partie deBut of
euill ſufferance, and the hinderance and
ouerthrowe of lawes and authoritie.
IN this Prouerbe, and certaine others
that followe, the Marques ſheweth
the order that we ought to obſerue in eaAriſtotle in the ſecond boke of his Ethicks
ſaith, Theſe two do onely ſuſtaine our morAriſtotle in the firſt of his Ethickes, to liue
like Dogges, and to chooſe the life of monAriſtotle in his Ethicks,
telleth vs of a great glutton, that was calPhiloxenus, who put all his felicitie in
eating and drinking: and the earneſt requeſt
that hee made to the Gods, was that they
For he tooke
that for the chiefeſt pleaſure that was.
VVE do read, that many haue greatAdam, who for a gluttonous
deſire of eating, brought both himſelfe and
al his poſterity to deſtructioLot, the brother
to Abraham, by too much drinking,
as it is writteGeneſis, ſhamed not to lye
Rome that were apValerius writeth in his firſt booke, that
the women of Rome, to keepe themſelues
chaſt and ſober, did neuer drinke wine. Of
ſuch ſobernes & temperance was the greate
Alexander (as Vegetius writeth in his
booke Of the art of warres) that he was ſo
farre from ſetting his delight in eating &
drinking, that he neuer vſed to eate but as
he trauailed. We likewiſe reade, that hard
by the campe of Hanniball, there grew an
appletree, being as ful of apples as it might
hang: And ſo great was the continence and
temperance of the ſouldiers, that the tree
after their departure remained as full of
fruite, as it was when they firſte enIulius Caeſar the
Emperour, wee reade that his dyet
Solomon in
his Prouerbes, That wine ought not to
be geuen to Princes: For where drunkenneſſe
hath place, no ſecrete can bee kept,
And therefore the Prouerbe ſayeth, Temperance
ſtayeth the raging luſt of youth,
and of ſmall and temperate feeding, there
ariſeth neither diſordinate luſt, nor other eAuguſtine did euer vſe to ſaie,
that he liued not to eate, but did eate
for to liue, and this is the Temperance
which, as the Prouerbe ſayeth, is woorthie
of honour.
SAint Bernarde in an Epiſtle that hee
writeth of the ordering and gouerning of
a houſe, to one Raimond a gentleman, doth
ſpecially amongſt other things exhort him,
to haue a careful eye to his liuing, and to his
expenſes, and to take heede that his receits
be greater then his charges. For if his exThat pouertie is
ſeeldome knowne to come to a perſon of
good gouernement: And gluttonie, and
ſloth, where they once come, haue neuer
regarde to Nobilitie. For as Sainte
Bernarde ſaieth, The negligence and
pouertie of the Maiſter of the houſe is, as
it were, a burning and conſuming fire in
the toppe of it.
SOlomon in his Prouerbes willeth the
ſlugard & the loyterer, that he go to the
To preferre a gaynefull watche before a
harmeful ſleepe. For learning is not to be
got without trauell, for all men haue not
knowledge by the inſpiration of the holy
Ghoſt. But he that will atteine to knowpreferre a good
watching, before an euil ſleepe.
THe perfection and profoundneſſe of
Solomon the king of Iſrael, as
wel in natural iudgement, as in knowledge
of the lawe, is both at this day ſufficiently
knowne, and ſhalbe alwaies hereafter ma
THe Marques hauing in his Prouerbs
before, declared the inconueniences
that men fall into by gluttonie, and exceſſe
in eating and drinking, doeth ſhewe vs in
Solomon to all his miſerie, wherof the
Marques hath partly ſpoken aboue.
DAuid that moſt holy Prophete, and
king of Iſrael after Saul, was a man
that did many woorthie and notable acts,
and a man of great wiſedome, hee doeth
greatly ſet foorth the glory and Maieſtie
of GOD in his Booke of Pſalmes.
Notwithſtanding hee dyd greeuouſly fall
and offende in fleſhly and beaſtly affection,
committyng moſte horrible adulterie:
howbeit hee afterwardes turned to GOD
with great repentance, and with great
Vrias, who was mother to Solomon, for
the which greeuous offence, the Lorde
was more offended with him, then for all
that euer hee did, as is to be ſeene at large
in his life.
SExtus Tarquinius was the ſonne of
Tarquinius the King, as Liuie in the
firſt of his Decades writeth. The like is
affirmed by Saint Auguſtine in his boke
of the Citie of GOD, Valerius Max
and many other auncient writers.
No leſſe was Lucretia famous for her
vertue, then was this Tarquine to be abGalenſis, in a booke that
hee wrote of the foure principal vertues,
whoTuſcan
Lucretia: Who
refuſing to liue any longer, did rip out the
ſtain of the villany and violence done vnto
her, with the death of her owne perſon: The
maner wherof S. Auguſtine telleth in his
boke of the citie of God, ſaying, that Sextus
Tarquinius came with Collatinus the
huſbande of Lucretia, to a houſe of his, calCollatinu ̄, where they found Lucretia
vertuouſly diſpoſed amongſt her maidens
and women: the only Paragon of her time,
& moſt commended of all others, was this
Lucretia: Whom when the ſonne of Tarquinius
king of the Romans had throughCollatinus, vnto the aLucretia: who
made him great cheare, and lodged him acTarquinius being now a bed,
Lucretia, whom
he founde faſt a ſleepe: where laying his
hande vpon her breſt, he ſaid vnto her, Lie
ſtil Lucretia, I am Sextus Tarquinius,
yf thou makeſt any noiſe, thou ſhalt die for
it. Wherewithall the Lady beeing with
great feare awaked, and ſeeing no ſuccour
about her, nor any waye too eſcape death,
Tarquinius beginneth to diſcloſe vnto her
his great affection, and ſomtime with faire
woordes, intreating her, and ſometime aLucrecia, beeing now ouerwhelmed with
ſorowe and penſiueneſſe, for her great and
greeuous miſhappe, ſendeth with al ſpeede
poſſible to her father, her huſbande and all
other their friendes at Rome, earneſtLucrecia, all heauie and
ſorowfull in her bedde, at their entring inCollatinus, the
feete of a ſtraunger hath been in thy bed:
But I ſweare vnto thee of a trueth, only
the body is defiled, for the mind was neuer
conſenting, and that ſhal my death preſentSextus Tarquinius was he, whom I reLucrecia reLucrecia: And with
theſe wordes, plucking out a knife that ſhe
had ſecretly hidden, and thruſting it to her
hart, ſhe fell downe dead, whereat both her
huſbande and Brutus her father, makyng
great lamentation, preſently drewe out the
knife out of the wounde, being al ſtained &
embrued with blood: which knife Brutus
Tarquin the king, his wife,
and his children, either by fyer, by ſwoord,
or by al the waies that he might, and neuer
to ſuffer any of the kindred to reigne in
Rome. VVith which he gaue the knife to
Collatinus, and ſo from one to another:
Whereby this mourning chaunged into
wrath, and deſire of reuenge: they all made
promiſe to folowe Brutus, and taking with
them the body of Lucretia, they brought it
to Rome, and laide it in the middeſt of the
market place, to the ende that the horrour
of ſo ſtrange a facte, might ſtirre vppe the
people to reuenge it. At the ſight wherof,
the people were ſtraight in armes, and foBrutus, they thruſt out of Rome
Sextus Tarquinius, who after miſerably
died in priſon.
COrnelius Scipio, as Valerius rehearCarthage, was tolde by his
ſouldiours that in the ſacke of the Towne
there was taken a young maiden, of woon
SAint Hierome ſaith, in a certaine adBe alwaies buſie in ſome labour or other,
that the Deuil may finde thee occupied.
And the reaſon is, becauſe idlenes is
the roote and groundwoorke (as the ProSeneca in his fourth Tragedie, bringPhaedra from the beaſtly loue that
ſhe bare to her ſonne in law Hippolytus,
where Phaedra ſaith that there was no
blame nor fault in her, ſince Cupid the
God of loue had ſo mortally wounded her,
and that there was none to be blamed for
it, but the God himſelfe. The Nurſe
Venus, howe chaunce ſhee
hath ſo colde entertainement in the
poore labourers houſes, where you ſhall
ſeldome or neuer ſee any of them goe mad
for loue? And the only reaſon of it is,
that they are continually painefully laDiuines
ſay, and not to folowe the fleſhe, is
a woorke more proper to God then to man,
It is no ſmal matter
to ſubdue the fleſhe: That is to ſay,
for a man to conquere him ſelfe. And thereShunne idleneſſe, and giue thy
ſelfe to honeſt exerciſe.
Whoſoeuer looketh vppon a Woman,
to luſte after her, hath alredy committed
adultrie in his hart. For the eSeneca in his fourth Tragedie, bringing in
the Nurſe, that diſſwadeth Phedra from
her euill pretence that ſhe had to play the
Whoore with her ſonne in lawe, maketh
Iupiter, and wife vnto
Theſeus, baniſhe ſpeedely from thy noThat wee ought
not onlie to flee from doeing of euill:
But alſo from thinking of euill, for of
euil thoughtes, there neuer ſpringeth, as
is ſaid, good ſeede.
SOlomon ſayth in his Prouerbes, that
the man that hapneth vppon a good
wife, is bleſſed of the Lorde, and the tale of
his yeeres ſhalbe doubled, that is, he ſhall
liue twiſe ſo long as he ſhould haue doone.
And in an other place, hee ſaith, That no
better lot can happen to a man, then a
good wife. And this is it that the ProThat the wife is an ornament
to her huſbande, when ſhee will be ruled
by reaſon. In what ſort this obedience
ought to be, the Apoſtle teacheth, ſaying,
Let the huſband be the head of the woman,
and as the head hath the preheminence and
principalitie ouer all the reſt of the memAriſtotle in his Oeconomikes
doeth ſay, ought not to be vſed
Is bounde to vſe her wel, and to
loue her, and ſhee to honour and feare
him. Feare (as Ariſtotle in the boke aboue
mentioned ſaith) is of two kindes. The
one is called a ſeruile feare, the other a
ſonnely feare. The ſeruile is that, which
is hadde for feare of puniſhment, and not
for any loue: and this is the feare that the
Slaue hath of his maiſter, who as hee
ſerueth againſt his owne will and by force,
hee doeth it more for feare, then for loue.
The Sonnely feare, is a meddlie of feare
and loue togeather: And this is the feare
that the ſonne hath of his father, and that
the wife ought to haue of her huſband, for if
the wife feare her huſband, and doeth what
ſoeuer he commaundeth her, ſhe ought not
to doo it for feare of any puniſhment that
ſhee ſhoulde haue yf ſhee did it not, but
for feare of diſpleaſing & offending her huſe prouerbe
A godly ornament to man, I do accompt
the wife, where as ſhe is obedient to reaſon
all her life. That is, when ſhe ſhall loue
and reuerence her huſband, and while ſhee
keepe her ſelfe honeſt and chaſte, looking
carefully to ſuch thinges as bee aboute the
houſe, as Ariſtotle at large diſcourſeth in
his ſaid booke of Oeconomykes, and Solomon
in the ende of his Prouerbes, whither
becauſe I would be ſhort, I referre the reato followe his
fanſie.
Like good, like
blood, like age, maketh a good mariage.
And as Ouid ſayeth, The Oxen that are
vnequally matched, will neuer draw well
together. And therfore the Prouerbe ſaith,
Chooſe thy wife with heed, and great diſcretion.
IT is generally agreed vpon amongſt the
Philoſophers, that good is deuided into
two kindes, the one of them profitable and
commodious, the other honeſt. And where
profite on the one ſide, and honeſtie on the
other ſide meeteth, we ought alwaies to preCleobolus
one of the ſeuen wiſe men of Athens,
did euer ſay, that the wife ought to bee of no
greater blood than her huſbande. For if
thou takeſt a wife of hier degree then thy
ſelfe, thou ſhalt alwayes bee ſure to haue
thy wiues kindred to bee as Lordes ouer
thee. And therefore the Prouerbe ſayeth,
My ſonne, beware thou neuer commit
ſuch a follie.
MOſt certain it is, that the more good
things do meete together, the betOuid ſaith, hautineſſe, and diſdaine, is naSeneca in his
ſeuenth booke declareth, that the Goddeſſe
Venus the better to hide her whordome, enVenus did light vpon them. And
this is the ſignification of this tale. And
Solomon ſaieth in his Prouerbes, That
beautie in a woman without wiſedome,
is like vnto a ring of golde in the ſnoute
of a ſowe. And this is it, That beautie
and wiſedome ſeldome meete, nor are
farre diſtant from lightneſſe.
PYthagoras, and his followers, were of
opinion, that there were two chiefe
heades, the one the authour of all goodneſſe,
the other the authour of euill. And vnto theſe
two they referred al things yt were wrought
in the worlde, and ſayd, that of the God of
goodneſſe, proceeded and came the light,
and all things that were good and perfect:
of which number they accounted Man. Of
the God of euill, ſprang darkneſſe, and all
vnperfect things: amongſt which they recAriſtot. ſaith in his Oeconomikes,
and they be alſo the wordes of ſaint
Iſidore, that to bring things to a perfection,
it behoueth to haue the man, the woman,
& the oxe that ploweth. And in the
name of the woorking oxe, hee includeth all
maner of Inſtrumentes that are neceſſarie
about an houſe. And further, he ſayth, that
it proceeded of the great wiſedome and diſHippolytus,
as Seneca in his fourth Tragedie ſheweth,
where Hippolitus ſaith, that if there had neMedea, the
wife of Aegeus, her onely villanies were
ſufficient to cauſe all other women to be ab
SAint Katherin was a virgin, and a holy
Martyr, and among the whole company
of Saintes of ſpeciall commendation, touThe Flower of Saints.
HEſter the Queene, was the wife of
King Aſſuerus, of whom it ſhall not
bee needefull to ſpeake much, conſidering
that in the Paraphraſe to the prouerbe of
Aſſuerus, in the beginning of the Booke,
there hath been enough ſaide. It is ſufficiHamon and Mardocheus. Iudith
(as her Booke teſtifieth, which is one
of the 24 bookes of the Bible) was repuHolofernes, that beNabuchodonoſor
with a great and puiſant Campe, had beIeruſalem, as her
Booke at large declareth, where it alſo ap
VAgnes as Statius in his Booke of
the Warres betwixt the Thebanes
and the Argians reporteth, was the cheefe
among the Argian Ladies, that went altoCreon with humble petitiThebes, fighting
againſt Ethiocles the Sonne of Oedippus,
and nephew to King Layus, who was
Cadmus: Who
hauing receiued a flat denyal, went altogiTheſeus, that then was Duke of
Athens, declaring vnto him with great exTheſeus
who was then newly come from the warres
of the Amaſons (as Iohn Boccace the poet
of Florence, in his Booke of Theſeus, at
large diſcribeth) vowed, that before he enCreon, requiring
him yet before by his Embaſſadours, to
graunt vnto the poore Ladyes, this their
ſo iuſt and reaſonable requeſt: which when
he diſdainfully refuſed to doe, hee made
warres vpon him, and ſlew him, wherby the
gentlemen of Argos, by the induſtrie and
diligence of the vertuous Vagnes, came in
the ende to bee honourably buryed. At the
ende of this battaile, wherin Creon was
ſlaine by the handes of Theſeus, beginneth
the ſtory of Arcyt and Palemon, the ſerEmilia the ſiſter
of Hypolitus, which becauſe of the tediouſDiana was
Lucretia
and other the famous Ladies of Rome,
are ſufficiently mencioned, as wel by Lyuy,
and Valerius in their ſtoryes, as by Saint
Auguſt. a man of more credit, in his Boke
Of the Citie of God, and Iohn Boccace
in the fall of Princes, and commendation
of woorthy women, where it is ſhewed
how ſhe, beeing the wife of Collatinus,
was violently forced by Sextus Tarquinius,
wherevpon with a knife, or a ſwoord,
ſhee ſlewe her ſelfe, ſaying, I free my ſelfe
from the faulte, but not from puniſhement:
which I heere but briefely touch, becauſe
I haue writen thereof before in the ſtory
of Sextus Tarquinius. Daphnis was
daughter to Peneus, a Virgin, dedicated to
Diana the Lady of Chaſtitie, who as Ouid
writeth, beeing greatly deſired of Phebus,
and not conſenting nor able to withDiana whom ſhee ſerued, was
(as the Poets faine) tranſformed into the
Laurell, a tree of continuall greeneneſſe,
Thomas
of Capua in his Moralls vpon the Metamorphoſis,
Iohn Boccace,
in his Genealogie
of the heathen gods, and Maiſter Iohn
the Engliſhman, commenting vppon the
ſame Booke, I heere leaue to declare, as a
thing to long to entreate off. It may ſuffice
that ſhee was counted among the heathen
for a mayden of ſingular beawtie. Anna
was mother to the Virgin Mary, and wife
to Ioachim, a woman of great ſanctitie and
vertuouſneſſe of life. An other of the ſame
name was ſiſter to Queene Dido, a woDido as appeaBelus, ſiſter to Pigmalion, & wife of
Sichaeus, who after the death of her huſband
made a vowe neuer to marry againe, & forPigmalion, & comming into Affrica,
founded the ſtately Citie of Carthage.
Hiarbas, and vtterly refuHiarbas ſtrongly
beſieged, and brought to ſo hard a poynt,
that ſeeing no other way to eſcape, and to
preſerue her chaſtitie, choſing rather to die
then to liue thus violated, threw her ſelf, inVirgill doe otherwiſe
declare, yet is he not, conſidering the liberVirginea
with what earneſtneſſe ſhe was required by
Appius Claudius, to conſeLiuie in his ſecond Decade, and likewiſe
by Iohn Boccace in his Booke Of the fall
of Princes, where it is at large declared,
with howe great conſtancy the chaſte may
THe auncient Philoſophers were of oAriſtotle
in the thirde of his Ethicks teſtifieth, is ſo
much the more excellent and praiſeworthy,
as the ſubiect and matter wherwith it deaAriſtotle ſaith, the laſt of all
dreadfull and terrible thinges, beſide the
great dangers, and ſharp and cruell aduenAriſtotle
in the 3. of the Ethicks, The death that
is honourable, is to be preferred before a di
AFter that Pompey was ouerthrowen
by Caeſar at the battail of Pharſalia, &
had retired him ſelfe to Leſbos, where his
wife Cornelia lay, & paſſing from thence to
Aegypt, was ſlaine by ye hands of Photinus
Achillas, at the coPtolomei, who was at that time his ſerCato, who ſaw that the ſide of Pompey
went in ſuch ſort to wrack, as was not by aVtica: where, fearing by ſome miſadCaeſar his
mortall enemie, he preſently diſpatthed him
ſelfe. Mucius Sceuola was a man of great
courage among the Romanes, who when
Porſenna the King had with a great powPorſenna,
giuing credite to the words of Mucius
Sceuola, preſently rayſed his ſiege, comSceuola ſhould foorthwith
be burned: who when hee was brought vnto
the fire, thruſting out his hand with a vali
ACcording to the true opinion of both
the Aſtronomers and the Catholike
diuines, we are not in ſuch ſort conſtrained
by the ſtarres to doe any thing, as we bee
thereby depriued of our owne will, to doe of
neceſſitie that which they foreſhowe, but by
inclining vs to doe certaine actions, they
moue al our bodyly forces to do ſuch things
as they ſignifie. Which doth not ſo farre
inforce vs, but that as Ptolomy ſaith in his
Centiloquium, A wiſe and a vertuous
man, may rule & reigne ouer the ſtarres.
That is, though the ſtarres doe ſtirre and
moue a man to doe euill, yet the partie him
ſelfe hath ſufficient power, if he will, to doe
wel. But the olde people, beeing ignorant
of this vertue, and ſeeing the Planet Mars
did mooue men to be venterers and ſouldiSeneca in his
firſt tragidie ſpeaketh, where he ſaith, That
great yeeres and gray heares, happeneth
to faintharted, and ſuch as loue to ſleepe
in a whole ſkin. For ſuch manner of perHonor
as Ariſtotle in the fourth of his Ethicks
ſaith, is a reuerence, that is giuen to men
in rewarde and recompence of their vertues.
And therefore the Marques ſaith, That
whoſoeuer is ſo valiant, as not to regarde
his life in any vertuous attempt, ſhal be
ſure to receiue the crowne of Mars: that
is, the renowme & rewarde of a vertuous
minde, which he ſhall quickly attaine vnto
if he repreſſe feare. And where as there are
in the vertue of Fortitude two extreames
or vices, the one in ventering to farre, the
other in fearing to much: the Marques
hath not here ſaid, If thou reſtraineſt boldIf thou abandoneſt
feare: becauſe as Ariſtotle in the thirde
of his Ethicks affirmeth, and as dayly exIf
thou abandoneſt or forceſt feare, and not
corrage, and becauſe as it is ſayde abooue,
it is in euery mans power and will to bee
vertuous, it is heere well ſaide of the ProThou ſhalt not want the honour,
nor the ſtate thou ſeekeſt to beare.
THE Emperours did in their lawes
carefully prouide for the behoofe and
good eſtate of their Subiectes, to ſette
downe rewardes and encouragements, for
ſuch as were honeſt and vertuous, and to deDeteſt an euill life &c. For as
Ariſtotle in the 3. of his Ethicks ſaith, A
man is borne to honor & libertie, which
two things, we ought alwaies to keepe and
that life can not be
borrowed. For as Iob ſayeth, The Lord
hath rated the dayes of our life, which
can not bee lengthened: And therefore
no man may ſhunne the appointed houre
that God hath determined. And herevpon
ariſeth the tale among the Poets, of the
three ſiſters of deſtinie, whereof the one of
them called Clotho, carieth the diſtaffe, the
other named Lacheſis, ſpinneth, and drawAtropos, windeth vppe vpon the reele. And
as Seneca in his firſt Tragedie ſayth, Theſe
three ſiſters are ſo cruell and hard, that it
was neuer ſeene, that the threede which
they had once wounde vppe, could euer bee
got backe againe. Theſe ſiſters of the DeSeneca, theſe three vnlibe
COdrus beeing (as both ſaint Auſtine
& Valerius report) the king of Athens,
when as he was to fight with Pelops duke
of the Lacedemonians, and had anſwere of
his Idols, to whom he ſacrificed, that the
ſide whoſe captaine was ſlaine ſhould haue
the victorie, preferrin, glike a worthie genVirgil writeth,
VNder the vertue of Fortitude is takeBoecius
ſayeth, Praiſe or glory is nought elſe
amongeſt the multitude, but a tickeling
and bewitching of the eares. The other
That if thou doeſt
reprochfull wordes of any man ſuſtaine,
It is no co ̄mendation, to report the ſame
againe. The meaning of it is, that no man
that is of great minde or courage, ought to
ſpeake of the iniurious and euill words that
hath been offered him, but ſhall rather bee
counted both wiſer and valianter, if he diſOf the liues of
the Philoſophers: where a Philoſopher beThou, quoth he, haſt learned to ſpeake euill,
and I haue learned, to make no accompt
of lewd ſpeech. And more is he to
be commended, that beareth euill wordes,
then he that offreth them.
SOlomon is his Prouerbes ſayth, Let a
ſtranger co ̄mend thee, and not thine
owne mouth. And Cato ſaieth, Neither
praiſe nor diſpraiſe thine owne doings:
for thy praiſe in thine owne mouth is a
great diſgrace vnto thee. And thoſe that
praiſe themſelues, becauſe as Tullie ſayth,
it ſeemeth to proceede of pride, doe thereby
bring themſelues into hatred and euill will.
So as if any man ſhall ſet ſoorth his owne
doings, to the ende to bee commended & ho
THe chaunces that are wonderfull, are
thoſe that doe ſeldome happen, which
though a man hath ſeene with his own eies,
yet will not the common people (who neuer
beleeue more then is ſubiect to their groſſe
ſenſes) giue credite to him that ſhall report
them, but ſhall bee counted a liar and vaine
prater for telling of them. And therefore if
a man be not driuen by neceſſitie to tell it, it
is much better for him to keepe his tongue.
For as Iſocrates ſayeth, I haue manie
time repented for woordes that I haue ſpoLuke writeth in the
beginning of the Actes of the Apoſtles,
touching our Sauiour, where he ſayeth,
that our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt beganne to do
and to teach: where he placeth his workes
before his woordes, which is the meaning
of the Prouerbe, And manie woordes to
vſe doeth ſhewe no great perfection, tis
better, &c.
AS Seneca ſayeth in his booke of Benefites,
wee are not borne to liue onely to
our ſelues, but to benefite and profite our
kinſmen, our friendes, our neighbours, yea,
and euerie other perſon that we can. Sith
nature, as the ciuill law ſaith, hath linked all
men in a conſanguinitie and duetie eche to
other. And therefore we are bound being of
abilitie, to be liberall and bountifull to ſuch
as liue in wante and neceſſitie, though as
the Doctours ſay, it ought to bee done
Ariſtotle writeth in the fourth of
his Ethickes, certaine circumſtances: As
that hee that giueth ought, to conſider to
whom he giueth, and to what end he giueth,
and to looke that the things which hee giCaine did, who offered vnto God the verie
worſt and vileſt of his flocke, whereas Abel
offring the beſt that hee had, his Sacrifice
was accepted, & Caines refuſed. Likewiſe,
he is to conſider, to whom he giueth. For to
giue to ſuch as haue no neede, is to caſt aFor the Lorde doeth
loue a cheerfull giuer, and ſuch a one, as is
not ſlacke nor ſlowe in the beſtowing of
his benefites. For he giueth double, as the
coSolomon
ſaith in his prouerbs, Say not vnto
the pore man, go, & come againe to morrow,
when it is in thy hand to helpe him
preſently. For as Ariſtotle in the fourth of
his Ethicks ſaith, Liberality ſtandeth not in
the giuing of many & ſumptuous gifts, but
in the habit of him that giueth, whatſoeuer
it be that is giueMarques:
Be franke and free. &c.
ALexander king of the Macedons, and
one of the 3. monarchies of the world,
was a Prince of great liberality and frankSeneca writeth in his Booke of
Benefites, That when as a poore minſtrell
came vnto him, & beſeeched him to beſtowe
a pennie vpon him, the king preſently gaue
him a whole towne, and when the poore
felow, halfe aſtonied, tolde that ſo greate a
gifte was not fitte for him: Alexander anTitus was Emperour of
Rome, a Prince of a noble minde, and
of greate liberalitie, who as it is reEutropius in his life, and
other auncient Authours had proclaimed,
that whoſoeuer had anie ſute vnto him, what
ſoeuer it were, it ſhould be graunted, & when
MIdas, as Ouid in his Metamorphoſis
declareth, was king of Phrigia,
who receiued with great interteinement the
Gods, Iupiter, and Mercury, as they hapMidas
being a moſt miſerable wretch, and coueAntigonus
Seneca, in
his booke of Benefites: of whom he writeth,
that when a poore man deſired of him a
great quantitie of golde, he made anſwer,
that it was a great deale too much, and not
meete for him to require: and when the poore
ſoule deſired him to giue him but a pennie,
he anſwered againe, how that was too ſmall
a thing for a king to giue. And thus not reAntigonus
made theſe anſwers to the poore miſerable
felow, which deſerue for euer to be recorded,
as a foyle & counter ſhewe to the noble EmAlexander and Titus.
THE Prodigall man, as Ariſtotle
in the fourth booke of his Ethikes
ſayth, is he that ſpendeth more then
is needefull, & where it is needeleſſe.
Who, perceyuing the vertues of the liAriſtotle ſayeth, the
leſſer vice of the twayne, and more to bee
borne withall, is Prodigalitie. For the
prodigall man profiteth thoſe to whom
hee geueth, although hee hurteth himSaluſt ſaith in his booke of
Catiline, Couetuouſneſſe hath vtterly ba
Whereby it hath brought in pride &
crueltie, contempt of God, and a generall
Though the prodigall bee
to bee miſlyked in neceſſitie, and want:
yet ten times worſe, a miſer that is couetous
and ſcant.
FRabricius, beſide a number of other
his noble, vertuous, and worthie actes,
excelled in the vertue of liberalitie, of whoValerius in his nienth
booke, that when he was preſented by the
ſtate of Beneuento, with a great maſſe
Temperance, and helde himſelfe
ſatiſfied with that ſmall wealth which hee
had, ſuppoſing it to bee a ſufficient riches:
For hee did alwayes ſaie, that riches con
THE Prophet Dauid ſaieth in his
Pſalter: Bleſſed is that man, that
hath compaſſion vppon the poore and
And
Solomon in his Prouerbes ſayth, That
who ſo hath pitie vppon the poore, and
relieueth, them lendeth vppon vſurie to
GOD, who ſhall reſtore him with great
gayne, that which hee hath diſburſed.
And therefore the Prouerb ſaieth, To helpe
a man in miſerie, our dutie vs doth bind.
Where Duetie is taken for a woorke of
Mercie, as Seneca accounteth it in his
Booke of Dueties, and farther it ſaith,
Not
to ſuccour when we may, is odious and
vnkind. For as Solomon in his Prouerbs
ſaith, Whoſoeuer ſtoppeth his eare at the
crie of the poore, ſhall crie for helpe himAnd therefore
it is not to bee thought of a noble minde,
but if hee ſee a man in miſerie or diſtreſſe,
hee will followe the aduiſe of the Prophet
Eſaie, who ſaith: Breake thy breade to
the hungrie, and carrie home to thy
houſe the ſorowfull and the poore,
where thou ſeeſt a man bare and naſaith in his Prouerbes, He
that hath pitie vpon the poore, ſhalbe happie.
And this is the meaning of this Prouerbe.
A noble minde wil neuer ſtaine,
&c.
TRuth is of ſo great a worthines and
excellencie, that God himſelfe, as it
appeareth in the Goſpel, is called
the Truth. This truth hath two exIronia, when men publiſhe of themTruth honour thou, and alwayes loue,
ſteppe not from her aſide. And farther,
that we ought to frame our friendſhippe
after truth. Friendſhippe, according to the
minde of Ariſtotle in his Ethickes, is in one
of theſe three ſortes, eyther for profite, for
pleaſure, or for honeſtie. Friendſhippe for
profite, as Seneca ſayeth, is Merchantes
friendſhippe, which neuer endureth longer
than there is hope of gayne. Friendſhippe
for pleaſure, laſteth as long as delight and
That ſhee is the
daughter of holineſſe, & that honeſtie is
the faithfull ſiſter vnto the moſt ſoueraigne
vertue. Honeſtie, (as Plato reporTullie in the
beginning of his offices) is of ſuche an exThe faithfull ſiſter to ſoueraigne
vertue.
MArcus Attilius, as S. Auguſt. writeth
in his 1. booke of the Citie of God, and
alſo Tullie in his Booke of duties, beyng priRomanes, in Carthage,
& ſent vnto Rome, to perſuade an exchange
of priſoners: when he came to the citie, and
hauing declared his meſſage, was demaunCarthaginians
were all young and luſtie fellowes:
his aduiſe was, that they ſhoulde in no
wiſe make anie exchaunge, and when
his friends, vnderſtanding that his counſell
was allowed, laboured by all meanes they
Carthaginians, that
he would returne himſelf with the anſwere,
and therfore notwithſtanding that he knew
& was ſure that his goyng thither ſhould be
harmefull & dangerous, comming into the
handes of his cruell & dealy enimies, yet co
SOlomon ſaith in his Prouerbs, that
the praier which euery man ought to
make vnto God, is this Pouertie nor
riches lord giue thou vnto me, but ont is ſufficient for my maintenance,
leaſt by hauing to muche, I be tempted to
forget God, and to ſaie, Who is the Lord?
and hauing on the other ſide to litle, I bee
forced by miſerie and want, to blaſpheme
the Solomon is in a maner the full CoAriſtotle
in the tenth of his Ethickes ſaith, To ſeeke
to poſſeſſe a meane & moderate wealth, is
the perfection that a man attaineth vnto.
And Seneca in a booke that he made of the
quietneſſe and ſatiſfyng of the minde, moNothing can continue long,
that on the earth is wrought. The world
it ſelfe muſt ende, and all thing that therein
is created: wee ſee that nothing endureth
long, beautie decayeth, fauour faileth,
ſtrength abateth, and life it ſelfe but a ſmal
time laſteth. The greateſt princes that be,
muſt away, and though the whole world be
ſubiect to them, yet are they them ſelues
but ſubiectes to miſerie, to caſualtie, to ſoPaule ſaith, but muſt al away, ſome to hea
SVbſtaunce and riches doe neuer ſatiſfie
the appetite nor deſire, but as Caſſiodorus
writeth in an Epiſtle, as in a dropSeneca in his
Epiſtle to Lucilius ſaith, There is no man
that is loued or fauoured of God, but
he that contemneth and deſpiſeth riches.
The poſſeſſion whereof, ſaith Seneca,
I doe not take from thee, but would
THe riches & wealth of the worlde, are
the thinges that are moſt accounted
of amongſt the goodes of fortune, which do
ſometime encreaſe, & ſometime decreaſe,
as Boetius in the perſon of Fortune ſpeaBoetius, that Fortune
hath the whole worlde vpon her tottering
wheele, bringing whom ſhee liſt aloft, and
caſting others downe, making poore men
of ſuche as were riche, and riche men of
ſuche as were poore. And therefore the
Marques heere warneth vs, that we apply
all our forces to the obteining of morall
goodes, that is to ſay, Vertues, which are
in deede the perfection of the Soule, as
Ariſtotle in his boke of the Soule, writeth.
And theſe, ſaith the Prouerbe, ſtande like
braſen walles, both firme and ſure, a ſafe
defence, whatſoeuer thee befalles, as
muche to ſay, as they neuer leaue nor forTullie declareth in his
Paradoxes, where he bringeth in Bias the
Philoſopher, one of the ſeuen wiſe men
of Athens, who, when the Citie was taken
by a Tirant, and the people fleeing, hadde
taken with them as muche as they coulde
carry, only Bias medled with nothing, and
when one of his neighbours did aſke him
howe chaunce he tooke none of his goodes
with him: he anſweared him, that all which
was his, he carried about him, not counSeeke
thou the treaſures of the minde, &c.
A Tyrant is he, as Ariſtotle in the ſePolitiques ſaith, that comMedea ſaide vnto Creon in
the ſeconde Tragedie of Seneca, Tyrantes
and euil gouernours doe not endure for eAgamemnon ſaith vnto Pyrrus
in the ſpeache that they had about the death
of Polixena, Their gouernmeSeeke
not ambitiouſly to raigne, nor rule with
tyranny, and that we ought to forſake
her pathes, and her workes, and chooſe
to liue among the meaneſt ſort, which
is the beſt and the quieteſt life. Which
is that which is ſaide in the Prouerbe beSeneca wrote in his Epiſtle to
Lucilius, That there is no man eſteemed
or accounted of GOD, but thoſe that
deſpiſe & contemne the pompe and wealth
of the worlde.
NOworldly wealth, but ſpecially no tyBoetius ſaith,
The Tirants that are alwaies waited vpTullie
in his booke of Friendſhip ſaith, that in
the life of the Tirant, there is neither faith,
loue, nor any long enduring goodwill, of eThe loftie
ſtates, nor throne of high degree, doeth
make a man. &c. Touching the which,
Boetius in his thirde booke of Conſolation
writeth of Dioniſius of Sarogoſi, who
from a meane man was aduaunced to the
Crowne, to whom, when his friende came
vpon a time to ſee him, and greatly praiſed
Dioniſius bidding him to a dinner, cauſed
him to ſit downe, where ouer his head was
hanging a terrible Sworde with the point
downewarde, who with the feare and agoDioniſius aſked him, yf his dinner were
not pleaſant vnto him: Suche a pleaſure
(quoth the poore fellow) GOD keepe me
from, that euery moment looked to haue a
Swoorde vppon my pate: and ſuche
(quoth Dioniſius) is the life of euery Ty
BOetius in his ſecond booke of Conſolation
ſaith, that nature contenteth her
ſelfe with a very ſmal thing: and yf you ſhal
at any time ouercharge her with thinges
that are ſuperfluous, the more you charge
her, the more hinderance, hurt, and diſpleaBoetius in his firſt booke of
Conſolation ſaith, We ſhall ſee a man in
one houre hoyſed vppe a lofte, and in the
ſelfe ſame houre caſte downe againe, and
an other aduaunced in his place: for ſolace
and ſorowe ſucceede one the other. And as
Seneca in his ſeconde Tragedie ſayth, haue
their turnes. And this is it, that the
Prouerbe ſaith, That loftie ſtates and
mightie powers, come topſey turuy
downe. &c.
SOlomon ſayth in his Prouerbes, That
the goodes which are haſtilie gotten,
will as ſwyftly be gonne. So that the
ſodayne riſing aloft, hath alwaies his fall
and great miſchiefe at hande: For as
Dauid ſayth in his Pſalmes, Neuer trouLibanus, and within a while after there
was no remembraunce of his beeing. And
therfore ſaith the Prouerbe, Be ſure, the
wicked man, ſhal neuer long endure.
SEneca ſaith, in an Epiſtle to Lucilius,
that he is not poore that hath but a litle,
but he that deſireth muche. For great ri
TVllie ſaith in his Philippicaes, that the
goodes which are wickedly gotten,
will euil fauouredly be ſpent: And therfore
there is nothing that can aſſure a man of ye
coSeneca
ſaith, that we ought to poſſeſſe thoſe riches
we haue without care, ſo as it may neuer
Boetius ſayth, to giue thankes that wee
haue been benefited by them as by external
goodes, neither ought we to complaine yf
we looſe them. And this is the effect of the
Prouerb, where it ſaith, What great aſſurance
haſt thou nowe, that thee may
certifie? &c.
WIth great wiſedome ſaith Dauid
in his Pſalms, If riches happen
to abounde, ſet not thy hart vpon them, leaſt
yf we fortune to forgoe them, we ſhoulde ſoIob, The Lord hath giue ̄,
the Lorde hath taken away: Bleſſed be
the name of the Lorde for euer. And ſo
ſhall no man be ſcorned nor derided, for a
OF goods there are two ſortes, outBias before alleaged: but our
owne goodes are thoſe, that be within vs,
which are the Morall vertues, which are
not ſubiect to anye change of fortune:
Cato in his
Philoſophie. This beeing, as it is very
true, wee ought not ſo with carke and
care, to heape, to regarde, and ſcrape vppe
riches, which belong not vnto vs, and may
many waies be taken from vs, doe what
we can to keepe them. And therefore our
Sauiour hath warned vs, that we ſhoulde
lay vp our treaſures in heauen, where nei
ENuie, as Ariſtotle in the ſeconde of
his Rethorikes ſayeth, is a ſullenneſſe
and griefe of that men haue, to ſee eiGregorie in his Paſtorall,
where hee ſayeth, That the enuious
man, beeing not able to cleare his hart
from the venim that is there congealed,
diſcouereth himſelfe, and falleth to working
of miſchiefes openly. Wherevpon
our Sauiour Chriſt ſayeth in his Goſpel,
That there is no Prophet without honour
but in his owne Countrey. For his
owne kindred and companions, for the
great diſdaine they haue of his eſtimation,
doe ſeeke by all the meanes they can to diſwhich is not for a
vertuous minde, nor doeth a noble hart
beſeeme. For it is for a noble and gentleMoyſes did, who when certaine enuious
perſons, to moue him to diſpleaſure, came
vnto him, and tolde him that two of the
common people did propheſie in his tent,
Moyſes verie graciouſly anſwered them,
that he wiſhed to GOD, that euerie one
of the people were able to propheſie, which
milde ſpeech proceeded from a noble and a
valiant minde.
ABel and Caine were brothers, as Moſes
in the firſt of his fiue bookes wriCaine done
vppon Abel, and the cauſe thereof, is in the
ſame Booke at large deſcribed. And there
SEneca in his Epiſtle to Lucilius writeth,
that the vnthankefull man is he,
that returneth a good turne without
intereſt: in whoſe opiniō we are bound
not barely to returne the benefite which we
haue receiued, but to do it with recompence.
For as Valerius in his fifth booke writeth,
Hee that doeth not thankefully recomAnd this
is it that the Prouerbe ſaith, Good turnes
that haue been done to thee, haue ſtil be
PTolomey was king of Egypt, who as
Lucan writeth, was ſeruant to Pompey
the Emperour of Rome, at whoſe handes
he receiued his kingdome. And as the CiCeſar, and Pompey,
(after the battaile of Pharſalie) Pompey
retired from the fieldes of Philippos,
to a place in Leſbos where hee had apCornelia to lie: but perEgypt, where he comPtolomey,
who conſpiring with Photinus, and Achillas,
(two miſchieuous perſons) betraied
him, and after they had ſlaine him, preſenCaeſar, at the ſight whereCaeſar, as the ſtorie telleth, could not reFrances Petrarch in one of his Sonets
thus writeth.
Caeſare poiche'l traditor d'Egitto, Lifece il don de l' honorata teſta. Celando l'allegrezza manifeſta, Pianſe pe gliocchi fuor, ſi come è ſcritto.
Caeſar, when as the falſe Egyptian had Preſented him with worthie Po ̄ peys hed,Hiding his ioy with coloured cou ̄ tnance ſad,His fained teares foorthwith, they ſay, he ſhed.
Of the reproches of this Ptolomey, all
hyſtories are full. And becauſe as I haue
ſaid, Lucan ſetteth out this matter more at
large, it is needleſſe to make any long diſEzechias being of the tribe
of Iudas, was king of Ieruſalem, the ſeruaSenacharib
king of the Aſsirians had beſieRabſacah his meſſenEzechias being aSenacharib, ſhewed vnRabſacah the temple of Ieruſalem, with
all the veſſels and ornamentes thereof, and
all the Iewels of his owne houſe, which had
been gotteEzechias, and foreſeeSenacharib, or at his apRabſaces, being greatly ofEſay, to let him vnderſtande, that he ſhould
preſently die: but ſuch and ſo great was his
ſorowfull lamentation and mourning, as it
pleaſed the almightie to reuerſe the ſente
FRiendſhip, as Ariſtotle in the eight of
his Ethikes, ſayeth, and as hath been
ſayde afore vpon one of the Prouerbes, is
of three ſortes, for delight, for profite, and
for honeſtie. Friendſhip of delight, is the
friendſhippe of flatterers, and ieſters
which endureth but a ſmall while: for when
the pleaſure ceaſſeth (as teſters are not at
all times, nor of all men liked) this friendSeneca termeth it, merchaunt
friendſhippe, for it endureth no longer then
there is hope of profite: And thoſe that
vſe this kinde of friendſhippe, doe it, as
Seneca ſayeth, more vpon the profite, then
in reſpect of the perſon. The Flye alAriſtotle ſayeth cauſeth in friendes but one
hart and one minde: and this friend, whoſe
friendſhip is grounded vpon honeſtie, is he,
that wel reprehendeth, and is no flatterer,
nor will conſent to any wickedneſſe nor evpon goodneſſe and honeſtie of life.
IN this Prouerb is mention made of the
diuiſion of friendſhip, before ſpecified,
and it ſheweth that the friendſhippe that is
vpon profit, which is the diſſembling and
flattering friendſhip, is not in very deede
the true friendſhip. For there is no perfect
friendſhip, but that which is grounded vpAriſtotle, where he ſayWhat pleaſure hath any man in his
life, though hee haue all the felicities in
the worlde, if he want a friende? For, to
liue happyly and quietly, it behoueth a man
to haue one, to whome he may ſafely open
all his doings, and with whom he may bee
as bolde as with him ſelfe. We reade in the
Cronicle of the Philoſophers, that Ariſtotle
beeing demaunded what hee accounted
a friende to be: made anſwere, that it was
one minde in two bodyes. Of this aſſured
CAto in his morrall Philoſophie ſaith,
That the firſt and principall vertue
that a man ſhould haue, is to haue a ſober
and a modeſt tongue, for much is he in faIſocrates
in his Oration ſayeth, that in two
thinges onely, ſpeache is to bee preferred
before ſilence: the one is, in ſpeaking
that, which is to a publike commoditie: the
other, in vttering that, which neceſſitie
forceth. In all other thinges hee ſayeth:
Seneca ſaith, If
thou art not able to keepe thyne owne
ſecrets, how canſt thou require an other
man to doe it? And therefore the Prouerb
ſaith, Thou ſhalt be counted diſcrete and
wiſe, if thou kepeſt thy ſecrets to thy ſelf,
and that a man bringeth him ſelfe in
ſubiection by ſpeech, but ſhall neuer bee
harmed by ſilence.
SEneca in his third epiſtle ſetteth downe,
the way and meane how to get freends,
and being gotten, how to kepe them, ſaying
Lucilius, Way with thy ſelfe a long time
the worthyneſſe of the partie whom thou
doeſt chooſe for thy friend, and when thou
haſt founde him to be meete for thy friendSeneca,
imparte all thy cares and all thy thoughts,
and in ſo doeing thou ſhalt haue him faithThe readieſt way it were
to make thy friend thy foe.
SEneca in the aforeſaid Epiſtle ſayeth,
That he which dare not truſt his friend
as much as him ſelfe, hee is greatly decei
SEtting aſide the lawes both of God
and man, we ſee that euen by very naHonor thy father and thy
mother, that thou maiſt liue long & many
daies vpon the earth: As it is alſo writEccleſiaſticus, He that honoreth his
father, ſhall receiue ioy and comforte
of his owne children, and ſhal liue a long
and an happy life. And againe, The bleſſing
of the father maketh ſtedfaſt the
ſtate of the children, but the curſe of the
mother bringeth them to diſtruction,
Whervpon ſaith the Prouerbe, The Lorde
him ſelfe hath promiſed, &c.
VEturia was an honourable Matrone
of Rome, and mother to Coriolanus,
a man of great wiſedome and valure, to
whom for his great deſeruings, the comRome was not a little beCoriolanus,
beeing thus baniſhed, goeth
ſtraightwayes to the Volſcians, who at
Romanes:
and as vertue in all places getteth
eſtimation, ſo was he receiued and interValerius writeth) that eueCoriolanus, moſte humbly requiring him
to leaue his ſiege, and to departe from the
Citie, and whereas their Embaſſadors, beeVenturia
the mother of this Coriolanus ſtauVolumnia hee
ſonnes wife, with her and her Children ſhe
goeth directly to the Campe of the Volſcians,
whom when Coriolanus a farre of
perceiueth, hauing in his company a gaVentruria had thus ended her ſoCoriolanus imbracing
her wt teares in his eyes, ſaid theſe wordes:
Mine owne ſweete Mother, my rage and
fury is conquered & appeaſed, and is turned
at your requeſt from this mine vnnatural &
vnthankful countrie: wherwith he preſently
diſcamped, & brake vp his ſiege. WherevpValerius in the ſame Chapter ſayeth,
That the hart, that was full of wrath & reNero
of whom mention is made in this prouerb,
where hee ſayeth, The beaſtly luſt of that
ſame monſter vile &c. Howe lothſome
and horrible the lecheryes of this ſhameThe tedious tale
offends the eare, and briefeſt words wee
gladieſt heare. And therefore let this that
I haue ſaide, ſuffiſe the Reader, which I
take to be inough for the vnderſtanding of
the Prouerbe.
ABſalon was the ſonne of Dauid, a
man of paſſing beautie and ſingular
proportion, who found the meanes by cerAmon for the deflouring of Thamar his
ſiſter, & turning her diſhoneſtly out of his
houſe. For which murder Dauid was
greatly offended, howbeit vppon fatherly
compaſſion, and at the humble ſute and reIoab, who was a ſpeciall friende to
Abſalon, he pardoned him. But Abſalon,
whether it were becauſe he found not
the like countenaunce at his fathers hande
as he was woonte to doe, or that hee was
ſet on by ſome wicked ſeruauntes and leude
Councellers, or whether it was the motiHieruſalem, and
came to Hebron, and with the ſounde of
the Trumpet, calling togither the people
of Iſrael, without any regarde of his dueIſrael,
and entred into open armes againſt his
father. But God, who could neuer away
with the diſobedience of the childe to his
father, turned all his deuiſes, force, and poAbſalon him ſelfe galloping
vp and downe, and paſſing thorowe a thick
wood, was hanged by the heare of the head
vpon the bough of an Oke, his Moyle runIoab and certaine
of his ſeruants: wherby the good father obof God.
THE bleſſed Apoſtle telleth vs, that
as long as wee liue in this worlde,
we are Pilgrimes and ſtraungers
to the Lorde, meaning that our true
and naturall countrie is that, of which Dauid
ſpeaketh ſaying, I truſt to ſee the glory
of the almightie in the land of the liuing.
The land of ye liuing is the glory of
Paradiſe, where who ſoeuer remaineth doe
liue without any dread or daunger of death.
Plato ſaieth in his Phedro, the ſoule atit is the race of goodneſſe, that is
to ſay, the plaine path & way, by which wee
paſſe from ſorrow and trouble to quietneſſe,
and to reſt. And this is onely to be vnderAriſtotle ſayeth in the firſt of his Ethikes,
that being deſtitute of all vertue and good
behauiour, is altogether doting and chilAriſtotle
that doeth abate the fire of vicious
youth, and doeth reſtraine eche lewde
and fonde deſire. This age (as Tullie in
his booke de Senectute writeth) doeth alay
both luſt, pride, & preſumption, and doeth
ſo enfeeble the force of the fleſh, as it brinIt doeth abate the fire of vicious youth,
&c.
IT is commanded in the lawe of God, that
whenſoeuer we ſee an old ancient man, we
ſhould riſe and reuerence him. And we finde
in the Ciuil law, that in the Citie of Rome
in the olde time, they vſed to worſhip and
reuerence their aged perſons, and the peoAriſtotle
in the firſt and ſixteenth of his Ethikes
witneſſeth, the number of yeeres is
it that giueth knowledge & experience. And
therefore he ſayeth, that the yong man can
THere is no man, as hath bene ſaide beAriſtotle in the ſixth of his
Ethikes, that young men ought alwayes to
haue about them olde and auncient men,
whoſe counſaile they may vſe, and whom
they ought in al things to beleeue, and therTrogus Po ̄
peius
in his eleuenth Booke writeth, that
Alexander whenſoeuer hee happened vpon
anie deſperate aduenture, or ſawe himſelfe
in great daunger in the field, woulde neuer
haue about him anie yong blooddes or hewTullie in
his De Senectute ſayth, As the fruite is not
in ſeaſon, nor to be eaten, till it bee perfecthe gouerneth.
&c.
SEneca, as hath bene ſaid before, ſayth
in his ſecond Tragedie, that no man
could euer yet haue the Goddes ſo faValerius telleth vs in his fifth booke, that
when there was woorde brought to Anaxagoras,
that his ſonne was dead: Hee anſweGreate madneſſe were
it for a man to thinke this fooliſh life. &c.
Through the offe ̄ce of our firſt father
Adam, wee are all borne the children of
wrath. And neuer ſhall we be without trouI deſire to be looſed and to be with Ieſus
Chriſt. For the Apoſtle, being vexed with
many ſorowes, griefes, and miſeries, deſiIohn in
his reuelation, ſaieth, Bleſſed are all thoſe,
that die in the Lorde, for they ſhall reſt
from their laboures. So as by a good and
happie death, wee are ſure to be made partaIeſus Chriſt.
DEath as Ariſtotle in the thirde of his
Ethicks ſayth, is the laſt of al horrible &
dreadfull things: which being, as Tully in
his Tuſculans ſayeth, a thing that naturalSeneca in his Epiſtle to Lucilius ſayThe death of the vngodly is hurtfull
and euill, but the death of the godlie
is life, becauſe they paſſe from tranſitory
death, to euerlaſting life. According to the
ſaying of our Sauiour vnto the theefe, This
That
after his departure here, he went to perfect
reſt, attending for the glorious day
Wherein he ſhoulde be bleſt.
ARiſtotle in the ſeconde of his Ethickes
ſayeth, that in all ſciences, the woorke
is brought to perfection, by hauing reſpect
vnto the meane, neither adding nor taking
from it more then is reaſon: meaning that
the ouerplus and the defect, doe marre the
whole matter, and that the meane doeth onAriſtotle ſayth, is to be commended, and
the extreames doe alwaies bring ſhame and
diſhonour. And like as it happeneth, that to
the perfection of any thing, there are a great
number of thinges required, as likewiſe to
make an imperfection, ſuffiſeth that anie
one of thoſe thinges be wanting: euen ſo
for a man to atteine vnto the very meane of
vertue, there are a great number of thinges
required, but to the not attaining therevnto,
ſuffiſeth the want of anie ſuche thing as is
needefull. And hereof Ariſtotle putteth a veAriſtotle ſaieth,
that of euerie thing the meane is alwayes
beſt. For ſome things there are, that aſſoone
as they bee named, they are mingled and
wrapped in miſchiefe. As for example, for
a man to reioyce in an other mans harme,
not to be aſhamed of anie euill that he hath
committed, to beare a repining ſpite at an oThe onely remedie,
in all extreames is, for to keepe the
perfect meane with thee, which if thou takeſt
for thy friende, (that is: if ſo be a man
in the order of his life ioyne himſelfe with
vertue, which is the meane:) A long & happy
life, thou ſhalt be ſure to leade, and liue
without offence and ſtrife. In what ſorte
we ought to ſeeke out this meane, and how
we ought to order our ſelues for the obteiAriſtotle at large declareth
in the ſeconde of his Ethickes,
whyther for auoyding of te
❧Imprinted at London
by Richarde Watkins.
1579.