¶The prologe of the paradoxe.
FOr asmoch as the noble scholers of ye philosophers / Socrates & Zeno named stoici / lefte this notable sentens. Men be generate in to this worlde bycause of men / to thende that one man may ꝓfite an other man. The very excellent philosopher morall / prince of oratours fountayne of eloquens / & father of laten tonge / Marcus Tullius Cicero / moued with this sayinge and folowynge in all his workes the opinions of the sayd philosophers called Stoici / euer pretendyng and procurynge the cōmon welthe of his natyue countreye / [Page] compyled this frutefull worke / called in the greke tonge Paradoxa / in latten soundynge / preter opinionem / and in our englysshe tonge / cōtrary to the vulgar opinion. For bicause Tully dyd excerpte and toke out of the aboue sayd philosophers / certen quicke sentens / whiche semed to the multitude and the cōmon people maruaylous sayinges / straunge and contrarye to theyr opinion. In whiche worke the sayd Tulli reproueth vices and auaunsethe vertues / and by disputation and probable argumentes declareth the abusion of the lyuyng of certayne person [...] [...] whiche[?] ledde by blynde [...] out of the ryghte way / exreme thingis that be most vicious & of villanous reproche / to be vertues of hye reputation. [Page] Fro the whiche errour he by subtyle reasons and pytthye persuasions / studiethe in this worke to reduce the myndes of men to vertue / & so to conduce them to thend of ꝑfet felicite / which by ye opiniō of the schole of Zeno & Chrisippꝰ philosophers, remaineth only in vertue. And in this worke Tulli sharply inuehyth againe certayn ꝑsones / for theyr detestable vices that he noted in them / beinge in his tyme / as agayne Lucius Catalina / Marcus Anthoniꝰ / Marcus Crassus / and Publius Clodius. Also he extolleth vertue by exāple of valyant men / as Quintus Mutius Senola / Caius Fabricius / Caius Scipio / & Publiꝰ Scipio / Marcꝰ Regulus / Caiꝰ Marius / Luciꝰ Minutiꝰ / Marcus Curius / with other nobles [Page] of immortall fame and memorye. And to cōclude for asmoche as I haue of late translate out of the latten tonge in to englysshe my natyue tonge / for singler zele that I haue to the common welthe of this my countrey the .iii. bokes of Tullies office / whiche I entende shortelye to put forthe in printe. I haue also translate this paradoxe[?] / a worke dependynge and to be annexed to the sayde bokes of the office / for asmoche as the disputation in this worke is had aboute (in a maner) lyke preceptes and morall sapience. wherfore gentill reders I exhorte you with fauour to accept this my lytle lucubrations and studyes / thoughe breue in quantite / yet frutful and sentētious with pytthy wisdome. And if I may ꝑceyue your fauorable [Page] myndes towarde this little worke / in shorte space you shall haue in prynte / not only this translation in our englysshe tonge / but also the texte of Tully in latten ioyned to the same / with the thre bookes of his office / in lyke maner (God wyllynge) to whom all laude & prayse be gyuen. dixi.
¶ The paradoxe or maruaylous questions of Marcus Tullius / to his familiar Marcꝰ Brutus.
I Haue many tymes notedde and marked / my famylyare Brutus, Marcus Cato, thy vncle / whan he shewed his mynde in the Senate / entrate of matters of grauite taken out of phylosophy / far distant fro this exercise of oratory in the iudiciall place & touchyng the cōmon welthe. But not with standynge he dyd optayne by his perswadyng / that his wordes semed to the people to be allowed / [Page] whiche in hym is greatlyer to be extemed / than in the or in me. For we vse more that ꝑte of phylosophye / that bryngeth copy of eloquence / wherin the thynges be sayde that be not far different fro the opinion of people. Cato in myn opinion is a ꝑfyte Stoike / and holdeth the opinions / which be not allowed amonge the commen people. He is in ye secte whiche followeth no florysshynge of speche / nor dylateth his matter. But he brought to passe by breue and lytle questiōs (and as a man wolde say) by sharpe poyntes the thing that he purposed. But ther is nothynge so incredible / but by persuadyng / it may be made probable & to be allowed: Nothyng so ragged and so rude / but it may be made clene and ornate. which [Page] after I cōsidered to be so / I more boldely wente to worke / than he of whom I speake. For Cato is wonte to speke after the schole of Zeno / onely of magnanimite / of continence / of dethe / of all maner laude of vtue / of goddes immortall / of the loue that men shulde haue to theyr natyue countreye / vsynge no colours or ornamētes of an orator. But I in sport haue cast in to the cōmune places / tho thynges / whiche the scholes of Socrates do scantlye allowe in scholes / or in tyme of quietnes. whiche bicause they be maruaylous / and cōtrary to the opinion of all menne / be also called the Paradoxe. I wolde attempte whether they myght be broughte to lyghte / that is to saye / in to the iudiciall place / and so to be sayde [Page] that they shulde be allowed / or whether ther were one sondre speche of lerned men and an other vulgare after the cōmon people. And therfore I wrote the places more gladly, bicause these that be called my Paradoxe semethe specially to be after ye maner of Socrates / and very true. Therfore thou shalt receiue this litle worke studied & compyled these nightes nowe beinge shorte: Bycause the other worke of greatter watche & study wente forthe in thy name. Thou shalte taste a maner of my exercise / which I haue ben wont to vse / where as I transpose to this my maner of oratory / persuadynge tho thynges that be called in scholes Ethica / whiche be priuate opinions of philosophers. For I require not that thou shall [Page] brynge this maner of speakynge abrode. For it is not suche that it may be set in the towre Capitoline / as that ymage of Minerua that Phidias the ymage maker made / but only that it may seme to go forthe of the same shop (fro whens that more worke came) so that it may shewe to come forthe in the same forme and fasshyon.
¶That, whiche is honest, is onely good.
NOt withstanding I feare me leste this sentens may seeme to some of you / to be taken out of the disputations of the schole of the Stoikes / and not of myne opinion. Albe it I shall shewe my mynde therin / and that breuelyer than a thynge of so great pondre may be sayde: So god helpe me [Page] I neuer estemed / nother ye money of these men / nor the gorgyous buyldinges / nor theyr riches / nor theyr empyre / nor theyr pleasures wherunto they be moste bente / to be nōbred amonge good thinges onelye to desyre suche thynges / wherin they moste abounde and flowe. For the thyrst of couetyse is neyther fylled nor satisfyed. Nor onely they be turmēted with the desyre of encreasyng of suche goodes as they haue / but also with feare of losse therof. wherin I ofte require the prudens of our elders most cōtinent men / which thought that these weyke & mutable membres of money / to be named goodes / onely in worde / wher as they shulde haue iudged them otherwyse in dede & effecte. May that thynge that is good in [Page] dede / be good to a man that is yuell? Or may any mā flowe in abundance of goodes / hym selfe not beinge good? And we se all suche thynges / howe that yuell men haue them / and howe they hurte good mē. wherfore though any man haue derysyon at myne opinion (if any be suche) notwithstandynge / the treuthe reasoned / shalbe of more credens with me / than the opīnion of raskall people. Nor I wyll not say yt a man hath loste his goodes / if he haue lost his cattell / or his householde stuffe. Also I wyll ofte prayse that sage man Bias / whiche (as I suppose) is nombred amonge the seuen sages in Athens / whose countrey called Prienna / whan a certeyne ennemye dyd subdue / and other of his neighbours dyd [Page] cruses of erthe / were lesse accepte to the goddes immortal / than the delicate syluer pecis and goblets of other men? I let passe the resydue of other kynges / for they all be equall and lyke / saue onely Tarquinius suꝑbus. If so be any man aske me of Brutꝰ what he dyd in settyng his countrey at lybertye? If also any man wyll aske me of other of his company of that counsell? what they desyred? what they gotte or wonne thereby? whether or no? was ther any of them? to whom pleasure? to whom ryches? to whom (to conclude) any thyng was purposed as auātage? but the office and duetye of a valyant & a bold stomaked man? what thynge moued Quintus Mutiꝰ to haue sleyne Porsenna kyng of Hetruria? [Page] without ony hope or trust of his owne helth or profyte therby? what manheed helde and kepte Horatius Cocles alone standing vpon the brydge called Subliciꝰ agaynste so great a multitude of his ennemyes? what inuincible / stomake styrred Decius ye father to vowe his son to dethe / sendyng hym amonge the thyckest parte of his ennemyes in battel? what pretendeth the abstinence of Caius Fabricius? (whiche refused a great summe of golde offered by Pyrrhus) what mened the poore fare of Marcus Curius (That eate rosted rapes) & refused ye gret sūme of golde offered by ye Samnites (what sygnyfyed the two stronge bulwarkes or forteresse / of the battell of Cartage / Caius Scipio and Publius Scipio) [Page] whiche purposed to stoppe the inuasion of ye Carthaginenses with theyr two myghty bodies? what dyd the yonger Aphricane? (that destroyed Cartage) what dyd the elder? (that made Carthage tributary, and subdued Hannibal) what dyd Cato the elder called Censorius, that was lyuynge betwene the ages of bothe Affricanes? what dyd other innumerable? For we abounde in exāples of our Romaynes? whether or no?[?] thinke we that they intended in theyr lyfe to desyre any thynge for their priuate welthe? but that whiche semed laudable and vertuous? Therfore let them come forthe all yt haue derision at this my sayinge and opinion / and let them be iudges to thēselfe / whether they had leuer be lyke to any [Page] of them / whiche dyd abounde in the gorgious buyldinges of marble / burnysshed with euorye and golde, whiche haue abundaunce of ymages / tables, whiche haue abundans of graued golde and syluer, whiche haue great foyson of iuels of Corynthus? Or els to be lyke Quintus Fabricius / whiche had nothyng of the afore recited / nor none wolde haue. And suche men wylbe lightly perswaded to deny yt these be goodes which be turmoyled nowe hyther nowe thyther. But the Epicures streytely holde this / and defende it diligently / that pleasure is perfet felicite of man, whiche voyce semeth to me, rather to soūde like vnto beastes than men. Thou reasonable man / where as god / or elles Nature the mother (as I [Page] may say) of all thynges hath gyuen to the a soule: than ye whiche nothynge is more excellent / nor more spirituall. wyll thou so cast awaye thy selfe / and throwe thy selfe downe? That thou iudgest no difference to be betwene yt[?] and a beest. Is there any thyng good that maketh not better hym that hath it in possession? For ye more a man is a partener of goodues / the more laudable he is. Nor there is any thynge good / wherof he that hath it may reioyce without dishonestye. what of the thynges that maketh a man laudable is in voluptuous plesure? (as who sayth nothyng). Dothe voluptuous pleasure make a mā bett or more laudable? (As who sayth no). whether or no? dothe any man auaunce hym selfe by [Page] braggynge or bostynge whan he opteyneth his pleasure? as who sayth no. But if so be pleasure / which is defended by the ayde of very many, it is not to be taken amonge thynges that be honest. And the more that plesure is / the more it remoueth the minde from his seate of quietenes. For a certente, to lyue well and welthyly / is nothyng els, but to lyfe honest lye and iustly.
¶In whom vertue is, he maye lacke nothynge to lyue welthylye.
NOr I iudged at any tyme yt Marcus Regulꝰ was a man sorowfull / vnhappy / or myserable. For the magnanimite of his herte was not turmented of the [Page] Carthaginenses / nother his grauite / nor his fidelite / nor his constans / nor any vertue, nor to conclude his manly stomacke, enuironed with the fortresse of so many vertues, and enclosed with so stronge a garyson of vtue. whan his body was takē prisoner / surely he hym selfe coude not be a captyue. I haue sene Caius Mariꝰ whiche semed to me in tyme of ꝓsperite / one of the foriunate men, and in aduersite / one of very excellent men. Than the whiche Marius fortunate ande valyannte nothynge may chaunce to any mortall man more happyly Thou mad man.Here tully inuehythe agaynst. Antonius. Thou knoweste notte, Thou knoweste notte I saye, what powers vertue hathe, Thou vsurpethe onely the name of vertue, [Page] and knowest not what power vtue is of. No mā can but be very happy & welthy, that is apte and constaunt of hym selse / and that putteth all his assurāce of defense in hym selfe only, (as who saythe he that is endued with vertue, he is happy (and hath all thynge in hym selfe) He can haue nothynge of suretye, nothynge sufficiently knowen by scrutyne to contynue one daye, to whom all his hope, respecte, and forcast, hangeth vpon blynde fortune. If thou chance to mete with suche a man put hym in feare with manasse of dethe & exyle. what so euer chāce to me in this citie of Rome so vnkynde to me, it shal happen to me so that I wyll not onely not contende agayne it, nor yet say naye to it. For to what entent haue I [Page] taken labour? Or what haue I done? Or to what ende all my care and thoughtes haue layde watche? For I haue done nothīg of suche maner, nor haue got nothynge after suche maner, that I shulde be in that state, whom neither the folyshe boldnes of blyud fortune, nor the iniuries of myne ēnemes shuld make me to stoupe and swarue from constans. Dost thou manasse my deth? so that I must departe vtteriy fro the company of men, or els I shall desyre helpe of suche as be noughte. Dethe is terrible to them, with whose lyfe all thīges be extincte, not to them, whose laude & fame can not dye. Exile is terrible to them, to whom a place to dwelle in is debarred, not to them that say, that the roūde circute of the [Page] holle worlde is one citie. All maner of myseryes, all sorowes do oppresse the, whiche iudgeth thy selfe to be happy and floryshyng. Thy bodely lustes tourment the. Thou arte vexed day and nyght, to whom that ryches yt thou hast is not sufficient, And thou feares lest that those goodes yt you hast, shal not continue longe with the. The remorse and remembraunce of thy myscheuoꝰ dedes do prick the. Drede of iudgement of the lawe doth kylle tho harte. which way so euer thou haste loked, the wronges whiche thou hast done, ronne in thy mynde as the furyes of helle, whiche neuer suffre the to reste. wherfore lyke as good fortune can chaunce to no man yt is vnthrifty, folyshe, and rude, so a good man bothe wyse & manly, [Page] can not be a wretche. Nor whose vtue & maners be worthy laude, his lyfe can not be but praysed. Nor that lyfe is to be fled, which is laudable, It were to be fledde if it were myserable. wherfore what so euer is laudable, ye same is welthy floryshyng, and shulde seme to be desyred.
¶All fooles be madde men agayne Clodius.
I Iudge the not onely a foole, as thou art many tymes, not only a leude persone, as thou arte at al times, but also out of thy wyt & a mad mā. Shal ye hert & stomak of a wise mā fēsed with thīges necessary to liue by, with abūdāce of counsell, with patiens of worldly [Page] chaunses, with the contempte of blynde fortune, and (to conclude) with all maner of vertues, be ouercome & subdued, whiche can not be expelled out of the citie? For what is a citie? whether or no? All the companye of wylde beastes and cruell? or whether all the multitude of fugitiue persones and theuysshe assembled to gether in to one place? Surely thou wylte saye no. Than that was no citie, whā lawes toke no effecte therin, whan iudgemētes were layde downe, whan the custome and maner of ye coūntrey is decayed, whan officers be expulsed by force of weapōs, the name of the Senate was not fpoken of in the cōmenty. The recourse of theuys and robbynge & spoyle (Thowe beinge captayne) was [Page] appoynted in the myddle of the market place, And remaynes or resydue with suche as were confederate in the cōspiracie of Cati.+line, was retourned to the myschyefe and fur [...]e of the, it was no cite. Therfore I am not expulsed out of the citie, whiche was none, I was called in to ye citie, to thentent, yt a Consul shuld be in ye cite, whiche notwithstādinge was no Consul in dede, & to thētent a Senate shuld be, whiche yt time was decaied to thentent ye concent of ye people shuld be fre & to thētent yt remēbrās of right & equite shulde be reuoked, which be ye sure bandes of a citie / But regarde howe I haue dispised the weappons of this thine roberi I haue thought thy wycked iniury tost & cast by ye vpon me, yet I iudged yt it shuld [Page] neuer haue come to me, excepte parauenture whan thou dyd distroble the walles, or elles what time thou brought in myschyuoꝰ fyrebrandes to sette the houses of fyre, thou thoughte that some of my goodes shuld decaye in to the citie or brene. But there is nothīg myne, nor any other mans, that maye be taken awaye, that maye be stollen, that maye be looste. If thou shuldeste haue taken fro me the longe constauns of my mynde / my cares, watches, counsels in the cōmen welthe, whiche cōmon welth stā deth in ꝓsperite by my cares and watches of me. If thou shuldest haue fordone the immortall memorie of this my eternall benefite: & moche rather if thou haddest taken away yt mynde wherof [Page] these counselles dyd issue fro me. Than wold I haue cōfessed, that I had taken wronge. But if so be thou nother did this nor coude do this, thy iniury gaue vnto me a famous returne, not a sorowful departyng away. Therfore I at all tymes haue be a citesyn, and that tyme specially whā the holle Senate commended to straunge nations my helthe and lyfe as of a speciall citesn. Arte thou now a citesin? except perauēture ye same may be an ēnemy & a citesyn. whether or no dost thou diuide a citesin frō ā ēnemy, by nature & place / not by his mynd & dedes. Thou dyd murdre in ye market place. Thou tokest the tēples wyth the vose ī harnes. Thou setest ō fire ye houses of priuat mē, & holi places whi shuld Spartachꝰ be takē for an ennemye [Page] and thou a citesyn? May thou be a citezyn. For whose sake sometyme the citie of Rome was no citie? And callest thou me a banisshed mā aft thi name? where as all mē iudged yt ye comē welthe was banisshed bi mi deꝑtīg thēs? wil thou neuer loke about ye thou starke mad man? will thou neuer considre what thou doest? or what thou saist? Knowest not thou that exyle is punysshmente of myschyefe? And yt my iourney was takē to do very noble actes here before time al mischeuous & vngracōus ꝑsones, of whom thou professeth that thou arte captayne, whom the lawe wylle to be punysshed with ey exyle. Be they banysshed men, though they change nother soyle nor countrey? Than whether or no? whā all lawes iudge [Page] the to be a banysshed man, wyll thou not be a banysshed man? He is not called an ennemye / whiche hathe ben before the Senate with his weapō / thy skeine (wher with thou slewest a man) was taken all blodye. Is not he to be taken an ennemye that hath kylled a man? ey and thou hast kylled many. Is not he an ennemye that setteth fyre in the cite? Thy handes set fyre vpon the temple of virgins. Is not he an enemye that inuadeth the temples of the goddes? Thou dyd pytche thy tentes in the iudiciall place of Rome. But where to shulde I speake of the cōmune lawes that thou hast broken? by the whiche all & singler thou art a banisshed man? Thy chyefe familiar Ceser [Page] made a lawe for the, that if so be thou came within the secrete place of the goddes called Bonadea, thou shulde be banysshed, But thou arte wont to make thy boste also, that thou dyd so. By what reason than was thou caste in to exile by so many lawes? dost not thou abhorre the name of a bannyshed man?
¶That all wise men be fre men, and all fooles bande men. ¶Here Tully disputeth agayne Anthonius.
MAye the emperour Anthonius be praysed? or also maye he be named emperour? or may he be thoughte worthye that name? by [Page] what reason may he haue Emppire? or to conclude what freman man may he gouerne that canne not gouerne his afferccions and desyres. Fyrst let hym brydle his owne lewed lustes / suppresse his waunton pleasures / modifye his fume of ire / restrayne his auarice and put awaye other spottes and blemmishes of his soule. Than let hym begyn to rule other, whā he shall ceasse to obeye to theyr fylthy and lewed maistres, shame infamye, and villinous lyfe. For whyles he doth obey to them / he is not onely not to be taken as an emperour / nor yet in any wyse as a fre mā. This prouerbe notable is vsed of well lerned men, whose authoryte I wolde not vse yf I shulde make this oracion before [Page] some rude persons. But for as mych as I speke before very prudent and syngler lerned men, to whome suche thynges be not vnharde, wherfore shulde I semble my selfe to haue loste my labour, yf I haue bestowed any in suche maner of studye. For where it ys sayde of syngler lerned men / that no man is a free man except he be wyse. For what is libertie? power and free choyse to do what thou woll. who than liueth as he woll? but he that taketh ryght wayes, and he that enioyeth in honestye, to whome the waye of lyuynge is consydereth & prouideth before / which obeyeth the lawes, not for drede, but foloweth them and kepeth them, bycause he iudgeth yt to be moste wholsome. whiche nothynge [Page] saieth, nothynge doeth, nothynge to conclude thynketh, but wyth hys good wyll and not coacte / whose entencyons all and singuler, and all thynges that he goth about, cometh forth fro hym selfe of free wyll and returneth the same way. Nor there is any thynge that is more acceptable to hym, than his owne wyll and iudgement. To whome also fortune (whiche is sayde to beyre moste power) doth herselfe gyue place, As the wyse poete sayde, Euery man vseth his owne maners. Therfore this one thynge chaūseth vnto a wyse man onely, that he doth nothynge agayn his wyll / nothynge with heuynesse / nothynge by compulsyon. wherfore for as mych as I must dispute [Page] by longe cyrcumstaunce / that it is so / notwithstandynge ye same is to be cōfessed & that breuely, yt no man is fre, except any man be so affeccionate as is saide before. Therfore all fooles be bond men. Nor this is so contrary to the comen opinion and meruelouse in ded [...], but also in worde. For philosop [...]ers name not them bond mē as [...]che whiche be take in warre whiche bē so made by a bonde of theyr gouernours / by any lawe ciu [...]e. But yf there be any bonda [...] (as is ye obedience of a faynt an [...] cowarde stomacke, lackynge his [...]wne fre wyll) who can denye th [...] all lyght brayned fellowes, al [...] [...]uetyse persones, all to conclude lewed vnthriftes to be. And rude lyke as in a great howshold [Page] of seruaūtes some be more clenly as they thynke them selfe / yf so be seruātes be seruātes to theyr own follye by lyke act, whom images, tables, whom siluer plate / whom iuels of Corinthꝰ / whose gorges buyldynges with curiouse worke manshyp doth delyte and please. And we be they saye chyef rulers of ye city, you be rulers of yonr seruaūtes But like as in a gret housholde such as excercise these thynges, whiche scowre & oyle, which swepe and brushe, whiche strawe the chambres, kepe a rowme of bondage not most honest. So in the citye of Rome suche as haue gyue them selfe to the affeccyons and desyrous of suche thynges a fore sayd (as vile pleosures) occupye almoste the vilest rowme of suche seruitute. I haue made [Page] Here Tully taūtes hye Braggynge parsons.great battels (thou sayest) I haue ruled great empyres and prouinces / shewe thou than a stomake worthy to be praysed. But thy spoyle and robbery to be sold opē ly letteth the, or some image that Policletus made. I merueyle fro whens thou stele away, how dyd thou behaue thy selfe after thy spoyle and fraude gasynge amased / and takynge vp an exclamacyon / whan I se this, I iudge the a band man of all folly, and waū ton tutches. But thā be not these thynges afore sayde comely and gorges? Let theym be so, but we haue tryed eyes to discerne suche thynges / but I praye ye let them be extemed gorges and comely so that they entangle not wyse men but let them be taken as poppettes [Page] & tryfles that please chyldern what iudgeth thou yf Luciꝰ MinutiusLutius Mutius dysttroyed[?] Corrynthus[?] that yt shulde not rebell agayne the Romans shulde haue seen any of these lasciuious persōs (yt bragge thē selfe to be chyefe rulers) what thynketh thou of Matellio of Corinthus, that full desyrously handeleth such iuels / where as he the sayd Minutius despised Corinthus wholy. whyther wolde Minutius exteme Matellio to be an excellent citesyn? or ellys a dylygent seruaūt of the court / I wold Marcꝰ Curius were a life agayn or some of thē in whose grandge in the countre and house at home no gorgesse thynge, no freshe ornament was besyde them selfes. And I wolde that he myghte beholde some man that is set in hye offyce and authoryte by ye people / [Page] catchynge and handelyng out of the fyshe pounde Barbles & mullettes / and takyng great pleasure in the multitude of lampreys. wolde not Marcus Curius exteme that man so bonde / yt he wold iudge yt he were not worthy any rowmeth in a howshold / whither or no / is there bondage doutfull? whiche refuse no cōdicyon of bondage / for ye couetous mynde that they haue to money. The hope and truste of enheritaunce what vnreasonable payne of bondage woll he take vppon hym? what bekke of a ryche olde churle hauynge no chyldre woll not a coue tyse wretche merke and watche? what so euer is sayde he spekes after the olde churles pleasure, he doth after his pleasure, he flatereth, [Page] he sytteth by hym yf he be sykke / he pleaseth the olde chorle. which of all these poyntes belong to a gentylman? whiche of these tutches (to conclude) do perteyne but to a bande man dilygent to please?Here Tully[?] toucheth ambitious parsons that be couytous of honoure. Now what is that inordinate couetise of honour? empire gouernaunce of prynces? whiche semeth to resemble more gentylnes, or fre hart. Howe harde and payfull a maystres is she / howe emperious & sharpe a maystres is she? That thynge compelled such men whiche extemed theym selfe iolly felowes, to do seruice & to sende priuely by nyght tyme brybes to CethegusCethegus was one of the conspiracy of Catel a man not moost allowed / & to come to hym by nyght tyme and to entreate hym / also vpon handes and fete [Page] to beseche hym of fauoure. what bondage is there? yf this may be extemed a lybertye. what shall we saye? whan the empyre of couetyse desyres is gone, and another ruler and mayster drede is rysen vp of the conscyence and remorse of euyll dedes. Howe wretched and harde a maystres is bondage? A man must studye to please yonge boyes, which be somwhat at blabbe & lyberall of tongue, and all that seme to knowe any thynge they be dredde as they were lordes & gouerners, what authorite hath a iudge? with what drede doth he punysh an euyll doer, whyther or no / is not euery drede a bondage? what than auayled that oracyon of ye very eloquēt mā Luciꝰ Crassus? more full of eloquence than [Page] of wysdome (wherin he sayde) O ye noble senatours deliuer vs Romaynes out of bondage, what bō dage is this to so famous a man, and so noble a man? For all feblenes and weykenes of harte, stoppyng cowardnes and soone ouer caste is a bondage and villeyny. Suffer not vs (sayde Crassus) to be in bondage to any man. He woll by reuengynge be set in to lybertye, no, what adioyneth he more? but to you vniuersall to chaunge your gouerner. He woll be no gentylman or fre mā (where he sayth) to whom you we maye & are bounde to do seruice. But we (because we be of a manly and an hye stomakke and enuiront with vertue) saye, we nother be bonde nor maye be in seruitute. Thou [Page] Crassus saye that thou maye be in seruitute for bycause thou may Thou can not say thou arte bond For no man is bounde to restore any thynge / but that is shameful not to restore.Here Tully inueyethe agayne Anthony. But this haue I sayde hytherto agayne Crassus, let hym loke vpō this mater how he maye be an emperour. where as reason and trueth in dede cō uinceth hym that he is no gentyl man nor free harted man.
¶That a wyse man onely is ryche.
WHat meanethe thys prowdeThis paradox is agayne Crassus bragg and this boste that thou vseth in speakyng of thy gret Sūmes of money? Arte thou onely ryche? Oh good lorde? Shulde not I reiose that I haue harde & lerned some what? Art thou onely riche? what if thou be not ryche? what if thou be pore? For whome shal we take by our knowlege to be a riche mā or in what man shall we sett thys worde ryche? I thynke in that man / whyche hath so great possessyons / that he is well contente [Page] to lyffe lyke a gentylman / which looke for no more, no thynge desyreth more, nothing more wysheth for, Thyne owne minde must iudge the ryche, not the sayng of men, nor thy possessions and that he thynkethe that he lakethe nothinge / and carethe for no more, and that is satisfyed & is content with suche money as he hathe, I graunt that he is ryche, Or eles yf for couetyse mynde of money / thou thynkes that there is noo euyll gaynes where as no honeste man may be in this ordre / yf thou dayly do fraude / deceyue / aske make false promyses takes away by violens / yf thou robbe thy fellowes / yf thon spoyle the comen treasury / yf thou desyre to haue ye legacyes of thy frendes by testament [Page] / or yf thou desyre not them and steale thy selfe pryuelye in to there testamētes / whedre be these sygnes of a rych man? or of a nedy begger? The mynde of a mā / and not hys coffer is wount to be called ryche, thoughe hyt be full of money, As longe as I shall se the to be insaciable I wyll neuer compte the a rychē man, For after the qualytie of a mans mynde men iudge the measure of riches. How myche is sufficient for any man. yf a man haue a doughter to be maried he hath nede of moneye to gyue with her / yf he haue two he hath nede of more money / yf mo, he hath more nede. yf he haue fyfty doughters as men say yt Danaus kynge of Argos had: so many dowers requyre a great [Page] summe of money. For loke howe mych a man hath nede of / and to that summe yt measure of ryches (as I sayde before) is extemed. Therfore he that hath not many doughters but innumerable couetyse desyres / whiche in shorte space maye consume very greate riches. whan shall I call hym a ryche mā? where as he felyth him selfe to be a nedy beggar. Many herde of the whan thou sayde, yt no man is ryche except that man whiche is able to maynteyne an armye of his owne landes, and fruytes. whiche thynge the Romaynes Here Tully inueyeth agaynst Crassus[?] for hys insaciable couetyse of ryches.of so great customes and reuenewes now this longe tyme is scantly able to attayne vnto. Therfore in thys purpose thou shall neuer be a riche man / before [Page] the tyme that so mych prouentes yssue out of thy possessyons / so yt thou maye be able to maynteyne therby .vi. legyons / also greate wynges of horse men or fote men. Therfore now thou confesseth yt thou acte not ryche, whyche lakketh so mych to accomplishe that thynge that thou desyres. Therfore thou neuer toke obscurely but manyfestely this thy pouerty and rather thy necessyte and beggarly degre.Here he calleth Crassus a begger. For lyke as we iuge that they which gette geynes by honest maner in makynge of merchaundyse / in settynge & lettynge out workemen for hoyre & money in takynge to ferme customes & tolles / hath nede of gaynes. So he that seeth at home at thy house the resorte of suters and iudges [Page] accompanyed togyder / he yt seeth these wronge doers / and suche yt be gylte full of money labouryng (thou beynge theyr patrone) to corrupte the trewe iudgement by brybes, whiche seeth thy compaccions for tuicyon in theyr causes diminished by reason of thy promesse not kepte / he that seeth thy compaccions in eleccions of such men that labour to be in office to be lykewyse withdrawē, for lacke of thy promyse not kepte / whiche seeth the sendynge forth of suche as thou haste made fremen / to other countreys to occupye vsury / to poll and shaue prouinces and countreys by pyllage. That seeth expulsyon of thy neyghbours ou [...] theyr habitacions / whiche se thy robbery in the countreys about / [Page] which seeth thy famylyarite with thy vile bond men and free men / with thy clientes, & all for money. whiche se thy landes and possessions stande desolate, by reason of thy pyllage & expulsyō of tenaū tes / whiche the bannyshment of ryche mē, which seeth the morder of fre holders / whiche remēbreth that harrost and spoyle in ye tyme of Silla / whiche seeth the forged testamentes / whiche remembreth that all thynge was to be solde wyth the for money / as mustre of men, none accept without money decre and sentens made by the senate / the sentēs gyue by an other man / lyke wise sentens gyue by hym / causes iudiciall, lettyng no man in at his durres excepte he brought somwhat / hys voyce in [Page] persuadynge for any man / his silens forberynge to speke agayne any man without money. who wold not iudge but he wold cōfesse that he hadde nede of gaynes [...] who wolde repute at any tyme yt he is ryche, whiche hath nede of gadderynge and gaynes? For the frute of ryches is in pleynteth. The satysfieng of a mans mynde sheweth pleynteth and aboūdās of goodes whiche thou by reason thou can not attayne shall neuer be riche / bycause thou disprayses my poore substaunce, and ryghtfully (for it is but meane after the opinion of the comen people / and after thyne opinion no substauns and after myne lytell) of my selfe I wyll not speke / I w [...]ll speke of the / yf the mater be put to my iudgement [Page] and estimacion / whyther in conclusyon whyther I shall exteme more the money of Pyrrhus whiche he gaue to Fabricus / or the continents of Fabricus, which forsoke the sayd money? whyther I shall exteme more the golde of the Samnetes; or the vnsuer of Marius Curius? whyther the enherytaūce of Lucius Paulus, or the liberalyte of Affricane whiche gaue vnto his brother Ostintus Marimꝰ his part of enheritans. Surely these that be better membres of singuler vertues / be more to be extemed than they that be membres of money. Than who douteth, yf so be the more a man haue in his possessyon; the more ryche he is to be extemed. But ryches is in vertue / for no possessyō [Page] no aboundans of golde & syluer / is to be compted more of valour [...] than vertue. O ye goddes immortall, men knowe not how great a gayne or profyte is for a man to be a sparer and a sauer? For now I woll come to sumptuouse spenders / I lette passe this great geyner Crassus / he receyueth of hys annuall rentes .vi.C. sesterce whiche is .xviii.C.li. I but an hundreth of myne he hath, that maketh the roofes of his house gylte in his maner places / & the floures or pauimentes of marble and that couettes to haue gloriouse images, tables curiously depicte houshold stuffe and apparell out of measure / hath but small substans to expende for his own vse / nor after his encrease of profyte. [Page] Of my poore reuenewes / the expenses / that I made for thentent of lucre / take away yet sūe ouerplus shall remayne, Than whedre is more ryche he that lakketh or he that hath suffycyent withe ye ouerplus? he that is nedy or he yt hath habūdaunce? whedre is rycher he? that the more possessions that he hath / the more hit requyreth to defende it selfe? or eles he whos possession doth bere it selfe? But wherfore do I speake of my selfe? whyche am trobled sūwhat with the myserye of the euill maners of this tyme? ey paraduenture with the erroure & blyndnes of this wreched worlde, Marcus Manlius whome oure fathers myght remembre / lest we shulde speke alwayes of Curins & Luscinius [Page] / was a pore man at ye last, For he had a place in Carinis, & a percel of grounde in Labicano. Therfore we be riche which haue more, wolde to god we were so in dede, But the mesure and quantytie of money / is determyned or taken not by estemacion of riches but by meate and drynke and apparrell / it is a gayne and profet / not to be couetyse of money / no [...] to a great occupyer in byeng and seling / A man to be content with his owne goodes and suche as he hath / is the gretest and the most sure ryches for though these crafty and subtel praysers / do prayse meadous / and certeyn groundes at a greate pryce / because / as a man woll say / there can no hurte be done to this maner of possessyons, [Page] how greate a pryce shall we exteme vertue to be worth? which nother can be violētly take from vs, nor be priuely stoolne, nor is loste by wrake vppon the see, nor by fyre, nor is chaunged by mutacyon of trobles tempest, nor of tyme, with the which they that be indewed, they onely be ryche For theye onelye doo possede goodes frutefull, and euerlastynge, and theye onelye, whyche thynge ys appropred to ryches, be contente wythe that goodes whyche theye haue they iude it suffycyēt yt they haue, they couet no thynge, they nede nothyng, they fele no lakke, they require nothīg, But noughty and nygarde parsons, whiche haue possessions and ryches vncerteyne, and standynge in casuall [Page] chaunce, and alwayes couet more, nor ther is any of them foūde which was content with that substāce yt theye had,[?] or[?] to be externed not onely no welthy[?] and ryche men, But rather nedye & poore beggers.