DEare Brethren and fellowe members, by what authoritie or right, rather with what boldnes, dare our Brethren the Belly and Back oppreſſe vs, and ſo Lordlike commaund vs? it is a ſhameful thing, extreame folly, and a thing very vnſéemly, when the ſeruaunt ruleth, and the Lorde obeyeth, the ſlaue commaundeth, and the Maiſter ſerueth: truelie we are worthy of the greateſt torments, that lyke drudges will become a ſcoffe and ſcumme to others. Like fooles we haue made the Belly and Backe our Lords, with great labour we get and prouide al things may pleaſe them: poore ſoules we haue no reſt, ſometime the Belly commaū deth one, ſometime the Backe another, one ſaith to y• Foote, ariſe ſluggard, awake, the other to the hand, beſtirre thée apace, get me ſome meate, prepare mee ſome dainties, fetch me ſome wine, lay the Table, the day paſſeth, the time goeth, and I haue eaten nothing: Hunger and Thirſt my two enemies come & threaten my death, the one on the one ſide, the other on the other, and therfore except yée ſpéedely help me I die, and theſe are their daielie and vſuall complaints.

Syſter, you ſaie trueth, and amongſt the reſt no one hath more cauſe to cōplaine of them both then I, for I labor ſundry waies to maintaine thē. In the Winter I ſuffer cold, in the Summer I endure heat, my ioynts are benummed with the one, and dryed with the other, I labor day & night to procure for thē both what I can & yet they are neuer ſatiſ-fied.

And I praie you is my toyle any leſſe? are my deceites inferiour vnto yours? am I not forced through their procurements (if I may without ſhame open my follies) to picke and ſteale, ſometimes by priuie filching to make all fiſh that comes to net? ſometimes by open robbing violently, to lay hands vpon others? What treaſons, what poyſonings, what murder is it or what wickednes, that I doo not for their ſakes accompliſh? whoſe goods haue I ſpared? whoſe bloode haue I not ſpilled, to ſerue the turne of theſe my Lordlie Maiſters?

Haue I ſpared the Prince, the Father, the Childe, the Siſter, the Brother, the Huſbande, the Wife? Nay what age, or ſe • e haue I pittied, to pleaſe theſe ouerruling & commaunding Lords? I want no examples to confirme my ſayings, yet leaſt you ſhould imagin me to ſay more then I can proue, I will ſette downe a fewe for the maintainaunce of my cauſe. And firſt to begin with Traytors, did not Curio (at firſt Caeſars enemy, yet afterward to maintain the Bellie and Back) ſell vnto Caeſar for 26000. crownes the Cittie of Rome? How vnfaithfully did Polymneſtor of Thrace murder Polydorus King Priamus ſome, and all for his gold to maintaine his brauerie, and to ſette him one degrée higher in his Kingdome. Aul. Poſthumius Albinus, béeing ſent to ouerthrow Iugurtha, was corrupted with money, and in ſtead of warre moſt ſhamefully concluded a peace. How did Standley and Yorke, two Engliſh Traytors in Flaunders, deale with the moſt vertuous and famous Quéene of England, whom God preſerue long to raigne ouer vs to the confuſion of all forraine and domeſticall Traitors.

When the Romaines warred againſt the Latines, Caſſius a ſtanderdbearer f • ue Craſſus Brutus his ſonne, becauſe for money he would haue betrayd his Father, and opened the Gates to the enemies.

Heraclius the Emperour, ſlewe Phocas his Father to maintaine himſelfe in the brauerie of an Empire.

Richard the third, reaching with ambition of a crowne, moſt vnnaturally ſlew his two little Nephewes, his hart contriued it, but I performed it.

Frotho the King of Denmark had thrée ſonnes, Haldanus, Roe, and Scato, who when their Father was deade, ſtroue all togeather for the Kingdome, by meanes of which, Haldanus the elder, ſlew y• two yonger, that hee alone might ſway the Kingdome.

Semiramis hauing obtained of her Huſband Ninus, to ſit but one day in the princelie ſeate, and for that day to ſway the Kingdome, impriſoned her Huſband, & afterward ſlewe him, that ſhe alone might liue in all daintines and brauerie.

Theſe and infinit other, haue the Belly and Backe 〈◊〉 me to deſtroy, making me as a ſlaue to ſerue their appetites.

Certaine it is we all doo ſerue them dilligently, we labour for them painefully, and yet are rewarded ſlenderlie. The Tyrants of Sicilia neuer oppreſſed their ſubiects with more violence, then they do • vs with their exactions, and yet we haue thereby no benefit, for had wee any recompence, it woulde aſſwage the burthen of our trauaile, and make our labour ſwéete, but ſuch is the condition of theſe two, that albeit we dailie giue them, hourelie labor and continually prouide for them, yet they neuer ceaſe complayning, that wee giue them nothing.

Yea, for though I labour to day to féede the one, and trauaile to morrow to clothe the other, yet if I doo not the next day, and the next day alſo giue them ſtil, they complayne of myne idlenes, of mine vniuſtice & negligence: ſaying I am vnnaturall, vnkinde, ſlothfull, and giuen to eaſe, and that I forget the ende wherefore I was made, which is, (they ſay) to ſerue them in all neceſſities, what ſaid I? nay rather in all ſuperfluities.

In the ſame ſtate am I, and ſo they deale alſo with mée, for though I nowe fetch them in things not wholy needfull, but for the moſt part curious, it may bee that a while they will be contented, but ſhortly after they crie it is too little, and except I procure the one varietie of dainties, and the other diuerſitie of ſutes, they are neither contented, ſo variable are they, and ful of alteration, ſo that I cannot tell what to compare them to, except to the lake in the furtheſt part of Affrick, among the people Trogloditae, which is thriſe in a day bitter and ſalt, and yet anone pleaſant and ſweete.

Nay rather they are like the gaping Gulfe in Sicil, named Charybdis, which euer deuoureth, & is neuer ſatiſ-fied, or like the fire, that the more it hath, the more it ſtill conſumeth: for Polypus had neuer more ſhifts, then y• Back hath ſuites, nor the Camelion more cullers then y• Belly Cookes.

I thinke the Crocodil is not more gréedy then the Bellie, nor the Leopard more variable then the Backe. Theyr nature is like y• ſtone Siphnius, which heated in Oyle wareth hard, but let alone becommeth ſoft. The more we pleaſure them, the more they diſpleaſe vs, and the more wee beſtowe vpon them, the more they are vnthankfull.

Will you ſée the patterne of a gluttonous Pantrey, then looke vpon the Bellie, for he is a ſmoking Kitchin of variable viands, Gurmand • ſe is his Porter, and Gluttony hys Cooke, the luſtfull Lyuer like a flaming fire, boyleth vnder the great Kettle & Cauldron of the ſtomack, the breathing Lunges, like blowing bellowes, 〈◊〉 by the Liuer as by a Forge, the Wealand pype as it were a Ceſtern, bringeth in liquor to dreſſe the cates, and the entrayles like a ſinck conuay the filth downe the Fundament. Nowe all this while who fareth the better for theyr co • kery, nay which of vs are not the worſe for the Bellyes vntemperancie, and which of vs ſmarteth not for the Backs prodigalitie? Wherefore Bretheren, and fellow members, let vs not be ſubiect to two ſuch Cormorants, which regarde not our benefit, but theyr owne profit, conſider the ſeruillity, they haue long kept vs in, what labour and paine, what carke and care, they haue continually put vs to, if we caſt off their yeake, we ſhall bee freed from ſlauerie, if not, wee liue in continuall drudgery, they rule not by reaſon but by rigour, their luſt is a law, and their will a warrant, and therfore to ſtake off their oppreſſion, were wiſdome, and to liue at liberty, wilbe our onelye happines.

Neither will I ſtep ouer the threſhold, to fetch in anie thing for the ſuſtenaunce of the one, or maintainance of the other, but meane to take my reſt in mine Inne, expecting howe theſe that haue ſo long ruled as Lordes, can become nowe ſeruaunts to themſelues.

In this dooing wee ſhall abate their pride, and plucke downe their Peacocks plumes, ſo that though nowe they holde theyr heades full high, yet within theſe two or thrée dayes, I am ſure my gluttonous Maiſter the Belly, wyll ſing a newe ſong, for I promiſe for my part to be no inſtrument to feede, nor no ſeruaunt to ſerue him, and as for our gallant youth the Back, I doo not doubt but y• want of your ſeruice, will make him in ſhort time after beſhrew himſelfe. But huſhe, Lupus eſt in fabula, behold where they both come of whom we haue long talked, let vs ſhrinke a ſide to heare their communication, till opportunity ſerue for vs to ſpeake.

What greater miſery can happen in this life, then when as in a naturall body, where the members ſhould ſerue each others neceſſitie, and mutually helpe & ſuccour one another, they ſhall not onely denie their ayde vnto the body, but conſpire alſo the death of the ſame: by meanes of which, not the body alone dooth conſume and pine away, but the members themſelues doo conſequently periſh: and yet are they ſo blinded with enuie, and ledde on with ſelfe loue, that they cannot perceiue their deſtruction at hand, till preſent perrill doo teach them, and their owne ſmart doo warne them, what folly it is to be led by enuie, whereby to make a mutinie in a naturall bodie, in which there ought to be a cordiall conſent of amitie, and a tuneable harmonie of loue.

I knowe not what hath mooued my fellow members to this conſpiracie, for my part I haue naturally fedde them, and louingly nouriſhed them all, yet they complaine, and not of me alone, but of the proude Back alſo, whoſe pride & prodigalitie, hath oftentimes (indéede) depriued both them and me of our due ſuſtenaunce and naturall nouriſhment, euen this ſtatelie and lordly Backe, the pyllar of pryde, the waſter of wealth, and the window opening to all wickednes, a leader vnto luxurie and vncleane leacherie, a bulwarke to beate backe chaſtitie, & the roote from whence all preſumptuous pride dooth growe, for whoſe faults, it is no reaſon I ſhould ſuffer the malice of the members, that not onelie in mine office foſter y• reſt, but am neereſt to him in all things.

Brother, I haue hearde your vnbrotherly ſpéeches, in which, though you would to cleare your ſelfe, make me the cauſe of y• members variance, yet if you iuſtly examine your owne condition, you ſhall finde that your gluttony, and vntemperancie, doth not onely diſtemper the members, but alſo conſume that ſhould ſerue for my maintenaunce: & therfore good cauſe haue the reſt of our Brethren to condemne your exceſſe, and diſlike your extortion: for they ſerue an euill Maiſter, who is alwaies crauing and neuer contented, euer feeding, and neuer filled, for what is more vnſatiable then the Bellie? that is this day crammed, and to morowe crauing? Who when he is full, can diſpute of temperance and continencie, yet preſently after doth ſhake handes with all vertue. You ſaie that I am the pillar of pride, but it happeneth then through your vntemperaunce, you affirme that I am the waſter of wealth, but you forget your owne delicacie, that conſume more at one banquet in a day, then I doe vppon apparrell in a yéere. You make mee a leader vnto all leacherie, but you remember not that Sine Cerere et Baccho friget Ʋenus, and that I am but the effect, you the cauſe, I the flame, you the Oyle, I the meane, but your ſelf the matter, you ſay I am the bulwarke to beate back chaſtitie, but you conſider not that y• full Bellie is not able to kéepe continencie, you make me the roote of pride, but it is your ſelfe that is both roote and trunck, to foſter the braueſt branches of pride, and to cheriſh all wickednes, and vice: and therfore you ſuffer not for mee, but for your owne faultes, and your diſorder in féeding, hath made the members breake, and my garments bare.

Now the matter beginnes to worke, when Théeues attache one another, true men come by their goods, but of both, there is neither barrell better Herring.

Why, had euer Prometheus more ſhapes, then the backe ſutes? or y• Hydra more n • w heads then the back new Garments? not ſo variable for their matter, as changable for their faſhion: this daie French, to morrowe Engliſh, the next day Spaniſh, to daie Italianate, to morrow for faſhion a deuill intarnat, O tempora, o mores! To daie you ſhine in ſutes of ſilke, to morrow you iet it out in cloth of Golde, one daie in blacke for ſhow of grauitie, an other daie in white in token of brauerie, this day that cullour, the next day another, nowe ſhort waſted, anon long bellied, by and by after great Buttoned, and ſtraight after plaine laced, or els your Buttons as ſtrange for ſmalnes, as they were monſtrous before for greatnes, this yéere bumbd like a Barrell, the next ſhottend like a Herring, nowe your hoſe hang looſe like a bowe caſe, the next daie as ſtraite as a pudding ſkinne, one while buſkind for lacke of ſtocks, another while booted for want of ſhooes, and thus from you that are the graund Maiſter, doo the inferious members fetch their faſhions, & theſe be the mutabilities of men.

As for women, you make them through your pride in lookes like Lais, in faſhions like Flora, in maners like Thais, more wauering then the wind, and more mutable then the Moone: in Gate & ieſture moſt daintie, in the Church moſt angelicall, in the ſtréetes modeſt & amiable, abroade among men in finenes ſuperficiall, but at home by themſelues moſt ſluttiſh and beſtiall. Yet I meane not all but the worſt, and ſuch as entertaine your pride, who from the top to the toe, are ſo diſguiſed, that though they be in ſexe Women, yet in attire they appeare to be men, and are like Androgini, who counterfayting the ſhape of either kind, are in déede neither, ſo while they are in condition women, and woulde ſéeme in apparrell men, they are neither men nor women, but plaine Monſters.

Their heads ſet out with ſtrange hayre, (to ſupply nature that waie defected, or rather by their periwigges infected) do appeare like the head of Gorgon, ſauing that they want the crawling Snakes of Meduſa, to hang ſprawling in their haire along their faces, & yet they retaine the propertie of this Daughter of Phorcus, for they turne a number of their beholders into ſtones, who while they affectionatlie gaze on their painted pride, doe loſe the reaſon of men and become like ſtones, without anie féeling of a vertuous mind, the onelie Image of a man.

But as they are Venerian Dames, euen ſo in their flatteries to beguile fooles, they imitate the nature of the Cyprian women, who comming into Syria and ſeruing in ye Court, would coure downe and become footeſtooles for the Ladies, thereby to aſcend into their Coaches, for which cauſe they were called Climacidae, of Climaca, which ye Aſſirians name a Ladder: but héerin onelie they differ, in that our Phrynae, and Cytherean Damſels, become not Ladders for Women, but footeſtooles, yea and pillowes for Men. And therefore it is not without cauſe that Tyreſias ſaide, (béeing choſen an Arbiter betwéene Iupiter and Iuno,) that there were In viro, tres amoris vnciae, in femina, nouem, in a man three ounces of luſt, in a woman nine: for what meaneth els their outward tricking and daintie trimming of their heads, the laying out of their hayres, the painting and waſhing of their faces, the opening of their breaſts, & diſcouering them to their waſtes, their bents of Whale bone to beare out their būmes, theyr great ſléeues and bumbaſted ſhoulders, ſquared in breadth to make their waſtes ſmall, their culloured hoſe, their variable ſhooes, and all theſe are but outward ſhowes. As for the reſt, leaſt their rehearſall might rather hurt, then profit the honeſt eares, I will couer them with ſilence, but all theſe are your prouocations, theſe are the fruites of your pride, the ſignes of your waſte, and the abridgment of my fare, for while you ſpend ſo fréelie vpon your Backe, the leaſt ſhare falles to the Bellie, nay▪ I am faine oftentimes to • aſt, to beare out the prodigalitie of your pride, and then • anting nouriſhment to féede the members, I am complained on for your fault.

I perceiue you can Arcem facere ex cloaca, and Lapidem e ſepulchro venerari pro Deo, make much of your painted ſheath, and make a Mountaine of a Molehill. You can loue your ſelfe beſt, & ſpie a mote in anothers eye, forgetting the beame in your own, I am not ſo variable in my ſutes, as you are in dainties of diuers ſorts, nor ſo ſumptuous and gorgious in garments, as you are coſtly in cates, but you count al too much that goes beſides your owne bellie, and thereunto you bend the ſumme of your talke, like Pithonicus, y• when he gaue anſwer of the Oracle, ſo ſpake, as the voice ſeemed not to come from his tongue, but from his belly.

What ſhould I ſpeake of your two greateſt Gods 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , gluttonous féeding and exceſſiue drinking, by which you make a number not men but beaſtes, that haue their ſoules but in ſtedde of ſalt, to kéepe their bodies from noyſome ſtincke, who though they appeare men, are indeede but Ventres, that place their pleaſure in long feeding, and their delight in ſtrong drinking.

I am not ſo changable in faſhions, as you are choyſe in diſhes, what boyling, what baking, what roaſting, what ſtewing, what curious and daintie conſeruing, what Syrropes, what ſauces, with a thouſand deuices to moue an appetite without neceſſitie, and charge nature without néede. Did you not make Demetrius Phalerus conſume euery yere two hundred talents, in néedleſſe ſtuffing of your bottomles bagge?

And howe mooued you Heliogabalus at euery ſitting downe, to ſpend no leſſe then an hundred Seſtertij? Made you not Philoxenus to wiſh that he had ye neck of a Crane, that in féeding on delicate meate, and drinking ſwéet wine, he might feele the greater pleaſure?

With this you made the Sodomites to abound,Ezech 16 which was the cauſe they were conſumed with fire.

You made the Iſralites héerin to offend,Exod 32 that after they had glutted their bellies fell to Idolatry.

You infected Eſau with this greedines,Gene, 25 that he ſold his birth-right for a meſſe of pottage, yea, infinite others haue periſhed by the Belly, and more by the Belly then ye ſword.

The King of the Cookes (that is the Bellie) ouerthrew the walles of Ieruſalem, (ſaith Gregorie,) for while the Bellie is farced with Gluttonie, the vertues of the ſoule are deſtroyed by Leacherie, for Ʋicina ſunt venter et genitalia. There can be no order in liuing, where there is no meaſure in féeding, and as a wild Horſe if he haue the bridle wil caſt his ryder, or carrie him whether he liſteth, ſo an vntemperate Belly, leadeth the ſoule to all ſinne, and the members to ſicknes and ſorrowe. Or as the Earth by too much rayne becommeth barraine of all good fruites, and bringeth foorth nothing but thiſtles and thornes, ſo the Belly ouercharged with two much foode, is vtterly voide of all vertue, & wholly barraine in well dooing, producing nothing but pricking thiſtles of ill example to hurt others, or choking thornes of beaſtly life to deſtroy it ſelfe. How manie doth the Bellie make Epicures, that ſay, Ede, bibe, poſt mortem nulla voluptas, eate and drink,Philip. 3 there is no pleaſure after death, who make their Belly their Gods. Such are like Acephalus, whome the Mathematicians place before one of the wandering ſtarres, with his head and mouth kiſſing his bellie. Or the Fiſh named Aſinus, who alone of all liuing things (as Ariſtotle ſaith) hath his hart in his bellie, a number of which Aſſes the Belly maketh, that eate not to liue, but liue to eate.

As for vnmeaſurable drinking, Authors haue written, and experience dooth tell vs dailie, that through abuſe thereof▪ manie not onely liue not out halfe their daies, but therein conſume that which ſhould ſerue to clothe both me and the members. Archeſilaus Pytaneus dyed by exceſſiue drinking of wine. Andebuntus a King of England at a Supper drank ſo much wyne, that béeing ouercome with the aboundaunce thereof, in caſting and ſtrayning himſelfe he ſuddainly died.

Anacreon the Poet, a louer of wine, was ſuddenly ſtrangled with a Grape. And many wee ſée through your ſurfetting and ſwilling, are rouled into the graue before their naturall time, that els might liue in happines and health. But nowe I remember Cato the elder, when he accuſed y• gluttonie and laciuiouſnes of the people of Rome, ſayde it was very harde verba ventra facere 〈…〉 non habet, to talke to the bellie that hath no eares, or els I might tell of a greate manie more, that indulgentes abdomini farcing their bellies out with fat, through fulnes of féeding by daie, and gorging their guts ful of wine with late drinking by night, are right Antipodes that neuer behold the ſunne in his riſing, nor ſee him in his going downe: ſuch doe viuere ad faces et cereos, ſpend their time by torche light, while they conſume ye night among their cups, and ſnorte all day vpon their beddes. And theſe are your Lucifugi, or Lychnob •• , that liue contrary to Nature, who are as well knowne by their cullours, as the gluttonous Eſtriche by his feathers, ſome of them beeing more pale through diſtemperature, then thoſe that are ſicke of a feuer, others more ruddie then the Rubie, and more déeper in die then the reddeſt Grape, but with the moſt pinguis aqualiculus prepenſe ſeſquipede extet: their fat paunches like a water trough ſtandes out a foote and a halfe.

I talke not of other effects that accompany your gluttonous bellie whē it is farſt wt wine. What laſciuiouſnes in wordes, what wantonnes in geſtures, what filthines in deedes, what ſwearing and blaſpheming, what quarrelling and brawling, what murder and bloodſhed, nay what wickednes is not an vntemperat belly ſubiect to, and moſt readie to accompliſh?

Beſides, howe doth your gluttonie chaunge Natures cō lines, into foule deformednes? how doo the eyes flame with flerines, the face fluſh with rednes, the hands ſhake wyth vnſtedfaſtnes, and the féete réele through drunkennes? the head ſwimmes, the eyes dazell, the tongue flammers, the ſtomack is ouercharged, the body diſtempered, and the féeble legges ouerburdened, which, béeing not able to beare an vnrulie Lord, 〈◊〉 lay him in ye durt like an an ouer ruled ſlaue, and ſo through your diſtemperature, your ſelfe not alone weakened, but the other members ſo diſeaſed, as to reckon vppe the ſickneſſes and ſores, of which the Bellie is cauſe, were to purge the ſtables of Augea King of Elis, or to ſette them downe which were neuer knowne to Auicen, Galien, Hippocrates, nor all the Phiſitions that euer liued, ſo that by theſe meanes it may be ſaide, that a gluttonous Bellye makes rich Phiſitions and fat Churchyardes.

I had not thought the Backe had béene ſo good an Oratour: you haue taken great paines to decipher my gluttony, forgetting your owne pride and prodigalitie, but you knowe the morrall of Eſops Ante & his Flye, he that ſpeakes what he will, muſt heare what he will not, I will not ſay ye Backe is a Monſter, that can carrie vppon his ſhoulders, Landes, Caſtles, and Townes.

Nor I ſhowe, howe the Belly deuoureth, not onelie Lordſhips, Reuenewes, and great poſſeſſions, but whatſoeuer flyeth in the ayre, is bredde on the earth, or engendred in the Sea, all is too little to fill the vnſatiable Belly.

Your ſhining out in Silkes, hath brought many a man into the Mercers Bookes, and wrapt more in the Vſerers bandes. Howe many hath the Backe made Banqueroutes, that to maintaine their outward iollitie, haue béene fayne to gage not Landes alone, but plate, goods, or whatſoeuer was ought worth, and in the end, either to take Ludgate for their lodge, or ſome worſe priſon for their harbour, and then their Wiues, Children and houſhold liue after in pennury, through your former pride and prodigalitie, yea I and the other members hunger for that, which the Backe hath before moſt vainly ſpent. Beſides, you make the Landlorde to maintain your brauery, ſo ſtretch his poore Tenant in rent, that to ſerue your turne the Belly muſt faſt, the Handes labour, the féete to trudge, and the other members toyle to their greate gréefe and ſorrowe.

But thinke you that the Backe alone is cauſe of al this miſerie? no no, the Belly hath héerein his portion, and that the greater part, how ſoeuer you would ſhift the matter vppon me, for although (as Plinius ſayth) Simplex cibus corpori vtiliſſimus, the ſimpleſt meate is moſt profitable for the body, yet the Belly béeing not herewith contented, muſt haue dyuers and daintie ſortes of fruites, beaſts of the earth, foules of the ayre, fiſhes of the Sea, and thoſe not cōmon but rare, beſides, banquetting dyſhes of ſundry ſortes, made of ſwéete conceits to pleaſe your appetite. Moreouer, golde & cullours to adorne them, and ſwéete ſpices to ſauour them, then the fatteſt and faireſt, the yongeſt & ſweeteſt, a cunning Cooke muſt be ſought to dreſſe thē, and daintilie to prepare them, who turneth the ſubſtaunce into an accident, and nature into arte, that the full belly may become hungry, and the ſtuffed ſtomack renew his appetite, and while all theſe thinges muſt be prouided, the ſtocke waſtes, the Landes are gaged and morgaged, and rather then the Belly ſhall want his ſuperfluities, the Backe and members ſhall want their neceſſaries, ſo ſhortly after followeth a topſituruey downefall of the whole ſtate, which muſt be layd vpon the Backe, though wrought by the Belly, and ſhifted to mée though chéefely effected by your ſelfe. But beholde where they are, who can giue equall iudgment whether of vs twaine doo moſt excéede or procure greateſt wrong to the members. Doe you not ſée them?

Yes full well, and better ſhoulde I thinke of their company were it not for the malicious tongue, who hath contrary to nature made them enemies to me, that am by nature a friend vnto them.

Deare Brethren and fellow members well met, I cannot chooſe but meruaile, what helliſh furie worſe than Megaera hath ſturred you vp to be at enmitie with me, that haue alwayes tenderly loued you, and what ſhoulde moue you to withdrawe from me my nouriſhment, that am a ſeruant to feede you all, in miniſtring to euerie one ſo much as nature requireth.

Becauſe rather thou art a lawleſſe Lord (howſoeuer thou couer thy extortion with the colourable gloſe of a ſeruant) alwayes crauing and euer commaunding, ſtill feeding, and neuer leauing, thou art a bottomleſſe whirlepoole of all gluttonie, an vnſatiable ſea of ceaſeleſſe gourmandie, a rauenous cormorant that greedely deuoureth, an idle creature that neuer laboureth, thou ſetteſt the whole world vpon vntemperaunce, making the rich a Nabuzardan, that rather beſtowe more vpon Cookes to fill the belly, than on the learned to inſtruct the mind. Thou teacheſt the poore 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to liue after their luſt, not according to vertue, cōſuming without care, not onely what ſhoulde maintaine their family, but that alſo that might otherwiſe paie their debtes, O bellie moſt beaſtial, thou cauſeſt all vncleanneſſe: O monſter moſt vnreaſonable, that workeſt all filthineſſe: through thee come murthers, robbing and théeuerie: through thée come contentions, treaſons and villany: through thée Kings reach at others crownes to increaſe their treaſure, and Popes at Princes rule to inlarge their honour, through thée comes pride, warre, and deceit, enuie, hatred, and ſlaunder, to conclude, thou art the chaſer awaie of all vertues, and the haler in of all vices, and in thée as in a Troiane horſe, is included not the ouerthrowe of one Citie, but the ruine of infinite Countries and innumerable people, thou art the bellows to kindle all luſt, and the ſacke that containeth all filth, the plague of vs the members, and the vtter ouerthrowe of the ſoule it ſelfe.

She hath nipt you verie neere, and méetelie well painted out your gluttonie.

And as much may I ſaie to thée thou proude pecocke, the porter of pride, the baite of bauderie, the lure of lecherie, thou roote of all riot, and beginning of all iniquitie, thou art the ſturrer of ſtrife to maintaine thy pride, and the nource of warre and all ſedition, through thée Countries fall at iarre, and kingdomes are turned topſituruie, for thy brauerie falſe ſubiects forſake their Prince, and vilanous traitours betray their Countrie, thy leaproſie infecteth all the world, corrupteth euery age, and defileth euery ſexe, thy pride maketh the rich loath the poore, the child diſdaine the Father, the neighbour contemne his neighbors, the wife deſpiſe her huſband, and the ſeruant to make no account of his maiſter, all which being trickt vp in thy ornaments, thinke that Ʋeſtis virum facit, Apparell makes a man, but they forget Simia eſt ſimia, etiamſi aurea geſtet inſignia, that an Ape is an Ape, though hée be clothed in golde, to conclude, what vice is it whereof thou art not cauſe, nay what ſinne whereof thou art not the beginning, the midſt, and the end.

Brother, I ſée thy reaſons are good, and I perceiue nowe the malitious tongue hath lead vs awry, I well vnderſtand that thou art no Lord, but in truth a ſeruant to the meaneſt of vs all, and that which hath moſt force to perſwade me, is, the féebleneſſe and faintneſſe that I now féele, I know now that without thée we cannot continue, but that thou art the nouriſher and féeder of vs all, wherefore I hate the bitterneſſe of the tongue that hath ſo vniuſtly accuſed thée, and I well finde by experience, that thou art no troubleſome creditour, but art content with a litle, if we giue thée that which we ought, not ſo as much as we can: but what can the Back ſay in his behalfe?

As the Belly hath proued, and by reaſon declared that he hath bene malitiouſly accuſed of the Tongue, ſhewing that in déede he is a ſeruant, no Lord, a natural friend, no enimy, a preſeruer of you all, no deſtroyer of any, if you moderatlie miniſter to his neceſſitie, and doe not ouercharge him with ſuperfluitie, ſo I ſay, that the tongue hath enuiouſly touched and falſely burthened me with vntruths, for albeit in déede I cannot alleadge ſo much for my ſelfe as the Belly, by reaſon he hath a greater charge, and therfore deſerues the more praiſe, yet cannot mine office bee wanting, nor my ſeruice miſſing in many reſpects, wherby it ſhal appeare that I am no Lord, but a helping ſeruaunt to you all, for as we ſée that in a politique ſtate diuerſe men haue diuerſe duties, whereof ſome are of greater importaunce than the other, for ſome are wrought by ſubtiltie of wit, others by agilitie of the mē bers, others by ſtrength of the bodie: ſo in a naturall bodie, each member hath his ſeuerall dutie, and one may ſerue to diuerſe and ſundrie ends, the head as it is the higheſt, is occupied in matters of wit, and is therefore a guide to the reſt of the members, hauing the moſt of the ſenſes placed about it, to the end it ſhould warilie prouide for the profite & commoditie of the others. The handes are buſied in labouring, and ordayned to worke for ſuch things as may ſerue to the maintaynance of the whole man. The féet made to trauaile & with their agilitie quickly to fetch what ſo is néedfull, yet hath not nature giuen them ſuch ſtrength as ſhe hath placed and ſetled in me, that where the other members cannot for feebleneſſe, there I with my force doe beare out theyr weaknes.

Beſide, whereas the tongue woulde perſwade you that I am the author of pride, & cauſer of all wantonneſſe, I would deare brethren, you ſhould knowe that it is not in me, but in your ſelues, for looke what you put vppon mee I weare, and am therewith contented, I ſéeke not for that is curious, but that which is neceſſarie, Crimen non eſt in rebus ſed in vſu agentis, I take no pride in ſilkes, no more than in cloth, if any pride be, it is not in me nor in the garments, but in the vanitie of the eie and the luſt of the heart, that are better pleaſed with the one than the other. If you giue me that wil defend me in the winter from colde, and in the Summer from heate, I am pleaſed, but if you withdrawe from me to couer my nakedneſſe, the one of thoſe my two enemies will not onely bring mee to ſickneſſe, but you all in like caſe to death it ſelfe, and therefore deare friends and fellow members beléeue not the vnfaithfull tongue, that ſwelleth with enuy at your peace, and therefore would faine diſturbe your tranquilitie, not caring to harme her ſelfe, ſo ſhe may hurt you, therby to bring deſtruction to you all, her allurementes haue alreadie wrought you ſome ſmart, enfeebling your ſelues by withdrawing from the belly and me our neceſſaries, ſo that without you returne vnto your former amitie, there is nothing to be expected but preſent death.

Brethren, the deceitfull tongue hath beguiled vs all, and hath intended thereby nothing but our ouerthrow, and that doe I too well féele in my feeble fainting ioynts, that through want of ſtrength are ſcant able to beare vp the bodie, wherfore let vs renue our former friendſhip with the Bellie, by whome we haue hetherto maintained our health, and without whome we cannot continue, let vs not hereafter be lead by the tongue, but as Nature hath incloſed her in with a double wall, and ſhut her vp as in a priſon, ſo let vs charge the téeth and lippes to lock her vp, and according to their office ſet a bolt before her for walking at large, and if theſe cannot containe her in dutie, then will we make the handes helpers by violent force to holde her in, & not without cauſe doth it behoue vs ſo to do, for by her meanes we ſée (through this contention) the hands are weakned, the head bedulled, and the face apalled, the heart panteth, yea the Tongue her ſelfe is ſilent, what will followe now but a finall ende of vs all, if we doe not ſpeedely miniſter to the Belly wherewith to féede vs, and to the Backe to kéepe vs warme, and therefore I promiſe for my part, as faſt as my fainting lims will ſerue, to trudge for ſomewhat for their maintainance.

And as readie am I to reléeue them, as I was before forward to pull from them, being ſorie that I lent anie eare to the diſſentious Tongue, wherby to diſpleaſe natural friends, promiſing hereafter not to forſake them, for the perſwaſions of any craftie enimie.

Then deare brethren beſtirre ye, prouide ſome thing with ſpéede, and you ſhall finde how I will refreſhe your fainting members, for as Nature hath made me your ſeruant, ſo wil I not faile in doing my dutie, and let this your ſmart warne you hereafter to liue together in mutuall loue, that as wee are all fellowes and members of one bodie, ſo we may violently and voluntarily withſtand all ſubtill entiſementes of vnnaturall enimies, that ſhal go about to diſquiet our peace, ſo ſhall our amitie in a natural harmonie be maintained, our bodily health the longer preſerued, our quietneſſe and peace ſtill eſtabliſhed, and our hatefull enimies inwardly grieued, to our continuall ioy, and their vnſpeakable griefe.