o Noble philosopher & vaillaunt duke Caton I Sipion haue oftyn tymes merueil & so hath this Gayus lelyus my felowe aswele for thyne hygh̄ wysedome & profyte in science that thou hast in the as in othir thingys / and also I am wont to merueyl me that I perceyuid neuer that olde age was to the neythir noyous ne he­uy which̄ is so hatefull to som olde men that they sayen that they beren a more greuous and more heuyer burden thanne is that mounteyn of Sicille callid Ethna Caton āswerith certaynly good yong men of noble courage hit semith to som men that ye tweyne haue merueil of a thyng lyght & easy to knowe that is to witt why age semyd me neuer neythyr heuy greuous ne noyous / ffor eche of thies vj ages which̄ men name Ch̄ildhode adolescence [Page] yongth virilite manhode & olde age semyn to be heuy & noyous to men the which in them silf haue nothyng that may help & socoure them to lyue goodly & blessidly as bee tho which excercisen sciences & vertues & good werkis but as to suche men which sechyn & fyndyn in themsilf alle the goods & thyngis which belongyn wele & blessidly for to lyue / ther is nothyng that comyth to them in age by the defaute of nature that may seme vnto them euyll ner noyous It is certayne that olde age is suche that it serchith̄ & fyndyth in it self all the goodnesses whch longen to liue wel & blyssidly / and yit is olde age such that alle men desyre to come vntyll hit / And neuer thelesse the mutablenes & euyl dysposicion of men hit is so grete in oure dayes that they blamyn olde age whan they be come therto by cause that then̄e they may not vse delectacions

All the folis seyn that olde age comyth in them son / ner thenne they wend / but I demaunde a question of such men what maner foly constreyned them forto trowe or suppose the thyng the which̄ is fals / for they can sey no reason how olde age entrith sonner in the man aftir adoles­cence nomore than doeth adolescence aftir puerice callid chidlhode which̄ is the seconde age / how be it that it is so ordeyned by nature that that one of the ages entrith af­tir the ende of the othir More ouir I demaunde such̄ foo­lys how olde age shuld be lesse chargyng & lesse greuous to men if they myght lyue viijC yere / for how be it that the age past had be longer yit it may neithir comforte ne allege ne satisfye the foole olde man Therfor yf ye two be merueiled of my wysedome in myne age which̄ I wold it were such̄ as ye repute & vnderstonde it and wold be [Page] worthy to be knowyn & bere forth my surname Caton / I answere to yow that yf I am wise my wysedome is one­li in this thyng for I folow the lawe & ordenaūces of dame Nature the rygh̄t good leder of kynde & also I obeye vn­to hir for all hir comaundementys befulle lyke to the co­maundementys of the dyuyne gddys by cause that bothe two drawyn to the true welth̄ of blyssyd disposicion It is not lyke semyng sith̄ Nature hath̄ wele disposed & or­deyned the othir fyue first ages eche aftir h̄is office that she had neglygently lefte to ordeyne the office of olde a­ge / which̄ is the laste tyme & endyng of men And as it comyth of a foole & of a neglygent clerk which̄ can not ne may nor will fulfill the booke that he beganne but alwey what euir be said of olde age alleway that she hath hir offyce ordegned by nature I say that it must nedys of necessite that it haue som endyng swete & soft for to en­dure to the wyse man ffor lyke as nature hath ordeyned in the fruytys of trees & of erth̄ which̄ haue the fruyte soft or harde that they abydyn on the tree & fallen aftyr they ben rype ynough / so hath Nature ordeyned of the cause of ages some as folys wyll argue & rebell them ayenst the ordenaunces of nature / but that debate & rebellion is pro­prely compared and lykend to the fiction of the poetys which̄ by their tales feyned that in the tyme of Iupiter kyng of the londe of Crete the geauntys as folys wol­de make werre ayenst the goddys by the wh̄ich̄ ye owe to vndirstonde that the folysshe men wolde rebelle ayenst the ordenaunces of nature chamberer & seruant of god Lelyus demaūdith a question forsoth Caton I promyse the for my felowe Scipion that thou shalt do vnto [Page] vs right a gracioꝰ frendship if by the / we lerne long ty­me afore or we become olde men / by what reasons we myght suffre & endure ryght lyghtly the chargyng & the greuoꝰ age of olde men / for we hope certaynly that we wyll beco­me olde / Caton answerith / forsoth Lelius I shal do that thou requyrest me so that eche of you haue agreable my wordys that I sshal say to you / of tho Lelius & Scipion demaunded this question to Caton / so that it be not greuous to the we wull desyre certaynly / what is the longe wey by the which thou art comyn in / from thy childhode vntill this age / for thou maist teche vs / as he wh̄ich had don a long viage / in the whiche we must entre / Caton an wered I shal make you Lelius an answer so as ye aske aftir that I may / forsoth I haue oftymes be in the quarell of sciuile causes disputyng / & in the parlamentis of my felows egall to me in the disputyng & pledyng causes of their matiers & processis ffor aftir the aūcient prouerbe all thyngys which be like of resemblaūte exsamples. lightly wold be vndirstonde assemblyd & gaderd to gedyr / So I shal telle you what grete thyngys Salmator And Spurius Albinus whilom consuls in Rome which were almost lyke to me in age / were wont to sorowe and wepe by cause that in the tyme of their olde age they had no flesshely delectacions / withoute whiche they seid their lyfe was nought / And said also that they were dysprey­sed / and holde in reproof & reproche of peyne & displeasyre bi whom they shulde be haunted magnified & worshipped Thies men Salmator And Albinus after my de­myng did not accuse & blame that thyng whiche they huld haue accused / ffor yf y^t thyng wherof they wepte & sorowid shuld come by the blame & defaute of olde age by lyk reason to me & all othir y^e which be gretter & older than [Page] I / shuld come the ij causes a forsaid for which̄ they soro­wyn / but it is not so / ffor I knowe many of them which be of such age & of gretter age than I am / which bere & enduryn their olde age withoute makyng such̄ complaynte for they enduryn & suffre gladly & be glad to be oute of the prisons & bondys of flesshely delectacōns & they cōplayne not that they be dispraysed of such̄ men / but the blame & the vice of all such̄ compleinyng bi which̄ olde age semith greuoꝰ & noyoꝰ is in the condicions & in the maners of the men & not in the age / ffor certaynly the old temperate men which be not dangeroꝰ ne cruell / enduryn & bere lyghtly their olde age / but importunyte cruelte & vnmanerly gouernaūce is chargyng & greuoꝰ to olde age / & to all othir age / Lelyus answerith & after demaūdeth certaynly Caton it is so as thou saist / but parauentur som myght say that thou berist and endurist better thyn olde age by cause of thy richesse & for the habondaunce of the tempe­rall goodys that thou hast by cause of thy dygnyte / and true it is that this thyng which̄ thou hast comyth but to fewe men / Caton answerith̄ forsoth Lelyus thou rea­sonest & saist wel that the richessis & the dignyte that I haue maken me to suffre & endure more easely myne olde age / but in this thyng be not alle the meanes paciently to suffre & endure olde age The thyngys which̄ makyn olde age swete & pacient be as tho thingys whiche make a man to be noble or to be a Chorle therof I shalle telle the by exsampl̄ / Ther was a noble man of athenes clepid Themystecles which̄ pletyd with a Chorle of the Isle of seryphus in the which̄ were comonly froward men & euyl condicōned This scr [...]fios that was a chorle said to The­mystecles that he was not noble ne gentyl of hym self / but onely by cause of the magnifyeng & worship of his [Page] noble contre of athenes / to the which̄ Themystecles an­swerd / By god said he & I were a man of Seriphus as thou art / yit shuld I not be a Chorle / & yf thou haddist be of athenes as I am / yit sholdist thou neuir be noble in worship nor gentilnes / In semblable wyse may be said this comparison of olde age / for it may not be soft nor light to suffre and endure in grete pouerte / how be it that the olde men were wyse & full of letters / & also is olde a­ge greuoꝰ & danugeroꝰ to the fole olde man / how be it that he haue ryght grete habondaūce of goodys by his byrth / Certaynly my frendys scipion & lelyus the right couenable armes of olde age be the craftys & occupaciōs to vse ryght wysely / & the excercita [...]on̄s of the iiij princi­pall vertues / that is to witt / temperance / prudence / force / & Iustice if thies vertues be wel̄ sett to werke in all thyne age / aftir that thou hast lyued long ynough̄ / they shal bryng to the merueilloꝰ frutys of delectacion by the swete remembraūce of the good deedys past / the frutys of thies vertues be not onely merueilloꝰ by cause that they wyll neuir leue their mayster namely in the last tyme of olde age which̄ is right a grete & a syngulere thyng / but also the frutys of vertues be merueilloꝰ for the conscience of the man which̄ had wele lyued / & as by the recorde of remembraūce of many good deedys doon is right a glad some thyng to the olde age / wherfor it may appere vn­to you that olde age is not withoute delectacion of vertu­oꝰ deedys dooyng Nowe come I forto shewe that the olde men be not dispreysed nor relinquysshed or forsakyn of o­thir men that tyme whan I was as an adolescent yong of age / as moch louyd I that olde man Quyntus ffabi­us which toke & recouerd the cyte of tarente whiche is in the londe of puyle And loued hym whiche was lyke me [Page] in age & in condicions / ffabyus than an olde man had in himsilf a good disposicion of a moderaunce medlyd with curtesye & with honeste and clennesse & his olde age had not changed his vsis & good custumes in eny wyse / But that they were as good or better as they were in his first tyme / I beganne to haunte & loue the seid ffabyus how be it he was not meruelously of grete age / but neuer­theles he was than aged / ffor the seid ffabius first was consul of Rome in the yere that I was borne / & in the yere of his fourth consulat / I whiche was thēne a yong adolescent & knygh̄t / went with the seid ffabius to Cap­ne a cyte in champaigne / and the fyfth yere aftir I was Questour and went to Tarent & aftir I was made edyle of Rome and the fourth yere aftir I was presture which is the souerayne dygnyte in Rome / I had this dygnyte at that tyme whan̄ Tudicanus and Cetegus were consuls of rome / & ffabius which̄ was then̄e full olde did so moch̄ by his amonestyng & purposyng of faire wordys that the lawe of Cyntius was resceyued at Rome by the which̄ he made ordenaūce in yiftis of offyces / that is to witt / that tho yiftis shuld not be outerageous excessyfe no euyl employed & that the offices shuld be cō mytted by election to sufficient men in cōnyng & conuenient personis acceptable / How be it that ffabyus was playnly olde yit made he batailles so victoriously & so egerly as he had be in the age of adolescence in the tyme that hanyball a yong man & duke of cartage made werre ayenst rome & the contrey a boute / ffabyus thenne olde suffred hanybal to sporte hym & take his recreacion in the champaigne of rome & by the suffraūce y^t ffabius had ayenst haniball / he lessed & enfebled hym & his hooste in somoch̄ y^t he & his men were so sotted and delyted in fleshely delectacions [Page] that they forgate & loste alle the excercisyng of armes & the dysciplyne of knyghthede Of thys ffabyus tellith ryght nobly our good & preuy ffrende the poete / Enneus ffabyus said he is a romayne which̄ restoryd vs our coū trey oure fraunchises & oure libertees by the respyte & longe suffraunce that he had ayenst oure grete enemy hany­ball Fabius thenne olde was so temperate & so prudent that of the renomme fame & worship of all othir veyne gloryes he chargid not nethir sett by it / but aboue all o­thir thyngys he put before the helth̄ & the welfare of the comon̄ profyte of his coūtrey / & for this cause the renom­me glory worship & the fame of ffabyus resplendysshed & floured aftir h̄is deth / more than at that tyme whanne he lyued But it shulde be a grete thyng for to tell and seye by what dylygence & by what conseille he toke & re­couyrd the cyte of / Tarente which̄ thenne was a cas­tell and at that tyme was takyn by the affricans / It fortuned that a consul romayne callid Salmator loste as it is said the castelle of Tarente and fled by the withdraught in to the toure of the same castell Thenne aftir that ffabyus recouird the same castell the seid Salmator me heeryng how he glorifyed & magnified hymself of that recoueryng by thyse wordys Certeynly seid Salmator to the seid ffabius / thou hast recouerd bi me & by my werke the castell of / Tarente forsoth ansuerid ffabyus yf thou haddyst not loste it a fore I shuld neuer haue recouird it neithirr takyn it ageyne / This ffabyus full olde was so good in armes & in house that is to saye that he was so good in tyme of werr and of peas that he was not better in that one than in that other

[Page]And eftsones ffabyus was consul and had a felowe of office callid carinlyus the which excercysed not his offyce but that notwithstondyng the seid ffabyus thenne an olde man resisted as moch̄ as he nyght to the en­trepryse of Gayus fflammynyus which at that tyme was tribune of the poeple of Rome which̄ ayenst the auctorite of the senatours of Rome wolde deuyde by syngler partys an herytage callyd the terroner Picentois and the terroner Galois And how be it that ffabius of the connyng & office callyd Angure which̄ is a dyuinore which̄ was a dygnyte in Rome that men yafe them to that science which̄ determyned & knewe the thyngys to come by the chirmyng & by the song & by the countenaūce of the foulys & bryddys of the eyre / Neuertheles he had in hym the boldenes for to say that all thyngys which̄ were made for the sauacyon & for the welfare of the comyn profyte callid Res publica were made by ryght good dyuynyng But the thyngys made or saide ayenst the comun profy­te were made or saide ayenst the sentēcys of wyse men of Auspices that is to say ayenst the dyuynynges Iuge­mentys & demynges the which̄ were made by the senten­ces of fowles and bryddys I haue knowyn that in this man were many thynges of ryght noble condicyōs the which̄ I telle not / but I knowe nothyng more merueil­lous for to say thanne is to telle how ffabyus susteyned & enduryd withoute mournyng & wepyng the deth of his sone Marius which̄ was a noble man & wylome consul of rome We haue clerely & in a parte declarid the praysyng of the olde ffabius of which̄ whan we rede his praysyng we fynde but fewe philosophers lyke hym but me owghte [Page] to disprayse them to the regarde of Fabius and it is cer­tayne that he was not onely to be recomended in grete de­dys of pryse that he did outward & in the presence of the Cytezeyns of Rome But he was better & gretter within forth / that is to witt in good condicions & within his sowle / I may not sey ynough̄ what was the speche & wor­dys nor what were the commandementes of the olde Fa­byus nor what was the knowleche that he had of the deedys & of the sayengys of the olde tyme I may not also saye ynowgh̄ how moche he knewe of the arte & scyences of dyuynyng & determiinacion of fortunes to come good or ylle in tyme of peas & of werre by the flygh̄t or by the chirming or by the countenaunce of the foulys & briddis of the yere / And yit had also ffabyus science & witte y­nough after the maner which̄ the romayns had & vsed at that tyme / This ffabyus conceiued & resceyued in his mynde not onely the romayns bataylles but also remembred of straunge bataylles / I spake as desyringly with hym as I coude deuyse at that tyme / the same thyng whiche fortuned of hym after he died that is witt that after his deth I shuld haue no man Romayne of whom I myght lerne in workis & in techyngys suche as he hadde be It nedith not to seye so many thyngys to the preysyng & fame of the said ffabyus / ffor certeynly ye see wele by that that I haue said that it is vntrouth̄ & a vice to say that olde age is wretchiyd myschaunt or noyous so that it had be such̄ as was the same of olde ffabyus & how be it that ffabyus had be such̄ in all his age neuertheles it is certain that all men may not be such̄ as were the scipions [Page] and the ffabyens nethir alle men also may not be suche that they myght so of them self recorde & reherce / the cy­tees the which they haue fought with & werrid or con­quered in the bataylles that they haue made a fore in dy­uers landis & reames & also by nauy of shippes on the see / nor all men also may not be such̄ that they myght of them self / recorde nor saye the victorious deedis & tryum­phes which they haue had in their lyues lyke as dyd the worthy Scipions and also the noble ffabiens whi­lom noble romayns & vertuous in them self ffor namely some olde men myght in tymes past haue be of peasible clene and faire lyf in gouernaūce / and yet is their ol­de age plesaūt & swete suche as as we here by the hystory­es that declaren of the olde age of platon which at fou­rescore yere & one wrote books to teche men connyng & vertue & so dooyng he dyed Some olde age may be plesaunt & swete hou be it that the lyf precedent had be still pure & soft without warre or so noyed as we hier by historyes how was the olde age of socrates the philosophre the which as men sayne wrote in the yere of his age fourscore and fouretene a boke callid Penatheticus in which he tawght men for to dispreyse & not to set by deth So­crates lyued v yere after y^t he had made an ende of the saide booke he was disciple of a philosopher callyd Gorgi­as which was born in a castel callyd Leoucin This Gorgias maister to Socrates was an hundert & seuen yere fulfyllyd of age & he neuer cesid in his studye but euermore he was besyed and occupyed / Thenne it fortu­ned that men demaundid hym why he wolde be so longe [Page] alyue he answerde I haue not said ne seen in me ony cau­se why I shulde accuse nor blame myne olde age / Cer­taynly this answere was right nobly spoken & was worshipfully seyd & appertynent to a wise man / The foolis wolde sey in contrary of thanswere of that philosopher Gorgias ffor the foolys puttyn vpon the olde age their owne vices & blame whiche come of them silf / that is to witt / the foolys accusyn their olde age and puttyn vpon it the vices & defautys whiche come of their euyll condicions in yongth & not of the age which̄ thyng did not the poete Enneus of whom we haue nowe late made mencyon / for in shewyng what he was in olde age he made therof a comparison̄ / I am seyde Enneus as the strong hors whiche many atyme hath̄ discomfited / the other horsys in rennyng lightly / & is come first to the prycke / And by cause that nowe this hors is olde he restyd hym & labourith nomore / This Enneus compa­rith & resemblyth̄ his olde age to the olde age of a strong & a victorious horse / Of this Enneus may we well haue in mynde for the xix yere after the deth of hym Titus fflamminius and Marcus Attilius were made Consuls of Rome & Ennius dyed at that time whan̄e Sipion & Philip was made the secōde tyme Consuls And I which̄ than was sixti & fyue yere of age purposyd & pletyd with a grete & high voice a fore the senatours of rome for the lawe which̄ made bocone one of the wise men of Rome / & that lawe I preuyd & susteyned by suasyons & good reasons vayllable whan ennyus was six­ty & ten yere of age / for he lyued so longe by age /

[Page]The seyd poete Enneus beyng olde as I haue sayd suffred and endured so pacyently and so wele two grete burdons / whiche men reputen and accepte right grete / that is to witt pouerte and olde Age / that it semyth that Enneus hadde therin grete delectacyon /

wHanne I Scipion considre certaynly in my courage. for how many and what causes the olde age semyth to be wretchid myschamit and noyous. I fynde of them onely foure causes. The first cause and reson is. by cause that men taken away from olde men thadmynystracions and gouernaunce of thynges. whyche requyren werke and labour of bodyly strength̄ or aduys and lack of witt and of vnderston­dyng. The seconde is by cause that olde Age makyth men feble. seekly and foryetefulle. The thirde cause is for as moche that olde age takyth away fro men alle delectacyons and pleasurs naturelle as sensualitees in getyng of chyldern. The iiij reason is by cause that [Page] the olde man aftir cours of nature is not ferr from deth

Caton answerith nowe see we yf it please you how gre­te and how Iuste / & of what valew ben eche of thies foure causes which̄ men opposyn ayenst olde age / & first tell me how ye vndirstonde that olde age withdrawith & takith away fro men the gouernaunce and the admynistraci­on of thyngys concernyng bodily occupacōns of strength and besynes / and yf it be so / telle me of what thyngys / & ye parauenture shull answere me that men take away and withdrawen fro men by cause of olde age the admy­nistracion and gouernaunce of the thynges that men ta­kyn in yongth by bodily strength / And that tyme whāne the body is in strength & wertu / but thenk ye not Scipi­on and Lelyus that olde men haue not some thyngys & workys whiche they may & canne admynystre & doo in their age / And also thynk ye not but some thyng ben whiche men may make and admynistre by the Counseil of olde men how be it that namely they haue their bodyes seke & maladif Sayst thou thēne Scipion that this olde man ffabyus did nothyng profitable to the gouernement and to the admynistracyon of the comon profite of Rome / Saist thou also that nothyng did thy ffader Lucyus Paulus for the welfare of Rome of whom my sone yong Caton had weddid the doughter

Saist thou also that thies othir olde men callid ffabrycius and the curious and the Cornycanoys did nothyng whenne they defendid and sauid with their counseile and by their auctorite the comon profite [Page] of our cyte of Rome / Ther was at Rome one Appi­us an old agid preest whiche seruid in the temple of Minerua othir wise callid Pallas whiche preest was fulle olde and with that he was blynde / And it fortuned that at that tyme Pirrus the kyng of Epirites made werre ayenst Rome / & insomoche that the senatours were inclined and concordid for to make peas and aliance with the seid kyng Pirrus and notwithstondyng that Appi­us was an olde man and blynde / yit he doubtid not for to say the senatours the wordys whiche the seid Enne­us had sett in versys / wherof of the sentence is thus / why seid Appius haue ye inclyned and reualed youre coura­gious hertys / whiche til nowe were accustumyd to be fer­me and stidfast / be ye madd or for lak of discressyon a­gree ye for to condescend and desyre ye to make alliance and peas with kyng Pirrus by cause that he puttth in strength for to putt you downe and in subiection and wolde destroye yowe / and othir thyngys he seid right felly and right greuously he rebukid them / and the seid Appius fulle olde said yet to the senatours / and yit ye knowe said he that Enneus made the versys that I haue here allegid & seid by the whiche he repreuith you / and also ye Scipion and Lelyus mowe haue seen the reason by the which Appius olde and blynde purposid this matier before the senatours / seuentene yere aftir that he had be the seconde tyme consul / and yet ther was x yere betwix hir first and seconde consulat / wherfor men may vndir­stonde that in the tyme of bataile of kyng Pirrus the [Page] seid Appius was of a grete age / that is to witt seuenty and vij yeris / The olde Appius did / by his resonyng and talkyng that the Romayns vndirtoke thenne their entrepryse and ordeyned a grete hoost ayenst kyng pirrus whiche by them was discomfited / whiche was thyng full merueilous / And algatis we haue herd it said by our auncient ffaders They thenne preue not ne affer­me any thyng ayenst the counseil of olde age / that saye that they may nor can entirmete and medle of nothyng And tho that so saye / ben lyke to them whiche supposyn and wene that in a ship saylyng by the see / the lodesman / whiche is callid the patron or mayster of the ship / whiche kepyth the rothir or sterne of the shyp to guyde yt wele dooth nothyng but attendith onely to that / by cause that some yong men clymmyn vpon the mastis and some men drawen vp the ankyrs and some yong men trussyn vp the sayles / and someothir yonge poompyn and dra­wen water oute of the harmeron of the shippe / and also as ye may see the patrone maister or lodesman whiche that holdith & kepith the rothir of the ship which restyth & sittith in the ende of the ship & takith kepe to the nedyl & compas to knowe the directe cours of the ship saylyng dooth not that besynes of bodily strength whiche be lon­geth to yong men to doo / but alle the charge & welfare of of the ship marchandize & mennys lyues lieth̄ in the witt & discrecion of the olde man which is patron maister or lodesman of the ship / and for thies seid causes I answe­re you / that he dooth gretter & bettir thyng thenne yong men / for he counseylith ordeyneth and auyseth of the [Page] moste chargeable thynges whiche ben to be doon / for the grete thynges of charge be not made by strengthis of bodye nor by delyuernes and plyantnesse neithir by lyght­nesse of body / but they ben made by counseill by auctorite experience and by ordenauncys of grete witt & hygh dis­cression / of whiche thyngys / olde age is bettir prouided & stuffed by experience / thenne any othir age / & by olde age they lose not her tyme / But parauenture ye shall replye to me / by cause that it semith you that nowe I doo no­thyng & that I was wont to employe & occupye me in werre and in deedys of armys in dyuers batailles for the de­fence to be made ayenst the aduersaryes of Rome / And nowe I may werre nomore / I whiche was wont to be one tyme excercysed in the office of a knyght occupyed in ba­taille & armes / anothir tyme vsyng the office of tribun / anothir tyme the office of an ambassiatour or a begat / & anothir tyme sittyng as consul / I answer you that euir I doo somwhat for the profyte of rome / for before the tyme I ordeyne & deuise to the senatours the thynges which̄ be most expedient to be doon for the honour of y^e romaynes / & I denounce & make to be remembrid long before the tyme of necessitee to the senatours & to the romayns / by what maner men may resiste ayenst the londe of cartage our grete ennemyes whiche nowe by long tyme haue be full euill & maliciously disposed for to make batayle & mortel werre ayenst oure cytee / Wherfor knowe ye verryly Scipion / that I shall not sece to make ordenaunce & prouisions which be longe to defende vs from oure ennemyes y^t we romains shall not drede ne doubte the power [Page] of the cyte of Cartage / vnto the tyme that I knowe that it be alto gedyr destroyed by victory of batayle / which̄ bataylle I desyre that the Inmortell godys yeue to the in such̄ maner that thou poursiewe the destruccion of the remenaunt that be left lyuyng of our Auncient Enne­myes / whiche thy grauntsyre Quintus ffabyus left in the cyte of Cartage / whiche decessid nowe xxxiij yere past But he was suche that in alle the yeris folowyng / ther shal be mynde of his tryumphe and worship And knowe Scipion that thy Grauntsyre Quintus dyed the same yere whan̄e I was made Iuge at rome / And ix yere aftir whanne I was made consul thy seid Graunt­sire Quintus was made consul aftir the ende of my consulat / And yf thenne thy Grauntsire Quintus had ly­uyd / vnto an .C. yere. he shuld neuir had be aunoied discoragid nor weery of his olde age / for it was so profita­ble and so honeste to hym / how be it that he hadde left the vse and the maner of deedys of armes / in whiche yong knyghtys / preuen and assaye themsilf / that is to witt / lightly for to renne / ferr for to lepe / & to Iuste with speris and to fyght mygh̄tly with axes & with nakyd swerdys Neuertheles & he had lyued vnto an C yere he wolde haue ordeyned thies seid occupacōns to be excercised & the study of the comon profite by counceill by reason & by moderat attemperaūce & sad deliberacōn which̄ thingys but if they were in olde men roted by experience· oure aūcient ffadirs had neuir said y^t the souerayn coūseill of the cyte wele go­uerned shulde be callid a wise senate which signifieth a wise feliship of olde men / the romains lacedomonois & ben [Page] right noble and of Auncyent fol̄kys of Grece. whyche whilom had grete people in their domynacion / they callyd olde men to them / whiche had emongis them the souerayn dignyte & the grettist office / also in suche dignyte or office men deputed not but olde men of connyng / science / and of craftis / And ye wyll rede or heer the olde hystoryes of phi­losophres / ye shall fynde that the comyn profytes of other contrees as weel as of ours wh̄iche were right grete in dignyte and worship haue ben lessid and destroyed by the gouernaunce of yong men of adolescence and yong Age But after that they haue be susteyned and refourmed in their first astate by the aduyse and gouernaunce of olde men / they haue prosperid in grete worship and felicitee / as they dyde by fore tyme / Now telle me Scipion and Lelyus how ye haue loste your comyn profyte that was right grete and full ryche / I make you this demande for they that pleyen the pagentys in the comodyes of pleyes of solas and disportys / whiche Nenius the poete made a dyaloghe of two personys whyche had loste a right grete and a riche patrimonye of their enherytaunce / It was in semblable wise so questyoned as I doo / And to this other demaundys men answeryn otherwyse to maters whyche ben not specyfied here / But the pryncipall answere of the poete Nenyus was this / To this gouernaūce of your comyn profyte / reualyd & brought to nought / came many new yong maisters ygnorant and vnkonnyng of the lawys / both aduocatis yong apprentises that presume them connynger in the lawes than they be / and foolys of yong Age / And therfor ye loste that riche patrymonye and [Page] enherytaunce by outragyous gouernaunce and fole har­dynes / and for lack of discrecion by the properte of natu­re and kynde of yonge Age / ffor prudence and good auyse of grete discression ben the propertees and nature of olde Age / Scipion opposith and seyth to Caton but for alle that / in olde age is another lack or a defaulte ffor in olde Age is lessid the mynde and remembraunce of the thinges that men knewe in their yong age / Caton answerith I beleue Scipion that the mynde of an Agid man is lasse / but yf he exercise and occupye it in re­membryng the thynges chargeable that he knewe before And also it lessith more his good remembraunce yf he be borne a foole / or els naturelly so euyll of complexion or el­lis be hurted in that parte of the hede wherin lieth̄ the ver­tue memoratyf callyd remembraunce / A noble man of Athenes callyd Themystocles had in his mynde all the names of the cytezeyns of Athenes / Deme ye thēn that whan Themystocles became olde that he wolde sa­lewe the grete and worshipfull Lysimacus an olde cy­tezeyn of Athenes in stede of Aristidees another olde citezein of Athenes / for soth nay for Themystocles ex­cercised his mynde in recordyng and remembryng the thynges that he knewe in h̄is yong Age / I my self haue knowen not onely Lysimacus and Aristides / but I haue knowen their fadirs and their grauntsirs / and in the meane tyme that I rede the Epitaphies of scriptures wretyn vpon their toumbes / I doubte it not as som men seyne that I do not forgete the remembraūce of their na­mes for by cause that I exercise my mynde in redyng [Page] their Epytaphyes it come ayen to mynde of the men de­cessid for whom tho Epytaphies were made / More ouir I shewe you by experience that yf the mynde of man be ex­cercised in olde age / it lesith not / for I herd neuer say that ony olde man who so euer he be wolde forgete in what pla­ce where he had hydde and leyd his tresour / Also olde men haue mynde of the wages fees and pensyons that they ben assigned vnto / And also of fees & wages that they haue assygned to other of their counseyl and seruan­tys / Also they haue mynde of the names of their Crean­cers to whom they owe / and also of the dutees & goodes whiche is owyng vnto them / Olde men remembre them of many and dyuerse thynges of grete weyght and char­ge / ffor they remembre of the lawes that wyse men haue made vpon the caases pleted that ben comenyd and ordey­ned emonge them / Olde men remembre of the right & of the constytucions and ordenaunces / whiche by the bys­shoppes haue be made for the seruyce of the goddys / They also remembre full wele how the angurys that be dyuina­tours doon and sholde determyne and pronostike vpon the dyuinacions and thynges that be for to come / And also they bryng to mynde what opynyons had the philosophers in determynyng the causes of the naturelle thynges and moralle thynges / ffor yf it be ony doubte or debate of ony thyng belongyng to the gouernaunce of the worlde / men goon only to the mynde of experience and remembraunce of olde men / in the wittys of whom is most naturelle ver­tu of gostely force and strengthe of the sowle which aby­deth stylle wyth olde men / so that the studye and industry [Page] abydeth hoolly wyth them / that is to wytt / that men / not­wythstondyng their olde age / yet they abyden witty and subtyl in their ymaginacions and good conceytes / so that they apply their couragys to tho thynges specially / and they haue wisedome & perseueraunce in the same / And knowe ye Scipion anth Lelyus that the wyttes and good remembrauncys abyden not onely in olde men of noble degre and of hygh̄ astate whiche haue honourable & worshipfull offices / but also the wittes and good remem­braunces abyden in other olde men / also whiche haue ne­uer admynystracion ne gouernaunce of the comon profyte but onely of their owne propre goodes and preuy thinges belongyng to themself / as of their housholde kepyng and of their marchandysing or other honest occupacōns vsyng

And the poete Sophocles vnto his grete olde age made in versys dyuers and many tragedies / in whiche he wrote the euyll and abhomynable deedys of the kynges and prynces of the worlde / Al be it semed to his children by cause that he was intendant to his bookes to studye / that he was necligent to gouerne his owne propre goodes and thynges / And therfor they made hym to be called in iugement before the iuges / by cause that as it is of cus­tome after the lawe of Rome for to interdire and take away the admynystracion of good fro them that do not approwe it profytably ne dooth not wele their occupacion and werkes / Also that the iuges of grece wolde haue taken away from Sophocles as a foole and neglygent of the gouernaunce of his owne propre goodys and ca­taillys / Thenne the olde man Sophocles began to reherce [Page] and seye by hert before the Iuges afable of a tragedy cal­lid Edipus collonnoys that is to witt of a sad Cronycle and of an hystory lamentable which̄ he had all redy in his handys and had writyn it not long before / And af­tir that he had purposyd and declarid his Tragedie he questyoned to the Iuges why it semyd them that he was a foole whiche made suche versys and suche a ditte of a substancialle processe / thenne he by the sentence of the Iuges was absolued and dischargid of the accusacion of his childeren / Telle me thenne Scipion and Lelyus yf the olde age constrayne a man for to be chaunged or for to be depryued for to seace from his studyes / thise foure noble poetys Sophocles Esyodus Simonides and Tersytorus / he answerd nay / Telle me also yf the olde age constrayned them to be chaunged or for to seace in their studyes thies two philosophers Socrates and Gorgias of whom we haue spoken here a / fore and Omer the poete Pytagoras and demacritus Platon and Exenocrates / And aftir this zenon Celantes & that worthy Dyogines the whiche namely ye haue seen at rome whiche vij haue bee & ben prynces of philosophers callid Souerayne wise men / forsoth olde age made them neuir to be chaunged nor to sece in their studye of bookys redyng / see ye not / that in alle thies poetys and philoso­phers lyues the frequentacion & excercise of their studyes hath be lyke to the tyme of alle their lyfdayes / ffor they haue studyed by as long tyme as they haue lyued / si­then that they had be of reason / But leue we to speke of thies studyes of philosophers and of poetrye whiche [Page] ben dyuyne sciences / and come we to speke of the artys of the vij sciences and of the Craftys that men made by labour of body I may name you some olde men laboers Romayns my neyghbores and my famyliar frendys whiche ben of the grounde of ffabyens / that workyn so faste and so wele that their workys ben neuir gretter ne better as thenne whanne they be presente ther at / be it in sowyng corne & greffyng trees or in gaderyng the fruytes and puttyng them in the garners / that is a thyng more meruelous that thies olde men whiche haue hope to lyue but a while labouryn so gretly in sowyng cornes of dy­uers greynes in plantyng & in settyng trees & in greffyng trees to bryng forth dyuers kyndys of frutys / and also in gaderyng of them ayen / And in leying vp suche prouysions / & tho thyngys necessaryes to lyue with all. how be it that in othir men whiche hopyn and truste long to lyue by them / hit is a lesse merueile so gretly for to laboure in such besynes But ye may seye that thies olde men labouren so faste for they thenkyn the vse of their labours ioyeth them gretly / ffor that saye ye / there is no man so olde / but he weenyth that he may lyue a yere lenger / forsoth Scipion and Lelyus / that that ye say is somwhat true / But olde Caton answerith / men labouryn in thyngys whiche they knowe that to them it apperteyneth not / nor shall not apperteyne in any wyse / fforthies olde men sette plantes and greffyn trees to bere frutys of dyuers kyndes / by cause that they doo profyte & beyng forth fruyte to men that aftir them shal come and not to them silf onely that settyn thise trees / As saith [Page] stacy an auctor of oure cyte in a booke of his whiche men namyn Sinophedys in whiche he spekith of the a­ge of men or they haue berdys / fosoth said stacy / the labo­urer how be it that he thenkyth he is olde he dare wele an­swere to him that demaundith and askith hym for whom and to whom he settith and greffith the trees / I sett them seid he to the goddys Inmortall and not to me ne to them that by myne elders in age which̄ anone shal dye That is for to vndirstond I plante trees to the men & bylde castels townys & housses for to dwelle vppon for cratures whiche shall be borne aftir my decees / And also I sette and graff thies trees to the seruice and profite of the goddys / whiche onely wolde not that I shuld rescey­ue of my predecessours thies trees / but the goddys wolde that I shuld gyfe them to such̄ that aftir me shall come as is before declarid and said / Scipion and Lelyus apposyn / forsoth Caton better spekyth the philosopher Cecylius / thenne did the labourer of whom thou spekyst of for Cecylius said / of an olde man whiche thought yit to lyue by a grete age / By god said he / dame olde age / yf thou shuldist not bryng with the any othir vice or any othir defaute of felicite and blessidnesse whan thou co­myst thēne is age / yit thou bryngyst a vice & a defaute / whiche suffisith to the disconfortyng of myserye and vnhappynesse / that is to witt / that in lyuyng long tyme the man seeth many thingys whiche he wold not see / and also he seeith many thingys whiche he desyrith gretly for to see for his syngler ioye and pleasire And also it is true that a man beeyng in adolescence of yong grene [Page] age fallith oftymes in thynges of displeasyng / and suche / that he wolde that he had not seen them / Scipi­on and Lelyus opposyn / forsoth Caton the philosopher Cecilyus saide of olde age a thyng is no more vitupe­rable and lothyng / thenne is the same that he seeith here before I holde sayd he a thyng that is most wretched of alle thyngys that men may feele and perceyue that in olde age / how an olde man is hatefull and lothfull to any man / be it also of an olde man or of ony othir age Caton I answere you that the olde man is not hatefull to anothir / but is glad & amyable / for as the old wise man hath delectacyon with the adolescence / and in yong men / whiche haue in them some tokyns of resemblaunce and shewyng to be good and worthy of noble courage in ty­me / to come to grete worship / and that olde age is softir and more ioyous whan olde men ben hawntid and loued of yong men / Also yong men and adolescent haue io­ye to resceyue the comaundementys and techyngys of olde men by the which yong men ben introducid and enfourmyd to the studye of vertues and of good workys which makyn their olde age ioyfulle and amyable towardes the worlde / Ye two yong men Scipion and Lelyus I vndirstonde that ye be glad & louyng towarde me / therfor I seace here after for to say ony more of this mater / ffor ye see and vndirstonde wele how olde age nomore thenne othir age is not languysshyng nor seeke nor slouthfull nor ydyll / But namely olde age euir workith and labo­urith and doeth and makith redy euir somwhat / that is to witt suche as he did & excercised in the aages precedent [Page] yf ye aske me what olde age labourith / I answere you that olde men lerne somthyng ouir that / they knowe / as we hier by the hystoryes that Solon oon of the Chief vij wise men of Athenes that aftir their decesse were callid philosophers / glorifyed hym to haue lerned in his olde age the science for to make versys in metyr aftir the mesure of tyme and nombre of sillables and Solon said that he became olde euery day in lernyng somwhat as I haue do that haue lerned as I saide the letters and the langage of grece as willyngly and as desiryngly as he that drynketh couetously and largely of the cuppe that wold slake his thurst that he bare long And knowe ye that I haue lerned the letters and the grekishe langage by cause that I myght knowe by the grekisshe historyes the exsamples / wherof ye see me to vse in this booke / And as I haue herd say that Socrates a grekisshe philo­sopher had in his olde age lerned for to pley with musicall Instrumentys with strengys as is of harpyng and lu­tyng and suche othir maner Instrumentys of musyque I was moued to that / that I shuld also lerne the playe of Instrumentys of musyk as I lerned the letters and the grekysshe langage / for the auncient noble men philosophers for the comforte and solace of olde age lernyd to play in instrumentys of musyk with strengys / and therfor I did putt my study and my labour for to lerne and knowe the letters and the langage of grece in my grete age /

N the nombre of the ffoure causes here aboue rehersed / where by howe / & in what wise olde age semith to be noyoꝰ & lothely / the seconde distinctyon conteyned the cause why olde age semith to be myschaunt noyoꝰ & wretchid / that is to wite by cause that it makith the body seke & fell / wher­for I answere you Scipion & Lelius that forsoth I desire not for to haue the strēgthis nowe of an adolescēt yong man aftir that I am become an olde man nomore thēne I desyred whanne I was an adolescent yong man to ha­ue the strengthys of a bulle or of an Olyphant / A man ought / wele for to vse in euery age of that thyng that nature yeueth hym / and also it apperteyneth that thou doo alle thyngys aftir the mesure and aftir the quantyte of thyne owne propre strength and not to v­surpe and take the vnto gretter thyngys than thou maist not nor hast no power to execute / ffor it may not be said more abhomynable nor more spitefull worde than was that which was said of a champyon callid Milo whiche was of crotoine a cyte of grece which Milo than beeyng olde as he sawe the myghty champyons and wrestelers which preued and assayde their strenghtys by dyuers maners in the comon place that was ordeyned for to doo such mays­tryes / This Milo as men seyen / lokid vppon his armes and said with wepyng terys / forsoth thies armes and and thies sydes arne dede / But I telle the Milo that [Page] thyne armes and thy sydes for whom thou wepist fore / ben not so dede as thou arte thiself / which is but as a Iaper both feynt & feble / & forsoth thou were neuir reputid noble for no wisedom / nor for no vertu of thyne owne myght and courage / but thou hast ben worshyppid and sett muche by for thy strong armes and for thy strong sydes whan thou didist wrastill ayenst othir men / this Milo a man vnworthy and vnnoble of litle reputacyon for any wisedom that he had / but for his strong sydes and the brawnys of his bonys and synewys / which from his adolescent yong age accustumyd and vsid to bere vpon his shulders a yong and a litl̄e calff / whiche aftir grewe and became a grete and an huge oxe / and by thac­custumyng & vse that Milo had to bere it from yongth / and whan he was light it was nothyng greuous to hym for to bere it / aftir that he was growen and become an oxe / heuy grete and huge / The olde Emilius whiche by syx tymes was consul at rome / wepyd neuir in desi­ryng ayen the strength of his yongth / as did Milo the Crothoniois / also nomore did Titus Cornutatus / whiche by many yeris was borne before the seid Emili­us / Nomore did also that olde man Publius Cras­sus / which alle thre as consuls ordeyned to the cyteseins of rome the rightfulle lawe ciuile for to obserue and go­uerne the cytees & the people / of thies thre olde men that their wisedom ascendid in encreacyng & contynued vnto the laste spirite of their lyues / Scipion demaundid a question and askith / yf any olde agid man beeyng an oratour or a pletar that is to witt an aduocat lernyng the [Page] lawe for admynystracion of Iustice yf it be to doubte that he may erre or faile in damaūdyng or askyng his reasons by the defaulte of voice & of matiers couenable & necessa­ryes in purposyng and vtteryng before a Iuge / fforsoth the office of an aduocat is not onely in clernesse & subtilte of witt / but he must haue in purposing his maters & in declaring both in good reasons of eloquēce & witt a demure countenaūce & bodily strengthe for to speke couragyous­ly wel & wisely & also attemperately / aftir as the causes of the matiers shull require / As if the mater be comfortable / thēn to purpose it with a ioyouse spirit / & yf the mater be dolorouse / lamentable & piteous / than he must pur­pose & declare it with lamentable spech & soft coūtenaūce

Caton answerith & seith that voice which is temperat soft and demure of swete eloquent speche purposid / which hath be excercised in the oratour / that is lernid in his yongth / It shyneth and flourisshith parfyteli in the man whenne he is come in olde age whiche is so syngulere a thyng that I knowe not the cause of it / but as a vertu geuen to hym / and as ye knowe I haue not loste the voice of swete eloquence both acceptable and fauorable / and yit ye see that I am / lxx / yeris of age / But neuerthe­lesse yf ye will knowe why the voice that is soft and de­mure shewith acceptably in the mouth of olde men / I an­swere you that the spech of the olde man faire of good eloquence yf it be curtoysly peasybly and temperatly vttred / the witt and the swete langage of the wise olde man maketh hym fulle oft to haue grete audyence and fauoure of the herers / And yf thou whiche art [Page] olde haue parauenture som reson so long or so harde for to pronounce or plede which thou maist not accōplisshe & fulfill in spedy tyme / neuirtheles thou maist honestly comaū de to such yong men as ben Scipion & Lelius / that they vttir & speke for the / & the aged mans office is to mynistre his sage counseill by his instruction to the yong ora­tours studyeng the lawes / wherby he may the more sadlyer grounde his maters to a good conclusion by his grete wisedom / for ther is nothyng more ioyfull to studiētys lerners than is olde aged men approued / in connyng which be accōpanyed / & felisshippid as amonges yong men which haue appetite & courage to studye & lernyng / for to obeye to the comaundementys of olde men / And we olde men le­ue som thynges which we myght wele doo aftir the strēght of our yeris to thentente by cause that yong men ben by vs taught & enfourmed / for to excercise & for to doo all honorable office by / There is no worke nor occupacion more noble & more comendable than that by the which olde men teche yong men to excercise & to doo all honorable office / And certaynly me thought whilom that thies vnoble olde men of worship / Gilyus Publius & the two Scipions thy grauntfirs & Lucius Emilyus & Pub­lius Affricanus were full blessid / fortunat & happy / whē ­they were in the feliship of the noble yong men romayns whiche of the seid olde men toke thexsamples of vertues / ffor me ought to thenk that all olde men ben full blessid & fortunat which ben maisters & techers of good condicōns grete wisedomes and profitable sciences / And how be it that the naturell strengthis lacken & faillen in olde men [Page] neuerthelesse that lackyng comith more ofter by the vices & outragyousnes of yong age than it comith by the vi­ces of olde age / ffor the age of adolescencye outragyoꝰ & euill disposid / & intemperat / yeldith & causith the bodi to be feble & vnweldy in olde age / ffor where as Cirus kyng of perse was full olde / he cōfessid by his worde that he hadd / at the tyme of his deth / that he felt not / nor neuir percey­uid / that he was in any wise become olde by cause of olde age / nomore than he was in adolescence as tellith an his­toryographe a cronicler callid Exenophon / I remēbre me that when I was a childe I sawe an olde man consul ro­mayn callid Lucius metellus / sithen that he had be iiij yere the chief of the bisshoppis of rome aftir that he had betwies consul / he was hool̄ & vygorus in vndirstondyng & he duellid in that dignyte of souerayn bisshop by xxij yere & in so good strengthis he lyued / to the laste ende of his age / that he ne required nor desired neuir te retourne ageine to the state & age of adolescēcye / It nedith not to me for to saye any thyng of my silf how be it that this boke that we make is the werke & processe of recomendyng of olde age & which apperteyneth to our age that be olde men as be they of whom we haue spokyn / Ye also may see how Nestor one of the kyngys of grece techid & enfourmed / & sett before the exsamples of his wisedomes & vertues in a boke that Omer the poete made of y^e batayle of troye / Nestor at that tyme when he prechid & taught his vertues was thēne in the thirde age of man for he was vppon an hundird yeris & yit he made no doubte but in recomēdyg hym silf / he semid to be full arogaūt & auaūtyng & neuertheles he recomendith not onely hym self / but the poete Omer [Page] hym preyseth also of his grete vertues / ffor certeynly seid Omer of the tongue of olde kyng Nestor stilled & droppid a langage swetter than hony / and for to speke that of his swetnesse of langage the seid kyng ne­did not of strength of body / and neuirthelesse the kyng Agamenon duke & leder of the batayle of grece ayenst the troyens askid / neuir ne requyred / to the goddys im­mortell / that he myght haue x such knyghtys as was the yong / Ayax by cause that Agamenon myght the rathir discomfite the troyens / But the duke Agame­non askith & requireth to the goddys that he myght haue vj such olde men as was that kyng Nestor & Agame­non said / that yf he myght haue vj / such olde men / he doubtyd not but within short tyme troye shulde be takyn & destroyed / But in leuyng to speke of myself that am of thage of ffourscore & iiij yeris / and forsoth I wolde that I myght magnifye & auaunt my self of that same thyng / wherof Cirus kyng of perse glorifieth & vauntyth hym / saying of hym self / that he felte neuir nor parceyued that he was in any wise become feble by cause of olde age / no­more thāne he was in his adolescencye / But algatys I say this of myself / that nowe I am not of such strēgth as that I was at that tyme whēne I was knyght in the batayle punike in aufrik / or at that tyme whanne I was consul in spayne or foure yere aftir that I was tribun of the romaynes knyghtys & fought nych to the moūtaynes callid thermophiles that departen the perces from the grekys / & at that tyme whan marcus attilius regulus was consul / But as ye see Scipion & Lelius / olde age hath not enfeblid me of all & wastid my body / and also ye see [Page] that the court & the parlement of the senatours askith not nor desiren my bodily strengthis / that is for to vndirstōde but for to coūseill the thyngys & the causes publikes / for y^e comon profite which concernyth the comon welfare of the cyte to be wele guyded / hit nedith not to the expedicyon of the thyngys that I be strong of body / but onely it suffi­seth that I be prudent & temperate / Iuste & strong in courage / also the seeges of the auditoryes of the Iuges which I occupye & excercise requyren / & demāde not that I be stronge of body / nor my frendys nor my seruaūtys / ne tho that occupye & haūten myne house / asken not that I be strong of body / for withoute any grete strength I may doo my deuoire to spede them / And knowe ye Scipion that I neuir conscented to an olde prouerbe / that many men approuen & cōmende / which amonyssheth & signifieth that thou be comyst olde hastli yf thou wilt long be olde but I had / lyner that I were not olde than I were olde / or I shulde be / by naturell age And forsoth there is no man that myght yit / take or saye ayenst me how I haue ben occupied & as saied to be olde / or I shuld haue it aftir cours of nature / & true it is that I haue lesse strength of body / thēne ony of you tweyne / And also non of you two haue the strength of this captayne romayne callid Titus poncyus / and how be it that the seide Titus haue gretter strength than any of you two / yit he is not therfor stron­ger in vertu by cause that any man ougth to be repu­ted and accomptyd / for strong / It suffisith onely that in hym be temperaunce of strength / That is to witt that he vndirtake not the thyng which he may not [Page] perfourme / And also it must nedys be that euery man enforce hym and putt hym in deuoire to begynne that thyng whiche he may perfourme / and yf euery man will tempre & modre his strength so as I haue saide / he shall haue grete desyre & plesire in his strength as I shall she­we you by thexsample folowyng / The worthy knyght Hercules and also the men of grece ordeyned / from iiij / to iiij yeris in the montayne of Olymphus the highest of the worlde Iustyngys turnementys & wrestlynges in the worship of their god Iubiter / Thēne it fortuned / y^t a champyon callid Milo of crotoyne came in to the place & in the cyrcuyte wherupon men made thies playes / he bare as men sayne a beef callid an oxe vpon his shulders by the space of an hundird paces / So I question the Scipion which strēgth haddist thou leuer to haue eyther the strēgth or the witt of the philosopher Pytagoras / or the strength of the seid Milo / ffinally I tell the thou owhtist vse of the bodily strengthis whiche is oon of the goodys of nature in the meane tyme whan thou haste them / But whan the goodys of bodily strength ben nomore in the / thenne thou shuldist not require it nor aske it sa­ue that thou maist saye parauenture that the adolescen­tys which ben in the third age owghten to desyre & aske aftir the age of pueryce which is seconde age / & by that he is the ferthir from deth / Therfor I tell the Scipion / that whan men ben somwhat entrid & come within adolescence / which is an age fructuouse and profitable / they to require it and to aske it / And not puerice callid Childhode whiche is withoute auaile and profite The cours and [Page] the weye of age is certeyne and determyned by nature / whiche hathe onely awey which is symple & is nothyng different more in the one than in the othir / But ech̄ goo by that symple and determyned / wey aftir the degrees in their cours from the one age in to that other / And yit nature had yeuen to euery part of age his owne propre sea­son and tyme / and hir partynent cours of vsage in kyn­de / That is to witt / that sekenesse and maladye is pro­pryd to the age of puerice in childhode / & cruelte is appro­prid to the age of yongth / worshipfulnesse and sadnesse of maners be appropryd to the age of virilite whiche is is the fyfthe age / Moderaunce and temperaunce be pro­pred to olde age / Eueriche owith to haue sumwhat naturelly and appropred vnto that / whiche may be gadird in his tyme I wolde Scipion that thou woldist geue me audience / & I shall tell the what thyng did olde Masimissa one of the kyngys of auffryk / whiche was oure ene­my and also he whiche was Lelyus felowe / whenne thou foughtist and discomfitist in bataile Siphar / the kyng of Munyde / This Masimissa which̄ was of age xxiiij ye­ris whēne he begāne to walke on fote / he wolde not skipp on horsbak / & when̄e he rode an hors bak / he wolde not lyght downe during all that voiage / he was neuir constrayned for to keuir his hede / for any rayne nor for any wynde or wedyr were it neuer so colde / This olde Masimissa had in hym a souerayne dryenesse & leenesse / & also he fulfillid & mayteyned all souerayne officis & all noblenesse parteyning vnto a noble courte & to ryall puissaūce / that is to witt to be a tresorer a countroller and a steward orels a [Page] Graunt maystir in a kyngys or in a pryncys court / By this thenne apperith that the excercitacion / the frequen­tacion and the attemperaunce that a man kepith in his yong age / may kepe in olde age / sumparte of the auncient strength which was before in the body Some may op­pose me / that in olde age ther be no strengthis / and I answere to that / ther is noon olde man that askith to olde any strengthe or any werke that be doon by strength / By this apperith thēn that aftir lawe Ciuile and aftir auncient ordenaunces by statutes & custumes of a londe / oure olde age ought to be besyed / occupyed / and medeled / with publike offices of dignitees or pryuees / as to be counseillours and gouernours of cytees and townes / so that they be suche / that men may excercise them withoute bodily strength / And by that we olde men be not onely free to doo that / whych we may not / neithir we namely be constreyned to doo asmuche as we myght doo / But Scipion thou myghtist oppose me ayenst olde age / that some olde men ben so feble that they shuld not mowe exe­cute nor doo ony publique office of dignyte or pryue per­teynyng to his lyuyng / I answere the that this vice is not propird to olde age / but is to comon vices of se­kenes and of nonpower of feblenesse of body Thenk Scipion how feble was Publyus affricans sone / whiche brought the vp and adopted the as his sone Thenk how by a lytle sykenesse he was enfeblid / whiche and hit had not be come vnto hym / he shuld haue be the seconde named in prowesse and renōme in actys of mar­cialle causes aftir the noble ffabyus for the sone of [Page] Publius ouircame & in renome surmounted his ffadir by Iustice & rightwisnes & science vsyng / wherof he had the more in his courage to mynystre & excercise Ther is no merueil thenne yf olde men be somtyme sekely and feble / fith that it was so that they of adolescentys a­ge / and namely yong men may not eschewe sekenesse of body / Therfor I telle you Scipion and lelyus that men must resiste to olde age by cause that they myght es­chewe and putt away dissolucion slouthe and ydeluesse by diligent labour and studye / And men must in lyke wise by excercitacion and by studye fight ayenst olde a­ge by cause that it falle not by no vicious lyuyng / lyke as by prouisions and remedye of good dyetyng / men fyght and perserue them ayenst sekenes of body / Ol­de men owen to haue in olde age suche conduyte guydyng and mesure by moderate excercise of laboure / as seke men vse to haue / therfor it must be auysed that olde men vsen of smale and lyght excercitacions and of temperat la­bours / Hit must also be counseilde that olde men ete and drynke meetes of lyght and good digestion / so that the strengthis and the bodily vertues be replete and sus­yned and not stoppid / by surfetes of hard metys or by surfete of drynkys / And hit nedith muche more to so­cour and helpe to the thought and passion of the soule & to the courage of olde men / by cause that by the socour that he dooth to suche thoughtys and the mynde of good remembraunce faile nor lessith not / and that be he coura­ged / as he may excercise & occupye hym in the thyngys parteynyng to olde age / ffor as the light of a lampe [Page] quenchith & dieth / but men putt in sum oyle / to the quan­tite that it lessith / So the thought in which is the myn­de of man & the courage of hert / wherin is the wisedome / reste stynte and faile / but yf they be socourd with such comfortable thyng of pleasyre / and comfortable excercitacōns of mery communycacyons as is in recordyng & redyng the bookys of vertu / and connyng in cronycles and historyes of their noble predecessours and bryng them so ayen to more parfite remembraunce aftir that men haue redd them / And it is certeyne / that as their bodyes so aa­ged ben woxen / greuid and wery by payne & labour / So their courages ben susteyned / and releuid by excercitaci / on of vse of studye of memory and mynde keepyng /

ffor whanne Cecylius the poete in a comedy of a mery boke of his saith that olde men ben sottys callid / o­thirwise foolys / for he seith that olde man withoute exce­citacyon of redyng or heryng good historyes / they be dis­posid lyghtly to beleue alle the thyngys or tales thowh they be not profitable to them that they here saye / by cause that they haue no demyng in them / and also they be for­ged fulle by repleccyon of colde & fleumatike humours / and the more by cause that they haue not excercised in a­ge the vertu of remembraunce / and also they ben noyous and daungerous straunge for to please withoute hauyng of moderacion and temperaunce by cause of weykenesse of their complexion / ben disposed / more to sekenes thenne they were in yongth Thies thre sekenesses come not to a man by cause of olde age / but they ben the vices of the nature of olde neclygent age / as is slouth and slepe / [Page] And as to wantōnesse / & flesshely delectacōn it is more the vice of yong men thenne of olde men / and also wan­tōnesse is not onely the vice of adolescente men / but it is the uice of euyll disposed adolescent persones / and such aged fooly whiche men callyn oute of reson mysrulyd or sotted at some seasons / whiche condicion comyth to som olde men Hit comith to suche olde men that were light of courage in their yongth / and were not stable in wisedome nor in studye / Appius of whom I haue spokyn before was a worshypfull preest of the temple of the goddys of Minerua / he beeyng blynde and olde gouerned his foure sonys / whiche were full growen and strong men / and his fyue doughtirs and a grete houholde and grete feliship he kept wyth ontyn any help / & without counseill saue o­nely of hymself / This Appius had his courage lent and geuen to wisedome and to good memorye as it had be aboue / and to whom the bodily strengthys failed / yit he was neuir submyttid to olde age / but he entendid to study and to publyke besynes and pryue / as in geuyng good aduices & counseill to such as had Rule and gouernaunce of / to mynistre Iustice & in keepyng good housholde / Appius olde and blynde helde souereyn rule and domyna­cion had vpon his subiectys and seruauntis / for they bare hym reuerence and doubted his puissaunce / his seruaun­tys drede hym / his childerne obeyed hym / and alle tho that haunted hym louid hym / & had hym in grete worship & fauour / and this Appius was of courage vigorouse / & as a man geuen to grete watche as it was in his ffa­der / and also he had and vsed the doctryne of hym

[Page]Therfor I telle you Scipion and Lelius that the olde man is to be pleasid / and with honeste to be reueren­ced / so that he defende hym with the yefte and tresours of memorye / by studye and by exsamples / by auctorite by re­uerence and by the othir armes of vertues lyuyng and of sciences / Olde age is honeste yf it holde and kepe his dyuyne lawe / by whiche it is withdrawen for haboun­donyng and withdrawyng from takyng hym self to vi­ces if it be wele fornysshed and supportid to his trouth and complexion by whiche he lyuith aftir temperaunce & reason / The olde man is honest and good if he make hym gouernour and enfourmer of his childeren & of his mayne & seruauntes vnto the laste ende of his lif aftir his auctorite & to his puissaunce / fforsoth so as I approue and preyse the adolescent man / whiche hath in hym som thyng parteynyng to olde age as is temperaunce and so­birnesse / Also I comende & preyse the olde man which in hym hath somthyng parteynyng to yongth / as is som strength of body and constaunce of good courage The man that folowith that / whiche I haue aboue sayde he may be olde of body / but he shall neuir be olde of courage to ex­cercyse good deedys / I Caton whiche am olde haue nowe betwix my handys the vij book wherin I trete the birthis of the auncyent people of renomme of ytayle / In this book I gadir to gedir all recordable processe of eue­ery noble cause that I haue purposid / and studied sor to please by aduocacye before the senatours and othir Iu­ges of rome that is to witt / like a seriaunt of the lawe or the kyngys promoter or speker of his parlement or [Page] his attourney generalle ora pprentise of court declarith & pledith his maters that ben comytted to hym of thies causes / I compile and make nowe oracions proposicions & plees by whiche I shewe the fourme and maner to you to purpose and plede here aftir plees and causes in demaun­dyng and askyng right and iustice to be mynistrid or in defendyng a wrong / surmysed in causis crymynelle and ciuile imperiale whiche is the comon lawe in rome vsid /

I Caton whiche am olde trete / and compile nowe a diuine booke of a lawe by the whiche I teche how and by what cause men shulde make the argumentys by reasons and writyngys of philosophers and clerks prenostiques for to come / that is to witt the diuynacions for to kno­we the doubtuouse thyng / and vncertayne / present and by exsample as by constellacyons of coniunctyons and aspectes of the vij planetes and by eclipses aswele of the sonne as of the mone & by the introites & entrees of the sonne in to the xij signes of the yere passidor for to come as verry pestelences / derth of cornys oyles and wy­nes / and impressions of the ayre of grete coldys and hetys / drynesse or moistnes grete stormes & wyndes / I trete also the right lawe of ciuile / causes & the ordenaunces of high dignyte of bisshops and prestys how and in what wise shuld be deputed and ordeyned to them / as in obedience and reuerence that seruen to the grete goddys of the temple / I in makyng thies thyngys a for­saide / vse much̄ of the bookys of the grekys philosophers

I vse much / also of the maner of the disciples of the philosopher pytagoras by cause to excercise my mynde of [Page] remembraunce / ffor so as the mynistres and the scolers of Pytagoras lernyd the argumentys and the specula­tyf of science of dyuers cōnyngys by the space of v yere / and by othir fyue yere aftir that the seid scolers studyed her doctryne withoute speche made to them but by the thought and study speculatife practisyng vpon the seuen sciencys that they had lerned of their maistir before / And than by ten yere after / they had habilite and licence to enfourme and teche othir scolers and studientys / Also I recorde and remembre at euen / alle that I haue said / and all that I haue herd / and all that I haue doo the day precedent / suche be the excercysynges and workys of my witt and also of my thought / whiles I trauaillid and labourd in thies thyngys aboue saide / Therfor I desyre not gretly to haue muche strength of body onely / but I am redy to my frendys if they haue nede of me / I come to the senatours and to the parlementys & to open cour­tys accompanyed with the feliship of my bretheren and frendys / I bryng with me suche maters and processes that I haue long before thught / also I defende my proces­se & matiers & also afferme the processe aftir as the causes shall require before the senatours / not by the strength of my body but by the power and strength of my wittes and the courage of my hert / That is to witt / by counseill by deliberacion by auctorite and by wysedome / and if I shuld not mow execute nor bryng to a due ende the ma­ters and processes of my owne / as of my frendys / Ne­uerthelesse in lying and restyng in my bedde I wolde deli­te and enioye me in thenkyng the good conduit of thies [Page] thynges how be it I that shuld not mowe spede it incon­tynent / but I haue so demenyd me / and lyued in tyme past that I myght both spede in dooyng myne owne pro­cesse / and also tho of my frendys maters before the senatours and othir officers of Iustice publik within a reso­nable tyme / fforsoth he that lyueth and endurith in such studyes and in suche labours alwey as I haue lyued / he may not vndirstonde nor fele in what tyme olde age hy­deth hym silf within hym / And by that vndirstondyng his age / lytle and litle growith & becomith olde withoute that the man can neithir parceyue nor fele it / and so his age is nothir brousyd ner brokyn sodeynly by olde age / but his age streyneth and failleth by the length of the tyme or he knowe it /

aftir the forseid two repreuis & defautys alled­gid and opposid ayenst olde age / Nowe folo­with the iij vituperacion & defaute by the which yong men seyne / that olde age is noiouse / myschaunte / & wretchid by cause it hath almost no flesshely delectacyons or sensualitees / as for to gete with childeren and yssue to encrece and multiplie the world / To whom I answere forwith / that it is right a noble gyfte rewarde & the right [Page] grete worship of olde age / that it be sequestred / depryued / and dischargid of the delectacyons of sensualitee of the body or flesshely lustis / for yf it be so that olde age be pryued and sequestred of such delectacyons / It had takin awey from vs olde men / that thyng whiche is right vi­cious & right foule in the age of adolescence & yongthe /

And neuerthelesshe my right good and louyng yong men Scipion and Lelius / an auncyent senatour pur­posid an oracion / that a philosopher callid Archites made whiche was takyn of Haniballe duc of cartage when he werrid in ytaile / he was recouerde by Quintus ffabius the noble senatour when he recouerd tarente / takyn by the said Haniballe / Archites was pryncypally a grete man connyngly lernyd in sciences and in vertues and was right famous and noble / this oracion purposid / which ar­chites made was yeuen to me / when I adolescent and yong of age was at tarente with the seid ffabius / and by this oracyon seid archites that nature which ordeyned to men complexions / gaue neuir no pestelence peyne nor turment / more damageable to yong men than is fless­hely delectacyon / the coueitous playsirs of delectacyon mouen tyce and steeren men ouer boldely and withoute bri­dell of reason or shame or any restraynt to execute and make an ende of their foule lustys / for thought / delectacy­ons ben made and conspired treasons diuisions and dis­sencyons of countrees & the destruccions of their comon profite / and the secretes of parlementys disclosed to our ennemyes and aduersarye partye / there is noon vntrou­the / there is noon euyll werke / but pleasyre of delectacyon [Page] which shall constrayne men to encline therto / by cause that they enioyen owt of mesure of spousehode brekyng & that so feruently / The cause of defoulyng of maydens virgins the anontry of weddyd women & all such corrupte vntrew werkys / whiche ben neuir meuid nor vndirtakyn / but by the insolence & wantownes & wenlacys of flesshely delec­tacyon / Archites also saide / that as nature by power / of which god hath yeuen to men noth̄yng bettir than is the soule / by the which they haue vndirstondyng & mynde / al so to that soule which is an office & agift dyuine / nothyng is so grete ennemye nor so contrary as ben flesshely delectacyons / for sith delectacyon & flesshely pleasir haue dominacyon in the regyon of man / That is to witt in the courage of his body / the vertue of attemperaūce may not be lod­gid therin / & wthin the regyon of man which is yeuen to delectacyon may not abyde any wisedome nor vertue / & by cause that this thyng may be vndirstonde / Archites wol­de that som shuld fayne & ymagyne in his courage & conceyte that som were meuid by some delectacyon of body as grete as any man myght preue it & knowe it then / The­re is no doubte saide he / but while the man is geuyn to suche sensualite / which shall enioye of that delectacyon as playnly & as largely as any man myght enioye of it / that then he shulde not mowe demeane hym in vndirston­dyng nor in mynde / neithir he shuld mowe be of power to vndirtake any thyng of woryship nor proffite to perfourme by reason nor by any good auise / And therfor seid Archites / that ther is nothyng so cursed nor so infortu­nate as delectacōn of body vnmesurably vsed / And if y^e [Page] delectacyon whiche is litle & shorte / were gretter & longer / it wolde quenche and bryng to nought alle the light of the courage and of the clerenesse of the lyf / And knowe ye Scipion and lelius / that one of myne host­tes callid Nearcus Citezeyn of tarent / which had be long in the frendship of allyaunce of the people of rome / said that he herd telle to more auncient men than he was / that the said Archites pronounced the wordys here be­fore wretyn in disputyng of delectacyon with Gayus Poncyus ffader of the seid Archites and citezein of Sannice a cyte of Poyle / This Poncius was so worthy and so manly that in a batayle made before Candy he discomfited two consuls romaynes / That is to witt Spurius Postumus and Titus veturius / & Archites disputed of delectacyon in the presence of the philosopher Platon an athenys man / That is to witt a clerk of Atheenes that thēne was come to Tarent so as I fynde by the reportys of Lucius Canubus & of Appyus Claudyus consuls romayns / yf ye aske me to what entente / the thynges that I haue here disputed ayenst delectacyon drawe and stretchyn / I answere you that they belongen and drawen to thentente that ye vn­dirstonde that yf we men may not despise & flee delectacyons of body by meane of reason and of wisedome / we shuld gretly thank olde age sith that he may doo so moch / that flesshely delectacyon shuld displease which is vncouenable to ony man yong & olde / Delectacion of body lettith the deliberacyon of good coūseill / It is the en­nemye of reason / It shyttith faste & closeth the eyen of the [Page] thought and courage whiche conteyneth vndirstondyng and redy mynde of remembraunce / Neuerthelesse de­lectacyon hath no bargeyne with vertue / I caused ones almost grete maugre mysilf by asmuche that I castid oute of the college of the senatous Gayus fflamyneus brothir of Titus fflamyneus consul of rome / aftir that the said Gayus had be seuen yere consul to the entent that I shulde shewe that he was vituperable and defamed by cause that he folowid delectacyon of body vnmesurably / ffor where as the seid Gayus had be by the romaynes sent as consule in the countrey of gaules / and he syttyng at borde was exhorted by a re­bawde stotte of his / that he shulde do smyte to the hert with a daggar one of his prisoners condempned to dye / This Gayus scapid to be dede by sentence / but he loste his office of consul by the sētence of his brothir Tytus beyng thenné Iuge of Rome / whiche before me had be next consull / This delectacyon is so euyl and so damageable whiche so was repreuyd by me and by flattus at that tyme consuls romayns / Sith that the same delectacyon was in a man whiche had suche syn­gler repreef and suche defame and shame / and the whiche with that was in lordship and in dygnyte of offices / othir of lyke degree and worship or benethe her degrees / owght right gretly pondre and consider in their mynde / to putt awey suche flesshely delectacy­ons / I haue often herd say of oure auncient ffa­ders / tho thynges whiche they at that tyme when they were childerne had herd seye to olde men / That is to [Page] wite that where as a cytezeyne of rome callid ffabricius herd a cytezeyn of the countrey of Thessayle saye / that in the studye of Athenes was one Epicurus whiche callid hym silf a philosopher / & mayntened an oppynion / that all thynges that we doo in souereynte shulde be chiefly comēdid & reported to delectacyon of the bodye / Of that oppynion the seid ffabrycius merueylyd hym / & to olde men recounters said / that Marcus curyus & Titus Cormi­cacyus hieryng / that which I haue saide before / They two whiche in tyme paste had habondouned & disposid them to sensualite / and to delectacyon of flesshely lustis / they were woont to desyre that the oppynion of Epycurus shulde be in semblable wise exhorted affermid & said to the samy­toys & to kyng Pirhus their lord / by cause that y^e samyto is & kyng Pirhus ennemyes to the romayns shuld be abandouned and disposed to the delite of lecherye / whiche feblith & takith awey the bodily strengthis of the body / This Marcus curius / which in his tyme ordeyned hym vnto delectacyon that he had lyuid & conuersid with Pub­lius decyus that lyued vertuously and chastely / and by fiue yere before that the seid Curyus was consul / the seid Publius decyus with playne wille of good cou­rage habandouned & offird hym to the deth for the saua­cyon of the publyke wele & comon profite of rome thēne when that he was consul the fourth tyme Gayus ffabricius & Coruucacyus knewe the good knyght decyus / Thies tweyne ffabricyus and Cornucacyus myght certaynly Iuge & deme aswele by the conuersacyon as by the noble dedys of decyns / wherof he saith that sum [Page] thyng is naturally so faire and so precious & noble / that it must be sought & desyred with playne hert & effectuell desyre And that thyng so faire & so gracioꝰ is noon othir thyng but lawde & fame of vertue / whiche is suche that for that cause euery right good & wele disposed persone ought to despise & rebuke delectacyon of the body to thentente that he vse lawde and preysyng of vertu / Therfor thēne ye may aske and demaunde why I haue said so many thynges of flesshely delyte and of lecherye / wherfor I an­swere you / that the blame and the shame is not onely ynoughe / But namely it is the grete lawde and pray­syng of olde age that it desyreth but lytle flesshely delec­tacyons / Olde age chargith neuir of dyetes nor of dyuers deynty metys nor of tables richely and dy­uersly arrayde nor of many dyners drynkys / Olde age wille not be fulle of wyn often for doubte of seke­nes / Olde age wille not suffre the akyng of the bely as is the colyk or of the stone or costyfnes / whiche comyth of takyng somuche mete and so often / that it abideth rawe within the stomake / Olde age desy­rith not wakyng in the tyme that nature hath ordeyned to slepe / Al be it an aged man is gretly disposed to wa­ke ayenst his will / fforsoth the philosopher Platon whiche spake dyuersly in a mater that delectacyon at­tempted by euill disposed men / that leyen the baite & the snare to delite aged men in repleccion of lustis & metys not helefull to them / & by cause that men be taken & deceyued by the baite sett in the hoke or angle as the bird is taken in the snare / how be it that olde age wolde haue no metys ne his [Page] etyngys excessiuely / Algatys they may delite in deynte metys and in smale feedyngys and temperate dyete /

At the tyme whan I was yong I sawe often an olde consull of rome callid Gayus duellius whiche was the first that discomfited by nauye and shippys vpon the see the aufricans / when he cam from soper and dyner he oftentymes delited in the instrumentys of musike as playeng vpon strengys of harpes / and such like melody­es and in heeryng the sowne of pipes and trompys / Also he had takin onely for his delectacyon and solas­thies two playes wythoute / that he had seen any auncyent men to delite or disporte them with any othir honeste so­las / and that licence and vse of honeste delectacyon had duellius by cause of his glorious victorye / by the whiche he discomfited them of aufrik / But it is not nede al­so to remembre in what thynges the othir olde men tokyn their honeste delectacyons / Therfor I shall come ayen to speke of myself / ffor from myne yongthe I haue al­way had felowes and acqueynted of vertuous dis­posid men / And aftir that I was in the office of questour at Rome / I was ordeyned in the feleshipps and acqueyntances of yong men / And in that same tyme the romaynes resceyued of them of ffrige / the maner to sacrifye to the goddesse / Berchinchia which is the grete moder of the goddes / I drank and ete with my felowes temperately and mesurably withoute any excesse / But within me was yit an hete of yongth / but in as much that it procedith euir in approchyng & co­myng of myne olde age / alle the delectacyons of the body [Page] hit appesith and softeth / And knowe ye that I did not rek nor toke any charge / more of the delectacyons of metys and drynkys of wynes / not onely for the delectacyon of my body / but in specyalle that I did more for the delectacyon and contemplacyon that I toke in the feli­ship of my frendys / and also in their reasons and their wise and frendely comunicacyons for the solas of my soule / And consider ye Scipion and Lelius that oure auncient ffaders of worship / whiche haue sett their names as a brethirhede or a gylde to suche assembles named / at the feste that is wele and proprely callid in latyn Conuiuium / whiche is desyrid prayed and gaderd / of frendely people in drynkyng and etyng atte table as they wolde themself say or desyre / that the feleship of the same company / ought to haue a custu­mable and a continuell assembled lif at conuenient dayes assigned / The grekisshe people seid not so we­le of suche festis makyng / for in the stede of suche com­panyes and congregacyons they saide / that it was ordeyned for to ete and drynk to gedir / as the seid grekys wolde approue / and saye that suche etyng and drynkyng as sowned to delyte pryncypally in metys and drynkes / is the leste thyng to accompte amongys the company of frenship shewyng and frendes / Ther­for I telle you Scipion and lelius that I delite me in couenable thyngys wele ordeyned and approuued festes by the delectacyon that I haue to speke with my felowes and frendys for oure solacys and comfort / and that they haue with me / and yit I delyte me not oonly with myne [Page] of age / ffor now ther be of them right fewe that be ly­uyng / but I delite me with them of your age and also with you / I owe also to yelde grete grace thankyngis and praysynges to olde age / whiche hath encreced / and multiplied in me the desyre to speke with my felowes & frendys / But yf ye aske what is my sentence / yf som olde men deliten them in etyng and drynkyng / I answere that by cause that ye thynk not that I wolde moue werre & dyspleaser ayenst alle delectacyon by cause that no man shulde vse of hit / knowe ye Scipion and lelyus that I vndirstonde not nor wyll not / that olde age be destituded of his naturall lufte / and desyre by any thyng that it mynysshith and bessith all the delectacyons whiche as be in drinkyng and etyng / ffor to som men befallyn parauen­re som delectacyons whiche folowyn and contynue with them naturell maner founded / and grounded in honeste of condicions / ffor I take delectacyon to haue the dig­nytees and offices ordeyned by our predecessours / I take delectacyon in the wordys of the maistre stuard or of the botiler of the hous / whan he prayeth me or comaundeth me to dyne or take a repaste for his lorde or his maisters sake orellys to drynke for som mans sake aftir the custume be of oure predecessours / and also I delite me in the stan­dyng cuppys half fulle of colde wyne / aftir the custume that an auctor of grece callid Exenophon wrote in a boke of his named Simoposium / in whiche he treteth and sheweth how men shude make their drynkynges emongys frendys and felows / I delite me in somer tyme to fele the colde wynde / and also in wynter tyme I delite me to be [Page] oon tyme in the sōne shynyng / & anothir tyme to be atte fyre / fforsoth also I folowe thies delectacyons a forsaide when I am in my village with the sabynoys my neygh̄ ­bours / and I make euery day meetynges / steuyns / and as­semblees of my neyghbours when I am at sabynes / and we endure somtyme long for the moost that we may at oure meetyngys / tylle a grete parte of the nyght be pas­sed / as in spekyng of many thyngys & of dyuers maters

And if thou saye Scipion that the delectacion of bodily delites / is not so grete in the corages of olde men / that it myght stere them or meue them to lecherye or othir sensu­alitees of the body / for if thies delectacyons be ouer grete / it shuld thēne seeme that thou shalt desyre nothyng / but that it be angwisshouse and soroufull in courage / The philosopher Sophocles whiche for cause of age was fe­ble / answerde wele and pertynently to one that askid hym if he vsed any more of delites of lecherye and of sensualytee of the body / I pray god said Sophocles / that he yeue me fortune to desyre better thynges / for I haue with drawe fro me / and fled awey from delytes of lecherye as a man shulde flee and withdrawe hym fro som straunge lorde madd or furyous / And knowe ye Scipion and Lelyus that it is parauenture chargeous thyng & enoy­ouse to yong men that be couetouse of the delites of le­cherye if they may not enioye them / But to olde men that be wery and replete of suche delytes / it is more ioy­full thyng to be sequestred / pryued / and quyted / therof than for to vse and enioye in that / how be it that they be not depriued of bodily delytes / that they desyre them / neuir [Page] I say thēne that it is more ioyfull thyng to desyre not the delectacyons / than it is for to haue them / but if the age of good and honest yongth vse of thies delectacyons / it is vsed more gladly first of som litle and smale delec­table thynges as we haue saide here before / And aftir that the good yong men delited / them in this honeste de­lectacyon / wherin olde age vseth not habondauntly and playnly of bodily delites / yit be they / not all for that pry­ued nor for boden therof / as ye may see by this forsaide ex­sample Ther is a man at rome callid Turpis Albi­nius whiche pleyeth and counterfetyth the pagentys / when the poetys syngen enterludes in playes or tragedyes of soroufull lamentacyons / or othir ditees in verses / in the place callid the scene or the teatre / the tent or pauily­on / he than whiche is in the first stage nygh the pleyar / hath grete delectacyon in the wordys & in the countenaunce of the pleyar / But also he deliteth theryn that is in the laste stage and in the ferthist of the tente or playng place /

Also I tell the Scipion that the age of adolescency­e whiche lokith nygh the delectacyons / gladith parauen­ture more than anothir age dooth But also olde age which seeth from ferre the delectacyons / he takith a delite in it / asmuche as it suffiseth / But and ye aske / what arn worth the yong delectacyons that olde age takith / and whiche be so ferr from the body / I answere you that thies smale pleasurs deliten not the body / but they deliten the courage whiche is the moost excellent part of a man /

The smale honeste delectacions as olde men saye / ma­ken the courage to be myghtyer and to lyue lenger and [Page] strengthe the man / for thenne ceesen the wages and sa­wlde of lecherye / of couetyng / of contempcions of striues / of enemytees / and of all couetyfe / as it be falleth / like as it comyth to knyghtys and to chief officers whiche aftir sixti yeris ben dischargid oute of their offices and comen to rest / Ther is thēne nothyng more ioyfull than is olde age / and honeste ydilnes and restyng / so that it haue fee­dyng and refectyon of studye of sapience and wisedome / and some doctryne for to teche to othir tho thynges that he had lerned in yong age / Remembre the Scipion by how many tymes we saw that worthy man Gallus familier and homely with thy fader whiche was so olde / that it semyd that he shulde dye / and yit he contynued by delectacyon in the studye of geometrye and astronomye whiche be two souerayne sciences for to mete and mesure the proporcions of heuen and the erthe and of the distan­ce in courses of the sterrys / and of her coniunctyons opposicions and aspectys by the sixth part iiij part or thrid part in aspectys castyng her lightes and influences from othir / and what the seid coniunctyons and aspectes sig­nyfien vpon thyngys to come / as hete colde / raynes drynesse / and wyndes / derthes / pestilences / & othir infirmytees / And to knowe the conuenyent dayes and tymes of my­nistring of medicines / as laxatyues / dygestiues / expul­sifs / and retentifs / and the dayes callid Dies cretici & dies of prenostikes of good determynacions / of the passions of a mans sikenesse or the contrarye / Remembre the Scipion by how many tymes this Gallus by delec­tacyon hath begōne by nyght som conclusions of thies [Page] two sciences so long that the day came vnwarely vpon hym / and oftentymes he wrote and studied endyng to the nyght / and yit had he begon in the mornyng / he toke grete delectacyon for to telle vs the effectys of the eclip­se of the sonne and of the mone long before that it shul­de come and befalle / Thou wotest also how Gallus delited hym in studye of light sciences callid trynals / as be gramer logyk and rethorik in comparison of the quadryiuall sciences / as ars metryk for nombres / Geo­metry for mesurs / Musik for syngyng / and astronomye for diuinacyons / as is before specifyed / But they be sharp and subtyle / and owght te be in vertuous mens lernyng wele disposid / Thou knowist also how that olde man Nenyus delited hym in a boke whiche he endited and made / of a bataile doon by the romayns ageynst them of cartage / Thou knowist also how the poete Plantus delited hym in two comodies made in balade and enterlu­des that he made / wherof the one is callid Terencius & the othir Sendulus / In the first he treteth of the cruelte of a seruant ayenst his maister / and in the othir he treteth of the falsnes of a bonde man ayenst his lorde /

I haue seen also an olde poete callid Lenyus / whiche in the studye of rome taught to his scolers / one of his fables of a comedye in balade and enterlude / by six yere or I was borne / And yit the seid Lenyus proceded & conti­nued in faire age vnto the tyme of myne adolescente age / at the tyme when Tonus and Tudycanus were consuls at rome / What wilt thou Scipion that I telle the of the labour and of the studye of the olde man [Page] Publius lucinius / whiche wrote and treteth of dyuine lawe aftir the whiche the bisshops and preestis of the temple ought to sacryfie & to serue the goddes / Luci­nius also wrote and tretid of lawe ciuile aftir whiche men must gouerne and rule the cytees and countrees / or what wilt thou that I telle the of the labour and of the studye of this Scipion Mysica now an olde man all redy to departe from the worlde / whiche nowe hath be cho­sen and ordeyned the moost grettist bisshop of rome ffor certaynly we haue seen alle thies whiche I haue remem­brid to the / that were olde men hauyng a sharp and a fer­uent desyre in entendyng the occupacyons that I haue seid / in the whiche they had pleasyrs and honeste delecta­cyons / Thenk also Scipion in how grete labour of studye I sawe full besye this olde man Marcus Thete­gus to whom the poete Ennimis callid hym his swete hony / by cause that his boke was so retoriquel̄y made / and was of the said Thetegus endited / by faire and swete langage in eloquent termes / whiche enforced men hie­ryng his purposyngys / to incline and bowe them to byle­ue all that he had purposid and tolde / Ye may thēne see and knowe / what be the delectacyons of metys drinkys and of playes / and also of folissh̄ women and ribaldes / to regarde of wele disposed peple of sad gouernaunce / and how grete in comparison of the moralle vertuous men / that be disposed for to studye for the auauncement of the comyn prouffite and of othir seuen craftys of scien­ces wherin the wise olde men that I haue named aboue / delited gretly / fforsoth thies studyes of doctryne and [Page] of sciencys folowed & folowyth the wyse men wele ordey­ned in condicyons / And also thies studyes of doctry­ne haue ben and be suche that they encrecen and multi­plye semblaby & egally with the aged men / in so muche that the good and honeste sentences saide by the philoso­pher Solon that is preuid trewe as I haue saide afore /

This philosopher Solon seide that he becam wise in lernyng alwey many thynges by study / whiche he neuir had knowen before / Ther is not forsoth no gretter delec­tacyon / than is that / by the whiche the wise olde men ler­ne somwhat by excercise as did the right wyse philosopher Solon / Aftir that I haue spoken now hier of the studyes / and of the occupacions wherin wise men and let­terd haue had / and may haue honestees and pleasirs and delectacyons / I come nowe to speke of delectacyons that wyse olde men may haue in labouragys and culture & approwment of londys / wherin I delite me more than any man wolde or myght byleue / Olde age lettith not the delectacyons and the grete ioye and pleasirs that gro­wen and come of the labourage and tillyng of the lan­dys / and they be suche that as it semith me they be right nygh neyghbours to the lyf of a man / ledyng the lif of a philosopher / ffor wise olde men proceden by naturelle reason in the labourages and tillyng of landys / and the erthe refusith not nor disobeyeth the naturelle werkyng to the comaundementis of the wise olde men labourers / ffor the erthe hath resceyued / and is sowed it yeldith neuir withoute vsure of manyfolde werkyng the same / That is to witt that the erthe yeldith the double as the seconde [Page] greyn the thrid / and the iiij vntyll the viij greyne & not only the symple agayn / But the erthe in som tyme yel­dith that / whiche he hath resceyued of the greynes and seedys in lesse vsure of encrece / and som tyme in multi­plying encrece gretter / And how be it that the erthe yel­dith that / whiche it resceyued / with vsure of encrece / ne­uirthelesse the fruytes of the erthe deliten me / not only in that grete encrece / but namely it delited and ioyeth me to knowe the vertue / and the naturell growyng and wor­kyng by the whiche the erthe gendrith thyngys necessa­ryes and helthfull to men and to bestis / And whan the erthe resceyueth the seed sowen in his lappe softed and beddid / thenne it is closid first and syttyth faste so that the seed be couird by the instrument of the ploughe / or by the harowe / and in the tyme / in whiche men sowen seedys and couern the corne / for that cause / it is callid the tyme and season of sowyng / accordyng to the custume and na­ture of dyuers countres / aftir that the seed is heeted / by the naturell moisture of the erthe and thorough the heete of the sonne / and also by the spraynture of dewys of no­risshyng that the erthe dooth to the seed / and to the plan­tys whiche is with alle couird / the erthe brekith and cas­tith oute of that seed an herbe growyng grene / whiche puttyth and spredith within the erthe small rootys / the & stokkes of the stalkes growen and wexen aftir grete / li­tle and litle / and aftir riseth and comyth in to a spryng and a stalke full of knottys / and wh [...] ̄ne it comith to the first erys and buddis / hit is closed with smale leues like heres / and aftir that the seed is remeuid and goon oute [Page] of thies leues / it castyth an ere in whiche the whete corne or othir greyns ben ordeyned and renged ordynatly in suche wise that one corn puttith not oute that othir / and by cause that the smale briddes shull not lightly ete nor waste the corne / the ere is armed with the closyng of prickis / In whiche thynges to knowe and to excercise and occupye / The olde age may take grete exsample of naturell werkyng and honest delectacyon / why shuld I remembre the delectacyons and pleasirs that olde age may take in consideryng and knowyng the nature of the vynes / the maner of the settyngys and of the shredyn­gys and cuttyngys of hit in season / ffor to thentente ye knowe the reste and the delite of myne olde age / I telle you that I may not be wery nor fulfilid of the dlectacion that I take in the labourages of corne and of the vynes / I leue to telle what delectacyon olde age takith in kno­wyng and considering the vertue & the naturell strength of alle thynges that be genderd on erthe / ffor of a smale grayne of a figge or of a litle smale pepyn or kernell of a roysyn or of a smale corne of whete or of ony othir see­dys or of som smale wandes and braunchis the erthe en­gendreth grete tronkes and grete trees and bowes / I demaūde you Scipion and Lelius if the newe blosso­mys and buddys of the vyne / if that the sapys that men settyn ayen to the shredyngis that men cuttyn of the vynes charged with grapes the rootys whiche spredyn aswele withoute as within the erthe / and the plantys that thicken the vyne / yeuen not only delectacōn Inough̄ and pleasirs to the olde men / so that they wille consider [Page] in merueilyng them of the thynges a boue said / O thyng may yeue to olde age honeste delectacyon / that is to witt how the vyne / which naturally fallith downe to the groū ­de / but it be vndirsett & susteyned / it mounteth & growith high / and alle that it ouirtaketh it beclippith and enbra­ceth with his tendrenes so as if it had the craft & handes And the laborers of the vynes aftir their crafte / arte & reason / kepyn that the vyne growe not / but aftir reason nor oute of mesure / for they cutt it with the vyne hooke / when it drawith or hangeth vpon the grounde / or when it departed excessiuely in dyuers and croked braunches / by cause that the vyne be not to thik by ouir grete braunches & that it stretche not in to many partyes / And at the be­gynnyng of the season of veer & of spryngyng / the vyne growith to the braūches which be lefte in the stockes / & in the knottys of the braūchis comith a watir that men call Iennue / wherof aftir that sewith the burgeon wherof the grape comith / & this grape which by the moistnesse of the erthe & by meane of the heete of the sonne begynneth to wexe grete and is at the begynnyng bettir and sow­re to the taste / and aftir that it is ripe / it shewith swe­te / and thenne it is clothed with leues wherof the gra­pe resceyueth the heete wele temperately / and also is de­fendid and kepte from to grete brennyng of the sonne /

I see not forsoth how any delectacyon myght be more ioyouse nor gladder than is the fruyte of the vy­ne nor fairer for to see / And knowe ye Scipion and Lelius / that so as I haue here before saide the fruyte of the vyne maketh me not oonly to haue delite / But namely [Page] the labourage & the nature of the vyne in burgenyng suche deliciouse licours closed in grapes / deliten to me for to see / the rengis of the stakes that susteyne the vyne / to bynde or ende egally as the othir to attache and bynde euery tymbre & braunche to his owne propre stake / & the growyng of the vynes and the cuttyng of the braūches Wherof som arn take away for to brenne & the othir be kept / for to sett ayen in othir places / whiche makyn to me grete delectacyons and pleasirs / It nedith not that I tell what delectacyons and pleasirs be to olde age / the dongyng and the dyghtyng of the londys with the super­fluyte that is voyded of bestis and shepe / that men make to be spredde in a felde / by whiche doongyng and compos­tyng / the feldes gladeth / the grounde wexith more fruc­tuous and plenteuouse / What nedith that I seke of the delectacyon that olde men may haue of the prouf­fite that comith to donge and fatte the landes and fel­des / I haue spokyn of dongyng of landes in oon of my bookys whiche I haue wretyn to the labourage of the feeldys & of the doongyng of the londes / A wise auctor callid Hefredus said neuir oon worde ydely nor vayne therof / whēn he wrote his boke of erthe tilying / that men say of the labourage & tyllyng of the feldes / But the po­ete Omer which was as me semyth by many yeris befo­re Hefredus / whiche was oon of thoo that taught the maner for to laboure and tylle the landes and fruytes and the thynges that growe of it / After whom Uirgile the poete wrote a booke callid Giorgika

That Omer by his versys saith that Lacertes kyng [Page] of ytacye in grece / ffader of kyng Ulixes had right swete pleasir in oon of his sones / which laboured the culture of the erthe tilyeng & donged oon of his feeldys / wherof it was the more ioyfull & more fertile & plenteuoꝰ in multiplyeng of cornes & fruytes / And knowe ye Scipion & Lelius that the thyngys & werkys & besines­se of labourers of the landes & feeldes be gladsom & plea­saūt not oonly by thencreces of whetys & cornys / nor by the medowes full of gras nor by the vynes full of grapes nor by dyuers smale & yong trees bryngyng forth fruy­tes / But also the thynges & the werkys of the labourers be gladsome & delectable / by the gardeynes full of dyuers herbys floures & seedys / by the curtilages gardyns & or­chardes planted & greffed with dyuers trees / & by the no­risshyng & feedyng of bestis in faire grene medowes & pas­tures / & by the hyues of bees kepyng & norisshing of them whiche makyn wax & hony / by a meruelouse werkyng of their kynde / & by the dyuersitee of all flours & of dyuers colours of roses / And not olde men haue delectacyon of the trees that they sette / or that they doo to be sette / but also they deliten themsilf to sett a tree / & greffe it vpon an­nothir / which is the most subtile & most artificiall thyng that euir was foūde by labourers of the londe / And now I will tell many delectacyons & many pleasirs which be in the labourages of the feeldys / But the delectacyons that I haue aboue tolde be lenger and more durable than be the other whiche I leue to telle / I trust Scipion and Lelyus / that ye shall pardone me by cause that I am a long speker of an erthe tilleir in tellyng the delectacōns [Page] which come & growe of the labourages of londys / and to thentent that it semith not that I wolde defende & make olde age to be free of all vices / I tell you that olde age aftir nature & kynde / spekith and determyneth more than any othir age / And for to haue suche delectacyons / this noble man romayn Marcus curius wolde were oute / & endure forth to the ende of the remenaūt of his olde age in labourages of londes aftir that he had resceyued at ro­me the honour & the worship of tryumphe for the victorye that he had of the Samytois of the sabynoys & of Pur­rus kyng of Epirotes / the which the seid Curius descō ­fited by bateyll / whan I cōsidre the village & also the grete labouryng in londes / of the seid marcus curiꝰ / which be nygh vn to myn / I may not merueil to gretly of the per­seuerance of the seid Marcus curius / nor of the studye & solicitude / which he had in his tyme aboute the thyngys pertynent to labourage & tyllyng of his londys / It fortu­ned oones that the said Curius sate by his fyre / to whom the samytois had brought a grete some of golde for to make hym a presēt thēne / But Curius the worthy man beeyng full of noble courage refused their yift so presented to hym & sett not by them nor of their yiftes in golde / & sa­id to the samitois / that it semid vnto hym nought / though it were riche & right a faire syght nor it is no noble thyng to a gouernour of a coūtree to haue a grete hepe or a quā ­tite of golde all onely / But it was right faire & a more noble thyng to a souerayn captayn vsing werre for to be lorde of the men wythin the coūtree that haue golde & othir riches / Telle me Scipion & Lelius / yf ye thenk not / [Page] that sith marcus curius had so grete & so noble courage in disputyng of couetyse & refusyng yiftis and rewardes / he myght wele haue but gladsonmesse & mirth of his olde a­ge / whiche is onely ioyfull / when the olde man knowith hym silf to haue lyued euir wele & vertuously / & hath had his desire in welthe & worship to lyue in delites profitable & honeste / But I haue muche to speke of the delites & pleasirs that olde men haue / in knowyng / vsyng & hawn­tyng the labourages of londes / And of this mater I speke by cause I goo not to ferr fro myne occupacōn which am a labourer & a tyller of londys in myne age / Whi­lom the senatours / that is to witt the olde romaynes / which dwelled in villages vpon their lordshipps / And at the tyme when Lucius Quintus thēne an olde man eryed tylled & laboured in oon of his feeldes / a messager was sent to hym & denounced hym as to lete hym witt / that the senatours of rome had by their electyon chosyn hym for to be dictatour / which was at rome the grettist of the offices as chief Iuge of the londe to admynystre Ius­tice to the people / And by the commaundement of this Quyntus dictatour Gayus seruylius thēne maister of the knygthis at rome / slewe a knyght romayne Spuryus melius / whiche stode aboute knyghtys armed by cause that the seid spuryus wolde take to hym the gouer­naunce of the reame of romayns / men callid also in sem­blable wise Curyus of whom we haue spokyn for to bere office of dignyte to assemble and come ayen to Rome with the senatours aoccmpanyed / After that tyme when he had dwellid in his village vpon the [Page] approwyng of his londes / & the sergeantys that sōmoned & callid auncien men romayns to the senat for to be coū ­seillours for the comon prouffite / were named iourney men & ryders / as messagers pursiuaūtes and sergeaūtys / Therfor I demaunde you Scipion & Lelius / if the olde age of such as delited them in the labourage of londes se­myth vnto you to be wretched or lothfull / I saye aftir my sentence & auise / that I knowe not if any olde age may be better ne more blessed / than is this / which deliteth men in labouryng & approwmentys of landes / for thencrecyng of fruytes of londes tillyng / whiche by his auise is not onely prouffytable & holesome to all mankynde / but the labourage of londys is good & prouffitable & helthfull to his body / by the delectacyon in excercisyng the tyllyng of hymsilf / It recouerith naturelle heete to warme his sto­make & his bodye as I haue more ample before saide / & also the labourage of landes is good / & prouffitable for the refection prouffite & habondaunce of all thynges / that be­longen to the multiplyeng of vitaill & sustenaūce for lyuyng to men / Thenne sethin that olde men desiren the delectacyons & pleasirs which be in the labourages & tyl­lyng of londys / thēne be we graciously disposed in suche prouffitable werkys of delectacyon accordyng to olde age fforsoth in the house of a good & diligēt olde lorde labou­rers haue ordeyned his manoirs & lordships to be wele approwed by plantyng fruytes tyllyng eryng / sowyng / & gardenyng / & in their heruest & vindages / with theire bestis & catailles norisshing stored / as the seler is euir stored with wynes syders & oyles / & the bernys with the garners euir [Page] stored of cornes and vitaylles necessaryes to the suste­naunce and lyuyng of man / and alle the villages as the tenauntes of the seid good / and delygent auncyent lordes be riche & stuffid plenteuously / & also hath grete ha­bondaunce and plente of beefs & motous porkys for larde and kedys lambys swannys partryches hennys capons & of othir pullaile & of othir foulys of dyuers kyndes / also of mylk of cheesys & of hony by the bees in hyues in places which the labourers of londes callen nowe their cur­tylages / The seconde thought & solicitude of aged men is for to say that the labourers will / that aftir the labou­rage of the feeldes be doon & sped / Thenne that men put to laboure the curtilages of gardeyns for their herbage of herbys of dyuers colours & of dyuers complexions & in orchardes makyng for to plante & to sett trees of fruy­tes bryngyng forth / as oyles pomegarnades / orenges / fig­ges dates / almandes / pomecedres / pechys / apples / perys­quynces medelers / chesteynes / & othir such fruytes of dy­uers kyndes / thies be goodys of kynde here aboue named & rehersed / whiche come by the studye and diligent occu­pacyon of agood labourer in the londe / a man may name­ly thenk / to be come more riche and more delectable by that occupacyon / than by a besinesse or a werk which is superfluyous vayne and ydill / That is to witt / by hawkyng fowlyng of bryddes and huntyng of wilde bestis which belongith vnto yong men / What will ye Scipion and lelius saye yf I telle you of the delec­tacōn & pleasyre / whiche olde age may haue by cause of the grenesse of the medews or of the faire rowes in whiche [Page] arn sett the trees of dyuers kyndes and frutys I shall telle you vppon that / my sentence in short wordes / Ther is no thyng that may be more plenteuous nor more ha­bondaunt in vsage for the prouffite to a mānys lyuyng / nor any thyng more semblable to naturelle beaute and fairnes / than is a cloos of frutys wele tillyed and labou­red / Olde age lettyth not to laboure wele a cloos plan­ted with fruytes of dyuers kyndes / for their sustenaunce / But namely olde age sterith and yeuith courage to the olde man for to laboure wele the londe / ffor syth that in wynter tyme the olde man labourer may as redely for his helth and comfort warme hym to the sōne shynyng vpon the erthe / or at the fyre / whiche is a thyng more co­uenable to olde age / than to any othir age / Or sith that the olde man labourer may withdrawe hym to the shado­wes / or for to fynde the heete / or for to fynde the colde / or that in somer tyme he may refresshe hym with watirs or othirwise more sykyrly / than the yong man whiche hath his hote blode boyllyng / I say that delectacyon sterith and yeuith courage to the olde man to laboure in the londes /

Thenne ye Scipion and Lelius may not saye the contrarye / but yong men haue for them for theyr solas & worship / their armours / their horsys / their speris / pollaxis mallys / and Instrumentys of iren / or of leed / and laun­cegayes for to fyght / And also maryners in vsyng the see / and yong men deliten in shippys bargys of dy­uers fassions and in rowynges and in sayllyng in wa­tirs and ryuers and in the sees / and som yong men vsen the cours of voyages in gooyng rydyng and iourneyeng [Page] from one counttre to anothir / and emong many othir labours of playes sportys and of dyuers solacys / The yong men also / leuyn to the vse of olde men / the playe at the tablis and chesse / and the philosophers playe by nom­bre of arsmetrike as is made mencion in the boke of O­uide de vetula callid the reformacion of his life / But we demaunde the Caton / if the olde men may goodly vse and when we be olde of thies two said playes of the ta­blis and chesse / I answere you nay / for withoute thies two playes ol̄de age may wele be stuffid and fulfillyd of alle othir goodnes perteynyng to felicite and to blessid­nesse / Now it is so that olde age and yche othir age vsyng of discression ought not to doo any thyng / but that it drawe and be longe to vertues and to blessidnesse in stede of playes at tables and at chesses / Ye Scipi­on and Lelyus may rede the bookys of the philosopher xenophon / whiche be right prouffitable to many thynges And I pray you that ye wille rede them so as ye do nowe al redy / and rede diligently howe Xenophon prayseth moche to labourage of londes in a book of his named the book of Economike / wherin he declareth how the man ought to gouerne kepe & approwe his owne propre lon­dys and goodys / And to thentent that ye vndirstonde the somme of the seid booke / whiche the philosopher Xe­nophon made / Knowe ye he saith / that to noble & pui­ssant men in worship & to rialle astates / ther is nothyng so worthy nor so welbecomyng them / as is the studye and the crafte for to laboure and approwe the londys to be plenteuouse / for the life of a labourer as it is said / is like [Page] the life of a philosopher / in so moche as he serchith and enquereth the causes naturell whereby the londe thorugh burgenyng myght be fertile and plenteuouse / and also his laboure is continuell and proffitable to alle creatures and so it ought to be of euery kyng and prynce and othir states of noblesse / and yit ther is no crafte nor any wer­ke so leefulle nor so honest to a kyng or to a souerayne / as is to prouide and ordeyne the labourage of the feel­dys / for namely in bataile the handys of a labourer be more harder and stronger to endure / than of ony othir man / The ph̄ilosopher Socrates in one of his bokys in whiche he spekith with the poete Tritobolus / seith that litil Cirus kyng of peere was excellent in witt and glo­riouse in erthly lordshipps / In the tyme of that kyng Cirus / a man of the cytee of lacedomone in grece callid li­sander / wh̄iche was a man of right grete vertue and no­blenes came in an ambassade for to see the same kyng Ci­rus / at that tyme beeyng at sardes his cytee / to whom Li­sander brought clothes of golde & riche Iewelles from the lacedomonies and from the cytees adioynant that were of his feliship / And Socrates said that this kyng Cirus was fulle benyngne and curtays to the seid Lisander to come to his noble presence / and resceyued hym worshipfully and liberally in his rialle palais / and for his moste rialltee in suche richessis that he delited most in / not in tresour of golde of precious stones ne of othir grete richesse that he had grete plentee / he delited not therin / but in the richesse of tyllyng and labourages of londys and fruytes of trees of dyuers kyndes he shewed [Page] hym a cloos wallid all aboute diligently and connyngly laboured / tylled / planted / and sett with trees of dyuers fruytes beryng / where as Lisander merueilled hym of the length & bewte of the trees & for their right renges planted and keepyng a mesurable ordre in dymencyon / whiche trees were sett fyue fote one from anothir / and also Lisander merueilde hym of the aleyes and wal­kyng places and the grounde of that cloos was so wele pared / doluyn and made clene / sett / and planted / with her­bys of dyuers kyndes of swete flauours and odours ex­cellent of beautes in leuis flouris / and colours / for the softnesse & the swetnesse of aromatique sauours came oute of the floures of dyuers kyndys / as of violettys rosemarynes maiorons / gylofres / basiles lillium conualli­um &c. / He said to the kyng Cirus that he meruei­lid not onely ffor the diligence and studye of hym that had labourde it / But he namely merueilid of the subtilite and craft of hym whiche had compassed and ordeyned by due mesure the settyng and plantyng of the trees of that cloos / Thēne kyng Cirus answerd to Lisander / forsoth said he / I haue myself ordeyned and mesured alle thies thynges of this cloos / and also I haue compassid and proporcioned the renges of them / and many also of theis trees that ye see here / be sett and greffid with myne owne handys / And Socrates tellith that Lisander in loo­kyng vpon the gowne of purpure of kyng Cirus / and the clene beaute and goodlynes of his body / and the array whiche he bare in the maner and wise accustomed of the countree of Perse / whiche was weuid with golde [Page] thyk / and with manye precious stonys garnysshid and richely couchid / and purposed in thies wordes to kyng Cirus / fforsoth said Lisandre / men seyen rightfully & truly that thou art riche and fortunat happye and blessid in thy life / for to thy vertue & nobilnes roiall is conioy­ned to gedir fortune and wordly felicitee / by cause that thou employest the and occupyest to laboure the feeldys to be riche and plenteuouse / wherin is the pryncipall parte of worldly blessidnesse / Sith than that of thies for­tune and blessid disposicion whiche kyng Cirus thēne olde / myght lefully vse and worke in londys tyllyng / and that he delited hym therin to make his reame plentefull and riche / I tell you Scipion and lelius that it is leefull to the olde aged men of high astate as of othir meane degree / to vse and to take delectacion in labouryng the londes / and yit it is true that olde age lettith not / but yeuith olde men myght to maynten contynewe and per­fourme vnto thende of our age the studye and by coun­seyllyng the offices of dyuers craftes of all thynges to be wrought and to be doon and specyally in labouryng of londys / ffor forsoth I haue herd saye by the olde historyographes / that a noble olde man romayne callid / Ualerius Carninus vsed the life of a labourer vnto an C yere of his age / and all though he were of long & of parfyte age / neuirthelesse he dwellid in opyn townys and in villages and laboured the landes Betwixt the first office geuen hym in rome and the sixt consulat of this Ualerius was xlvj yeris by reuolucyon of yeris / and anon aftir that same tyme he was Iuged to be an [Page] olde man / And by that grete age / he was named vnable to haue publike office of rule and gouernaunce of citees and townes or for to be a capitaigne to make werre for the defence of the romayns / But which men may vndir­stonde that aftir the nombre of yeris that auncien men ordeyned / which was from childehode vnto the begynnyng of olde age / men myght endure tyll that same nombre of auncien yeris to haue offices and dignitees in rome / ffor olde age beganne aftir the ordenaunce of the romaynes and not aftir the nombre of yeris / and forsoth the laste age of this valerius was more bettir and more blessid / by cause that it had more auctorite and experience in the offi­ce of labourage of approwmentys of manoirs feldes and lordships / Yf ye question how I preue that auctorite / by the most high thyng that olde age myght haue his verry experience and excercise / Ye knowe it wele Inough in cōsideryng what was that olde man romayne Lucius Metellus the most grete bisshop of rome whiche by his grete auctorite and wisedome defended Postumius con­sul of rome / that he shulde not goo for to make werre in aufryk / in leuyng the sacrifises in the olde lawe deputed and accustumed of Mars god of bataile / wherof it for­tuned that the seid Postumius in obeyng to the auctori­te of Lucius metellus the bisshop left the seid entrepris of his werre makyng though it had be committed to Postumyus as consul of rome / Ye also may knowe how grete the auctorite had be of olde men by the same that was subduyd in the noble romayne Actilius Catilinus / whiche was the prynce and lorde of the people [Page] subdued and conquered as many men consenten and as it apperith by all the versis of the tytle graued and wre­tyn vpon his toumbe / This Attilius thēne was by right a man auctorised / that the fame and name of alle the romaynes consented / to write vpon his tombe his ti­tle of renomme in worship and in praysyng of his victoriouse deedys / Consider ye Scipion and Lelius of what auctorite was Publius Crassus the most grete bisshop of rome / And aftir hym Marcus Lepedus whiche had the same dignyte / whiche both we haue seen of grete age / What will ye that I telle you of thies iij noble romayns Paulus or of Affricanus or of ffabyus Maximus all iij olde men / of whom the auctorite was not onely in spekyng and in counseillyng / But they were of so grete auctorite / that it was obeyed to that whiche they wolde haue doon or sped / so that they had she­wed it but by sygnes and tokenes / Olde age honora­ble hath in it pryncypally so grete auctorite that it is of gretter power than be alle the delectacyons of yong age /

But remembre ye Scipion and Lelyus in alle this my present boke that I preyse and magnyfye that olde age / whiche from his begynnyng is ordeyned and arrayde by the fondementys of adolescencye whiche be in dyuers doctrynes of sciencys lernyd and in excercisyng of honest occupacyons and craftys instruct and excercised By which I shewe you that the silf olde age is but lew­de and wretchid that defendith the auctorite of it onely by wordys / and not by vertues & sciences lerned studied conquerid / and won in yong age / as I seid it ones in [Page] oon of my sentencys / to the whiche all the philosophers of rome accorded / The whyte herys and the ryuilyng chier of the body of an olde man may not wynne soden­ly auctorite nor worship / but the age passed / before the olde age / takith his lafte fruytes of auctorite / That is to witt / that the vertues and the sciences of the yong men resceyuen not hole worship nor full auctorite till olde age come on hym / that his wittys bee stablisshed by / fforsoth ther be seuen thyngys perteynyng to the worship of olde age / whiche semytth to som men to be light and cōmune / by cause that they belongen to all good olde men / whiche ben thies / The first is that it perteyneth that the othir yong men all be it they be grete in dignite to salewe and make reuerence in all places to the olde man / men ought desire the felisihp of the olde man for to lerne of hym and to haue his counseille / Men ought in euery place to yeue rowme & audyēce to the olde man in the felishipps where men treten and comenyn of publike offices vpon maters for a comon prouffite or a pryue / that be syngler causes to be decysed / Men ought to rise sone anone before the ol­de man and bowe them in obeyng hym / Men ought to fo­lowe and goo honorably and worshipfully aftir the olde man fauoure and abyde hym when it nedith / Men ought to lede and guyde them honestly / and bryng them ayen from the places that olde men haue for to tarye / Men ought to demaūde question and enquere of the olde man coūseill & aduise vpon chargeable maters and doubtouse thyngys for to witt whiche be for to doo and whiche be for to leue / And all thies worships belongen to olde [Page] men / whiche be full dylygently kept / emonge vs roma­ynes / and also in other citees townes and villages af­ter that whiche be right wele founded and grounded in good condicions and the same custumes duly obserued

The historyes of the greekys sayne that the wise man Lisander of the kyngdome of lacedomonye in greece of whom I haue nowe late made nencōn / where he was wont for to say that the cytee of lacedemone was the right ho­nest toure or dongeon or castell of olde age / That is to witt / In the cyte of lacedomone olde men resceyued right grete worship and right grete auctorite in dignite / ffor in no place saue there / men made not somuche worship to olde age and was not more honourid and worshiped / than it was in the seid cyte of lacedomone othir wise named spar­ta / And knowe ye Scipion and lelius that we re­membre wele that oute of the cytee of Athenys was co­me theder aged men of worship and degree for to see ga­mes and playes / Ther was no man of all the cytezeyns sittyng and stondyng in that grete place that wolde ge­ue place and rowme to the olde men of Athenys for to sett them to be holde and see the playes / Thenne thies olde men consyderyng that noon of cytezeins had not made them no place / they withdrewe them a parte from the Teatre callid the Tent and stages where as there sate in a certeyne place ordeyned some men of the cytee of Lacedomone / whiche were come vnto Athenys as legates callid Ambassiatours / and the historyes sayne that alle the men of lacedomone ariseden from their sieges and re­sceyued the seid olde men for to sett the same olde men by [Page] them / And aftir that they / whiche sate in the tentys had right gretly preysed and recomended the men of lace­domone / whiche had yeuen place to the seid olde men / And oon of the men of lacedomone said heeryng them that were there / fforsooth said he the men of athenys knowyn suche thynges of reuerence and / honour belongyng to be doon aftir right and gentilnes / but they will not doo it / O ye men of lacedomone I come to speke of you for I haue knowyn that in your company and feliship / and in your college be many thynges right noble and worthy to be tolde of and putt in remembraūce / But the honoure and worship due and belongyng vnto olde age / wherof I spe­ke nowe is founde pryncipally in your feliship / for aftir that euery man hath more in age emongys you men of lacedomone / he is holden and take for the pryncipalle / and the first place to hym assigned in the assembles and in places and publike counseils / and yeuyth first the sen­tences vpon the causes questioned wherof men spekyn and come to be counseylde vpon the dygnyte / And the reuerence and the religyon be so straytly kept emong the men of lacedomony / that not onely the olde men be set before them whiche be in worship and dignite / But namely the bisshops and prestis more aged be sett before the Emperours and pryncys lesse aged /

Nowe may ye knowe that men of bodily delectacy­ons ought not to be compared with the rewardes of auc­torite of worshyp / whiche is due and yelden to olde age and if som haue to gretly vsed of this bodily delectacōns [Page] wherof I complayne me / It seemith me that they haue not perfourmed their age / but it owght to be tolde for a mok / and for a fable / by cause that in their life dayes they haue made no prouffitable thyng vaillable to endure by them / whiche ouer muche haue vsed of thies delectacyons tom­blyn and falle in their laste age / That is to wit in olde age which is to vndirstonde / not as Iouglers mynstrels and players turnyn and tomblyn vp so downe in the last ende of their playes of maistryes for disport [...] makyng by the whiche they ought lightly to be excused / But the men whiche so long haue vsed / of delectacyon that they leue it but as a fable and a v [...]nyte / They ought to haue no mercy nor be excused / But some may telle me that ol­de men be slowe and soft / angwisshous / and heuy / angry and soroufulle / variant and mystrustyng / and if we seke wele the condicions of olde men / we shall fynde as ye say / that they be also nygardes and couetouse / But I answe­re you Scipion and Lelyus / that their vices whiche ye name here aboue / be the vices of the condicions of cor­rupt & euill custumes / and be not the vices aftir age / But algatis this euill slownesse of body & the othir vi­ces that I haue said whiche semyn to be foūde in olde age haue apparaūce of some excusacyon whiche forsoth is not Iuste / But it is suche that it seemyth that men may preue that it be reasonable / Men may yit oppose me that olde men trowyn and ymagyne to be dispraysed and moc­ked of yong men / And with that alle office and euery dyspleasyre be hatefulle to olde age / by cause that olde men haue their bodyes freel and sekely / by whiche [Page] they may suffre noon offenses of displeasir nor wrethfull

But I tell you Scipion & Lelius / that though ol­de men weenyn to be dispraised and mocked and offended of yong men whiche thynges arn dyuers & hatefull to ol­de men / Neuirtheles if they be purueid of good condici­ons and vertues & of good sciences as they ought to be the thyngys aforesaid shal seeme them swete and light to bere and to suffre / ffor though the mynde be purueid of good condicions and vertues and of good sciences / it may not be so harde offended nor troubled / but it appeaseth and swetith it holdyng hym content and pleased / as so­ne as it thenkith and remembrith the propre goodnes that it hath in it silf / But and the olde men be not wele drawyn foorth in connyng and manerly taught and wise / the euil condicions hereaboue reherced shuld be to them harde noyous & hatefull / & parauenture importable & it is not merueil though some olde men suffryn & heeryn wele & softly the greuaunces of olde age / And that some arn inportune & wery of age / ffor we may rede and see like thyng in the lyuyng & the condicōns of two bretheren ge­mellys callid twynlynges / wherof the poete Trecencius made a comodye callid aelphis / the which he redde in the scene at rome / ffor of thies two bretheren gendird of oon ffadir in oon bely at onys norisshed / the oon like as the othir / the one was hard sharp angry vngracious & rude / And the othir was curteys meke honeste and debonaire /

Than knowe ye Scipion and lelius that suche is the ordenaunce of the custumes of olde age / ffor as e­uery wyne long kept and olde waxith not eagre of [Page] his owne propre nature / right so all mankynde is not ay­gre fell cruell vngracious chargyng nor inportune in ol­de age of their owne kynde / though some men among ma­ny be foūde of that condicōn / I approue & preyse in olde age the man which hath seueritee & stidfast abydyng in hym / seuerite is contynuance & perseuerance of oon maner of lyuyng aswele in the thyngys within as in theym withoute / But I approue nat that in an olde man be e­grenesse nor hardnesse & sharpnesse of maners of condici­ons / & also I may not consceyue nor vndirstonde why a­uaryce & couetyse ought to be in an olde man / for ther is no thyng more vnreasonable nor more folyssh / then is for to hepe gretter quantite of wordily goodes or of vitailles in the tyme when the man hath lesse wey for to endure & & lyue / Nowe it is so that olde age aftir nature is the ende of the laste dayes of olde men / wherfor aftir rea­son they ought lesse put them to thought solicitude and care for to gadre more grete hepes and plente of richesses and tresours thēne nedith /

bY cause that in the iijj distinctōn next of this boke I haue sufficiently answered to the thrid opposicōn / that yong age opposith ayenst olde age so behoueth nowe to [Page] saye the fourthe cause answeryng to the fourth vitupera­cyon of olde age reprouyng / whiche semith pryncypally to constrayne & forthenk our olde age / and this fourth vy­tuperacōn is by cause that yong age lothith / esche with / & saith ayenst olde age by cause that it nygheth the deth / which aftir cours of nature may not be ferr from olde a­ge / But oon defaute Scipion & Lelius consider ye I praye you how the olde man is a keitif wretchid & vnhappy which that seeth not ne vnderstōdith that in olde age men ought not to rek nor sett by neithir to be afferd of deth whethir it neyheth or cometh / ffor men ought not playnly to retche not of deth / but ought to defie it / if it quenche & bryng to nought the soule / as falsly saith & is the opini­on of the philosopher Epicurus / Orels men ought na­mely to desire the deth if it lede & bryng our soulys in som place for to be perdurable aftir the departyng of the body / as truly seith Aristotle prynce of philosophers and also they that folowyn hym / And it is true that betwixt thi­se two meanes is founden no thrid / ffor it must nedys be that the sowle be dede or stynt & ende with the body / orels that aftir the deth of the body it lyuith euir / Thenne I / that am an olde man haue no cause for to doubte the deth if I shall not be wretchid nor vnhappy / aftir the deth by cause that my soule dyeth with my body as some affermyn falsly / Orellys I haue no cause for to doubte the deth / if aftir that I shalbe blessid & ioyouse euirlastyng / by cause y^t my soule nedith not nor is ded for euir aftir this present deth And though ye oppose ayenst olde age that it be nygh the deth / Tell me what man is so grete afole / how be it [Page] that he adolescent or yong of age that knowith of trouth & in certeyne / that he shall lyue tyl̄ eue / and for to excuse moreouir the iiij repreef & defaute alledged / I tell you Scipion & lelius that yong age enclyned to excesse & to ou­trageousnesse hath mo causes of deth / than our olde age / ffor yong men more lightly fallen in sekenessis / they be more greuously seke / they take helth more latter & with gretter daungier / And for this reason few men may come to olde age / And if the age of yongth wolde leue the ex­cesse / & the grete outragyousnes of surfetes / & wolde folo­we the temperaunce of olde age / the yong men shuld lyue better & more wisely / ffor in olde men is groūded with sad purpos aduis reason & coūseil / And it is certeyn that if ther had neuir be noon olde men / ther had neuir be no cy­tees townes ne villages edified nor no comynaltees of men lyuyng / rulid & gouerned to the comon wele aftir Iustice / And by cause that I haue seid shortly that yong age fallith more lightly in sekenes & in parel of deth / than doth olde age / which hath be cause of a disposicōn for to e­difye cytees & townes / & Iustely to make & ordeyne assemblees of men / and people to gouerne citees & townys & coūtrees / I begynne nowe & torne ayen how yong age op­posith that the deth is the neyghbore of olde age / And for to tell the trouth there is no shame nor repreef to olde age by cause that they be nygh to deth / ffor ye see that yf the deth were Iuste cause of blame and of repreef / that cause shuld be commune to the age of adolescence and also to olde age / And as ye wele knowe I had a right good sone named Caton as I am / And [Page] thou Scipion also haddist two bretheren yong men / which aftir their euident merites shulde / haue be in right grete dignite preferrid / That is to witt consuls of rome / as many oon trustid and hoped / which thre decessed in their yong age / where by I haue vndirstonde and perceyued verely / that deth is comon to all ages / But ye may saye that the man adolescent & yong hopith that he shall lyue longe / & aftir that a man is olde he may not haue such an hope / Therfor I answere you that the yong man hopith foliously / if by cause of his yong age he wenith to liue long / ffor he is not certayn therof nor knowith not the trouthe / Now ther is nothyng more foly thēne is for to haue & holde the doubtuose thyngys as certayn / & the fals as true / & if ye oppose ayenst olde age that the olde man hath nothyng in hym whereby he may hope to lyue more / I answere you Scipion & Lelius that by this thyng is bettir the condicion & the astate of the olde man than of the yong man / ffor the yong man will lyue long / & the olde man hath lyued long / how be it that in the life of the man is nothyng long by the ordenaūce of the goddys which to mankynde haue sett necessite & nede for to dye / I will Scipion in consideryng hou olde men lyuen that thou telltst me hou it is true that euery man haue some last tyme assigned / Consider we Architonius kyng of Tarse whiche is the pryncipalle countree of cilice / This Architonius as I haue seen writen in historyes reg­ned foure & twynty yere And lyued six score yeris / But knowe ye Scipion and Lelyus that forsoth ther is no thyng that semith to me long / sith it hath some laste ende [Page] ffor whenne that laste ende comyth / the tyme and yeris of grete peynes and labours / in yongth in grete auentu­res whiche before be passed is thenne eskaped and ronne alle to geder / And than abideth onely in the remem­braunce and mynde the merite / whiche thou hast conque­rid by thy vertu and by thy good werkys doon in tyme passid / whiche ought make the glad whiche haste ouir ska­ped all the Ieopardyes and auenturis as wele in bataile as in dyuers and many othir weyes perylouse aswele on the see as on the lande / The houres of the tyme of our life / and the dayes / and the monethys and also the yeris passen and come neuir ayen / And also the thyng to come may not be knowen / by no man nor in what place & in what astate he be aftir the deth / Euery man ought to be content and pleasid of suche hope of tyme / as god had yeuen hym for to lyue / And for to shewe how and why the man ought to lyue / I wolde that ye knowe that as the poete makith not onely by versys of a fable in his comedye callid an enterlude to thentente by cause that it please to hym that pleyeth it in the game / But the poete makith onely his comedye and / enterlude to thende by cause that in euery pagent he be preysed and commended of euery man aftir his playe / And the wise man also ought not to desire to lyue / tylle that he saye / That is to witt / I will no lenger of my life / ffor a short and a litle tyme of age is long for to lyue wele and honestly / And if it fortune that thou lyue but a short and litle tyme / thou owhtyst not to haue any more forthynkyng nor sorowe than haue the labourers of the landes / which haue [Page] no forthenkyng nor sorowe / by cause that the swetnesse and softnes of prymetemps callid veer and spryngyng tyme be passed / And that the tyme of somer and of au­tompne callid heruest be comyn / ffor though the labou­rer see and smelle gladly the odoures of fresshe floures and herbes in prymetemps neuertheles / he is glad for the tyme of somyr in which ripyn the herbys trees and fruy­tes of therthe / And for the tyme of autompne and her­uest in whiche he gaderith them to gedir he putted them in the berne and in the garnere / Now ought ye to knowe that the perymetemps signifieth the age of adolescencye or of yongth whiche shewith by signes of prymetemps bourionyng and spryngyng what fruyte shall turne and do to the man in his tyme to come / And the two othir seasons / that is to witt somer and heruest be prouffitable and able for to repen mowe shere and gadre the fruytes to geder to the vse of men / And also it is true as I haue beforesayde that the fruyte of olde age signifieth the mynde and remembraunce and the habondaunce of the goodys / which before haue be made redy and conquerid by vertu of good werkys / and for to preue more ouir that for to dye in olde age / is noon harm nor repreef / I tell you Scipion and Lelius that alle thynges that be made aftir nature ought not to be accompted nor rekened amonges the goodys of the man / Nowe it is so that there is no thyng that is so moche accordyng aftir nature as is / that aswele men as othir thynges growyng by kynde dyen in the tyme of their olde age / and yit it is cer­tayne that deth comith to yong men and adolescentys / [Page] whiche is ayenst kynde & oute of nature / where by the deth is to them more peynefull soroufull & harde / And by that the adolescentes & yong men as me semyth dyen like as old men / which quencheth a strong & a right grete fflame of fyre / by castyng in of moche watir / and olde men dyen as a fyre which stynteth and wasteth it self / or as a can­del / & the matche in a lampe of oyle consumith withoute doyng violēce & withoute any force & strength / I make eft sonys anothir cōmparison of deth / whiche comyth both to yong & olde men ffor as the appils & othir fruytes han­gyng on the trees be by force plucked in the meane tyme whiles they be rawe & newe & when they be ripe & melowe by the heete of the sonne they fallen of with their free & playne will / & so the deth takith awey by hir violente force the life of yong men / and the ripnesse of olde age takith awey the life of olde men softely and withoute force / And this deth whiche comith by ripnesse of long age is so ioyfull and so agreable to me in so moche as I shall applye and come more nygh to it in a conuenient season / The deth is also to me noon othir wise ioyfull or agreable / than shuld be to me the deye londe / if me thought that I shulde see it when I seyle in a ship or swymme in the see to the porte or hauyn / And that it were likly that I shuld come to the porte or hauyn aftir that I haue sey­led and vyaged long vpon the see / That is to witt that deth / which comith to the wise man aftir long age / is like the porte or h̄auen that men see from ferr in seylyng vpon the see whiche doth grete ioye when men be vpon the riuer in to the hauen warde and to haue takyn their porte salue / [Page] ffor the drede of the parelles and daūgers of rokkes san­dys and grete tempestys be than passid chaungid and turned in saftee and rest / How be it that the fyue first ages haue their ende and their terme / aftir certayne nom­bre of yeris / Neuertheles olde age which is the laste hath no certayne terme / And yit thou maist rightly lyue in olde age in the meane tyme / & as long as thou maist per­fourme and defende the werkys of life / and the offices in which thou art yeuen vnto / So alwey that thou doub­te not deth though thou lyue long / whereby it fortuneth that namely olde age is more couragyouse and more hard and vigorouse ageyn alle feerys and dredys / than is adolescencye which doubtith and dredith deth / This thyng is preuid by the sentence that the right wise phi­losopher Solon answerd to a tirant callid Phisistratus which Phisistratus by violence occupyed the lordship of Athenys / ffor where as the seid tiraunt demaūdid of Solon in what thyng / he pryncipally trusted / and why that he resisted hym so boldily / Men seyen that it is true / that the seid Solon answerd that he trusted in his olde age / by the boldenes of whiche he despised deth / & doubtid noon othir thyng / But I will not blame ligh­tly them whiche desiren to lyuen / ffor the ende of lyuyng is right good whilom that man hath hole thenkyng of vndirstondyng & hole reason and naturell witte / certeyne and stable for to laboure in office perteynyng to life of man / Dame Nature whiche hath assembled and en­creced in mankynde a body to wyrke / That is to witt / the thynkyng and the reasons and the wittys for to doo and [Page] excercise the offices of the life / she brekyth hirself and bryngeth to nought hygh courage at the laste ende of a­ge / when nature is consumed / So as it is in the werkys of nature / in like wise it is in the werkys of craftys / ffor the werkeman whiche hath made a ship or any othir edi­fyce in byldyng / the same werkeman kan breke it right lightly / when it is olde and consumed / Nowe it is true that the tymbre and the matier and the bourdys newe fastened or glued be lightly disseuerd / and tho whiche ha­ue be glued and fastened long tyme paste / be brokyn with grete peynes / So thēne Scipion and Lelyus may knowe that olde men ought not couetously desire that shorte space of life / which yet abydeth with them / and also they ought not to leue it withoute Iuste and honest cau­se / whereby the cause to hurte hymself or shorte his life whiche by alle naturell kynde and by alle dyuyne reason is forbeden to euery man / sith that he may not doo that / which hath noon honest occasion / And the philosopher Pytagoras whiche forbedith that withoute the cōmaū ­dement of god / no man departe from the bodily life / he vseth and makith his reason by such likenesse and simi­lytude as of a prynce of the lande whiche maketh the constable of a batayle whiche the prynce signifieth / whēne he ordeyneth his souldours to abyde & stonde in some place assigned / ffor he commaundith them that for nothyng they stere not ne remeuen withoute his commaundement Pitagoras by this exsample wolde say / that withoute the commaundement of god no man shuld purchace his deth / And if thou oppose and seyest ayenst that whiche [Page] I haue said / That is to witt that the olde man ought not to desire to lyue the remenaunt of his tyme / ffor as thou saist / the philosopher Solon than olde / by expresse wordys ordeyned that his frendys shuld make sorowe we­pyngys and lamentacyons aftir his deth / I tell the Scipion that the wise Solon wolde be lamented and bemeaned of his frendys by cause that they shuld shewe that he had loued them / and that they were euir in his lo­ue / But I wote neuir Caton yf the poete Ennyus wolde be holden more dere and soroufull of his frendys by cause that aftir his deth he wold not be bywailled nor la­mented / ffor by his verses he seid / that aftir his deth noon of his frendys shuld not desire hym ayen in wepyng / & that in his seruice of exequyes funerall noon shuld wepe for hym / I answere the Scipion that Ennyus vn­dirstode hoely that men shuld not wepe for the deth of hym / nor of any othir that becomith vndedely and immor­talle / aftir this present deth which comith to them whyche haue lyued all their life aftir alle vertues / Thou tel­list me ayen Scipion / that olde men felyn in them some drede of the deth / which drede lastith by a litle while speci­ally in the olde man whiche dyeth soone and softly with litle payne / Therfor I telle the Scipion that the fee­lyng and vndirstondnyg of that dredefulnesse is suche that it ought to be desired ffor aftir deth it is nought / And by cause that the soule departed with the body the whiche I mene not othirwise / but what thyng euir it be of the feelyng of the deede of deth / we ought to haue sta­ble thenkyng from our adolescence / for to lyue in suche [Page] wise and so wele that we may despise doth withouten ha­uyng of it any drede or grudchyng / withoute this thyn­kyng no man may lyue in peasible courage / for euir / the drede of deth fleeth before the eyen of the thought / I tell you forsoth / that it must nedys be certeyne that no olde man may deye yong / And it is vncertayne a thyng to knowe if that a man shall dye in this present day / Ther is no man thenne whiche may lyue in suertee of courage of a myghty herte / if he doubte the deth whiche may come and stele vpon hym at all houres of the day or he beware /

It is no nede that I dispute long with you of deth / for to shewe you that men ought not to doubte it / ffor if I bryng to mynde the wise and the couragiouse men of alle astates and aged men / whiche doubted not to suf­fre deth for Iuste and honeste thynges / I may tell you therof many exsamples though it nede not / ye knowe by historyes / how aftir that Tarquyne the prowde kyng of rome was banysshed / and dryuen away and depryued of the royame for the foule mysdeede that the sone of the seid Tarquyne did / in defoulyng by violence the right chas­te lady of grete worship and renomme Lucresse wif of the noble Collatyn Citezeyn of Rome / The duke Tar­quyn had a sone callid Arnus which by armes enforced hym to recouir the seid reame and to take awey the liber­tee and freedome of the people / and to bryng it ageyne in seruage / But Lucyus Brutus thēne consul of ro­me as he whiche doubted not deth and whiche for the co­mon welfare of the cyte and for the freedom of rome to be had / he wolde of playne and full will lese this present life / [Page] beeyng with the hoost and bataile of the romaynes ligh­ted vpon his hors and leyde his spere in the arrest and sporrid his hors ayenst the seid Appius thorugh his hoos­te betwene two batailles & in suche wise encountred & coped the one with the othir / that both two were woūded and hurted with dedly woundys fille dede vpon the erthe / and so by the couragyous hert and manhode to ouircome that grete ennemye to Rome by the voluntary deth of the seid chiuallerous noble Brutus / remayned stille and abode to the people of Rome their right precious tresour / That is to witte their freedome and their franchises which were before tyme appopred vnto them / ffor to shewe also that men owght not to drede deth / it nedith not that I telle the historye of this noble romayne Publyus Decyus / nor of his sone in like wise named Studecyus amongys them of his kynrede / he was the first whiche had the dig­nyte of consulat at Rome / and how he beyng consul was onys in batayle with the Romaynes / And he sawe that his hoost was nygh all putt downe / or shuld haue ben des­troyed and ouircome / he of his playne will & grete man­hode ordeyned in his courage and in his thought that he shulde yeue and abandone his bodye / for the saluacyon of the comon prouffite of Rome / Thenne he mowntyng vpon his courser and his spere in his arreste spurrid his hors whiche bare hym swyftly in to the myddys of the hoost of his ennemyes / That noble and worthy Decyus whiche wolde the helth and welfare of his countree and the deth of hym self to take / before his deth made grete [...]ision vpon his ennemyes of Rome / And aftir that [Page] by speres wounded fille dede to the erthe / and so through his entreprice and courage / by the blood that Decyus shedd it fortuned to the hooste of the Romaynes / the vic­torye ayenst their trust and hope was had / ffor when they saw their worthy prynce and consul and chief of the felde dede / by his owne high courage and freewill and for the saluacyon of all his feliship and countree / The seid Ro­maynes toke so grete courage ayenst their ennemyes / And ensured themsilf to liue or deye in mortall bataille / with their prynce and the felde / wherof they had the victo­rye / The sone of the seid Publius beyng four tymes con­sul of rome had so grete & so myghty courage & thought as his ffader in folowyng his nobles in armes and chi­ualrye / ffor his seid sone Publius of his playne and freewill of a myghty courage in marcyal causis auaun­cyng hymsilf vpon his ennemyes in bataile in defendyng the noble romaynes he abandoned his body and his owen propre life for the saluacyon of the comon prouffite of the romaynes / And this is a noble exsample / that so ought suche chiualerouse knyghtys put them in auentu­re for their prynce and for the defence and saufgarde of a reame or countree beeyng in seruage / ffor to shewe also that men ought not to doubte the deth nor drede to departe oute of this present life / It is no nede that I telle you of one of the moost noble pryncys of good remembraūce Marcus Attilius first a labourer of the londes / and af­tir electe consul and connestable of the batails of rome / whiche by many a tyme ouircame and had the vppirhande and victorye of the men of cartage mortall ennemyes to [Page] the Romaynes / and atte laste the noble prynce by chaū ­gyng of fortune was takyn prisoner in to Cartage / And for the delyuerance of the same Marcus Attilyus oute of prisone / thenne an olde man / the lordys and gouer­ners by cause they vndirstode his grete manhode as a victoriouse prynce ayenst them / and how he was worthy in renomme & to be worshippid for his manhode / and how also he was of so grete age / that he aftir tho dayes shuld be of easy power of bodily strength to make any more werre ayenst Cartage / treted hym & desired / that he shuld for his deliueraūce oute of prison / make to be redemed / de­lyuerd and recouerd many of their yong lordes knygh­tys and Gentils of Cartage takyn prisoners before ty­me amongys the Romaynes / And in trust therof the seid Marcus Attilius was fraunchysed oute of their Captiuite & so relessed vpon his faith promysed that he shulde retourne / He at a certayne day to come ayen to pri­son in to cartage in case that he coude not procure & prouide for the delyueraūce of the seid yong men lordys knygh­tis and gentils of Cartage so prisoners thēne in rome / Attilius willyng to despise the deth & for an honest cau­se of an vnyuersale wele of his coūtreye / wolde spende both his bodye & his life / consyderyng that the comon prouffite of rome myght be hynderd & damaged gretly / if for that his deliueraūce oute of prison shuld cause the seid yong knyghtys of cartage were yolden & deliuerd ageyne home to their coūtree / coūseillid & willid ayenst hym self to his destruction & seide to the senatours of rome & also to his & wife childeren that he wolde yelde hym self raithir ayen [Page] to pryson to Cartage / though he myght othirwise be re­lessed / and also wolde acquyte hym Iustely of his othe and promyse to his maister captaigne made / And though he knewe the outragiouse cruelte and grete duresse of en­prisonement of the men of Cartage thēne his ennemyes whiche when he retourned freely in to prison constreyned hym by grete duresse and peyne turmented hym in a py­pe / festned and stikked fulle of nailles rollid hym and kutte the ledys of his eyen that he myght not slepe / and othir paynes for to dye by so long & cruel turment and payne that it is not possible to reherse it withoute wepyng terys / There is no nede also to reherse how that Sci­pion Affrycan & Scipion Asian two brethern right noble and gloriouse champions / for the comon prouffite employed & occupied alle their strengthis & their bodyes / & in dyuers batailles auenturid them ayenst them of au­ffryk / ffor aftir the deth and discomfityng of the grete Pompee / Scipion othirwise callid Affrican succedid in office aftir the seid Pompee and was in one of the ba­tailes of Rome that discomfited by armes the men of auffryk / aftir Cartage destroyed by the grete Scipion And brought them to the lordship of Rome / But where as by chaungyng of fortune Scipion hoped no refuge ne socour / he departyd from auffryk for to come in to spayne by nauye of shippis with som Captaignes of Rome aftir many turmentys in the see / he and his nauye by sodeyn tempestys of wyndes / were d [...]yuen and came ayen in to the countree of Affryk / And there he was besegyd by Publyus Sticyus knyght of [Page] Iulius Cesar which thēne allone occupied the lordship of Rome / Scipion thenne wolde rathir deye in thestate of his freedome and libertee and for to escape the seruitu­de of Cesar as he that charged not in settyng no pryce of his deth killed / hym self with his owne propre hande / All be it that he myght escape lightly ynowgh that mysfor­tune / ffor Cesar wolde haue ben to hym full gracious & debonaire ynowgh / & aftir that his right noble brothir Scipion Asianus / whiche by bataile subdued and putt downe the countrees and the kynges and the people of the partyes of asie / he made fulle riche encreacyng and multeplyeng the comon Tresour of Rome / as he whiche hath many Tryumphes and victoryes and which conquerd many kynges and pryncis by victorie in ba­tailes / And aftir that he retourned ayen to Rome where he was vniustely accused by the excitacion and ex­hortyng of kyng Anchiochus / whiche by fals accusa­cions & conspiracyes made hym to be vniustely accused and sklaundred / and surmytted vpon hym forged maters / how that he had takyn to his owne singuler auaile and prouffite and witholden to hym self grete nombre and quantite of money and Tresour whiche shulde haue be putt in to the comon tresour / wherupon the seid Sci­pion was takyn and bounde with yrons & was putt in derck prison wherin he ended his dayes withoute any vnpacience / I reherse not also onely of thy Graūtsire Lucius paulus consul romayne / whiche dreded not the deth / but wolde leue his bodily life of his owne good will

ffor where as Hanybal duke of Cartage Enemy [Page] to oure cytee of Rome had assembled his hooste in a towne of poyle callid Cannes / And for to resiste hym and withstande / had there comyng the seid Paulus thy Grauntsyre and anothir consul his felowe with alle the strengthe of Rome / thre hunderd noble yong knygh­tys romaynes with a parte of the hoost withoute the coū ­seile & cōsentyng of the seid Paulus assembled to gedir & ioyned in bataile / In the which that parte of the seid hoost & the consul and the seid thre hundred knyghtys were ouirthrowe & died shamefully / That is to witt by defaute of good ordenaūce and oute of array beyng / they loste the victorye & were disconfited And where thy seid graūt­sire Paulus saw his felowe and his hoost so ouirthrowe discomfited & kylled / he with the reemnant of his hooste auaunced hym in to the bataile withoute any hope or vic­torye / but onely to thentente that he wolde venge the ou­tragiouse discomfiture and ouirthrowe of his felowe con­sul / whiche foliously vndirtoke the dede of entrepryse / in semblable wise was by mortel fate ouirthrowe and slayne emongys his Ennemyes / It is no nede that I telle how Marcus Marcellus consul Romayne despi­sed not his deth in playne bataile as a chiualrouse knyght / ffor withoute any grete auis / he with an egre hert desyryng to resiste ayenst the affricans and the men of Affrike / was chosen and requyred for to fyght with Hanyballe chief prynce of Cartage in the feelde / wherin oure souldiers Romayns assem­bled gladly and right wele chered and stable in their noble courage / And yit they thought wele ynough [Page] that withoute comyng ayen of the seid Marcellus her chyueteyne they shuld dye / as it happith them so to doo / ffor the seid Marcellus wolde not spare his life for the worship of Rome / auaunced hym self ayenst Hanyball and was slayne in playne feelde in the first bataile or he myght releue & socoure his hoost / And they all with mar­cellus consul & chief cheueteyne of that bataile dyed in the felde in the defence of the Romaynes fulle nobly worshippfully to their grete renomme / aftir whiche their ennemyes of Cartage made grete sorow of their deth for their grete manhode they dyd them grete reuerence at their beryenges / As I haue saide in my boke of the birth of the noble ytalyens / The whiche Marcellus so consul ly­eng deed in the feelde with his knyghtys / the seid Hani­bal most cruel enemy of the Romaynes / made hym to be brought to erthe with grete worship of sepulture / ffor ha­nybal aftir his owne propre noblesse / cōsideryng the vertu of the seid Marcellus & couragiouse hert bare hym so vi­gorously as a lyon in bataile whiche in no wise doubted the deth in exposyng and auauncyng his body & his life for the publike & comon prouffite & saluacōn in defending the Romaynes / he did couer the body of the seid Marcel­lus with a pall of riche cloth of golde / aftir their rightes custume and vsage of marcialle men of auffrike / & ya­fe hym a corōne of lauror / & aftir brent hym in a solemp­ne fyre aftir the maner of olde auncyen men of worship to be preserued & kepte amongys the noble men of wor­ship / What Scipion & Lelyus will ye that I telle you sith the yong & adolescent men / And not onely they [Page] that be introducted and enfourmed in sciences & vertue / lyuyng aftir the condicion of a philosopher / but namely the foolys & ydiotes lothen not nor doubten the deth as ye haue herd me and declare in the precedent exsamples / Thenk ye thēne / that the wise olde men ought not to be a­ferde by cause they be nygh the tyme of their deth And he that is full & replete of all the studyes & werkys per­teynent to euery age / he is replete and wery of the tyme of this life / so that he doubte not in no wise the deth as it seemyth me rightfully & as I preue it by my self / And note ye for a good aduertisement to euery man for to bere in remembraunce and for his prouffite / That certayne thyngys be wherin pueryce callid childhode / which is the seconde age puttith his studye and his entendyng in thynges accordyng to his agrement / And the ado­lescente men whiche be vndir the thrid age desyren in no wise the thynges and the besynes / wherin puerice studyeth and occupyeth / And certeyne thynges be wherin the men studyen & occupyen them in begynnyng of their ado­lescencye / Also certayne thynges be / in whiche yong age / whiche is the fourth & the mene age / puttith not his studye & besynesse in his precedent ages / though the man had employed & occupied hym in the othir first ages which be smaller and of lesse degree / Yong age is callid the age stable & meane / by cause that it holdith the meane betwixt adolescence & olde age And cesseth than the man for to do lighe thynges and folyes / And as thēne or neuir the man is stable & hole in body in witt & vndirstōding / The thynges and the werkys in whiche yong men studyen [Page] And occupye them been suche / that olde men rek neuir of it / But namely olde age hath delectacyon in some thynges in his laste dayes wheryn he studyeth and em­ployeth his wittys / How be it thenne that the study­es and the werkys of the fyue first ages dyen and seace in some tyme and seasons / they in suche wise seacen and dyen in the besynesse studyes and the werkys of olde age whiche when they lacken in the man / than he whiche is full and wery for to lyue in this worlde / cometh to that tyme whiche is ripe and couenable for to dye / fforsoth I see nothyng but I dare telle you that which I fele and perceyue of the deth / ffor me seemyth that I may better see & feele the nature & the proprete of deth / by asmuch as I which am an olde man am lesse ferr from it / fforsoth Scipion & Lelius I deme & thynke in my courage that in the high heuyn leuyn youre two ffadirs / which haue be rightfully named & noble in worship / and my right dere frendys / also I deme in my thought that your two ffadirs lyuen of oon life / as of oon good disposicion / which one­ly & noon othir owght to be callid a life / ffor whiles we be enclosed within thies ioyntes of our materiel body / we vse of an office conteynyng necessite for to dye / And al so we vse of a gracyouse werke and heuy by cause that the body draweth to the deth warde / But within vs / is a celestial soule and dyuyne fourmed / whiche from the moost high paleis is come downe to be Ioyned and knytt with mankynde bodily / and if it had be conuerted and hidde within the erthe oute of his naturelle place appro­pred / The place wheryn the celestial soule remayneth to [Page] quykyn the body for a season / is contrarye to the dyuyne nature of the soule whiche is resemleled and likend to the Trynyte / ffor the soule is celestial and descended from an high place / And the body is erthly lowe and puissaūt The soule is vndedly and the body is dedly / But I beleue that the vndedly goddys haue spred and sowen the soules within the bodyes of mankynde to thentente / that the men shulde see and inhabite the countrees / And by cause also that the men consyderyng the ordenaunces of the celestial thyng shulde folowe that ordenaunce by maner of stablenesse of life / That is to witt that god whiche is vndedly hath putt and putteth the vndedly soules within the bodyes of the dedly men to thentente that they perceyue and inhabyte within this lowe world to suche an ende that they consydere the ordenaunce of he­uen / and that they may lyue aftir stable life / celestiall & perdurable with god And knowe ye Scipion and Lelyus that my reason nor my dysputacyon / which I ha­ue made vpon this mater / constreyned me neuir that I shulde beleue that the soules of men shuld be mortal & de­dly / as to deye with the bodye / But namely thordenaūce & thauctorite of the souerayne philosophers hath constreyned me to beleue that when I herd disputacōns amongys the wise philosophers of the studye of Rome / redyng the doc­trines of the worthy philosopher Pytagoras & the oppyny­ons of them that folowed hym which the moost parte of them / they haue be by olde tymes passid callid latyns phi­losophers / Thy determyned for trouth that we haue the sou­les spred & / sowen within oure bodyes / the which were not [Page] gendred simplye by nature / but that they were of a godly and a dyuyne substaunce suche as god ordeyned it in his thought / wheryn is the figure & the mirrour of all thynges both godly and manly / accordyng with the doctryne of Pytagoras and with thoppinions of his disciples / Men did enfourme and teche me the doctryne / and that the philosophre socrates in the laste day of his life had con­cluded and affermed / And they spekyn of the Inmorta­lite & vndedlynes of the soules / This Socrates why­lom maister of the philosophre Platon / was holden the most wise of all the other philosophers as it appered & was shewed by the answere of the god appollo to whom men de­maūded / which was the mooste wise of the auncyen philo­sophers / Socrates said / he ought to haue the pryncipal honoure and renomme emong all the wise men of the ci­te of Athenys / It nedith not also that I speke euir of the vndedlynesse of the soules / but I holde trustely that the soules of men be vndedly ffor sith the lightnes of the soules is so grete that they be euir meuyng / sith the mynde of thynges passed is so grete & parfite in the soules that men remembryn of tho thynges whiche be passid like as that they were presente And sith the dyuyne pro­uidence of thynges for to come is so grete and feruent in the soules / that the man counseillith hym pourueieth hym and auiseth hym of some thyng meritable and pro­uffitable and also comfortable to come / And sith that in the soules ben so many connynges craftes and subtile conceytes for to make aftir right naturelle rea­son / the werkys connyngys and craftes / wheryn the [Page] men workyn & occupyen them comonly to lyue by And where as in the soules be so grete sciences and wittys both godly and manly and so many newe conceytes and dy­uers thynges founde withoute any exsample or patron /

I saye aftir my witt and feelyng that the soule which naturelly conteyneth the thynges that I haue here aboue saide / may not be dedly / I shewe you & preue othir wise that the soule is vndedly / ffor sith the soule euir hath in hit dyuers meuyngys / by cause that one tyme it coueiteth the delectable thynges / as is science / craft / prudence / sapi­ence / wisedome / witt / vndirstondyng and othir good spiri­tuel vertues and suche thynges whiche seme to be good /

And anothir tyme the soule hath meuyng of contrary passions as in waxyng wroth / thoughtfull heuy / dredefulle noyouse sekely / ffor displesant thyngis / which be or semen to be euill / and hynderyng to the bodye It must nedys conclude / that it be perpetuell and euirlastyng / I preue you also / that the soule is vndedly / ffor it hath nothyng that sterith it for to doo that whiche it dooth / ffor the soule meuith and sterith it self / and the soule shall neuir haue the ende of his meuyng / ffor the soule may neuir le­ue it self / ffor it wolde euir be for to doo some office pertey­nyng to his kynde and to his nature And by anothir reason I preue that the soule is perdurable and euirlas­tyng / ffor the naturell substaunce of the soule is symple and is not composed nor commixted of partyes of dyuers natures / And also ther is nothyng in the soule / which is medled with vnlike to his naturelle substaūce / where­by it must nedys be saide / that the soule may not be dyuided [Page] in dyuers / partys / And if it so be men must nedys con­clude that it may not dye / And more ouir to preue that the soule be perdurable / ye haue a grete argument and good approbacyon by cause that the men knowyn many & dyuers thynges or they be in puerice / ffor as ye knowe men in the age of puerice / when they lerne and studyen in the speculatyf sciencys and craftys of the practike and of subtyle and dyuyne conceytes vsyng aftir the crafte called experyence / which be full harde daungerouse and sub­tile to come vnto / they witholden and conceyuen so haste­ly and so soon dyuers conceytes & many oppynyons ar­guen that it seemyth not onely that they lernyn them newly and soon / but it seemyth that eftsonys they haue therof mynde and remembraunce as if they had knowyn them before And knowe ye that the philosopher Pla­ton is the auctor whiche spake of the soule so as I haue here said / Aftir that I haue shewed you by argumen­tys and reasons that the soules be not dedly / I now wyll by exsample and by auctorite shewe that the soules arn perpetuel and euirlastyng / The philosopher Exe­nophou witnessith in a boke of his callid Economus that the grete Cyrus kyng of perse / the day that he dyed said to his childeren the wordys that folowyn / My right dere childeren said the kyng / thenk ye not but that I euir am in some place / & also but that I be some thyng beyng aftir that I shalle be departed from youre feliship / ffor when I was with you / ye myght not see my soule by which I am vndedly / but ye shall perceyue wele ynough / that in my body was my soule conioyned by the seuen werkys [Page] whiche I excercised in my lyfe / ffor my body was by the meane of my soule / I hadd free wille / and not wille for to doo or not to doo / all possible thyngys / I had right demyng of thynges true and false / I had feelyng of the qualitees of the thynges / I respired by brethyng res­ceyuyng in and owte by the conduytys of my body / I knewe and discerned the thynges by their propre causes /

I had mynde and remembraunce of thynges before pas­sed / Aftir thies seuen werkys the soule is named by seuen names / That is to witt / Soule / Corage / Reason ffeelyng / Thought / Mynde / & Spirite / Ye ought thēne to beleue / that aftir my departyng / the soule of me is such as it is nowe / though ye see that my body be brought to nought / Yit by cause the worshipps the dignytees and the good werkys of noble & famouse men shold not be ex­tyncte and not remembrid / Honour shuld be shewed & doon vnto them whiche passyn oute of this worlde / af­tir their deth / But their soules shuld doo so muche / that we shuld haue of their goodnes lawde and praysyng me­moyre & mynde lenger than the tyme of their life Kno­we ye seid also the kyng Cirus that neuir man coude make me to consente nor to graūte that the soules shuld lyue whiles they be within the dedly bodyes / nor that they shuld dye aftir that they be disseuerd and departed from the bodyes / And also say I / that neuir man coude make me to graunt nor to consent / but the soule be wise and no­bly endowed aftir that it is disseuerd from the body folissh and foule / But I consent and graunte that the soule begynneth to be wise aftir that it is disseuerd and clene [Page] and hole of alle the medelyng of the body / whiche is me­dled and commixted of foure elementys / whiche arn emongys themsilf contrary / And sith the naturelle body of the man / whiche is the moost noble of the thynges cometh ayen to nought by the deth / It is clere and notoire in what place alle the othir thyngys goen / ffor the thyn­gys of this worlde goon ayen to that / from whens they came / The soule of man shewith not nor appereth not / nor it may not be seen / Neithir when it is conioyned with the body nor when it is disseuerd from hit / Ye see al so said kyng Cirus / that ther is nothyng so like the deth as is the slepe / And certayne it is that the soules of them whiche slepyn shewen and declare the dyuynyte and godlynesse of the soule / ffor many men slepyng / per­ceyuen & knowyn by their slepe / thynges for to come / So that the men be delyuerd & franchised / of erthly thoughtys whereby men ought to vndirstōde what shal be our soules when they be clene relessed of the bondes of erthly bodyes

ffor the soules withoute comparyson shalle vse more playnely of their dyuynyte and godlynesse aftir that they be oute of the pryson and of the bondys of the bodye

Wherfor if thies thynges be trewe / that is to witt / that my soule is vndedly and inmortal as I haue said / I wille ye my right dere childeren that ye worship me in god / But if it so be that my soule shulde dye with my body to gedir neuirthles / we whiche bere reuerence to the goddys / whiche defendyn and gouerne all the beaute and fairnesse that is in the feliship of the body and of the soule / I will that all regiously and withoutyn brekyng [Page] ye kepe the mynde of me specyally / by wele saying and by wele doyng as I haue doon whiles I lyued This gre­te Cirus kyng of Perse said alle thies wordys to his right dere childeren at the houre that he dyed But and it please you Scipion and Lelius See we what be our opinions in the maner of the inmortalite and vndedlynes of mans soule / And knowe ye Scipion that ther is no man that makith me to consente nor to accorde that thy ffadre Paulus with thy two Grauntsirs Polus and Scipion thaffrikan / or the ffadre of the vncle of the seid affrycan or many othir worthy and noble men roma­ynes / whiche it nodith not to name nor to telle / wolde ha­ue enforced them / for to doo the grete dedys of vertues & of worthynesses for to haue of it the mynde name & fa­me amongys the men / that aftir them shal come / But they had auised and knowyn in their courage that tho that by succession of lygne shull come aftir them shuld haue in their courage suche vertues and good deedys that aftir their deth the remembraunce of it shulde endure /

Thenkist thou than Scipion that I had vndirta­ken and susteyned so grete labours both by nyght and by day al the tyme of my life / aswele as for the gouerne­ment of our cytee of rome / as of myne owne propre hous­holde / and also in actys and deedys of armys / if I had thought that by like semblable termes I shulde ende with the life of my body The glorye / the lawde and preysing & the name of the renomme & fame that I may haue de­seruid & cōquered by my labours afore said / I speke thus Scipion with the to thentente that I haue a singuler [Page] Ioye & deserue lawde aftir the maner of olde men / whiche in tellyng and geuyng enformacnon of their good dee­dys / gloryfye them and praysen / And by that they yeuen courage as an euident exsample to yong men for to doo like semblable good deedys / if I owght thenne oon tyme ende my life / & the mynde of my worshippfull actes and dedys of renomme / and if it so were that my soule shuld dye with my body / it had be bettir to me / that I had lyuyd ydylly and in reste than to laboure / and withoute ba­taile makyng / But that I had seen and thought cer­taynly in my courage that tho whiche by succession of lygnee shulde come aftir me / wolde haue in their courage my labours and my good deedys putt in remembraunce / And that aftir my deth / the glorye and renomme of it shulde abide to the men whiche be for to come and the re­warde to be youen by the souereyns of dyuyne gouernaū ­ce to the vndedly goddys / But yit ye Scipion and Lelyus may seye to me / how mankynde rising and lif­tyng vp to gette glorye / euir lokith before hym for to de­serue remembraunce vnto them whiche aftir hym shal come / Therfor I answere you that it is said to thentente that when the soule shall light & departe from this presēt life / it may fynally lyue by euirlastyng life in eternalle Ioye & glorye / And but it were so that the soules shuld lyue by perdurable glorye and ioye euirlastyng aftir this present life / the courage of euery right good man wolde not enforce them so gretly to gete the ioye that shold en­dure but for a season / I aske you Scipion and Leli­us what ye thenke of thies two dyuers thynges / That is [Page] to witt / euery man like wise and vertuous dieth in right pacient courage and gladnes and euery man that is of folyssh and vicious disposicion / dieth in courage right vnpacyent and dredefull / Thenk ye so / but the courage of the holy man and good / whiche considerith and percey­ueth more / and more ferre / seeth right wele / and knowith that the soule goeth in to a better place / and where it shal be better than it was in this present life / and therfor the wise good man dieth in right good pacient courage / and glad to departe / But the folisshe & delicious man / whiche for his ignoraunce and by the weyght of his vicys hath the light and clernesse feble and inclyned / so that he may not see nor knowe that his soule goeth in no bettyr place / nor for to be better than it was in this present life / And forsoth by cause that I am an olde man and nygh my deth / and also I thenk that my soule is inmortelle / I am right ioyfulle / for to desire / whiche I haue for to see youre ffadirs there decessid / with whom I haue be conuersaunt haunted and also I specially loued them for their grete vertues whiles they here in this present worlde were ly­uyng And I haue not desire to see onely the men pas­sed oute of this life / whiche I knowe by sight and by con­uersacyon / But namely I haue desire for to see aftir my deth them / of whom I haue herde speke / & them of whom I haue redde by histories & them of whom I haue wreten amō gys them whom I vndirstonde that they be made inmor­telle by their precedent meritys / fforsoth ther is no man that lightly shuld holde me to the loue of this wordly life / sith that I am in the wey for to goo with them [Page] whiche be made inmortalle / And also ther is no man that lightly shuld make me tourne ayen from the weye by the whiche men passyn oute of this present life / How be it that some fonned and folisshe olde men desiren it ayen / I wolde that men wolde dryue them and re­tourne them ayen in to yong age as men retournen a balle from oon merk to anothir / ¶And if some god wolde yeue me puissaunce that I whiche am an olde man / myght retourne ayen in to childhode / and that I shulde braye and krye in my swathyng cloth and in my cradelle like a childe / I wolde it not / but I wolde euen refuse it / ¶Yf ye demaunde me what / and how grete prouffite and auaile is / to be in this life I answere you / that ther is more laboure than prouffite But for to saye the trowthe / this life conteyneth both that one and that othir / That is to witt / prouffite and laboure / And neuirtheles this presente life con­teyneth anothir fulfillyng or mesure / And olde men haue their fulle certeynte of this life / ffor the men of the othir fyue ages / haue terme and mesure of certeyne nombre of yeeris / ffor childhode conteyneth seuen yeris And so of the othir four folowyng / ¶fforsoth it liketh me not to wepe or sorowe in any wyse / by cause that my life is not lenger / And certeyne it is / that many men as foolys haue wepid and mourned / ffor this same cause / ¶And also I repente me not of that / that I haue lyued tille the tyme of olde age / ffor I haue so parfytely lyued / that I trowe not that I haue be in the worlde for nowght / nor in vayne / I departe me from [Page] this presente life / as a walkyng weyfaryng man or as a voyagieng pilgryme departith from some lodgyng­place or an hostellrye / for to come to his owne dwellyng house / ¶But I departe me not from this life as the lorde departeth from his owne house / ffor this passable life is nowght ellys but as a lodgyng place or an hos­tellrye / But the life to come is the stablement and the propre house of myne vndedly soule / ffor nature mo­dir of alle thynges hath youen to vs men lodgyng for to dwelle to gedyr / But she hath not geuyn to vs no hous euir to inhabite / ¶Thenke ye Scipion and Lelyus how noble be that dyuyne counceille and that noble assamble wherin onely shal be the soules of dede men / To the whiche Counceille I Caton shall goo asso­ne as I shalle departe from this troublous lyfe and from this filthe / fforsoth I shall goo to the dyuyne coū ­ceille / not onely of the men of whom I haue before spo­kyn / but namely at the departyng from this life / I shall goo with the yong Caton my sone / whiche was so good a man that his bettir was neuir borne of modyr / nor more excellent in pytye nor in religion / ¶I haue brent and beryed the body of my Sone Caton hou be it that othir wise shulde hadde be aftir cours of nature That is to witt / that my body olde & auncyent owght to haue be brent and beryed by my sone / ¶The soule of my sone Caton left me not / but his soule whiche lokyd & be­heeld that I shulde come to hym is turned and with drawen in certeyne placys of heuyn in the whiche it is [Page] auised as I hope that I shulde come to / aftir myne olde age / ¶And trewe it is Scipion and Lely­us that it hath seemyd you that I did bere and suffre with good and strong courage the deth of yong Ca­ton my sone / ¶But forsooth I did not bere it nor suffre it not by so strong / nor by so pacient a courage / But I had therof sorowe and trowble / But I con­forted me thenkyng in my Courage that betwixt vs two / shuld not be so long space of places aftir this present life / ¶Ye Scipion and Lelius saye at the begynnyng of this boke / that ye were woont to woonder and merueile hou myne olde age myght be to me softe easye and swete in thies two thynges / whiche seemyn sharp and byttir for to suffre / That is to witt / myne olde age and the hasty deth of my good sone Caton / ¶And I haue tolde you that myne olde age is to me both swete and light / And it is not onely muche chargyng / but it is Ioyouse and glad to me / by cause that I thenk and deme for certayne that the soule neuir dieth / ¶But if it be in erroure and oute of trouthe aftir the doctryne and scole of Epycu­res / by cause that I beleue that the soules be vndedly and Inmortelle perdurable and euirlastyng / I answere you that this errour pleasith me / and I con­sente me in it right gladly / and as long tyme as I lyue I wille not that any philosopher / nor ony o­thir / of what condicyon that euir he be / take awey fro me this erroure / wherin I delyte me / ffor if aftir [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] this presente life I be dede / aswele in soule as in body as that some yong and smale philosophers of whiche men name Epycures that affermyn / Certayne it is / that I shall feele nothyng / And also I am not afferde that suche philosophers so ded / mockyn me nor of this myne oppinion / Aftir whiche I verily beleue that the soules be vndedly / ¶But ye may demaunde me / what we olde men ought to doo / eythir to desyre to lyue lenger / or to de­sire the deth / and to be contente to haue lyued tille olde age / ¶I answere you / that though the soules were not vndedly / yit euery man ought to desire that he dye in his tyme / That is to witt / in olde age / ffor the na­ture of man hath in hit certeyne terme for to lyue / as haue the othir thynges of the world / whiche alle dyen / or fallyn or fayllen aftir they haue acconplisshed and fulfylled their cours of age / ¶Nowe it is trewe that aftir the fyue first ages / olde age is the accomplisshing and the fullfylyng of the life of men / ¶We also owght not desire to lyue oiur olde age / as I shewe it you by this exsample / The poete / whiche rehercith in the Scene in some ffable / owght to be ware that he make not werye / and that he noye not his heerers by ouer long rehercyng the ffable / ¶So that men owght not desire to lyue ouir olde age / Seeyng pryncypally that in that age or neuir / he is fulle weerye for to lyue / I haue had in my thought for to telle you of olde age / as ye haue herd here / To the whiche I desire that ye may come / to thentente that by experynce of deth / ye [Page] may preue tho thyngys whiche ye haue herd of me / which be by me wretyn in this my boke callid olde age:

Thanswere of Lucresse vnto her fader.

rYght worshipful fader of me youre humble doughter best byloued and moost drad. I dar in no wyse disobeye your commaūdement ye­uen vnto me / on your blessynge / I praye you chese for me / and to your sone in lawe / the more noble of [Page] bothe. vpon the whiche her answere / ther grewe grete con­trauersye bytwene thies two yong Romaynes· and gre­te herte brennyng / whiche of theym tweyne sholde haue be counted for more noble / And for as moche as lyke thyn­ges had not be seen byfore / And that thanswere of Lu­cresse was openly publysshed / the mater was brought by fore the Senate / where eyther of theym had suche langa­ge for his parte by waye of Oracion as ensieweth /

The Oracion of Publius Cornelius Scipio.

sYth it is so that my lady. Lucresse hath willed and desired to haue the more noble of vs tweyne. Ye ffaders conscript / whiche of you is he. that vnderstandeth openly / how Pub­lius Cornelius Scipio born and descended. of the no­ble and worshipful blood and hous of the Cornelyes. muste by alle reason and right. haue and enioye the glo­rye of this moost goodly choyse. who is he wel aduysed that doubted that / to be noblesse / whiche we take of the stocke / of oure worthy olders / syth they lefte that / vnto theyr heyres and successours· as the richest parte of theyr enherytaunce / ffor whan they haue atteyned the fame of worshipful dedes / by them parfyghted. and deserued laude of knyghtly disciplyne. ripe maners / grete vertue / and hygh glorye / and haue meryted a name bryght and In­mortal / with hye and grettest worshippes. that they haue atteyned to the places and offices of grettest auctorite in our cytee / And so called the veray noblesse & worship [Page] by the remembraunce of the whiche / all theyr yssue is no­bled / yf it so be that we brynge oure childeren in to this world as parte of our blood / membres. bones / & bowellys. how shold they be otherwise called than the partes of our bodye / the whiche graunted / hyt muste folowe necessa­rily that theyr heyres / partes of theyr bodye / be parteners of theyr glorye / And suche parte of glorye as they recey­ue / they leue vnto theyr childeren / as to the partyes of theyr body / And so to be continued to the laste of that kynrede. Sothe it is / that the lykenesse of the faders / be for the more parte shewed in the childeren. by thordenaunce and establysshement of nature / And somtyme they be veryly lyke. that nothyng in beaute and personnages can be founde differente. And so that durynge the lyf of the sone / the fader may not be foryeten / Item many faders and childeren ben so lyke in maners / that theyr wyttes & maner of lyuyng be wel nyghe comformable / the childeren be so norysshed and brought vp in theyr faders houses / the whiche theyr famylyer custommes. and dayly conuersa­cion of speche / and delynge to gydre. muste nedes drawe them to comformyte of maners / syth it draweth theym which be foreynes full ofte vnto the same / By the which reasons / it sheweth euydently / that custome and nature. haue ful grete force and strengthe in childeren / and in­pressyng in theym ful hugely his force / So that for the more parte yf the fader and moder be vycious / they leue alwey a spotte vnto alle theyr progenye / And yf they be vertuous. they leue to theym a bryght fame. suche as withoute theyr demerytes. may not be taken from theym. [Page] I coude remembre vnto you many yf ye wil not thynke me to longe / which haue had worshipful faders / & therfor without ony other cause / haue ben called forthwith noble who is that wel vnderstandeth the worship of Furius Cammillus / that wolde not Iuge his childeren noble & honourable / syth he delyuerd the cyte in most extreme pe­ryll / out of the hondes of our enemyes / And so he allone repared and preserued the weal of our thynge publyque / who is he also in lyke wise / that wil not thynke the childe­ren of Fabius Cato and Emilius worthy fame and noblesse / syth by the vertue of theyr said faders. the cyte was sette in so grete worship and surete / And they ther­fore receyued so often theyr tryumphys / who is he that will not trowe / that our wele publyque / is gretely behol­den to the childeren of theym / whiche so often put them self wilfully / theyr lyf / theyr goodes / and alle that they hadde in grettest Ieoparde and peryll for the same / ffor yf theyr faders wel and worshipfully acquyted theym self in that byhalue. And caused our cyte to floure in so grete worshipp and glorye / fforsothe me semeth / it were ouer vnkynde yf it wolde not haue theym in perpetual and worshipful remembraunce / And therfore in so moche as oure olders wold not ben holde but kynde. they ordeyned and establysshed by theyr statutes and lawes publyque / that who someuir they were. that chastysed theyr enemyes destressed grete folkes / or subdewed contrees to theyr obeyssaunce / sholde receyue. at theyr retorne / that glorye. that was vnto an Emperour with worshipful Tryumphis openly yeuen. by the whiche they shold be exalted in [Page] worship lyke vnto a g [...]de Inmortall / Grauen ymages also representyng theyr lykenesse shold be sette in the places / where thassemblee of the people oftenest / & moost amply was had. Also theyr names to theyr perpetuel laude were wryten in the stone werkes enbowed / called the Arches tryumphal. tappere clerely to alle theyr heyres and successours. The whiche Arches tryumphal / Romaynes vysyted and worshipped certayn dayes of the yere by theym lymyted and ordeygned / wherfore it shold seme / yf suche and so grete worship was due vnto the grauen y­mages / the same and gretter is due vnto theyr childeren and progenye. ffor tho grauen ymages were but a counterfeted representacion of theyr persones and victo­ryes / And in theyr childeren nature hath lyeffully enprynted and shewed veryly the same / and / so ordeygned / that they maye doo grete & good seruyse / to the weal publyque where as the dede stones may ful lytil ease or prouffyte / And theyr childeren callyng vnto theyr mynde the no­ble dedes of theyr progenytours. maye be so sette vnto the folowyng of theym / that they shold mowe doo many thynges ful weleful / and commodyous for oure estate publyque. And sette a syde many thynges noyesaunt & peryllous for the same / And therfor ful ofte / for the re­ward of theyr faders merytes / our Cytezeyns haue youen to theym dyuerse offices of grete auctorite and worshippe Also more ouer / ther is no wise man / that vnderstandeth hym self nere his dayes and tyme of deth. gyueth charge so gretely of ony thynge erthely. as of that / that he shal mowe leue his childeren to lyue worshipfully aftir theyr [Page] disceas / Ne in theyr age they can not vnderstande. ony thyng more plesaunt or ioyous vnto them. than yf there children by theyr vertues be called to estate and worshipp we see also that the chief of theyr thought. and pleasure is vpon theyr childeren / And some thynke they can not age ne wexe olde / whyle theyr childeren ben a lyue / ne that they be vnforsaken by humanyte. all the whyle / their childeren enioyen it / whiche premyses preue. that the loue of the faders / emong all the desires of mortal men / can not be thought to reste so gretely in ony one thynge. as in theyr childeren. & yf it so be that the pryncipal thought of the faders bothe fyrst and laste. resteth in the childeren. & in theym / and for theym they haue theyr plesaunce / and care / The sequele is vpon this cyte that they muste thyn­ke chiefly / it be kept and holden to the childeren of theym I mene of tho faders / which haue so meryted thanke and laude. for that they haue doon for the same cyte / And furthirmore worshipe and make moche of theym / at the reuerence of theyr faders / and to vse and excercise that kyndenesse in theym. wherin they fawted in power to re­compence the merytes to theyr said faders whyles they ly­ued / Therfore me semeth / this is the hyest parte of noblesse. to come of theyr auncestres. of whom they may recoū ­te and reherce the noble dedes / many tymes worshipfully achieued and parfyghted truly & without colour / And for theyr benefaytes· theyr yssue may duely desyre. And by title of enherytaunce chalenge the offices of estate & worshippe in this cyte or ony other place / And remembre theym self. how they be veray partyes of tho bodyes which [Page] haue ben so worshipful. [...]eryng the lykenesse / ymage / and prynte aftir theym / Who is he that wolde not Iuge theym noble / namely whan alle men ben of the same op­pynyon / Parde the comyne people. calle theym onely no­ble. whiche ben descended of noble Auncestry. fferther­more sothe it is· that the habundaunce of Rychesse em­belyssheth gretely noblesse / by the whiche Rychesse. the seruauntes / and alle other conuenyentes. for the well beseeyng of the hows / ben had more goodly and play­saunt / And suche thynges also as outward possessi­ons / And foreyn causes ben better susteyned and ser­ued. Frendship also and attendaunce of neyghbours / is by that meane purchased / And who is he that can thynke / that he sholde mowe wel helpe his frendes in tyme of theyr nede / whiche maye not of hym self releue his owne necessyte. Wherfor me semeth the chief and hyest parte of noblesse / muste reste in lyberalyte. And as I sayde he payneth hym self vaynely to excercise lybe­ralyte to other folkes / whiche hath not wherof to vse it to hym self. It is necessarye thēne / that he that will be lyberall / haboūde in goodes of fortune. thenne his noblesse shal shewe / bryght by meane of lyberalyte / And the lusty brightnes of many noble persones is derked & seaced whan they lacke that / wherof they shold be lyberall· How many noble & chosen men haue there ben / that whan they haue be brought to the poynt of pouert / haue ben holden & taken for vyle / And of none estymacyon. how many hye & noble men haue deyed vnknowen for lacke of good / whos ver­tue myght not conduyte theym to the fauoure of prynces [Page] for that they lacked that. whiche was necessarye for sus­tentacion of their lyuyng. Thenne habundaunce of good is a grete and asouerayn helpe / to the shewe / and settyng oute of the werkes of noblesse / by the whiche the courage may be enforced with grete hardynes. And the vertue of noblesse maye more clerely appere. And yf it so be that noblesse resteth in blood and rychesse / as it muste nedes. which of you is it faders conscript / that doubteth my blood And my hauoyrs / remembryd / but that I shold mow wel chalenge to be one of the moost noble of this cyte / ffor who is he that hath fought more manly. for our estate publyque / than myn Auncestres / Or where maye be founde e­mong vs / that hath putt hym self in gretter Ieoparde for the same than they / Or by gretter force and vertue hath sette a syde fro this cyte peryll and disshonoure lykly to haue falle to the same / where can ye remembre that ony haue subdued to your obeyssaunce so moch of this world as myn auncestres haue doon / ffor one of theym whan he had chastysed the prowde courages of the kynges of Asie and dyuerse other nacions. deserued the name of Asie· to be ioyned to his name for a perpetuel memory of his victorye / Another of theym in the tyme whan ytalye la­boured in the suffraunce of the cruell force of oure ene­myes. whiche neyther spared to brenne / slee / and waste all the contrees enuyrōne / I meane aftir the grete bataylle of Gueius delyuerd the cyte all occupyed with wepyng / wayllyng. and woo. despeyred of releef. by the puys­saūce of Hanybal thenne oure enemye / consydered with his dayly victoryes / enchaced the sayd Hanybal from [Page] oure bondes of Italy / in to his owne contrey. where he put hym to perpetuel rebuke / And subdued the estately cyte of Cartage. which had alwey vs in hate / to our obessaū ­ce / by the whiche victorye / he meryted the name of Affry­ca to be knytte with his name / And for so moche as the thryd Scipio in the tyme of the rebelles of Cartage. whan he had made the wallys & byldynges euen with the grounde / The said name of Affryca. he and his successo­urs enioyed as a surname where in they were enheryted / I passe ouer to speke of other. by whos vertue and glorye this Cyte was soueraynly praysed and dradd. ffor yf I wold reherce you / the worshipful dedes and actes of eue­rych of myn auncestres / I sholde peraduenture occupye you to longe / And I shold not vnderstonde my self / whan I shold make an ende. And I may moche more gladly and leeffully / in this byhalue put my self to sy­lence. syth that theyr famous dedes be to theyr Infynyte lawde notayrely knowen of you alle / ffor where is the place in this Cyte that is voyde / of the tryumphal wry­tyng of myn Auncestres / or where is that temple / that is not enourned with the ryche espoylle of their victory­es / what sacred places can we see here / In which the pyctour or grauyng of theyr ymages is not / And they be suche / & as grete remēbraunces of theyr noblesse / as is leefful for ony mortal man to wyll or desyre / which premysses preue euydently / in how grete noblesse of blood I am enheryted / ffor I bere in me the veray ymage of theym / ffor who so e­uer knewe theym / & now seeth me / maye not faill to calle theym vnto his mynde / I am he that represēted their blood [Page] theyr membres / and theyr shappe in this body which I be­re aboute / Of theym I cam / In theyr howses I was nourysshed / and with theym I dwellyd tyl I atteyned the ye­res of my force / And so I am descended of the strene of theyr noblesse / that in no wise it may be taken fro me / and yf this cyte be dettour vnto theym / ffor theyr benefaytes. I muste nedes clayme / as theyr heyr / parte of the same dette / And me semeth I may chalenge of you worshypful faders of right. suche offices of worship as shal falle in your yefte. ffor I trowe ther were neuir none more wor­shipful endowed with noble courage than myne aunces­tres / which vnto me lefte as grete plente of noblesse and rychesse / as can of ony persone be wylled or desyred / ffor my fader lefte vnto me fayre and stately places / wel and plenteuously fornysshed of alle maner thynges / whiche shold be longe vnto theym / so that whan they be arayed and honged with suche stuff as he left me / ther is ful ly­til difference. bytwene the palayses of kynges / and my byldynges / I haue thenne withoute the subarbes. places of disporte as lustely and pleasauntly bylded· as can be deuysed / besyde that I haue in champayne· ffertyle feldes. ryche posseessions and fayr vyllages / whiche be able to receyue. not only a grete howshold. but a grete hoost / And furnysshe them haboundauntly of alle maner of vitayll / What howshold I kepe and how it is beseen· Alle the peple of this cyte knowe well ynough / fforsothe I haue so grete plente of the yef­tys of fortune. And of my worshipfull progeny­tours. that I dare saye / So that no man ther with [Page] be displeased / that there be fewe in this cyte in byrthe and rychesse / whiche excelle me. Thenne lete Gayus Flammyneus put hym self to sylence / And namely in this stryf of noblesse / or in the desyre of fair Lucresse / syth in byrthe and rychesse he maye chalenge no parte of noblesse / Namely syth it is to vs alle vnknowen / from whens he cam. And whether he haue ony lytle pyece of er­the to bylde vpon a Cote or lodge. And therfor of veray right I aske this fayr lady / whiche is to be maryed / that hath chosen me / syth I am more noble than Flammine­us. And therfore I haue best deseruyd to be perpetual ser­uaūt to her moost beautyuoꝰ grace / duryng my lyf / And ye my lady Lucresse haue right grete cause to be right glad / and thanke our goddes hertely / which haue endowed you with so grete wisedom and grace. ffor ye cowde not haue chosen a more faythful. ne more obeyssaunt seruaūt ne one that loueth you more hertely. ne one with whome ye shold passe youre yeres more prosperously. ffor I shal brynge you to my lodgyng where ye shal see estately byl­dynges of halle and chambres conuenient for a kynge. Next ye shall see the chambre of playsaunce wyth ryche and playsaunt beddes and hangynges. Also the ryche pyeces of clothes of gold and sylke for youre araye­ment / And ye shal chese as moche as shal please you of theym / ye shal not be vexid with comyn labo­urs / ye shal lede youre lyf with pleasaunt ydelnesse / And ye shall not nede to breke youre slepe to thyn­ke how ye shal gete you moneye to lyue at youre ly­berte. As it shal best please you. And ye shal not [Page] nede to thynke on ony thynge / but how ye shal be mery in syngyng daūsynge / huntynge / hawkyng / and suche other disportes of pleasaunce / And ye shal haue suche gentil wymmen / to be parteners of your playsyrs as ye wil che­se / and other maydens whiche shal be redy to obeye youre commaundementes / Ther shal no day passe you / that ye ne shal haue som disporte of pleasaunce. And I shal en­force me to make you passe the nyghtes meryly / And Flammineus myght euyl promyse you thise thynges. syth he is of suche pouerte. that he lacketh alle thyse hym self. And with hym forsothe ye sholde lede ouer wretchid and careful lyf / ffor in stede of estately and playsaunt beddes and hangynges / ye shal fynde in his hows such as they vse vpon londe. / And in stede of playsaunt ydelnes ye shal fynde ouer peyneful besynesse. In stede of reste / laboure / And in stede of slepe. watche / And ther shold no daye passe you ferre / without laboure and occupacion / who is he· therfore that supposeth / but that fayr Lucresse wolde haue me to her seruaunt / whan she cheseth the more noble of vs tweyne / fforsothe Madame ye vnnethe speke more openly / In this your wysest / and moost discrete choys. onlesse that ye had named me by my name / ful womanly & couertly ye expressyd your desire / & where your shamefast womanhed wolde not saye / I desyre Cornely / ye sayde / I desire the more noble of theym tweyne / It were ouer grete a folye to deme otherwyse / ffor who is he that wolde byle­ue / that ye wold forsake playsāt reste / & chese peynful besines / therfor ye faders cōscript acordyng vnto your estates & dygnytees / gyue ye a rightuoꝰ sentence in this mater /

And here foloweth the oracion of Gayus Flāmineus

wOrshipful ffaders conscript / syth I am en­forced to speke for my parte of noblenes / me semeth I haue a veray grete grace to haue you to my Iuges. whiche be moost noble / & endowed with moste assured courage / Ther can nowher be founde ony. which haue so parfyght vse of noblesse as ye And it is the thynge to my souerayn comforte and ioye / whan I remembre you so ful of equyte & right hauyng so parfyght knowlege of thynges with a customed vse of vertue. Thenne I shal not mowe suffre of you ony wronge / or saye ony thynge not knowen to you / or remembre ony vertu / the whiche ye your self vse not / In this con­trauersye fforsothe faders conscript / it is to gyue more sad and quyck audyence· than in ony other pryuate stry­ues / ffor this is a Iugement that shal concerne onely two cyteseyns. or one perticuler persone. but it is a thyng that toucheth alle folke / & shal euer be had in remembraū ­ce. And shal be named thorugh alle the world. theterne lawe of the sacred Senate of Rome / Ye maye see this daye otherwise than it hath ben afore tyme seen / how alle the pepole of Rome ben present / And lye in awayte vpon youre Iugement. And ye maye beholde the syght and loke of youre Cytezeyns and foreynes cast and fyxed vpon you / And to theym it is not only [Page] comfortable to vnderstande / whiche of vs tweyne shal ha­ue fair Lucresse / but whiche of vs shold be Iuged for more noble / therfor I exhorte youre grete wisedom to ad­uerte the weyght of this mater / ffor how be it / Iustice is to be tendred and kepte / in euery mater / yet it is mooste to be take heed of / and how to be vsed in hyghe and grete maters. And faders conscript. I beseche you to pardone me for your grete humanyte and noblesse / though I speke more sharply in this mater / than I haue ben a custo­med afore this / to be myne owne herawde / ne to saye euyll of ony other persone withoute grete cause / syth I knowe well / the fyrst procedeth of an Inmoderate corage / & the se­conde of an inpacient herte / natheles I am enforced to the fyrst that is to saye my self / syth I muste nedes defende myn owne nobles / & to the seconde / I am compellyd / by the surquydous boost and wantoun langage of Cornely / which hath spoken lately byfore you / lytil worship of me. temptyng his softnesse with his sharp wordes· And yet he gaf me by that / grete helpe & socoure in my cause / bothe to rebuke and to represse his lacke of shamefastnesse / ffaders conscript ye haue vnderstanden the playsyr of noble Lucresse / touchyng the choys of vs tweyne. And how Cornelius hath be bolde to descryue noblesse / And set­te it in blood and rychesse / And so to preue that he is more nobl̄e than I. & ferthermore tolde of the worshipful dedes of his auncestres / And how grete Rychesse and ha­uoyrs his fadre had lefte to hym / Soth it is / that the sub­staūce of his speche resteth in this / but he coude nothyng remembre of hym self. that he had doo ony thyng worthy [Page] or dygne of rehersayll or remembraunce· And therfore he vttred nothyng of his owne lyf and maners / And for­sothe I trowe / that noblesse resteth not in the glorye of an other man. or in the flyttyng goodes of fortune / but in a mannes owen vertu and glorye / ffor what is nobles­se other than a certayn excellence in vertue and manhode whiche proueth one man worthy. to be preferred another. ffor semblably as man excelleth alle other beestys / and not for his force / but for his reason / so by the vertu that one man hath / whiche another hath not / he excellyth hym / ffor whan a man hath be excercised in the craftes of gret­test noblesse / that is to saye / in Iustice / pyte / constaunce / Magnanymyte / Attemperaunce. and prudence deseruyng a fame of excellence in theym. And hath quyte hym wel to the goddes Inmortall. to his fader and moder. to his frendes / kynne and his contreye / And hath be nourysshed and brought vp in the doctryne of lectrure / thenne me semeth forsothe / he shold be called / and reputed more noble worshipful & more famoꝰ· than another as Corneli hym self saide a lytil by fore. whan he spak of his owne ma­ners / And on that other syde / he that is corrupt with cur­sed craftes. And betaketh hym self to cruelnesse / rechele­nesse / Cowardyse / dystemperaunce / and Iniustyce / and gyueth no force of Relygyon / ne of the good wille of his frendes or not to vse pyte to his fader and moder in tyme of theyr nede / fforsoth me semeth / he shold be Iuged of alle men a wretche / vnnoble / shameful. and worthy to be sette a syde fro alle good companye. It is not habon­daunce of Rychesse. ne the noblenes of byrthe that may [Page] gyue or take away noblesse fro ony persone. ffor the cou­rage of man is the veray restyng place of noblesse / the whiche dame nature themperesse of alle thynges here by­nethe / hath ordeyned and establysshed to haue chief preemynence in the lyf of man. and hath enfude it euenly in alle men mortall / fro the fyrst day of theyr byrthe / And she neuir Ioined it to the enherytaunce of possessions / ffor she wyll be at her lyberte & fredam by thaduyse of vertue / to gyue it. to whom she lyketh beste / And lyke wise as a glasse or a myrrour wel made / sheweth the fygure sette by fore it / yf it be faire / fairer / & yf it be fowle / fowler / so the courage which is pure & free / is disposed to take noblesse or Innoblesse indiffrently. And ther shold no man accu­se the largesse of nature in this moost best. and excellent gyfte of fredom. ffor she gyueth to euery man a lyke cou­rage / and taketh none heede of theyr kynne powerer or ri­cher / ffor ther is no man so nedy. so vyle / ne so lytil sette by / but whan he is brought in to this world. he is endo­wed with as good courage / as the sone of an Emperour or kynge. and as apt to vertue and manhode / and perad­uenture in this cause I shal not nede to gyue many ex­amples. what shal I saye of them. that haue ben born of symple and lowe kynne / whiche haue growen to grete worship. Of whom ther cometh so grete plente to my mynde / that this daye is to short for me to reherce the lesse par­te of theym. neuirtheles I shal reherce a fewe / begynnyng at Tullius Ostilius. whiche was born in a ful symple cotage· And had fader and moder so poure and wretchid that ful fewe ther were that knewe theyr names / And [Page] the said Tullius was an herde and kept beestes. and gre­we so in wisedom and vertue. that atte laste / he occupyed the grettest auctorite and dignyte in this cyte / And how he enlarged the same cyte. and subdewed the veyentys. & the fydenatys oure grettest ennemyes / And brought theym to oure obeyssaunce. It is open to you alle / Also Seruius Tullius born of a bonde stocke atteygned the highest gouernaunce of this cyte / And byhaued hym self so nobly therin / that he made the sabynes· youre sub­gettes / and thryes he receyued his tryumphe / fferthermore he ioyned to this cyte thre hylles / Also Marcus porcius Cato was born in suche another Cote / a full lytil hows lyke as was Tullius hostilius. And he was in this cy­te of so grete dygnyte and auctorite. that he passed alle other in his dayes. he was right noble and necessary to our comynte / he was in his tyme a worthy knyght / and a veray good clerke. & he was had in grete reuerence of the cytezeyns / that by his wisedom he encreaced the nombre of the Senatours / And embelysshed the mageste of the Senate with his presence / Euery man knoweth also how Marius was born in the wylde felde. for his fader & moder were so poure / & so abiect a stok / that they had no hows of theyr owne. & yet in right grete vertue & excellēt manhode he flowred / all ye knowe wel / how he was fyrst in the bataylle agaynst Iugurtha vndernethe his mays­ter Methelius. which was that tyme questour of Rome whome the said Marius succeded in his office of Consul And he byhaued hym so wel in the said bataylle. that he put to flyght the said Iugurtha / And Bokkus kyng [Page] of Maurytanus whiche cam that tyme with grete mul­titude of people to socoure and enforce Iugurtha. And whan he had put hym to flyght / he wan many cas­tellys and fortresses. And atte laste toke the said Iu­gurtha / and brought hym afore his chare to rome / And there receyued his tryumphe. with right grete glorye. Aftir that whan the peple whiche were called Symbry­anes had wonne the felde of the Romaynes. whiche ma­de alle the cyte to tremble and quake for feere / in lyke wise as they dyde in tyme of Hanybal / Thenne Mari­us was chosen to be the Capetayn of the felde made a­gayn the sayd Symbryanes / where he had the victorye And delyuerd the cyte fro feere and peryll / And therfor he receyued his seconde tryumphe / Socrates also which was the veray myrrour of the wisedom of man / whos doctryne hath enlumyned alle the scoles of philosophers / whiche was also the wysest and cunnyngest of all mor­tal men / as grete Appollo bereth witnesse / He had to his Moder a mydwyf / And to his fader a Marbyler / Eurypydes also whiche excellyd in his tyme alle other / in wrytyng of Tragedyes / And Demostene the moost eloquente Oratour of the grekes were born of right pou­re and symple stocke / And who is he that wolde or dar call theym vnnoble / It muste nedes be graunted that / eyther ther is no noblesse emong mortal men / ellys yf ther be ony it resteth in suche persones. as wysedom. force. manhode. forsyght / and veray vertue make theym to flowre aboue alle other / And gyue to theym fame lyke to goddes In­mortall / And Cornely thou knowest wel thy self / how [Page] vnlyke thou art vnto myn Auncestres. in euery thynge concernyng worship and excercises of manhode. whiche proueth wel the contrarye of that / whiche thou hast said. that noblesse is not knytte to blood. but to veray vertu. that is ioyned to the courage / ffor they tofore remembrid shold neuir ellys be callyd noble. whiche haue ben of sym­ple and lowe byrthe / And many that haue comen of wor­shipful auncestrys that deserued. by theyr demerytes / not only to lose theyr name of noblesse / but ouer that / to be callyd shameful and abhomynable creatures / And som I shal reherce of thy kynne / And first I wil begynne at the sone of Scipio Affrycan. whiche derked and defa­ced the vygorous and vertuous fame of his fader / And that not a lytil with his cowardyse and folye / ffor whan he was destressed and take with grete shame by the kyng of Anchioche. And knelyd byfore hym. he wepyng lyke a childe. helde vp his hondes / And besought the said kyng to graunte hym his lyf. The said Scipio also / whan that he not by his merytes / but by the laboure of Cisero ▪ whiche was his faders scrybe had goten thoffyce named emonge vs Pretore. His frendes and kynnesmen were so glad therof / that they sayd / they herde nothyng of lon­ge tyme byfore / wherof they were more heuy / And they vnderstandyng his cowardyse and foly. for fere leste he sholde haue blemysshed the worship publyque of this cyte / or the worthy fame of his Inmedyat progenytours▪ or­deyned so emong them / that he was neuir suffred to sytte in his place annexed to his offyce / ne to gyue ony Iuge­ment in ony cause / Also Publius of the same stocke [Page] whan he was named Consull / And sente forth ageynst Iugurtha that had slayn Hatherbal and yempsal the sones of kyng Mysipha / whiche were euir frendely. and welewyllers / to the Romaynes / And therfore the said Publius was commaunded to take vengeance of theyr dedes / he ledde his hoost so rechelesly / that oure people were neuir more wretchidly and perylously conduyted. And atte laste he was corrupt with good whiche he receyued of Iugurtha / And therfor he made with hym an ouer sha­meful peas. whiche was aftir refused. and vtterly despi­sed of the Senate. And hym self therfore discharged of his offyce / to his grettest rebuke & shame. where may ony thyng more vnworshipful / I shold saye more shameful be tolde or reherced of ony man / And what shal I saye of the moost graceles yong man named Lucius Fabius Maximus sone of Allobrogus. his faders worship halpe hym not. whan he was knowen of so vicious and wretchid lyf / But Quintus Pompeus that tyme pre­tor of this cyte. bannysshed hym perpetuelly out of rome What shal I saye ferthermore of the neuewe of Quin­tus Ortencius / the whiche was a man in this Cyte of grete auctorite / And atte laste by euyl company was led­de so / that he foorced not openly to goo to the stewes / and in syght of alle men. to haue a doo with comyn wymmen How supposest thy self Corneli. shold we deme theym that we haue reherced / noble / whan theyr lyf so moche wretchid and full of foly. quenchid the bryghtnesse of theyr noblesse / what yf they wold preche of the noble dedes and actes of theyr Auncestres / Or what yf they wold [Page] shewe grauen or paynted ymages of theym / in tharchys tryumphal or sacred places. trowest thou thy self / whyle they were so vicious / that ony wiseman wold for all that they coude shewe / or remembre / eyther preyse theym or set by theym / Thenne it shold seme better for theyr owne plea­syre & worship to kepe scilence / than to speke ony thynge of theyr progenytours / ffor there is no man / but he wolde thynke hem the more to blame. that whan they had so wor­shipful an example sette byfore their eyen / they forsoke shamefully and wretchedly to folowe it. & me semeth though theyr faders had don neuir so moche for the weal publy­que of this Cyte. it shold in no wyse be dettours to theyr childeren. whiche ben of reuerse condicions / ffor lyke wise as theyr faders dyde embelysshe alle this cyte / So they spotten and defowlen the same. Theyr faders sette oure cyte in honoure and surete· And they euery day put it in peryll and nonsurete. Theyr faders by theyr vertue and force delyuerd oure cyte that whan it stode in grete Ieo­bardye and perylle. And whan it was in grettest reste & peas / they haue sette it in grete trouble and disordynaūce And what shold such men mowe clayme by theyr meryte or deserte in our cyte / whan it had be good for the same ne­uer to haue seen theym / & to their faders / neuir to haue begoten theym / namely whan theyr said faders. preferred oure weal publyque theyr lyues / It is not thenne to doubte / that yf theyr faders were on lyue / and certaynly aduerti­sed of theyr vyces / they wolde Iuge theym acordyng to theyr demerytes to grete turmentys / deth / or prepetuel exy­le / ffor many lyke yong men of semblable maners. haue [Page] ben by their forfaders condempned by Iugement / as bru­tus. ffor whan he had vnderstonde / that his sonnes con­spired agayn oure weal publyque / he made theym fyrst to be bete with roddes / & aftirward to be byheded / Also Cassi­us made his sone / whiche rebelled ageynst thempyre of Rome to be taken / And forthwith sent hym sore scorgyd to the Senate / there by Iugement to receyue his deth / Lyke wyse Maulyus torquatus one of the moost no­ble Cytezeyns that we haue had / whan his sone was em­pleted of dette. toke vpon hym thexamynacion of the ma­ter / And whan he vnderstode his sone truly accused / he yaf his sentetence in this wyse / Syth it is so. that my sone hath robbed this cyte / of so moch moneye / And blot­ted gretely the fame of me / and all his kynnesmen. by the brekyng of his fayth and promyse / I Iuge hym vn­worthy to entre his faders hows / or to receyue ony bene­fayte of oure estate publyque / or to come in the company of ony worshipful Cytezeyn / whiche proueth sufficiently that they / which ben not lyke theyr faders in vertue. shold not be lyke to theym in ony reward gyuen by oure estate publyque / ffor lyke wise. as in a derke glasse or myrrour a fygure doth vnnethe appere / so in the childeren that be vicious. The vertue of the fader maye vnnethe be seen / Therfore Cornely thou hast a ful veyne supposyng / whan thou trowest that the glorye and noblesse of the fa­ders must be left to the childeren / as a thynge of enhery­taunce / And alle this booste that thou makest of thy kynne. it sowneth moche rather to theyr lawde and wor­ship than thyn / And though Childeren haue blood / and [Page] alle thappertenaūtes perteynyng to the bodye of theyr fa­ders / yet the veray noblesse / whiche resteth in the spiryte and courage / maye not be had withoute a mannes owen laboure and deserte / And where as thou sayst that lettred persones calle theym properly gentylmen whiche ben descended of noble kynne. fforsothe I holde wel with that / so they be lyke in suche vertues / as haue caused theyr forfaders to be callyd noble / And as for thy self / yf thou chalenge it by that title / Amende thy maners / or gyue ouer thy cause / But I trowe bet­ter that persones wel lettred wil rather note them / which ben them self cowardes. and haue more manly forfaders with degeneracion / than noblenesse / Syth that they be soo different in maners fro theyr kynne / It is dayly thyng of experyence. that ma [...]y a worshipful man hath ful vnworshipful Childeren. And many a wy­se man hath had fonnyssh Chylderen / And many a vertuous man. chylderen vicyous / And there thou leyest the vulgar oppynyon for thyn auctour. I holde it ful easy to dysaproue / syth it is so chaungeable and full of errours / And it is veray certayn / that the said oppynyon acordeth ful seeld with wisedome. But now late vs descende to that pouerte / that they whiche be noble or gentilmen haue diuerse tymes fallen in / where was ther oughwhere a pourer. than Marchus Agrip­pa whiche was passyngly excellent / and necessary to oure thynge publyque / whiche was in that caas / that whan that euery man was taxed at a certayn / there [Page] was nothynge founde of his patrymony / whiche myght relyeue or augmente oure comyn tresour / was not oure commonte fayn for as moche as Ualerina Publicola that had quyt hym so notably oft and many tymes for oure estate publyque / dyeng in suche pouerte / that he left not wher with he myght be enteered. but to burye hym on theyr owen coste and charge. And how the people of this cyte called Lucius Cyncinates fro the tilthe and sowyng of his londe to the hyest Empyre / It is easy to remembre / how the said Lucius proued hym self of suche vertue and courage / Thenne whan the Palesty­nes had biseged this cyte / he brake not only the seage / And chaced theym to the flood named Alba. but ouer that / he wan and subdued echt grete cytees / whiche were the chief helpers and courageours of theym in theyr warres / And alle this victorye he achieued & parfyted in twenty dayes / And how glorious was the pouert of Ac­tilius Seramus / whom whan the Senate had callyd from his plough to thoffyce of consul / he acquyted hym with so grete vigoure / that he destressed theyr enemyes & sette theym in surete. but yet that not withstondynge. the dygnyte of thoffice which bare the playsirs of this cyte / ne the rychesse or worship which he gate in our werres / coude not lette hym / but that he wolde retourne to his fyrst la­bour / & theym which were so worshipful in marcial disci­pline / & so vertuoꝰ in lyuyng / shal we call vnnoble or wretchid / Is ther ony man so destitute of reason / that wil call theym / but most noble / which haue cōserued our weel publique alwey in noblesse. me semeth this example suffycient [Page] to proue / that noblesse may be ioyned with pouerte / And pouerte with noblesse / Ne lete no man trowe. but that a poure man. which hath worshipful maners and vertuous deades shold mowe wel be called noble and namely these whiche I haue reherced. that acquyted theym so manly and assuredly / for theyr estate publyque / frendes / and kynne / whan they had grettest nede of comforte & socoure / Were not thies folkes lyberall / and worthi to be pray­sed in the hyghest degree of lyberalyte / whan they left alle theyr owen playsyr / and prouffytes / to doo theyr seruyse for the comyne weale / I trowe it was a gretter lyberalyte to gyue to theyr cyte the fredom. whiche was taken fro it / and delyuerd theyr kynnesmen and frendes from all pe­ryll. wronge / and Ieobardye / than yf they had departed al theyr hole patrymonye to theyr [...]te. kynnesmen / & frendes / And who so euir payneth hym / be it in thynges pub­lyque or pryuate / to be called lyberall / so moche the more he is proued euery day more lyberal. whan he vseth his dyly­gence and deuoyr to promote his cyte kynne / or frendes / Thenne Cornely the lyberalyte of a worshipful poure man / maye be right grete & suche / that pouerte maye not dispoylle the vertue of noblesse / Honest pouerte maye take away no parte of vertue. Was it not the fayrest gyfte and rychest lyberalyte of nature to gyue euery man power & abylyte to be vertuoꝰ / And therfor she hath sette it. in the inwarde places of the spiryte / and not in the foolhardynesse of fortune / And there is no happe so hardy and so comberous / that maye take vetue from hym / whiche is wel wylled to kepe it / ne ther is no happe [Page] so merueyllous or plesaunt / that may brynge worship to hym / that is a recheles man or a coward / fforsothe it is. yf fortune had soueraynte aboue vertue / within a whyle there shold be no vertue / or ony meryte of vertue / ffor the choyse of thynges to be worshipfully parfyted / shold moche rather reste in fortune / than in the disposicions of our fre wylles / And therfor Cornely seace of that oppynyon / That is to saye to trowe that vertue / lyberalyte. and no­blesse / shold haue theyr fyrst / cours. or begynnyng in tha­boundaunce of Rychesse. ffor thenne it shold folowe / that how worshipful a persone were / whan so euir he faylled ry­chesse. his name of worship sholde seace / And the con­trarye is trewe / ffor that / whiche is veray worship or no­blesse / is neyther subgett to fortune or happe. And tho men whiche I haue reherced. afore theyr pouerte attended / shold neuir haue ascended so hyghe in honour / ne haue me­ryted suche fame of worship as they dyde. And therfor ye faders conscript. yf worshipful progenytours haue had chylderen worshipful. And yf pour progenytours haue had worshipful childeren. And yf merueyllous and gre­te vertue haue rested in suche as haue be right poure. The sequele is to youre wysedomes manyfeste. whiche is this / that noblesse resteth neyther in rychesse ne in blood / but in a free and a noble courage / whiche is neyther seruaunt to vyce ne vnclennesse / but is excercised in connyng and vertu. And he that is en­dued with suche a courage / deserueth best to be called noble / worshipful / & excellent / therfore in this contrauercy of noblesse hauyng / bytwene me and my felowe / me [Page] semeth he shold beste deserue the palme of victorye / that may proue hym self most vertuous & worshipful / ffaders conscript I haue leuer in that byhalue to haue one other to speke for me. than to speke my self / leest I speke ony thyng sownyng vnto my owne lawde / and be boosted with the vyce of boost / Neuirtheles it is to me inly ioyoꝰ whan I beholde youre moost ryght wyse courages and moost benygne humanytees. ffor I wote wel / I shal mo­we saye nothyng in praysyng of my self vntruly / but that ye wil vnderstande it wel ynough. And this / that I shal saye of my self truly shal not mowe hurte me in your conceytes / I truste ye knowe the lyf / and the ma­ners of vs bothe wel ynough / how be it I shal remembre your wysedomes and / acustommed benygnytees / what my lyf hath ben / syth my fyrst yeres / fforsothe whan I was right yonge I was sette to scole / And whan I wexed more rype of yeres. I toke grete pleasyr to spende my ty­me / in the studye of philosophye / And me semeth I coude not haue spende it bettir ne more worshipfully / and to my maistres I had theym that vnderstode bothe greke and latyn / & certayn yeres I abode in athenes to here the gre­kes / the prynces of eloquence and phylosophye / And how gretely I profyted there / I reporte me to the iuge­ment of theym. whiche be parfyght in that tongue / yet I maye saye thus moche of my self. that ther was no day whiche passed me ydle / ne no nyght withoute studye and lernyng of somwhat / The whiche hye desyre to haue knowlege of connyng was graunted to me / I deme of nature / ffor me semed my mynde was neuer appeased [Page] but whan it had knowleche of some thynge / that I kne­we not a fore. And of the veray trouthe of thynges / I had plente of maisters and techers / and many lerners with me. And emonge the wisedome of so many / there myght no man be lefte an ydeotte / I was so vsed in my yongthe to the doctryne of vertue / that ther is left no pla­ce in my courage of vicious desyres / ffor in good feyth vyces be to me as noyous / displesaunt. and greuous as they may be. And vertues as plesaunt. ioyous / and ac­ceptable as they may be / But aftir that whan I remem­bred me. how euery man whiche hath vertue or connynge is bounde to serue therwith the estate publyque. I gaue my sylf hoolly & fully / to the weal publyque of this cyte / And whan I had doo so / I neuir stynted to thynke vpon the weale and thencreace of the same. dredyng therfore no peryll or laboure / I neuir spared my self in that. whiche shold cause it to floure in worship and surete. ffor fewe yeres passed / whan our sees were occupyed and en­combred with pirates. And Gayus Flammineus Publius a man of grete worship / had take vpon hym the charge of youre nauye and shyppes / And had dely­uerd to my gouernaunce ten shippis of forstage / for to fyght ageyn one of the rouers called Horantes / It for­tuned me to mete with hym. and to borde the same shippe in whiche he was hym self / And how be it / he resysted manly and with grete force trustyng vpon the multitude of his shippes and peple / I ouercam hym & brought hym & alle his nauye to my capytayne· Also in the batayll a­gayn Metridates I was a knyght / & in the seruyse of the [Page] same Emperour / And how ofte I had for my guerdons / the rounde crowne accustomed to be yeuen to that knyght whiche auaunced hym self / moost ferforthly and manly in the bataylle / I reporte me to myn Emperour and fe­lawship / And where is that worship that may be goten in thoffyce or dygnyte of Consul / by the merytes of knyghtly disciplyne. that I haue not had / And I truste to oure goddes that I haue acquyted me in the yeres of my force and lustynesse. that in myn age I shal not be rekened emong them / whiche haue doo nothyng for oure weal publyque / how wel that I am be frended. ye my bes­te byloued frendes / whiche be here now present / can bere sufficient wytnesse. And whether I haue be redy in euery place / to assethe youre lyefful desyres / as wel in thynges publyque / as / thynges pryuate. ffor I trowe I was ne­uer straunge to doo for you / that laye in my power / And of what fayth / pyte. and loue / I haue ben to you / ye alle knowe wel. Grete grace and fortune I haue receyued of our goddes to haue so grete benyuolence and frendely­hed of alle folkes. ffor ther is no man in this cyte / ne in all the world hath cause to hate me. yf he be not an ene­mye to our comyn weal / neuirtheles the sōme of all my labours hath restyd in this / to be a curyoꝰ sercher for our we­al publyque / mery at home / laboryous outward. besy to atteyne scyence / pyteous of them / whiche had neces­syte / namely to my fader. moder / & kynne. welbyloued of my neyghbours / true to my frendes / obeysaūt & deuoute in thynges relygious. by the which meanes I haue Iuged my self to atteyne beste noblesse / And I haue trowed [Page] by thies vertues to polysshe my courage. and to make it more worshipful / Cornely thenne thyn / what be thy condicions / or what is thy disposicions. where dydest thou ony thyng in thy dayes / that thou canste reherce / where by thou woldest clayme or chalenge worship or noblesse / where euyr receyued oure cyte ony benefete by the. or ony thyng of lawde. where by it myght vnderstonde that thou were born in this world / ffor thou lyuest emong vs here / more lyke a dede man than a quyck / where is there euir ony man that hath be holpen or releuyd by the / where hast thou vsed the noblesse and lyberalyte. that thou spekyst of / peraduenture thou hast be prodygal vnto wantone & vnshamefaste creatures / And there by thou hast wasted thy hows. thyne apparaylle / and alle thy goodes / Thou trowest thy self / thou art passyng worshipful· whan thou hast alle thy loues aboute the / Iapynge. Ragynge / and wrastlynge with theym in thy dronkenhede / And thenne to preche of the noble dedes of thyn olders / I wil not saye naye / but confesse that thyne Auncestres haue be of so­uerayne auctorite and worship in this cyte. And thou vnwyseman to thy grete shame / whan thou remembrest thyne owne slouthe and symplenesse / ther may nothyng be more detestable or vnthryfty than this is / ffor where thou haddest thyne Auncestres shynyng in worship lyke bryght phebus. shewyng to the. by theyr clerenesse the streyght hye waye to the same / to lede so derke and so blynde a lyf as thou doost. ffor they gaf to the a ful worshipful example in many and dyuerse wyses. how thou sholdest mowe deserue the grete lawde and thanke of thestate [Page] pulyque / And by theyr bryghtnesse they shewed to the / the veray path to noblesse / As yf they shold saye this waye we haue holde. and it is easy ynough vnto the for to folowe vs / And thou hast forsaken the bryght path whiche ledeth to worship / and hast wilfully drowned thy self in the derke pytte of foryetefulnesse / Trowest thou to flowre in oure cyte by the merytes. whan thy self hast so defowled the same wyth thy vyces. And trowest thou to atteyne worship by theyr benefayttes whan thou doste nothyng wel to our cyte / Supposest thou with thy sleep / reste. ydelnesse / wyne / mangerye / lustys / and vnshame­fastnes. to gete that worshipful fame / whiche they gate by theyr laborous watches. contynencys / hunger / thurst / hete / colde / and so many dyuerse happes / Thou dost erre ful hugely / ffor it must nedes be / yf thou wylt haue suche ti­tle of fame as they had / that thou make thy self suche / in condycions and maners as they were / vertue is not a thynge of enherytaunce / And therfor essaye whether thou mayst fynde suche reason and wysedom as they vsed / ffor in theyr bequeste thou shalt not fynde that they bequethed to the their vertue / Thou sayst that there was nothyng to theym in theyr laste dayes / more pleasaunt / than to vn­derstande. the to haue receyued worship and reuerence of thestates of this cyte / And forsoth I trowe / yf they myght come fro the places. in which they ben / ther shold be nothynge more greuous more displaysaūt· and loother to theyr glorious spirytes. than to vnderstonde / that our cyte hath so long suffred paciently thyne errours and vy­ces vnpunysshed / And I dar saye / yf they were a lyue / [Page] they wolde be the first / that shold punysshe the / eyther with deth or with exile. O good god art not thou ashamed to saye that thou were norysshed and brought vp with theym / whan thy self dost lyue so fowle and shamefully / that thou semest rather to haue be norysshed and drawen in the open houses of mysgouerned wymmen / And thou affermest that thou doost represente theyr ymages and lykenesse. And yet knowest wel ynough / that thy co­wardyse excedeth theyr worship. And I wolde wyte of the how an ymage may wel be seen in a myrrour that is all for rusted. And thou dost suppowraylle thy noblesse with thy stately byldynges / fayr places / riche vyllages / and plesaunt feeldes / And desprysest my meane suffysaunce in byldyng. lyuelode. and honest pouerte / but thou vnder­stondest ful lytil / how gretely that Rychesse / that thou hast. is to thy shame· And that / whiche I haue is to my worship / ffor me semeth it is gretter worship in lytil ly­uelode to lyue worshypfully / than in so grete haboundaun­ce to lyue prodygally / inordenatly. and shamefully / Per­aduenture I haue had as moche worship of knyghtly lawde in this Cyte. as I coude desyre or coueyte / And I lyue so aftir my lyuelode. that I truste to continue my lyf / withoute lacke of that. whiche shal suffyse me. and for the cause I desyre no more / than that suffyseth / I holde me wel content with that I haue / And it is ynough to me to haue that I desyre. And to coueyte that / whiche is resonable. who so euir coueyteth more / excedeth the boū ­des of reason / what coude we desyre more / whyle we lyue here. than to lyue worshipfully / No doubte therof who [Page] someuir heepeth vp rychesse / trustyng therby to satisfye all his desyres / is but vaynly occupyed / ffor vertue & mesure ought to suffyse in euery thyng / And noble courage can ascende to worship with lityl helpe of rychesse. but a wretchyd courage can neuir ascende to worship. though it be holpen with neuir so grete plente of rychesse / lete no man fere to vse vertue whan he lacketh good / It is no payne to hym that is wel willed to doo some thyng wel / And he that is not noble. maye accuse none but hym self / we complayne ofte causelees vpon fortune / And therfore Corneli stynte of thy booste of rychesse. whiche sheweth moche rather thy cowardyse than manhode / And seace to despyse my meane suffysaunce of goodes. And seace to sette noblesse in the goodes of fortune / whiche be but lente to vs / And yet they ben flyttyng and vnstable / Nobles­se shold be knytte to vertue. & vertue with noblesse / and ye maye lady Lucresse / which excell all other of this age in wysedom and beaute / knowe wel. what veray noblesse is / And by your grete wysedom / ye haue atteyned to the sa­me. & I wote wel the vulgar playes. the wantone array of wymmen / the ryche owches sette with precious stones the clothes of gold / the dayly dawnsyng & syngynge / be not the thynges that please you moost / ffor ye knowe / alle thies thynges ben but subgettis and seruauntes to vicious and dishonest thynges / ffor ye haue gyuen youre lyf to phylosophye lyberall studyes / continence / laboure shamefastnessee / watches / and vertuous besynesse. And in thiefe / ye excelle alle other of youre yeres in this eyte. And these ben the thynges that I loue you in especial [Page] fore / & for the which I shal payne me to please you & ser­ue you & ther be nothynges which maye better be coupled / than suche as ben lyke in the noble desyres of vertue and good will / and lyke maners and disposicion of lyuyng And ther is nothyng more greuous and discacordyng to loue / than whan one desireth vertue. & another desyreth vyce / Therfore whyle I haue some conuenyence / with youre maner of lyuyng in vertue. And Cornelius in alle wyse difference / It muste nedes shewe / that ye loue not hym / but loue me. ffor what pleasyr shold ye haue to lyue with hym. whan ye are disposed to the vertuouse be­synesse of studye. And he is the gretest enemye that sci­ence hath. And whan ye wolde feyne attende therto / he in his dronkenesse. with his stomblyng yoxyng and pra­tyng shold lette you, ye wold be glad / to see your hous floure in shamefastnes and honeste. he wold be glad on that other syde / to see it seruaunt to flesshely luste and ryote / Ye wold be glad to speke with sad and connyng persones· And demaūde theym of the merueylloꝰ causes of thynges· of the moeuynge of the planetes. And the dis­cyplyne of maners / And he emonge his companye of wymmen abiecte wolde booste of ryote vnclenesse and folye / And how maye ther be reste or acorde / bytwene tho courages / whiche be so gretely dyfferent / But my lady Lucresse. yf it please you / I shal brynge you to my poure lodgyng where ye shal fynde quyete reste / And how be it. that yf it be not so superfluously be seen as Cornelius is. yet I truste ye shal fynde it bettir furnysshed of vertue / maner / and suche pleasyrs. as youre moost womanly [Page] courage delyteth in / And fyrst I shal shewe you my lybe­rary wel stuffed with fayr bookes of Greke and latyn / wher vnto in euery aduersyte / is my chief resorte for coū ­seyll and comforte / And ther shal we dyuerse tymes ha­ue commynycacyon of the connynge and doctryne of my lady and maystresse phylosophye / And there I shal re­pete to you the merueyllous doctryne of the philosophers of Athenes / whiche I haue herd and enioye me greteli whan I remembre it / no besynes of famylyar thynges shal agayn your wyll. departe you / fro suche plesaunt ydelnes. ffor I truste to oure goddes. that my lytil feelde of the which I am enbrayded by Corneli shal suffise for our dayly lyuelode / Neuirtheles one thyng I haue in auaun­tage that he hath not / ffor though my lytil feeld were ta­ke away fro me / My connynge and lectrure / by whithe I shold mowe atteyne to gretter possessions than that. du­ryng my lyf / can not be taken from me / As touchyng to you madame / It shal be in your free choyse / whether ye wil be ydle or studye. And yf it please you to studye / ther shal be none so hardy to breke your plesaūt thoughtes in that byhalue. ne ther shal no chaterynge or Ianglynge of vnchast wymmen lette your studye or cause you to fe­re. of the stable loue of your true seruaūt. And the cau­se of oure maryage / shal with Ioyous loue right sone be had / to your playsyr / I truste to our goddes no doubte of / Thordre of matrymony is as it were a dyuyne relygion ffor the conseruacion of mankynde. to the whiche yf it shal please you tentende / in suche wyse as I haue said. I truste ye shal thynke youre self euir here aftir durynge [Page] youre lyf more and more fortunat / ffor what maye be more blessyd in this temporal lyf for you / than to passe your age in tranquyll Ioyousnesse / vertue. and noble fa­me. And what is more vertuous / than to occupye youre mynde in good & vertuoꝰ thoughtes / and what more ioyoꝰ than to take hym for your perpetuel seruaunt / that soue­raynly delyteth in that / which ye chyefly desyre / Therfore ye faders conscript / in whos grete wysedomes resteth the Iugement and conclusion of this contrauercye. weye ye in your brestys what I haue said. and publysshe ye rypely and soone youre sentence touchyng this contencion / We stryue for noblesse / and whiche of vs two shold be repu­ted more noble / And in that byhalue our lyf. our fortune our studye and maners / how be it. they were wel knowen to youre noble aduertences / yet now they be in bryef re­membred / Neuirtheles thyssue of this contrauercye is this This day honeste stryueth with vnshamefastnes / conty­nence with luste / Magnanymyte with Cowardyse / lectru­re with Inscience. and vertue with neglygence / And whether of thise partyes is the better / I leue it to youre dome and sentence:

As touchyng the sentence dyffynytyf gyuen by the Se­nate aftir thise two noble knyghtes had purposed and shewed theyr Oracions I fynde none as yet pronounced ne gyuen / of whiche myn auctour maketh ony mencion of in his book / Thenne I wolde demaunde of theym that [Page] shal rede or here this book. whiche of thies tweyne that is to saye Cornelius Scipio and Gayus Flammy­neus was moost noble· And in whiche of theym bothe. aftir the contente of theyr oracions that noblesse resteth And to hym Iuge ye this noble and vertuous lady Lu­cresse to be maryed / And here I make an ende of this mater for this tyme / Prayeng and requyryng all theym that in this said werke shal haue ony playsyre / that ye wil remembre hym that translated it in to our maternal and Englyssh tongue / And not only this said werke but the book of Tullius de Amicicia here to fore en­prynted whith treateth so wel of frendship & amyte / I m [...] ne the right vertuoꝰ and noble Erle. Therle of wurces­tre / whiche late pytously lost his lyf / whos soule I recom­mende vnto youre special prayers. and also in his tyme made many other vertuous werkys / whiche I haue herd of / O good blessyd lord god. what grete losse was it of that noble vertuous and wel disposed lord / whan I re­membre and aduertyse his lyf / his science. and his ver­tue / me thynketh god not displesyd. ouer grete a losse of suche a man / consyderyng his estate and conning. And also thexcercise of the same. with the grete laboures in gooyng on pylgremage vnto Iherusalem visytyng there the holy places. that oure blessyd lord Ihesu Criste halo­wed thith his blessyd presence· And shedyng there his precious blood for oure redempcion· And from thens ascended vnto his fader in heuen. And what worship had he at Rome in the presence of oure holy fader the pope. And so in alle other places vnto his deth / At whiche [Page] deth euery man that was there. myght lerne to dye and take his deth paciently / wherin I hope and doubte not / but that god receyued his soule in to his euirlastyng blysse ffor as I am enformed he ryght aduysedly ordeyned alle his thynges as well for his last will of wordly goodes as for his sowle helthe. & pacyently and holyly without grudchyng in charyte to fore that he departed out of this world / whiche is gladsom and Ioyous to here / Thenne I here recommende his sowle vnto youre prayers / and also that we at our departyng maye departe in suche wyse / that it maye please our lord god to receyue vs in to his euir­lastyng blysse. Amen: