Greenes farewell to Folly.
SENT TO COVRTIERS AND Schollers as a president to warne them from the vaine delights that drawes youth on to repentance.
Sero sed seriò
Robert Greene
Vtriusque Academiae in Artibus magister.
Imprinted at London by Thomas Scarlet for T. Gubbin and T. Newman.
1591.
TO THE HONORABLE MINDED GENTLEMAN, Robert Carey, Esquire: Robert Greene wisheth as many good fortunes as the honor of his thoughts doe merite.
HAuing waded (noble minded Courtier) through the censures of many both Honourable and worshipfull, in cōmitting the credite of my bookes to their honourable opinions, as I haue found some of them not onely honourably to patronize my workes, but curteouslie to passe ouer my vnskilfull presumption with silence, so generally I am indebted to all Gentlemen that with fauors haue ouerslipt my follies: Follies I tearme them, because their subiects haue bene superficiall, and their intents amorous, yet mixed with such morrall principles, that the precepts of vertue seemed to craue pardon for all [Page] those vaine opinions loue set downe in hir periods. Seeing then (worthie Maecen [...] ofletters) my workes haue beene counted follies, and follies the fruit of youth, many yeeres hauing bitten me with experience, and age growing on bidding mee Petere grauiora, to satisfie the hope of my friends, and to make the worlde priuie to my priuate resolution, I haue made a booke called my Farewell to Follies: wherein as I renounce loue for a foole, and vanitie as a vaine too vnfit for a Gentleman, so I discouer the generall abuses that are ingrafted in the mindes of Courtiers and schollers, with a Colling Card of counsell, suppressing those actions that straie from the golden meane of vertue. But (right worshipfull) some are so peremptorie in their opinions, that if Diogenes stirre his stumpes, they will saie, it is to mocke dancers, not to be want on, that if the fox preach, tis to spie which is the fattest goose, not to be a ghost ly father, that if Greene write his Farewell to Follie, tis to blind the world with follie, the more to shadow his owne follie. My reply to these thought searchers is this, I cannot [Page] Martinize, sweare by my faie in a pulpit, & rap out gogs wounds in a tauerne, faine loue when I haue no charitie, or protest an open resolution of good, when I intend to be priuately ill, but in all publike protestations my wordes and my deedes iumpe in one simpathie, and my tongue and my thoughts are relatiues. But omitting these digressions (right worshipful) to my book, which as it is the farewell to my follies, so it is the last I meane euer to publish of such superficiall labours, which I haue aduentured to shroude vnder the shelter of your worshippes patronage, as vnder his wing, whose generall loue bought with honorable deserts, may defend it from the iniurie of euerie enuious enemie. I can shadowe my presumption with no o [...]her excuse but this, that seeking to finde ou [...] some one courtier, whose vertuous actions had made him the hope of many honours, at whose feete I might laie downe the follies of my youth, & bequeath to him all the profitable fruits of my ensuing age, finding none that either fame could warrant me, or my own priuatfancie persvvade to be of more [Page] hope then your selfe, I set downe my rest, and ventured boldly on your worships fauour, which if as I haue found before, I obtaine now, I shall thinke my selfe as fortunate in getting so honorable a patrone for my new indeuours, as vnhappie for blemishing my forepassed youth with such friuolous labours. And thus hoping my honest resolution to do well, shal be countenanst with your worships curteous acceptance, I commit you to the Almightic.
TO THE GENTLEMEN Students of both Vniuersities health.
GGentlemen and Student [...]s (my olde fri [...]ndes and companions) I presented you alate with my Mourning garment, howe you censure of the cloth or cut I knowe [...]ot, but the Printer hath past [...] all out of his shop, and the Pedler sounde them too dea [...]e for his packe, that he was faine to ba [...]gain for the life of Tomliuolin to wrappe vp his sweete powders in those vnsauorie papers: If my garment did any Gentleman good I am glad, if it offended none I am proud, if good man find fault that hath his wit in his eyes, and can checke what he can not amend, mislike i [...], I am careles, for Diogenes hath taught me, that to kicke an asse when he strike [...], were to smell of the asse for meddling with the asse. Hauing therefore Gentlemen (in my opinion) mourned long enough for the misdeedes of my youth, least I shoulde seeme too [...] in my fastes, or like our deare English breethren that measure their praiers by the houre [...]lasse, fall a sleepe in preaching of repentance. I haue nowe left of the intent, and am come to the effect, and after my mourning present you with my Farewell to follies, an vltimum vale to al youthful vanities: wishing al Gentlem [...]n as wel Courtiers as Schollers, to take view of those blemishes that dishonor youth with the quaint shew of pleasant delights. What a glorious shew would the Spring present if the beautie of hir floures were not nipt with the frostes? how would Autumne boast of hir fruites if she were not disguised with the fall of the leafe, and how would the vertues of youth shine (polished with the ripe conceit of wit) if they were not eclipsed with the cloudes of vanity. Then sweete comp [...]nions and louemates of learning, looke into my Farewel, and you shall find the poisons which infect young yeares, and turning but the leafe reade the Anti [...]otes to preuent the force of such deadly confections. Lay open my life in your thought and beware by my losse, scorne not in your age what you hau [...] learned in your Accidence, though stale yet as sure as check, Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cantum. Such wags as haue bene wantons with me, and haue marched in the Mercers booke to please their Mistris eye with their brauerie, that as the frolike phra [...]eis haue made the tauerne to sweat with riotous expences, that haue spent their wits in courting of their sweetehearts, and emp [...]ied their purses by being too prodigall, let them at last looke backe to the follies of [Page] their youth, and with me say farewell vnto all such vanities. But those young nouices that haue not yet lost the maidenhead of their innocency, no [...] haue not heard the melody of such alluring Syrens, let them read that they may [...], and that seeing into the depth of their follie, they may the more detest that whose poysoned sweetenesse they neuer tasted. Thus generally I woulde wish all to beware by me to say with me farewell to follie. Then shoulde I glorie that my seede sowne with so much good will shoulde yeel [...] a haruest of so great aduantage. But by your leaue Gentlemen, some ouer cu [...]ous wi [...]l carpe and say that if I were not beyond, I would not be so b [...]ld to teach my [...], their du [...]ie, and to shew them the Sunne that haue b [...]ighter eyes than my selfe, well Diogenes tolde Alexander of his follie and yet he was not a King. Others will flout and ouer read euerie line with a [...]rumpe and say tis scuruie, when they them selues are such scabd Iades that they are like to dye of the fazion, but if they come to write or publish an [...]e thing in print, it is either distild out of ballets or borrowed of Theologicall poets, which for their calling and grauitie, being loth to haue anie prophane phāphlets passe vnder their hand, get some other Batillus to set his name to their verses: Thus is the asse made proud by this vnder hande brokerie. And he that can not write true Englishe without the helpe of Clearkes of parish Churches, will needes make him selfe the father of [...]. Otis a iollie matter when a man hath a familiar stile and can endite a whole yeare and neuer be beholding to art? but to bring Scripture to proue any thing he sayes, and kill it dead with the text in a trifling subiect of loue, I tell you is no small peece of cunning. As for example two louers on the stage arguing one an other of vnkindnesse, his Mistris runnes ouer him with this canonicall sentence, A mans conscience is a thousande witnesses, and hir knight againe excuseth him selfe with that sa [...]ing of the Apostle, Loue couereth the multitude of sinnes, I thinke this was but simple abusing of the Scripture. In charitie be it spoken I am perswad [...]d the sexten of Saint Giles without Creeple gate, would haue beene ashamed of such blasphemous Rhetoricke. But not to dwell in the imperfection of those dunces, or trouble you with a long commentarie of such witl [...]sse cockescombes, Gentlemen I humbly intreat pardon for my selfe, that you will fauour my farewell and take the presentation of my booke to your iudiciall insights in good part, which courtesie if I find at your hands as I little dout of it, I shall rest yours as euer I haue done.
Greene his farewell to Follie.
WHen the state of Italie was pestered with the mutinous factions of the Guelphes and Ghibellines, so that the common wealth groned vnder the burden of their seditious tumults, and the Church infected with sundrie schismaticall optnions, was stained with that blemish of dissention. Florence, a citie greatly molested with this ciuill controuersie, in sted of palmes that presented peace, was stored with armour that denounced warres, the stréets that were a mart for the trafficke of merchants, serued for a place wherein to martiall souldiers, the Senate went not in roabes of purple to challenge reuerence, but in coates of stéele to maintaine their safetie: age, honour nor religion bar [...] no priuiledge in their foreheads, but the nobilitie with ambition and the commons with enuie, so dissented in their seuerall thoughts, that the particular ruine of the Citie, and the generall subuersion of the w [...]ale publique was daily expected. Yet amidst these broiles the house of the Farneze so behaued themselues with such equal prop [...]rtion, that they were neither friends to the Guelphs nor foes to the Ghibellins, but with an indifferent poise of affectiōs, countermanded the factious mutiny of those two mortall enimies. The chiefe of these was Ieronimo Farneze, a noble man, bonorable for his parentage, and [...]onoured for his vertue, one that in his youth armed his [Page] actions with prowesse, and in his age made a proofe of his life by wisdome, who discouering [...] of time by experience, founde that swéeter was the deaw that dropt from peace, than the showers that powred downe from wars, that the garland of Mercurie was more precious than the helmet of Mars, that quiet and content sooner rested vnder the marble altar of Pallas, than vnder the siluer targets of Bellona, not that the noble man thought it dishonorable to be martiall, but that he counted it prodigall to be factious: to auoide therefore all suspition that might insue by his [...]dence in so troublesome a Citie, setting his household affaires in some good order, accompanied with his wife, three daughters, and foure young Gentlemen, allied vnto him by affinitie, hee departed from Florence, seated himselfe in a farme of his about sixs miles distant from [...]: the eldest of his daughters was named Margaret, the seconde Fraunces, the youngest Katherine, all which as ioyning in a sympathie of their pareuts propagation, were beholding to Nature for beauty, to Fortune for wealth, and to the Gods for wisedome and vertue: the young Gentlemen were these, Seignior Peratio, seignior Bernardine, seignior Cosimo, and messieur Benedetto, all as I said before, allied to Farneze by affinitie, and therfore honorable, and directing the course of their liues after his compasse, and therefore vertuous. These thus associated both in nature and nourture, accompanied the olde Countie to his house, where arryuing they found a Grange place by scituation melancholie, as seated in the middest of a thicket, fitter for one giuen to metaphusial contemplation than for such yong Gentlemen, as desired sooner to daunce with Uenus, than to dreame with Saturne, whose thoughts aimed not at the stoicke content of Pythagoras, but at an exteriour conceite of honest pleasure, which contrarie to their expectation in such a centurie or Countrie cottage, [Page] they founde for Ieronimo Farneze, séeing the picture of discontent shadowed in their foreheads, conceiuing this frowarde humour to come, for that the place of their abode was so solempnely seated, beganne at the enteraunce into the base Court to vse these words.
Gentlemen, the learned and wise worldlinges, whome experience and wisedome hath priuiledged to censure rightly of the due expence of time, haue thought with the [...]tion, that as the stomacke hath his orifice strengthened as well with the iuyce of bitter wormwood as with the sap of swéete liquerice: so the mind [...] oft steppeth as soone to content by beeing passionate as pleasant, d [...]re hangs not alwaies on the héeles of delight, man hath his time to meditate, and holy writ tel [...] vs, that as we haue a daie for mirth, so we haue a daie to mourne, Salomon whose content passed al proportion of measure, counted all things vanitie that stooped to th [...] centre of the earth, Alexander amidst al y e Embassadors at Babylon, stole thrée dayes to bée solitarie, Philip woulde bée put in remembrance of his morta'itie: and we Gentlemen, that haue liued pleasantlie at Florence wearing out time with vanitie, may now refine our senses dulled with the tast of sundrie vaine obie [...]s, and for a wéeke or two betake our selues to this solitarie place, wherein I thinke to finde no other pleasure but a swéete meditation and friendly conference of the vaine suppose of such as thinke none Philosophers but Epicures, and none reli [...]ious but Atheists. Thus Gentlemen, I appoint your penaunce, and therefore shew me your opinion by your countenance. Seignior Peratio who was nephew to Ieronimo, made aunswere for the rest and saide, they were all content, wherewith the olde Countis leading the waie entered the house, where [...]ding all thinges in a readines they w [...]t to dinner: the fresh aire had procured good appetite, that little talke past till they had ended their repast, dinner [Page] being done, counting it Phisicke to sit a while, the olds Countesse spying on the finger of seignior Cosimo a ring with a deaths head ingrauen, circled with this posie, Gressus ad vitam, demanded whether hee adorde the signet for profit or pleasure, seignior Cosimo speaking in truth as his conscience wild him, tolde her that it was a fauour which a Gentlewoman had bestowed vpon him, and that onely he wore it for her sake. Then, quoth the countesse, tis a whetstone to sharp fancie: if it be madam quoth Cosimo, I am not so olde but I may loue: nor so young sir, quoth shee, but you may learne by that to leaue such folly as loue: no doubt nature works nothing vaine, the Lapidarie cuts not a stone, but it hath some vertue: men weare not iems only to please the sight, but to be defensiues by their secret operatiōs against perils, & so seignior Cosimo wold I haue you vse the gentlewomans fauour, not for a whetstone to further folly, but for a cooling card to inordinate vanities. Themistocles wore in his shield the picture of a storke, his motto Antipelargein, for that he would not be stained with ingratitude. Socrates had but one toie in his house, and that wos the counterfait of patience, for that he had a shrew to his wife: By your leaue madame (quoth Cosimo) had not Socrates coūterfait also a sentēce: yes answered Farneze, but my wife plaies like the Priest that at his Eleuatio left out his Memento, the motto was this, Neque haec sufficit, meaning patience was as good a medicine to cure a waspish woman of sullenes, as an ants egge in sirop for him that is troubled with the Sciatica. The Gentlemen laught at the drie frumpe of Farneze, and the Countesse for that she had talkt of patience, tooke it for a president, and prosecuted [...]er intent in this maner. [...] howe you please Gentlemen, still I saie that well cannot be gainsayd how the image of death figured in Cosimos ring, should be a glasse whereby to direct his actions, that the pagans who builde their blisse in the [Page] swéete conceit of Fame, vsed the picture of death as a restraint to all forward follies. Alexander when he named himselfe the son of Iupiter, was reuoked from heresie by the sight of a dead mans scull that Calistenes presented to him in a casket. Augustus Caesar set on the dore of his banketting house the scalpe of a dead man, least extrem [...]ie should turne delight to vice: so seignior Cosimo, vse you your mistres fauor as a benefit to profit the minde, not as a toy to please fancie. Cosimo was driuen into a dump with this sodain insinuation of the countesse, as in déed he stood like the picture of silence, whereat Bernardin smiling made the Countesse this answere.
I cannot denie madame, but you say well, yet your censure is a little too peremptorie, neither can I gainsay but such a resolution would do well in age, whose sappe shronke from y • branches, cōforts the water, but affoords no blossoms, your hairs being siluer had a sōmons vnto death, & therefore to be armed with deuotion, our yeres growen & budding forth a restles desire to plesure, which if we should cut off with a continuall remembrance of death, we shuld preuent time & metamorphose our selues by conceit into a contrary shape: the Astronomer by long staring at the stars forgets the globe at his féet, so feareful was Phaeton of the signe in the zodiaock, that he forgat his course: & so would you haue the delight of youth dasht with the sight of a death head, y • laying aside al recreation, we should fall to be flat Saturnists. By this doctrine madam, you would erect againe the Acadenne of the [...]ks, & make young men either apathoi to liue without passions, or els so holy to die without sin: the gentlemen were glad that Bernardino had made such an answere, & Farneze to draw them farther into talke, told his wife y • he thought she was driuen to a non plus: no sir (qd she) but the gentleman mistakes me, for I meane not to haue him so holy as to liue without sinne, but so honest as to liue without follies, which our Florentins [Page] shrowd vnder the shadowe of youth, that in déede are meere enemies to the glorie of youth. Messieur Benedetto interrupted the countesse, as one amongst al the companie most giuen to follie, for he was a fine courtier and was thus quicke in his replie. I remember madame that Phocion carped at all men that went shod, because he him selfe was euer barefoot. Antisthenes admitted no guest but Geometritians. None supt with Cassius but such as neuer laught, and they which feele your humour must (though not in yeres yet in action) be as old as you, or else they are fondlings. But they which at [...]ood Diogenes tubbe came as well to laugh as to learne, and we that heare, you may sooner fall a sléepe than follow your doctrine, for I perceiue vnder this worde folly, you abridge young gentlemen of euerie laudable pleasure and delight, allowing mirth in no measure, [...] pourd out after your proportion: As to hunt, to hauke, to daunce, to loue, to go cleanly, or whatsoeuer else that contenteth youth his folly. And thus by an induction you conclude omnia vanitas. The Lady Katherin hearing hir mother so sharply shaken vp by messieur Benedetto pro [...] hir boldnesse with a modest blushe made this answere: And sir quoth she, they which laught at Diogenes perhaps were as foolishe as he was cynicall: & might with Alexander whatsoeuer they brought take a frump for a farewell, my mother sets not downe peremptorie precepts to disallow of honest recreation, but necessary perswasion to diswade men from vanitie, she séekes not with Tullie to frame an Orator in conceipt, with Plato to build a common wealth vpon supposes, nor with Baldeslar to figure out a courtier in impossibilities: but séeing the wings of youth trickt vp with follies plumes, [...] to perswade him with Icarus from soaring to high. And I pray you, qd Benedetto, what terme you follies, womens fancies, no sir, quoth she, mens fauours, Sylenus asse neuer sawe a wine bottle but he would winch, [Page] and you can not heare the name of folly but you must frowne, not that you mislike of it in thought, but that deckt in your pontificalibus a man may shape & cetera by your shadow: Benedetto let not this bitter blow fall to the ground, but told hir hir Latine was verie bad aud worst placst: for & cetera was no word of art for a foole, but in déede he did remember Parrats spake not what they thinke, but what they are taught: And so, quoth Cosimo, you make a bare exchange with Ladie Katherine for a soole to deliuer a popingay, but in déede to take hir parte in this, we Florentines, nay more generallie, we Italians ouer wise in our owne conceipt, stande so much vppon wit that follie treading vppon our héeles bids vs oft looke backe vnto repentance: Seignor Farneze taking time by the forehead iumpt in with Cosimo; and said that not onely Italians but other nations whatsoeuer were faultie in that imagination, and that follie was as common as loue, and loue so common that he was not a gentleman that was not in loue: and by this argument, quoth Cosimo, you conclude all gentlemen both fooles and louers: I reason not answered Farneze a coniugatis, but séeing we are thus farre entered into the Anatomie of follies, let vs spende this afternoone in discoursing of the fondnesse of such our countriemen, as ouergrowne with selfe loue drownes themselues in that [...]ollies which all the world giues vnto vs as due: I meane pride, which seignor Peratio for that I knowe you alwaies to haue borne the profession of a scholler, I commit vnto your charge: Not to me si [...] quoth Peratio, I pray you kéepe decorum, let the Ladie Katherine discourse of that which best beséemeth hir sexe: for if we may giue credit to men verie skilfull and excellent in Chronographie, the first patterne of pride came from Eua the moother of women and the mistresse of that faulte: You mistake the matter, quoth the Ladie Katherine, Eua was obedient [Page] and simple, following nothing but what hir hus bande foreshewed and foretaught hir. Let vs leaue women, quoth Farneze, and priuiledge them a little to be proud, onely Signor Peratio touch you the follie of our Italians and we will be silent auditours to your good philosophie: The gentlemen setled themselues in [...]ilence, which gaue a pro [...]fe to Peratio that they agréed to Farnezes request, and therefore he beganne his talke in this manner.
Although gentlemen it hath pleased the countie to giue me in charge the discourse of such a weighty matter as the discouery of pride, yet I knowe my sufficiencie so sarre vnable to performe his request, as of force I must craue pardon if either my censures be too ra [...]he or verdict offensiue: resting therefore in hope of your courteous pa [...]ience, thus to the purpose. The learned cl [...]rkes [...]hose experience may auouche their sayings for Oracles, affirme this folly to discend by course of propagation, as naturally inserted into the minde of man ab ipsis incunabilis, setting downe by physicall reasons that pride doth possesse the inward senses of infants, as sensum cōmunem & Phantezian before any exterior obiect can delude the sence with vanitie, which Plato considering in his Timaeo calleth it Anthropomasia, the scourge of man, as a vice so déepely bred by the bone, as it will hardly be rooted out of the flesh, alluding the reason that his maister Aristotle did for the heart which liuing first dieth last: so pride entring at the cradle [...]deth in the graue. Scipio Aff [...]icanus the great whose triumphes had filled the stréetes of Rome with trophes, being demāded why the state of Rome began to ruinate, what made him forsake the senate, why he liued solitarie from the ciuill gouernement, why he tasted not the fruites of his foregotten glories? answered to all these demands briefely, for that Rome wa [...]th proude, meaning that pride as ill befitteth a crowne as a cottage, [Page] what ouerthrewe the house of the Tarquins but pride, what wrought the confusion at Babel but the pride of Nemroth? Pride ouerthrew the pompe of Alexander, and had not pride hatched ambition the Romanes had neuer bewailde the death of Pompey, to repeat a catalogue of infinit examples were friuolous: and therefore leauing this generall discouerie let vs come to a more particular discourse of this follie. Our Florentins which professe themselues to be souldiers, are wedded to this vaine, as men shadowing the verie substance of pride with the two colours of same and honour: for what attempts they séeke to atchieue by martiall prowesse, what exploites they perfourme in warres, what daies and nightes they spende in watching either to preuent or preiudice the enemie, still claime the finall cause of those actions to be fame or honour. But who heareth the sundry and seuerall brauados our martialistes make of their strange encounters? how cunningly they ordred their squadrons? how couragiously they incountered the enemie? how stoutly they assaied the push of the pike? how strongly they bare the shocke of the horsse? what lances they brake? what massacres they made? what stratagemes they perfourmed? what cities they both assaulted and sacked, shall finde this report to tast of selfe lo [...]e, and these warlike indeuours to sauour as much of pride as either of fame or honour. But grant their allegati [...]ns true, they couet to be famous and honourable, yet shall we finde the end of these vertuous imaginatiōs, to be touched a little with the staine of this follie: for the desire of fame aimed with aspiring thoughts soreth so high, that séeking with Phacton to rule aloft, his very prescription draweth them in a selfe conceipt of their owne glories. Had not Haniball founde pride in the hope of fame, he had neuer [Page] scaled the Alpes to besiege Capna. Had not Alexander béene proude in the glorie of his victories and conquestes, he had neuer sighed that there was but one worlde to subdue. Hercules was proude of his labours, Hector of his combats with the Grecians, and to be short, the meanest souldiour getting [...]ither [...] or honor by sundrie hardy and happy attempts, glories so much in the glorious reward of his inde [...]or that willingly he passes his proportion, and commeth within the compasse of this f [...]lle.
Seignior Bernardino, who all his life time, had professed him selfe a souldiour, séeing Peratio so [...] to appech his profession of pride, made this answer. I can not thinke, seignior peratio, but your natiuitie being rightly calculated, hath Mercurie so predominant, as we may censure without offence, that you are farre more bookish than wise, especially in martiall affaires, whose honourable conceit I sée is so farre beyonde the reache of your capacity, that in gazing at a starre you stumble at a stone, and in aiming particularly at a [...], you generally load him with the fault of the whole worlde: are you so simple your selfe as to account euerie humour that [...]itteth man with delight to be pride, that the desire of fame and honour is nothing else but selfe lo [...]e? Then sir, let me say, that Mineruas owle was proude, for perking vnder [...]ir golden target, and that Apelles boies aimed at selfe lone for grinding colours for their maisters [...]. But it did not preiudice the [...] of Themistocles to be called coward at the mo [...]th of Aristot, because the foole was a fidler and knewe scarse a speare front a syi [...]ot, neither may s [...]uldiours take offente to be thought proude at your handes, which neuer saw [...]attell but in your booke, and [...]et I can not deny but there be such fantaslicke martialists [Page] as you talke of, whose tongues are more hardie than their hands, and dare sooner scale the heauens with a braue than anger a man with a blow: such seignior Peratio as Thrasonically countenance themselues w t the title of a souldior, comprehend you within the cō passe of folly: but those personages which in defense of their country and despight of the enemy, séeke after fame and honour, and glorie in the gaine of such a golden benefit, let them triumphe in their conquests, [...] delight themselues in recounting those fauours which fame hath bes [...]owed vpon them for their warlike indeuours. But sir, in this discourse of pride, you are partiall & play like Diogenes, who carying at the beggery of Antisthenes, neuen marked the patch on his [...] cloake. Sylenus would oft [...]nuey against [...] with a bot [...]le of wine in his hande. Thersites [...] Menalcas of deformitie, him selfe being most ilfauoured: and you sir, induce a [...]ouldiour as prologue to your comedie of pride, where as you schollers ought to be for most in the scene, for he that maketh but a step into the vniuersitie of Padua, where the youth of Florence chiefely flourishe, and with a déepe insight marketh the nature of our Mercurialists, shall find as [...]it a harbour for pride vnder a schollers cap as vnder a souldiours helmet, and that as great selfe loue lurketh in a side gowne, as in a short armo [...]r. Tell me good seignior Peratio, is not Mercurie as arrogant as Mars is presumptuous? The one is figured with wings as be wraying his aspiring thoughtes, the other pi [...]tured in armes, as im [...]orting a resolution. Turne they not ouer manie leaues? Reade they not large volumes? Consume they not long time? Apply they not their wits and willes? Some in Apply to gaze at the starres, some in Physicke to search [...]ut the nature of simples, other in the [...] [Page] to worke out metaphysicall experimentes, euerie a particularitie in euerie art: spending all his life to haue the worlde giue a plauditie of their studies. Is not this, seignior Peratio, a tickling humour of selfe loue, that may bring schollers within the compasse of pride? Tullie gadded the stréetes of Rome, that the people might call him pater patriae. Demostenes tooke such a conceit of his eloquence, that he walked vp & downe Athens to haue the citizens say, hic est ille Demostenes. Plato was so proude that he scarse thought king Dionysius his fellowe, and not onely in learning, but in life and apparell so neate, that Diogenes séeing a braue cursier richly decked with golden trappers, demanded of him when hee was in Cumaeo, as taking the horsse for one of Platoes disciples: and I thinke ye schollers of Padua haue so long read Platoes wor [...]es, that ye tast of platoes vanities, I mene not of his philosophy but of his follies: for now he beareth no touch in padua that can not as well braue it with plato as reason with Plato, that co [...]et as well to imitate Aristotle in the sumptuousnes of his apparell as the subtilnesse of his arguments, that hath not a tailer as well to picture out his lineaments, as a Stationer to furnish out his librarie: therefore seignior peratio looke to your owne last, measure not the length of an other mans foot by your owne shoe, but ioine the souldier and scholler in one sillogisme, and then the premises equall, conclude how you list. Seignior Farneze and the rest smiled at the sharpe reply of Bernardino, and among the rest messieur Benedetto galled peratio with this gléeke. By my faith gentlemen seignior Bernardino in my opinion hath done well not onely in his defence of a souldier, but in his Satyricall inuectiue against schollers, wresting argumentum coniunctum against Peratio him selfe: I hope sir you [Page] are a batcheler, and therefore this kinde of phrase giues the lesse offence. peratio thought to push him with the pike, as hee had hit him with the launce, resembling the fall of Hector, who while he vnarmde Patroclus was vnhorsed himselfe: Peratio somewhat cholerike & not well able to brooke the frump of Benedetto, was thus rough with him: masse courtier I am glad you keepe so good a decorum, as to let the lightnes of your head & lauishnes of your follies so well to agree in eode tertio: you take Bernardinos part, but when the gentleman ran so mery a descant on the pride of schollers, had he by hap but glancst at the gaudinesse of your apparell, he had spoken farre more reuerently of scholters than he did: for you Florentine Courtiers, nay to be flat, we Florentine Gentlemen, to bring my selfe within the same predicament, discouer our selues to be the verie anatomies of pride: for he that marketh our follies in being passing humorous for the choise of apparell, shall finde Ouids confused chaos to affoorde a multitude of defused inuentions. It was obiected to Caesar for a fault in his youth that he euer vsed to go vntrust, and we count it a glorie, by a carelesse cloathing of our selues, to be counted malcontent. Sardanapalus was thrust from his empire, for that he was a little e [...]minate, and we striue to be counted womanish, by kéeping of beautie, by curling the haire, by wearing plumes of fethers in our hands, which in warres our ancestors wore on their heads, they feared of men, we to be fauoured of women. Alexander fell in hate of his Macedons, being the monarch of the whole world for wearing a Persian roabe imbroidered with gold, and we Florentines that are scarse maisters of one towne so decke our selues in costly attire, so rich and so rare, that did the Macedons liue and sée our follies, [Page] they w [...]ould grant Alexander to wear [...] [...] robe witho [...] enuy as a priuiledge: yea now a dai [...]s Time hath bro [...]ght pride to such perfection in Italie; that [...]e ar [...] a most as fantasticke as the English Gentleman that is painted naked with a paire of shéeres in his hande, as not being resolued after what fashion to haue his coat cut. In truth, quoth Farneze, to digresse a littl [...] from your matter, I haue séene an English Gentleman so defused in his sutes, his doublet being for the weare of Castile, his hose for Uenice, his hat for France, his cloake for Germanie, that he séemed no way to be an English man but by the face. And quoth Peratio, to this are we Florentines almost grown: for we must haue our courtesies so cringed, our conges deliuered with such a long accent, our spéeches so affected, as comparing our conditions with th [...] liues of our ancestors, we séeme so farre to differ from their former estate, that did Ouid liue, he woulde make a seconde Metamorphosis of our estates. Now masse Benedetto, are not you and the scholl [...]r fellows comperes in follies? Hath not pride taught the on [...] as large principles as the other? Are not Courtiers as proude of their coates as [...] of our boo [...]? Nay Gentlemen, not souldiours, schollers and courtiers onely, but all other estates whatsoeuer are comprised within the compasse of our inquisition, and may veri [...] well and rightly be appeached of this folly.
But seignior Peratio, quoth the olde Countesse, what doe you thinke euerie one proud that weareth costly apparell? No Madam, quoth p [...]ratio, ne [...] doe I thinke but verie beggers haue their thei [...], and prid [...] appoint the seat of this folly in the [...]eart, no [...] in the habit: for as the coule makes not the mo [...]ck, nor the gray [...]de the frier, so sumptuous attir [...] p [...]cureth not [...] presumption, neither doet [...] prid [...] [Page] euer harbour in [...]lkes: pride looketh as lowe as the cottage, and pouertie hath his conceit tainted with selfe loue. Crates was more proud of his scrip and wallet, than Cressus of all his wealth. Plato had such an insight into the péeuish pride of Diogenes, that he durst boldly say, Calco superbiā Diogenis. The begger Irus that hanted the pallace of Penelope, would take his ease in his Inne as well as the péeres of Ithaca. Thoughts are not measured by exteriour effects, but by inwarde affectes. Koabes made not Agathocles leaue to drinke in earthen vessels, but ragges shrowded a proude mind in Eubulus, that presumd to call him the sonne of a potter: tis as bad a consequent to call a king proud for his treasure, as a begger humble for his want, and therefore in my opinion, from the [...]ing to the [...]egger, no estate is frée from this follie. But pride as the predominant qualitie in euerie sexe, degrée and age challengeth in euerie ones mind some special and particular prerogatiue. To confirm [...] which, Gentlemen if you will giue me leaue, I will rehearse you a pleasaunt historie. The Countie and the rest of the Gentlemen and Ladies, d [...]sirous to heare Peratios tale, setled themselues to silence, and [...]e beganne in this manner.
The Tale of Peratio.
WHile the citie of Buda remayned frée from the inuasion of the Turk & was one of the chiefe promon [...]ories of Christendom, thers reigned as king Iohannes Vadislaus, a man so possessed with happines in the prime of his youth, as it sée [...]d [Page] the starres in his natiuitie had conspired to make him fortunate. By parentage royally and rightly discended from the ancient kings of Hungaria by birth sole king and monarch of all the Transalpine regions, nature had so curiously performed his charge in the lineaments of his bodie, & the planets by happie aspects so carefully inriched his mind with sundrie gifts: as it was in question which of all these might chalenge by right the supremacie. But as the purest christall hath his strakes, the cléerest s kie his cloudes, the finest die his staine: so Vadislaus amidst all these golden legacies bequeathed to him by nature, Fortune and the gods, had yet a blemish darkened all his other glories with disgrace. For his minde was [...]o puffed vp with a disdainefull kinde of pride, that he purchased not onely a speciall enuie of his nobilitie, but a generall hate of his commons: seated thus by his owne conceipt in a secure content, although in verie deede dayly standing vpon thornes: for that the liues of kings pinched with enuie are as brittle as glasse, he thought Fortune had beene tied to his thoughtes in a string, and that the forehead of time had bene furrowed with no wrinckles, that kings might commande the heauens, and that such monarchs as he might attempt with Xerxes to tie the Occean in fetters: but exeperience taught him that the counterfet of Fortune, was like the picture of Ianus, double faced, in the one presenting flatterie, in the other spight: that time had two wings, the one plumd with the feather of a doue to foreshew peace, the other with the pennes of an eagle to denounce warres, that kings might determine but God dispose: that a scepter was no warrant to priuiledge them from mis [...]ortune, that euerie blisse hath his ban [...], that euerie pleasure hath his paine, and euerie dram of delight counter poised with [Page] a whole t [...]e of miserie. But in the blossoms of his youth, when selfe loue tickled him forwarde to ouerweene of his owne estate: consideration, the enemie to vntimely attempts, had not trode on his héele, but taking the raines of libertie in his handes, he ranne with Phaeton headlong into his owne misfortune. For on a day, as oft he desired to delight his senses with the fragrant verdure of the meades, intending to be solitarie, for he hated disport, in that he scorned any of his nobility shoulde beare him companie, he passed secretly out at a posterne gate, onely accompanied with one of his nobles, whom amongst all the rest he admitted into priuat familiaritie: an Earle he was, and called Selydes, and went to a groue hard adioyning to the pallace, where in an arbour that nature, without the helpe of art, had most curiously wrought, he passed away parte of the day in melancholy meditation: at last tickled with a déepe conceit of his owne happinesse, commanding his noble man a part, he beganne thus to sooth him selfe in his owne follies. Hast thou not heard Vadislaus, nay doest thou not know, that kings are gods, and why gods, because they are kings, that a crowne contayneth a worlde of pleasures, and Fortune euer stoupeth at the sight of a sc [...]pter, that the maiestie of a prince is like the lightning from the East, and the threates of a king like the noyse of thunder? What sayest thou Vadislaus, are kings goddes? Why doest thou so muche abase thy selfe, kings are more than goddes, for Iupiter for all his Deitie was glad to reigne a pettie king in Créete, Saturne sued for the Diademe of Italie, both goddes, if Poets say true, and yet both inferiour vnto thée in crowne and kingdome. The Transalpine Regions that border vppon the Rheine are thine, th [...]u art sole king in all those dominions. [Page] The starres feares to crosse thée with any contray aspect, the temple of pea [...] opens hir gates at thy presence, riche thou art, featured thou art, feared thou art, happy thou art, conclude all that may bée sayd either of honour, fauour, or fortune, a king thou art Vadistaus: yea, so surely seated in thy Monarchye, as did the heauens oppose themselues agaynst thy prosperitie and happinesse, their spight were in vaine to determine thy ruine and ouerthrow. Therefore Vadislaus bring not contempt to such a royall dignitie by too muche familiaritie, disdayne in a king is the figure of maiestie, tis glorious for princes to let their subi [...]as feare at the thought of their Soueraigne: so then Vadislaus, let this censure bée ratified, and from hense foorth vse thy nobilitie as necessarie members to perfourme thy commande, but for companions, none Vadislaus, but kinges. At this he swelled and being droncke with the dregges of his owne folly, desirous to bée soothed in this imagination, be called vnto him the Countie Selydes, vnto whome hee vttered these wordes.
Thou séest Selydes I am a king, to be feared of men, because honoured of the goddes, tell me fréely without flatterie, what d [...] thou thinke either of me or my gouernement. The Countie w [...]o all his life time had bene a courtier, and yet neuer learned nor loued with Aristippus to be Dionysius spaniell, craued pardon of the king, which granted, he framed his talke in this manner.
I can not deny (mighty soueraigne) but kings are gods, in that they ought to resemble their Deities in gouernement and vertue, but yet as the fairest Cedar hath his water boughes, the richest Marguerite hir fault, and the swéetest rose his prickle: so in a crowne [Page] is hidden farre more care than content, for one moment of perfect [...]ase a whole moneth of disquiet thoughtes, that were the perils apparant that are hid in a Diademe, hardly would ambition boast in such triumphes, the gold of Tholosse glistered and yet it was fatall, Seianus horse was faire to the eye yet vnluckie, a scepter beset with stones is beautiful, but dangerous: kings (my liege) are men and therefore subiect to misse, mortall and therefore [...]aues vnto Fortune, and yet the title of a crowne o [...]t puffeth vp their mindes so with pride, as forgetting themselues, they suddenly prooue infortunate, Polycrates so swelled in the conceit of his happinesse, as hee thought the heauens coulde not countermand his prosperitie, yet experience taught him that Time and Fortune stoode on a gloabe and therefore mutable, that the calmest sea hath his stormes, and the highest steps to [...]itie, the déepest fall to misfortune: for the beginning of his youth was not so prosperous, as the ende of his age was tragicall. Nero was proud, and therfore tyrannous, for the one is a consequent to the other, and so by pride lost both life and Lordship, kings (my liege) haue found this by experiēce, & haue feared to make proofe of it by triall: so that Philip had a boy to put him in minde of his mortalitie. Alexander woulde bee called the sonne of Iupiter, but Calistenes made him denie such arrogancie in Babylon. Cresus was proude of his pelfe, but Solon pulde downe his plumes by preferring Byton before him in happinesse, kings heads are not impalled with fame, for that they are kings, but because they are vertuous. Augustus Caesar was not famous for his Empire but for his clemencie. Seuerus was not chronicled for his treasure but for his iustice. Antonius Pius [Page] had not his picture plast in the Capitoll, because of his scepter, but for he was mercifull: So my Lorde to your question, I thinke your maiestie a king in déede with large dominions, and honoured with royall titles of dignitie, and it fitteth not a subiect to mi [...]ike of his princes gouernement: onely this I conclude, and this hartely I wish, that your highnesse may liue fauoured of the goddes, and loued and honoured of men. He that bruseth the Oliue trée with hard iron, [...]etcheth out no oyle but water, and he that pricketh a proude heart with perswasions, draweth out onely hate and enuie. For Vadislaus so grudged at the friendly aduertisementes of the Counti [...] Selides, that choaking his choler with silence, he made no replie, but went home to the palace: where, for the receit of a fishe, thinking to repay a scorpion, he whetted his thoughtes onely on reuenge. And Fortune, who still thought to fauour him in his follies, soothed him with successe in his enuie, that raysing him to the highest sphere of selfe conceit, she might throw him downe to the lowest center of dispaire: for manie dayes had not past before, by some sinister meanes, he had wrought so with the rest of his nobilitie, that the Countie was founde faultie by false witnesse in a penall statute, that his goodes were confiscated vnto the kings vse, his bodie exiled into Germanie, and his onelye daughter for one and but one hee had as a distressed virgine, was refte at once both of parentes and patrimonie. The Countie arming his thoughtes with pacience, against the despight of Fortune, counting it good counsayle to make [...] vertue of necessitie, left his daughter in [...] of a dowrie to inriche hir marriage, fatherlye [Page] doctrine to increase her manners: for giuing hir coyne that enuie had reft, leauing hir aduise and counsayle that experience had taught, counting it more happinesse to haue his daughter prooue wise than wealthie, as preferring the gi [...]tes of the mind farre before the goodes of Fortune, parting thus from his onelye childe, from his fréendes and from his Countrye hee coulde not but sorrowe, and yet in such measure, as dispaire coulde take no aduauntage of his passions. The Ladye, as made of a more tender complexion, let loose the fountaynes of hir teares, and hauing taken hir farewell of hir father lamented his case, as farre as the rech of hir eye could kéepe the Barke within ken, after the shippe was out of sight, and shée left alone and comfortlesse on the shoare, shée beganne after this manner to complayne with hir selfe.
Distressed and sorrowfull Maesia, for so was hir name, where shalt thou beginne to recount thy greefes, or make an ende of thy dispayring sorrowes: the prime of youth, which to others is a summer of good happe, being to thee a frostie winter of misfortune. Nowe doeth experience teache thée for trueth, which earst thou accountedst for a fable, that the priuiledge of honour is sealed with the signet of time, that the highest degrées haue not the surest leates, that nobilitie is no warrant against mishappe, that the highest cedars are blasted with lightning, when the lower shrub waues not with the wind, small brookes bubble foorth silent streames, when greater seas are troubled with tempestes: enuie yea enuie the verie caterpiller of content, spareth the touche of a cottage, when he indeuours the ruine of a pallace, [Page] he scorneth a begger when he stricketh a king, and vouchsafeth not to checke pouertie, when hee giueth honour the mate. Then Maesia, what reason hast thou to be [...]ayle thy present fall, and not rather to ioy at thy future hay, accuse not fat [...]s or Fortune as thy foes, when their despight r [...] dounded not to thy losse, but thy libertie, whilome thou wert honourable, and therefore fearefull, nowe thou art poore, and therefore secure, alate restlesse, feare of mishappe disquieted thy sléepes in a pallace, nowe a quiet content shall asoorde thée swéete [...]umbers in a cottage, there didst thou sigh in silkes, heere mayest thou sing in russ [...]t, there nobilitie was counter poysed with care, here pouertie is inriched with quiet. Then M [...]sia, chaunge thy affections with thy fortunes, liue as though thou wert borne poore, and hope as one assured to dye riche: for there is no greater honour than quiet, nor no greater treasure than content. But alas my sather, mine aged father: Scarse had she [...] vttered these wordes, b [...]t griefe presented suche a heape of distressed thoughts, that either the h [...]art must burst by smoothering such s [...]alding sorrowes, or else the tongue and eyes resolue vnto playntes and teares. Ah despightfull and iniurious Fortune, quoth shée, well did Zeuxes paynt thée blinde, and yet without a vale, as hauing thine eyes not couered with a lawne, but darkened with despight, the frost nippeth the budde when he spareth the root, the goddes slue the brattes of Iocasta but spared Oedipus, the wrinckles of age shoulde be warrauntes of weale, the siluer hair [...]s shoulde bee pledges of peace. But [...]ynde or furie as thou art, thou hast threatned my father with a contrarye [Page] m [...]lice, in the cradle giuing him swéete syrops, at the graue presenting him with bitter potions, in the prime of his youth bring him a sléepe with honour, in the ende of his dayes disquieting his thoughtes with pouertie. Silence Maesia, least Fortune hearing thy complaynts, ioy in hir owne spight, and triumphe in thy sorrowes, the swéetest salue of mishappe is pacience, and no greater reuenge can be offered Fortune, than to rest content in miserie, teares are no cures for distresse, neither can thy present plaintes pleasure thy absent father: then Maesia comfort thy selfe and what time thou shouldest bestowe on discoursing thy misfortunes, spende in orisons to the goddes, to redr [...]sse thy fathers cares and reuenge his iniuries, and vppon this resolution she rested, and for that she would kéepe a decorum, as well in hir attire as in hir actions, she put off hir riche roabes and put on homely ragge [...], transforming hir thoughtes with hir apparell, trauelled from the court into the countrie, where séeking for seruice, she had not passed long, before she met with a welthy farmers sonne, who handsomely deckt vp in his holy day hose, was going very manerly to be foreman in a Morice dāce, and as néere as I can gesse thus he was apparelled: he was a tall slender youth cleane made with a good indifferent face, hauing on his head a strawne hat stéeple wise, bounde about with a band of blue bu [...] kram, he had on his fathers best tawnye worsted iacket: for that this daies exploit stood vpon his credit, he was in a paire of hose of red kersie, close trust with a point afore, his mother had l [...]nt him a newe muffler for a napkin, & that was tied to his girdle for loosing, he had a paire of haruest gloues on his hands as she wing good hus bādry, & a pen & inckhorn [Page] at his backe: for the young man was a little bookish, his pompes were a little too heauie, being trimmed start-vps made of a paire of boote legges, tied before with two white leather thongs, thus handsomely arrayed, for this was his sonday sute, he met the Ladie Maesia, and séeing hir so faire and well formed, farre passing their countrie maides in proportion, and nothing differing in apparell, he stoode halfe amazed as a man that had séene a creature beyond his countrie conceit, and in déede she was passing faire, for this I remember was hir description:
Thus I haue hearde the Ladie described, and this hir rare forme droue this countrie youth into this maruelous admiration, at last Maesia séeing the poore fellowe in a maze: after salutations done as countrie like as she could, and yet too courtly for [Page] his calling, the enquired of him if hee knew anie good and honest house, where she might be entertained into seruice. The young man who all this while had starde [...]er in the face, told her that she came in pudding time, for his mother wanted a maide, and if shee could take anie paines, no doubt she should find a house fit for her purpose. And (quoth hee) I haue such good hope that you will proue well, that although this daie I shoulde haue bene foreman in a may-game, yet I will rather marre the plaie then your market, and so will tourne backe to leade you the waie to our house. Maesia gaue him thankes, and together they went to his Fathers, whereafter the young springall had talked a while with his mother, for he was his fathers eldest sonne, the good wife had such liking of the maide, that shee gaue her an earnest penny to serue her for a yéere, and so hired her before the Constable. Maesia beeing thus honestly plast, by her good behauiour grewe into such fauour with all the house, that the olde fooles began to thinke her a fit match for their eldest sonne, and in this hope vsed her m [...]ruailous well. But leauing her to h [...]r Countrie content, at last to Vadislaus, who hauing nowe glutted enuie with re [...]enge in bannishing the good Earle, pearked so highe with Danidas Parrat, that at the last hee fell to the grounde: For pride had taught him this principle, that princes wils ware lawes, and that the thoughts of kings could not erre, disdaine and contempt, two monsters of nature, had so sot ted his mind with selfe lo [...]e, that as his actions grew to be insolent, so his gouernment began to be tyrannous, commanding as fancie wild him to [...] fect, not as iustice wisht him to affoord: he foug [...]t not with Augustus to be called Clemens, but with Tarquin to glorie in the title of Superbus: alluding the d [...]ike [...]ich Virgil wrote in the praise of Caesar to himselfe, [Page] Diui sum imperiumcum Ioue Caesar habet. He would not with Phillip bee called martiall, but with Alexander be honored as the sonne of Ammon: hee sought not to sit in his throne with a braunch of palme, to gouerne with peace, but vsed a swoorde as a scepter to rule with constraint. Long hee dyd not continue in this life, but that hee grewe in mortall hate with his subi [...]ctes, the poore commons grudged and groned vnder the burden of his crueltie, the Nobilitis beganne to consider with themselues, that more did the state of Rome ruinate in one yeere vnder the gouernment of the Emperour Calygula, then it prospered in manie vnder the vertuous regiment of [...]raian, that more blossomes die the first nippe in a morning, than the heate of the Sunne can reuiue in a whole daie, and more harme doeth the pride of a king in a moment, than good pollicie can restore in a moneth: whereupon they determined to forewarne him of his follies, and to perswade him from that course of life, which woulde in time bring the commonwealth to mischiefe, and himselfe to misfortune: finding fit time and opportunitie with a generall consent they beganne to disswade him from his presumption, but Vadislaus who br [...]kt not to be countermanded by anie of his nobles, returnd [...] them this scornfull answere.
My Lordes, as the Sunne is set in the heauens, so kings are seated vppon earth: the one too glorious an obiect for euerie ei [...] to gaze at, the other too full of maiestie for anie man to controule. The woulse had his skin pulled ouer his ears for prying into the lions den: the actions of Princes are like the pearles of Arabia, the one too cestly for euerie marchant to prise, the other too honourable for euerie base person to censure of. Dare the proudest birde beare, wing against the [Page] Eagle [...] Is not the print of a lyons clawe a seale of his safetie, and the verie title, nay the verie thought of a king, a warrant of his blisse. Take heede my Lordes, let the preiudice of others bee a president for you to beware: me thinke the Countie Selydes mishap might warne you from pressing too much on my fauour. Seneca by grudging at Neros blisse procured his owne bane, Calistenes checking the thoughts of Alexander wrought his owne ouerthrowe. Kings must not be controuled for that they are Kings, and therefore from henceforth doome not of my doinges least. And with that he flung from them in a rage, as one aiming at reuenge, if heereafter they mislikt of his gouernment. The nobles whome disdaine had armed to des [...]aire, beganne to murmure at the kings wicked resolution, and either to free the commonwealth from miserie, or by attempting such an enterprise to procure their owne mishap: amongest them all Rodento, a noble man more bolde then the rest, burst forth into these passions.
My Lordes and worthie Peeres of Buda, feared for your valour, and famous for your victories, let not the priuate will of one man bee the ruine of such a mightie kingdome, kings are Gods, then let them gouerne like Gods, or giue vs leaue to account them worse then men, let the cramples of other nations tie vs to the consideration of our present estate. The Athenians preferred the weale of their Countrie before the pride of Alcibiades, Caesar was slaine in the Senate for his pride, Hannibal twice eriled Carthage for his presumption, Dyonisius banisht out of Scycily for his insolencie: Crownes (my Lordes) are n [...] plackardes of wickednesse, Securitie waiteth not anielonger vpon a Scepter than it is swayde with equitie, a Diademe is no longer glorious then it is [Page] deck [...] with vertue, so y • occasion presents vs a double proffer, either by soothing y • king in his pride to suffer the common wealth to perish, or by r [...]ting out such a prince, to saue both our seiues and the [...]ingdome [...]rom preiudice: now my Lords the ballance is poised, choose which part you please, Rodento hauing set their harts on fire with these wordes, they all consented to recall Countie Selides from banishment, and if at the second perswasion the king woulde not take a better course, to make him sole mona [...]h of Buda: they wer not slack in their purposed intent, but dispatcht letters secretlie by a spéedie Post into Germanie, which the Countie Selides receiuing, suspected at the first a further mischiefe, but at last throughly satisfied by the messenger of their [...]aithful intent, he cut ouer with as much spéed as might be, & secretly in the night came to the house of Rodento, where being honourablie intertained, the next daie all the nobles assembled, and there in counsaile tolde the Countie Selides how in requitall of his exile they meant either to set him in his former estate, or else to inrich him with the benefit of a crowne. The County was vnwilling to grant to their requests, yet at last seeing deniall could not preuaile, he consented, and all ioyntly went together to the Court: where they [...]ounde the king walking according to his wonted manner in his accustomed melancholie: who scarce saluting his Lordes with a good looke, yet straight had espied the Countie Selides: at whose sight with a [...]ace inflamed with cholar, and eies sparkling hate, hée demanded why the Countie Selides was reuoked from exile, how [...]e durst presume so nigh to approch his presence, or which of his Lords was so hardie as to admit him into their company? Rodento speaking for the rest made answere, that as the Countie Selides was banished without cause, so he might lawfully returne without [Page] pardon, that offences measured with enu [...]e, were to be salued without intreatie, & therfore did no more then they all present were readie to iusti [...]e: and further, whereas his maiestie was so s [...]tted in selfe conceit that he held his will as a lawe, and made a metamorphosis of a monarchie into a flat gouernment of tyrannie: they were come to perswads his highnesse from such folly, wherein if he resolued to persiit, they were determined not onely to depriue him of his crown and kingdome, but before his face to celebrate the coronation of Selides. Vadislaus hearing this peremptorie resolution of his Lordes, was nothing dismaide, but with a countenance ouershadowed with disdaine, tolde them hee seared not their braues: for quoth he, the trecherous attempt of a subiect cannot dismate the princely courage of a king. When the slaues of Scyth [...]a rebelled against their Lordes, they were not subdued with weapons, but with whips. Cirus punished traitors, not with the are to infer death, but with a fooles coate to procure perpetuall shame: therfore my lords I charge you vpon your allegeance take holde of that outlawe Selides, put him in prison till he heare farther of my pleasure, and for your owne partes submit your selues and craue pardon. The noble men plaide like the dease Addar that heareth not the sorcerers charme, neither could they bee disswaded from their intent by the threates of a king, but following their purpose, presently deposed him of all regal dignitie and cclebrated [...]he coronation of Selides: who seated in the regall throne, had no sooner the scepter in his hand, but enuie beganne to grow in his heart, and reuenge haled him on to seale vp his comicall successe with tragicall sorrow, for he commanded Vadislaus to be pulled out of his roabes and put into rags, in stead of a crowne to giue him a scrip, for a scepter a palmers [Page] staffe, making generall proclamation that none o [...] what degrée so euer, shoulde allowe him anie maintenance, but that his inheritauce shoulde be [...] the wide fi [...]lds, and his reuenues nought else but charitie. Vadislaus thus at one time deposed and metamorphosed from a king to a begger, was now disdayned of those who [...]e before he did [...], and l [...]ught at by such as befor [...] hee did enuie, the nobilitie shakt him off as a [...], the commons vsed him as a bad companion, [...] ioyntly forgat he had ben their king, and smoothl [...] smiled at his misfortune. Vadislaus as a man in a [...]rance, being past a little from his pallace, séeing the place which whilome was the subiect of pleasure, now [...] obiect of discontent, t [...]at wher he did command as a king, he was centrolled as an abiect, he sel into these di [...]ressed passions.
Is youth the wealth of nature, to be wracked with euerie flawe? Is honour the priuiledge of [...], subiect to euerie fall? Hath maiestie that makes vs fellow partuers with the Gods in dignitie, no warrant to graunt a sympathy of their deities, that as we are equall in highnes, so we may be immortall in happines? Why doest thou enter Uadislaus into such fri [...]olous questions, when thy present misfortune [...]elles thée kings are but men, and therfore the verie subiects of Fortune? Ah vnhappie man hadst thou confessed as much as proofe sets thee downe for a principle, the ouerflowing gale of selfe loue had neuer brought thy barke persorce to so bad an harbour. Hadst then gouerned like a God in equitie, thou hadst stil ruled like a God in honour: but pr [...]de perswading thée a crowne had made thee more then a man, hath nowe induced time to assure thee, that thou art the worst of all men. [...] seats are like the [...] that Egistus made sor straungers, wherein beeing placed, the care was delighted [Page] with melodie, the cie with sundrie shewes of content, the smelling with swéet fauors: but to coun [...]ruaile these pleasures, ouer their heads hung naked swoordes in slender fillets of filke, which procured more feare than the rest did delight: maiestie is lyke the triple string of a Lute, which let too lowe maketh badde musicke, and stretched too high, either craketh or setteth all out of tune. Fortunes fauours resemble the prickes of a Porcupine, that careleslie gazed at, pleaseth the eie and the touch, but narrowly handled, both hurteth the sight and the sense. Ah Uadislaus, had consideration foretaught thee these vntimelie principles, thou hadst neither found the seats of [...]ings vnsure, maiestie out of time, nor fortune but as shée is to all men, inconstant. But pride, what sayest thou of pride Vadislaus? Was it not lawfull for thée to be pro [...]der then all men, that wert higher in dignitie then all men? Might not a crown yéeld thée a self [...] conceit in thy actions? What diddest thou beeing king that [...] not a king? Disdaine I tell thee is the glorie of a Scepter, and in that still bee resolute, beest thou neuer so poore in estate, bee still a Prince in thought, parentage is without the compasse of Fortune, the Gods may dispose of weith, but not of birth, imagine thy palmers bonnet a p [...]inces diadem, thinke thy staffe a scepter, thy graie wéeds costly attire, imaginations are as swéete as actions: and séeing thou ca [...]st not bée a king ouer nobilitie, bée yet a king ouer beggers: holde pouertie as a slaue, by thinking thy want store, and still disdayne all that art despi [...]ed of all: Dionisius was for the same braue minde exiled out of his kingdome, but hee kept a [...] in [...], and there although hee were not a prince ouer men, yet [...]ee was a king ouer boies, and the force of his imagination soothed him in a princely content. [Page] Tush Vadislaus, neuer shrinke at this shot, now thou art more thē a king, for thou art a monarch both ouer fates and fortune, and yet this priuiledge is left thée that none in Buda can challenge, thou maiest boaste thou hast bene a king, and whosoeuer giues thée for almes, neuer yéeld him thankes, for hee bestowes but what once was thine: Vadislaus arming himselfe thus with a desperate kinde of patience passed poorely disguised and despised through his owne Countrie. And Selides safely seat [...]d in the kingdome, after hee had set the affaires of the weale publike in good order, tooke all his care to know where his daughter was bestowed, but hearing no newes where shee was harboured, made generall proclamation through all his dominions, that who so could tell newes what was become of the ladie Maesia the kings daughter, should be greatly aduanced in calling, and haue a thousand crownes for his paines. The Farmers sonne happened to [...] with his mothers butter at the market when this proclamation was made, and comming home, tolde it in secret for great newes, how that the king was deposed from his crowne, & Selides created in his place, and that whosoeuer could tel where Maesia was should be well rewarded for his labour. The olde Farmer nodding his head at these newes, made answere: you may see sonne, quoth he, what it is to bee a great man, I tell you the gaie coates of kings couers much care, as they haue many pleasures, so they haue mickle perils, the plowman hath more ease then a King: for the one troubles but his bodie with exercise, the other disquiets his minde with waightie affaires, I warrant thee wi [...]e we haue as much health with f [...]ding on the browne loafe, as a Prince hath with all his delicates, and I steale more swéete naps in the chimney corner in a weeke, then (God saue his maiestie) the King doth [Page] quiet sléepes in bi [...] beds of doune in a whole moneth. Oft haue I beard my Father saie (and I tell thée our predecessours were no fooles) that a husbandman plowed out of the ground thrée things, wealth, health and quiet, which (quoth hee) is more worth then a kinges ransome: but tis no matter, let not vs meddle with kings affaires, but if the councell haue thought it good to put downe Vadislaus, he may thank his own pride, which sonne learne of me, is the root of all mischiefes, and if they haue crowned Selides, wee sée a goodly example, he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted, but I would I could tel where the kings daughter were, for he that reaps fauour and wealth gets a double benefite. Maesia who heard these newes of her Fathers preferment, smiled in her owne conceit, that fortune had made [...] sharpe and short a reuenge, and that now after many miseries past ouer with patience, shee might not onely saie Dabit Deus his quoque finem, but Hec olim maminisse iuuabit. The remembrance of honor tainted her chéekes wich a purple die at the sight of hir present drudgerie, the hope of dignity tickled hir mind with a sodaine ioy, to thinke what a metamorphosts should happen at her pleasure, but when she called to mind [...] the Countrie sayings of her olde maister, and sawe by proofe [...]ow [...]ckle fortune was in her fauors, and had considered what mishap laie in maiestie, and what a secure life it was to liue poore, she found dignitie ouer s [...]owed with danger, wheras pouertie [...]ept quietly at his plough beame. Honour wilde her to bewraie what she was, quiet persuaded her that content was a kingdome. Perplered thus w t sundrie thoughts after her house was handsomely and huswifely dreast vp, she toke her spinning whéele to the doore, and there setting her selfe solitarily in the shade, she had not drawen forth thrée or foure threddes, but Vadislaus in [...]is [Page] beggers roabes came to the doore, and seeing so neate a Countrie wench at her whéele, without anie salutations, after his cynicall manner began to gaze on her beautie. The maide taking him sor no other but some stout begger, as Countrie maides vse to solace themselues, began to carroll out a song to this effect.
The song of Maesia somewhat touched the minde of Vadislaus, that meruailing what pretie musition this should be that had so swéete a voice and so pithie a dittie, he began to interrupt [...]er melodie in this sorte. Faire maide, for so I may tearme you best, in that I giue thée but thy due to saie thou art beautifull, and allow thée a fauour in thinking thou art honest, tel me, is this Country cottage thy fathers house? and if it be, thy birth is so base & thy bringing vp so bad, how hap thou hast sound disquiet in dignity, and care containd in a crowne? Hast thou séene the court, and so speakest by experience, or learnd this dittie as a song of course, and so hittest the crow by hap. Maesia hearing the begger so inquisitiue, especially placing his wordes in [Page] such a commanding phrase, thinking him to bee no other then his ragges did reporte, shooke him vp thus sharply. Tis for beggers (quoth shee) whome fortune hath tied to the curtesie of others, to craue almes with treaties, not to demand questions with inquisition, for as they haue no other plackard than pouertie, so their charter is submission and lowlines, what so euer my tongue contained, step not thou farther than thy scrip, thou art meane inough, therefore quiet inough, no almes would do thee more good than a question, and therefore staie while my thredde is drawen, and thou shalt haue my deuotion. Vadislaus whose pride was not changed with his apparell, told her y • the vertue of the trée was not discerned by the outward barke, but by the inward s [...]p, that the Lapidarie might be deceiued in colours, that ro [...]bes made not kings, nor rags beggers, that Appollo beeing a God, metamorphosed himselfe, not into a prince, but to a shepheard, that Mercurie for his pleasure tooke the forme of a cowe hearde, to try the tabling of Bacchus, outward shewes are not inward effects, and therfore she might mistake him, and though his cloathng discouered pouertie, his calling might be honourable. Maesia hearing so well ordered an answer to come from such a disordered person, began to note more narrowly the linea [...]ents of his face, & at last perceiued it was the quondam king Vadislaus, but still dissembling what both she thought and knew, made him this answere: Friend, if I haue shot awrie blame the marke that I aimed at, and not my censure by outward show, for we Countrie maids are so homely brought vp, that wée count none kings but what weare crownes, and all beggers that carrie scrippes and craue almes, if your degree be aboue your shewe, it was your owne faulte, and not my folly that made mée so foolishe, my [Page] song I hope what so ere ye be, hath giuē none offence: if thou hast bene rich, it tells thée what disquiet is in dignitie, and that the cottage affoords more quiet then a kingdome: if thou wert neuer but as thou art, then maist thou see what content is in pouertie, and lear [...] that the obscure life conteineth y • greatest blisse: kings are men, and therefore subiect to mishap, Fortune is blinde, and must either misse of her aime, or shoote at a great marke, her boltes [...] not so lowe as beggerie, when honour is pearced with euerie blow, and therefore Marcus Curcius that had thrice bene dictator, and as many times triumphed hidde himselfe in a poore farme to be frée from the iniurie of fortune. Vadislaus driuen into a passion with this parle, asked her why she told him of the stratagems of kings, séeing her self [...] was a begger: for that, quoth Maesia, thou didst scorne euen now to be counted a begger: nay quoth Vadislaus [...]or that thou knowest, or at the least doest suspect I am a king: Maesia tolde him she had small reason to make [...]uch a surmise, but desired that she might know if hée were Vadislaus, that of late was deposed: I am quoth he, the same, I tel thée maide, euerie waie the same, for mishap hath no whit altered my minde. Then (quoth Maesia) hath fortune done ill, to ioyne in thee both pouertie and pride, for either hath Report a blister on her tongue, or thy fall did insue of disdainfull insolencie: thy fault hath bene alwaies the fall of princes, the ruine of states, and the vtter subuersion of kingdomes, Dyoclesian the Romane was so proude, that he called himselfe brother to the Sunne, and was the first that euer made edict to haue the feete of Emperours kist, in signe of seruill submission, his end was madnesse: the pride of Pompey was his ouerthrow: the desire of ki [...]gly title caused Caesar to die in the senate house: [Page] but thy haruest is out of the grasse, and my councell commeth now, as a shower of raine doeth when the corne is ripe: yet séeing you ar [...] fallen into pouertie, let mee a [...]ise thée howe to beare it with patience. Want is not a depriuation of vertue, but a release of care and trouble. Epamynondas was not called halfe a God, nor Lycu [...]gus a sauiour, because they abounded in wealth and were slaues to their passions, but because they were Princes, and yet content with pouertie: then let their liues be a marke whereby to direct your actions, that as you are fallen from dignitie by default, so you may liue in pouertie with patience, & so die a more honorable begger then thou diddest li [...] a king, and if thou meruaile who it is that giues th [...] such friendly councell, know I am daughter to Selydes, who driuen by thy iniustice to this distresse, although my father now a king, yet I find such content in pouertie, as I little hast to exchange this life with dignitie.
Vadislaus carefully marking the weight of euery word, especially proceeding from her whom he had iniured, blushed at the sight of her patience, and yet as a man whom despaire had hardn [...]d on to mishappe, nothing relented at her perswasions, but in a melancholy furie [...]ong from the doore without saying one worde, or bidding her farewell. Maesia noting still the peruerse stomacke in the man, sayde to her selfe, What folly is there greater than Pride, which neyther ag [...] nor pouertie can extinguish? What afterwarde became of Vadislaus, the Annales of Buda makes not mention, but onely of this, that he died poore and yet proude. For Maesia pittying her fathers sorrowes tha [...] he made for her absence, more for his content than for anie delight in dignitie, shortly after shee forsooke the Countrie and went to the court.
[Page] Peratio hauing ended his tale, the whole companie commended his discourse, and especially the old countesse, who not onely gaue him praise as a laurell for his labours, but thanks, as due to him by deserts, saying, that in déede pride was one of those sinnes which nature had framd without change, that Fortune was a mistresse ouer other passions, and Time had a medicine for other maladies, onely pride and the gout hath his similitude in effects, that they were incurable. Wel madam, quoth Bernardino, Peratio hath done well, but praie God he resemble not the rich Bishop of Cullen, that preaching against couetousnes, had a poore mans lease to pawne in his handes, which hee vsed as an instrument to act against vsurie: he is a scoller madam, and therefore within the compasse of his owne conclusions, for we see th [...]se Uniuersitie men ouercome them selues deeply in this folly, insomuch that not content to be proude at home, they séeke by trauell to hunt after vanity. As I cannot, quot [...] Peratio, excuse my self, so I will not accuse all generally, because the premises are to [...] peremptorie that inferre such censurers, but no doubt, schollers are men, and therefore subiect to this fault. And so be courtiers, quoth Ladie Katherine, for you may smell their pride by their perfumes. [...]is well, qd Benedetto, that seignior Farneze hath made an exception of women, otherwise Peratio had neuer made an e [...]de of his discourse. Peratio taking hold of Lady Katherines talke, thought to crosse Benedetto ouer the thumbs, and therefore made this reply. Truth it is, that [...]ully writ to Atticus, that the conquest of Asia had brought siue notable follics into the Citi [...] of Rome, to make glorious sepulchres, to weare rings of gold, to vse spice in meats, to alay wine with sugar, and to carrie about swéet perfumes and smels. These m [...]ssieur Bdnedetto, Tully countes follies, and [Page] ye vse as [...]auours: he thought them preiudiciall, and ye courtiers count them as necessary, and therfore argue how you list, I will haue you within the compasse of my discourse. I can smile, quoth the Ladie Katherine, to see how messieur Benedetto thinking to wring water ont of a stone, hath stumbled on a [...]int, which striking too hard hath brought fire. Yet (quoth Cosimo) his lucke was good, for hee burnt but his owne clothes. Seignior Farneze hearing these drie blowes, broke off their talke at this time by commanding one of his mē to couer for supper, which done, sitting down with his guests about him, euerie one plied his téeth more than his tongue, Benedetto excepted, who was so chafed in conceit at the Lady Katherine, that his thoughts onely were imploied after dinner how to be reuenged, which indéed [...]e performed in this sorte.
The second discourse of Folly.
AFter Farneze & the rest had satis [...]d their [...]marks with meat & their minds with mirth, Cosimo séeing Benedetto so passionate, began to whet him on to prattle in this maner. Masse courtier, qd he, to drawe you out of your dūps with a demād, I pray you answer me to this questiō: why do y • painters in figuring forth the counterfet of loue, draw her blind & couered with a vale, when as we see that in nothing there is a déeper insight than in loue: Benedetto séeing Cosimo put forth this questiō only to moue talke, told him, that if he had spent but as many idle hours about y • substance of affection, as he had done daies about the quiddities of fācy, he would willingly haue answered his demand: but séeing twere folly for a souldier to teach Orpheus how to handle his har [...]e, hee woulde aunswere him as Zeuxes did king Persius, who desiring him to shew [...] how he coulde drawe the picture of enuie, presently brought him a looking Glasse, wherein Persius [Page] perceiuing his owne phisnomie blusht: And yet for al this, qd Bernardino, seignior Cosimo doth not change countenance, and yet we all know him to be a louer: and therfore, quoth the Ladie Frances, within the compasse of folly, for this I remember that an Acrion saieth, Cupid was depriued of his sight, not by nature but by iniurie, for the Gods summoning a parliament, whereat appeared all the heauenly deities, Cupid by hap, or rather by fatall presence of the destinies, met with Folly, who surcharged with ouerwéening passions, began to dispute of their seuerall powers, the b [...]y not able to brooke comparisons, bent his bow, and was readie to discharge an arrowe against Folly, but [...]hee being readier furnished with wepons, neither regarding his youth, beautie, nor deitie, scratched out his eies, in requital whereof she was by the Gods appointed his guide. Then by this quoth Peratio, there is no loue without folly. That I denie, answered the Ladie Frances, for true and perfect loue is beyond [...] the deitie of Cupid, and therefore without the compasse of follie. But such loue as you yong Gentlemen vse, that hath as great a confusion of passions, as Ouids chaos had of simples, is that which I meane, in truth it is lust, but shadowed with the name of loue, which rightly Euripides calleth a furie. I am gladde, quoth Farneze, that we are entered into the discourse of loue, for I will inioyne this nights worke to bee about the discouerie of the verie substance of lust, which drowned in voluptuous pleasures, haleth on the mind to the soul [...] deformed sinne of lecherie, a faulte that we Italians greatly offend in, and yet the custome of sinne hath so taken a waie the feeling of the offence, as wee shame not oft times to glorie in the fault. And for that seignior Cosimo I haue knowen you amongest all the rest to bee most amorous, though I mnst needes [Page] confesse alwaies honestly, yet for that you haue béene acquainted with such passions, I commit the charge vnto your hands. Cosimo séeing the company smile, in that the Countie had tied him to such a taske, willingly would haue surrendered vp his right into an other mans handes, but fearing to displease Farneze, and by shrincking, to discouer where his shoe wroong him, arming him selfe with patience séemed very content: and therefore began to frame his spéech in this manner. Although (Gentlemen) Hipa [...]chon coulde play on his flute, yet he was not to dispute of Musicke, in that bee knewe more by the practise of his finger, than by skill of the concordes. Ephestion coulde handle Bucephalus, but not ride Bucephalus. Menecas the Macedonian was a very good simpler, but knewe not how to con [...]est a potion, as one aiming at the vertue of the hearbe, not at the qualitie of the disease: so although I haue, as a nouice, gazed at the temple of Venus, yet I am not able to discourse of the Deitie of Cupid: tis no consequent, that by féeling a fewe passions, I should be able to set downe principles, or that a sparke of fancy should kindle a whole flame of wanton affections, yet that I be not accused to be more scrupulous than courteous, I will say what I haue heard and read of this follie. The Cyriniake Philosophers, as Aristippus, Metrodorus and Epicurus, who founded their summum bonum in pleasure, to shadow their brutishe principles with some shewe of reason, drew, as Phidias did ouer his deformed pictures, courteines of silke, that the outwarde vale might countenance the imperfection of his art, placing the substance of pleasure vnder the simple superfici [...]s of vertue, couering an inuenomed hooke with a faire baite, and like Ianus presenting a double face, the foremost of flatterie, the hindmost of sorrow. Hercules méeting [Page] vice and vertue, found the one gorgeously tricked vp in ornamentes of golde, the other coursely attired in simple clothing, vertue bare faced wering in forehead the counterfait of trueth, vice valed with a maske to couer the deformitie of hir visage, wherein appeared the sta [...]nes of pleasure, as the infection of leprosi [...], which Plutarke noting, being demanded what [...] was: aunswered, a sweete steppe to repentaunce, alludinge vnto the censure of Phocion, who wrote of the pictur [...] of Venus this sentence: Ex vino Venus ex venere ruina & mors. But séeing my charge is not to speake generally of pleasure, but of that follie which claiming the name of pleasure, most besotteth the sences of all other obiectes with deceit, I meane lust, which the better to bring in credit, is honoured with the title of loue, I must confesse my selfe herein to be of Aristotles opinion, who being demanded by Alexander the great, what loue was, answered, a met amorphosis of mens bodies and soules into contrarie shapes: for after that the impression of lust, inueigled by the fading obi [...]ct of beautie, hath crept in at the eye and possessed the heart, we wholy deliuer our selues, as slaues to sensualitie, forgetting our God for the gaine of a goddesse, whose altars sauours of stincking perfumes, and whose temple is not perfumed with roses, but infected with hembloeke: they which sacrifice vnto Vesta offer vp incense with fire, they which stande at the shrine of Venus offer vp bladders onely filled with winde, the one representing the purenesse of chastiti [...], the other the lightnesse of affection: you say true, quoth the Ladie Frances, Venus coffers are alwaies emptie, and therefore giuing great sounde, hir garments imbroidered with feathers, as noting inconstancie, for be that marketh the confused estate of you Florentines, [Page] who couet to be counted louers, shall finde howe vnder that one folly you heape together a masse of mischieuous enormities, for the Gentleman, that drawne by a voluptuous desire of immoderate affections, séeks to glut his outward sences with delight, first layeth his platforme by pride, séeking to allure a chast eye with the sumptuous shewe of apparell, vnder that maske to entise the minde vnto vanitie, others by an eloquent phrase of spéeche to tickle the eare with a pleasing harmonie of well placed words: well placed in congruitie, though ill construed in sence, some by Musicke to inueigle the minde with melodie, not sparing to spende parte of the night vnder his mistresses window, by such paines to pro [...]ure hir dishonour and his owne misfortune. These (Gentlemen) be fruites of your loues, if I tearme it the best way, and yet follies in that they preiudice both purse and person: the same batte is flatterie, which giueth the sorest batterie to the bulworke of their chastitie, for when they sée the minde armed with vertue, hard to be wonne, and like the Diamonde to r [...]suse the force of the file, then they apply their wittes and wils to worke their owne woe, penning downe [...]itties, songs, sonnets, madrigals, and suche like shadowed ouer with the pensell of [...]atterie, where from t [...]e fictions of poets they fetche the type and figure of their fayned affection: first, decyphering hir beautie to bee more than superlatiue, comparing hir face vnto Venus, hir haire vnto golde, hir eyes vnto starres: naye more, resembling hir chastitie vnto Diana, when they séeke onely to make hir as common as Lais, then howe hir fe [...]ture hath fired their fancie, howe hir sight hath besotted their sences, howe beautie hath bewitched them, paynting out their passio [...]s as Appelles did puppettes for children, which inwardly [Page] framed of claye, were outwaredlye trickt vppe with freshe colours, they plunge in paine, they waile in woe, they turne the restlesse stone with Sysyphus, and alleage the tormentes of Tantalus, what griefe, what payne, what sorrow, what sighs, what teares, what plaintes, what passions, what tortures, what death is it not they indure till they optaine their mistresse fauour, which got, infamie concludeth the tragedie with repentance: so that I allow those pleasing poems of Guazzo, which begin: Chi spinto d amore, thus englished.
So that of these verses I conclude, that such young Gentlemen as tickled with lust, seeke to please their senses with such pernicious delights, may ius [...]ly come within the compasse of this folly: may (quoth the Ladie Margarite) let the selfe same predicament comprehende such fantastike poets, as spende their times in penning downe pamphelts of loue, who with Ouid seke to nourish vice in Rome by setting downe Artem amandi, and giuing dishonest precepts of lust and leacherie, corrupting youth with the expence of time vppon [Page] such [...] fables: and therefore deserue by Augustus to be banished from so ciuill a countrie as Italie, amongest the barbarous Getes to liue in exile. Stay there, qu [...]th messieur Benedetto, your commission is too large, and your censures too Satyricall, we read not that any woman was euer Stoicke or Cynicke, either to be so strict in passions, or bitter in inuectiues, and to write of loue not to fauour the follie, but to condemne the fault; and therefore Madam either be more partiall or more particular. These, glances (quoth Farneze) are nothing to the purpose, and therefore seignior Cosimo to your charge: I knowe sir, answered Cosimo, that Madam Frances hath said well, in painting out the phantasticke description of a louer, yet hath she béene fauourable in figuring out their follies: for this loue or rather lust endeth not, till it tasteth of the very dregges of adulterous lechery, a folly, nay a sinne so in hate with God and contempt with man, as Seleucus forbad it to be named amongst the Locrians. The ende of concupiscence is luxuria, sayth Socrates in his disputation with Euthydemus, frō whom floweth, as from a sea of wickednes incest, murther, poison, violēce, subuersiō of kingdoms and infinit other impieties. Aristotle being demanded what adulterie was, made answer, a curious inquiry after an other mans loue, and being desired to penne downe the effects, wrote these or such like wordes. He that séeketh by a plausible shadow of flattery to seduce a minde from chastity to adulterie, sinneth against the law of nature in defra [...]ding a man of his due, his honour and reputation, spoiling him of a most pretious iewell, which is the losse of his wiues loue and frendship: for as the sethim trée being cut or pearced with brasse straight perisheth, so the league of marriage violated by adultery extinguisheth loue, and leaueth behind [...] [Page] at the most, nought but the painted vale of flatterie, the peace of the house is changed into discorde, dissention in steade of laurell presenteth a sword, and content sléepeth not with Mercuries melodie, but waketh with Alectos disquiet, the face that in forme being honest, resembleth the sunne in beautie, stained with adulterie, blusheth to sée the same as gultie of hir owne detormitie, credit hath suffered shipwracke and fame as spotted with the foyle of dishonour, all these hatefull discommodities insuing by the voluptuous des [...]re of such young Gentlemen, as wedded to vanitie, glory in the title of this folly. I maruel then, quoth Peratio, what woman (these effects considered) will listen vnto the melody of such Syrens, whose allurementes perswades them to suche misfortunes, or howe they can thinke that man to loue them, which by fulfilling his momentary lust, procureth their perpetuall discredit and subuersion both of soule and bodie. Know you not (quoth Benedetto) the reason of that, are not the thoughts of women like the inhabitants of Scyrum, which knowing that the sauour of Dates is deadly vnto their complexion, yet neuer cease till they dye with Dates in their mouthes. You mistate it, quoth the Lady Frances, it is because men consume them selues into teares with the Crocodile, till they haue gotten their pray, and then they neither respect their honour nor honestie. Howsoeu [...]r it bee, quoth Cosimo, I haue not to deale with women, but for our Florentines, I knowe none more addicted vnto this folly, which to conclude, hath bene so odious amongst our ancestaurs, that it hath beene chastned with seuere punishmentes. Alexander greatly blamed Cassander, because hee offered but to kisse a minstrels mayde. Augustus Caesar made the lawe [...]ulia, which permitted the father to [Page] kill the daughter for adulterie. Cato banished a Senator for kissing his wife in his daughters presence. Marcus Antonius Carcalla was banished his Empire for lust, with infinite other, whose miseries, mishappes, and misfortunes were innumerable onely by this folly, as Tarquinus Superbus for Lucrece, Appius Claudius for Virginia, Iulius Caesar for Cleopatra, Iohn Countie Armiake for his owne sister, Anthonie Uenereus duke of Uenice for his Secretaries wife, Abusahid king of Fez for the wife of Cosimo de Cheri, as Leon in his description of Affrike setteth downe: but amongest all these Gentles, an historie at large for the confirmation of this my disscourse.
THE TALE OF Cosimo.
WHile Ninus the sonne of Belus raigned as Soueraigne ouer the dominions of Egypt, and kept his Court Royall in Babylon, there dwelled in the suburbes of the Citie a poore labouring man called Maenon, who was more honest than wealthye, and yet sufficiently rich, for that hee li [...]ed contente amongest his neighbours, this poore man accounted his possessious large enough, as longe as hee enioyed and possessed his grounde in quiet, imitating Cyncynatus in his labours, who founde health of bodie and quiet of mind the chiefest treasure, by tilling his fielde with continual [...]oyle. But as content had satisfied his thoghts in [Page] this, so Maenon was as greatly fauoured of Fortune, for he had a wife of the same degrée and parentage, so beautifull, as there was none so faire in Babylon, so honest, as there was none more vertuous, so courteous, that there was not one in the whole city who did did not both loue and like of Semyramis the wife of Maenon, for so was hi [...] name: insomuch that Ninus desired to haue a sight of hir beauty, and in disguised apparell, went to the poore mans house, where seeing such a heauenly saint about hir homely huswifery, fitter (as he thought) to be a paramour for a prince, than a wife for a scbiect, sighed and sorrowed that she was not in his power to commande: yet fauouring hir in that she was honest, as fancying hir for that she was beautifull, he departed with resolution to be maister of his owne affections, and not to depriue the poore man of so great good. After he was returned to the palace and was solitarie by him selfe, the Idea of hir perfection representing a humane shape of a heauenly creature, so assaulted his minde with sundry passions, that giuing the raines of libertie to his wanton appetites, he fell into these tearmes. Unhappy Ninus, and therefore vnhappy because a king and subiect t [...] sensuality, shall the middle of thy yeares bee woorse than the prime of thy youth, shall loue conquer that Fortune could neuer subdue, shall the heate of affection searche that in the frute that it coulde neuer [...]urt in the budde, shalt thou gouerne a kingdome and canst not subdue thine owne passions? Peare Ninus name not so much as loue, race out fancy with silence, and let the continency of other kings be presidents for thee to direct thy course aright. Alexander made a conquest of his thoughts, when the beauty of Darius wife bad him battell. Cyrus abstained from the [...]ight of Panthea, because he would not be intemperate. Pompey, [Page] would not speak to the wife of Demetri [...]s his fr [...] man for that shee was faire, and what of this Ninus? Yet had Alexander concubines, Cyrus a lemman, and Pompey was not so chast, but he liked Phrinia, and so maist thou make a choice of Semyramis, shee is poore and vnfit for a king, I but she is faire, and fit for none but a king, loue filleth not the hand with pelfe, but the eie with pleasure, shee is honest, truth, but thou art a monarch, and the waight of a scepter is able to breake the strongest chastitie: but that is more Nynus, shee is another mans wife, but her husbande is thy subiecte, whom thou maiest command, and hee dare not but obey: haue not beggers their affectiōs as wel as kings? may not Semyramis, nay doth she not loue poore Maenon better than euer shee will like Nynus, yes, for crownes are as farre from Cupid as cot [...]ages, princes haue no more priuiledge ouer fancie than peasants: yet Nynus feare not; loue and fortune fauoureth not cowards, command Semyra [...]is, nay, constraine Semyramis to loue thée, and vppon this resolue, for kings must haue power [...]oth ouer men and loue. Nynus resting vpon this resolution, determined to trie the mind of Semyramis how shee was affected towards her husband, and therefore dispat [...]h a Letter to her to this [...]ffect.
It may séeme strange Semyramis, that the monarch of Egypt should write to the wife of a poore labourer, séeing the proportion of our degrees are so far vnequall, but if it bee considered that kinges are but men, and therfore subiect to passions, sooner shalt thou haue cause to sorrow for my griefes, than muse at my writings. Did my desire aime at a kingnome, I wold attempt to satisfie desire with my sword? Did envie crie for content, then coulde I [...]tep to reuenge: were my thoughtrs as insatiate as Midas, the worlde is a [Page] [...]orehouse [...]reasures, these desires are to be satisfied with friends or fortune, but the restlesse sorrowe that so pin [...]th my minde with disquiet, onely r [...]steth in thy power to appease. It is Semyramis the deitie of beutie, which is priuiledged farre about dignitie, that Gods haue obeyed, and men cannot resist, the sight of thy perfection entered at the eie, the report of thy vertues tickling the eare, and both ioyntly assaulting the heart with sharp and furious alaru [...]s haue so s [...]ared my minde, as naught pleaseth the cies that is not thy obiect, and nothing contenteth the eare but Semyramis. Séeing then the Egyptian monarch, who hath triumphed ouer all the nations of the South and East climate with many bloudie conquestes, is by them brought as a cap [...]iue, seruile to thy beautie & his owne passions, boast that [...]oue hath lotted thée such a victory, and be not ingrateful to the Gods, by denying me that I deserue, fauour. But perhaps thou wilt obiect thou art married, and therefore tyed to poore Maenon, (for loue hath taught me thy husbands name) that honestie beareth blossoms as wel in a cottage, as in the court, that vertue harboreth as soone with beggers as princes, that fame or insa [...]ie can stoup as low as they can [...] high, that report and enuie sonner sting [...]th want than plentie, this Semyramis I conf [...]sse, but yet the picture of the [...]agle placed ouer the temple of Venus, feared the [...]aulcon for offending her offending. Damaetas po [...]niay pearched vnder a dragon of brasse to auoide the vultures tyrannies: dishonour toucheth not the ve, sture of a king, and the concubines of princes purchase renow [...]e, not infamie: Maenon is p [...]ore, and will ioy to haue such a riuall as Nynus, the want of Semyramis darkens the glorie of her beautie, which the loue of a king shall inrich with orna [...]entes. Then [...]emyramis pittie his plaintes, who is thy seueraigne [Page] and might command, and yet desirous to be thy paramour, séekes a conquest, not by constraint, but by intreaties: in graunting which thou climbe [...]t to dignitie, and sleepest at the foote of a scepter, honour and quiet entertaines thée with delight, and to these thou addest thy friends preterment and thy husbands welfare: if as thou art poore, thou art proud, and selfe conceit armes thée with disdaine, consider that the counterfait of kings cannot bee drawen without the shadowes of duetie, and that the pill that purgeth the cholar of a prince is reuenge. This thinke, and farewell.
Nynus Monarch of Egypt.
He committed this Letter to the charge of one of his Secretaries, whom he made priuy to the contents, who poasting in hast to the house of Semiramis, foun [...] her bringing one of her ba [...]es a [...]éepe with a song. The Secretarie delighted with the pleasing harmonie of her voice, stood a little listning to her melodie, at last stepped into the house, at whose presence the poore woman amazed, for that her cottage was not accust omed to such guests, she blusht, which gaue such a glory to her former beautie, and such a president of her inward vertue, that the Secretarie enuied the happie placing of his soueraines passions, yet after her homely fashiō the intertained him, greatly fearing when he deliuered her the letters, y • they had bin some warrant to apprehend her husband for some fault, but by the superscription [...]he perceiued they were directed to hir, hauing set before y • secretarie a messe of creame to b [...] sie him, she stept aside to read the contents, which whē she perceiued and wel noted the effects, not onely allurin [...] with promises but perswading with threats, she burst into t [...]ares, cursing that daie where y • king had [Page] a sight of her face as dismall and infortunate, falling a [...] last from teares into these feareful complaints: Ar [...] the destinies (poore Semyramis) fore-pointers of good or ill, so inequall allotters of mishappe; that some they blesse with daily fauours, and others they crosse with continuall hard fortunes? Had the fates no proporti [...]n in their censures? coulde it not suffice thou w [...]rt poore, but thou must be miserable? cannot enuiè paint the picture of content at [...] cottage dore, but she must grudge? is there no shru [...] so low, but is subi [...]ct to the winde: no woman so poore if shee bee faire, but some blasing her beautie aimeth at her chastitie? Then Semyramis be patient but resolute, rather choose despite and sorrow than disgrace and infamie. Is labour an enemie to loue, howe then shoulde affection touch mee who am neuer idle? therefore fond foole, doth loue en [...]e thee, because thou art not idle, but by labour she west thy selfe a recreant to his law. But yet Semyramis [...]onsider who it is that perswades thée to loue, Nynus a king, a monarch, and thy soueraigne, one whose maiestie may shadowe thy misse, and whose verie name may warrant thée from the preiudice of enuie, if thou offend, dignitie counteruailes the fault, and fame dare not but honour the concubines of kings. For shame Semyramis sooth not thy selfe in such follies, are not kings seates obiects for euerie eie to gase at? Are not their actions censured by euerie base person? As the pyramides are markes for the sea, so their doings are notes for the world: Doth not fame builde in the foreheads of princes? yes Semyramis, kings faults though they are passed ouer with feare, yet they are iudged of with murmure: the greater the dignitic, the greater the offence, shame followeth vice euerie where, and adulterie, if lawes w [...]re not partiall, des [...]rueth punishment as well in a king as in a begger. Maenon is [Page] poore, but thy husband, in louing him thou pleasest the Gods, Nynus is rich and a monarch, in contenting him thou dishonourest thy selfe and discontentest the heauens: hath Babylon counted thée faire, so thou art stil by reseruing thy beautie? hath Babylon counted thee honest? so remaine still by preseruing thy chastitie: be not more charie ouer thy beautie than ouer thine honestie, for many knowe thée by fame that neuer saw [...] thy face. Then Semyramis, aunswere the kings passions with denial, but alas he threatneth reuenge, swéeter it is to die with credit thā liue with infamy. Then why staiest thou thus fondly debating with thy selfe, reply as one that preferreth fame before life, and with that she slept to a standish, and taking paper wrote a Letter to this effect.
Kings are Gods, not that they are immortall, but for they are vertuous: Princes haue no priuiledge to do ill, Fame is not partial in her trumpe: the chiefest treasure is not golde, but honour, to conquere a kingdome is a fauour of fortune, to subdue affection is a gift from the Gods, loue in kings is princely, but lust is pernitious: kinges therefore weare crownes, because they should be iust: iustice giue euerie one his due, Semiramis is Maenons wife, and therfore his inheritance: the Gods threaten Princes as well as poore men: hot loue is soone colde: she eie is variable, inconstant and insatiate: Adulterie is odious, though graced with a scepter, beautie is a slipperie good, Princes concubines prise honour too deare, in selling the precious iewell of honestie for golde: death is a farre more swéete than discredite, fame to bee preserred before friendes, Nynus is a king, whose seate is sure sancturie for the oppressed, S [...]miramis is poore, yet honest, loue of Maenon in her youth, and loyall t [...] [Page] him in hir age, resolued rather to dye than be proued [...]: subiects pray for their soueraignes, wishing they may liue princely and dye vertuous.
Semyramis the faithfull wife of poore Maenon.
This confused chaos of principles being written and sealed vp, she deliuered it to the Secretarie, who courteously taking his leaue hied in hast to the Court, where the king carefully expecting his comming, receiuing the letter vnript the seales, where in stead of an amoro [...]s reply, he found nothing but a heape of philosophicall axi [...]mes, and yet his [...] answered to the full: the [...]ithie sentences of Semyramis whome by hir p [...]nne he found to be poore, honest, beautifull, and wise did not take [...], which poore soule she aimed at, for in [...]tead of cooling his mind with good counsayle, she inflamed his mind with a deeper affection: for where before he onely was allured with hir beautie, now [...] he was entised with hir wisedome. Pallas gaue him a déeper wounde than Venus, and the inwarde vertues were more forcible than the outwarde shadowes: s [...] that he persisted in his passions, and began to consider with himselfe, that the meanes to procure his content, was onely the simplicitie of Maenon, with whome he woulde make an exchange rather than be frustrate of his desire, an exchange (I meane) for Ninus being a widower had one o [...]ely childe, which was a daughter, about the age of sixtéene yeares, hir he determined to giue in marriage vnto Maenon, rather than he would not enioy Semyramis, thinking that the feare of hi [...] displeasure, the burthen of his owne pouertie, the hope of preferrement, the tickling conceit of dignity woulde force the poore [...]assall to looke twise on his faire wife before he refused suche a proffer: thinking [Page] this pretence to bee his best pollicie, hee resolued presentlye to put it in execution: and therefore foorthwith [...] a Pursuiuant to fetche Maenon vnto the Court, who comming with commission vnto the poore mans house, founde him and his wife at dinner, to whome, after he had declared the summe of his [...]essage, he departed, willing him with as much spéede as might be to repaire vnto the Court. Maenon although amazed with this newes, yet for that his conscience was cléere feared not, but with as much hast as was possible, made him selfe readie to goe. Semyramis dissembled the matter, [...] hir husbande foorth his newe hose, and his best iack [...]t, thinking to spunge him vp after the [...] fashion, that Ninus might sée she had cause to lo [...]e and like so proper a man: setting hir husbande therefore foorth in print, he tooke his waye vnto the C [...]urt, where at the gate the Secretarie awayted to bring him into presence, whither no sooner hee was entered, but the [...]ing takinge the poore man aside, beganne to common with him in this manner.
Maenon for the Soueraigne to make a long disscourse vnto the subiect were friuolous, séeing as the one for his maiestie is priuiledged to command [...] and constrayne, so the other by obedience is tyed to obeye: therefore omitting all née [...]elsse preambles, thus to the purpose: Maenon thou art poore, and yet a Lorde ouer Fortune, for that I hear [...] thou art content, for it is not richesse to haue much, but to d [...]sire little, yet to thy want thou hast suc [...] a fauour graunted th [...]e by the Destinies, as [...]uerie waie may counter [...]ayle thy pou [...]rtie, I meane the possession of thy wife Semyramis, whome mine eye can witnesse to be passing faire and beauti [...]ull: [Page] enuie that grudged at thy happinesse, and loue that frowned at my libertie, ioyning their forces together, haue so disquieted my mind [...] with sundrie passions, as onely it lies in thy power to mittigate the cause of my [...], for know Maenon, I am in loue with thy wife, a censure I knowe, which will bee hard for thee to digest, and yet to be borne with more patience, for that thou hast a king and thy soueraigne to bee thy riuall, ber Maenon I craue of thée to bee my concubine, which if thou grant not, thinke as nowe thou hast pouertie with quiet, so then thou shalt haue both con [...]ent & dignitie. The pooreman who thought by the kings speeches that his wife had bene consenting to this pretence, framed the king this answere.
I knowe right mightie soueraigne, that Princes may command, where poore men cannot intreate, that the title of a king is a writ of priuiledge in the court of Loue, that chastitie is of small force to resist, where wealth and dignitie ioyned in league, are armed to assault, kings are warranted to command, and subiects to obey, therefore if Semiramis be content to grant the interest of her affections into your maiesties hands, I am resolued to red [...]liuer vp my fee simple with patience. No Maenon, qd Ninus, as thy wife is faire, so she is honest, and therefore where I cannot command I wil them constraine, I meane that thou force her to lou [...] me. Maenon grieuing at the wordes of the king, made this replie. If my wife, mightie Ninus, bee contented to preferre a cottage before a crowne, and the person of a poore labourer before the loue of a Prince, let me not (good my Lord) be so vnnaturall as to resolue vppon such a villanie, as the very beasts abhorre to commit, the lion killeth the lyonesse beeing taken in adulterie, the swanne killeth her make sor suspition of the sa [...]e fault, and shall I whom reason willeth to be charie [Page] of my choise, force my wife persorce to such a folly: pardon my liege, neuer shall the loyaltie of my wife be reuenged with such treachery, rather had I suffer death than be appeached of suche discourte [...]ie. Ninus hearing the poore man so resolute, thought there was no adder so [...], but had his charme, no bird so fickle but had hir call, no man so obstinat but by some meanes might be reclaimed, therfore he made him this answer. Maennon be not so fonde as to preferre fanci [...] before life, nor so insolent as to refuse the fauour of a king, for the affection of an inconstant woman, though I meane to depri [...]e thee of a present ioy, so I means to counteruaile it with a greater blisse, for the exchange of Semyramis, I meane to giue thée my daughter Sarencida in marriage, so of a subiect to make thée a sonne and my equall, so that nothing shall be different betwixt vs but a crowne and a kingdom, for a poore wife thou shalt haue a rich princesse, from pouertie thou shalt rise to honour, from a begger to a duke: consider with thy selfe then Maenon, how I [...]auour thée, which might possesse my desire by thy death, and yet séeke it at thy handes by intreatie and pref [...]rrement: take time now by the forehead, she is bald behinde, and in letting hir turne hir backe, thou bidst far [...] well to oportunity, if thou refuse dignitie, my daughter and the fauour of a soueraigne, hope not to liue nor inioy thy-wife, for this censure holde for an [...]racle, Ninus before night will enioy the loue of Semyramis. This seuere resol [...]tion of the king drone poore Maenon into a thousande sundry passions, for he considered with him selfe Semyramis was a woman, and in the [...] of hir age, and though she were beautifull she was but a woman, and had hir equals: he knew that Sarencida was honourable, of royall parentage, the daughter of a king, beautifull, young, [Page] and [...]: he felt pouertie to be the sister of distresse, and that there was no greater woe than want, dignitie presented to his imagination the glory that deaws from honour, the swéete content that pre [...]errement afoordes, and howe princely a thing it was to be the sonne in law to a king, these vnacquainted thoughts sore troubled the minde of the poore man, but when he called to remembrance the constancie of Semyramis, how the motion of suche a mightie monarch, was in vaine to mitigate one sparke of hir affection, that neitheir dignitie, nor death, no not the maiestie of a king coulde perswade hir to falsifie hir saith, returned Ninus this answer. As (my liege) kings haue honour to countenance their actions, so poore men haue honestie whereby to direct their liues. Diogenes was as desirous of good fame, as Alexander was of glory. Pouertie is as glad to creepe to credite, as dignitie, and the thoughts that smoke from a cottage, are [...] as sweete a sacrifice to the gods as the perfumes of princes: the heauens are equall allotters of mishap, and the destinies impartiall in their censure: for as oft doeth re [...]enge followe maiestie for iniustice, as pouertie for doing [...], the one offendes with intent, the other eyther by ignorance, or nec [...]ssitie: then my Liege, if [...]our Highnesse [...]ffer me wrong, by taking away my wife perforce, assure your selfe that honour is no priuiledge against infamie, neyther will the [...]ods sleepe in reuenge of poore Maenon: for your proffers: knowe this, I account preferment in ill [...], not dignitie, and the sanour of a Prince in wickednesse, the frowne of God in iustice for your daughter, I am sorie the vnbrideled furie of lust shoulde so farre ouerrule the lawe of nature, as to alienate the loue of a father for such follie: [...]er I vtterly refuse, not that I [...], the Princesse, [Page] but that I pitie hir estate, and wishe hir better Fortune: for death which your hignesse threatens, I scorne it, as prefering an honest fame before mishap, and the loue of my wife before death, were it neuer so terrible, for pouertie denies me to make other requitall for hir vnfayned affection, than constancie, which I will pay as hir due, though with the losse of my life, why shoulde not the examples which historiographers pennes downe for presidentes, serue as trumpettes to incourage poore men in honest and honourable resolutions: when Marcus Lepidus the Romane Consull was driuen into banishment; and hearde that the Senate in despighte had giuen his wife vnto an other, he presently died for sorrowe: when Nero the tyrant (pardon my liege I inferre no comparisons) inslamed with lust towardes the wife of Sylaus, a Romane, neither respecting the law Iulia made to the controrie, by his predecessor Augustus, neither iustice nor the gods, but opposing himselfe to the heauens, reft the poore citizen of his wife.
Sylaus [...]lewe him selfe at the pallace gate, which brought the Emperour in great hate with his Commons. I inferre not these examples as fearefull of your Highnesse dis [...]auour, but as one determined to followe these Romanes in their fortunes, and eyther with quiet to liue still the husbande of Semyramis in Babylon, or to let the worlde witnesse I neuer was so cowardly to deliuer vp so deare an interest, but by death. Nynus storming at the answere which poore Maenon made, did not take his speeches as perswasions from his foliye, but as preparatiues to further choller: for so deepe was the vnsatiable desire of filthie lust ingrauen and imprinted in his minde, and the fowle imagination [Page] of adulterous thoughtes had so blinded his senses, that as a man [...]alfe fraught with a lunacie he became furious, that in a rage taking a sword that hoong at his beds head, he rusht vpon the poore man and slue him: this cruell deede being thus vniustly executed, he felt no remorse in his conscience, but as a man wholly soulde ouer vnto mischiefe, procéeded in his purpose, and presently sent his Secretarie for Semyramis: who no sooner heard the mcssage, but fearing that hir husband for hir cause might come to mishap, in hir woorst attire, as she was, hied to the Court, where being brought into the kings chamber, Ninus hauing caused the dead body before to be carried away, told hir briefly all the matter, howe hir husbande was slaine, and that nowe he had sent for hir not to make hir his concubine but quéene. Semyramis no sooner heard of the death of hir hus bande, but she fell into a pasme, and was hardly brought to life, but at last being reuiued she burst foorth into fountaines of teares, & into bitter exclamations against the tyrant, who sought to appease hir with sundrie swéete promises, but séeing nothing could preuaile, he sent for his daughter Sarencida to whom he committed the charge of Semyramis, as of one that shoulde be a quéene and hir mother, Sarencida as nothing daring (whatsoeuer she thought) to disobey hir fathers commande, led hir by the hand into hir chamber, & as womens perswas [...]ues are best confectaries for womens sorrowes, did somewhat mitigate some parte of hir griefe that shee ceast from hir teares, till at night being alone in hir bed, the Idea of hir hus bandes person presented it selfe, though not an obiect to hir eyes, yet to hir imagination, that ouercome with the passions of loue, thinking to take the benefit of the place and time, & determining to follow hir husband in his fortunes, tooke hir knife in hir [Page] hande, and standing in hir smocke by the bed side, fell into these furious tearmes. Semyramis this day hath béene the beginning of thy sorrowes and the end of thy good fortunes, the same of thine honestie so generally blazed abroade through all Babylon, shall this day without desert be spotted with infamie, the bloudie action of Ninus shall be attributed to thée for a fault, and the intent of his death harbour vnder the suspition of thy dishonesty, if thou liuest and become queene, yet shall this deede make thée a table talke amongest beggers, honour shall not priuiledge thee from the hate of them which are honest, neither shall the glorie of a crowne shrowd thée from discredit. Then Semyramis seeing thou séekest after fame, séeke not to liue, vse the knife thou hast in hand, as a meanes to requite thy husbands loue, and to warrant thy former honestie: Panthea the wife of Abradatus, séeing hir husbande slaine in the campe of Cyrus, sacrificed hir selfe on his dead corps: when Iulia the wife of Pompey saw but a gowne of hir husbands bloudy, suspecting some mishap, sell into a trance, & neuer reuiued. Portia t [...]e wife of Brutus hearing of hir husbāds death, choked hir self with hot burning coales. Aria the wi [...] of Caecinna died with her condemned husband before the rapitoll. Let the resolute loue of these noble dames incourage thée to the like constancy, consider Semyramis thy husbande is deade, and déedes done can not be reuoked. Ninus meanes to make thée his wife: his wife cowardly wretch as thou art, answer to this foolish obiection which Pisca the wife of Pandoerus did, who being slaine by the king of Persia, after the slaughter of hir husbande, he profered hir marriage, but holding as thou doest, the instrument of death in hir hand, [...]he vttered these wordes: The Gods forbid, that to be a quéene, I shoulde euer wed him that hath béene the [Page] murtherer of my deare husband. And with this shee was readie to stab her selfe to the heart, but staying her selfe and pansing a while, she beganne as women are prone to conceit reuenge, to thinke with her selfe how in time bett [...]r to quite the iniury proffered by Nynus to her pore husbande. This Gentlemen, I coniecture was her imagination, for she sodainly let fall her knife, leapt into her bed, & past the rest of the night in a sound sléepe. And in déede had not the sequele [...] the contrarie, it might haue ben coniectured that the hope o [...] a crowne had bene a great peswas [...]on from her desperate resolution: but letting these supposes pa [...]se, to Nynus, who made it his mornings worke, as soone as he was vp to visite Semyramis, and finding her in a better tune than he left her, conceiued such ioy in the appeasing of her passions, that presently he sommon [...]d all his Lordes to a Parliament, where hée vnfolded vnto them the intent hee had to make Semyra [...]is quéene, and therefore craued their consents. The nobilitie whatsoeuer they thought, durst not gainsaie the will of their Prince, but assented to his demand, so that all things were prepared for the coronation: but when the brute of Maenons death was noised abroade in Babylon, euerie one after their sundrie and seuerall imaginations began to conferre of the action, all generally [...]eruailing that so honest a wife shuld commit so hainous a fact, for euerie one thought her an actor in the tragedie, yet they considered that ambitious h [...]nour was a mortall enemie to honestie, and that few women were so chast but dignitie could draw to follie. Well, murmure what they lis [...], the kings purpose tooke effect. The daie came, and the coronation was most solemynely and sump [...]ie perfourmed [...] the king conceiuing such felicitie in his newe wife [...] that hée continued the feast for tenne dayes: which [Page] tearme ended, euerie one departed to their home, and the late married couple liued so contentedly to eueri [...] mans coniectured, that Scmyramis won her same halfe lost by her obedience, and especially shee gained the loue of the commons, for preferment had not pufte her vp with pride, nor dignitie made her disdainfull of the glorie of a crowne, nor the title of a quéene had made no metamorphosis of her minde, but in this, that as she grew in honour, so she increased in courtesie, bountifull to all that were poore, and enuious to none that were noble, preferring the sutes of them were wronged, and seeming as neere as shée coulde to cause the king doe iustice to all. This her vertuous disposition not onely stole the heartes of the commons, but also the loue of her husband, who to increase affection more had a sonne by her called Nynus. Passing thus three or foure yeeres in great pleasure, the king surcharged with content, commaunded his wife to aske whatsoeuer she woulde, that was within the compasse of his Babylonish monarch, and it should bee graunted her. Semyramis refused such a proffer, but the king [...]eeing vrgent, semmoned all his Lordes to the Court, and there made them p [...]uie what a frée graunt he made to his wife. The noble men although smiling at the fondnesse of the king, that so wilfully woulde put a naked swoorde into a madde mans hande, yet outwardly seemed to allowe of his wilt, so that Semyramis demanded that she might absolutely without checke or controlement rule the Babylonian Empire, as sole quéene for thrée daies. The king who no whit mistrusted that reuenge could so long harbour in the heart of a woman, graunted her request, and therefore presently with all conuenient spéede caused a sumptuous seaffolde in forme of a Theatre to [Page] be erected in the middest of Babylon, whither calling his nobles and commons by the sound of a trumpet vpon the next festiuall, which was [...]olden in honour of their God Iphis, he there in presence of all his subiectes, resigned vp his crowne and scepter into the handes of Semyramis, placing hir in the Imperiall throne, as sole quéene, monarch and gouernesse of Egypt. Semyramis being thus inuested with the Diadeame and regall power: first publikely declared the effect of the kings grant, how she was for the tearme and space of thrée dayes to reigne as soueraigne ouer the land, to haue as great authoritie to do iustice, and to execute martiall law as hir husbande: to confirme which, Ninus as a subiect did hir reuerence, and iointly with the rest of the nobility, swore to performe whatsoeuer she shoulde commande, and to obey [...]ir as their sole and soueraigne princes. After the king had solemnely taken his oath, Semyramis vttered these or such like spéeches to the people. It is not vnknowne (worthy péeres of Egypt and inhabitantes of Babylon) that I liued in my youth the wife of poore Maenon with credit fit for my degrée, and with fame equall to the honesty of my life. Occasion neuer a [...]med report to staine me with disgrace, neither was the wife of Maenon accounted to be prodigall of hir affections, although perhaps a little proud of hir beautie, the pouertie of my husbande neuer touched me with mislike, nor the pro [...]ers of preferrement coulde perswade me to inconstancie, but Fortune that is euer [...]ckle in hir [...]auours, and enuie that grudgeth at quiet, seeing we liued securely in loue and content, set king Ninus to be the meanes of my ouerthrow: for he in [...]amed with the sight of my beautie, yelded presently to the allaromes of lust, and sought with the golden baite of dignitie to hale me on to the wracke of my [Page] honestie, which by no meanes he could bring to passe: ioyning murther with the pretence of adulterie, hee slew my husband in his bed chamber, so the better to obtaine his purpose. After whome, I call the Gods to witnes, I haue liued for no other cause but to see this day, neither hath the gaine of a crowne counterua [...]ed my former content, the glistering shewe of dignitie hath not tickled my minde with delight, the vaine pleasure of preferment neuer made me proude, onclie (worthie péeres of Egypt) the hope that one daie I should make reuenge of poore Maenons in [...]urie, hath made me liue in such contented patience, which nowe is come, for it befitteth a quéene in iustice to be impartiall, and two mischiefes are neuer founde to escap [...] mishap: therefore how saiest thou Nynus, quoth shee, declare heere before the Lordes and commons of Egypt, wert thou not the sole murtherer of my husband without my consent? Nynus aunswered as one halfe afraide at the countenance of Semyramis. I con [...]sse that [...]ly Maenon was murthered by me, but for the loue of th [...], wh [...]ch I hope thou holdest not in memorie while this time. Yes Nynus, and now will I reúenge the iniurie offered to Maenon, and therefore I command that without further delaie thy head bee heere [...]mitten off, as a punishment due for murther and adulterie. The nobilitie and commons hearing the se [...]ere sentence of Semyramis, intreated for the life of their soueraigne, but it was in vaine, for she departed not from the scaffolde till shee sawe her command executed: which done, she intombed his bodie roiallic, and in so famous a sepulchr [...], that it was one of the seuen wonders of the world, and after swaied the kingdome with politike gouernment vntill her sonne Nynus was of age to rule the kingdome.
[Page]Seignior Cosimo hauing ended his tale, Farneze greatly commended the discourse, applying the effect of this historie to the Gentl [...]men present, telling them that in déede the yeuth of Florence were greatlie giuen to this folly, as a vice predominant amongest them. Peratio who meant to be pleasant with the olde Countie, tolde him that he had learned this fruit in Astrono [...]ie, that the influence of Venus and Saturn kept the same [...] to inferre as wel age as youth, and that respect and experience had taught him, that olde men were like lée [...]es gray headed, and oft gréene tai [...]de, that they would finde one foote at the doore for a young wife, when the other stumbled in the graue to death, so that Diogenes being demanded where a man left off from lust: vnlesse, quoth [...]e, he be vertuous, not vntill the coffin be brought to his door [...], meaning that time neuer wore out this follie but by death. And yet to see, quoth Benedetto, what cynicall axiomes age wil pr [...]scribe to youth, when they themselues are neuer able to performe their owne precepts, allowing more priuiledge to their [...] haires, than to our greene yéeres, an [...] [...] vnder the shadowe of vertue the verie substance of vice, beeing as intemperate in the s [...]ostie winter of their age, as we in the glowing summer of our [...]outh, and yet for that they are olde, and though they cannot deale more caste, yet will worke more ca [...], and simplie conceale that wee rashlie reueale, they are in age generally taken sor Gods, when compared euen with youth they are meere deuils. Yet by your leaue messieur Benedetto, quoth the Ladie Margeret, you speake too generally of age, for the verie constitution of the naturall temperature of our bodies is able to infringe your reasons, séeing that same naturalis calor is ouerpressed with a cold dr [...] nesse in age, which in youth furthered with moisture, [Page] causeth such voluptuous motions. Cupid is painted a childe, Venus without wrinkles in her face, and they which calculate the influence of Saturne, set not down many notes of venerie. Howe philosophically you speake, quoth Peratio, and yet small to the purpose, for although naturall heate be extinguished in age, yet remaines there in the minde certain Scyntillulae voluptatis, which confirmed by a saturnall impression, were harder to root out than were they newly sprong vp in youth, neither did messieur Benedetto conclude generally of olde men, but brought in as a premisse or proposition, that age as well as youth was infected with this folly: but well it is Ladie Margeret, that our discourse stretcheth not so farre as women, nor to talke of their wanton affections, least happilie we had [...]ntied such a [...] of their lasciuious vanities, as might haue made vs sooner desire our rest then end the discourse. You are alwaies glancing at women, quoth Cosimo, not that you are a [...], and hate that sexe, for sir I knowe your lippes [...] digest such lett [...]ce, but that [...] were out of temper if once a daic you had not a woman in your mouth, héerein resembling Marcus Laepidus, who made an innectiue against sumptuousnesse of diet, himselfe being called the glutton of Rome, not that hée was sparing in his chéere, but that Ath [...]n; abstaining srom daintie [...]ates, might leaue the market more stored with delicate dishes.
Benede [...]to was nipt on the head with this sharpe replie, esp [...]cially for that all the whole companie lau [...]ht to see how he answered with silence, & Farneze about whom the talke began, made this answer, I can not denie Gentlemen, but anger is subiect to many foolish and intemperat passions, & therfore to be comprehēded within the compas of this folly, but neither age [Page] or youth, it breedeth many inormities, so that for this night I will take in hand to send you all to bed with a farewell of foure verses, which I read once in the monastery of Santo Marco in Uenice, the author I know not, the verses are these:
The time of the night beeing somewhat late, they tooke his iest for a charge, and solempnly taking their leaue, euerie man departed quietlie vnto his lodging.
The third discourse of Follie.
THe in [...]ning being [...], and the Sun displaying her radiant beames vpon the glomie mantle of the earth, Flora presented her glorious obiectes to the e [...]e, and swéete smelling parfumes to the nose, with the delight of sundrie pleasing and odoriferous flowers, when these young Gentlemen ashamed that Tytan should sommon them from their beddes, passing into the garden, sound the olde Countie, his wife and foure daughters walking for health and pleasure in a fresh and gr [...]ne ar [...]our, where after they had saluted each other with a mutuall God morrowe, they ioyned all in seuerall parlies, amongst the rest [...]ernardino spying a [...]arigesde opening his leaues a little by the [...]cate of the Sonne, [Page] pulling Ladie Frances by the sléeue, began his morning mattens on this manner: The nature of this hearbe, Ladie Frances, which we call the marrigolde, and the Grecians Helitropion, and the Latinistes Sol sequiam, is thought by the ancient Philosophers to bee framed onely by nature, to teach the duetie of a wife towards her husband, for seeing that as Aristides said, a woman was the contrarie of a man: this flower presents a president of her affection, for which waie so [...]uer the Sunne turneth, it still openeth the leaues by degrées, and as y • sun declineth, so it shutteth: that Phebus being gone to bed, the marrigolde denies any longer to shew her glorie: so saith Plato, shoulde a good wife imitate her husbands actions, directing her selfe after his course in his presence, being pleasant to content the eie and humour of her husband in his absence with a modest bashfulnes, scarce with the wife of Tarquin to looke out of her windowe. In déede, quoth the Ladie Frances, I haue heard saie, that young me [...]nes wiu [...] and maidens children are alwaies wel taught, no doubt sir, [...]ur [...]icall pr [...]ceptes are verie good, and happie is she that heares them and neuer beléeues them, I praie God your wife may bee a marigolde whensoeuer you are married, that to auoide iealousie, you may euer weare her pinde on your [...]éeue. Peratio ouer hearing stepte in and asked the Ladie Frances if she thought Bernardino woulde be iealous. I haue not, [...]oth the Ladie, such assured sight in phisognomie, as I dare auouch it for truth, but I promise you sir, the Gentleman is well forehanded and well foreheaded, two of the nine beauties to haue a fine finger and a large browe, nowe take the paines to conclude how you list. Peratio laught, and Bernardino replied, tis no meruaile if men bée iealous, when He [...]iodus affirmes, that hee which [Page] tru [...]eth to the loue of a woman, resembleth him [...]hat hangs by the leaues of trées in Autumne. But in carnest Bernardino, quoth Peratio, what doest thinke of him that is married? That hee is quoth [...]e, ares [...]ed with a grieuous action, for no doubt young Gentlemen shoulde flie vp to heauen if they were not kepte backe with such an arest: but for better aunswere to thy question, take the replie of Metellus to Pyso, that asked him why hee married his sonne being so young, and b. fore hee was wise: Because Pyso, quoth hee, if my sonne grow to be wise, he will neuer marrie: nor if you were wise, quoth the Ladie Frances, woulde yee speake so vnreuerently of marriage, but tis no matter, we shall finde you in time like Crates the [...]ynike Philosopher, who inneighing greatly against this honourable societie, was séene begging a peece of bread at Lais doore in Corinth. If the lawe that Ephorius of Lac [...]demonia constituted were kepte, such as refused marriage should be banished, but I thinke Bernardino, if you were br [...]ught within the [...] of such a statute, you would [...] [...] that for a [...], which a Lacedemonian banisht did, beeing produced before Lycurgus for the like crime. And what was that madame, quoth Peratio? Marie Sir, qu [...]th shée, being assigned to exile, hee brought forth witnesse that he had b [...]gotten thrée children, and vppon that excuse Lycurgus made the strict lawe against adulterie, yet mittigated before some parte of the punishment. I thinke madame, aunswered Bernardino, the Prieste hath a pennie for your banes, your sophis [...]rie is so good for marriage. Onelie Sir, quoth shee, I speake it agaynst such seuere censure [...]s of matrimonie as you are, which, for what cause I knowe not, liuing [...]ale bachelers, are of Appollonius [...]ianeus opinion, and therefore [...] principles. According to your [Page] preceptes, as no doubt one of your sect [...] who made these two verses:
Such stoicall Gentlemen as runne into such inconstant and heathenish conclusions, I had as liefe haue their roome as their companie. Bernardino perceiuing the Ladie Frances was halfe angrie, thought rather to recant than make her c [...]olerike, and therefore tolde her his meaning was not to condemne mariage, but meerely to ieast for conference sake. Then sir, quoth she, all is in ieast, and so let vs to the rest of the companie, whome they founde talking with a Cooke that was come to his maister, to knowe if hée woulde haue anie extraordinarie dishe prouided for dinner. No Sir, quoth Farneze, I will aunswere with Socrares, if they bée vertuous there is enough, if they bée not, there is too much. The old [...] Counti [...] tooke occasion [...]eereof to speake of temperaunce in [...], [...] thus he [...]egan. I remember Gentlemen that Tymotheus a Grecian Captaine, hauing supped with Plato in his Academie, at a sober and simple repaste, for their festiuall fare was Oliues, cheese, apples, cole wortes, bread and wine, tolde the next daie certaine noble men his companions, that they which supped with Plato digest not his viandes in a long time, meaning that wise banquet void of excesse, not to content the bodie with Epicurisine, but to [...]ecke the mind with philosophical precepts, such were the [...]easts of Socrates, Zenocrates, and other: the sages which compared the pleasures conceiued in delicates, to the sauour of parfumes, which for all their swéete smell passe awaie like smoake. The Egyptians vsed in the middest of their banquets to bring in the [Page] [...]natomie of a dead man, that the horrour of the corps might mitigate immoderate delightes. In déede sir, quoth Bernardino, I remember that Alexander before he fell into the Persian delicacy, refused those cookes and p [...]erers that Ada queene of Caria sent vnto him, saying to the messenger, for my dinner I vse earely rising, for my supper a slender dinner, for he did vse to eat but once a [...]: so that Plato séeing Dionysius making two meales, reported in Athens hee sawe nothing in Sycillia but a monster, that did féede twise before the sunne set. Cyrus monarch of the Per [...]ans in his childhoode, being demanded of his grandfather Astiages, why he woulde drinke no wine, aunfwered for feare they giue me poison: for (quoth hee) at the cel [...]bration of your natiuitie, I noted that som [...] haue made mixture of the wine with some inchanted p [...]tion, sith at the ende of the feast there was not one [...]parted in his right minde. So did (quoth Perato) Epam [...]ondas the greatest captaine and philosopher in his time, for be [...] inuited by a friende of [...], the tables ouer charge [...] with super [...]uitie & [...] of fare, he told his host in great choller that he thought he had béen requested, as a friend to dine competently, not to suffer iniury by being intertained like a glutton. Caius Fabritius a notable Romane knight, was found by the Samnit ambassadours that came vnto him eating of reddish roasted in the ashes, and that in a [...]erie poore house, and by the wai [...] to induce a strange miracle that Sainct I [...]rome reporteth of one Paule an heremit, who liued from sixtéene to sixtie of Dates onely, and from sixtie to [...]ixe score and [...]ue (at what time he died) he was sed by a little bread brought to him by a crowe. Truth (quoth Farneze) infini: are the examples which might pers [...]ade vs to temper [...]ce, but so [...]nde are we now a dayes as [Page] wee leaue the studie of philosophie to learne out kitching commentaries, but if we perseuere still in this dissolute kind of super [...]uity, being Christians in name and Epicures in life, we are to feare that in the ends néede and necessitie will force vs to forsake it, and as it happened vnto king Darius, who when he had liued a long time in delightes, drowning him selfe in the [...] of the Persians, not once looking so low as hunger and thirst, as he fled from Alexander, and waxed verie thirstie, drinking puddle water taken from a riuer tainted with deade carcasses, he burst [...]oorth into this spéeche, that in all his life he neuer drancke swéeter: so will it befall to vs by our inordinate excesse, and seeing we may best sée this vertue of [...]rugalitie by discouering his contrary, we will spend this forenoone in dscoursing the follie of superfluitie or gluttonie, which Bernardino I appoint vnto your charge, as one which we all knowe to haue béene an enemie to such disordered bankets. Bernardino not greatly discontent with this command, beganne after the gentlemen were seated in the arbour, to frame his spéech in this manner. Plato the prince of the Academickes, who for his sacred sentences with his maister Socrates, amongst all the Philosophers, challenged the name of diuine, had alwayes this saying in his mouth, that whatsoeuer excéedeth this word necessarie is superfluitie, which genus, he deuided into two especiall partes of apparell and fare: for the last whereof I am appointed to intreat, thus to the purpose. Those Gentlemen which build vpon the doctrine of the Epicures, and place their chiefe felicitie or summum bonum in the delicacie of fare, consider not that gluttonie is like to the Lymons in Arabia, which being passing swéete to the mouth, are inf [...]ctious in the stomach, like to the floure of Amyta which glorious to [Page] the eye greatly molesteth the smell, the swéete content or rather the bitter pleasures that procéede from these follies, feeding our lust with a tickling humour of [...]elight, for euerie dram of pretended blisse presents vs a pounde of assured enormitie, for we are so blinded with the vale of this vayne sollie, that forgetting our selues we runne headlong with Vlysles into Cyrces lappe, and so by tasting hir inchaunted potion, suffer our selfe to be like beasts transformed into sundrie shapes, sor that was the meaning Homer aimed at by the Metamorphosis, saying: some were chaunged into Lyo [...]s as by dronkennesse mad [...] furious, some into Apes, whom wine had made pleasaunt, seme into s [...]ine, whose brutishe manner bewrayed their imperfection by sléeping in their pottes, comparing the alt [...]ration of men by ouermuch drinke to no other but a bestiall chaunge of their natures, besides this discoucrie Galen, Hypocrates and other learned Phisitians approue it the source from whence all diseases and euill dispositions of the body do flow, for sayth Plutarch we are sicke of those things whereof we doe liue, and by our naturall disposition are wholy giuē to health, if the disorder of our diet did not infringe the perfect temperature of our complexions. Homer going about to prooue the immortalitie of the Goddes, and that they dye not, groundeth his argument vppon this, because they eate not, as if he woulde argue, that as eating and drinking maintaines life, so they are the efficient causes of death, and that more dye of glutto [...]e than of hunger, hauing oft more care to digest meate than care to get it. Seneca sayd that the Phisitians in his time cried out that life was shorte and art long, that complaint was made of nature, that shee had graunted vnto beastes to liue fiue. or sixe ages, and to limite [Page] mans dayes but the length of a spann [...], which notwithstanding, being so short and momentarie, was oft consumd in excesse, drawing on death by our owne desires, and offering vp our gorged stomaches vnto Atropos as sacrifice to intreat that the date of our yeares bee vntimely preuented, so that (as the wise man sayth) mor [...] perishe by surfet than by the sword, vnto whome (sayth Salomon) falleth woe, affliction, sorrowe, strife, teares, rednesse of the eyes, and diseases? Euen to them that sit long at the wine, which at the first pleaseth both the eye and the t [...]st, but at last stingeth as deadly as a scorpion.
Heraclytus was of this opinion that the insatiate appetite of gluttonie doth obscure the interiour vertues of the minde, oppressing the diuine parte of man with a confused chaos of sundrie delicates, that as the sunne eclipsed with darke and vndigested vapours, hath not the perfection of his brightnesse, so the bodie ouercharged with [...] of meates, hath the senses so sotted, as they are not able to pierce by contemplation into the Metaphysicall secreates of anie hono [...]rable science. Innumerable also be dissolut [...] fashions and wicked enormities that spring fro [...] gluttony and dronkennesse, for where this follie is predominant, there is the minde subiect vnto lust, anger, sloth, adulterie, loue, and all other vices that are subiectes of the sensuall part: for as the ol [...]e Poet sayth,
Sine Cerere & Baccho friget Venus.
And by the way I rem [...]mber certaine verses written by our countriman Dante to this effect.
Il vitio chi conduce:
Englished thus:
Well did Dante note in these verses the sundrie mischie [...]es that procéede from this folly, séeing what exp [...]ces to the purse, what diseases to the person, what ruine to common wealth, what subuersion of estates, what miserie to princes [...]aue insued by this insatiate sinne of gluttonie: We read of the Emperour Vitellius Spynter that he was so much giuen to superfluity and excesse, that at one supper [...] was serued with two thousand seuerall kind of [...], and with seauen thousande flying foules, but the heauens storming at such an insatiable monster, that so highly abused the benefites of God, conspired his ouerthrow, for [...] did not onely dispossesse him of the imperial Diademe, but caused him to be publikly executed in Rome. Dionysius the younger from gluttony fell to tyrannie vntill he was exiled for his wickednesse out of Sirilia. Mulcasses king of Thunis was so drowned in pleasure & delight of superfluous banketting, that in the midst of his miseries when the Emperour Charles [Page] had forsaken him, and left him of a king almost the [...] of the world, yet as Paulus Iouius rehearseth, he spent a hundreth crownes vppon the dressing of a peacocke, whereat his musitians playing, he couered his eyes to reape the greater content: but the iudgement of God spéedely followed this vaine delicacie, for within two dayes after his owne sonnes put out his eyes with barres of hoat iron. Infinit also were the examples might be brought of dronckennesse, and of his discommoditie: of Alexander how he prepared crownes for them that excéeded in that filthie vice, and made a great cup which he called Alexander, after his owne name, wherein he did [...] to his nobles, but Calistenes his deare friend refusing, & saying: for drinking in Alexander I will not stand in néede of Esculapius, he fell into such furie, that he commanded him to be put in an iron cage with dogges, which Calistenes not brooking poisoned him selfe. At an other dronken feast he [...]iue his faithfull friende Clytus, a worthie captaine and a counsellor, to whome hee had so many times béene beholding for his life: but afterwarde when he came to him selfe, hee was so grie [...]ed for this fact, that he sought to shorten his dayes with his owne sword, and spent many dayes in continuall teares for his friende, whereby we euidently sée how the best that insueth of this folly is shame and repentance. This meant Heraclytus to teache his countrie men, when after a mutinous sedition was appeased, and the comm [...]ns demanded of him, what [...] were best to preuent the like misfortune, presentlye [...] him vp to a place where the magistrate vsed to deliuer Or [...]tions to the people, and there in [...]teade of pronouncing some eloquent and learned discourse, only beganne to féede on a morsell of browne bread, & to drinke a glasse of clé [...]re water, thus setting downe a [Page] golden precept by silence, for by this he signified vnto them that as long as daintinesse and riot and needelesse expences flourished in the citie, so long shoulde they stande in danger of ciuill sedition, but this vaine excesse abolished a pea [...]able and perpetuall quiet was like to insue: if this counsell of Heraclitus were [...] in a monarchie, what n [...]de haue wee of suche necessarie principles, in whose common wealth nothing is glorious, but super [...]uitie of foode and appa [...]ll. Let me borrow a word with you (quoth Peratio) in this, for in deede if men thoroughly consider the vaine delight diuerse of our Florentines tooke in trimming and decking out the bodie, which Epaminondas called the prison of the soule, we shall bee at length forced to con [...] with Erasmus, that they rather serue to whet the eyes of the beholders to wicked desires, than vnto anie honest opinion or conceit.
Epictetus gaue this onely precept vnto his countrimen at his death: Friendes (quoth he) decke not your bodie with curious superfluitie of apparell, but paint them with temperaunce, for the one is but a shadowe that bleareth the eyes, the other an ornament that inricheth the minde, which counsell the ancient Monarkes and Chiefetaines of the world foretaught vs: for Augustus famous through the whole worlde for his fortunes, and honoured for his maicstie, neuer ware other garmentes than suche as his wife and daughters made, and those verie moderate. Agesilaus king of Lacedemonia had but one coat for winter and summer. Epaminondas generall captaine of the Thebans, was contented with one only gowne all the yeare long: this simplicitie and moderate vse of apparell in such worthie personages, might well serue vs for presidentes, but that vanity hath so long [Page] lulled our sense [...] a sléep with pleasure, as the custome of the fault hath taken away the féeling of the fact. Well [...]r (quoth Bernardino) this belongeth to your discourse of pride, and therfore againe to our purposs which séeing I haue confirmed with sufficient reasons & cramples to be an inordinate vice and more follie I will nowe also ratifie it with a verie briefe and short histori [...].
Bernardinos Tale.
IN the citie of Auspurg in Germanie there ruled not long since a duke whose name for reuerence I conceale, & therefore will tearme him Don Antonio, a man of very honorable parentage, but so giuen to the filthy vice of dr [...]kennesse as he almost suvuerted the state of the citie, with his gluttonics. For oftimes he fell into tyranous and barbarous cruelties, as one that had martiall law in [...]is power, and other whiles gaue wrong sentence against the innocent, as his humour fit [...], which excesse had led him. But aboue all the rest a poore man hauing a matter to plead before him, which he was acertained by law should goe on his side, Don Antonio comming dronke to the place of iudgement, sléeping in his sur [...]s, neuer considered the equitie of the cause, but gaue s [...]ntence against the poore man, and condemned him in so great a summe, as scarss all his moueables wer [...] able to discharge, well the verdict giuen he had no other remedy but to abide the censure of the iust iudge, & to make sale of all that he had to answer his condemnation: which done so little remayned that hee had nothing left to maintaine his wife and childrē, wherupon pouertie being the hea [...]iest burde [...] [Page] a man can beare, presented vnto him a glasse of many miseries, which were apparant to insue by distressed want, wherein after the poore wretch had a lon [...] while gazed, he fell to despaire, that flinging into his backe side, he toke the balter out of his stable, aud running into the field went to hang himselfe in a thicket hard adioyning to his house, where yet a little entering into consideration with himselfe, he began thus to debate.
Infortunate Rustico, for so we will terme him, how art thou oppressed with sundrie passions, distres haling thee ou to despaire, and the care of thy soule willing thee rather to choose pouertie than hell. Well did [...]ymon of Athens see the miserie of mans life, when hee bought a peece of ground, wherein hee placed gibbets, and spent his time in such desperate Philosophie, as to perswade his friendes to hang themselues, so to auoide the imminent perilles of innumerable misfortunes, so Rustico séeme thou an Athenian, be one of Tymons friendes, listen to his doctrine, follow his counsell, preuent miserie with death. But alas this is not sufficient, for in fréeing thy selfe from calamitie, thou leauest thy wife and children in a thousano sorrowes, and further thou cuttest off all hope of reuenges. Reuenge, yea reuenge Rustico, for assure thy selfe, if thou liuest not, yet God will reuenge, haue two sinnes escaped vnpunished, hath not the accursed duke to his drunken m [...]sse added iniustice, yes and therefore deserues to bee reuenged with thin [...] owne hande, let examples arme thee to the like attempt. Philip king of M [...]cedonia was flaine by a meane Gentleman Pausanias, because he would not let him haue iustice against Antipater, who had offred him wrong. Demetrius hauing receiued many requests of his poore subiects, as he passed ouer a bridge [Page] threwe all their supplications into the water, for which cause hee became so odious to his subiects, that they suffered Pyrrhus his enemie to driue him out of his kingdome without battell. Ferdinando the fourth putting to death a knight more for anger than anie iust cause, the Gentleman at the sentence, cried out: Iniurious Emperor, I cite thée to appeare before the tribunall seate of God, to answere this wrong within thirtie daies, on the last of which expired tearme the Emperour died. Then comfort thy selfe Rustico, let not despaire arme thée to such an heathenish resolution, rather liue to reuenge than die to double thy miserie, and séeing the duke hath dealt thus hardly, vse him as Alexander Seuerus handled his secretarie, who beeing a caterpiller in the Court, and selling the verie fauourable lookes of his maister for coyne, promising poore men to prosecute their sutes, when he neuer mooued their cause: at last in requitall of this treacherous dealing was tied to a post and choak [...]d with smoake, hauing a proclamation made before him by sound of trump [...]t, that they which sell smoake shoulde so perishe with smoake, the poore man from these plaintes fell into teares, that ouercome with the passions hee fell a sleepe, where in a dreame was by God reueaied vnto him the meanes of reuenge, as soone as he awoake and called vnto minde the vision, thinking it to be no fantasticke illusion of the brayne, but a strickt commaunde from the heauenly powers, presently wente home and waxed contrarye vnto his woonted custome very merrye, frequenting dayly the Dukes Palace, where giuing him selfe vnto drinking he became in time to bee in some sauour with the Duke, who neuer remembred that hee sat in iudgement against the poore man. On a time seeing that oportunitie [Page] [...]auoured him, he requested the Duke that as he went on hunting, he would take the paines to visit his poore house, where he should finde no daintie fare, but onely that he durst promise a cup of good wine. This worde was enough to perswade the Duke to a greater matter, so that be granted to come. The poore man glad that his purpose was like to take effect, went home and made a sale of all that hee had euen to his veri [...] shirt, to the great sorow of his wife, and wonder of his neighbours which knew not his pretence. As soone as he had pretilie furnished himself with mony, he bought great store of excellent and delicate viandes of strong and pleasant wine, and conua [...]ed them home to his house, whether within two daies after the Duke foresent his cooke, certifieng the poore man that he would dine with him, who prouiding most sumptuous fare, set all his wealth vpon the table at one dinner, and intertained the Duke with such a heartie welcome, that he not onely wondered where Rustico got such store of victuals, but gaue great thankes for his good chéere. Rustico serued in wine in such abundaunce, that don Antonio fell to his olde vice of dronkennes and in such sort, as he neuer tooke so much in his life. The poore man seeing him take his drinke so fréely, went to one of his Trumpetters, and told him that the Duke commanded hee shoulde by sounde of Trumpet presently summon all the Citizens to appeare at his house, eyther without delaie or excuse. Which commande, hee forthwith executed: and the Burgomaisters & chiefs men of the Citie meruailing what this should meane, yet hasting to the house of Rustico, they found a sca [...] folde erected at the doore, where after they had stayed a while, Rustico came foorth, and began to speake in this manner.
Worthie Citizens and Burgomasters of [...], [Page] I knowe you meruaile what the cause of your comming is, especially séeing mee that am poore and vnlettered prepare to offer an Oration to such politike gouernours, but it is the [...]are of my Countri [...], & especially of this Citie, which is like to rui [...]ate through the want of the possession of a perfect magistrate, that drines me to this resolute and desperate attempte: The dutie of a magistrate, as I haue heard, a certaine Philosopher should set downe, consisteth in three especiall pointes, in ruling, teaching and iudging, that hee be wise to gouerne, vertuous to giue insample, and impartiall to iudge: for as Cicero saith, sooner shall the course of nature faile, than the subiects will leau [...] to follow the steps of their Prince. If then that common wealth be happy that is gouerned by such a king, in what distresse is that Citie that wanteth such a magistrate, and hath one that neither rul [...]th, teacheth, or doth iustice, but censures all things by the pallet. Philip of Macedonia béeing desired by an olde woman to heare her complaint, answered, hee had no leasure. Then, quoth she, be not [...]ing, meaning that a Prince ought to haue more care ouer the affaires of the common wealth, then ouer his owne priuate busines: Then worthie Citizens, what may that Citie saie, whose gouernour is addicted to his own pleasure, that delights not in iustice, but in superflui [...]y, that honors not the seate of iudgement with Philosophie, but polluteth the place with dronkenesse, that studieth not in the lawe, but his library is in the kitchin, that séeketh not to learne wisdome, but to gorge his stomack with delicates, such a one, worthie Citisens haue we, for our Duke, our gouernour, our m [...]gistrate, and as hee vttered that word, his poore wife and children dragge [...] the Duke vpon the scaffolde, who was all besmeared in his owne vomite, & resembling rather a brute bea [...]t [Page] then a man, bred loathsomnes to all the people: which [...]e poore man taking [...]or his aduantage, cried out: See Burgomasters and Citisens of Auspourg, your duke, your magistrate, your gouernour, who is come vpon the [...] to hear [...] the compla [...] of the widow and [...], and to minister iud [...]ment. This is the t [...]e man that condemn [...]d me in the halfe of my goods, by [...], and the other h [...]lfe I haue solde to present you this spectacle: the o [...]e halfe he gaue awaie beeing [...], and the other this daie he [...] hath c [...]nsumed in gluttony. Now citi [...]ns, shame you not at such a sight, what shall G [...]rmanie, France, Italy, and all the bordering Cities report of our towne? What straunger will desire to traffique where there is such a glutton? What Citie can ioy where there is such a gouernour? If you suffer this, the common wealth is like to ruinate, and you and your children like to beare the burthen of a superfluous tyrant: See what Rustico hath done for his Countrie now vse him as you please. The Bu [...]gomaisters by a general assent, gaue commandement that he should be vucouered vpon the scaffold til he came to himself, and in the meane time they assembled th [...]mselues and determined his exile. The duke alter he had taken two or three houres sleepe, sinding himsel [...]e vpon an open scaffolde, was ashamed. But hearing what had happened to him by the meanes of Rustico, and how the Burgomaisters had resolued on his banishment, as one feeling the horrour of the fact, desperatly went into the poore mans backe side and [...]anged himselfe. Which ne [...]es being brought to the Burgomaisters, with a generall voice they created Rustico gouernour of the Citie.
[Page]This short and swéete tale of Bernardino greatlie pleased the Countie and the rest of the companie, all praising the pollicie of the poore man, that had made so speedie and sharpe a reuenge. Well, quoth the olde Count [...]sse, wee haue so long discoursed of gluttonie, that our simple cheere hauing so good a sauce as hunger, will proue verie good delicates, therefore Gentlemen, séeing wee must either make our Co [...]ke cholerike, or else leaue our present parle, let vs at this time not disturbe his patience, but hie vs in to dinner, and repast being taken, willingly wee will continue our discourse. Then [...]eignior Farneze and the rest hauing their stomackes armed to such a combat, willingly ob [...]ied, and so for this time we will leaue them.