The prouerbes of the noble and woorthy souldier Sir Iames Lopez de Mendoza Marques of Santillana with the paraphrase of D. Peter Diaz of Toledo: wherin is contained whatsoeuer is necessarie to the leading of an honest and vertuous life. Translated out of Spanishe by Barnabe Googe.

The thirtienth Chap∣ter, of Age.

93.

Let not olde age thee discontent, since that it is the race, And moste approued perfect path, of goodnesse and of grace. O milde and honourable Age, that doest abate the fire Of vicious youth, and doest restraine, eche lewde and fond desire!

The Paraphrase.

THE blessed Apostle telleth vs, that as long as wee liue in this worlde, we are Pilgrimes and straungers to the Lorde, meaning that our true and naturall countrie is that, of which Da∣uid speaketh saying, I trust to see the glo∣ry of the almightie in the land of the li∣uing. The land of y^e liuing is the glory of Paradise, where who soeuer remaineth doe liue without any dread or daunger of death.

And as the Apostle sayeth, all the while that we are absent from that place, wee are aptly here called straungers and pilgrims, meaning, that as the pilgrim wandreth here and there forth of his Countrey. So we are alwayes absent and out of our coun∣trey, as long as wee liue in this transitorie life. And because that by the meanes of age we draw neare to our owne countrey, when we drawe neare to death: by which death, as Plato saieth in his Phedro, the soule at∣teineth vnto libertie, and breaking out from the Gaole of the bodie, being deliuered frō sorrow and miserie, commeth to her owne quietnesse, ioy and solace. And therefore we ought not to be displeased at our olde age, since that it is the race of goodnesse, that is to say, the plaine path & way, by which wee passe from sorrow and trouble to quietnesse, and to rest. And this is onely to be vnder∣stood of the modest and well gouerned age, for that is shee that abateth the lustes and outrages of youth. For there is an age, as Aristotle sayeth in the first of his Ethikes, that being destitute of all vertue and good behauiour, is altogether doting and chil∣dish: For there is no difference, as Aristotle

sayth, betwixt him that is yong of yeeres, and him that is young in behauiour, so that the age which shall not be displeasant, must be modest and furnished with good behaui∣our and vertuous exercises, and that is the age, that doeth abate the fire of vicious youth, and doeth restraine eche lewde and fonde desire. This age (as Tullie in his booke de Senectute writeth) doeth alay both lust, pride, & presumption, and doeth so enfeeble the force of the flesh, as it brin∣geth a man to bee lowly, milde, and modest. Of this kinde of age also speaketh the Psalme, where it sayth, When the time of meeknes & mildnes shal come, then shal we be reformed, which time of mildnes is from the age of threescore, to threescore and ten, which season suffreth not a man to be prowd or disdainful, but lowly, milde, and disposed to vertue. And therfore the Prouerbe saith, It doeth abate the fire of vicious youth, &c.

94.

This to the vertuous man alone, doth giue authoritie, And makes him perfite in the pointes of grace and honestie.

For who is he that in his youth can keepe the perfite way? Or measure in his life obserueth? or runneth not astray?

The Paraphrase.

IT is commanded in the lawe of God, that whensoeuer we see an old ancient man, we should rise and reuerence him. And we finde in the Ciuil law, that in the Citie of Rome in the olde time, they vsed to worship and reuerence their aged persons, and the peo∣ple of those dayes did yeelde the same ho∣nour to suche as were olde, as they did to their Iudges and Magistrates: and this onely they did in respecte of the honour that their olde yeeres doeth giue them, for no young man, though his wit be neuer so pregnant or quicke, is able to attaine to that vnderstanding, that the olde man by his experience hath gotten. For as A∣ristotle in the first and sixteenth of his E∣thikes witnesseth, the number of yeeres is it that giueth knowledge & experience. And therefore he sayeth, that the yong man can

neuer giue anie perfect iudgement of anie thing, because he neuer hath had anie great experience. And although that in naturall Philosophie, and in the liberal artes & lear∣nings, there needeth nought else but a sharp and quicke conceite and vnderstanding: yet in morall Philosophie, which is the know∣ledge, by which we learne to liue vprightly and honestly, it is not onely enough to haue a good wit & capacitie to, but also to haue the experience and knowledge of time: and such thinges as are done by men of ripe yeares, we alwayes presume that they bee done vppon great aduise and deliberation, which is nothing so with yong men. And therefore vppon great consideration, our Sauiour being perfect God and man, al∣though in the verie instant that he was con∣ceiued, he was perfect in all knowledge & vnderstanding, & did not grow with space of time to more ripe knowledge & skill, would neither preach nor publishe his doctrine in his yong yeares, but at such time as he was come to his perfect age, neither doeth the Church receiue for trueth and certaintie a∣nie other things, then those, which we read to bee done at his full age. Wherevpon

all such Bookes as are written of suche thinges as hee did in his childehoode, and youngest yeares, the Church doeth take for Apocripha, and counteth them not in the Canon of holy Scriptures. And it is good reason that the thinges that are done in vnripe yeares should be of no authoritie, since our Sauiour Christ himselfe woulde neither preach, nor publish his doctrine, till such time as hee was of ripe and perfect age.

95.

This made the Catoes so renoumed for wisdome great and graue: this made the valiant Scipioes, so great a name to haue. This onely gouernes in the field, and giues the victorie, And this in peace doth coūtries keepe from all hostilitie.

The Paraphrase.

THere is no man, as hath bene saide be∣fore, that attaineth to anie perfection in his doinges and deuises, but onelie

by long experience of manie yeeres. And therefore saieth Aristotle in the sixth of his Ethikes, that young men ought alwayes to haue about them olde and auncient men, whose counsaile they may vse, and whom they ought in al things to beleeue, and ther∣fore age is of great account and estimation, for it maketh, as the Prouerbe here sayeth, men to be wise, meete to iudge, and discrete in gouernment. And therefore Trogus Pō∣peius in his eleuenth Booke writeth, that Alexander whensoeuer hee happened vpon anie desperate aduenture, or sawe himselfe in great daunger in the field, woulde neuer haue about him anie yong blooddes or hew∣sters, but olde men that were of experience, such as had serued his Father, and his Grandfather in their warres, to the end hee might haue in his companie, not onelie Souldiours, but directers: he sayeth be∣side that, when his old Souldiours had re∣quired of him leaue to goe home to rest, and refresh their olde and weeried bodies, and that they woulde sende in their places their sonnes that were yong and lustie, and better able to doe him seruice: He answered them, that he made a great deale more ac∣count

of the wise and skilfull grauitie and authoritie of such auncient men, then he did of the vnexpert actiuitie and strength of those couragious and lustie gallants. For age is onely it that maketh a man wise, and woorthie of reuerence. Neither ought anie man to mislike it, since it is the thing that euerie man desireth. And as Tullie in his De Senectute sayth, As the fruite is not in season, nor to be eaten, till it bee perfect∣ly ripe, no more is man to bee accompted in his wisedome and perfection, till such time as hee bee olde, for then is hee one∣ly come to his ripenesse, though as the fruite is, hee bee nearest his corruption: For then, as the Prouerbe sayeth, he go∣uerneth. &c.