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.

57.

Detest an euill life, thats led with foule reproch and shame: And alwayes ready be to dye, with honorable name. For life cannot be lent for loane, nor let from day to day: Nor can the appoynted houre bee shund nor skaped any way.

The Paraphrase.

THE Emperours did in their lawes carefully prouide for the behoofe and good estate of their Subiectes, to sette downe rewardes and encouragements, for such as were honest and vertuous, and to de∣uise punishments and corrections, for suche as were wicked and euill disposed. And it is very wel thought, as hath been saide be∣fore, that such as valiantly lost their liues, either in defence of their faith, or for the li∣bertie of their countrie, are rewarded with euerlasting life: or if any man dye in the defence of his owne honesty, he shall conti∣nually be well thought of, and commended. But such as cowardly forsake the feelde, and run away from the warres, the lawes haue appointed to dye, and are accounted for wretches and villaines, whether they dye or liue, and their shameful and reproch∣full life, is more griefe to them then any death that can bee deuised, especially an honest death, & this is the meaning of the Prouerbe, Detest an euill life &c. For as Aristotle in the 3. of his Ethicks saith, A man is borne to honor & libertie, which two things, we ought alwaies to keepe and

maintaine, and to couet by all meanes we can, to diehonestly, & to liue vertuously. The Prouerb saith further, that life can not be borrowed. For as Iob sayeth, The Lord hath rated the dayes of our life, which can not bee lengthened: And therefore no man may shunne the appointed houre that God hath determined. And herevpon ariseth the tale among the Poets, of the three sisters of destinie, whereof the one of them called Clotho, carieth the distaffe, the other named Lachesis, spinneth, and draw∣eth out the threede, which the thirde sister, Atropos, windeth vppe vpon the reele. And as Seneca in his first Tragedie sayth, These three sisters are so cruell and hard, that it was neuer seene, that the threede which they had once wounde vppe, could euer bee got backe againe. These sisters of the De∣stinie doe signifie in deede the posting time of our transitorie life, whereof the day once past, can neuer be called backe againe. And therefore sayeth Seneca, these three vnlibe∣rall Ladies doe rule by assured order, and may neither shorten nor lengthē, otherwise then is appointed. Therefore ought euerie man to applie himselfe to die well, since the

time of his death can by no maner of meanes be altered.