The philosophie, commonlie called, the morals vvritten by the learned philosopher Plutarch of Chæronea. Translated out of Greeke into English, and conferred with the Latine translations and the French, by Philemon Holland of Coventrie, Doctor in Physicke. VVhereunto are annexed the summaries necessary to be read before every treatise

OF ENVIE AND [ 30] HATRED.

The Summarie.

IN this briefe Treatise concerning Envie and Hatred, Plutarch after he hath shewed in generall tearmes, that they be two different vices, and declared withal the properties [ 40] of the one and the other, prooveth this difference by diversreasons and arguments ran∣ged in their order: he discovereth the nature of envious persons and malicious; and sheweth by a proper similitude that the greatest personages in the world, be secured from the clawes and pawes of envious persons, and yet for al that, cease not to have many enemies. And verily it seemeth that the Author began this little worke, especially for to beat downe envie, and that the infamie thereof might so much more appeere in com∣paring andmatching it with another detestable vice, the which notwithstanding he saith is lesse 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 than it. [ 50]

OF ENVIE AND HATRED.

IT seemeth at the first sight, that there is no difference betweene en∣vie and hatred, but that they be both one. For vice (to speake in ge∣nerall) having (as it were) many hookes or crotchets, by meanes thereof as it stirreth to and fro, it yeeldeth unto those passions which hang thereto many occasions and opportunities to catch holde one of another, and so to be knit and enterlaced one within [ 10] the other; and the same verily (like unto diseases of the body) have a sympathie and fellow-feeling one of anothers distemperature and inflammation: for thus it commeth to passe, that a malicious and spightfull man is as much grieved and offended at the prosperitie of another, as the envious person: and so we holde, that benevolence and good-will is opposite un∣to them both, for that it is an affection of a man, wishing good unto his neighbour: and envie in this respect resembleth hatred, for that they have both a will and intention quite contrary un∣to love: but forasmuch as no things like to the same, and the resemblances betweene them be not so effectuall to make them all one, as the differences to distinguish them asunder; let us search and examine the said differences, beginning at the very source and originall of these pas∣sions. [ 20]

Hatred then, is ingendred and ariseth in our heart upon an imagination and deepe apprehen∣sion that we conceive of him whom we hate, that either he is naught & wicked in general to eve∣ry man, or els intending mischiefe particularly unto our selves: for commonly it falleth out, that those who thinke they have received some injurie at such an ones hand, are disposed to hate him, yea, and those whom otherwise they know to be maliciously bent and wont to hurt others, although they have not wronged them, yet they hate and can not abide to looke upon them with patience; whereas ordinarily they beare envie unto such onely as seeme to prosper and to live in better state than their neighbours: by which reckoning it should seeme that envie is a thing indefinite, much like unto the disease of the eies Ophthalmia, which is offended with the [ 30] brightnesse of any light whatsoever; whereas hatred is determinate, being alwaies grounded upon some certeine subject matters respective to it selfe, and on them it worketh. Secondly, our hatred doeth extend even to brute beasts; for some you shall have, who naturally abhorre and can not abide to see cats nor the flies cantharides, nor todes, nor yet snakes and any such ser∣pents. As for Germanicus Caesar, he could not of all things abide either to see a cocke or to heare him crow. The Sages of Persia called their Magi, killed all their mice and rats, aswell for that themselves could not away with them but detested them, as also because the god (forsooth) whom they worshipped, had them in horror. And in trueth, all the Arabians and Aethiopians generally, holde them abominable. But envie properly is betweene man and man; neither is there any likelihood at all, that there should be imprinted envie in savage creatures one against [ 40] another; because they have not this imagination and apprehension, that another is either fortu∣nate or unfortunate, neither be they touched with any sense of honour or dishonour; which is the thing that principally and most of all other giveth an edge, and whetteth on envie; whereas it is evident that they hate one another, they beare malice and mainteine enmitic, nay, they go to warre as against those that be disloiall, treacherous, and such as are not to be trusted: for in this wife doe eagles warre with dragons, crowes with owles, and the little nonner or tit-mouse fighteth with the linnet, insomuch, as by report, the very bloud of them after they be killed, will not mingle together; and that which is more, if you seeme to mixe them, they will separate and run apart againe one from the other: and by all likelihood, the hatred that the lion hath to the cocke, and the elephant also unto an hogge, proceedeth from feare: for lightly that which crea∣tures [ 50] naturally feare, the same they also hate; so that herein also a man may assigne and note the difference betweene envie and hatred, for that the nature of beasts is capable of the one but not of the other.

Over and besides, no man deserveth justly to be envied: for to be in prosperitie and in better state than another, is no wrong or injurie offered to any person; and yet this is it for which men be envied; whereas contrariwise, many are hated worthily, such as those whom in Greeke we call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is to say, worthy of publike hatred, as also as many as do not flie from such, detest

them not nor abhorre their companie. And a great argument to verifie this point, may be ga∣thered from hence, namely, in that some there be who confesse and take it upon them, that they hate many; but no man will be knowen that he envieth any: for in trueth, the hatred of wicked persons and of wickednesse, is commended as a quallitie in men praise-woorthy. And to this purpose serveth well that which was said of Charillus, who reigned in Sparta, and was Lycurgus his brothers sonne, whom when there were certeine that commended for a man of milde beha∣viour and of a relenting and gentle nature: And how can it be (quoth he who was joined with him in the roiall government) that Charillus should be good, seeing he is not sharpe and rigo∣rous to the wicked. And the Poet Homer describing the deformitie of Thersytes his bodie, de∣painted his defects and imperfections in sundrie parts of his person, and by many circumlocu∣tions; [ 10] but his perverse nature and crooked conditions he set downe briefly and in one word in this wise:

Worthy Achilles of all the host And sage ulysses, he hated most.

for he could not chuse but be starke naught and wicked in the highest degree, who was so full of hatred unto the best men. As for those who denie that they are envious, in case they be convin∣ced manifestly therein, they have a thousand pretenses and excuses therefore, alledging that they are angry with the man, or stand in feare of him whom indeed they beare envie unto, or that they hate him, colouring and cloaking this passion of envie with the vaile of any other whatsoever for to hide and cover it, as if it were the only malady of the soule, that would be con∣cealed [ 20] and dissembled. It cannot chuse therefore, but that these two passions be nourished and grow as plants of one kinde, by the same meanes, considering that naturally they succeed one the other: howbeit, wee rather hate those that be given more to leawdnesse and wickednesse, and we envy such rather who seeme to excel others in vertue. And therfore Themistocles (being but a youth) gave out and said, that he had done nothing notable, because as yet he was not en∣vied: for like as the flies cantharides settle principally upon that wheat which is the fairest and come to full perfection; and likewise sticke unto the roses that are most out, and in the verie pride of their flowring; even so envie taketh commonly unto the best conditioned persons, and to such as are growing to the height of vertue and honour: whereas contrariwise the leawdest qualities that be, and wicked in the highest degree doe mightily moove and augment hatred: [ 30] and heereupon it was that the Athenians had them in such derestable hatred, and abhorred them so deadly, who by their slanderous imputations brought good Socrates their fellow-citi∣zen to his death, insomuch as they would not vouchsafe either to give them a coale or two of fire, or light their candles, or deine them an answer when they asked a question; nay they would not wash or bathe together with them in the same water, but commanded those servitours in the baines which were called Parachytae, that is to say, drawers and laders of water into the ba∣thing vessels, to let foorth that as polluted and defiled, wherein they had washed; whereupon they seeing themselves thus excommunicate and not able to endure this publike hatred which they had incurred, being wearie of their lives, hung and strangled themselves. On the contrary side it is often seene, that the excellency of vertue, honor and glory, and the extraordinarie suc∣cesse [ 40] of men is so much, that it doth extinguish and quench all envie. For it is not a likely or credible matter that any man bare envie unto Cyrus or Alexander the great, after they were be∣come the onely lords and monarches of the whole world: but like as the sunne when he is di∣rectly and plumb over the head or top of any thing, causeth either no shadow at all, or the same very small and short by the reason that his light overspreadeth round about; even so when the prosperitie of a man is come to the highest point and have gotten over the head of envie, then the said envie retireth and is either gone altogether, or else drawen within a little roome by reason of that brightnesse over-spreading it: but contrariwise the grandence of fortune and pu∣issance in the enimies, doth not one jot abreviate or allay the hatred of their evill willers; and that this is true, may appeere by the example of Alexander aboue named, who had not one [ 50] that envied him, but many enimies he found and those malicious, and by them in the end he was traiterously for-laied and murdered.

Semblably, adversities may well staie envie and cause it cease, but enmitie and hatred they do not abolish; for men never give over to despite their enimies, no not when they are brought lowe and oppressed with calamities; whereas you shall not see one in miserie envied. But most true is that saying found of a certeine sophister or great professour in our daies: That envious persons of all other be ever pittifull and delight most in commiseration: so that heerein lieth

one of the greatest differences betweene these two passions; that hatred departeth not from those persons of whom it hath once taken hold, neither in the prosperitie nor adversitie of those whom they hate; whereas envie doth avoid and vanish away to nothing upon extremitie aswell of the one as the other.

Over and besides we may the better discover the difference also of them by the contraries: for hatred, enmitie, and malice cease presently so soone as a man is perswaded that he hath caught no harme nor susteined injurie by the party; or when he hath conceived an opinion that such as he hated for their leawdnesse are reformed and become honest men; or thirdly if he have re∣ceived some pleasure or good turne at their hand: for evermore the last favor that is shewed (as Thucydides saith) though it be lesse than many others, yet if it come in season and a good time, [ 10] is able to do out a greater offence taken before. Now of these three causes before specified, the first doth not wash away envie; for say that men were perswaded at the first that they received 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 give not over for all that to beare envie still: and as for the two later they do irritate and provoke it the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 : for such as they esteeme men of qualitie and good woorth, those they doe eie-bite more than before, as having vertue the greatest good that is; and notwithstanding that they do reape commoditie & find favour at their hands, who prosper more than they; yet they grieve and vexe thereat, envying them still both for their good mind to benefit them, and for their might and abilitie to performe the same; for that the one procee∣deth from vertue, and the other from an happie estate, both which are good things.

We may therefore conclude, that envie is a passion farre different from hatred, since it is so [ 20] that wherewith the one is appeased and mollified, the other is made more exasperate and gree∣vous. But let us consider a little in the end the scope and intention aswel of the one as the other: Certes the man that is malicious, purposeth fully to do him a mischiefe whom he hateth; so that this passion is defined to be a disposition and forward will to spie out an occasion & oppor∣tunitie to wait another a shrewd turne; but surely this is not in envie: for many there be who have an envious eie to their kinsfolke and companions, whom they would not for all the good in the world see either to perish or to fall into any greevous calamitie; onely they are greeved to see them in such prosperitie, and would impeach what they can their power, and ecclypse the brightnesse of their glorie; mary they would not procure nor desire their utter overthrow, nor any distresses remedilesse or extreame miseries; but it would content and suffice them to take [ 30] downe their height, and as it were the upmost garret or turret of an high house which over∣looketh them.