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

THE APOPHTHEGMES, THAT IS TO SAY, THE NO∣BLE [ 30] SAYINGS AND ANSWERS OF LACEDAEMONIAN DAMES.

ARGILEONIS the mother of Brasidas; (after that her sonne was slaine, when certaine embassadors from the citie Amphipolis came to Sparta, and visited her;) demaunded of them, whether her sonne died like a valiant man, and as became a Spartan? now when they [ 40] praised him exceedinly, saying that he was the bravest man in armes in all Lacedaemon; she said againe unto them: My sonne was indeed a knight of valour and honour (my good friends;) but Lacedaemon hath many others yet more valiant than he was.

GORGO, the daughter of king Cleomenes, when Aristagoras the Milesian was come to Sparta, for to sollicit Cleomenes to make warre upon the king of Persia, in the defence of the Ionians freedome; and in consideration heereof promised him a good round summe of money; and the more that he contradicted and denied the motion, the more he still augmented the summe of money which he promised: Father (quoth she) this stranger heere will corrupt you if you, send him not the sooner out of your house. Also when her father [ 50] willed hir one day to deliver certaine corne unto a man, by way of a reward and recompence, say∣ing withall: For this is he who hath taught me how to make wine good: How now, good father (quoth she) shall there be more wine drunke still, considering that they who drinke thereof be∣come more delicate and lesse valorous? When she saw how Aristagoras: had one of his men to put on his shooes: Father (quoth she) heere is a stranger that hath no hands. When she saw a foreiner comming toward her who was wont to goe softly and delicatlie, shee thrust him from

her and said: Avaunt idle luske as thou art, and get thee gone, for thou art not so good of deed as a woman.

GYRTIAS, when Acrotatus her nephew or daughters sonne, (from out of a braule and fray that was betweene him and other yoonkers his companions) was brought home with many a wound, insomuch as no man looked for life; seeing his familiar friends and those of his ac∣quaintance, waile and take on piteously: What (quoth she) let be this weeping and lamenta∣tion, for now hath he shewed of what bloud he is descended; neither ought wee to crie out and bewaile for the hurts of valiant men, but rather to goe about their cure and salve them, if haply we may save their lives. When a messenger comming out of Candia, where he served in the warres, brought newes that the said Acrotatus was slaine in fight: Why (quoth she) what [ 10] else should he do, being once gone foorth to warre, but either die himselfe or else kill his ene∣mies? yet had I rather heare, and it doth me much more good that he died woorthy my selfe, woorthy his native countrey and his progenitours, than that he should live as long as possiblie a man could, like a coward and man of no woorth.

DEMETRIA hearing that her sonne prooved a dastard, and indeed not woorthy to be her sonne, so soone as ever he was returned from the wars, she killed him with her owne hands; whereupon was made this epigram of her:

By mothers hand was slaine one Demetrie, For that he brake the lawes of chivalrie, No marvell, she a noble Spartan dame [ 20] Disclaimd her sonne, unwoorthy of that name.

Another woman of Lacedaemon being given to understand, that her sonne had abandoned his ranke, made him likewise away, as unwoorthy of that countrey wherein he was borne, saying: That he was no sonne of hers: And thereupon this epigram also was composed of her:

Amischiefe take thee wicked impe, be gone in divils name Through balefull darknesse: Hatredis too good, and earthly shame: For cowards such of craven kind like hinds, are not to drinke, [ 30] Nor wash in faire Eurotas streame their bodies, as I thinke. Avaunt thou cur-dogge whelpe to hell, thou divils limme unmon'd, Unwoorthy Sparta soile thou art' for thee I never gron'd.

Another, hearing that her sonne was saved and had escaped out of the hands of his enemies, wrote thus unto him: There runneth a naughtie rumor of thee; either stop the course there∣of, or else live not. There was another likewise, whose children had fled out of the battell, and when they came home unto her, she welcomed them in this manner: Whither goe you run∣ning [ 40] leawd lozels and cowardly slaves as you are; thinke you to enter hither againe from whence you first came? and therewith plucked up her cloaths, and shewed them her bare belly. Also another espying her sonne new returned from the wars, and comming toward her: What newes (quoth she) how goeth the world with our countrey and common-wealth? and when he answered: We have lost the field and all our men be slaine; she tooke up an earthen pot, let it fly at his head & killed him out-right, saying: And have they sent thee to bring us the newes? There was one brother recounted unto his mother what a noble death his brother died, unto whom his mother answered: And wert not thou ashamed that thou didst not accompanie him in so faire a journey? Another there was who had sent her sonnes (and five they were in number) to the warres, and she stood waiting at the townes end, about the suburbs and hamlets neere unto [ 50] them, for to hearken what was the issue of the battell: and of the first man whom she encountred from the campe, she asked, what newes, and who had the day; hee told her that her sonnes were slaine all five: Thou leaud varlet (quoth shee) and base slave as thou art, I did not demaund that question of thee; but in what state the affaire of the common-wealth stood: The victorie (quoth he) is ours: Then am I well appaid (saith shee) and contented with the losse of my children. Another there was, unto whom as she buried her sonne slaine in the warres, there came a silly

old woman and moaned her, saying: Ah good woman what fortune is this? Why good (quoth she?) by Castor and Pollux I sweare; for I bare him into this world for nothing else, but that he should spend his life for Sparta; and loe this is now hapned. A ladie there was of Ionia, who bare herselfe verie proud of a worke in tapistrie which she herselfe had made, most costly and curi∣ously; but a Laconian dame shewed unto her, foure children, all verie well given and honestly brought up: Such as these (quoth she) ought to be the works of a ladie of honour, and herein should a noble woman in deed, make her boast and vaunt herselfe. Another there was, who heard newes, that a sonne of hers behaved himselfe not well in a strange countrey where hee was, unto whom she wrote a letter in this wise: There is blowen a bad brute of thee in these parts, either proove it salfe or else die, I advise thee. Certaine fugitives or exiled persons from Chios, came [ 10] to Sparta, who accused Paedaretus, and laid many crimes to his charge: his mother Teleuria hearing thereof, sent for them to come unto her; at whose mouthes when she heard the severall points of their imputations, and judging in herselfe that hee was in fault, and had done great wrongs, she sent a letter unto him in this forme: Either do better or tarie there still, and never thinke to save thy selfe here. In like manner another wrote unto her sonne accused of an hai∣nous crime, in these tearmes: My sonne quit thy selfe of this imputation, or else quit thy life. An∣other accompanying a son of hers upon the way when he went to battell, said unto him: Sonne remember every foot that thou steppest to vertue and prowesse, and fight like a man. Another whose sonne returned out of the field wounded in the foot, and complayning unto her of the great paine which he endured: Sonne (quoth she) if thou wouldst remember vertue and valour, [ 20] thou shouldest never thinke of thy paine. A certaine Lacedaemonian chanced so grievously to be wounded in a skirmish, that he had much adoe to stand upon his legs, so that he was saine to go with crutches (as it were) upon foure feet; now when he was abashed to see some laugh at him for it, his mother said: Greater cause thou hast (my sonne) to rejoice for this testimonie of thy valour and prowesse, than to be dismaied at their fond and senslesse laughter. Another wo∣man when she gave unto her sonne a shield, admonished him to use it well, and do his devoir like a man, and these words she used unto him: My sonne either bring this shield home againe, or let it bring thee dead upon it. Another likewise giving a targuet to her sonne when he tooke his leave of her to go to warre, said unto him: Thy father kept this targuet well from time to time; see thou (for thy part) keepe it as well, or else die with it. Another when her sonne found [ 30] fault with his short sword, said unto him: Then set foot neerer to thine enemie. A woman hearing that her sonne died valiantly in battell: No marvell (quoth shee) for he was my sonne. Contrariwise, another when she heard that her sonne tooke him to his heeles, and escaped by good footmanship: He was never (quoth she) a sonne of mine. But another hearing that her sonne was slaine fighting in the verie place where his captaine had set him: Remoove him than (quoth she) from thence, and let his brother step into his place. A Lacedaemonian woman being in a solemne and publicke procession, with a chaplet of flowers upon his head, understood that her sonne had wonne a field, but was so grievously wounded, that ready he was to yeeld up his breath; without putting off her chaplet of flowers from her head, but glorying (as it were) in these newes: Oh my friends (quoth she) how much more glorious and honourable is it for a [ 40] souldier to die with victorie in battell, than for a champion to survive after he hath wonne the prize in the Olympicke games. A brother reported unto his sister, how valiant her sonne died in battell, unto whom she answered againe: Looke how much I joy & take pleasure to heare this of him; so much I am displeased and discontented at you, brother, for that you would not beare him companie in so vertuous a voiage, but tarie behind him. When one sent unto a Lacedae∣monian woman to sollicit and sound her, whether she would consent unto him, she made this answere: When I was a maiden, I learned to obey my father, and so I did evermore; and when I was a wife, I did the the like unto my husband; if then that which he demaundeth of me be ho∣nest and just, let him acquaint my husband with it first. A poore maiden being asked the questi∣on what dowrie she would bring her husband? The pudicitie (quoth shee) and honestie of my [ 50] countrey. Another Lacedaemonian woman being demaunded, whether she had yet beene with her husband? Not I (quoth shee) but hee hath beene with me. Also another yoong woman chanced secretly to be deflowred and to leese her maiden head; now when by some mishap she fell unto untimely labour, and to slip an abortive fruit; she endured the paines of travell thereto belonging so patiently, without one crie or groane, that neither her father, nor any one about her, perceived any thing at all that she was delivered; for shame and honestie fighting together, overcame all the vehemencie of her paines. A Lacedaemonian woman being sold in the mar∣ket

for a slave, was asked what she could doe? I can skill (quoth shee) to bee true and faithfull. Another likewise being a captive and demaunded the like question, answered, that she could keepe the house well. Another likewise when she was asked by one whether shee would proove good if he bought her, made answer thus: Yea that I will, although you never buy me. Last of all, a Lacedaemonian woman when she was to be sold in port-sale, and the crier demaunded of her what she had skill in? answered: To be free. Now when he that bought her commaunded her to do some things unbeseeming a free person: You will repent (quoth she) that you envied your selfe so noble a possession; and so she killed herselfe. [ 10]