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

A COMPENDIOVS RE∣VIEW AND DISCOURSE, THAT THE STOICKS DELIVER [ 10] MORE STRANGE OPINIONS, THAN DO THE POETS.

The Summarie.

APetie declaration this is against the sect of the Stoicks, which briefly and in a word is maketh odious; giving out in plaine tearmes, that such persons be the loudest liers in the world; and that their opinion as touching the change and alteration of that party [ 20] who rangeth himselfe unto them, is so monstrous and ridiculous, that the discovery only thereof is a sufficient refutation.

A COMPENDIOUS REVIEW and discourse, That the Stoicks deliver more strange opinions, than do the Poets.

PIndarus was reprooved, for that after a strange maner, and without [ 30] all sense and probabilitie hee fained Caeneus one of the Lapithae, to have had a bodie so hard, as it could not be pierced by any weapon of iron and steele, but that he remained unhurt, and so afterwards

Went under earth without en wound, When with stiffe foot he cleft the ground.

But this Lapith of the Stoicks, to wit, their imagined wise man, be∣ing forged by them of impassibilitie, as of a mettall harder than the diamond, is not such an one as is not otherwhiles 〈◊〉〈◊〉 , diseased and assailed with paine: howbeit, as they say, he abideth still feare∣lesse and without sorrow and heavinesse; he continueth invincible, he susteineth no force nor [ 40] violence, howsoever he be wounded, what paine soever he suffereth, be he put to all tortures, or see his native countrey sacked and destroied before his face, or what calamities els beside be presented to his eies. And verily, that Caeneus whom Pindarus describeth, notwithstanding 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were smitten, and bare many stroakes, yet was unwounded for all that: but the wise man whom the Stoicks imagine, although he be kept enclosed in prison, yet is not restreined of libertie; say he be pitched downe from the top of a rocke, yet susteineth no violence; is he put to the strap∣pado, to the racke or wheele, yet for all that is he not tormented; and albeit he frie in the fire, yet he hath no harm; nay, if in wrestling he be foiled and take a fall, yet he persisteth unconquered; when he is environed within a wall, yet is he not besieged; and being solde in port sale by the e∣nemies, yet is he no captive, but remaineth impregnable; resembling most properly for all the [ 50] world, those ships which have these goodly inscriptions in their poups, Happie voyage, Luckie navigation, Saving providence, and Remedie against all dangers: and yet the same neverthelesse be tossed in the seas, split upon the rocks, cast away and drowned. Iolaus, as the Poet Euripides hath fained, by a certeine praier that he made unto the gods, of a feeble and decrepit olde man, became all of a sudden a yong and lustie gallant, ready for to fight a battell: but the Stoicks wise man, who longer agoe than yesterday, was most hatefull, wretched and wicked, all at once to day

is changed into a good and vertuous person; he is of a rivelled, pale, leane and poore sillie aged man, and as the Poet Aeschylus saith,

Who suffereth pangs in flanke, in reines and backe, With painfull cramps, stretcht as upon aracke.

become, a lovely, faire, beautifull, and personable youth, pleasant both to God and man, Mi∣nerva in Homer rid Ulisses from his wrinkles, his baldnesse, and ill fovoured deformity, that he might appeare full of favour and amiable: but this wise man of there making, albeit withered olde age leave not his body, but contrariwise increase still and grow more and more with all the discommodities that follow it, continuing still for example sake bunch backt, if he were so be∣fore, one eied, and toothlesse, yet forsooth is not for all this, foule, deformed and ill favoured. [ 10] For like as by report the bettils fly from good and sweet odors, seeking after stinking sents, even so the Stoicks love (conversing with the most foule ilfavoured and deformed, after that by their sapience and wisdome they be turned into all beauty and favor) departeth and goeth from them. With these Stoicks he who in the morning haply was most wicked, will proove in the evening a right honest man: & who went to bed foolish, ignorant, injurious, outragious, intemperat, yea a very slave, a poore & needy begger, will rise the morrow morning, a king, rich, happie, chaste, just, firme and constant, nothing at all subject to variety of opinions: not for that he hath all on a suddaine put forth a beard, or become under growen, as in a yoong and tender body: but ra∣ther engendred in a weake, soft, effeminate and inconstant soule, a perfect minde, perfect under∣standing, soveraine prudence, a divine disposition, comparable to the gods, a settled and assured [ 20] science, not wandring in opinions and an immutable and stedfast habitude: neither went that leawd wickednesse of his away by little & little, but all at once (I may well neeresay) he was trans∣muted from a most vile beast into a demy god, a daemon, or a very god indeed. For so soone once as a man hath learned vertue in the Stoicks schoole, he may say thus unto himselfe:

Wish what thou wilt, and what thou list to crave, All shall be done; doe thou but aske and have.

This vertue brings riches, this carieth with it roialty, this giveth good fortune, this makes men happie, standing in need of nothing, contented in themselves, although they have not in all the world so much as a single drachme of silver, or one grey groat. Yet are the fables of Poets devi∣sed with more probability and likelihood of reason: for never doe they leave Hercules altoge∣ther [ 30] destitute of necessaries: but it seemeth that he hath with him alwaies one living source or other, out of which there runneth evermore foison and plenty for himselfe and the company a∣bout him. But he who hath once gotten the goat Amalthea by the head, and that plentifull horne of abundance which the Stoicks talke of, he is rich incontinently, and yet beggeth his bread and victuals of others; he is a king, although for a peece of mony he teacheth how to re∣solve syllogismes: he onely possesseth al things, albeit he pay rent for his house, buieth his meale and meat with the silver that many times he taketh up of the usurer, or else craveth at their hands who have just nothing of their owne to give. True it is indeed, that Ulisses the king of Ithaca begged almes, but it was because he would not be knowen; counterfaiting all that he could

To make himselfe a begger poore, [ 40] Like one that went from doore to doore.

whereas he that is come out of the Stoicks schoole, crying aloud with open mouth, I onely am a king, I am rich and none but I, is seene oftentimes at other mens doores standing with this note,

Give Hipponax a cloke, his naked corps to folde, For that I quake and shiver much for colde. [ 50]