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PLeasure and Sorrow bee the obiects of vertue: but discon∣tents may be thoght rather the obiects of pleasure. Vertue moderates the folly of pleasure & sorrow: but pleasure so moderated, re∣moues discontents. I reckon dis∣contēts among my private* 1.1sor∣rowes; which amplifie my owne mis-fortune; which feele the
same (perhaps) a greater torment for my friends misery, then my owne: yes, I am better assured of my owne fortitude to contemne sorrowes, then of my friends aptnesse, to relish my counsels; or of his owne freedome to ad∣vise himselfe: and therefore his vexation (he being my selfe) af∣flicts me more iniuriously: be∣cause I can overcome my owne, better then His. I call those pro∣perly D••scontēted, who are busie∣thoughted: who, like braine∣lesse patients, are almost despe∣rate if another giues them poy∣son; and yet (being recovered) they will adventure to poyson themselues: for many of this ranke you shall perceiue, who having passed the discontents which come by others malice, will (of their owne accord) frame new perplexities: They
will conceiue things otherwise then they be, and so nourish a conceit till they beleeue it reall.
Opinion is indeed the medi∣ate cause of discontents; but then a rectified or false capacitie (being an immediate cause of rectified or false opinions) be∣gets a true or idle discontent. I call that idle, which is begotten by an idle fancie: such idle dis∣contents are soone expelled; they are a causelesse Melancholy, begot by alteration, dispersed by alteration: But Melancholy, meeting with a reall cause, be∣comes a setled mischiefe. How∣soever, nothing (though most worth our discontent) can bee said His or My discontent, vn∣lesse wee so conceiue it. For certainly, a carelesse resolution may be freed from conscience and discontent together: wheras perhaps a nice examining head
may so ensnare it selfe with mul∣titude of thoughts, that the con∣fusion may prouoke both: but then a carelesse resolution serues worthily to abate such idle, and such reall discontents. For as in naturall bodies fasting and food destroy & nourish; so in our dai∣ly proiects, cōsideratiue thoughts and carelesse negligence fasten & remoue. The best * 1.2 Philosophers haue left a doubtfull number of mens perturbations; some as∣signe sixe, some fiue, some foure, some eleven. They might (in my conceit) be all reduced vn∣to a triple number: including likewise the very causes of all discontent. Imagine therefore they proceed first from iealou∣sies of what kind soever; either in being contemned, neglected, or ambiguous of good successe: then from doubts not to be resolued,
either through weaknesse of our vnderstanding, or intricacie of the question, then from an ex∣treame desire, either of things difficult or impossible. To iea∣lousies, and such desires, all are incident; to doubts and questi∣ons, Schollers, or Scholler-like heads onely: these comprehend the summe of all our crosses: of all our sorrowes both in soule and body: Nay, all more nar∣rowly may be reduced to a de∣sire: for when we briefly say, He hath his desire, we must withall intend, that he is neither trou∣bled with pleasure, griefe, feare, audacity, hope or anger: the sixe turbulent passions reckoned by Plato.
Certainly (amongst all) per∣plexed questions be to a labou∣ring head, most troublesome: and lesse blameable was that
found * 1.3 Philosopher, who made the Ocean capable of him, be∣cause he was not capable of rea∣son for the Ebbe and Flow; ra∣ther then such as be ashamed to liue, when either needinesse, feare, ignominy, griefe, or dis∣appoyntments contradict them. It is meere bestiall to dye vpon such weake incounters; which might be all confuted with a Heathens knowledge: but then to dye for ignorance may seeme excuseable: for such a liue is be∣stiall, where we are ignorant of reason; and better is it to be ignorant of reason how to pre∣vent death, then to preserue life in ignorance. The truth is, our discontents of any kinde do mis-informe our iudgement; no otherwise then a busie knaue, who (seeing the bad luck of law∣full meanes) doth bribe the Ma∣gistrate
and neuer was a Magi∣strate more easily bribed, then is a iudgement (so oppressed) cor∣rupted. Wee haue no liberty to know, much lesse to iudge; no reason to discourse, much lesse to put a difference, no freedome to conceiue, much lesse to vnder∣stand, when Discontents do trou∣ble vs. They interpose our brigh∣test eminence of wisedome; no otherwise then clowdes darken the Sunnes glory: They keepe a strong possession against our ver∣tue & all good society. The most significant title they can deserue is Trecherous: for they breed sen∣sibly an innovation; begetting in vs a preposterous change; & that commonly proceeds from worse to worse: For being more incor∣porate with them & their muta∣tiōs, we challenge lesse freedom in our selues, to help our selues. Discontents, like an extreme dis∣ease,
be of a shifting nature: they delight continually in motion; as men vehemently sicke doe change their beds & chambers.
A Discontented man does and vndoes, that he may doe againe: thinking to loose his humour in variety; or by aduenture (if by nothing else) among many changes to make one good one. But this desire of change cor∣rupts our honesty. We shal per∣ceiue a three-fold mischiefe which goes inseparate with dis∣contents: for they bee ready to seduce our thoughts, our words, our actions: We mis-esteeme, mis-condemne, mis-attempt, through discontented passions. The rea∣son is manifest: for Discontent being the companion of our thoughts, makes them, our words and actions ruled by that; and so become vnpleasing, like it selfe: Therefore doe male contents
vnder-value merite in their owne opinion; Therefore (being waspish) they detract from wor∣thinesse; therefore they dislike or doe condemne bitterly; and therefore, likewise, do men thus affected, vndertake more ven∣turously then wisely. So that Sa∣lust hath obserued well tou∣ching the Character of Cati∣lines adhaerents; that they were Homines quos flagitium, egestas, aut conscius animus exagita∣bat.
And, questionlesse, such men so inwardly bitten with their owne afflictions, can finde no leasure in themselues to keepe affinity with others: Good So∣ueraignes therefore, louing Pa∣rents, honest Friends, loyall Subiects, wise Maisters, haue bene no male-contents: for (being so) it is impossible that
such a troubled Fountaine should send forth any thing but offensiue tumults. There is no∣thing more doth make our ene∣mies reioyce, then a deiected spirit; and nothing more afflicts our soule then to be sensible of their reioycings; therefore doth that experienced Prophet Da∣uid so often wish for a deliue∣rance from their triumph; so often doth he lament their in∣sultations.
Infinite are those aduantages, which may be had against men discontented: and therefore hath a melancholy spirit some prerogatiue in this respect; be∣cause his time of discontent is scarce distinguished from his daily carriage; for night is soo∣ner visible in an open Pallace, then a smoky Cottage. I may propound of these, what Celsus
doth of Cole-worts: being halfe sodden, they are laxa∣tiue; but twice sodden, they are binding: So discon∣tents beeing but slightly ap∣prehended and entertained, may bee a meanes sitting to prepare the way for honest ap∣plications, and to purge securi∣ty: But being suffered long to boyle within vs, they do con∣firme their owne; and also stoppe the passage of other worse cor∣ruptions.
Of Morall and awakening discontents, the wise Sa∣lomon speakes; when hee re∣solues positiuely; Anger is bet∣ter then laughter, for by a sad looke the heart is made better: Melior est ira risu: quia per tristitiam vultus, corrigitur a∣nimus delinquentis: Some Fauourites there bee, so much
beholding to Fortune, that in a whole AGE they haue scarce learnt the definition of sorrow.
In these men the Prouerbe is verified; Fooles are Fortu∣nate; and yet agreeable with an honest meaning: For those (I thinke) are chiefly bound to Fortune, or Proui∣dence rather, who cannot through a good simplicity af∣fect dishonest practises, and close dealings: It being con∣sonant with reason, that men ill-befriended with a subtle Braine, should bee assisted with some higher POLI∣CIE.
All that wee suffer, is by our OWNE or FOR∣TVNES worke: Wee can∣not bee too patient with For∣tunes, too much prouoked
with our owne workes of sorow: when fortune punisheth, wee haue no remedy; when our owne indiscretion punisheth, we may afflict our selues the longer with a wise fury, that wee may learne to recollect and to awaken our iudgement.
Some haue a resolute con∣tempt for all aduersities; but such a valorous scorne may be ingen∣dred by a sottish ignorance, or an vncapable dulnesse; no other∣wise then both may be a Drun∣kards motiues in extreme ha∣zard.
As for my selfe; I neuer felt a sorrow, which I esteemed a dis∣content, vnlesse it gaue no profi∣table vse; either by making mee more circumspect and proui∣dent; or acquainting me before∣hand with my destiny. The most honourable dealing with our
worst afflictions, is to confute them by a discourse of braine, and so exercise our knowledge, for our owne aduantage, against the foes of knowledge.
But none among the worst crosses shall indeed predomi∣nate, if sometimes in a law∣full humour wee doe crosse our selues.
Sorrow may bee ••dmitted in behalfe of p••blic▪ calamitie•• which can not bee s•• well tear∣med Dis∣contents.
Plato. Gilen. Cicero. D. Thom.
Aristotle.