The optick glasse of humors. Or The touchstone of a golden temperature, or the Philosophers stone to make a golden temper wherein the foure complections sanguine, cholericke, phlegmaticke, melancholicke are succinctly painted forth, and their externall intimates laide open to the purblind eye of ignorance it selfe, by which euery one may iudge of what complection he is, and answerably learne what is most sutable to his nature. Lately pend by T.W. Master of Artes.

To the Reader,

KNnowledge conceald and not broached for a publicke vse, is like to a pearelesse gemme interred in the center of the earth, whereof no man knowes but he that hid it: yet is ther a due regard to be had, lest at any time it proue ab••rtiue, for the golden tongue of wisdome, that reli∣sheth all not by imagination but true iudge∣ment (whose tast neuer can be sophisticated) saies tis better not to be diuulg'd at all, then preproperously before the time. Thou maist say peraduenture, that in this I haue imita∣ted the Amygdala, or Almon tree in Pli∣nie:* 1.1 that so hastely buds and bringes forth her fruit: or like the Lapwing beeing lately hatched, I do run as it were with the shell on my head, that I haue soared also a∣boue

my pitch, attempting an Eagles flight with the winges of a Wrenne, in the hie springtide of an ouerweening opinion, shew∣ed vnto the Criticke eye the dead low ebbe of my shallow iudgement, thou maist tearm me, an Homeres Thersites, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or as it was saide of Traiane the Emperor* 1.2 when he vaunted of his Parthian trophee before the Gods to be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 more respecting a sound of words then sound matter it selfe: thou maist condemne me for many an error and escape in these my ruder lines: I know right well thou vsest not to gape after gougins—

••raeda canum lepus est, vastos non implet h••atus.

* 1.3

The Ha••es repast for Hunds, the vaster iawes It doth not satiat••—

Gentle Reader call this to mind—〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, it is farre easier not to like then to do the like. But how∣soeuer thou dost either vnciuilly preiudicate my labour with a sinister conceit, miscon∣struing my meaning, or vncourteously cen∣sure

of my inhabillitie, impeaching my good name for some things that do distast thy de∣licater pallate, Iacta nobis est alea, I haue set all at sixe and seuen, and I entend by the Muses fauour happelie to go on, though vn∣happely I haue begū. Notwithstāding I will assoile my selfe, and make answer vnto thy former, either ••cred surmises••r open cauils. For the first, if I haue imitated the Almon tree, it is to keepe in stoore a bitter almon for the prating Parrat that licentiouslie thus speaketh of me, who is alwaies like the foole, a Consonant when he should be a Mute: and a Mute when he should be a Consonant. In that I seeme to soare aloft too hie, giue mee liberty to vse Ausonius his wordes vnto Pauline, yet a little inuerted—Dicis* 1.4 me Icarum esse haud belle, nam summa sic appetā (spero) vt nō decidā, I hope I shall not proue an aspiring Icarus, nor ano∣ther Thales in Diogenes Laertius, whoe whiles he lookt hie and was contemplating on the stars, ••ell groueling into a deep ditch, For the third, much appertaining to eue∣ry

brainsicke Na••cissus, I do altogether dis∣claim that, since it neuer so much as insinua∣ted it selfe into the bosome of my imaginati∣on, my Genius not desiring to bee perfumed with smoky praise, or soone-vanishing and vulgar glory, cheefly vshered by selfe con∣ceit. For my taint with Theisites and Tra∣ianes fault, I will onely vse for my defence, that speech of locaste to Eteocles.

—〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.5 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

Ould age (in whose brest long experience hath treasured vp great store of wisdome) can speake far more wisely and exactly then younger yeares. For the last of all, any er∣rour committed: I answere, it may bee an errour of ignorance seene to thee, yet it is an ignorance of the errour vnseene to me, wher∣of if priuatly thou demandest a reason, I can; doubt not, and will make it good for thy full satisfaction, if reason can satisfie thee. Yet if not, giue leaue vnto my harsh and torne inuention, if for naught else but this, in that

I derogate from no mans due desert, nor seeke to traduce any vnto their least disparage∣ment.

Blast not with a 1.6 critick breath my tender bud. My vulgare Muse respects a common good: For thee my pen strouts on this paper stage, Though it do act withouten aequipage: To quench thy learned thirst I meant to draine The Hippocren••an Fountaine of my braine. My wish is good, my act I know is ill, The first's a mountaine; this, a lowly hill. With carping fingers let me not be scand, Po••ze not the gift, but wa••gh the giuers hand.

I am well sure thou wilt here expect with Ang. Pol. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: that is, vulgar things vttered after a new sort, and nouelty after a vulgar sort; with∣out affectation: that I should bee a rich elo∣quent merchant of exoticke and new found phrases: that I should intrauerse and inter•• larde my speaches with liuely conceits: en∣rich thy learned eares with right Athenian iewells, illuminate the eye of thy vnder∣standing with the lustre of Rhetoricall co∣lours, that the whole worke should bee mixed with an—omne tulit punctū: And sure

so farre as each thing i•• consonant and har∣monicall with iudgement, I will tender my deuo••re, to be sutable vnto thy scholer like ex∣pectation: for if so be wisedome doe not ma∣nage and temper all, the Muses which are pure, chast and vnspotted virgins, wil turne to meere Curtesans.

If iudgement tread not on the he••les of wit And curbe inuention with his golden bit, T'will ne'r looke backe vnto his proper want, But still his steps will be exorbitant.

I dare not presume, nor will I rashly en∣gage my credit to thee (courteous censurer) to promise thee▪ Amphoram, ne viceus exeat, a mountaine, lest it bring foorth that ridiculous issue in the fable, to promise thee Aristaenetus his Lais, whom hee tearmes* 1.7 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 all face, for her supereminent beauty and portraitour, admirable simme∣tree of partes, most decent and eye pleasing lineaments of her whole body, lest that I beget an Ethiopian or a Labulla who was tearmed all nose, like Martials Tongilian of whome he thus speaketh

Tongilianus habet nasum, scio non nego, sed iam Nil prater nasum Tongilianus habet.

Tongilian has a goodly nose, I wis••e But naught besides a nose Tongilian Tongiliani••.

And no doubts it will be liker the latter then the former. Venus had her mole, Helena her staine, Cynthia her spots, the Swan her ieaty feete, the clearest day some clowd: nay there is nothing but if we once eye it ouer, so absolutely perfect not the smoothest writer of all, which, (at lest a Critick perusing of him) for some blemish and imperfection, merites not either Aristarchus his blacke pile, or Momus his sponge: If in the fairest thinges be such deformitie, how many more staines may then be found in this ofspring of my brain, which dare not scarcely make compare with the fowlest? Looke for better and more generous wine of the old vinetree, for as Pli∣nie sayth—vetustioribus semper vitibus vinum melius, nouellis copiosius; would I coulde either arrogate the former, or cha∣lenge the latter vnto my selfe, but howsoeuer

I could not possibly please all, for as the Poet speaks to one Ledotus

Qui possis rogo te placere cunctis* 1.8 Cum iam displiceas tibi velvns?

T'is sure that at least I should not please my selfe. I might better fit a many humors in sif ting out some more pleased poeticall subiect, more correspondent to their fancy and my facultie; as intreating merily of some new discouered Isle with Lucian, to inuent with* 1.9 him some such hyperbolicall lies, as that of Hercules & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whose footsteps were found to be the bignes of an aker of ground: to tell with him of flyes and pismires as big as twelue Elephants, to fraight some pam∣phlet de lapsu vulcani, who as Homer* 1.10 writes, was falling out of heauen into the Isle Lemnos 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a whole day: to make some mery prognostication of strange won∣ders that are to ensue, as them of Ioachimus Fortius Ringelbergius, capitulated in that chapter whose title is—Ridicula quaedam & iucunda: not to plunge my selfe in these

grand phisicall matters: I know these are ap∣pertinent to the Muses also—

Ouid his Nux, the Culex Maro writ, Erasmus did in folly dye his wit The Frog fight Homer made, and of da••e Mouse, And Ianus Dousa praisd Pediculus Hubaldus on baldmen did ver••ifie Each of whose numbers words began with C.* 1.11 Beza praisd 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Apuleius th' Asse Plutarch Grillus who by Circe changed was A quarta••e ague Fauorine did commend, His darlings sparrow so Catullus pend To which the Poet

Sunt etiam Musissua ludicra, mista Camanis* 1.12 Ot••a &c.

Tragicall Melpomene her selfe wil now and then put on the comicall start vp: Sage Apollo laughes once yearly at his own beard lesse naked face: the modest Muses haue their maddest reuils: the darkesomst water has his gildy streames: wise men will sometimes play with childrens rattles.

But I haue already imployed some imbezi∣led howrs takē from the treasury of the Mu∣ses golden time; to the gilding ouer of the like rotten subiects, as they that haue bin intimate

with m•• are not igmorant, as in my Tetli∣gomurmomachia, a centurie of latin Epi∣grams, an Echo, and some other trifles which I durst not let come abroad in the chill Criti∣call aire lest hap they mought haue been fret∣tisht for want of learninges true cloathing. Now haue I chosen to mingle my delight with more vtilitie, aiming not onely at witte but wisedome. I know the Paracelsian will vt∣terly condemne my endeauour for bringing the foure Humours on the stage again, they ha uing hist them off so long ago, & the rather be cause I once treat not of their three minerals—Sal, Surphur, and Mercurius, the Tria omnia of their quicksiluer wits, which they say haue chiefe dominion in the body, (it consisting of them) and are the causes of each disease, and cure all againe by their Arcana extracted out of them: but I waigh it not, since the tongue of an aduersary cannot de∣tract from verity. If any the like Carpfish whatsoeuer chaunce to nibble at my credite, hee may perchaunce swallow downe the sharp hook of reproach and infamie ere he be aware

which hee cannot like the * 1.13 Scolaopendra cast vp againe at his pleasure, I doubt not but to haue him in a string. Reader, thine eyes are to take their turnes in a gardin, wherein are growing many weedes, yet some flowers, passe by the former with kind silence, cull out and gather the latter for thine owne science: and perhaps thou maist distill the sweetest wa ter from the bitterest wormewood, as Maro built his walls by Ennius his rubbish: If thou thy selfe hast better—

Candidus imperti, si non, his vtere mecum. Idem qui pridem. Thine if mine. T. W.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Plini. nat. hist. lib. 16. cap. 25.
• * 1.2

  Iulian. in his Caesares
• * 1.3

  Marti••lis.
• * 1.4

  Ausonius. Paulino e∣pist. 19.
• * 1.5

  Euripides in his Phoe∣••issa.
• a 1.6

  pining
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.8

  Io: Vulteius hēdecasilla. lib. 4.
• * 1.9

  Luciā. Ver. historiatum lib. 1.
• * 1.10

  ••omer. ••ad. x.
• * 1.11

  In lib. de Antiquitate Cantab. et Oxon. In epig. Aul. Gell. 17. 12.
• * 1.12

  Ausonius.
• * 1.13

  Mathiolus in Dioscor. so Plin. 9. 43