The boke of wisdome otherwise called the flower of vertue. Folowing the auctorities of auncient doctours [and] philosophers, deuiding and speaking of vices [and] vertues, wyth many goodly examples wherby a man may be praysed or dyspraysed, wyth the maner to speake well and wyselie to al folkes, of what estate so euer they bee. Translated first out of Italion into French, [and] out of french into English, by Iohn Larke. 1565.
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Title
The boke of wisdome otherwise called the flower of vertue. Folowing the auctorities of auncient doctours [and] philosophers, deuiding and speaking of vices [and] vertues, wyth many goodly examples wherby a man may be praysed or dyspraysed, wyth the maner to speake well and wyselie to al folkes, of what estate so euer they bee. Translated first out of Italion into French, [and] out of french into English, by Iohn Larke. 1565.
Publication
[Imprinted at London :: In Fletestreate, beneathe the conduyte, at the sygne of S. Iohn Euangeliste, by Thomas Colwell,
[1565]]
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Subject terms
Conduct of life -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A16439.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The boke of wisdome otherwise called the flower of vertue. Folowing the auctorities of auncient doctours [and] philosophers, deuiding and speaking of vices [and] vertues, wyth many goodly examples wherby a man may be praysed or dyspraysed, wyth the maner to speake well and wyselie to al folkes, of what estate so euer they bee. Translated first out of Italion into French, [and] out of french into English, by Iohn Larke. 1565." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A16439.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 27, 2025.
Pages
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
¶Of Crualtye, And howe manye
sortes be therof. And of the
greate euylles and in∣conuenients,
that
bee done by
Crualtie.
¶The .li. Chapter. (Book 51)
CRualtye is a Vice, con∣tratye
to mercye.
¶Arystotile saith,* 1.1 that
there is fyue maners of
crualtie. The first is neuer to haue
pytye of anye man. The seconde is,
to brynge another man into myse∣tye.
The thyrde is, not to wyll to
pardon iniuryes done to him. The
fourth is, to ponyshe another more
then it doth appertayne. The fyfte
is, to be actyfe of courage. And to
hurte and offend another without
reason. Crualtye maye be compa∣red
descriptionPage 87
to the Serpente called Base∣lyke,
whyche is so venimous and so
cruell, that he dothe kyll the folkes
wyth hys sight. And if he find non
other thinge to kylle, he wyll cause
the trees that be nyghe vnto hym
to drye awaie, and to dye with his
blowynge on them, he hathe so ve∣nomous
a wind and breath with∣in
hym.
¶Sydrac saythe,* 1.2 that he is not
lyke to the Lyon in hys house, whi¦che
hathe no mercye of hys Sub∣iectes.
¶Hermes sayth,* 1.3 gyue perdon and
mercye to the person in hys aduer∣sytyes,
to the intente that thou
be not occasyon to cause hym to dis¦payre.
¶Cassydore saythe,* 1.4 that the moste
outragious crualtye that can be, is
to desire to be rych with the good∣des
of another man.
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
¶Senec saythe,* 1.5 that Vertu is the
moste gracyous thynge in the wor∣lde,
for by it a manne knoweth the
euyll men, And the good thynges,
for there is not so euyll a manne in
the worlde, but that he woulde
haue that thynge that he hathe of
another mannes, to be ryght wyn∣nynge.