Preceptes of Cato with annotacions of D. Erasmus of Roterodame vere profitable for all [...]

¶ To his louyng frende, Robert Burrant, William wright sendeth greting.

WHen I had read the Pru∣dent woorke of aunciente Cato, with the annotaci∣ons of the greate Clerke Erasmus vpon thesame, (my louyng Burrāt) whiche into our maternall and Englishe toungue, by you translated of late, you sente me, and whiche ye haue with no lesse la∣bour, then politique profite, set forth and caused to bee diuulgate, whereby many take not onely pleasure in the readyng thereof, but also learnyng, wisedome, and ferther vnderstandyng yet thei maie not onely learne, how to teach other: but also how to frame and order themselues in euery condi∣cion: I thought it mete or rather ne∣cessarie, to moue you to set your fer∣ther industrie and diligence, to com∣municate therwithal, the sage sayn∣ges of the seuen wisemen, whiche if

thei he in like sort set foorthe, in our vulgare toungue, thei shall not onely stirre men (for the greate poinctes of wisedome therein conteined) to like wisedome, knowelege, and good ma∣ners: but also to instructe them in di∣uerse feactes of worldely pollicies, whereby thei maie auoide daiely, di∣uerse and sondrie daungers, as these wise menne haue proued, whiche had long experience of the same.

In consideracion wherof, when I had pondered this with the commo∣ditie of Philosophie, whiche in their saiynges, is full plentie: & perceiued how that in all troubles, it is a pre∣sente remedy: and an inwarde liuely coumfort, to haue the posies & dicties of wisedome, afore mennes yies, as that excellent Philosopher Aristotle in his pollitiques dooeth testifie, sai∣yng: if a man desire by himself to bee coumforted, let him seke that remedy from none other where, then of Phi∣losophie. And how that these precep∣tes

of wisedome and good nurture (as Faustus and other dooe testifie) was brought by Socrates first vnto light emong men, wherby men be brought from carnall and sensuall affeccions to a humain & honest trade of liuyng: I thought it my part to signifie vnto you, of these .vii. wisemen, their coū∣trey, nature, and behauiour, to the in¦tent you should bee more willyng to ioigne them with your former boke, whiche thing I dooe not so largely amplifie and set foorthe in length, as I mighte dooe, or as hereafter (if it shalbee thought expedient) maie bee dooen, for because that it might bee thought of some other, not so neces∣sarie, or els to tedious.

But to speake of our .vii. wisemen, whose names after the common sorte and acceptacion bee these, Thales Milesius, Solon Salaminius, Chi∣lon Lacedemonius, Pittacus Miti∣leneus, Bias Prienensis, Cleobulus Lindius, Periāder corinthius. These

be the .vii. wisemen, that commonly be so named, although that some wri∣ters (as Hirnippus in his booke de Sapientibus) dooeth adiotgne vnto these aforesaied, Epimenidem, Ana∣charsim, and other mo. So likewise Hippobotus in his descripciō of phi∣losophers, dooeth numbre & accoūpt, Orpheus, Linus, Epicharmus, and Pithagoras with other mo, emong these seuen. Neuerthelesse these seuē first named haue gotten the garlande, and are as chief allowed & receiued.

Thales named Milesius, was cal∣led the first wiseman (as Plato doeth testifie) as afore the other, and hath his surname of Miletus, a Citie in Grece, from whence the moste preci∣ous woulles and felles doe come: be∣yng of a noble family and stocke, cal∣led familia Theledarū, he was after a Citezen of Miletus, a Citie in the borders of Ionia in Grece. This Tha¦les, after long experience, had in the affaires of the citie, gaue himself to

the studie and contemplacion, of na∣turall thinges, a man excellētly lear∣ned in Philosophie and Astronomie, whiche wroughte of the progression and mocion of the sunne. &c. And the Equinoctiū, the first emong thē that searched out the secretes of Astrolo∣gie (as some dooe write) whiche was the first likewise, that comparing the Moone & her substaunce to the sunne affirmed the Moone to bee the seuen C.xx. part of the Sunne. The first al¦so estemed of them, that discribed the triangle: the first that founde out the course and time of the yere, diuidyng it into .iii. C. lxv. daies, as some dooe affirme and saie, with other thinges mo. This Thales affirmed himself moche bound to fortune for .iii. thin∣ges. Firste, that he was borne a man, and not a beast: the second, a man and not a woman: the thirde a Greke and a free man, and not a Barbarous or bonde man. He florished aboute the seuen .C.xl. yere afore the birthe of

Christe. And in long experience of worldly wisedome, and knowelege of naturall thinges exercised, after died beyng of the age of .xc. yeres as So∣crates dooeth write.

Solō called Salaminius of Sala∣minia an Islāde in the sea called Eu∣boice, of the whiche Virgill in the firste twoo verses of the .vi. booke of Aeneidos, maketh mencion, directly almoste against Athens. This Solon ordred moste holie and godlie lawes emong the Atheniens, & moste abhor∣red tirannie, & decreed that thei that did not coumforte and fede their pa∣rētes, should be takenfor castawaies likewise those that sold their landes and patrimonie: And that the childrē of all soche, as did die and perishe in battaill for the common wealthe, should of the communes be broughte vp and nourished: whereby men were wonderfully animated and couraged to fight for their countries. He flori∣shed aboute .vii. C. xiiii. yeres, afore

Christes birthe, and was a while Prince of Athens: At whiche time he gaue and ordred certain Lawes e∣mong thē full of wisedome. He liued lxxx. yeres, and died in Cipres, an Islelande of greate fame, sette in the sea, betwene Cilicia and Siria about iiii. C. xxvii. miles in compasse, com∣maundyng his folkes (as Diogenes dooeth testifie of him) to cary his bo∣nes into Salaminia his awne coun∣trie, there to burne theim to Ashes, and to cast them abroade therin.

Chilon called Lacedemonius, of a toune in Peloponest, made very good Preceptes, whose counsaill ye shall reade herafter. He was brief in spea∣kyng and sentencious, and so of him came the Prouerbe, Chilonia Breui∣tas, he was about seuen hundred and xiiii yeres before Christ.

Pittacus called Mytileneus, of Mitilene, a citie in the Islelande of Lesbos, of which citie now the whole coūtrie of Lesbos is called Mitilene

after that citie. He was ordeined of them of Mitilene his citie, the chief gouernour thereof, whiche when he had gouerned .x. yeres, he gaue it ouer frely. When his soonne Tirrhous by chaunce, sat in a Barbours shoppe at Cumes, & by an axe cast at him was slain: the partie so taken and bounde for a murderer, was brought to this Pittacus his father for iudgemente: whiche lo〈…〉〈…〉 him and let him go, sai∣yng, pitie is to be preferred afore vē∣geaunce: shewyng in this and other like, greate clemencie and pitie, to be shewed in factes ignorauntly dooen. He was seuen .C. yeres and mo afore Christe, and liued the full age of. lxx and so died, and at Lesbos is buried.

Bias called Prienes of Priene, a water toune, sometime vpon the sea side situate. This Bias of some is pre¦ferred for wisedome afore the other. This Bias wrought for the defence of his countrie and citie this feacte. when that his countrie was besieged

of one Aliaet, he caused twoo Mules to be throughly fed, and so presented thē to Aliaet the king, whiche won∣dered that thei had yet beastes lefte emong them so fatte, wherby he was minded to leaue his besiegyng therof And sēt a spie into the citie, to view their state & condicion, whiche, whē Bias perceiued a spieto come emong them, he caused greate heapes of gra∣uell, to be couered with wheate, and shewed theim to the kinges messen∣ger. Then the king therupon entered with theim, and concluded together a peace, and so by his policie the citie was saued. He was a very earnest O∣rator, and medled but in good causes he died in the lappe of his nephewe, whom the Citie honourably buried: whose counsailles are many and full of witte and prudēce. He was in the time of the other aforesaied.

Cleobulus an Asiā, borne in the citie of Lindus in Caria, a Region of the lesser, Asia, betwixt Lisia & Ionia, be∣yng

in the middest of the Sea. As in his awne Epistle directed to Solon (as in Diogenes ye maie reade) he plainly declareth. He was a cleane persone of strength and comelinesse, he wrote (as Diogenes testifieth) iii. C. verses and sentences of wise doine. He liued seuentie yeres, full of expe∣rience and humain wisedom, leauyng many monumentes & testimonies of his wisedome behinde.

Periander Corinthius, borne at Corinthus a citie of Achaia in the Easte. There were three of the name (as Apollidorus doeth write) the first in Thessalia: The seconde in Epiro now called Albania, & sometime Me lossa: the thirde in Elide, nobilitated greatly by the Epistles of S. Paule directed to the menne therof, a citie sometime of greate fame and richesse This Periander of great fame emōg them, wrote two hundred verses and sentences of prudēce, a man of great power. He liued (after some writers)

fower skore yeres, and then deceassed whose diuerse sentences Diogenes dooeth ferther at large describe and gather.

Thus partly I haue opened the con∣diciō of these seuen wisemen: to you resteth onely their prudent counsai∣les, to bee diuulgate, wherein if you take peines, as you haue dooen with prudēt Cato, you shall not onely get your self a name immortall: But de∣serue of God merite, and of learned and vnlearned worthie thankes, for so commune and publique a benefite.

Thus fare you well,

from Che∣pyng Wichambe the firste daie of Marche,

by your olde louer William Wright.