The boke named the Gouernour, deuysed by syr Thomas Elyot knight

¶ Howe noble a vertue placabi∣litie is. Cap. VI.

PLacabylitie is no lyttell parte of Benignitie, and is proprely where a man is by any occasy∣on meued to be angry, and nat withstandynge eyther by his owne reason ingenerate, or by counsaylle perswaded, omytteth to be reuenged, and often tymes receyuethe the transgressoure ones reconsyled, into more fauour: whyche vndoubtedlye is a vertue wonderfulle ex∣cellent. For as Tulli sayth, No thynge is * 1.1 more to be meruayled at, or that more be∣cometh a man noble and honorable, thanne mercy and placabilitie. The valewe ther∣of * 1.2 is beste knowen by the contrarye, why∣che is yre, called vulgarely wrathe, a vyce mooste vgly, and farrest from humanitie.

For who beholdynge a man in estymation

of nobylitie and wysedome, by furie chan∣ged into an horrible figure, his face infar∣ced with rancour, his mouth foule and im∣bosed, his eien wyde starynge, and sparke∣lynge lyke fyre, nat speakynge, but as a wylde bulle, roringe and brayinge out wor∣des despytefull and venomous, forgettyng his astate or condytion, forgettynge ler∣nynge, ye forgettynge all reason, wyll nat haue suche a passyon in extreme detestati∣on? Shall he nat wysshe to be in suche a man placabilitie? wherby onely he shulde be eftesoones restored to the fourme of a man, wherof he is by wrathe despoyled, as it is wondersly well described by Ouide in his crafte of loue.

¶ Man to thy vysage it is conuenient Beastly fury shortly to aswage. * 1.3 For peace is beautyfull to man onely sent, wrathe to the beastis cruell and sauage. For ī mā the face swelleth, whā wrath is ī rage The blode becometh wanne, the eien firy bright Lyke Gorgon the mōster, appering in the night.

¶ This Gorgon, that Quide speaketh of, is supposed of poetes to be a fury or infer∣nall * 1.4 monster, whose heares were all in the figure of adders, signifieng the abundance of myschiefe, that is conteyned in wrathe. Wherwith the great kyng Alexāder being * 1.5

(as I mought say) obsessed, dyd put to vē∣geable deathe his dere frende Clitus, his mooste prudent counsaylour Calisthenes, his moste valiant capitayne Philotas, with his father Parmenio, and dyuers other. wherof he so soore after repēted, that op∣pressed with heuynes, had slayne him selfe, had he nat ben let by his seruantes. Wher∣fore his furye and inordynate wrathe, is a fowle and greuous blemishe to his glorye, whiche without that vice, had incompara∣bly excelled all other princis.

¶ Who abhoreth or hateth nat the violēce * 1.6 or rage that was in Scylla and Marius? noble Romains, & in their tyme in hyghest authoritie within the citie, hauyng the go∣uernance of the more parte of the worlde. Scilla, for the malignitie that he hadde to∣warde Marius, caused the heades of a thousande and seuen hundred of the chief citisens of Rome to be strikē of, & brought to him freshe bledinge and quyck, and ther on fedde his mooste cruell cyen, whiche to eate his mouth naturally abhorred. Ma∣rius with no lesse rancour inflamed, beside a terrible slaughter, that he made of noble men, leanyng to Scilla, also caused Caius Cesar (who had ben both Consul and Cen∣sor, two of the mooste honorable dignities in the citie of Rome) to be violently drawē

to the sepulture of one Uarius, a symple and seditious persone, and there to be dis∣honestly slayne. With lyke bestiall fury, he caused the heed of Marcus Antonius, one of the moste eloquente oratours of all the Romaynes, to be brought vnto hym, as he sate at dyner, and there toke the heed all blody betwene his handes, and with a ma∣lycious countenaunce reproched hym of his eloquence, wherwith he had nat onely defended many an innocēt, but also the hole publyke weale by his wyse consultations singularly profyted.

¶ O what calamitie hapned to that moste noble citie of Rome, by the implacabilitie or wrath insaciable, of these two capytay∣nes, or (as I mought rather say) deuylles? the nobles betwene theym exhauste, the chyualrye almooste consumed, the lawes oppressed, and lackynge but lyttell, that the publyke weale had nat ben extinct, and the citie vtterly desolate.

¶ The vndiscrete hastinesse of themper or Claudius, caused hym to be noted for foo∣lysshe. For he meued with wrathe, caused dyuers to be slayne, for whom after he de∣maunded, and wolde sende for to soupper. Nat withstandynge that he was right well lerned, & in dyuers great affaires appered to be wise. These discōmodities do happen

by implacable wrathe, wherof there be ex∣amples innumerable.

¶ Contrarywise, the valiant king Pirrhus * 1.7 herynge that two men at a feast, & in a great assembly and audience, had openly spoken wordes, to his reproche, meued with dy∣spleasure, sent for the persones: and whan they were come, he demanded where they spake of him any suche wordes? whervnto one of theym aunswered, If (sayde he) the wyne had nat the sooner fayled vs, all that which was tolde to your hyghnes, in com∣parison of that whiche shuld haue ben spo∣ken, had bene but trifles. The wyse prince with that playne confession was mitigate, & his wrath conuerted to laughynge.

¶ Iuli{us} Cesar, after his victory ageinst the * 1.8 great Pompei, who had maried his dough¦ter, sittyng in open iugement, one Sergius Galba, one of the nobles of Rome, a frend vnto Pompei, saide vnto him, I was boun∣den for thy sonne in law Pompei in a great somme, whan he was consul the third time, wherfore I am nowe sewed. What shall I do? Shall I my selfe pay it? by which wor¦des he moughte seeme to reproche Cesar of the sellynge of Pompeis goodis, in de∣fraudynge his creditours. But Cesar than hauynge a gentyll harte and a pacient was nat meeued with any displeasure towarde

Galba: but caused Pompeies dettes to be discharged.

¶ we lacke nat of this vertue dimesticalle examples, I meane of our own kynges of Englande, but moste specially one, whiche in myne oppinyon, is to be compared with any, that euer was writen of in any region or countrey.

¶ The moste renomed prince king Henry the fyste, late kynge of Englande, durynge * 1.9 the lyfe of his father, was noted to be fiers and of wanton courage: it hapned, that one of his seruantes, whom he well fauoured, was for felony by him committed, arrained at the kynges benche: where of the prince beinge aduertised, and incensed by lyghte persones aboute him, in furious rage came hastily to the barre, where his seruāt stode as a prisoner, and commaunded hym to be vngyued and set at libertie. wherat all men were abashed, reserued the chiefe Iustice, who humbly exhorted the prince, to be cō∣tēted, that his seruaunt mought be ordred, accordynge to the aunciente lawes of this realme: or if he wolde haue hym saued frō the rigour of the lawes, that he shulde op∣teyne, if he moughte, of the kynge his fa∣ther, his gratious pardon, wherby no lawe or iustyce shulde be derogate. With whiche answere the prince nothynge appeased, but

rather more inflamed, endeuored him selfe to take away his seruant. The iuge consi∣dering the perillous example, and incōue∣nience that mought therby insue, with a va¦lyant spirite and courage, commanded the prince vpon his alegeance, to leaue the pri¦soner, and depart his way, with which com¦mandment the prince being set all in a fury, all chafed and in a terrible maner, came vp to the place of iugement, mē thinkyng that he wold haue slayne the iuge, or haue done to hym some damage: but the iuge sittynge styll without mouīg, declaring the maiestie of the kynges place of iugement, and with an assured and bolde countenaunce, had to the prince, these wordes folowyng,

¶ Syr, remembre your selfe, I kepe here the place of the kyng your soueraine lorde and father, to whom ye owe double obedi∣ence, wherfore eftesoones in his name, I charge you desyste of your wylfulnes and vnlaufull enterprise, & from hensforth giue good example to those, whyche hereafter shall be your propre subiectes. And nowe, for your contempte and disobedience, goo you to the prysone of the kynges benche, wherevnto I commytte you, and remayne ye there prisoner vntyll the pleasure of the kynge your father be further knowen. with whiche wordes beinge abashed, and

also wondrynge at the meruaylous graui∣tie of that worshypfulle Sustyce, the noble prince layinge his weapon aparte, doynge reuerence, departed, and wente to the kyn¦ges benche, as he was commanded. wher∣at his seruauntes disdaynynge, came and shewed to the kynge all the hole affaire. Wherat he awhyles studyenge, after as a man all rauyshed with gladnesse, holdynge his eien and handes vp towarde heuen, a∣braided, saying with a loude voice, O mer∣cyfull god, howe moche am I, aboue all o∣ther men, bounde to your infinite goodnes, specially for that ye haue gyuen me a iuge, who feareth nat to minister iustyce, and al∣so a sonne, who can suffre semblably, and o∣beye iustyce?

¶ Nowe here a man may behold thre per∣sones, worthy excellent memorie, Fyrste a iuge, who beinge a subiecte, feared nat to execute iustyce on the eldest son of his so∣ueraigne lorde, and by the order of nature his successour. Also a prince, and sonne and heire of the kyng, in the myddes of his fu∣rye, more consydered his euyll example, & the iuges constance in iustice, than his own astate or wylfull appetite. Thirdly, a noble kynge and wyse father, who cōtrary to the custome of parētes, reioyced to se his sōne, and the heire of his crowne, to be for his

bysobedyence, by his subiecte corrected. wherfore I conclude, that nothing is more honorable, or to be desired in a price or no∣ble man, than placabilite. As contrary wise, nothinge is so detestable or to be feared in suche one, as wrathe and cruell malignitie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cice. off. 1.
• * 1.2

  Ire or wrathe.
• * 1.3

  Ouidi{us} de erte amādi
• * 1.4

  wrathe
• * 1.5

  Alexander in furye.
• * 1.6

  The horri¦ble crueltie of Sylla & Marius.
• * 1.7

  Pyrrhus.
• * 1.8

  Placabi∣litie.
• * 1.9

  A good Iudge, a good prīce a good kīg