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

The examples of continence, gyuen by noble men. Capl. XVII.

NOwe wil I speke of CONTINENCS, whiche is specially in refraynynge or forbearynge the acte of carnall plea∣sure, whervnto a man is feruently meued, or is at libertie to haue it. Whiche vndoubted∣ly is a thynge not onely diffycyle, but also wonderfull in a man noble or of great auto∣ritye▪ but in suche one as it hapeneth to be, nedes muste be reputed moche vertue and wysedome, & to be supposed, that his minde is inuincible, consyderynge that nothynge

so sharpely assaileth a mans minde, as doth carnalle affection, called (by the folowers therof) loue. wherfore Plato saith, that the soule of man, which by loue is possessed, di∣eth in his owne body, & lyueth in an other.

¶ The gret kyng Alexāder, after his first victorie agaynst kynge Darius, hauyng all wayes in his hooste, the wyfe of the same Darius, whiche incomparably excelled all other women in beaultie, wolde neuer, af∣ter he had ones sene her, haue her come in his presence. Al be it that he caused her a∣state styl to be mainteined, and with as mo∣che honour as euer it was: and to theym, whiche wondrynge at the ladyes beautie, meruayled, why Alexander dyd nat desire to haue with her company, he aunswered, saying, It shuld be to hym a reproche, to be ony wyse subdued by the wyfe of hym, whō he had vanquyshed.

¶ Antfochus, the noble kynge of Asia, in the citie of Ephesum, behelde a virgin (be∣inge a Mynchen in the temple of Diana) of excellent beautie, and perceyuyng hym selfe to be rauyshed in the loue of the mai∣den, hastily and immediatly departed oute of the citie, lest loue shulde constrayn hym to violate the virgine: wysely consydering that it was best, to absteyne from doing ba∣tayle with that enmy, which vneth mought

be vanquished, but by flyght onely.

¶ The valyaunt Pompei, whan he hadde vanquyshed the kynge Mithridates, and had taken dyuers of his concubynes, whi∣che in beautie excelled, wold haue no car∣nall knowlege with any of them: but whan he knewe, that they were of noble lignage, sente theym vndefyled to theyr parentes and kynnesfolke.

¶ Semblably dyd Scipio, whan he wanne Carthage. For amonge dyuers womenne, whiche were there taken: one most faireste of other, was brought vnto him, to do with her his plesure. But after that she had dis∣couered to hym, that she was affyanced to a gentylle man, called Indibilis, he caused him to be sent for, and whan he behelde the lamētation & signes of loue betwene them, he nat only deliuerid her to Indibilis, with her raunsome, whiche her frendes hadde payde for her redemption: but also added therto an honorable porcion of his owne treasure. By the whyche contynence and lyberalitie, he wan the hartes of Indibilis and all his blode, wherby he the soner op∣tayned and wanne all the countrey.

¶ Of this vertue be exāplesinnumerable, as well of gentiles as of christen men: But these for this tyme, shall suffyse, sauynge for the strangenesse of it, I wyll reherse a

notable hystorie, whiche is remembred by the most excellent doctor saynte Hierome.

¶ Ualerian beinge emperour of Rome, & persecutyng the churche, In Egipt was a christen man presented vnto hym, whome he beholdynge to be yonge and lusty, thin∣kynge therfore to remoue hym frome the faythe, rather by veneryall mocions, than by sharpenesse of tourmentes, caused hym to be layde in a bedde within a fayre gar∣dayne, hauynge aboute hym all flowres of swete odour and moste delectable sauours and perfumes. And than caused a fayre ten der yonge woman to be layd by hym al na∣ked, who ceassed nat swetely and louyngly to embrace and kysse hym, shewing to hym all plesant deuises, to the intent to prouoke him to fornication. There lacked litle, that the yong mā was nat vāquisshed, & that the fleshe yelded nat to the seruyce of Uenus. That {per}ceiuing the yong mā, which was ar mid with grace, & seing none other refuge, with his teth did gnawe of his owne tūge, wherwith he suffred suche incredible pein, that therwith the brennyng of voluptuous appetite was vtterly extincte.

¶ In this notable acte, I wote not which is to be commended, eyther his inuincible corage, in resisting so moch against nature, or his wisedome, in subduing the lasse peyn

with the more: and bytyng of that, wherby he mought be cōstrained to blasphem god, or renounce his religion. Sure I am, that he therfore receyued immortalle lyfe, and perpetuall glorie.

¶ And this I suppose suffiseth, to {per}swade mē of good nature, to embrace Continēce. I meane nat to lyue euer chast: but to ho∣nour matrimony, and to haue good awayt, that they let nat the sparkes of concupis∣cence grow in great flames, wherwith the wyttes shal be dryed vp, and all noble ver∣tues deuoured.

Notes

• Alexander
• Antioch{us}
• Pompeius
• Scipio.
• A wonder full conti∣nence in & Christian martyr.