some intitle it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, of pleasure. Therein hee maketh sixe rankes of goods, in the second standes the thinges proportionate, faire, perfect sufficient, and such like. In the third vnderstanding, and sapience. In the fourth, the goods of the soule, sciences, artes and good opinions. But in the first, he putteth measure, moderation and oportunity. All which (as hee writeth to Dionysius) import that GOD is the proportion, cause, measure, author and moderator of all goodnesse. And in his 2. de Repub. hee calleth GOD, the greatest good and the Idea of good. And therefore Apuleius defineth GOD to bee the professor and bestower of Beatitude: Dogm: Plat. And Speusippus defineth him to be, A liuing immortall and supernaturall essence, sufficing to beatitude, and cause of nature and all goodnesse.
The contemplation of this good didde Plato say, made a man happy. For in his Banquet; Diotima, a most wise woman biddeth Socrates to marke her speach well. And then falling into a discourse that our loue concerned beauty, at last shee drew to a deeper theame, affirming a beauty that was eternall, immutable and vndiminished, nor increased, nor fayre in one part and not in another, nor beeing subiect to any vicissitude, or alteration of times: Nor beauty∣full in one respect and not in all: Whose beauty is neyther altered by place, nor opinion, nor is as a part, or an accident of that essence wherein it is. But it is euer existem in one and the same forme, and from thence flowes all the Worldes beauty: yet so, as neyther the originall of any thing decreaseth it, nor the decay augmenteth it, or giueth any effect, or change to it. This holy and venerable beauty when a man beginneth to behold truly, that is bee∣ing dislinked from the loue of other beauties, then is not hee farre from the toppe of his perfection. For that is the way to thinges truly worth desiring: Thus must wee bee truly ledde vn•…•… it, when a man ascendeth by degrees from these inferior beauties vnto that supreme one, transporting him-selfe from one fayre obiect vnto two, and so vnto all the rest of all beauty∣full desires, where-vppon the like disciplines must needes follow, of which the onely cheefe and cheefly to bee followed, is the contemplation of that supreme beauty, and from thence to draw this lesson, thus must a man internally beauteous, direct his life. Saw you, but this once cleare, you would scorne ritches, honours and exterior formes. Tell me now (saith shee) how great a happynesse should hee giue thee that should shew thee this sincere, this purest beauty, not circumscript with a forme of mortality, nor with coullors nor mettals, or such like trash, but in it selfe meerely diuine, and one and the same to all eternity? I pray thee wouldst thou not admire his life that should haue his wisnes so full as to behold and inioy this gloryous beauty? O gloryous pertaker of vnchanged solid vertue! Friend of the all powerfull God, and aboue all other Diuine and immortall. These are the wordes of wise Diotyma vnto Socrates to which hee replyeth that hee beleeued her, and that hee laboureth to perswade man-kinde that there is no such meane to attaine the possession of this pulchritude, as the loue of it: and that no man should thinke it were ynough to dispute of it in wordes, or to contemplate there-vppon with an vnpur∣ged heart. Which things is hard, nay neere impossible saith Plato: yet teacheth hee that beatitude is attained by imitation of GOD (De leg. 4.) where speaking of GODS friendes and ene∣mies, hee saith, That it must bee a wise mans continuall meditation how to follow God, and make him the rule of his courses before all mortall men, to whose likenesse his cheefe study must bee to •…•…old him-selfe. what it is to be like GOD hee sheweth in his Thaeatetus, it is to bee iust, wise and holy. And in his Epistle to Hermeas and his fellowes, hee saith, That if any man bee a Phylosopher, hee aymeth at the knowledge of God, and his father, as farre as happy men can at∣tayne it. And in his Epinomis, speaking of GOD, hee saith: Him doth each man especially admire, and consequently is inflamed with the power of humaine witte to labour for this bea∣titude in this life present, and expecting a place after death with those that haue ser∣ued vertue. This saith Plato, who placed the greatest beatitude in the life to come. For hee sayth in the same booke, That none (or very few) can attayn happynesse in this life, but great hope there is after this life to inioy the happynesse for which wee haue beene so care∣full to keep and continue our courses in goodnesse and honesty. And towards the end hee saith: It is wickednes to neglect God, the reason of all beeing so fully already discouered. Hee that can make vse of all this, I c•…•…t him truly wise, and firmely avow that when hee dyeth, he shall not be any longer in the common fashion of this life, but haue a certayne peculiar excellence alloted him, to bee both most wise and most happie? And liue a man so, where he will, in Iland or continent, hee shall pertake this faelicity: and so shall he that vseth these directions wheresoeuer, in gouernment of others, or in priuate estate referring all to God. But as wee sayd before, so say wee still, very few attaine this per∣fection