The heroe of Lorenzo, or, The way to eminencie and perfection a piece of serious Spanish wit / originally in that language written ; and in English by Sir John Skeffington, Kt. and Barronet.

EXCELLENCIE III.

La meior prenda de un Heroe.

The chief quality of an Heroe.

GReat parts are re∣quisite to make up a great entirenes, and great qualities are necessa∣ry to raise the Frame of an Heroe.

Passionate men give it in the first place to the un∣derstanding to be the ori∣ginall of all greatnes: And as they do not admit of a great man without exces∣ses of understanding; So neither do they acknow∣ledge a man to be of emi∣nent understanding, ex∣cept he be great.

The most eminent of visible things is a man, in respect of his understand∣ing, and consequently his victories are the greatest.

This principall part is composed of two others: a stock of judgment, and an elevation of spirit, which being met together in one

subject, form a Prodigy.

Philosophie hath prodi∣gally assigned faculties to the memory, and as much ••o the intellectuall parts: Yet give the politick leave with better reason, to ad∣mit a division betwixt ••udgement and wit, be∣twixt the Synderisis and 〈…〉〈…〉cutenes of spirit.

Only this distinction of 〈…〉〈…〉telligences, exceedes a 〈…〉〈…〉crupulous truth: condem∣ning so much multiplicati∣on of spirits, to make a confusion betwixt the un∣derstanding and the will.

The Judgement is the Throne of Prudence, and Wit the spheare of Acute∣nes:

But to judge whether the eminency of one, or the mediocrity of the o∣ther, should have the pre∣cedence, will be a plead∣ing to be held before the Tribunall of Sense, and of every ones inclination: I shall be of that womans mind, who praying for her son said, Hrjo bios te de entendimiento del bueno.

Courage, and promp∣nes, and subtilty of wit, are like the Sun of the world in abridgment; they are like the sparkes, if they be not the very beams of Di∣vinity: Every Heroe hath had a share in the excesses of spirit.

The words of Alexan∣der gave a lustre to his Actions: Caesar was as prompt in his thoughts, as he was in their Execu∣tion.

But when I endeavour to set a true value upon the true Heroes, I find it doubt∣full which was more emi∣nent in St. Augustine, the Majesty of his stile, or the quicknes of his conceipt: and in that famous Laurel which was given by Hues∣ca to make a Crown for the Roman Empire, Con∣stancy, and Subtilty, were at strife which should have precedence.

The Promptitudes of

the Wit are as happy, as those of the Will are un∣fortunate: they serve as wings to fly up to great∣nes, wherwith many have rais'd themselves from a Center of dust and base∣nes, to the height of splen∣dor.

The Grand Signior u∣sing sometimes for a di∣version, to appear rather uppon a Balcone in a gar∣den, before ordinary peo∣ple, than in a place of pub∣lick expectation (the true prisons of Majesty, & irons of greatnes) began one day to read a letter, which the wind, either in sport, or to let him see there was a so∣••eraignty

above his, blew 〈…〉〈…〉ut of his hands and carry∣••d it among some scattered 〈…〉〈…〉eaves. The Pages that at∣••ended, being emulous to ••lease so great a Prince, 〈…〉〈…〉an down the staires to ••each it up; But one among ••he rest, a Ganimede of in∣••ention that had practised 〈…〉〈…〉o support himself in the 〈…〉〈…〉yr, threw himself down ••rom the Balcone, to re∣••over the paper, and sud∣〈…〉〈…〉ainly again remounting with it, presented it to the Grand Signior while the rest were but running down to fetch it: And this to speak properly was a right remounting or rai∣sing

himself to greatnes: For the Prince, sufficienly charm'd and flatter'd by so rare an action, preferr'd the Page to the highest degree of his merit; and so it becomes verified, that subtilty of spirit, if it be not in its own right posses∣ed of a Kingdom, deserves to be a compagnion to those that are.

This is that which dis∣playes our best abilityes: it cries up reputation, and raises the subject to as great a height as the foun∣dation was layd deep.

The ordinary speeches of a King are refin'd and crown'd subtilties: The

great treasures of Mo∣narchs have often perisht and come to nothing, but their sententious and wise speeches, are kept in the Cabinet and Jewell-house of Fame.

Some Champions have gotten more by a wise par∣ley, than by all the swords of their armed squadrons: victory being for the most part an atchievement that waits upon a refined spirit.

It was the touchstone, the trumpet of greatest honor to that King of wise men and wisest of Kings, in that difference which was pleaded before him by the two harlots concer∣ning

their children: So we see that subtilty contri∣butes as much to the repu∣tation of Justice.

He that is their Sun of Justice, and sometimes a∣sistant at the tribunal of the Barbarians: The viva∣city of that great Turke enters in competition with that of Salomon: A Jew pretended to cut an ounce of the flesh of a Christian upon a penalty of Usury; he urged it to the Prince, with as much obstinacy as perfidiousness towards God. The great Judge cōmanded a pair of scales to be brought, threat∣ning the Jew with death if

he cut either more or less: And this was to give a sharp decision to a malici∣ous process, and to the world a miracle of subtil∣ty.

Quicknes is an Oracle in the greatest doubts: A Sphynx in Aenigmaes, a golden thred in a Laby∣rinth, and corresponds most with the nature of a Lyon, who reserves his greatest force till he be in the greatast danger.

But there are a sort of lost wits, that are as prodi∣gall of their spirits as of their fortunes: To high designes they are like ba∣stard Falcons; but for base

and mean undertakings they are Eagles: If cruell men must be satiate with blood; they must be with poyson, in whom their subtilty abates by a con∣trariety of levity, burying them in an Abyssus of scorn by making the world weary of their foo∣lery.

Hitherto we have had the favours of Nature, hereafter we expect the perfections of Art: The first is that which begets spirit, the second feeds and seasons it self with the salt of other mens wits; and many times by an antici∣pated care and study upon

divers Observations.

The words and actions of other men, are to a fer∣tile capacity, like Seeds, from whence springs a sharpnes of wit, where∣with the spirit being en∣richt, multiplies it self into a harvest of promptitudes, with abundance of subtil∣ty.

I take not in hand to ad∣vocate the cause of judg∣ment, since she is able to say enough for her self.