A looking glasse for the court. Composed in the Castilian tongue by the Lorde Anthony of Gueuarra Bishop of Mondouent, and chronicler to the Emperour Charles. And out of Castilian drawne into Frenche by Anthony Alaygre. And out of the French tongue into Englishe by Sir Fraunces Briant Knight one of the priuy Chamber, in the raygne of K. Henry the eyght.
Guevara, Antonio de, Bp., d. 1545?, Tymme, Thomas, d. 1620,, Bryan, Francis, d. 1550,
Page  56

The .xvi. Chapiter. ¶By how much the common wealthes and the courtes of the tyme passed were more perfite then the courtes of the tyme present.

THe king Anchises did lamēt the de∣struction of the proude Troye, done by the princes of Greece: The Quéene Rosaine bewailed her husband Darius, when he was ouercome by the great Alexander.

Ieremy the Prophet complained the estate of Babilon, when it was held cap∣tiue. Kyng Dauid lamented his sonne Absolon when Ioab kylde hym. The Lady Cleopatra thought no nother but to dye for sorow when her deare & wel∣beloued Marcus Antonius was van∣quished by the Emperour Augustus. The Consul Marcus Marcellus lamen∣ted the Citie of Syracuse when he sawe it on fyre. Salust, Rome, euil gouerned.

The Patriarche Iacob hys sonne Page  [unnumbered]Ioseph: The king Demetrius his good father Antigonus, when he found him dead at the battail of Marathone. It shalbe also conuenient that amonges these well renoumed princes we should lament the miseries of our tyme, in the which we sée thinges so merueylous, that the curious auctours of the tyme passed, neuer wrote thinges semblable vnto them: Nor the men in those dayes neuer sawe the lyke. Truth it is that the Chroniclers in those dayes wrote what they would, In our tyme scant a∣ny man dare speake.

The Philosopher Ariminius hath written of the aboundaunce of Egipt: Demophon of the fartilitie of Arabia: Thucidides of the treasures of Tyrus: Asclepius of the Mynes of Europe: Do∣drillus in the commendacion and pray∣singes of Grece: Leonides of the trium∣phes of Thebes: Eumenides of ye gouerne∣ment of Athens: Thesiphontes of the or∣der that is kepte in the court, and of the princely houses of the Siciomens: Pitheas of the profit that came by the litle spea∣king Page  57 of the disciples of Socrates: Apolli∣nus of the continencie & abstinence that was kepte in schooles of the diuine Pla∣to: Myronides of the great exercise, and of the litle rest that was in the house of Hyarcus: Aulus Gelyus of the tempe∣rance and litle eating, and of the mode∣rate sléeping of the disciples of maister Fauorimus: Plutarch of the wyse wo∣men of Greece, and of the chaste wyues of Rome: Dyodorus, how those ye were inhabitants in the Isles of Balyares cast their treasure into the sea for feare lest the straungers for couetousnes of their riches should make them warres, and to the entente also that no parcialitie should grow among themselues.

Hearyng then all this that I haue sayd, I demaund of the reader hys ad∣uyse what my penne should wryte of our tyme? If we should write of boun∣tie and veritie, we should falsely lye: If of riches, men be so gréedy that all be disposed to desyre and hunger couetous∣ly.* How shall we then prayse the men of our tyme? Shall wée say they bee Page  [unnumbered] hardy and puissaunt and learned, and we sée that they employ their myndes to nothing els but to robbe and beguile eche one the other?* How shall we praise them of prsoperitie and health, seeyng that the pestilence & the French pockes more then common is among them?* How shall wee commende their con∣tinencie and abstinence, séeyng that scant in fiftie yeares ye shall not finde one that will bridle his lust and desire?* Shall we praise them of litle rest and of much exercise, whē we sée that there is a greater nomber that geue thēselues to idlenes and thefery,* then to honest trauails & paynes? How shal we praise thē of temperate eating,* whē we sée in our dayes the belly is mens God? How shall we commende them for hauyng chast women and obedient, seyng that there is nothing more common amōg them then adultery?*

Shall we say, they be not couetous, sée∣yng that not onely men serch golde and siluer in déepe mynes, but men trauail to séeke it as farre as the Indiens, of a Page  58 vyneyarde so frosen, of a trée so dry, of fruit so vnrype, of a water so troubled, of bread so euil baken, of so much false golde, of a worlde so suspicious, what shall we hope any other therof but euil and cōfusion? Let vs reade that is writ∣ten of the courtes of the princes of Siria, of Percia, of Macedonia, of Crecia, and final∣ly of the Romaines: And let vs conferre these to our courtes, and ye shal sée such euils and vicious customes in our com∣mon wealthes, that the auncientes did neuer attaine to the knowlege how to commit suche abhominacions, nor yet (I say) to inuēt such euils. In those most happy tymes and golden worldes an euil condicioned man scant durst to haue shewed himselfe in anye honest company: but now alas (a thing to be lamented) the worlde is so replenished with dissolute and corrupt liuing, that it is counted but a small faulte to bée euil, except he be such a one as is past al shame & grace. The cortiers wil not de∣ny me but yt whiles they geue attēdāce for ye vprising of their maisters, they Page  [unnumbered] tell eche one the other what pastyme they haue had ye night before,* how they haue played, sworne and stared at their game, of their laughinges, & the compa∣nies they haue had wt the gētle dames: which of them was fayrest & best appa∣relled? & sometime in secret of those that they haue committed adultery withal.

And thus, as the worlde is new, the inuencions are new, the playes newe, the garments new, new speaking, new maners,* and euery yeare, euery moneth yea and euery day, and euery houre: we see vices so largely delated, & vertue so diminished, yt I am ashamed to write it: And ye true cause is, yt in ye court ver∣tue hath many controllers & enemyes,* and vice innumerable vpholders and maynteiners. For if there be brought into the court one laudable custome, it is no sooner come, but forthwith it is chased away: And on the other parte, vice cannot so soone appeare, but it is as soone embrased and entertained. The sage lawyer Lygurgus did defende ex∣pressely by a lawe that the straungers Page  59 should not know the secrets of his com∣mon welth nor that his citezens should meddle much abroad, for that purpose as is sayd, that in medling with them, they should not learne their vices nor their barberous condicions.

In the tyme when Marcus Portius was Consull,* there came an excellent Musiciā out of Grece into Rome, which for because that he put one string more on his harpe then was accustomed to bée played withall, he was by the consent of the people banished from Rome & hys harp burnt: Howbeit in this our time, we could wel agrée wt Musique, & wold not passe how many strings ye harp had: so yt mē might agrée & stay themselues.

Plutarch sayeth that he sawe once at Rome a priest of Greece stoned to death in the great place of Campus Marcus, be∣cause that he did sacrifice to ye Goddesse Berecinthe in other maner then they were accustomed to be sacrificed vnto. Suetonius that affirmeth that in .iiij.C.lxiiij. yeares which was the tyme that the temple Vierges Vastales endured, Page  [unnumbered] there was neuer founde but iiij. euill liuing persons, which were Domicia, Rhea, Albina and Cornelia, the which for their offences were openly buryed quycke. If at this day one would re∣gister the names of such like, to be so pu¦nished, I leaue it to your iudgement whether there should lacke hāgmen to doe execusion. Threbelius Publius sayd that ye Emperour Aurilianus Quintus toke a great frend of his frō ye office of Dictator, which was named Rogerius, onely because he had daunsed at ye wed∣ding of Posteria Auia his nigh neighbor saying,* yt the good Iudge shuld not leaue his grauitie & vse such wylde and com∣mon playes. But so it is, whatsoeuer this Emperour sayde, In our tyme we will geue licence to iudges to remoue their féete as fast as they will,* so that they holde their handes still. It shall make no matter to ye poore pleader whe∣ther his iudge sing or daunce, so that he minister iustice with expedicion,* that the poore man come not oftentimes and geue to muche attendance. In thys Page  60 case it were very good to rayse the Em∣peror Domitian, which as Suetonius writeth made a lawe, that whosoeuer prolonged the proces of his clyant more thē one yeare, that he should for euer be banished Rome. If thys holy lawe had dured to this day, there shuld haue béen more banished in Rome and els where, then there are now citizens.