Phisicke against fortune, aswell prosperous, as aduerse conteyned in two bookes. Whereby men are instructed, with lyke indifferencie to remedie theyr affections, aswell in tyme of the bryght shynyng sunne of prosperitie, as also of the foule lowryng stormes of aduersitie. Expedient for all men, but most necessary for such as be subiect to any notable insult of eyther extremitie. Written in Latine by Frauncis Petrarch, a most famous poet, and oratour. And now first Englished by Thomas Twyne.

Of one yeeres barrennesse. The .Lviij. Dialogue.

SOROWE.

I Am oppressed with the barrennesse of one yeere.

Reason.

Plentie then will be the better welcome vnto thee: euery thing is best knowne by comparyng it with the contrary.

Sorowe.

My lande hath deceyued myne expectation.

Reason.

It is not thy lande that hath deceyued thee, but thy wyckednesse and greedinesse of mynde: you promyse your selues euery thyng to fall out as you would haue them, lyke proude fooles, beyng wor∣thie in your owne opinion that nature her selfe shoulde be at your commaundement. Who yf she dare receyue her ryght, and fayle once to satisfie the deepe and bottomelesse whyrlpoole of your co∣uetous mynds, which nothyng is able to fyl, then seemeth she vn∣to you straunge, and couetous, & iniurious. This is no righteous nor modest hope, but the imaginations of an immoderate desire: yee feigne that those thynges shall come to passe whiche you woulde haue, and if you mysse ought thereof, you call it a losse: thy lande keepeth it olde custome, and thou thyne. For the bar∣rennesse and fruitefulnes of the earth come by course, but your co∣uetousnesse is continual: You, beyng most partiall interpretours of all thynges, when as you ought to take the first thankefully and soberly, and the seconde patiently and valiantly, the one you contemne, the other you bewayle, the one maketh you proude, the other playntyffe.

Sorowe.

My lande whiche promised me better successe, hath deceiued me.

Reason.

You weery the earth with your oxen and plowes, and heauen with your vowes and prayers. The blowing of the wyndes, the oportunitie of shewres, the comelinesse of the springyng trees, the beautie of the fieldes, the Wynters dust, the Springs durt, the Sommer Sun, the rypenesse of haruest, all these do drawe your couetous mindes into hope. And lyke as euery flambe setteth on fyre the drie stubble, and euery wynde bloweth abrode the loose dust: euen so euery gaine engendreth hope to the couetous minde, and the least losse, not of substance only, but also of hope, quite confoundeth him. But O you wretches, moderate your vnseemely motions, restraine your vnmeasurable couetousnesse, and chasten your cre∣bulus hope, which hath ben frustrated by a thousand successes: to what end do you looke vpon heauen and earth? Plentifulnesse commeth from God only. O ye mortal men, suffer him to worke his pleasure, & behold you what is done, & praise it. Let the worke∣man woorke, & denye not vnto God that reuerence which ought to be geuen to a man that is skilful in any science. Let vesselles of

earth be ashamed to controule the heauenly potter, but in voyce and mynde geue thanks vnto hym for al thing, who being priuie of your necessities, and not ignorant of your desires, relieueth the one, and frustrateth the other: in both he is mercyful, and ter∣rible in counsell ouer the sonnes of men, insomuche as it is writ∣ten of hym, Put your trust nowe at length, not in your fieldes, but in the Lorde, woorke righteousnesse, and inhabite the earth, and feede on his riches, and take pleasure in the Lorde, and he shall graunt you your hartes desire: whiche, when you haue once begunne to take delyght in hym, cannot be couetous nor vniust. Lay foorth your wayes before him, and trust in hym, and he wyl bryng it to passe. Cast your cares vpon the Lorde, and he wyll noorishe you. Why doo you thynke vpon & loue nothyng but the earth. O ye that were fashioned by the hande of God? Doo not contemne these sacred speaches as you were woont to do, pray not for rayne, or shyning, or any other weather agreable to your appetite, put not your confidence in the earth, but only in hym that beholdeth the earth, and maketh it to tremble, who draweth the moyst streames out of the hardest rockes, who, to be briefe, hath suffered thee to be deceiued by the fielde, to the end thou shouldest put thy trust in him that neuer de∣ceiueth.

Sorowe.

I haue lost much of my accustomed plenty.

Reason.

That is only withholden, which eyther y^e yeres goyng before dyd geue ouermuche, or the yeeres folowyng shal geue hereafter. A litle moderation is sufficient. Couetousnesse encrea∣seth by gayne, and the more it hath, the poorer it is. Plentie is a great mother, a great nurse and fauourer of vices: Suffer some∣what to be diminished from thy euils, the lesse plenty thou hast, the lesse shalbe thy pryde, & the lesse thy licentiousnesse. Adde here∣vnto moreouer, that this the default of thy land would be coun∣ted beneficial & plentie among some, and thou thy self, if thou were accustomed vnto scarcitie, wouldest iudge this to be plentie: so great a sway doth custome alwayes beare in discerning matters, and hath so great a force. What maruayle then is it now, if they contemne moderate things, which are accustomed vnto superflu∣ous? then which there is no storme greater to the ouerthrowe of modestie.

Sorowe.

I am greeued with vnaccustomed bar∣rennesse.

Reason.

Often tymes the plague of barrennesse

bryngeth foorth the more valiant men, and the blessing of plenty more effeminate, and not only bringeth them foorth, but maketh them suche, and hardeneth or softeneth them that are borne els where. Thus dyd Asia first mollifie the French men immediate∣ly after the Romanes, and Babilon vanquyshed Alexander, and Capuariannes hardened the nature of the Romanes, and sharp∣ned it as it had been a Whetstone. Since plentie then hath sof∣tened thee, let scarcitie harden thee: Let thy lande teache thee sobrietie, and let thy barren grounde perswade thee vnto that, whereunto thy plentifull bookes cannot. There is no man that ought to be despised that professeth hym selfe a teacher of profita∣ble doctrine. Learne to lyue well: Learne, I say, though thou be olde, though thou be vnwyllyng, yea though thou dis∣dayne at it.