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 the disagreement of a waueryng minde. The .Lxxv. Dialogue.

SOROWE.

I AM troubled with the disagreeyng of my minde.

Reason.

There is no warre woorse then this, no not ciuile warre: For that is betweene Citizens, but this with a mans owne selfe. That is betweene factions of Citizens in the streetes of the Cities, but this is fought within in y^e minde, betweene the partes of the soule. And therefore, forasmuche as there is a kynde of warre, which is counted more then ciuyll warre, where not Citi∣zens onely, but kinsmen also fyght among them selues, as was betweene Caesar and Pompei, of whiche it was sayde, Heere brethren stoode, and there was shedde the parentes blood: Muche more truely may that be so called, where not the father agaynst the sonne, nor brother agaynst brother, but man agaynst hym selfe doth contende: duryng whiche stryfe, the minde hath ney∣ther quietnesse, nor securitie.

Sorowe.

My minde is at vari∣ance, and distracted with diuers affections.

Reason.

Away with that variance: begynne to minde one thyng. For tyll those contrary affections, lyke seditious Citizens, minde one and the same thyng, neuer shall the minde be quiete and at peace with it

selfe. But as the Ague of bodyes commeth through contrarie and corrupt humours, so contrarie affections engender the Ague of mindes, the whiche by so muche is the more dangerous, by how muche the minde is more noble then the body, and eternall death more terrible, then the temporall: in eche yf a meane be obserued, health may notably be maynteyned.

Sorowe.

My minde is at debate, and chooseth not what it woulde.

Reason.

Thou nowe tyest the cause of euyll, and euyll it selfe together, supposing the same to be at debate, because it chooseth not: But let it once begyn to choose, & the stryfe wyll quicklie ceasse, I say let it choose to wyll that good is, not euyll, for els it wyl be so far from finding quietnesse, that more and more it shal be disquieted. For vices can neuer agree together: but where vertues are, there is peace and concorde.

Sorow.

My minde is at dissension, being deuided into partes.

Reason.

Philosophers haue de∣stinguished the mind into three partes: the fyrst wherof, as the go∣uernour of mans lyfe, heauenly, blessed, & next vnto GOD, they haue placed in the head, as it were in a Towre, where quiet and honest cogitations and willes doo dwell: the second, in the brest, where anger and malice boyleth: the thyrd, in the neather partes, from whence proceedeth lust and concupiscence, the tempest of this sea is double: so thou seest now what thou hast to doo. Doo as Menenius dyd, of whom euen now I spake, he perswaded the common people to come vnder the gouernement of the Sena∣tours, whose profitable counsayle they followyng, were brought from dissension to amitie: so he counsayled them, but yf counsayle wyl not serue, doo thou compell thyne abiect and base partes to obeye the noble: For tyl that be brought about, neuer looke to be quiet in minde: And lacking quietnesse, surely mans lyfe is vn∣setled, and foolyshe, and tossed about, and vncertaine, and blinde, yea, altogether miserable. Many in all theyr lyfe tyme, knowe not what they woulde haue.

Sorow.

I am troubled in minde, and knowe not what I woulde.

Reason.

Thou hast moe compa∣nions, troubled not once or twyse, but, as last of all I sayde, all theyr lyfe tyme. And truely among all that thou hast sayde, thou hast not, and saye what thou wylt, thou canst not, almoste shewe a greater miserie.

Sorowe.

I am

tossed, and diuersly enclined.

Reason.

To be in suche a case, is a notable argument that the minde is not wel. For as a sicke bo∣dy tumbleth on the bedde: so a sicke minde knoweth not what to stycke vnto. Suche are in a most miserable case. For better doo I conceyue of hym which stoutly persisteth in wickednesse (for if he repent, happily he wyl be as constant in well doyng, as he was impudent in naughtinesse) then of a lyght brayne, which carelesly neglecteth al counsayle: for yf he at any tyme begyn to doo well, he is soone weerie, and wyll not persiste, but remayneth altogea∣ther ignorant, so that we may well apply that obscure saying of Seneca vnto hym: They which doo not that they shoulde, consume the tyme without profite, for dooyng nowe that, nowe this, and neuer continue in one, may well be sayde to doo that they should not: albe∣it that place may otherwyse be applyed.

Sorowe.

I am op∣pressed with cares.

Reason.

As though among the swellyng waues, the shyppe of thy lyfe, beyng voyde of counsayle, and desti∣tute of a Master, coulde escape shypwracke, if thou doo not whyle tyme serueth ride in some quiet and safe Port, and there lye at Anker, before the tempest of the minde doo ouerwhelme thee.

Sorow.

I am caried away, knowyng not what to doo.

Reason.

And so besides the peryls of the minde, whiche are incompre∣hensible and infinite, your lookes are diuers and strange, lyke the minde, whiche as Cicero wryteth, maketh the same, and beyng in such a state, now merrie, now sadde, now feareful, now secure, now swyft, now slowe in gate, thou art a notable garyng stocke for al men, through the varietie of such gesture, as was Catiline. But once settle thy selfe to wyll, and doo well: but otherwyse, yf thou wyll that yll is, styll shalt thou be as thou art: For vice is alwayes variable. Settle thy selfe, I say, to wyll that good is, and then shalt thou fynde, as thy minde quieted, so thy lookes stayed, and all thy gestures vniforme, vnchangable, eyther through hope, or feare, through ioye, or griefe, whiche is a speciall part of graui∣tie, seene in very fewe men, and hyghly commended among the Grecians in Socrates, and in Lelius among your Countreymen, and last of al in Marcus Antonius, and in Aurelius Alexander among your Princes.