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 Bondage. The vii. Dialogue.

SOROWE.

I Entred a bondman into this lyfe.

Reason.

Be not sory, thou shalt depart a free man, yf thou wylt thy selfe, as many haue doone, who contrarywyse haue entred free, and depar∣ted bonde.

Sorowe.

I was seruylely borne.

Reason.

Lyue freely, there is nothyng letteth thee, for the better part of thee, to be free. There is one most grieuous kynde of bondage, whiche is synne, that is not able notwithstandyng to oppresse men agaynst theyr wylles: cast of that, and thou shalt be free.

Sorowe.

Fortune woulde needes make me a bondman.

Reason.

Thine owne wil may make thee otherwise, for although she vse her olde custome, neuerthelesse thou knowest what to hope for. Thou knowest what a monster she is, thou knowest her toyes and pastymes, it lyeth in thee not only to become a free man, but also Lorde ouer thy maister: although what she wyll or wyll not, it skylleth not, and albeit she be inexora∣ble, as some tyme she is, neuerthelesse she hath no power ouer the mynde: and in euery conflict agaynst her, we must re∣quyre ayde of her enimie. Many tymes whom fortune hath made bonde, vertue hath made free.

Sorowe.

I am op∣pressed with grieuous seruitude.

Reason.

Who so wyl∣lyngly beareth the yoke, maketh it lyght. I wyll tell thee a speciall comfort and an euerlastyng stay, whiche when thou art exempted from the controulement of thy mightie maister, wyll

make thee a free man, and rycher then thy maister hym selfe: apply the studie of wysedome, and she wyll set thee at liber∣tie. It is the saying of Cato, confyrmed by Cicero, That on∣ly the wyse man is free, namely, by that libertie, then which there is none more assured.

Sorowe.

I leade my lyfe vnder most harde maisters.

Reason.

They shalbe made gentle by no meanes more, then by faythfulnesse and dili∣gence, and perhaps in suche sort, whiche hath hapned vnto many, that therehence thou shalt gayne libertie, where nowe thou bewaylest thy bondage, and peraduenture by some other meanes, and from some other place. For some one is made free by his temporall maister, and some by the Eternall. Thou knowest, with howe great daunger Malchus escaped the threat∣nynges of his maister that persecuted hym, but neuerthelesse he escaped hym: In the meane whyle thynke thus of thy mai∣ster, that he maynteyneth thee, and hath taken vpon hym al the care ouer thee, whiche carefulnesse to leese a mans libertie, what is it to be called other then a profitable discommoditie? Ʋnto many, theyr libertie hath been bonde, and theyr bondage free. The yoke of men is not so greeuous, as the yoke of cares: who so can shake of the one, may indifferently beare the other. Ʋnto this man art thou a seruaunt, vnto hym art thou only bounde, yea he is bounde vnto thee, he is thy maister, or rather thy stewarde. Thou shalt not be aduaunced vnto publique pre∣fermentes, neyther shalt thou sustayne publique charges, nor counterfeite a careful mynde to the common wealth, thou shalt not be tossed with troubles and suites of Court and controuer∣sies, neyther be turmoyled with the vncertaynetie of aduise∣mentes, and counselles: no slownesse of saylyng, no barren∣nesse of f••eides, no dearth of victualles shall molest thee: These troubles leaue vnto thy maister, and many tymes thou shalt sleepe farre more soundly then be.

Sorowe.

I haue a frowarde and imperious Lorde.

Reason.

Thynke with thy selfe, that he was alotted vnto thee not without cause. Ther∣fore, whatsoeuer tust thyng he commaundeth, thynke that God hym selfe commaundeth it. But yf he commaunde any vniust thyng, it behooueth thee to thynke vppon the great Lorde,

who as he suffereth thee to be a seruant vnto honest though paine∣full affayres, so wyl he haue thee be free from dishonest: wher∣in this would I haue thee to vnderstande, that there is one that woulde haue the seruantes of the most glorious princes of the earth, and of the true religion, to be obedient vnto their carnal maisters in al thinges: and another that commaundeth them to be subiect vnto them in al feare, adding this moreouer, that they yeelde it not only vnto good and modest maisters, but also vnto the wicked, for it is not meete for the seruaunt to iudge of his maister, but to beare with his manners whatsoeuer they be. For the more outragious the maister is, the more appeareth the seruantes patience, and this is the cause, that the one of them maketh mention of this matter: but as they must suffer theyr manners, so ought they not alwayes obey theyr commaun∣dementes. For there are some thynges that may moste iustly be refused to be doone, yf they be repugnant to the pleasure of the heauenly Lorde and maister: with whom if this thine earth∣ly maister be compared, he is no longer thy maister, but thy fe∣low seruant, and so ought to be reputed. Thus therefore, let ser∣uantes obey their maisters in al thynges that they commaunde that are iust, let no payne nor difficultie stay them, no la∣bour hinder them, nor discourtesie nor rewarde denyed, or whiche is the moste bytter thyng of all, no punyshment inflic∣ted. Let them obey them in all thynges, so that iniury and dishonestie be away: otherwyse stubbornnesse and liber∣tie, and the brest and throate muste be set agaynst theyr vniust and dishonest commaundementes, and that muste be kept in remembraunce, whiche another of the promysers sayeth, who when he hadde commaunded that seruauntes shoulde obey theyr maisters in all thynges, he addeth, Not seruyng to the eye as men pleasers, but in singlenesse of hart, fearyng the Lorde. Hereby thou seest, what is the state of thy degree: he is not altogeather a seruaunt, that cannot be compelled to o∣bey wycked beheastes.

Sorowe.

I serue a proude Lorde.

Reason.

Howe knowest thou whether he serue the hyghest Lorde: Perhappes he is seruaunt to his wyfe, perhaps to his Harlot, perhaps to those that are vnder his gouernment:

how many see we dayly that are seruauntes vnto theyr vnder∣lynges: Last, whiche is the most greeuous bondage of all, per∣happes he is seruaunt to hym selfe, that is to say, to his owne vices, and passions, and violent affections. What shall I say: In trueth there are but fewe free, and those that are free, the more paynefull theyr lyfe is, the higher it is. It is muche more prompt and easie to accomplyshe the duetie of a ryghteous kyng, then of a faythfull seruaunt. It is an excellent saying of Diocletian while he was a priuate person and iudged of that which was past, and had learned muche by experience, That there is nothing more hard, then to gouerne an Empire: for whiche it may be thought he refused longer to be Emperour. Therefore embrace thou thy callyng gladly, whiche I confesse to be base and lowe, but easie and quiet, vnlesse thou thynke it an happier matter to stande panting in open syght, then to lye and rest in a chamber.

Sorowe.

My Fortune hath enforced mee into bondage.

Reason.

Doo that willingly, whiche thou must needes doo: that counsayle also is well knowen, and most fyt for humane necessi∣ties, Desyre that, which thou must needes, and so thou shalt frustrate the force of necessitie: beare the burden of Fortune patiently, whiche some haue doone of theyr owne accorde, and haue chosen to be bonde them selues, to delyuer other from bondage. Among whiche sort, most famous is the name of Paulinus Byshop of Nola, whose voluntarie seruitude, as it ought, had happie suc∣cesse. Certayne haue solde them selues for a small price, to the en∣tent that beyng made bonde, they myght redeeme their maisters from the bandes of sinne, and bryng them into true libertie, for whiche deede one Serapion an Egyptian Eremite, is muche renowmed: These examples shall doo thee more good, then mo∣nynges. Attempt thou some suche lyke matter, by meanes whereof thy seruitude may be profitable to others, or at leastwyse to thy selfe. Not to wyshe for that whiche thou hast not, but to vse well that whiche thou hast, is the part of a wyse man. The one of these hapneth vnto all men, the other but to fewe.

Sorowe.

I beyng a mortall man, am seruaunt to a mortall Maister.

Reason.

Begynne to serue the immortall Lorde: he promiseth thee libertie and a kyngdome, although

also whyle thou continuest in this state, thou art not restrayned from exercising good artes, and hopyng for better: and Te∣rence also was a seruaunt, and learned with no seruile disposi∣tion, and wrote Comedies with no seruile style, whereby he de∣serued libertie, and to be numbred among the chiefe Poetes. By what meanes then is it possible, that seruice shoulde be any imped••ment vnto vertue, whiche is an absolute good of the minde, since it can neyther hynder externall studies, nor out∣warde glorie? Plato hym selfe was carryed into bondage, and yet it is written, that the Philosopher was greater then he that bought hym: truely a woorthie profession, that maketh the seruaunt greater then his Maister. And doubt∣lesse a learned seruaunt, is in this respect greater then his vn∣learned Maister, by howe muche the mynde is greater then any Fortune: and many tymes a bonde mynde dwelleth in a free bodye, and a free mynde in a bonde bodye. Bondage may be a lette vnto the affayres of the iudiciall court, but not of the mynde. The court refuseth a seruaunt: but vertue, dili∣gence, and trustinesse doo not refuse hym. Tiro was seruaunt vnto Cicero, but by this meanes obtaynyng his libertie, he lefte vnto posteritie an excellent Booke of his Maisters iestes and merimentes. A seruaunt can not be a Generall of an Ar∣mie, nor a Senatour, but he may be a Philosopher, an O∣ratour, a good man, yea, and also some tyme castyng of his seruitude, he may be a Kyng and an Emperour: and we haue knowen some aduaunced from this degree, not onely to a Kyngdowe and Empire, but also vnto Heauen it selfe. A bond∣man can not serue in warfare vnder man, but he may serue GOD, the wages of whose seruice in warfare, is to reigne. The seruaunt of GOD is Kyng ouer all men, felowe with Angelles, a terrour to Deuylles. The seruaunt of GOD may also be seruaunt to man: and thus worldly seruice is no hun¦deraunce to the heauenly felicitie.

Sorowe.

I am a Ser∣uaunt.

Reason.

If thou hast alwayes been so, custome may asswage thy griefe: If not, hope that thou mayest one day not be that, whiche some tyme thou wast not.

Sorowe.

I am a seruaunt.

Reason.

If thou hope for an ende of thy

miserie, let thy hope diminishe thy sorowe. But yf thou des∣payre, let patience mitigate it, and heape not one mischiefe vppon another, neyther vexe thy selfe to no purpose willingly and wittingly, whiche were the greatest poynt of follie that is incident to the lyfe of man. But a man must not despayre, for when all thynges be wantyng, death wyll come at the length, who in despite of thy Maister, wyll loose thee, and set thee at libertie.