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I Am sad.
A man must consider for what cause he is sad or merie. These, as many thynges els, may be tearmed indifferent matters, whiche vpon smal occasion may be made good or bad. For sadnesse for sinne is good, so that it ioyne not handes priuily with desperation: and ioy for vertue and the re∣membrance of good woorkes doone, is commendable, so that it set not the gate wyde open to pryde: and therefore the causes of
these affectes must be fyrst consydered, least haply disprayse pos∣sesse the place of commendation: and therefore weygh thou nowe what cause thou hast to be sorowfull.
I am heauie for the miserie of this lyfe.
The felicitie of the lyfe to come shall make thee merie: for this lyfe is not so miserable, whiche in deede is most miserable, as the other is happie and glorious.
I am heauie.
Of this mis∣chiefe there are as many rootes, as there are thynges which you tearme aduerse and miserable, of many of whiche sort we haue al∣redie entreated, and for that I perceyue thee to be redy to com∣playntes, we haue lykewyse hereafter much to entreate of. Some tymes a man shall perceyue no apparent cause at all, neyther of sicknesse, nor losse, nor iniurie, nor shame, nor errours, nor of any sudden rumor of suche lyke matter, but onely a certayne plea∣sure to be sorie, whiche maketh the soule sadde and heauie. Whiche mischiefe, is so muche the more hurtfull, by now muche the cause is the more vnknowen, and the cure more difficult. And therefore Cicero wylleth men to flee from the same with all theyr myght and maine, yea with all their sayle they can make, as from a most dangerous rocke of the Sea: whose counsayle in this, as in many other thynges, I lyke wel of.
The thinking of the present miserie, maketh me heauie.
That the miserie of mankinde is great and manifolde, I doo not denie, whiche some haue bewayled in whole great volumes: but yf thou looke to the contrarie part, thou shalt also see many thinges, whiche make this lyfe happie and pleasant, although there be none hytherto, so farre as I knowe, that hath written of this matter, and some that haue taken it in hande, haue geuen it ouer, for that whiles they haue been in the very course of their wry∣ting, they haue perceyued howe wrong a matche they haue vn∣dertaken, and that the argument hath fallen out to be muche more barren then they fyrst supposed: and the rather, for that the miserie of mankynde appeareth to be euident, and the fe∣licitie thereof seemeth to be verie small and hydden, so that in discourse of disputation, it requireth a deeper display∣ing and examination, then that the incredulous sorte are a∣able to conceyue. And nowe out of many matters to gea∣ther
one summe togeather, haue not you great cause to reoyce? Fyrst, for that you are the image and likenesse of GOD your Creator, whiche is within in the soule of man, your witte, memorie, prouidence, speeche, so many inuentions, so many artes attendyng vppon this soule of yours: and next, howe many necessities doo followe this your bodye, whiche all are comprehended vnder the most singular benefite of GOD: also so many opportunities, so many sundrie shewes and kindes of thynges, whiche by strange and marueylous meanes doo serue to your delyght: moreouer, so great vertue in rootes, so manie iuices of hearbes, suche pleasaunt varietie of so many sortes of flowres, so great concorde of smelles, and colours, and castes, and soundes rysyng of contraries, so many lyuyng cre∣atures in the ayre, vppon the lande, and in the sea, seruyng onely to your vse, and created onely to doo man pleasure. And vnlesse you had of your owne accorde voluntarily fallen vnder the yoake of sinne, you had nowe been gouernours ouer all thynges that are vnder heauen. Adde herevnto moreouer, the prospect of the Hylles, the opennesse of the Valleys, the shadowie Wooddes, the colde Alpes, the warme Shoars. Adde also so many holsome Streames of water, so many sul∣phurious and smookyng Lakes, so many cleare and coole Fountaynes, so many Seas within and rounde about the earth, so many confines and boundes of Kyngdomes, whiche are eue∣rie day changed, and some most assured for theyr immoueable stabilitie. Adde lastly some Lakes, as bygge and brode almost as the Sea, and Pondes lying in bottomes, and Riuers fal∣lyng downe headlong from the toppes of Hylles, with theyr brinkes full of flowres and pleasaunt hearbes: And the bed∣chambers of the shoares, and Medowes greene, with runnyng Streames, as Virgil sayth. What shall I neede to speake of the foming Rockes that lye vpon the soundyng shoare, and the moyst Dennes, and the Fieldes yellowe with Corne, and the buddyng Vineyardes, & the commodities of Cities, & the quietnesse of the Countrey, and the libertie of Wildernesses? And also the most glorious and bryght spectacle of all, whiche is the circumference of the starrie Firmament, that continually turneth about with
incomprehensible swiftnesse, wherein are fastened the fixed Starres? Lykewyse the wanderyng lyghtes, whiche you call the seuen Planettes, And especially the Sunne and Mone, the two most excellent lyghtes of the worlde, as Virgil tearmeth them, Or the most glorious beautie of Heauen, as Horace speaketh of them? By these consist the fruites of the earth, by these the strength and force of lyuing creatures, of these also de∣pende the varietie of seasons, by these we measure the yeere, the monethes, dayes, nyghtes, and spaces of tymes, without whiche this lyfe coulde not be other then weerisome and tedious. Here∣vnto moreouer, there is geuen vnto you a bodye, whiche although it be frayle and transitorie, yet notwithstandyng in shewe is im∣perious and beautifull, fashioned vpryght, and conuenient in contemplation to beholde the heauens. Agayne, the immor∣talitie of your soule, and a way prepared for you vnto heauen, and an inestimable merchandize bought for a small pryce, with other matters also, whiche of purpose I haue deferred to the ende, for that they are so great, that of my selfe I was not able to comprehende them, but onely through the benefite of fayth: lykewyse, the hope of rysyng agayne from death, and takyng vp of this bodye, after that it is rotten and consumed, to be quickened agayne, and made lyuely, and bryght shynyng, and impassible with great glorie and maiestie: and moreouer, that whiche surpasseth not onely the dignitie of man, but also of the Angelles, the nature of man so vnited to the nature of GOD, that GOD hymselfe became man, and beyng made but one person, comprehended perfectly in hymselfe the two natures, and was both GOD and man, to this ende, that beyng made a man, he myght make man a GOD. An vnspeakable loue and humilitie in GOD, exceedyng felicitie and glorie vnto man, all manner of wayes an hygh and secrete misterie, a woon∣derfull and comfortable societie, whiche I knowe not whether any heauenly tongue canne expresse, but sure I am, no mor∣tall mouth is able to vtter. Dooeth the state of mankynde seeme vnto thee by this meanes but smally aduaunced, and the miserie thereof but a lytle relieued? Or what, I pray thee, coulde man, I say not hope, but wyshe or imagine bet∣ter
for his owne commoditie, then to be made GOD? And be∣holde he is GOD. What remayneth there more that you myght wyshe for, or desyre, or inuent, or thinke vppon yet grea∣ter then you haue alredie obteyned? Truely, at what tyme the diuinitie and Godhead humbled hymselfe to woorke your salua∣tion, although he coulde, yet woulde he not take vppon hym any other then the body and soule of man, neyther woulde he impart the vnion of his Godhead vnto the shape of the An∣gelles, but of men, to the ende that thereby thou myghtest vnderstande, and reioyce, howe deerely thy Lorde and GOD loueth thee. For by this meanes, as S. Augustine sayth no∣tably, hath he reuealed vnto those that are in the fleshe, whiche are not able in mynde to discerne the trueth, and are altogether lead by the bodyly senses, howe hygh a place mans nature possesseth among al creatures: Yea, ouer and besydes al this, he, who by this marueylous and mercifull vouchsafeing preferred you before the Angels, set Angels also ouer you, to keepe and de∣fende you, that by all meanes he myght declare your excellencie aboue all other creatures. For S. Ierome sayth, That your soules are of suche estimation, that euery one at theyr first creation, hath an Angell appoynted vnto hym, for his defence and safegarde. Truely GOD hath a fatherly, and more then a fatherly care ouer you: and a litle to wrest the saying of the Satyrike Poet, He loueth man more dearely, then his owne selfe. What place for sadnesse and complayntes is there lefte among these bles∣singes? Wherefore, it is not your nature, but your fault, that ma∣keth you heauie and complaynyng.
The basenesse of my byrth, the frayltie of my nature, and nakednesse, and po∣uertie, and hardnesse of fortune, and shortnesse of lyfe, and vn∣certentie of my ende, doo make me heauie.
Of purpose ye seeke matter to make your selues sadde, when as ye ought otherwyse to endeuour to the contrarie, that ye myght reioyce in honest gladnesse: But I knowe your custome, ye be verie dilygent to procure your owne harmes. And there∣fore, concernyng the basenesse of thy byrth, or deformitie of thy bodye, whatsoeuer is amplified vppon that ground by the witte and inuention of any, when as the generall resurrection
shall come, whiche men of vpryght fayth doo vndoubtedly looke for, shall not onely be taken away, by the woorthynesse of the gloryfying of the bodyes, but also be diminished by the present beautie, and the singuler Maiestie wherewith GOD hath en∣dued man, aboue all the woorkes of his handes: For, wherein can the basenesse of byrth disparage the dignitie of man? Doo not tal and spreadyng Trees whiche growe vppon filthy rootes, couer the greene fieldes with their pleasaunt shadowe? Doo not the rankest Corne spryng from most filthie dunge? and yet so vile an encrease of so excellent a thyng is not contemned? You are the corne of GOD, that must be clensed vppon the floore of his iudgement, and be layde vp in the barne of the great Maister of the housholde, although your originall come from the earth, and in some part it be excellent, and of an heauenly na∣ture: but let it be what euer it wyll, and be the encrease neuer so difficult, yet the last restyng place thereof is Heauen. What shall we say vnto the nakednesse and imbecilitie of the bodye, and the pynchyng want of many thynges, whiche are ascribed vnto the reproche of mans estate? Are they not supplyed by the assistaunce of sundrie artes, and manifolde prouisions, so that they may be rather applyed vnto the glorie of man, then to his miserie? Whiche appeareth to be true, in that dame Na∣ture hath prouided for all other lyuyng creatures that want the vse of Reason, a thycke hyde, clawes, and hayre to couer them withall: but vnto man, she hath geuen onely vnderstandyng, to be a meane to fynde out all other thynges withall, to the ende that the bruite beastes myght be in safetie, by meanes of an outwarde defence, but man by his owne inwarde purueyance: and the fyrst shoulde haue as muche as was borne with them, and no more, but man, as muche as he coulde by experience of lyuyng and meditatyng with hym selfe, com∣passe by his witte. In lyke manner, yf a Maister geue any vaintie meate vnto his Seruantes and Hindes, he deuideth vnto euery one his portion by hym selfe, but vnto his wyfe and chylde he geueth none, so that the Seruauntes must haue no more then that whiche was geuen them, but the other may take as much as they lyst: thus is the one sort stinted, and the other
are at theyr libertie. Thus then, when these other creatures waxe bald, eyther by meanes of olde age, or manginesse, or haue sore eyes, or fall lame, we see they haue none other remedie, but that which is mnistred vnto them by men: but man, beyng of himselfe naked, is clothed and beautified, and yf neede require, is also ar∣med with his witte: and yf he chaunce to fall lame, or be weake, then he rideth vppon an Horse, or sayleth in a Shyp, or is carried in a Couche, or leaueth vpon a Staffe: To be short, he assayeth all meanes to helpe and ease hym selfe, yea though he haue lost some lym, he practiseth to make him selfe legges of Wood, handes of Iron, nose of Waxe, and prouiding against all mishaps, yf he waxe sicke, he helpeth hym selfe with medicines, and with diuers sauces he quickneth his dull taste, with medicines for the eyes he cleareth the dulnesse of theyr syght, in whiche thyng ye haue deui∣sed more wysely then dyd your forefathers, who, Anneus Seneca writeth, vsed to occupy vessels of Glasse full of water, whiche is a game very delectable vnto nature, who is a pleasaunt and sweete mother, in that she restoreth that vnto her chylde, whiche she tooke from hym, and when she hath made hym sorie, she com∣forteth hym agayne. Yea, ouer and aboue this, the Horse, the Oxe, the Elephant, the Camel, the Lion, the Tyger, the Parde, and all other beastes, of what strength so euer they be, when they are once olde, are no longer regarded, and when they be dead, they are no more hearde of, they yeelde vnto olde age, and geue place vnto death: onely vertue, whiche is proper vnto man alone, maketh hym that is indued therewith, honourable in his olde age, and gloryous at his death, and not beyng able to extynguyshe hym, transporteth hym ouer vnto felicitie. To be short, there are some lyuyng creatures stronger then man, some swyfter, some quicker of sense, none more ex∣cellent in dignitie, none in lyke sorte regarded of the cre∣ator. Vnto the head he hath geuen a Sphericall figure, and as it were the forme of a Starre. And whereas all other ly∣uyng creatures looke downe towardes the grounde, he made man to turne his face vpwardes, and to behold the heauens, and to lyft his countenance towardes the starres, as it is notably sayd of Ouid. although it were spoken before by Tully, He gaue hym
eyes, he made hym a foreheade, in the whiche the secretes of the minde shoulde shyne, he hath geuen also reason, and speache, he hath geuen weeping, he hath geuen laughing, whiche are significations of secrete and hidde affections, although some doo drawe them to an ar∣gument of miserie, because hastie weeping, is late laughing. For as soone as he is borne, he weepeth by and by, and laugheth not be∣fore fourtie dayes are expired: that thing especially this wise cre∣ature doth proue, which is skylful of thynges to come, not the end, whiche I accompt happie through the gouernance of vertue, but rather difficult, for that he is entred into trauel and the garboyle of present paynes. To conclude, whatsoeuer strength is in all other creatures, whatsoeuer swiftnesse, whatsoeuer oportunitie, what∣soeuer commoditie, it wholly serueth to the vse of man. He bring∣eth the wilde headed Oxen to the yoke, & forceth the fierce Horse to be bridled. The Beares, that are to be feared for their clawes, Boares for their tuskes, and Hartes for their hornes, he hath made them to garnyshe mans Table. The Linx, the Foxe, and an infinite number moe creatures of that sort, because they were not to be eaten, he hath reserued for the vse of their skins and hide. He searcheth the seas with nettes, the wooddes with Dogges, and the skies with foules, and with whom hath man nothing to doo? He hath taught such beastes to vnderstand mans voyce, & to be o∣bedient vnto hym. Thus of euery naturall thyng, there is some commodity gotten. Thou hast not the strength of an Oxe, yet thou makest hym to drawe. Thou hast not the swyftnesse of an Horse, and yet thou makest hym runne. Thou canst not flye so well as a Gosehauke, and yet thou makest hym flye for thee. Thou art not so bygge as an Elephant or a Camell, yet thou ma∣kest the one of them to beare a Turret, and the other a burden. Thou hast not the skynne of a Bucke, nor the pelt of a Lambe, nor the case of a Foxe, yet these haue them for thee. Is this answeare then of a certayne Romane Captaine, improper vnto them that say you are destitute of these thynges, to witte, That a man would not haue these thinges, but had rather gouerne them that haue them? And thus muche haue I spoken breefely, partly like a Philosopher, and partly like a Catholike. Touching the greefe of the minde, for so the Philosophers doo tearme it,
the better to expell it, and purchase tranquilitie thereunto, it a∣uayleth to knowe what Tullie hath disputed of the fyrst, in his disputations vppon the thyrde daye in his Tusculans: and of the seconde, Seneca in his booke whiche he wrote, of the tran∣quilitie of the minde. For whilest I make haste vnto other mat∣ters, and drawe towardes an ende, I shall not haue tyme to comprehende all thynges that I woulde: For the present, it is sufficient that I haue bounde vp the wounde, and shewed thee the Phisitions of the minde, whose helpe thou mayest vse, yf these thynges be not sufficient. Nowe as touchyng those three thynges, whereof thou complaynedst laste, I haue not thought them woorthie the answearyng, for as muche as of the roughnesse of Fortune, wherein the greater part of this our seconde booke of talke hath been, and shal be spent, both the very shortnesse thereof ought to mollifie and diminishe the sharpenesse it selfe, and nature also doth appoynt an vncertayne ende of lyfe, that it may seeme alwayes to be at hande, or not verie farre of.