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 Blyndnesse. The .xcvi. Dialogue.

SOROW.

I Haue lost myne eyes.

Reason.

O howe many loathsome thynges of lyfe also hast thou lost? Howe many foolyshe toyes of fonde sight shalt thou not see?

Sorow.

I haue lost myne eyes.

Reason.

Of the face perhaps, not of thine hart. If they remayne good enough, al is wel.

Sorowe.

I am blynde.

Reason.

Thou shalt see the sunne no more, but thou hast seene it, and thou remembrest what manner thyng it is: or yf thou hast not seene it, as it hath chaunced vnto thee the more hardly in that respect, so the desire of a thing vnknowen, shal greeue thee y^e lesse.

Sorow.

I lacke eyes.

Reason.

Thou shalt not see heauen nor earth, but to see the Lord of heauen and of earth, abilitie is not ta∣ken from thee: this sight is much clearer then that other.

Sorowe.

I am condemned to perpetual blyndnesse.

Reason.

Thou shalt not see from hencefoorth the wooddie valleyes, the ayeriall mountaynes, the florishyng costes, the shadowy dennes, the siluer sprynges, the crooked ryuers, the greene meddowes, and that whiche they say is of al thynges most beautiful, the portraiture of mans countenance. Thou shalt neyther see the heapes of dunge, the ouerflowyng Iakes, torne carkases, nor whatsoeuer els by filthinesse of sight offendeth the stomacke and senses.

Sorow.

I am depriued of myne eye sight.

Reason.

If there were none other commoditie in this discommoditie, in that thou shalt not beholde these games of enormious and deformed ie∣stures, blindnesse were to be wyshed: whiche although I haue oftentymes confessed before to be a wyshed thyng, yet doo I deny that it is to be wyshed, for as muche now, as in tymes past, there is no hope left thee to runne away: whyther soeuer thou turnest thy selfe, the kyngdome of madnesse is a lyke, and a like exile of vertue: in whiche state to lose a mans eye sight, is a kind of flight & comforte.

Sorow.

I haue lost my sight.

Reason.

And the beholdyng of womens faces. Reioyce therefore that those wyndowes be shut vp at the whiche death entred in, and that the passage to many vices is closed vp: couetousnesse, gluttony, ryotousnesse, and diuers other plagues, haue lost thereby their seruantes and retinue, for looke howe muche of thy soule was taken away by these enimies, so muche perswade thy selfe that thou hast gayned.

Sorow.

I haue lost myne eyes.

Reason.

Thou hast lost euyl guydes, whiche lead thee into destruction. It is a wonderful thyng to be spoken: oft times it chaunceth that the lyghtest part of al the body, bryngeth the whole soule into darkenesse? Endeuour thy selfe to folowe the spirite that cal∣leth thee vnto better thynges, and harken vnto the trueth, that cryeth in thine eare. Seeke not for the thynges that are visi∣ble, but for the inuisible, for the visible thynges are temporal, but the inuisible euerlastyng.

Sorowe.

I lacke myne eyes.

Reason.

Thou hast lacked many faultes, if thou haddest lac∣ked thyne eyes euer: but nowe let vertue and blyndnesse stoppe many mischiefes to come, and those that are past alredye, let them be done away by sorowe and repentance: and mourne not because thy blyndnesse shal open the eyes of thy minde, but perhaps thou mayest racher mourne for that it is deferred.

Sorowe.

I haue lost the lyght of myne eyes.

Reason.

Re∣tayne the true lyght of the soule. They whiche haue lost one of their eyes (as they say) do see the better with the other. Whiche if it be so, what should I thynke but that yf thou hast lost both, thou shalt see very cleare with thyne other two, and then shalt make that saying of Tirecias the blynde Poet to be thyne owne, God hath blynd folde the face, and turned al the lyght into the hart. Thou mayest accompt thy selfe vnhappie and blynde in deede, yea quite without eyes, yf thou hast lost this lyght also, whiche that it is so in deede, thy complayntes make me to suspect, for it greeueth a man most to lose that, where of he hath no moe.

Sorow.

I haue lost the eyes of my head.

Reason.

Purge then and make cleane those which thou canst not loose, and see∣ing thou hast lost the outwarde eyes, turne thee vnto the in∣warde: There, beleeue me, & not in the outward eyes, remayneth that filicitie whiche ye seeke for.

Sorowe.

I see no lyght with

myne eyes.

Reason.

Learne to reioyce, yea euen in darke∣nesse. H••st thou quite forgotten the answeare of Antipater the philosopher, some thyng wantonly, yet properly spoken? Whose blyndnesse when certayne freendly wenches dyd lament, he an∣sweared merily: That sleepe whiche ye haue a nyghtes, seemeth it no pleasure vnto you? Truely this was pleasantly and breefely answeared. For there are many ioyes and pleasures in the darke, as wel as there are great paynes and greefes in the lyght. But I am onely to exhort thee vnto honest matters.

Sorow.

I com∣playne for the losse of myne eyes.

Reason.

If thou were to put them to an euyl vse, thou oughtest rather to reioyce that the instru∣mentes of mischeefe are taken from thee: but if thou meanest to vse them wel, there is no cause why thou shouldest so lament for a thing comely to sight only: for thou hast lost that whiche was no∣thyng at al needeful, eyther towardes godlynesse, or any holy pur∣pose. God looketh not into the members, but into the minde: offer vnto hym thy soule pure and whole, whom when he hath recey∣ued, whatsoeuer remayneth he wyl take in good part, for he that gaue the soule, hath kept backe nothyng vnto hym selfe.

Sorowe.

I haue lost my bodyly eyes.

Reason.

If thou endeuour to come to heauen, be of good comfort with Didimus, whom, being blynd from his infancie, and continuing in his blyndnesse euen vnto the ende, the holy man Antonius comming to visite, and perceiuing hym now being olde, stil to exercise him selfe in vertue and godly∣nesse, byd him be of good cōfort, & not to be moued any thing at al, in y^t he had lost his eies, which were cōmon to flies, mice, & lizer∣des, as wel to hym, but rather to reioyce, for that those eyes which are common to him with the angels, were safe & sound. A notable saying of Antonius, worthy to come from the scholar of y^e heauen∣ly schoolemaister. But if thou aspire vnto y^e fame of liberal studies, then behold Homer & Democritus, of whom the one, as the re∣port goeth of hym, while that he spake those his wonderful & di∣uine oracles, saw nothing with his mortal eyes, but in mind was as quicke of sight as Linceus. The other, because he would not see many thinges, which (is he thought) did hinder his eyes from seeing y^e trueth, plucked out his owne eyes: whose fact, whether it were prayse worthy or no, I wil not dispute, but surely he had folo∣wers.

But if perhaps thou conceiuedst in thy mind to behold some picture or sculptare of Apelles, or Phidias woorkemanship, I can not then deny but that thou hast lost something: vnlesse it be a∣gaine, from a lowe beginning to be constrained to aduaunce thy mind aloft to higher matters.

Sorowe.

I am made poore, & vn∣profitable through blyndnesse.

Reason.

Why doest thou, blynd man, forsake thy selfe? For Tiresias, of whom I spake before, be∣ing blinde of sight, was famous for prophesiing. Did not Diodo∣rus the stoike, better knowen by meanes of his familiaritie with Cicero then for his owne sect, aswage the greefe of his lost sight by the benefit of hearyng: when as day and night, as the same Ci∣cero wryteth of hym, there were bookes read vnto hym, in whiche kinde of studie he had no neede of his eye sight? He applied at one tyme both the studie of philosophie and musicke, and that which a man woulde scarse thinke could be done without eyes, he exercised the practise of geometrical descriptions, and causing lines to be drawen by other mens handes, he discoursed on them by his owne vnderstandyng. Caius Drusus had no eies, but he had such skil in the ciuile lawes, that his house was euery day ful of troupes of ci∣uilians: they could see better the way to y^e court then he could, but he could see better the way how to carie away the cause, & therfore they sought the asistance of the blinde guide. But the most famous of al that euer were renowmed for blindnesse, was Appius Clau∣dius, blind in deede, & so called by name, who being oppressed with blindnesse & age, was not only cōmonly knowen of the people by geuing of counsel when there happened any doubt in law, but also by his aucthoritie & wisedome ruled the senate, and gouerned the whole common wealth. Thou, as soone as thou art depriued of one sense, by & by castest away al the residue, yea & which is more, thy minde also: none otherwyse then if one that is moued with im∣pacience for a smal losse, should cast away desperatly both his life & the instrument belonging to the same.

Sorow.

I am blind, & I cannot tel where I goe.

Reason.

But thy guide doth see, whe∣ther he be the mynde, or some one that vseth to direct the steppes of the blynd, by whose leadyng thou shalt not only find y^e ryght way, but also attayne vnto the cheefe degree which concerneth the noble despising of lyfe, and the most excellent actes of woorthy

vertue: and vnlesse the strength of the mynde do fayle, the losse of sight cannot hynder any notable exployte. Thou remembrest what Sampson in the scriptures, and in the ciuile warres descri∣bed by Lucan in Massilia, what Tirrhenus doth vpon the sea, wherein yf there be lesse credite to be geuen to poetical report, yet remember that, whiche is more assured and fresher in memo∣rie, whiche beyng done in thy tyme, thou myghtest haue seene it with thyne owne eyes: to wyt, howe Iohn kyng of Boheme, beyng sonne vnto one kyng of the Romanes, and father to an∣other, who raigned immediatly one after the other, had alwaies weake eyes, and at the latter ende of his age fell blynde. Now since the warre which was betweene the King of France, whose part he toke, and the King of England, are more then. 42. yeeres, when as being in that most sharpe conflicte in which both the Princes were in person, and vnderstanding that the woorse be∣ganne to fall on the side whereof he was, he called vnto his cap∣tayne with a loud voyce, sayeng, Direct me quickly towards that part of the armie where the kyng of our enimies standeth, and the greatest force of his whole armie. Whiche when they sorow∣fully and fearefully had done, settyng spurres to his horse, he pricked thyther with al his force, whyther as they that had eyes durst not folowe hym that was blynde not scarse with their sight: Whereas encounteryng the most valiant front of his enimies, fighting not onely valiantly, but also terribly, he was there flayne, they that ouercame hym both wondryng at his valure, and com∣mendyng his manhood. I tell you of a thyng knowen vnto all men, and which (except it be wrytten) is lyke to peryshe through obliuion. And I pray you, what dyd it hinder the glory and re∣nowme of this valiant gentelman, that he lacked his sight? but that whom vertue and nature had made woonderfull, blynd∣nesse shoulde make men to be amased at hym.

Sorowe.

I am blynde.

Reason.

I wyl beginne to iest, vnlesse thou leaue complayning: for what els coulde blyndnesse bryng vnto thee, yf so be thy strength remayne, then that whiche Asclepia∣des (beyng blynde) sayth of hym selfe, to wyt, that thou walke with one boye waytyng on thee more then thou wast woont?