Beautiful blossomes, gathered by Iohn Byshop, from the best trees of all kyndes, diuine, philosophicall, astronomicall, cosmographical, historical, & humane, that are growing in Greece, Latium, and Arabia, and some also in vulgar orchards, as wel fro[m] those that in auncient time were grafted, as also from them which haue with skilful head and hand beene of late yeares, yea, and in our dayes planted: to the vnspeakable, both pleasure and profite of all such wil vouchsafe to vse them. The first tome

The fourth Chapter. Of the manifolde miseries of man.

NOw after I haue rehearsed vnto you a ragged roll of them whose vnmea∣surable pride woulde not suffer them to be contented with the nexte place vnto God: but would néedes sit with him, and many of them hauing by their sauage and brutishe vsage and acts, iustly lost the name of men, did wickedly & wrong∣fully

inuade the Godhead: I thinke it will not be either amisse, or vnpleasaunt, to discourse, whither that they or any others suche foundlings of fortune, euer had any suche perfect felicitie, as might quite take from them all annoyance and defect, and make them wholy forgette that they were mortal men: and whyther that any man may in this life be truely accompted happie: But I wil plainely proue that mans nature of it selfe is so farre from that blisse in this world, that no liuing creature is in any wise so wretched and fraught with miseries, as is he, and wil also make manifest vnto you by the parti∣cular examining of their liues, dooinges, chaunces, and endes, that no man whiche either would bee, or was ac∣counted a God, called the great: or any other man which was notorious and renouned for this worldly felicitie, euer had fortune so addicted vnto him, that he liued long without some greate mischaunce, which might put him in remembraunce that he was a man, and subiect vnto manifolde miseries and gracious calamities.

And first to speake in general of man, who knoweth not, that where as all other liuing thinges be borne with some couering defence, and clothing, as shell, ryndes, hydes, prickles, bristles, hayre, fethers, quilles, scales, fléeses, or wull, ye and trées are defenced against both colde and heate with a barke, and some with two, onely man hathe nature throwen away on the bare ground all naked, for to wraule and crie, and onely of al creatures to wéepe: yea and to beginne his immeasu∣rable labours with lamentations, but to laughe before he be fourtie daies olde is a monster, prognosticating and foretelling how seldome he shal haue cause of mirth & howe rife sorowes wil be all his life long. After his doleful beginning of life, incōtinently is he bound like a notorious malefacter both hand & foote, ye euery limme of him: (which happeneth vnto no other liuing thing:) and he that shal reigne ouer al other creatures, lies cry∣ing

in his cradle as in a prison fast tyed, and begins his life with punishment, which he suffereth for no other fault, but because he is borne. O the madnesse of them that of their beginninges do thinke them selues borne to pride, and to be Goddes. The first hope of strength, & function, and gyft of time, makes him to craule on all foure. How long is it er he doth goe? howe long before he speaketh? howe long before his mouthe he firme for meate? howe long doth his moulde pante: a signe and token of a singular weakenesse among the thinges that liue? all other liuing thinges do féele and knowe their owne nature, some vse swiftnesse of foote, some wight winge, other their strength, other swimme, onely man knoweth nothing without teaching. He speaketh not, he goeth not, he eateth not, and to be short he doth nothing of natures owne accorde and instruct, but wéepe & crye. Whereby that saying of Menander in Plutarche his con∣solation vnto Apollonius is proued true: that no liuing thing doth sooner and more often rise and fall, then doeth man, and good cause why, for that he being of all other moste weake doth administer greatest and weightiest matters. To how many diseases is he subiect? how ma∣ny medicines are inuēted daily against them, which yet are ouercome by new diseases, which do daily arise? and what disease almoste hath any thing y^e draweth breathe, wherunto man is not obnoctious? & howe many mala∣dies hath he, w^c whō no other liuing thing is troubled? the panting of the hart, bloud flowing out from the head by the nose, onely he wéepeth, only he goggleth with his eyes, only he stāmereth with his toung, he only is borne w^c the stone, only in his scarrs wil no haire grow again, he néeseth oftener then any other thing that beares life: a token of greate distemperature of the braine. Nowe if we runne through all partes of his life, we shall finde and see no time voide of paine, loose of gréefes, and frée from tormentes of diseases. In the ages of men, saies

diuine Hippocrates, happen suche diseases: in infants and children newly borne, hotte vlceres of the mouthe, vo∣mitinges, coughes, watchinges, swellinges, inflamati∣ons of the nauill, moistnesse of the eares: but when they come to bréede téeth, itching of the gummes, agues, con∣uulsions, laskes and woorse, when they put foorthe the dogge téeth when they are waxen elder, inflamations of the partes betwéene the mouthe and the gullet, falling inward of the spondill in the nape of the necke, Asthma or hasing, the stones, wormes both round, and astarides, a kinde of wortes called acrochordones, satyarismes or standing of the yarde by a smal inflamation, strumes or the Kinges euill, and other small tumors: when they be elder and come vnto fourtéene yeares, there happen many of the diseases of the ages which went before, and longer agues and bléeding at the nose. But vnto young men spitting of bloud, consumpsions of the lungs, sharp feuers, the falling sicknesse, and other diseases, specially those, whiche I haue spoken of before, but vnto them whiche haue passed this age, befall Asthma, or hasinges, pleurisies, inflamations of the lungs, lethargies, phren∣sies, burning agues, long laskes, skourings vpward and downeward, bloudy fluxes, lienteries, piles. But vnto old men hard fetching of breath, rheumes with coughes, stranguries, difficulties of making water, paines of the ioyntes, swimming of the head, apoplexies, cacheries, it∣ches ouer all the body, moistnesse of the bellie, eyes and eares, dimnesse of sight, glaucedines or drinesse and con∣cretion of the christaline humour in the eyes, and ill hea∣ring. But although no age of mannes life is frée from diseases, yet perhappes some parte of the yeare is so benigne that in it the body hauing rest from gréefe may refreshe and repaire his strength whiche was welnéere quite tyred and killed with the maladies and paynes whiche it suffered before. No (saies Hippocrates) all di∣seases

happen at all times, but yet some diseases are more bredde and worse at one time, then at another. In the springtime reigne madnesse, melancholy, the falling sicknesse, fluxes of bloud, squinseis, catarrhes, hoarsnes, coughes, leprosies, morphewes, impetigines, many vl∣cerous pustules, small tumours, paines of the ioyntes. In the Summer some of those before rehearsed and a∣gues, continuall, and burning, and very many tertian and quartan agues, vomitings, and lasks, ophthalmies, or inflamations of the eares, paines of the eares, exulce∣rations of the mouth, putrefactions of the general parts and sweatinges. But in Autumne many of the sum∣mer diseases and feauers quartane & wandring agues, great splenes, dropsies, consumptions of the lungs, strā∣guries, lienteries, and bloudy fluxes, paines of the hippe, sqinseyes, Asthma or hasinges, paines in the smal gutts, falling sicknesses, maddnesse, and melancholy. In the Winter pleurisies, inflamations of the lunges, lethar∣gies, rheumes, catarhes, hoarsnesse, coughes, paines of the brest, sides and loines, swimming of the head, and a∣poplexies. Not onely no part of mans age, nor of the yeare is frée from diseases, no nor yet any kinde of wea∣ther or state or tēperature of the ayre. If it raine much there come long agues, laskes, putrefactions, the falling euill, apoplexies, and squinseies. In great droughts, con∣sumptions, ophthalmies, paines, of the ioynts, strangu∣ries, and bloudy fluxes. Much heate bringeth effemina∣tion of the fleshe, weakenesse of the sinewes, and braine, whereby the wittes & minde be as it were benummed, fluxes of bloud, swounings, after whome folowe death. But colde causeth conuulsions, tetanes, or distentions, benumming, the killing of the natural heate, making of the fleshe blacke and blewe, quiueringes and shakings. Southerne windes dull the hearing, dimme the sight, make the head heauie, and men to be slouthfull & lither:

but a northerne constitution brings coughs, horsenesse, binding of the ••••lly, and stranguries, quiuering paine of the sides and brest. So that Hippocrates truly sayes: that all whole man from his natiuitie is sicknesse. Ye though they & infinite other bodily griefes and diseases wherewithall man is oppressed, were not sufficient to kéepe this proud creature in his obediente, and to make him acknowlege his creator: he is no lesse but far more vexed with bodilesse perturbations of the mynde: vnto whom he only at the least in most, & in the other is most subiect. Only sayes Plinie y^e diligent searcher of nature, who with Hippocrates haue sayd almost al that you haue heard of the miserie of man, to him is giuen mourning, to him ryot, & that innumerable wayes, & in euery mē∣ber, to him only ambition, to him only couetousnesse, to him only vnmeasurable desire of life, to him only super∣stition, to him only care of burial, yea, and what shal be when he is not. To none is more brittle life, to none greater lust of all things, to none more confuse feare, to none sharper and extreme rage and madnesse.

Notes

• Arist. in pro∣ble.
• Hip. Aph. sect. 3.
• Hip. Aphor. sect. 5.