Green's farewell to Folly.  
SENT TO COURTIERS AND Scholars as a precedent to warn them from the vain delights that draws youth on to repentance.  
Sero sed seriò  
Robert green  
Vtriusque Academiae in Artibus magister.  
Imprinted at London by Thomas Scarlet for T. Gubbin and T. Newman.  
1591.   

TO THE HONOURABLE MINDED GENTLEMAN, Robert Carey, Esquire: Robert green wisheth as many good fortunes as the honour of his thoughts do merit.  
Having waded (noble minded Courtier) through the censures of many both Honourable and worshipful, in committing the credit of my books to their honourable opinions, as I have found some of them not only honourably to patronize my works, but courteously to pass over my unskilful presumption with silence, so generally I am indebted to all Gentlemen that with favours have overslipped my follies: Follies I term them, because their subjects have been superficial, and their intents amorous, yet mixed with such moral principles, that the precepts of virtue seemed to crave pardon for all those vain opinions love set down in her periods. Seeing then (worthy Maecen●… ofletters) my works have been counted follies, and follies the fruit of youth, many years having bitten me with experience, and age growing on bidding me Petere graviora, to satisfy the hope of my friends, and to make the world privy to my private resolution, I have made a book called my Farewell to Follies: wherein as I renounce love for a fool, and vanity as a vain too unfit for a Gentleman, so I discover the general abuses that are engrafted in the minds of Courtiers and scholars, with a Colling Card of counsel, suppressing those actions that stray from the golden mean of virtue. But (right worshipful) some are so peremptory in their opinions, that if Diogenes stir his stumps, they will say, it is to mock dancers, not to be want on, that if the fox preach, 'tis to spy which is the fattest goose, not to be a ghost lie father, that if green writ his Farewell to Follie, 'tis to blind the world with folly, the more to shadow his own folly. My reply to these thought searchers is this, I cannot Martinize, swear by my fay in a pulpit, & rap out gog's wounds in a tavern, feign love when I have no charity, or protest an open resolution of good, when I intent to be privately ill, but in all public protestations my words and my deeds jump in one sympathy, and my tongue and my thoughts are relatives. But omitting these digressions (right worshipful) to my book, which as it is the farewell to my follies, so it is the last I mean ever to publish of such superficial labours, which I have adventured to shroud under the shelter of your worships patronage, as under his wing, whose general love bought with honourable deserts, may defend it from the injury of every envious enemy. I can shadow my presumption with no o●…her excuse but this, that seeking to find ou●… some one courtier, whose virtuous actions had made him the hope of many honours, at whose feet I might lay down the follies of my youth, & bequeath to him all the profitable fruits of my ensuing age, finding none that either fame could warrant me, or my own privatfancie persuade to be of more hope than yourself, I set down my rest, and ventured boldly on your worship's favour, which if as I have found before, I obtain now, I shall think myself as fortunate in getting so honourable a patron for my new endeavours, as unhappy for blemishing my forepast youth with such frivolous labours. And thus hoping my honest resolution to do well, shall be countenanced with your worship's courteous acceptance, I commit you to the Almightic.  
Your worships in all humble service, ROBERT GREEN.   

TO THE GENTLEMEN Students of both Universities health.  
GGentlemen and Student●…s (my old fri●…ndes and companions) I presented you o'late with my Mourning garment, how you censure of the cloth or cut I know ●…ot, but the Printer hath past 〈◊〉 all out of his shop, and the peddler sound them too dea●…e for his pack, that he was feign to ba●…gain for the life of Tomlivolin to wrap up his sweet powders in those unsavoury papers: If my garment did any Gentleman good I am glad, if it offended none I am proud, if good man find fault that hath his wit in his eyes, and can check what he can not amend, mislike i●…, I am careless, for Diogenes hath taught me, that to kick an ass when he strike●…, were to smell of the ass for meddling with the ass. Having therefore Gentlemen (in my opinion) mourned long enough for the misdeeds of my youth, lest I should seem too 〈◊〉 in my fasts, or like our dear English brethren that measure their prayers by the hour ●…lasse, fall a sleep in preaching of repentance. I have now left of the intent, and am come to the effect, and after my mourning present you with my Farewell to follies, an ultimum vale to all youthful vanities: wishing all Gentlem●…n as well Courtiers as Scholars, to take view of those blemishes that dishonour youth with the acquaint show of pleasant delights. What a glorious show would the Spring present if the beauty of her flowers were not nipped with the frosts? how would Autumn boast of her fruits if she were not disguised with the fall of the leaf, and how would the virtues of youth shine (polished with the ripe conceit of wit) if they were not eclipsed with the clouds of vanity. Then sweet comp●…nions and lovemates of learning, look into my Farewell, and you shall find the poisons which infect young years, and turning but the leaf read the Anti ●…otes to prevent the force of such deadly confections. Lay open my life in your thought and beware by my loss, scorn not in your age what you hau●… learned in your Accidence, though stolen yet as sure as check, Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cantum. Such wags as have been wantoness with me, and have marched in the Mercer's book to please their Mistress eye with their bravery, that as the frolic phra●…eis have made the tavern to sweat with riotous expenses, that have spent their wits in courting of their sweetehearts, and emp●…ied their purses by being too prodigal, let them at last look back to the follies of their youth, and with me say farewell unto all such vanities. But those young novices that have not yet lost the maidenhead of their innocency, no●… have not heard the melody of such alluring Sirens, let them read that they may 〈◊〉, and that seeing into the depth of their folly, they may the more detest that whose poisoned sweetness they never tasted. Thus generally I would wish all to beware by me to say with me farewell to folly. Then should I glory that my seed sown with so much good will should yeel●… a harvest of so great advantage. But by your leave Gentlemen, some over cu●…ous wi●…l carp and say that if I were not beyond, I would not be so b●…ld to teach my 〈◊〉, their du●…ie, and to show them the Sun that have b●…ighter eyes than myself, well Diogenes told Alexander of his folly and yet he was not a King. Others will flout and over read every line with a ●…rumpe and say 'tis scurvy, when they themselves are such scabbed jades that they are like to die of the fazion, but if they come to write or publish an●…e thing in print, it is either distilled out of ballets or borrowed of Theological poets, which for their calling and gravity, being loath to have any profane phamphlets pass under their hand, get some other Batillus to set his name to their verses: Thus is the ass made proud by this under hand brokery. And he that can not write true English without the help of clerk of parish Churches, will needs make himself the father of 〈◊〉. Otis a jolly matter when a man hath a familiar style and can indite a whole year and never be beholding to art? but to bring Scripture to prove any thing he says, and kill it dead with the text in a trifling subject of love, I tell you is no small piece of cunning. As for example two lovers on the stage arguing one an other of unkindness, his Mistress runs over him with this canonical sentence, A man's conscience is a thousand witnesses, and her knight again excuseth himself with that sa●…ing of the Apostle, Love covereth the multitude of sins, I think this was but simple abusing of the Scripture. In charity be it spoken I am perswad●…d the sexton of Saint Giles without Cripple gate, would have been ashamed of such blasphemous Rhetoric. But not to dwell in the imperfection of those dunces, or trouble you with a long commentary of such witl●…sse coxcombs, Gentlemen I humbly entreat pardon for myself, that you will favour my farewell and take the presentation of my book to your judicial insights in good part, which courtesy if I find at your hands as I little doubt of it, I shall rest yours as ever I have done.  
Robert Greene..   

Green his farewell to Follie.  
WHen the state of Italy was pestered with the mutinous factions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, so that the common wealth groaned under the burden of their seditious tumults, and the Church infected with sundry schismatical optnions, was stained with that blemish of dissension. Florence, a city greatly molested with this civil controversy, in stead of palms that presented peace, was stored with armour that denounced wars, the streets that were a mart for the traffic of merchants, served for a place wherein to martial soldiers, the Senate went not in robes of purple to challenge reverence, but in coats of steel to maintain their safety: age, honour nor religion bar●… no privilege in their foreheads, but the nobility with ambition and the commons with envy, so dissented in their several thoughts, that the particular ruin of the City, and the general subversion of the w●…ale public was daily expected. Yet amidst these broils the house of the Farneze so behaved themselves with such equal prop●…rtion, that they were neither friends to the Guelphs nor foes to the Ghibellins, but with an indifferent poise of affections, countermanded the factious mutiny of those two mortal enemies. The chief of these was jeronimo Farneze, a noble man, bonorable for his parentage, and ●…onoured for his virtue, one that in his youth armed his actions with prowess, and in his age made a proof of his life by wisdom, who discovering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of time by experience, found that sweeter was the dew that dropped from peace, than the showers that powered down from wars, that the garland of Mercury was more precious than the helmet of Mars, that quiet and content sooner rested under the marble altar of Pallas, than under the silver targets of Bellona, not that the noble man thought it dishonourable to be martial, but that he counted it prodigal to be factious: to avoid therefore all suspicion that might ensue by his ●…dence in so troublesome a City, setting his household affairs in some good order, accompanied with his wife, three daughters, and four young Gentlemen, allied unto him by affinity, he departed from Florence, seated himself in a farm of his about sixs miles distant from 〈◊〉: the eldest of his daughters was named Margaret, the second Frances, the youngest Katherine, all which as joining in a sympathy of their pareuts propagation, were beholding to Nature for beauty, to Fortune for wealth, and to the Gods for wisdom and virtue: the young Gentlemen were these, Signior Peratio, signior Bernardine, signior Cosimo, and messieur Benedetto, all as I said before, allied to Farneze by affinity, and therefore honourable, and directing the course of their lives after his compass, and therefore virtuous. These thus associated both in nature and nurture, accompanied the old County to his house, where arriving they found a Grange place by situation melancholy, as seated in the midst of a thicket, fit for one given to metaphusial contemplation than for such young Gentlemen, as desired sooner to dance with Venus, than to dream with Saturn, whose thoughts aimed not at the stoic content of Pythagoras, but at an exterior conceit of honest pleasure, which contrary to their expectation in such a century or Country cottage, they found for jeronimo Farneze, seeing the picture of discontent shadowed in their foreheads, conceiving this froward humour to come, for that the place of their abode was so solemnly seated, began at the entrance into the base Court to use these words.  
Gentlemen, the learned and wise worldlings, whom experience and wisdom hath privileged to censure rightly of the due expense of time, have thought with the ●…tion, that as the stomach hath his orifice strengthened as well with the juice of bitter wormwood as with the sap of sweet liquerice: so the mind●… oft steppeth as soon to content by being passionate as pleasant, d●…re hangs not always on the heels of delight, man hath his time to meditate, and holy writ tel●… us, that as we have a day for mirth, so we have a day to mourn, Solomon whose content passed all proportion of measure, counted all things vanity that stooped to th●… centre of the earth, Alexander amidst all the Ambassadors at Babylon, stole three days to be solitary, Philip would be put in remembrance of his morta'itie: and we Gentlemen, that have lived pleasantly at Florence wearing out time with vanity, may now refine our senses dulled with the taste of sundry vain obie●…s, and for a week or two betake ourselves to this solitary place, wherein I think to find no other pleasure but a sweet meditation and friendly conference of the vain suppose of such as think none Philosophers but Epicures, and none reli●…ious but Atheists. Thus Gentlemen, I appoint your penance, and therefore show me your opinion by your countenance. Signior Peratio who was nephew to jeronimo, made answer for the rest and said, they were all content, wherewith the old Countiss leading the way entered the house, where ●…ding all things in a readiness they w●…t to dinner: the fresh air had procured good appetite, that little talk past till they had ended their repast, dinner being done, counting it Physic to sit a while, the olds Countess spying on the finger of signior Cosimo a ring with a death's head engraven, circled with this posy, Gressus ad vitam, demanded whether he adored the signet for profit or pleasure, signior Cosimo speaking in truth as his conscience willed him, told her that it was a favour which a Gentlewoman had bestowed upon him, and that only he wore it for her sake. Then, quoth the countess, 'tis a whetstone to sharp fancy: if it be madam quoth Cosimo, I am not so old but I may love: nor so young sir, quoth she, but you may learn by that to leave such folly as love: no doubt nature works nothing vain, the Lapidary cuts not a stone, but it hath some virtue: men wear not gems only to please the sight, but to be defensives by their secret operations against perils, & so signior Cosimo would I have you use the gentlewoman's favour, not for a whetstone to further folly, but for a cooling card to inordinate vanities. Themistocles wore in his shield the picture of a stork, his motto Antipelargein, for that he would not be stained with ingratitude. Socrates had but one toy in his house, and that was the counterfeit of patience, for that he had a shrew to his wife: By your leave madame (quoth Cosimo) had not Socrates counterfeit also a sentence: yes answered Farneze, but my wife plays like the Priest that at his Elevatio left out his Memento, the motto was this, Neque haec sufficit, meaning patience was as good a medicine to cure a waspish woman of sullenness, as an ants egg in syrup for him that is troubled with the Sciatica. The Gentlemen laughed at the dry frump of Farneze, and the Countess for that she had talked of patience, took it for a precedent, and prosecuted ●…er intent in this manner. 〈◊〉 how you please Gentlemen, still I say that well cannot be gainsaid how the image of death figured in Cosimos ring, should be a glass whereby to direct his actions, that the pagans who build their bliss in the sweet conceit of Fame, used the picture of death as a restraint to all forward follies. Alexander when he named himself the son of jupiter, was revoked from heresy by the sight of a dead man's skull that Calisthenes presented to him in a casket. Augustus Caesar set on the door of his banqueting house the scalp of a dead man, lest extrem●…ie should turn delight to vice: so signior Cosimo, use you your mistress favour as a benefit to profit the mind, not as a toy to please fancy. Cosimo was driven into a dump with this sudden insinuation of the countess, as in deed he stood like the picture of silence, whereat Bernardin smiling made the Countess this answer.  
I cannot deny madame, but you say well, yet your censure is a little too peremptory, neither can I gainsay but such a resolution would do well in age, whose sap shrunk from the branches, comforts the water, but affords no blossoms, your hairs being silver had a summons unto death, & therefore to be armed with devotion, our years grown & budding forth a restless desire to pleasure, which if we should cut off with a continual remembrance of death, we should prevent time & metamorphose ourselves by conceit into a contrary shape: the Astronomer by long staring at the stars forgets the globe at his feet, so fearful was Phaeton of the sign in the zodiaock, that he forgot his course: & so would you have the delight of youth dashed with the sight of a death head, the laying aside all recreation, we should fall to be flat Saturnists. By this doctrine madam, you would erect again the Acadenne of the ●…ks, & make young men either apathois to live without passions, or else so holy to die without sin: the gentlemen were glad that Bernardino had made such an answer, & Farneze to draw them farther into talk, told his wife that he thought she was driven to a non plus: no sir (qd she) but the gentleman mistakes me, for I mean not to have him so holy as to live without sin, but so honest as to live without follies, which our Florentines shroud under the shadow of youth, that in deed are mere enemies to the glory of youth. Messieur Benedetto interrupted the countess, as one amongst all the company most given to folly, for he was a fine courtier and was thus quick in his reply. I remember madame that Photion carped at all men that went shod, because he himself was ever barefoot. Antisthenes' admitted no guest but Geometritians. None supped with Cassius but such as never laughed, and they which feel your humour must (though not in years yet in action) be as old as you, or else they are foundlings. But they which at ●…ood Diogenes tub came as well to laugh as to learn, and we that hear, you may sooner fall a sleep than follow your doctrine, for I perceive under this word folly, you abridge young gentlemen of every laudable pleasure and delight, allowing mirth in no measure, 〈◊〉 poured out after your proportion: As to hunt, to hawk, to dance, to love, to go cleanly, or whatsoever else that contenteth youth his folly. And thus by an induction you conclude omnia vanitas. The Lady Katherine hearing her mother so sharply shaken up by messieur Benedetto pro●… her boldness with a modest blush made this answer: And sir quoth she, they which laughed at Diogenes perhaps were as foolish as he was cynical: & might with Alexander whatsoever they brought take a frump for a farewell, my mother sets not down peremptory precepts to disallow of honest recreation, but necessary persuasion to dissuade men from vanity, she seeks not with Tully to frame an Orator in conceit, with Plato to build a common wealth upon supposes, nor with Baldeslar to figure out a courtier in impossibilities: but seeing the wings of youth tricked up with follies plumes, 〈◊〉 to persuade him with Icarus from soaring to high. And I pray you, qd Benedetto, what term you follies, women's fancies, no sir, quoth she, men's favours, Sylenus ass never saw a wine bottle but he would winch, and you can not hear the name of folly but you must frown, not that you mislike of it in thought, but that decked in your pontificalibus a man may shape & cetera by your shadow: Benedetto let not this bitter blow fall to the ground, but told her her Latin was very bad and worst placed: for & cetera was no word of art for a fool, but in deed he did remember Parrots spoke not what they think, but what they are taught: And so, quoth Cosimo, you make a bare exchange with Lady Katherine for a fool to deliver a popinjay, but in deed to take her part in this, we Florentines, nay more generally, we Italians over wise in our own conceit, stand so much upon wit that folly treading upon our heels bids us oft look back unto repentance: Seignor Farneze taking time by the forehead jumped in with Cosimo; and said that not only Italians but other nations whatsoever were faulty in that imagination, and that folly was as common as love, and love so common that he was not a gentleman that was not in love: and by this argument, quoth Cosimo, you conclude all gentlemen both fools and lovers: I reason not answered Farneze a coniugatis, but seeing we are thus far entered into the Anatomy of follies, let us spend this afternoon in discoursing of the fondness of such our countrymen, as overgrown with self love drowns themselves in that ●…ollies which all the world gives unto us as due: I mean pride, which seignor Peratio for that I know you always to have borne the profession of a scholar, I commit unto your charge: Not to me si●… quoth Peratio, I pray you keep decorum, let the Lady Katherine discourse of that which best beseemeth her sex: for if we may give credit to men very skilful and excellent in chronography, the first pattern of pride came from Eva the mother of women and the mistress of that fault: You mistake the matter, quoth the Lady Katherine, Eva was obedient and simple, following nothing but what her husband foreshowed and foretaught her. Let us leave women, quoth Farneze, and privilege them a little to be proud, only Signior Peratio touch you the folly of our Italians and we will be silent auditors to your good philosophy: The gentlemen settled themselves in ●…ilence, which gave a pro●…fe to Peratio that they agreed to farneze's request, and therefore he began his talk in this manner.  
Although gentlemen it hath pleased the county to give me in charge the discourse of such a weighty matter as the discovery of pride, yet I know my sufficiency so far unable to perform his request, as of force I must crave pardon if either my censures be too ra●…he or verdict offensive: resting therefore in hope of your courteous pa●…ience, thus to the purpose. The learned cl●…rkes ●…hose experience may avouch their sayings for Oracles, affirm this folly to descend by course of propagation, as naturally inserted into the mind of man ab ipsis incunabilis, setting down by physical reasons that pride doth possess the inward senses of infants, as sensum communem & Phantezian before any exterior object can delude the sense with vanity, which Plato considering in his Timaeo calleth it Anthropomasia, the scourge of man, as a vice so deeply bred by the bone, as it will hardly be rooted out of the flesh, alluding the reason that his master Aristotle did for the heart which living first dieth last: so pride entering at the cradle ●…deth in the grave. Scipio Aff●…icanus the great whose triumphs had filled the streets of Rome with trophies, being demanded why the state of Rome began to ruinated, what made him forsake the senate, why he lived solitary from the civil government, why he tasted not the fruits of his foregotten glories? answered to all these demands briefly, for that Rome wa●…th proud, meaning that pride as ill befitteth a crown as a cottage, what overthrew the house of the Tarquins but pride, what wrought the confusion at Babel but the pride of Nembroth? Pride overthrew the pomp of Alexander, and had not pride hatched ambition the Romans had never bewailed the death of Pompey, to repeat a catalogue of infinite examples were frivolous: and therefore leaving this general discovery let us come to a more particular discourse of this folly. Our florentin's which profess themselves to be soldiers, are wedded to this vain, as men shadowing the very substance of pride with the two colours of same and honour: for what attempts they seek to achieve by martial prowess, what exploits they perform in wars, what days and nights they spend in watching either to prevent or prejudice the enemy, still claim the final cause of those actions to be fame or honour. But who heareth the sundry and several bravadoes our martialistes make of their strange encounters? how cunningly they ordered their squadrons? how courageously they encountered the enemy? how stoutly they assayed the push of the pike? how strongly they bore the shock of the horse? what lances they broke? what massacres they made? what stratagems they performed? what cities they both assaulted and sacked, shall find this report to taste of self lo●…e, and these warlike endeavours to savour as much of pride as either of fame or honour. But grant their allegati●…ns true, they covet to be famous and honourable, yet shall we find the end of these virtuous imaginations, to be touched a little with the stain of this folly: for the desire of fame aimed with aspiring thoughts soreth so high, that seeking with Phacton to rule aloft, his very prescription draweth them in a self conceit of their own glories. Had not Hannibal found pride in the hope of fame, he had never scaled the Alps to besiege Capna. Had not Alexander been proud in the glory of his victories and conquests, he had never sighed that there was but one world to subdue. Hercules was proud of his labours, Hector of his combats with the Grecians, and to be short, the meanest soldier getting ●…ither 〈◊〉 or honour by sundry hardy and happy attempts, glories so much in the glorious reward of his inde●…or that willingly he passes his proportion, and cometh within the compass of this f●…lle.  
Signior Bernardino, who all his life time, had professed himself a soldier, seeing Peratio so 〈◊〉 to appech his profession of pride, made this answer. I can not think, signior peratio, but your nativity being rightly calculated, hath Mercury so predominant, as we may censure without offence, that you are far more bookish than wise, especially in martial affairs, whose honourable conceit I see is so far beyond the reach of your capacity, that in gazing at a star you stumble at a stone, and in aiming particularly at a 〈◊〉, you generally load him with the fault of the whole world: are you so simple yourself as to account every humour that ●…itteth man with delight to be pride, that the desire of fame and honour is nothing else but self lo●…e? Then sir, let me say, that Minerva's owl was proud, for perking under ●…ir golden target, and that Apelles boys aimed at self lone for grinding colours for their masters 〈◊〉. But it did not prejudice the 〈◊〉 of Themistocles to be called coward at the mo●…th of Aristot, because the fool was a fiddler and knew scarce a spear front a syi●…ot, neither may s●…uldiours take offente to be thought proud at your hands, which never saw ●…attell but in your book, and ●…et I can not deny but there be such fantaslicke martialists as you talk of, whose tongues are more hardy than their hands, and dare sooner scale the heavens with a brave than anger a man with a blow: such signior Peratio as Thrasonically countenance themselves with the title of a soldier, comprehend you within the compass of folly: but those personages which in defence of their country and despite of the enemy, seek after fame and honour, and glory in the gain of such a golden benefit, let them triumph in their conquests, ●… delight themselves in recounting those favours which fame hath bes●…owed upon them for their warlike endeavours. But sir, in this discourse of pride, you are partial & play like Diogenes, who carrying at the beggary of Antisthenes, neven marked the patch on his 〈◊〉 cloak. Sylenus would oft ●…nuey against 〈◊〉 with a bot●…le of wine in his hand. Thersites 〈◊〉 Menalcas of deformity, himself being most ill-favoured: and you sir, induce a ●…ouldiour as prologue to your comedy of pride, where as you scholars ought to be for most in the scene, for he that maketh but a step into the university of Padua, where the youth of Florence chiefly flourish, and with a deep insight marketh the nature of our Mercurialists, shall find as ●…it a harbour for pride under a scholars cap as under a soldiers helmet, and that as great self love lurketh in a side gown, as in a short armo●…r. Tell me good signior Peratio, is not Mercury as arrogant as Mars is presumptuous? The one is figured with wings as bewraying his aspiring thoughts, the other pi●…tured in arms, as im●…orting a resolution. Turn they not over many leaves? Read they not large volumes? Consume they not long time? Apply they not their wits and wills? Some in Apply to gaze at the stars, some in Physic to search ●…ut the nature of simples, other in the 〈◊〉 to work out metaphysical experiments, every a particularity in every art: spending all his life to have the world give a plaudite of their studies. Is not this, signior Peratio, a tickling humour of self love, that may bring scholars within the compass of pride? Tully gadded the streets of Rome, that the people might call him pater patriae. Demostenes took such a conceit of his eloquence, that he walked up & down Athens to have the citizens say, hic est ille Demostenes. Plato was so proud that he scarce thought king Dionysius his fellow, and not only in learning, but in life and apparel so neat, that Diogenes seeing a brave cursier richly decked with golden trappers, demanded of him when he was in Cumaeo, as taking the horse for one of Plato's disciples: and I think ye scholars of Padua have so long read Plato's wor●…es, that ye taste of platoes vanities, I mean not of his philosophy but of his follies: for now he beareth no touch in padua that can not as well brave it with plato as reason with Plato, that co●…et as well to imitate Aristotle in the sumptuousness of his apparel as the subtleness of his arguments, that hath not a tailor as well to picture out his lineaments, as a Stationer to furnish out his library: therefore signior peratio look to your own last, measure not the length of an other man's foot by your own shoe, but join the soldier and scholar in one syllogism, and then the premises equal, conclude how you list. Signior Farneze and the rest smiled at the sharp reply of Bernardino, and among the rest messieur Benedetto galled peratio with this gléeke. By my faith gentlemen signior Bernardino in my opinion hath done well not only in his defence of a soldier, but in his Satirical invective against scholars, wresting argumentum coniunctum against Peratio himself: I hope sir you are a bachelor, and therefore this kind of phrase gives the less offence. peratio thought to push him with the pike, as he had hit him with the lance, resembling the fall of Hector, who while he vnarmde Patroclus was unhorsed himself: Peratio somewhat choleric & not well able to brook the frump of Benedetto, was thus rough with him: mass courtier I am glad you keep so good a decorum, as to let the lightness of your head & lavishness of your follies so well to agree in eode tertio: you take Bernardinos part, but when the gentleman ran so merry a descant on the pride of scholars, had he by hap but glancst at the gaudiness of your apparel, he had spoken far more reverently of scholters than he did: for you Florentine Courtiers, nay to be flat, we Florentine Gentlemen, to bring myself within the same predicament, discover ourselves to be the very anatomies of pride: for he that marketh our follies in being passing humorous for the choice of apparel, shall find Ovid's confused chaos to afford a multitude of defused inventions. It was objected to Caesar for a fault in his youth that he ever used to go untrust, and we count it a glory, by a careless clothing of ourselves, to be counted malcontent. Sardanapalus was thrust from his empire, for that he was a little e●…minate, and we strive to be counted womanish, by keeping of beauty, by curling the hair, by wearing plumes of feathers in our hands, which in wars our ancestors wore on their heads, they feared of men, we to be favoured of women. Alexander fell in hate of his Macedons, being the monarch of the whole world for wearing a Persian robe embroidered with gold, and we Florentines that are scarce masters of one town so deck ourselves in costly attire, so rich and so rare, that did the Macedons live and see our follies, they w●…ould grant Alexander to wear●… 〈◊〉 rob witho●… envy as a privilege: yea now a dai●…s Time hath bro●…ght pride to such perfection in Italy; that ●…e ar●… a most as fantastic as the English Gentleman that is painted naked with a pair of shears in his hand, as not being resolved after what fashion to have his coat cut. In truth, quoth Farneze, to digress a littl●… from your matter, I have seen an English Gentleman so defused in his suits, his doublet being for the wear of Castille, his hose for Venice, his hat for France, his cloak for Germany, that he seemed no way to be an English man but by the face. And quoth Peratio, to this are we Florentines almost grown: for we must have our courtesies so cringed, our congees delivered with such a long accent, our speeches so affected, as comparing our conditions with th●… lives of our ancestors, we seem so far to differ from their former estate, that did Ovid live, he would make a second Metamorphosis of our estates. Now mass Benedetto, are not you and the scholl●…r fellows comperes in follies? Hath not pride taught the on●… as large principles as the other? Are not Courtiers as proud of their coats as 〈◊〉 of our boo●…? Nay Gentlemen, not soldiers, scholars and courtiers only, but all other estates whatsoever are comprised within the compass of our inquisition, and may veri●… well and rightly be appeached of this folly.  
But signior Peratio, quoth the old Countess, what do you think every one proud that weareth costly apparel? No Madam, quoth p●…ratio, ne●… do I think but very beggars have their thei●…, and prid●… appoint the seat of this folly in the ●…eart, no●… in the habit: for as the cowl makes not the mo●…ck, nor the grey ●…de the friar, so sumptuous attir●… p●…cureth not 〈◊〉 presumption, neither doet●… prid●… ever harbour in ●…lkes: pride looketh as low as the cottage, and poverty hath his conceit tainted with self love. Crates was more proud of his scrip and wallet, than Croesus of all his wealth. Plato had such an insight into the peevish pride of Diogenes, that he durst boldly say, Calco superbiam Diogenis. The beggar Irus that haunted the palace of Penelope, would take his ease in his Inn as well as the peers of Ithaca. Thoughts are not measured by exterior effects, but by inward affects. Koabes made not Agathocles leave to drink in earthen vessels, but rags shrouded a proud mind in Eubulus, that presumed to call him the son of a potter: 'tis as bad a consequent to call a king proud for his treasure, as a beggar humble for his want, and therefore in my opinion, from the ●…ing to the ●…egger, no estate is free from this folly. But pride as the predominant quality in every sex, degree and age challengeth in every one's mind some special and particular prerogative. To confirm●… which, Gentlemen if you will give me leave, I will rehearse you a pleasant history. The County and the rest of the Gentlemen and Ladies, d●…sirous to hear Peratios' tale, settled themselves to silence, and ●…e began in this manner.  

The Tale of Peratio.  
WHile the city of Buda remained free from the invasion of the Turk & was one of the chief promon●…ories of Christendom, there's reigned as king johannes Vadislaus, a man so possessed with happiness in the prime of his youth, as it sée●…d the stars in his nativity had conspired to make him fortunate. By parentage royally and rightly descended from the ancient kings of Hungaria by birth sole king and monarch of all the Transalpine regions, nature had so curiously performed his charge in the lineaments of his body, & the planets by happy aspects so carefully enriched his mind with sundry gifts: as it was in question which of all these might challenge by right the supremacy. But as the purest crystal hath his strikes, the clearest s kie his clouds, the finest die his stain: so Vadislaus amidst all these golden legacies bequeathed to him by nature, Fortune and the gods, had yet a blemish darkened all his other glories with disgrace. For his mind was ●…o puffed up with a disdainful kind of pride, that he purchased not only a special envy of his nobility, but a general hate of his commons: seated thus by his own conceit in a secure content, although in very deed daily standing upon thorns: for that the lives of kings pinched with envy are as brittle as glass, he thought Fortune had been tied to his thoughts in a string, and that the forehead of time had been furrowed with no wrinkles, that kings might command the heavens, and that such monarches as he might attempt with Xerxes to tie the Ocean in fetters: but exeperience taught him that the counterfeit of Fortune, was like the picture of janus, double faced, in the one presenting flattery, in the other spite: that time had two wings, the one plummed with the feather of a dove to foreshow peace, the other with the pens of an eagle to denounce wars, that kings might determine but God dispose: that a sceptre was no warrant to privilege them from mis●…ortune, that every bliss hath his ban●…, that every pleasure hath his pain, and every dram of delight counter poised with a whole t●…e of misery. But in the blossoms of his youth, when self love tickled him forward to overween of his own estate: consideration, the enemy to untimely attempts, had not trodden on his heel, but taking the rains of liberty in his hands, he ran with Phaeton headlong into his own misfortune. For on a day, as oft he desired to delight his senses with the fragrant verdure of the meads, intending to be solitary, for he hated disport, in that he scorned any of his nobility should bear him company, he passed secretly out at a postern gate, only accompanied with one of his nobles, whom amongst all the rest he admitted into private familiarity: an Earl he was, and called Selydes, and went to a grove hard adjoining to the palace, where in an arbour that nature, without the help of art, had most curiously wrought, he passed away part of the day in melancholy meditation: at last tickled with a deep conceit of his own happiness, commanding his noble man a part, he began thus to soothe himself in his own follies. Hast thou not heard Vadislaus, nay dost thou not know, that kings are gods, and why gods, because they are kings, that a crown containeth a world of pleasures, and Fortune ever stoopeth at the sight of a sc●…pter, that the majesty of a prince is like the lightning from the East, and the threats of a king like the noise of thunder? What sayest thou Vadislaus, are kings gods? Why dost thou so much abase thyself, kings are more than gods, for jupiter for all his Deity was glad to reign a petty king in crete, Saturn sued for the Diadem of Italy, both gods, if Poets say true, and yet both inferior unto thee in crown and kingdom. The Transalpine Regions that border upon the Rhine are thine, th●…u art sole king in all those dominions. The stars fears to cross thee with any contrary aspect, the temple of pea●… opens her gates at thy presence, rich thou art, featured thou art, feared thou art, happy thou art, conclude all that may be said either of honour, favour, or fortune, a king thou art Vadistaus: yea, so surely seated in thy Monarchye, as did the heavens oppose themselves against thy prosperity and happiness, their spite were in vain to determine thy ruin and overthrow. Therefore Vadislaus bring not contempt to such a royal dignity by too much familiarity, disdain in a king is the figure of majesty, 'tis glorious for princes to let their subi●…as fear at the thought of their Sovereign: so than Vadislaus, let this censure be ratified, and from hence forth use thy nobility as necessary members to perform thy command, but for companions, none Vadislaus, but kings. At this he swelled and being drunk with the dregs of his own folly, desirous to be soothed in this imagination, be called unto him the County Selydes, unto whom he uttered these words.  
Thou seest Selydes I am a king, to be feared of men, because honoured of the gods, tell me freely without flattery, what d●… thou think either of me or my government. The County w●…o all his life time had been a courtier, and yet never learned nor loved with Aristippus to be Dionysius spaniel, craved pardon of the king, which granted, he framed his talk in this manner.  
I can not deny (mighty sovereign) but kings are gods, in that they ought to resemble their Deities in government and virtue, but yet as the fairest Cedar hath his water boughs, the richest Marguerite her fault, and the sweetest rose his prickle: so in a crown is hidden far more care than content, for one moment of perfect ●…ase a whole month of disquiet thoughts, that were the perils apparent that are hid in a Diadem, hardly would ambition boast in such triumphs, the gold of Tholosse glisteren and yet it was fatal, Sejanus horse was fair to the eye yet unlucky, a sceptre beset with stones is beautiful, but dangerous: kings (my liege) are men and therefore subject to miss, mortal and therefore ●…aues unto Fortune, and yet the title of a crown o●…t puffeth up their minds so with pride, as forgetting themselves, they suddenly prove infortunate, Polycrates so swelled in the conceit of his happiness, as he thought the heavens could not countermand his prosperity, yet experience taught him that Time and Fortune stood on a globe and therefore mutable, that the calmest sea hath his storms, and the highest steps to ●…itie, the deepest fall to misfortune: for the beginning of his youth was not so prosperous, as the end of his age was tragical. Nero was proud, and therefore tyrannous, for the one is a consequent to the other, and so by pride lost both life and Lordship, kings (my liege) have found this by experience, & have feared to make proof of it by trial: so that Philip had a boy to put him in mind of his mortality. Alexander would be called the son of jupiter, but Calisthenes made him deny such arrogancy in Babylon. Croesus' was proud of his pelf, but Solon pulled down his plumes by preferring Byton before him in happiness, kings heads are not impaled with fame, for that they are kings, but because they are virtuous. Augustus Caesar was not famous for his Empire but for his clemency. Severus was not chronicled for his treasure but for his justice. Antonius Pius had not his picture placed in the Capitol, because of his sceptre, but for he was merciful: So my Lord to your question, I think your majesty a king in deed with large dominions, and honoured with royal titles of dignity, and it fitteth not a subject to mi●…ike of his prince's government: only this I conclude, and this heartily I wish, that your highness may live favoured of the gods, and loved and honoured of men. He that bruiseth the Olive tree with hard iron, ●…etcheth out no oil but water, and he that pricketh a proud heart with persuasions, draweth out only hate and envy. For Vadislaus so grudged at the friendly advertisements of the Counti●… Selides, that choking his choler with silence, he made no reply, but went home to the palace: where, for the receipt of a fish, thinking to repay a scorpion, he whetted his thoughts only on revenge. And Fortune, who still thought to favour him in his follies, soothed him with success in his envy, that raising him to the highest sphere of self conceit, she might throw him down to the lowest centre of despair: for many days had not passed before, by some sinister means, he had wrought so with the rest of his nobility, that the County was found faulty by false witness in a penal statute, that his goods were confiscated unto the king's use, his body exiled into Germany, and his only daughter for one and but one he had as a distressed virgin, was refte at once both of parents and patrimony. The County arming his thoughts with patience, against the despite of Fortune, counting it good counsel to make 〈◊〉 virtue of necessity, left his daughter in 〈◊〉 of a dowry to enrich her marriage, fatherly doctrine to increase her manners: for giving her coin that envy had reft, leaving her advise and counsel that experience had taught, counting it more happiness to have his daughter prove wise than wealthy, as preferring the gi●…tes of the mind far before the goods of Fortune, parting thus from his only child, from his friends and from his Country he could not but sorrow, and yet in such measure, as despair could take no advantage of his passions. The Lady, as made of a more tender complexion, let loose the fountains of her tears, and having taken her farewell of her father lamented his case, as far as the reach of her eye could keep the Bark within ken, after the ship was out of sight, and she left alone and comfortless on the shore, she began after this manner to complain with herself.  
Distressed and sorrowful Maesia, for so was her name, where shalt thou begin to recount thy griefs, or make an end of thy despairing sorrows: the prime of youth, which to others is a summer of good hap, being to thee a frosty winter of misfortune. Now doth experience teach thee for truth, which erst thou accountedest for a fable, that the privilege of honour is sealed with the signet of time, that the highest degrees have not the surest leates, that nobility is no warrant against mishap, that the highest cedars are blasted with lightning, when the lower shrub waves not with the wind, small brooks bubble forth silent streams, when greater seas are troubled with tempests: envy yea envy the very caterpillar of content, spareth the touch of a cottage, when he endeavours the ruin of a palace, he scorneth a beggar when he stricketh a king, and vouchsafeth not to check poverty, when he giveth honour the mate. Then Maesia, what reason hast thou to be ●…ayle thy present fall, and not rather to joy at thy future hay, accuse not fat●…s or Fortune as thy foes, when their despite r●…dounded not to thy loss, but thy liberty, whilom thou wert honourable, and therefore fearful, now thou art poor, and therefore secure, o'late restless, fear of mishap disquieted thy sleeps in a palace, now a quiet content shall asoorde thee sweet ●…umbers in a cottage, there didst thou sigh in silks, here mayest thou sing in russ●…t, there nobility was counter poised with care, here poverty is enriched with quiet. Then M●…sia, change thy affections with thy fortunes, live as though thou wert borne poor, and hope as one assured to die rich: for there is no greater honour than quiet, nor no greater treasure than content. But alas my sather, mine aged father: Scarce had she●… uttered these words, b●…t grief presented such a heap of distressed thoughts, that either the h●…art must burst by smothering such s●…alding sorrows, or else the tongue and eyes resolve unto plaints and tears. Ah despiteful and injurious Fortune, quoth she, well did Zeuxes paint thee blind, and yet without a vale, as having thine eyes not covered with a lawn, but darkened with despite, the frost nippeth the bud when he spareth the root, the gods slew the brats of jocasta but spared Oedipus, the wrinkles of age should be warrauntes of weal, the silver hair●…s should be pledges of peace. But ●…ynde or fury as thou art, thou hast threatened my father with a contrary m●…lice, in the cradle giving him sweet syrups, at the grave presenting him with bitter potions, in the prime of his youth bring him a sleep with honour, in the end of his days disquieting his thoughts with poverty. Silence Maesia, lest Fortune hearing thy complaints, joy in her own spite, and triumph in thy sorrows, the sweetest salve of mishap is patience, and no greater revenge can be offered Fortune, than to rest content in misery, tears are no cures for distress, neither can thy present plaints pleasure thy absent father: then Maesia comfort thyself and what time thou shouldest bestow on discoursing thy misfortunes, spend in orisons to the gods, to redr●…sse thy father's cares and revenge his injuries, and upon this resolution she rested, and for that she would keep a decorum, as well in her attire as in her actions, she put off her rich robes and put on homely ragge●…, transforming her thoughts with her apparel, traveled from the court into the country, where seeking for service, she had not passed long, before she met with a wealthy farmer's son, who handsomely decked up in his holy day hose, was going very mannerly to be foreman in a Morris dance, and as near as I can guess thus he was appareled: he was a tall slender youth clean made with a good indifferent face, having on his head a straw hat steeple wise, bound about with a band of blue bu●…kram, he had on his father's best tawny worsted jacket: for that this days exploit stood upon his credit, he was in a pair of hose of red kersey, close trust with a point afore, his mother had l●…nt him a new muffler for a napkin, & that was tied to his girdle for losing, he had a pair of harvest gloves on his hands as she wing good husbandry, & a pen & inckhorn at his back: for the young man was a little bookish, his pomps were a little too heavy, being trimmed start-ups made of a pair of boot legs, tied before with two white leather thongs, thus handsomely arrayed, for this was his sunday suit, he met the Lady Maesia, and seeing her so fair and well form, far passing their country maids in proportion, and nothing differing in apparel, he stood half amazed as a man that had seen a creature beyond his country conceit, and in deed she was passing fair, for this I remember was her description:  

Her stature and her shape was passing tall,  
Diana like, when longest the lawns she goes,  
A stately pace like juno when she braved,  
The queen of heaven fore Paris in the vale,  
A front beset with love and majesty,  
A face like lovely Venus when she blush●…  
A silly shephe●…d should be beauties judge,  
A lip sweet ruby red, graced with delight,  
Her eyes two sparkling stars in winter night,  
When chilling frost doth clear the azurd sky,  
Her hairs in tresses twinned with threads of silk,  
Hung waving down like Phoebus in his prime:  
Her breasts as white as those two snowy swans  
That draws to Paphos Cupid's smiling dame:  
A foot like Thetis when she tripped the sands,  
To steal Neptunus' favour with his steps:  
In fine, a piece despite of beauty framed,  
To see what natures cunning could afford.   
Thus I have heard the Lady described, and this her rare form drove this country youth into this marvelous admiration, at last Maesia seeing the poor fellow in a maze: after salutations done as country like as she could, and yet too courtly for his calling, the inquired of him if he knew any good and honest house, where she might be entertained into service. The young man who all this while had stared ●…er in the face, told her that she came in pudding time, for his mother wanted a maid, and if she could take any pains, no doubt she should find a house fit for her purpose. And (quoth he) I have such good hope that you will prove well, that although this day I should have been foreman in a may-game, yet I will rather mar the play then your market, and so will turn back to lead you the way to our house. Maesia gave him thanks, and together they went to his Fathers, whereafter the young springal had talked a while with his mother, for he was his father's eldest son, the good wife had such liking of the maid, that she gave her an earnest penny to serve her for a year, and so hired her before the Constable. Maesia being thus honestly placed, by her good behaviour grew into such favour with all the house, that the old fools began to think her a fit match for their eldest son, and in this hope used her m●…ruailous well. But leaving her to h●…r Country content, at last to Vadislaus, who having now glutted envy with re●…enge in banishing the good Earl, pearked so high with Danidas Parrot, that at the last he fell to the ground: For pride had taught him this principle, that princes wills aware laws, and that the thoughts of kings could not err, disdain and contempt, two monsters of nature, had so sotted his mind with self lo●…e, that as his actions grew to be insolent, so his government began to be tyrannous, commanding as fancy wild him to ●…fect, not as justice wished him to afford: he foug●…t not with Augustus to be called Clemens, but with Tarquin to glory in the title of Superbus: alluding the d●…ike ●…ich Virgil wrote in the praise of Caesar to himself, Divi sum imperiumcum jove Caesar habet. He would not with Philip be called martial, but with Alexander be honoured as the son of Ammon: he sought not to sit in his throne with a branch of palm, to govern with peace, but used a sword as a sceptre to rule with constraint. Long he did not continue in this life, but that he grew in mortal hate with his subi●…ctes, the poor commons grudged and groaned under the burden of his cruelty, the Nobilitises began to consider with themselves, that more did the state of Rome ruinated in one year under the government of the Emperor Calygula, than it prospered in many under the virtuous regiment of ●…raian, that more blossoms die the first nip in a morning, than the heat of the Sun can revive in a whole day, and more harm doth the pride of a king in a moment, than good policy can restore in a month: whereupon they determined to forewarn him of his follies, and to persuade him from that course of life, which would in time bring the commonwealth to mischief, and himself to misfortune: finding fit time and opportunity with a general consent they began to dissuade him from his presumption, but Vadislaus who br●…kt not to be countermanded by any of his nobles, returnd●… them this scornful answer.  
My Lords, as the Sun is set in the heavens, so kings are seated upon earth: the one too glorious an object for every ei●… to gaze at, the other too full of majesty for any man to control. The woulse had his skin pulled over his ears for prying into the lion's den: the actions of Princes are like the pearls of Arabia, the one too cestly for every merchant to prize, the other too honourable for every base person to censure of. Dare the proudest bird bear, wing against the Eagle●… Is not the print of a lions claw a seal of his safety, and the very title, nay the very thought of a king, a warrant of his bliss. Take heed my Lords, let the prejudice of others be a precedent for you to beware: me think the County Selydes mishap might warn you from pressing too much on my favour. Seneca by grudging at Nero's bliss procured his own bane, Calisthenes checking the thoughts of Alexander wrought his own overthrow. King's must not be controlled for that they are Kings, and therefore from henceforth doom not of my doings least. And with that he fling from them in a rage, as one aiming at revenge, if hereafter they misliked of his government. The nobles whom disdain had armed to des●…aire, began to murmur at the kings wicked resolution, and either to free the commonwealth from misery, or by attempting such an enterprise to procure their own mishap: amongst them all Rodento, a noble man more bold than the rest, burst forth into these passions.  
My Lords and worthy Peers of Buda, feared for your valour, and famous for your victories, let not the private will of one man be the ruin of such a mighty kingdom, kings are Gods, then let them govern like Gods, or give us leave to account them worse than men, let the cramples of other nations tie us to the consideration of our present estate. The Athenians preferred the weal of their Country before the pride of Alcibiades, Caesar was slain in the Senate for his pride, Hannibal twice eriled Carthage for his presumption, Dyonisius banished out of Scycily for his insolency: Crowns (my Lords) are n●… plackardes of wickedness, Security waiteth not anielonger upon a Sceptre than it is swayed with equity, a Diadem is no longer glorious than it is deck●… with virtue, so the occasion presents us a double proffer, either by soothing the king in his pride to suffer the common wealth to perish, or by r●…ting out such a prince, to save both ourselves and the ●…ingdome ●…rom prejudice: now my Lords the balance is poised, choose which part you please, Rodento having set their hearts on fire with these words, they all consented to recall County Selides from banishment, and if at the second persuasion the king would not take a better course, to make him sole mona●…h of Buda: they were not slack in their purposed intent, but dispatched letters secretly by a speedy Post into Germany, which the County Selides receiving, suspected at the first a further mischief, but at last thoroughly satisfied by the messenger of their ●…aithful intent, he cut over with as much speed as might be, & secretly in the night came to the house of Rodento, where being honourably entertained, the next day all the nobles assembled, and there in counsel told the County Selides how in requital of his exile they meant either to set him in his former estate, or else to enrich him with the benefit of a crown. The County was unwilling to grant to their requests, yet at last seeing denial could not prevail, he consented, and all jointly went together to the Court: where they ●…ounde the king walking according to his wont manner in his accustomed melancholy: who scarce saluting his Lords with a good look, yet strait had espied the County Selides: at whose sight with a ●…ace inflamed with choler, and eyes sparkling hate, he demanded why the County Selides was revoked from exile, how ●…e durst presume so nigh to approach his presence, or which of his Lords was so hardy as to admit him into their company? Rodento speaking for the rest made answer, that as the County Selides was banished without cause, so he might lawfully return without pardon, that offences measured with enu●…e, were to be salved without entreaty, & therefore did no more than they all present were ready to iusti●…e: and further, whereas his majesty was so s●…tted in self conceit that he held his will as a law, and made a metamorphosis of a monarchy into a flat government of tyranny: they were come to persuades his highness from such folly, wherein if he resolved to persiit, they were determined not only to deprive him of his crown and kingdom, but before his face to celebrate the coronation of Selides. Vadislaus hearing this peremptory resolution of his Lords, was nothing dismayed, but with a countenance overshadowed with disdain, told them he seared not their braves: for quoth he, the treacherous attempt of a subject cannot dismate the princely courage of a king. When the slaves of Scyth●…a rebelled against their Lords, they were not subdued with weapons, but with whips. Cirus punished traitors, not with the are to infer death, but with a fools coat to procure perpetual shame: therefore my lords I charge you upon your allegiance take hold of that outlaw Selides, put him in prison till he hear farther of my pleasure, and for your own parts submit yourselves and crave pardon. The noble men played like the dease Addar that heareth not the sorcerers charm, neither could they be dissuaded from their intent by the threats of a king, but following their purpose, presently deposed him of all regal dignity and cclebrated ●…he coronation of Selides: who seated in the regal throne, had no sooner the sceptre in his hand, but envy began to grow in his heart, and revenge haled him on to seal up his comical success with tragical sorrow, for he commanded Vadislaus to be pulled out of his robes and put into rags, in stead of a crown to give him a scrip, for a sceptre a palmers staff, making general proclamation that none o●… what degree so ever, should allow him any maintenance, but that his inheritauce should be●… the wide fi●…lds, and his revenues nought else but charity. Vadislaus thus at one time deposed and metamorphosed from a king to a beggar, was now disdained of those who●…e before he did 〈◊〉, and l●…ught at by such as befor●… he did envy, the nobility shaked him off as a 〈◊〉, the commons used him as a bad companion, 〈◊〉 jointly forgot he had been their king, and smoothl●… smiled at his misfortune. Vadislaus as a man in a ●…rance, being past a little from his palace, seeing the place which whilom was the subject of pleasure, now 〈◊〉 object of discontent, t●…at where he did command as a king, he was centrolled as an abject, he sell into these di●…ressed passions.  
Is youth the wealth of nature, to be wracked with every flaw? Is honour the privilege of 〈◊〉, subject to every fall? Hath majesty that makes us fellow partuers with the Gods in dignity, no warrant to grant a sympathy of their deities, that as we are equal in highness, so we may be immortal in happiness? Why dost thou enter Uadislaus into such fri●…olous questions, when thy present misfortune ●…elles thee kings are but men, and therefore the very subjects of Fortune? Ah unhappy man hadst thou confessed as much as proof sets thee down for a principle, the overflowing gale of self love had never brought thy bark persorce to so bad an harbour. Hadst then governed like a God in equity, thou hadst still ruled like a God in honour: but pr●…de persuading thee a crown had made thee more than a man, hath now induced time to assure thee, that thou art the worst of all men. 〈◊〉 seats are like the 〈◊〉 that Aegisthus made for strangers, wherein being placed, the care was delighted with melody, the cie with sundry shows of content, the smelling with sweet favours: but to coun●…ruaile these pleasures, over their heads hung naked swords in slender fillets of silk, which procured more fear than the rest did delight: majesty is like the triple string of a Lute, which let too low maketh bad music, and stretched too high, either craketh or setteth all out of tune. Fortune's favours resemble the pricks of a Porcupine, that carelessly gazed at, pleaseth the eye and the touch, but narrowly handled, both hurteth the sight and the sense. Ah Uadislaus, had consideration foretaught thee these untimely principles, thou hadst neither found the seats of ●…ings unsure, majesty out of time, nor fortune but as she is to all men, inconstant. But pride, what sayest thou of pride Vadislaus? Was it not lawful for thee to be pro●…der than all men, that wert higher in dignity then all men? Might not a crown yield thee a self●… conceit in thy actions? What didst thou being king that 〈◊〉 not a king? Disdain I tell thee is the glory of a Sceptre, and in that still be resolute, be'st thou never so poor in estate, be still a Prince in thought, parentage is without the compass of Fortune, the Gods may dispose of weith, but not of birth, imagine thy palmers bonnet a p●…inces diadem, think thy staff a sceptre, thy grey weeds costly attire, imaginations are as sweet as actions: and seeing thou ca●…st not be a king over nobility, be yet a king over beggars: hold poverty as a slave, by thinking thy want store, and still disdain all that art despi●…ed of all: Dionysius was for the same brave mind exiled out of his kingdom, but he kept a 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉, and there although he were not a prince over men, yet ●…ee was a king over boys, and the force of his imagination soothed him in a princely content. Tush Vadislaus, never shrink at this shot, now thou art more than a king, for thou art a monarch both over fates and fortune, and yet this privilege is left thee that none in Buda can challenge, thou mayest boast thou hast been a king, and whosoever gives thee for alms, never yield him thanks, for he bestows but what once was thine: Vadislaus arming himself thus with a desperate kind of patience passed poorly disguised and despised through his own Country. And Selides safely seat●…d in the kingdom, after he had set the affairs of the weal public in good order, took all his care to know where his daughter was bestowed, but hearing no news where she was harboured, made general proclamation through all his dominions, that who so could tell news what was become of the lady Maesia the king's daughter, should be greatly advanced in calling, and have a thousand crowns for his pains. The Farmer's son happened to 〈◊〉 with his mother's butter at the market when this proclamation was made, and coming home, told it in secret for great news, how that the king was deposed from his crown, & Selides created in his place, and that whosoever could tell where Maesia was should be well rewarded for his labour. The old Farmer nodding his head at these news, made answer: you may see son, quoth he, what it is to be a great man, I tell you the gay coats of kings covers much care, as they have many pleasures, so they have much perils, the ploughman hath more ease than a King: for the one troubles but his body with exercise, the other disquiets his mind with weighty affairs, I warrant thee wi●…e we have as much health with f●…ding on the brown loaf, as a Prince hath with all his delicates, and I steal more sweet naps in the chimney corner in a week, than (God save his majesty) the King doth quiet sleeps in bi●… beds of down in a whole month. Oft have I beard my Father say (and I tell thee our predecessors were no fools) that a husbandman ploughed out of the ground three things, wealth, health and quiet, which (quoth he) is more worth than a kings ransom: but 'tis no matter, let not us meddle with king's affairs, but if the council have thought it good to put down Vadislaus, he may thank his own pride, which son learn of me, is the root of all mischiefs, and if they have crowned Selides, we see a goodly example, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, but I would I could tell where the king's daughter were, for he that reaps favour and wealth gets a double benefit. Maesia who heard these news of her Father's preferment, smiled in her own conceit, that fortune had made 〈◊〉 sharp and short a revenge, and that now after many miseries passed over with patience, she might not only say Dabit Deus his quoque finem, but Hec olim maminisse iwabit. The remembrance of honour tainted her cheeks which a purple die at the sight of her present drudgery, the hope of dignity tickled her mind with a sudden joy, to think what a metamorphosts should happen at her pleasure, but when she called to mind●… the Country sayings of her old master, and saw by proof ●…ow ●…ckle fortune was in her favours, and had considered what mishap lay in majesty, and what a secure life it was to live poor, she found dignity over s●…owed with danger, whereas poverty ●…ept quietly at his plough beam. Honour wild her to bewray what she was, quiet persuaded her that content was a kingdom. Perplered thus with sundry thoughts after her house was handsomely and huswifely breast up, she took her spinning wheel to the door, and there setting herself solitarily in the shade, she had not drawn forth three or four threads, but Vadislaus in ●…is beggars robes came to the door, and seeing so neat a Country wench at her wheel, without any salutations, after his cynical manner began to gaze on her beauty. The maid taking him sore no other but some stout beggar, as Country maids use to solace themselves, began to carol out a song to this effect.  

Sweet are the thoughts that savour of conrent,  
the quiet mind is richer than a crown,  
Sweet a●…e the nights in careless slumber spent,  
the poor estate scorns fortunes angry frown  
Such ●…weet content, such minds, such sleep, such bliss  
Beggars enjoy, when Princes oft do mis.   

The homely house that harbours quiet reft,  
the cottage that affords no pride nor care,  
The mean that grease with Country music best,  
the sweet consort of mirth and musics fare,  
Obscured life sets down a type of bliss,  
a mind content both crown and kingdom is.   
The song of Maesia somewhat touched the mind of Vadislaus, that marveling what pretty musician this should be that had so sweet a voice and so pithy a ditty, he began to interrupt ●…er melody in this sort. Fair maid, for so I may term you best, in that I give thee but thy due to say thou art beautiful, and allow thee a favour in thinking thou art honest, tell me, is this Country cottage thy father's house? and if it be, thy birth is so base & thy bringing up so bad, how hap thou hast sound disquiet in dignity, and care contained in a crown? Hast thou seen the court, and so speakest by experience, or learned this ditty as a song of course, and so hittest the crow by hap. Maesia hearing the beggar so inquisitive, especially placing his words in such a commanding phrase, thinking him to be no other than his rags did report, shook him up thus sharply. 'tis for beggars (quoth she) whom fortune hath tied to the courtesy of others, to crave alms with treaties, not to demand questions with inquisition, for as they have no other plackard than poverty, so their charter is submission and lowliness, what so ever my tongue contained, step not thou farther than thy scrip, thou art mean enough, therefore quiet enough, no alms would do thee more good than a question, and therefore stay while my thread is drawn, and thou shalt have my devotion. Vadislaus whose pride was not changed with his apparel, told her that the virtue of the tree was not discerned by the outward bark, but by the inward s●…p, that the Lapidary might be deceived in colours, that ro●…bes made not kings, nor rags beggars, that Apollo being a God, metamorphosed himself, not into a prince, but to a shepherd, that Mercury for his pleasure took the form of a cow heard, to try the tabling of Bacchus, outward shows are not inward effects, and therefore she might mistake him, and though his cloathng discovered poverty, his calling might be honourable. Maesia hearing so well ordered an answer to come from such a disordered person, began to note more narrowly the linea●…ents of his face, & at last perceived it was the quondam king Vadislaus, but still dissembling what both she thought and knew, made him this answer: Friend, if I have shot awry blame the mark that I aimed at, and not my censure by outward show, for we Country maids are so homely brought up, that we count none kings but what wear crowns, and all beggars that carry scrippes and crave alms, if your degree be above your show, it was your own fault, and not my folly that made me so foolish, my song I hope what so ere ye be, hath given none offence: if thou hast been rich, it tells thee what disquiet is in dignity, and that the cottage affords more quiet than a kingdom: if thou wert never but as thou art, then mayst thou see what content is in poverty, and lear●… that the obscure life containeth the greatest bliss: kings are men, and therefore subject to mishap, Fortune is blind, and must either miss of her aim, or shoot at a great mark, her bolts 〈◊〉 not so low as beggary, when honour is pierced with every blow, and therefore Marcus Curcius that had thrice been dictator, and as many times triumphed hid himself in a poor farm to be free from the injury of fortune. Vadislaus driven into a passion with this parley, asked her why she told him of the stratagems of kings, seeing she was a beggar: for that, quoth Maesia, thou didst scorn even now to be counted a beggar: nay quoth Vadislaus ●…or that thou knowest, or at the least dost suspect I am a king: Maesia told him she had small reason to make ●…uch a surmise, but desired that she might know if he were Vadislaus, that of late was deposed: I am quoth he, the same, I tell thee maid, every way the same, for mishap hath no whit altered my mind. Then (quoth Maesia) hath fortune done ill, to join in thee both poverty and pride, for either hath Report a blister on her tongue, or thy fall did ensue of disdainful insolency: thy fault hath been always the fall of princes, the ruin of states, and the utter subversion of kingdoms, Dyoclesian the Roman was so proud, that he called himself brother to the Sun, and was the first that ever made edict to have the feet of Emperors kissed, in sign of servile submission, his end was madness: the pride of Pompey was his overthrow: the desire of ki●…gly title caused Caesar to die in the senate house: but thy harvest is out of the grass, and my council cometh now, as a shower of rain doth when the corn is ripe: yet seeing you ar●… fallen into poverty, let me a●…ise thee how to bear it with patience. Want is not a deprivation of virtue, but a release of care and trouble. Epamynondas was not called half a God, nor Lycu●…gus a saviour, because they abounded in wealth and were slaves to their passions, but because they were Princes, and yet content with poverty: then let their lives be a mark whereby to direct your actions, that as you are fallen from dignity by default, so you may live in poverty with patience, & so die a more honourable beggar than thou didst li●… a king, and if thou marvel who it is that gives th●… such friendly council, know I am daughter to Selydes, who driven by thy injustice to this distress, although my father now a king, yet I find such content in poverty, as I little hast to exchange this life with dignity.  
Vadislaus carefully marking the weight of every word, especially proceeding from her whom he had injured, blushed at the sight of her patience, and yet as a man whom despair had hardn●…d on to mishap, nothing relented at her persuasions, but in a melancholy fury ●…ong from the door without saying one word, or bidding her farewell. Maesia noting still the perverse stomach in the man, said to herself, What folly is there greater than Pride, which neither ag●… nor poverty can extinguish? What afterward became of Vadislaus, the Annals of Buda makes not mention, but only of this, that he died poor and yet proud. For Maesia pitying her father's sorrows tha●… he made for her absence, more for his content than for any delight in dignity, shortly after she forsook the Country and went to the court.  
Peratio having ended his tale, the whole company commended his discourse, and especially the old countess, who not only gave him praise as a laurel for his labours, but thanks, as due to him by deserts, saying, that in deed pride was one of those sins which nature had framed without change, that Fortune was a mistress over other passions, and Time had a medicine for other maladies, only pride and the gout hath his similitude in effects, that they were incurable. Well madam, quoth Bernardino, Peratio hath done well, but pray God he resemble not the rich Bishop of Cullen, that preaching against covetousness, had a poor man's lease to pawn in his hands, which he used as an instrument to act against usury: he is a scholar madam, and therefore within the compass of his own conclusions, for we see th●…se University men overcome themselves deeply in this folly, insomuch that not content to be proud at home, they seek by travel to hunt after vanity. As I cannot, quot●… Peratio, excuse myself, so I will not accuse all generally, because the premises are to●… peremptory that infer such censurers, but no doubt, scholars are men, and therefore subject to this fault. And so be courtiers, quoth Lady Katherine, for you may smell their pride by their perfumes. ●…is well, qd Benedetto, that signior Farneze hath made an exception of women, otherwise Peratio had never made an e●…de of his discourse. Peratio taking hold of Lady Katherine's talk, thought to cross Benedetto over the thumbs, and therefore made this reply. Truth it is, that ●…ully writ to Atticus, that the conquest of Asia had brought siue notable follics into the Citi●… of Rome, to make glorious sepulchres, to wear rings of gold, to use spice in meats, to allay wine with sugar, and to carry about sweet perfumes and smells. These m●…ssieur Bdnedetto, Tully counts follies, and ye use as ●…auours: he thought them prejudicial, and ye courtiers count them as necessary, and therefore argue how you list, I will have you within the compass of my discourse. I can smile, quoth the Lady Katherine, to see how messieur Benedetto thinking to wring water on't of a stone, hath stumbled on a ●…int, which striking too hard hath brought fire. Yet (quoth Cosimo) his luck was good, for he burned but his own clothes. Signior Farneze hearing these dry blows, broke off their talk at this time by commanding one of his men to cover for supper, which done, sitting down with his guests about him, every one plied his teeth more than his tongue, Benedetto excepted, who was so chafed in conceit at the Lady Katherine, that his thoughts only were employed after dinner how to be revenged, which indeed ●…e performed in this sort.    

The second discourse of Folly.  
AFter Farneze & the rest had satis●…d their ●…marks with meat & their minds with mirth, Cosimo seeing Benedetto so passionate, began to whet him on to prattle in this manner. Mass courtier, qd he, to draw you out of your dumps with a demand, I pray you answer me to this question: why do the painters in figuring forth the counterfeit of love, draw her blind & covered with a vale, when as we see that in nothing there is a deeper insight than in love: Benedetto seeing Cosimo put forth this question only to move talk, told him, that if he had spent but as many idle hours about the substance of affection, as he had done days about the quiddities of fancy, he would willingly have answered his demand: but seeing 'ttwere folly for a soldier to teach Orpheus how to handle his har●…e, he would answer him as Zeuxes did king Persius, who desiring him to shew●… how he could draw the picture of envy, presently brought him a looking Glass, wherein Persius perceiving his own phisnomy blushed: And yet for all this, qd Bernardino, signior Cosimo doth not change countenance, and yet we all know him to be a lover: and therefore, quoth the Lady Frances, within the compass of folly, for this I remember that an Acrion saith, Cupid was deprived of his sight, not by nature but by injury, for the Gods summoning a parliament, whereat appeared all the heavenly deities, Cupid by hap, or rather by fatal presence of the destinies, met with Folly, who surcharged with overweening passions, began to dispute of their several powers, the b●…y not able to brook comparisons, bend his bow, and was ready to discharge an arrow against Folly, but ●…hee being readier furnished with weapons, neither regarding his youth, beauty, nor deity, scratched out his eyes, in requital whereof she was by the Gods appointed his guide. Then by this quoth Peratio, there is no love without folly. That I deny, answered the Lady Frances, for true and perfect love is beyond●… the deity of Cupid, and therefore without the compass of folly. But such love as you young Gentlemen use, that hath as great a confusion of passions, as Ovid's chaos had of simples, is that which I mean, in truth it is lust, but shadowed with the name of love, which rightly Euripides calleth a fury. I am glad, quoth Farneze, that we are entered into the discourse of love, for I will enjoin this night's work to be about the discovery of the very substance of lust, which drowned in voluptuous pleasures, haileth on the mind to the soul●… deformed sin of lechery, a fault that we Italians greatly offend in, and yet the custom of sin hath so taken a way the feeling of the offence, as we shame not oft times to glory in the fault. And for that signior Cosimo I have known you amongst all the rest to be most amorous, though I mnst needs confess always honestly, yet for that you have been acquainted with such passions, I commit the charge unto your hands. Cosimo seeing the company smile, in that the County had tied him to such a task, willingly would have surrendered up his right into an other man's hands, but fearing to displease Farneze, and by shrincking, to discover where his shoe wrong him, arming himself with patience seemed very content: and therefore began to frame his speech in this manner. Although (Gentlemen) Hipa●…chon could play on his flute, yet he was not to dispute of Music, in that Bee knew more by the practice of his finger, than by skill of the concords. Ephestion could handle Bucephalus, but not ride Bucephalus. Menecas the Macedonian was a very good simpler, but knew not how to con●…est a potion, as one aiming at the virtue of the herb, not at the quality of the disease: so although I have, as a novice, gazed at the temple of Venus, yet I am not able to discourse of the Deity of Cupid: 'tis no consequent, that by feeling a few passions, I should be able to set down principles, or that a spark of fancy should kindle a whole flame of wanton affections, yet that I be not accused to be more scrupulous than courteous, I will say what I have heard and read of this folly. The Cyriniake Philosophers, as Aristippus, Metrodorus and Epicurus, who founded their summum bonum in pleasure, to shadow their brutish principles with some show of reason, drew, as Phidias did over his deformed pictures, courteines of silk, that the outward vale might countenance the imperfection of his art, placing the substance of pleasure under the simple superfici●…s of virtue, covering an envenomed hook with a fair bait, and like janus presenting a double face, the foremost of flattery, the hindmost of sorrow. Hercules' meeting vice and virtue, found the one gorgeously tricked up in ornaments of gold, the other coarsely attired in simple clothing, virtue bore faced wearing in forehead the counterfeit of truth, vice vailed with a mask to cover the deformity of her visage, wherein appeared the sta●…nes of pleasure, as the infection of leprosi●…, which Plutarch noting, being demanded what 〈◊〉 was: answered, a sweet step to repentance, alluding unto the censure of Photion, who wrote of the pictur●… of Venus this sentence: Ex vino Venus ex venere ruina & mors. But seeing my charge is not to speak generally of pleasure, but of that folly which claiming the name of pleasure, most besotteth the senses of all other objects with deceit, I mean lust, which the better to bring in credit, is honoured with the title of love, I must confess myself herein to be of Aristotle's opinion, who being demanded by Alexander the great, what love was, answered, a met amorphosis of men's bodies and souls into contrary shapes: for after that the impression of lust, inveigled by the fading obi●…ct of beauty, hath crept in at the eye and possessed the heart, we wholly deliver ourselves, as slaves to sensuality, forgetting our God for the gain of a goddess, whose altars savours of stinking perfumes, and whose temple is not perfumed with roses, but infected with hembloeke: they which sacrifice unto Vesta offer up incense with fire, they which stand at the shrine of Venus offer up bladders only filled with wind, the one representing the pureness of chastiti●…, the other the lightness of affection: you say true, quoth the Lady Frances, Venus' coffers are always empty, and therefore giving great sound, her garments embroidered with feathers, as noting inconstancy, for be that marketh the confused estate of you Florentines, who covet to be counted lovers, shall find how under that one folly you heap together a mass of mischievous enormities, for the Gentleman, that drawn by a voluptuous desire of immoderate affections, seeks to glut his outward senses with delight, first layeth his platform by pride, seeking to allure a chaste eye with the sumptuous show of apparel, under that mask to entice the mind unto vanity, others by an eloquent phrase of speech to tickle the ear with a pleasing harmony of well placed words: well placed in congruity, though ill construed in sense, some by Music to inveigle the mind with melody, not sparing to spend part of the night under his mistress' window, by such pains to pro●…ure her dishonour and his own misfortune. These (Gentlemen) be fruits of your loves, if I term it the best way, and yet follies in that they prejudice both purse and person: the same bat is flattery, which giveth the sorest battery to the bulwark of their chastity, for when they see the mind armed with virtue, hard to be won, and like the Diamond to r●…suse the force of the file, than they apply their wits and wills to work their own woe, penning down ●…itties, songs, sonnets, madrigals, and such like shadowed over with the pencil of ●…atterie, where from t●…e fictions of poets they fetch the type and figure of their feigned affection: first, deciphering her beauty to be more than superlative, comparing her face unto Venus, her hair unto gold, her eyes unto stars: nay more, resembling her chastity unto Diana, when they seek only to make her as common as Lais, then how her fe●…ture hath fired their fancy, how her sight hath besotted their senses, how beauty hath bewitched them, painting out their passio●…s as Appelles did puppets for children, which inwardly framed of clay, were outwaredlye tricked up with fresh colours, they plunge in pain, they wail in woe, they turn the restless stone with Sysyphus, and allege the torments of Tantalus, what grief, what pain, what sorrow, what sighs, what tears, what plaints, what passions, what tortures, what death is it not they endure till they obtain their mistress favour, which got, infamy concludeth the tragedy with repentance: so that I allow those pleasing poems of Guazzo, which begin: Chi spinto d amore, thus englished.  

He that appalled with lust would sail in haste to Corinthum,  
There to be taught in Layis school to seek for a mistress,  
Is to be trained in Venus' troop and changed to the purpose,  
Rage's embraced but reason q●…ite thrust out as on exile,  
Pleasure a pain rest turned to be care and mirth as a madness  
Fi●…ie minds inflamed with a look enraged as Allecto,  
Acquaint in array, sighs fetched from far, and tears marry feigned,  
Pen sick sore deep plunged in pain, not a place but his heart whole,  
Days in grief and nights consumed to think on a goddess,  
Broken sleeps, sweet dreams, but s●…ort fro the night to the morning  
Venus dashed his mistress face as bright as Apollo,  
Helena stained the golden ball wrong given by the she heard,  
Hairs of gold eyes twinkling stars her lips to be rubies,  
Teeth of pearl her breasts like snow her cheeks to be roses.  
Sugar candy she is as I guess fro the waist to the kneestead.  
Nought is amiss no fault were found if soul were amended.  
All were bliss if such fond lust led not to repentance.   
So that of these verses I conclude, that such young Gentlemen as tickled with lust, seek to please their senses with such pernicious delights, may ius●…ly come within the compass of this folly: may (quoth the Lady Margarite) let the self same predicament comprehend such fantastic poets, as spend their times in penning down pamphelts of love, who with Ovid seek to nourish vice in Rome by setting down Artem amandi, and giving dishonest precepts of lust and lechery, corrupting youth with the expense of time upon such 〈◊〉 fables: and therefore deserve by Augustus to be banished from so civil a country as Italy, amongst the barbarous Geteses to live in exile. Stay there, qu●…th messieur Benedetto, your commission is too large, and your censures too Satirical, we read not that any woman was ever Stoic or Cynic, either to be so strict in passions, or bitter in invectives, and to write of love not to favour the folly, but to condemn the fault; and therefore Madam either be more partial or more particular. These, glances (quoth Farneze) are nothing to the purpose, and therefore signior Cosimo to your charge: I know sir, answered Cosimo, that Madam Frances hath said well, in painting out the fantastic description of a lover, yet hath she been favourable in figuring out their follies: for this love or rather lust endeth not, till it tasteth of the very dregs of adulterous lechery, a folly, nay a sin so in hate with God and contempt with man, as Seleucus forbade it to be named amongst the Locrians. The end of concupiscence is luxuria, saith Socrates in his disputation with Euthydemus, from whom floweth, as from a sea of wickedness incest, murder, poison, violence, subversion of kingdoms and infinite other impieties. Aristotle being demanded what adultery was, made answer, a curious inquiry after an other man's love, and being desired to pen down the effects, wrote these or such like words. He that seeketh by a plausible shadow of flattery to seduce a mind from chastity to adultery, sinneth against the law of nature in defra●…ding a man of his due, his honour and reputation, spoiling him of a most precious jewel, which is the loss of his wives love and friendship: for as the sethim tree being cut or pierced with brass strait perisheth, so the league of marriage violated by adultery extinguisheth love, and leaveth behind●… at the most, nought but the painted vale of flattery, the peace of the house is changed into discord, dissension in stead of laurel presenteth a sword, and content sleepeth not with Mercury's melody, but waketh with Allecto's disquiet, the face that in form being honest, resembleth the sun in beauty, stained with adultery, blusheth to see the same as guilty of her own detormitie, credit hath suffered shipwreck and fame as spotted with the foil of dishonour, all these hateful discommodities ensuing by the voluptuous des●…re of such young Gentlemen, as wedded to vanity, glory in the title of this folly. I marvel then, quoth Peratio, what woman (these effects considered) will listen unto the melody of such Sirens, whose allurements persuades them to such misfortunes, or how they can think that man to love them, which by fulfilling his momentary lust, procureth their perpetual discredit and subversion both of soul and body. Know you not (quoth Benedetto) the reason of that, are not the thoughts of women like the inhabitants of Scyrum, which knowing that the savour of Dates is deadly unto their complexion, yet never cease till they die with Dates in their mouths. You mistate it, quoth the Lady Frances, it is because men consume themselves into tears with the Crocodile, till they have gotten their prey, and then they neither respect their honour nor honesty. Howsoeu●…r it be, quoth Cosimo, I have not to deal with women, but for our Florentines, I know none more addicted unto this folly, which to conclude, hath been so odious amongst our ancestaurs, that it hath been chastened with severe punishments. Alexander greatly blamed Cassander, because he offered but to kiss a minstrels maid. Augustus Caesar made the law ●…ulia, which permitted the father to kill the daughter for adultery. Cato banished a Senator for kissing his wife in his daughter's presence. Marcus Antonius Carcalla was banished his Empire for lust, with infinite other, whose miseries, mishaps, and misfortunes were innumerable only by this folly, as Tarquinus Superbus for Lucrece, Appius Claudius for Virginia, julius Caesar for Cleopatra, john County Armiake for his own sister, Anthony Uenereus duke of Venice for his Secretary's wife, Abusahid king of Fez for the wife of Cosimo de Cheri, as Leon in his description of Africa setteth down: but amongst all these Gentles, an history at large for the confirmation of this my disscourse.  

THE TALE OF Cosimo.  
WHile Ninus the son of Belus reigned as Sovereign over the dominions of Egypt, and kept his Court Royal in Babylon, there dwelled in the suburbs of the City a poor labouring man called Maenon, who was more honest than wealthy, and yet sufficiently rich, for that he li●…ed content amongst his neighbours, this poor man accounted his possessious large enough, as long as he enjoyed and possessed his ground in quiet, imitating Cyncynatus in his labours, who found health of body and quiet of mind the chiefest treasure, by tilling his field with continual ●…oyle. But as content had satisfied his thoughts in this, so Maenon was as greatly favoured of Fortune, for he had a wife of the same degree and parentage, so beautiful, as there was none so fair in Babylon, so honest, as there was none more virtuous, so courteous, that there was not one in the whole city who did did not both love and like of Semiramis the wife of Maenon, for so was hi●… name: insomuch that Ninus desired to have a sight of her beauty, and in disguised apparel, went to the poor man's house, where seeing such a heavenly saint about her homely housewifery, fitter (as he thought) to be a paramour for a prince, than a wife for a scbiect, sighed and sorrowed that she was not in his power to command: yet favouring her in that she was honest, as fancying her for that she was beautiful, he departed with resolution to be master of his own affections, and not to deprive the poor man of so great good. After he was returned to the palace and was solitary by himself, the Idea of her perfection representing a human shape of a heavenly creature, so assaulted his mind with sundry passions, that giving the rains of liberty to his wanton appetites, he fell into these terms. Unhappy Ninus, and therefore unhappy because a king and subject t●… sensuality, shall the middle of thy years be worse than the prime of thy youth, shall love conquer that Fortune could never subdue, shall the heat of affection search that in the fruit that it could never ●…urt in the bud, shalt thou govern a kingdom and canst not subdue thine own passions? Pear Ninus name not so much as love, race out fancy with silence, and let the continency of other kings be precedents for thee to direct thy course aright. Alexander made a conquest of his thoughts, when the beauty of Darius' wife bade him battle. Cyrus' abstained from the ●…ight of Panthea, because he would not be intemperate. Pompey, would not speak to the wife of Demetri●…s his fr●… man for that she was fair, and what of this Ninus? Yet had Alexander concubines, Cyrus a leman, and Pompey was not so chaste, but he liked Phrinia, and so mayst thou make a choice of Semiramis, she is poor and unfit for a king, I but she is fair, and fit for none but a king, love filleth not the hand with pelf, but the eye with pleasure, she is honest, truth, but thou art a monarch, and the weight of a sceptre is able to break the strongest chastity: but that is more Nynus, she is another man's wife, but her husband is thy subject, whom thou mayest command, and he dare not but obey: have not beggars their affections as well as kings? may not Semiramis, nay doth she not love poor Maenon better than ever she will like Nynus, yes, for crowns are as far from Cupid as cot●…ages, princes have no more privilege over fancy than peasants: yet Nynus fear not; love and fortune favoureth not cowards, command Semyra●…is, nay, constrain Semiramis to love thee, and upon this resolve, for kings must have power ●…oth over men and love. Nynus resting upon this resolution, determined to try the mind of Semiramis how she was affected towards her husband, and therefore dispat●…h a Letter to her to this ●…ffect.  
It may seem strange Semiramis, that the monarch of Egypt should write to the wife of a poor labourer, seeing the proportion of our degrees are so far unequal, but if it be considered that kings are but men, and therefore subject to passions, sooner shalt thou have cause to sorrow for my griefs, than muse at my writings. Did my desire aim at a kingnome, I would attempt to satisfy desire with my sword? Did envy cry for content, then could I ●…tep to revenge: were my thoughtrs as insatiate as Midas, the world is a ●…orehouse ●…reasures, these desires are to be satisfied with friends or fortune, but the restless sorrow that so pin●…th my mind with disquiet, only r●…steth in thy power to appease. It is Semiramis the deity of beauty, which is privileged far about dignity, that Gods have obeyed, and men cannot resist, the sight of thy perfection entered at the eye, the report of thy virtues tickling the ear, and both jointly assaulting the heart with sharp and furious alaru●…s have so s●…ared my mind, as nought pleaseth the eyes that is not thy object, and nothing contenteth the ear but Semiramis. Seeing then the Egyptian monarch, who hath triumphed over all the nations of the South and East climate with many bloody conquests, is by them brought as a cap●…iue, servile to thy beauty & his own passions, boast that ●…oue hath lotted thee such a victory, and be not ingrateful to the Gods, by denying me that I deserve, favour. But perhaps thou wilt object thou art married, and therefore tied to poor Maenon, (for love hath taught me thy husband's name) that honesty beareth blossoms as well in a cottage, as in the court, that virtue harboureth as soon with beggars as princes, that fame or insa●…ie can stoop as low as they can 〈◊〉 high, that report and envy sooner sting●…th want than plenty, this Semiramis I conf●…sse, but yet the picture of the ●…agle placed over the temple of Venus, feared the ●…aulcon for offending her offending. Damaetas po●…niay parched under a dragon of brass to avoid the vulture's tyrannies: dishonour toucheth not the ve, stir of a king, and the concubines of princes purchase renow●…e, not infamy: Maenon is p●…ore, and will joy to have such a rival as Nynus, the want of Semiramis darkens the glory of her beauty, which the love of a king shall enrich with orna●…entes. Then ●…emyramis pity his plaints, who is thy severaigne and might command, and yet desirous to be thy paramour, seeks a conquest, not by constraint, but by entreaties: in granting which thou climbe●…t to dignity, and sleepest at the foot of a sceptre, honour and quiet entertains thee with delight, and to these thou addest thy friend's preterment and thy husband's welfare: if as thou art poor, thou art proud, and self conceit arms thee with disdain, consider that the counterfeit of kings cannot be drawn without the shadows of duty, and that the pill that purgeth the choler of a prince is revenge. This think, and farewell.   

Nynus Monarch of Egypt.  
He committed this Letter to the charge of one of his Secretaries, whom he made privy to the contents, who posting in haste to the house of Semiramis, foun●… her bringing one of her ba●…es asleep with a song. The Secretary delighted with the pleasing harmony of her voice, stood a little listening to her melody, at last stepped into the house, at whose presence the poor woman amazed, for that her cottage was not accustomed to such guests, she blushed, which gave such a glory to her former beauty, and such a precedent of her inward virtue, that the Secretary envied the happy placing of his sovereign's passions, yet after her homely fashion the entertained him, greatly fearing when he delivered her the letters, that they had been some warrant to apprehend her husband for some fault, but by the superscription ●…he perceived they were directed to her, having set before the secretary a mess of cream to b●…sie him, she stepped aside to read the contents, which when she perceived and well noted the effects, not only allurin●… with promises but persuading with threats, she burst into t●…ares, cursing that day where the king had a sight of her face as dismal and infortunate, falling a●… last from tears into these fearful complaints: Ar●… the destinies (poor Semiramis) forepointers of good or ill, so inequal allotters of mishap; that some they bless with daily favours, and others they cross with continual hard fortunes? Had the fates no proporti●…n in their censures? could it not suffice thou w●…rt poor, but thou must be miserable? cannot enuiè paint the picture of content at 〈◊〉 cottage door, but she must grudge? is there no shru●… so low, but is subi●…ct to the wind: no woman so poor if she be fair, but some blazing her beauty aimeth at her chastity? Then Semiramis be patiented but resolute, rather choose despite and sorrow than disgrace and infamy. Is labour an enemy to love, how then should affection touch me who am never idle? therefore fond fool, doth love en●…e thee, because thou art not idle, but by labour she west thyself a recreant to his law. But yet Semyramis ●…onsider who it is that persuades thee to love, Nynus a king, a monarch, and thy sovereign, one whose majesty may shadow thy miss, and whose very name may warrant thee from the prejudice of envy, if thou offend, dignity countervails the fault, and fame dare not but honour the concubines of kings. For shame Semiramis soothe not thyself in such follies, are not kings seats objects for every eye to gaze at? Are not their actions censured by every base person? As the pyramids are marks for the sea, so their doings are notes for the world: Doth not fame build in the foreheads of princes? yes Semiramis, kings faults though they are passed over with fear, yet they are judged of with murmur: the greater the dignitic, the greater the offence, shame followeth vice every where, and adultery, if laws w●…re not partial, des●…rueth punishment as well in a king as in a beggar. Maenon is poor, but thy husband, in loving him thou pleasest the Gods, Nynus is rich and a monarch, in contenting him thou dishonourest thyself and discontentest the heavens: hath Babylon counted thee fair, so thou art still by reserving thy beauty? hath Babylon counted thee honest? so remain still by preserving thy chastity: be not more chary over thy beauty than over thine honesty, for many know thee by fame that never saw●… thy face. Then Semiramis, answer the king's passions with denial, but alas he threateneth revenge, sweeter it is to die with credit than live with infamy. Then why stayest thou thus fond debating with thyself, reply as one that preferreth fame before life, and with that she slept to a standish, and taking paper wrote a Letter to this effect.  
King's are Gods, not that they are immortal, but for they are virtuous: Princes have no privilege to do ill, Fame is not partial in her trump: the chiefest treasure is not gold, but honour, to conquer a kingdom is a favour of fortune, to subdue affection is a gift from the Gods, love in kings is princely, but lust is pernicious: kings therefore wear crowns, because they should be just: justice give every one his due, Semiramis is Maenons' wife, and therefore his inheritance: the Gods threaten Princes as well as poor men: hot love is soon cold: she eye is variable, inconstant and insatiate: Adultery is odious, though graced with a sceptre, beauty is a slippery good, Prince's concubines prize honour too dear, in selling the precious jewel of honesty for gold: death is a far more sweet than discredit, fame to be preferred before friends, Nynus is a king, whose seat is sure sanctuary for the oppressed, S●…miramis is poor, yet honest, love of Maenon in her youth, and loyal t●… him in her age, resolved rather to die than be proved 〈◊〉: subjects pray for their sovereigns, wishing they may live princely and die virtuous.   

Semiramis the faithful wife of poor Maenon.  
This confused chaos of principles being written and sealed up, she delivered it to the Secretary, who courteously taking his leave hied in haste to the Court, where the king carefully expecting his coming, receiving the letter unripped the seals, where in stead of an amoro●…s reply, he found nothing but a heap of philosophical axi●…mes, and yet his 〈◊〉 answered to the full: the ●…ithie sentences of Semiramis whom by her p●…nne he found to be poor, honest, beautiful, and wise did not take 〈◊〉, which poor soul she aimed at, for in ●…tead of cooling his mind with good counsel, she inflamed his mind with a deeper affection: for where before he only was alured with her beauty, now●… he was enticed with her wisdom. Pallas gave him a deeper wound than Venus, and the inward virtues were more forcible than the outward shadows: s●… that he persisted in his passions, and began to consider with himself, that the means to procure his content, was only the simplicity of Maenon, with whom he would make an exchange rather than be frustrate of his desire, an exchange (I mean) for Ninus being a widower had one o●…ely child, which was a daughter, about the age of sixteen years, her he determined to give in marriage unto Maenon, rather than he would not enjoy Semiramis, thinking that the fear of hi●… displeasure, the burden of his own poverty, the hope of preferrment, the tickling conceit of dignity would force the poor ●…assall to look twice on his fair wife before he refused such a proffer: thinking this pretence to be his best policy, he resolved presently to put it in execution: and therefore forthwith 〈◊〉 a pursuivant to fetch Maenon unto the Court, who coming with commission unto the poor man's house, found him and his wife at dinner, to whom, after he had declared the sum of his ●…essage, he departed, willing him with as much speed as might be to repair unto the Court. Maenon although amazed with this news, yet for that his conscience was clear feared not, but with as much haste as was possible, made himself ready to go. Semiramis dissembled the matter, 〈◊〉 her husband forth his new hose, and his best iack●…t, thinking to sponge him up after the 〈◊〉 fashion, that Ninus might see she had cause to lo●…e and like so proper a man: setting her husband therefore forth in print, he took his way unto the C●…urt, where at the gate the Secretary awaited to bring him into presence, whither no sooner he was entered, but the ●…ing taking the poor man aside, began to common with him in this manner.  
Maenon for the Sovereign to make a long disscourse unto the subject were frivolous, seeing as the one for his majesty is privileged to command●… and constrain, so the other by obedience is tied to obey: therefore omitting all née●…elsse preambles, thus to the purpose: Maenon thou art poor, and yet a Lord over Fortune, for that I hear●… thou art content, for it is not richesse to have much, but to d●…sire little, yet to thy want thou hast suc●… a favour granted th●…e by the Destinies, as ●…uerie way may counter●…ayle thy pou●…rtie, I mean the possession of thy wife Semiramis, whom mine eye can witness to be passing fair and beauti●…ull: envy that grudged at thy happiness, and love that frowned at my liberty, joining their forces together, have so disquieted my mind●… with sundry passions, as only it lies in thy power to mitigate the cause of my 〈◊〉, for know Maenon, I am in love with thy wife, a censure I know, which will be hard for thee to digest, and yet to be borne with more patience, for that thou hast a king and thy sovereign to be thy rival, her Maenon I crave of thee to be my concubine, which if thou grant not, think as now thou hast poverty with quiet, so than thou shalt have both con●…ent & dignity. The pooreman who thought by the king's speeches that his wife had been consenting to this pretence, framed the king this answer.  
I know right mighty sovereign, that Princes may command, where poor men cannot entreat, that the title of a king is a writ of privilege in the court of Love, that chastity is of small force to resist, where wealth and dignity joined in league, are armed to assault, kings are warranted to command, and subjects to obey, therefore if Semiramis be content to grant the interest of her affections into your majesties hands, I am resolved to red●…liuer up my fee simple with patience. No Maenon, qd Ninus, as thy wife is fair, so she is honest, and therefore where I cannot command I will them constrain, I mean that thou force her to lou●… me. Maenon grieving at the words of the king, made this reply. If my wife, mighty Ninus, be contented to prefer a cottage before a crown, and the person of a poor labourer before the love of a Prince, let me not (good my Lord) be so unnatural as to resolve upon such a villainy, as the very beasts abhor to commit, the lion killeth the lioness being taken in adultery, the swan killeth her make for suspicion of the sa●…e fault, and shall I whom reason willeth to be chary of my choice, force my wife persorce to such a folly: pardon my liege, never shall the loyalty of my wife be revenged with such treachery, rather had I suffer death than be appeached of such discourte●…ie. Ninus hearing the poor man so resolute, thought there was no adder so 〈◊〉, but had his charm, no bird so fickle but had her call, no man so obstinate but by some means might be reclaimed, therefore he made him this answer. Maennon be not so fond as to prefer fanci●… before life, nor so insolent as to refuse the favour of a king, for the affection of an inconstant woman, though I mean to depri●…e thee of a present joy, so I means to countervail it with a greater bliss, for the exchange of Semiramis, I mean to give thee my daughter Sarencida in marriage, so of a subject to make thee a son and my equal, so that nothing shall be different betwixt us but a crown and a kingdom, for a poor wife thou shalt have a rich princess, from poverty thou shalt rise to honour, from a beggar to a duke: consider with thyself then Maenon, how I ●…auour thee, which might possess my desire by thy death, and yet seek it at thy hands by entreaty and pref●…rrement: take time now by the forehead, she is bald behind, and in letting her turn her back, thou bidst far●… well to opportunity, if thou refuse dignity, my daughter and the favour of a sovereign, hope not to live nor enjoy thy-wife, for this censure hold for an ●…racle, Ninus before night will enjoy the love of Semiramis. This severe resol●…tion of the king drone poor Maenon into a thousand sundry passions, for he considered with himself Semiramis was a woman, and in the 〈◊〉 of her age, and though she were beautiful she was but a woman, and had her equals: he knew that Sarencida was honourable, of royal parentage, the daughter of a king, beautiful, young, and 〈◊〉: he felt poverty to be the sister of distress, and that there was no greater woe than want, dignity presented to his imagination the glory that dews from honour, the sweet content that pre●…errement afoordes, and how princely a thing it was to be the son in law to a king, these unacquainted thoughts sore troubled the mind of the poor man, but when he called to remembrance the constancy of Semiramis, how the motion of such a mighty monarch, was in vain to mitigate one spark of her affection, that neither dignity, nor death, no not the majesty of a king could persuade her to falsify her saith, returned Ninus this answer. As (my liege) kings have honour to countenance their actions, so poor men have honesty whereby to direct their lives. Diogenes was as desirous of good fame, as Alexander was of glory. poverty is as glad to creep to credit, as dignity, and the thoughts that smoke from a cottage, are 〈◊〉 as sweet a sacrifice to the gods as the perfumes of princes: the heavens are equal allotters of mishap, and the destinies impartial in their censure: for as oft doth re●…enge follow majesty for injustice, as poverty for doing 〈◊〉, the one offends with intent, the other either by ignorance, or nec●…ssitie: then my Liege, if ●…our Highness ●…ffer me wrong, by taking away my wife perforce, assure yourself that honour is no privilege against infamy, neither will the ●…ods sleep in revenge of poor Maenon: for your proffers: know this, I account preferment in ill 〈◊〉, not dignity, and the sanour of a Prince in wickedness, the frown of God in justice for your daughter, I am sorry the unbridled fury of lust should so far overrule the law of nature, as to alienate the love of a father for such folly: ●…er I utterly refuse, not that I 〈◊〉, the Princess, but that I pity her estate, and wish her better Fortune: for death which your highness threatens, I scorn it, as preferring an honest fame before mishap, and the love of my wife before death, were it never so terrible, for poverty denies me to make other requital for her unfeigned affection, than constancy, which I will pay as her due, though with the loss of my life, why should not the examples which historiographers pens down for presidents, serve as trumpets to encourage poor men in honest and honourable resolutions: when Marcus Lepidus the Roman Consul was driven into banishment; and heard that the Senate in despite had given his wife unto an other, he presently died for sorrow: when Nero the tyrant (pardon my liege I infer no comparisons) inflamed with lust towards the wife of Sylaus, a Roman, neither respecting the law julia made to the controrie, by his predecessor Augustus, neither justice nor the gods, but opposing himself to the heavens, reft the poor citizen of his wife.  
Sylaus ●…lewe himself at the palace gate, which brought the Emperor in great hate with his Commons. I infer not these examples as fearful of your highness dis●…auour, but as one determined to follow these Romans in their fortunes, and either with quiet to live still the husband of Semiramis in Babylon, or to let the world witness I never was so cowardly to deliver up so dear an interest, but by death. Nynus storming at the answer which poor Maenon made, did not take his speeches as persuasions from his foliye, but as preparatives to further choler: for so deep was the unsatiable desire of filthy lust engraven and imprinted in his mind, and the fowl imagination of adulterous thoughts had so blinded his senses, that as a man ●…alfe fraught with a lunacy he became furious, that in a rage taking a sword that hung at his bed's head, he rushed upon the poor man and slew him: this cruel deed being thus unjustly executed, he felt no remorse in his conscience, but as a man wholly sold over unto mischief, proceeded in his purpose, and presently sent his Secretary for Semiramis: who no sooner heard the mcssage, but fearing that her husband for her cause might come to mishap, in her worst attire, as she was, hied to the Court, where being brought into the king's chamber, Ninus having caused the dead body before to be carried away, told her briefly all the matter, how her husband was slain, and that now he had sent for her not to make her his concubine but queen. Semiramis no sooner heard of the death of her husband, but she fell into a pasme, and was hardly brought to life, but at last being revived she burst forth into fountains of tears, & into bitter exclamations against the tyrant, who sought to appease her with sundry sweet promises, but seeing nothing could prevail, he sent for his daughter Sarencida to whom he committed the charge of Semiramis, as of one that should be a queen and her mother, Sarencida as nothing daring (whatsoever she thought) to disobey her father's command, led her by the hand into her chamber, & as women's perswas●…ues are best confectaries for women's sorrows, did somewhat mitigate some part of her grief that she ceased from her tears, till at night being alone in her bed, the Idea of her husbands person presented itself, though not an object to her eyes, yet to her imagination, that overcome with the passions of love, thinking to take the benefit of the place and time, & determining to follow her husband in his fortunes, took her knife in her hand, and standing in her smock by the bed side, fell into these furious terms. Semiramis this day hath been the beginning of thy sorrows and the end of thy good fortunes, the same of thine honesty so generally blazed abroad through all Babylon, shall this day without desert be spotted with infamy, the bloody action of Ninus shall be attributed to thee for a fault, and the intent of his death harbour under the suspicion of thy dishonesty, if thou livest and become queen, yet shall this deed make thee a table talk amongst beggars, honour shall not privilege thee from the hate of them which are honest, neither shall the glory of a crown shroud thee from discredit. Then Semiramis seeing thou seekest after fame, seek not to live, use the knife thou hast in hand, as a means to requite thy husband's love, and to warrant thy former honesty: Panthea the wife of Abradatus, seeing her husband slain in the camp of Cyrus, sacrificed herself on his dead corpse: when julia the wife of Pompey saw but a gown of her husband's bloody, suspecting some mishap, sell into a trance, & never revived. Portia t●…e wife of Brutus hearing of her husband's death, choked herself with hot burning coals. Aria the wi●… of Caecinna died with her condemned husband before the rapitoll. Let the resolute love of these noble dames encourage thee to the like constancy, consider Semiramis thy husband is dead, and deeds done can not be revoked. Ninus means to make thee his wife: his wife cowardly wretch as thou art, answer to this foolish objection which Pisca the wife of Pandoerus did, who being slain by the king of Persia, after the slaughter of her husband, he proffered her marriage, but holding as thou dost, the instrument of death in her hand, ●…he uttered these words: The Gods forbidden, that to be a queen, I should ever wed him that hath been the murderer of my dear husband. And with this she was ready to stab herself to the heart, but staying herself and pansing a while, she began as women are prone to conceit revenge, to think with herself how in time bett●…r to quite the injury proffered by Nynus to her poor husband. This Gentlemen, I conjecture was her imagination, for she suddenly let fall her knife, leapt into her bed, & past the rest of the night in a sound sleep. And in deed had not the sequel 〈◊〉 the contrary, it might have been conjectured that the hope o●… a crown had been a great peswas●…on from her desperate resolution: but letting these supposes pa●…se, to Nynus, who made it his morning's work, as soon as he was up to visit Semiramis, and finding her in a better tune than he left her, conceived such joy in the appeasing of her passions, that presently he sommon●…d all his Lords to a Parliament, where he unfolded unto them the intent he had to make Semyra●…is queen, and therefore craved their consents. The nobility whatsoever they thought, durst not gainsay the will of their Prince, but assented to his demand, so that all things were prepared for the coronation: but when the brute of Maenons' death was noised abroad in Babylon, every one after their sundry and several imaginations began to confer of the action, all generally ●…eruailing that so honest a wife should commit so heinous a fact, for every one thought her an actor in the tragedy, yet they considered that ambitious h●…nour was a mortal enemy to honesty, and that few women were so chaste but dignity could draw to folly. Well, murmur what they lis●…, the king's purpose took effect. The day came, and the coronation was most solemynely and sump●…ie perfourmed●… the king conceiving such felicity in his new wife●… that he continued the feast for ten days: which term ended, every one departed to their home, and the late married couple lived so contentedly to eueri●… man's conjectured, that Scmyramis won her same half lost by her obedience, and especially she gained the love of the commons, for preferment had not puffed her up with pride, nor dignity made her disdainful of the glory of a crown, nor the title of a queen had made no metamorphosis of her mind, but in this, that as she grew in honour, so she increased in courtesy, bountiful to all that were poor, and envious to none that were noble, preferring the suits of them were wronged, and seeming as near as she could to cause the king do justice to all. This her virtuous disposition not only stole the hearts of the commons, but also the love of her husband, who to increase affection more had a son by her called Nynus. Passing thus three or four years in great pleasure, the king surcharged with content, commanded his wife to ask whatsoever she would, that was within the compass of his Babylonish monarch, and it should be granted her. Semiramis refused such a proffer, but the king ●…eeing urgent, summoned all his Lords to the Court, and there made them p●…uie what a free grant he made to his wife. The noble men although smiling at the fondness of the king, that so wilfully would put a naked sword into a mad man's hand, yet outwardly seemed to allow of his will't, so that Semiramis demanded that she might absolutely without check or controlment rule the Babylonian Empire, as sole queen for three days. The king who no whit mistrusted that revenge could so long harbour in the heart of a woman, granted her request, and therefore presently with all convenient speed caused a sumptuous scaffold in form of a Theatre to be erected in the midst of Babylon, whither calling his nobles and commons by the sound of a trumpet upon the next festival, which was ●…olden in honour of their God Iphis, he there in presence of all his subjects, resigned up his crown and sceptre into the hands of Semiramis, placing her in the Imperial throne, as sole queen, monarch and governess of Egypt. Semiramis being thus invested with the diadem and regal power: first publicly declared the effect of the kings grant, how she was for the term and space of three days to reign as sovereign over the land, to have as great authority to do justice, and to execute martial law as her husband: to confirm which, Ninus as a subject did her reverence, and jointly with the rest of the nobility, swore to perform whatsoever she should command, and to obey ●…ir as their sole and sovereign princes. After the king had solemnly taken his oath, Semiramis uttered these or such like speeches to the people. It is not unknown (worthy peers of Egypt and inhabitants of Babylon) that I lived in my youth the wife of poor Maenon with credit fit for my degree, and with fame equal to the honesty of my life. Occasion never a●…med report to stain me with disgrace, neither was the wife of Maenon accounted to be prodigal of her affections, although perhaps a little proud of her beauty, the poverty of my husband never touched me with mislike, nor the pro●…ers of preferrment could persuade me to inconstancy, but Fortune that is ever ●…ckle in her ●…auours, and envy that grudgeth at quiet, seeing we lived securely in love and content, set king Ninus to be the means of my overthrow: for he in●…amed with the sight of my beauty, yielded presently to the allaromes of lust, and sought with the golden bait of dignity to hale me on to the wrack of my honesty, which by no means he could bring to pass: joining murder with the pretence of adultery, he slew my husband in his bed chamber, so the better to obtain his purpose. After whom, I call the Gods to witness, I have lived for no other cause but to see this day, neither hath the gain of a crown counterua●…ed my former content, the glistering show of dignity hath not tickled my mind with delight, the vain pleasure of preferment never made me proud, onclie (worthy peers of Egypt) the hope that one day I should make revenge of poor Maenons' in●…urie, hath made me live in such contented patience, which now is come, for it befitteth a queen in justice to be impartial, and two mischiefs are never found to escap●… mishap: therefore how sayest thou Nynus, quoth she, declare here before the Lords and commons of Egypt, wert thou not the sole murderer of my husband without my consent? Nynus answered as one half afraid at the countenance of Semiramis. I con●…sse that ●…ly Maenon was murdered by me, but for the love of th●…, wh●…ch I hope thou holdest not in memory while this time. Yes Nynus, and now will I reúenge the injury offered to Maenon, and therefore I command that without further delay thy head be here ●…mitten off, as a punishment due for murder and adultery. The nobility and commons hearing the se●…ere sentence of Semiramis, entreated for the life of their sovereign, but it was in vain, for she departed not from the scaffold till she saw her command executed: which done, she entombed his body roiallic, and in so famous a sepulchr●…, that it was one of the seven wonders of the world, and after swayed the kingdom with politic government until her son Nynus was of age to rule the kingdom.  
Signior Cosimo having ended his tale, Farneze greatly commended the discourse, applying the effect of this history to the Gentl●…men present, telling them that in deed the youth of Florence were greatly given to this folly, as a vice predominant amongst them. Peratio who meant to be pleasant with the old County, told him that he had learned this fruit in Astrono●…ie, that the influence of Venus and Saturn kept the same 〈◊〉 to infer as well age as youth, and that respect and experience had taught him, that old men were like lée●…es grey headed, and oft green tai●…de, that they would find one foot at the door for a young wife, when the other stumbled in the grave to death, so that Diogenes being demanded where a man left off from lust: unless, quoth ●…e, he be virtuous, not until the coffin be brought to his door●…, meaning that time never wore out this folly but by death. And yet to see, quoth Benedetto, what cynical axioms age will pr●…scribe to youth, when they themselves are never able to perform their own precepts, allowing more privilege to their 〈◊〉 hairs, than to our green years, an●… 〈◊〉 under the shadow of virtue the very substance of vice, being as intemperate in the s●…ostie winter of their age, as we in the glowing summer of our ●…outh, and yet for that they are old, and though they cannot deal more cast, yet will work more ca●…, and simply conceal that we rashly reveal, they are in age generally taken for Gods, when compared even with youth they are mere devils. Yet by your leave messieur Benedetto, quoth the Lady Margeret, you speak too generally of age, for the very constitution of the natural temperature of our bodies is able to infringe your reasons, seeing that same naturalis calor is overpressed with a cold dr●…nesse in age, which in youth furthered with moisture, causeth such voluptuous motions. Cupid is painted a child, Venus without wrinkles in her face, and they which calculate the influence of Saturn, set not down many notes of venery. How philosophically you speak, quoth Peratio, and yet small to the purpose, for although natural heat be extinguished in age, yet remains there in the mind certain Scyntillulae voluptatis, which confirmed by a saturnal impression, were harder to root out than were they newly sprung up in youth, neither did messieur Benedetto conclude generally of old men, but brought in as a premisse or proposition, that age as well as youth was infected with this folly: but well it is Lady Margeret, that our discourse stretcheth not so far as women, nor to talk of their wanton affections, least happily we had ●…ntied such a 〈◊〉 of their lascivious vanities, as might have made us sooner desire our rest then end the discourse. You are always glancing at women, quoth Cosimo, not that you are a 〈◊〉, and hate that sex, for sir I know your lips 〈◊〉 digest such lett●…ce, but that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were out of temper if once a daic you had not a woman in your mouth, herein resembling Marcus Laepidus, who made an innective against sumptuousness of diet, himself being called the glutton of Rome, not that he was sparing in his cheer, but that Ath●…n; abstaining from dainty ●…ates, might leave the market more stored with delicate dishes.  
Benede●…to was nipped on the head with this sharp reply, esp●…cially for that all the whole company lau●…ht to see how he answered with silence, & Farneze about whom the talk began, made this answer, I can not deny Gentlemen, but anger is subject to many foolish and intemperate passions, & therefore to be comprehended within the compass of this folly, but neither age or youth, it breedeth many enormities, so that for this night I will take in hand to send you all to bed with a farewell of four verses, which I read once in the monastery of Santo Marco in Venice, the author I know not, the verses are these:  

Quatuor his paenis Certo afficietur adulter,  
Aut Egenus erit, Subita vel morte peribit,  
Aut Cadet in causam qua debet judice vinci,  
Aut aliquod membrum casu vel Crymine perdit.   
The time of the night being somewhat late, they took his jest for a charge, and solemnly taking their leave, every man departed quietly unto his lodging.    

The third discourse of Follie.  
THe in●…ning being 〈◊〉, and the Sun displaying her radiant beams upon the gloomy mantle of the earth, Flora presented her glorious objects to the e●…e, and sweet smelling perfumes to the nose, with the delight of sundry pleasing and odoriferous flowers, when these young Gentlemen ashamed that Titan should summon them from their beds, passing into the garden, sound the old County, his wife and four daughters walking for health and pleasure in a fresh and gr●…ne ar●…our, where after they had saluted each other with a mutual God morrow, they joined all in several parleys, amongst the rest ●…ernardino spying a ●…arigesde opening his leaves a little by the ●…cate of the Son, pulling Lady Frances by the sleeve, began his morning matins on this manner: The nature of this herb, Lady Frances, which we call the marrigolde, and the Grecians Helitropion, and the Latinistes Sol sequiam, is thought by the ancient Philosophers to be framed only by nature, to teach the duty of a wife towards her husband, for seeing that as Aristides said, a woman was the contrary of a man: this flower presents a precedent of her affection, for which way so ●…uer the Sun turneth, it still openeth the leaves by degrees, and as the sun declineth, so it shutteth: that Phoebus being gone to bed, the marrigolde denies any longer to show her glory: so saith Plato, should a good wife imitate her husband's actions, directing herself after his course in his presence, being pleasant to content the eye and humour of her husband in his absence with a modest bashfulness, scarce with the wife of Tarquin to look out of her window. In deed, quoth the Lady Frances, I have heard say, that young me●…nes wiu●… and maiden's children are always well taught, no doubt sir, ●…ur ●…icall pr●…ceptes are very good, and happy is she that hears them and never believes them, I pray God your wife may be a marigold whensoever you are married, that to avoid jealousy, you may ever wear her pined on your ●…éeue. Peratio over hearing stepped in and asked the Lady Frances if she thought Bernardino would be jealous. I have not, ●…oth the Lady, such assured sight in phisognomie, as I dare avouch it for truth, but I promise you sir, the Gentleman is well fore-handed and well foreheaded, two of the nine beauties to have a fine finger and a large brow, now take the pains to conclude how you list. Peratio laughed, and Bernardino replied, 'tis no marvel if men be jealous, when He●…iodus affirms, that he which tru●…eth to the love of a woman, resembleth him ●…hat hangs by the leaves of trees in Autumn. But in earnest Bernardino, quoth Peratio, what dost think of him that is married? That he is quoth ●…e, ares●…ed with a grievous action, for no doubt young Gentlemen should fly up to heaven if they were not kept back with such an arrest: but for better answer to thy question, take the reply of Metellus to Pyso, that asked him why he married his son being so young, and b. fore he was wise: Because Pyso, quoth he, if my son grow to be wise, he will never marry: nor if you were wise, quoth the Lady Frances, would ye speak so unreverently of marriage, but 'tis no matter, we shall find you in time like Crates the ●…ynike Philosopher, who inneighing greatly against this honourable society, was seen begging a piece of bread at Lais door in Corinth. If the law that Ephorius of Lac●…demonia constituted were kept, such as refused marriage should be banished, but I think Bernardino, if you were br●…ught within the 〈◊〉 of such a statute, you would●… 〈◊〉 that for a 〈◊〉, which a Lacedaemonian banished did, being produced before Lycurgus for the like crime. And what was that madame, quoth Peratio? Marry Sir, qu●…th she, being assigned to exile, he brought forth witness that he had b●…gotten three children, and upon that excuse Lycurgus made the strict law against adultery, yet mitigated before some part of the punishment. I think madame, answered Bernardino, the Priest hath a penny for your banes, your sophis●…rie is so good for marriage. Only Sir, quoth she, I speak it against such severe censure●…s of matrimony as you are, which, for what cause I know not, living ●…ale bachelors, are of Appollonius ●…ianeus opinion, and therefore 〈◊〉 principles. According to your precepts, as no doubt one of your sect 〈◊〉 who made these two verses:  

L'amor deal donna il vin del flasco,  
Nul ●…era bon nel matutina guasco.   
Such stoical Gentlemen as run into such inconstant and heathenish conclusions, I had as lief have their room as their company. Bernardino perceiving the Lady Frances was half angry, thought rather to recant than make her c●…olerike, and therefore told her his meaning was not to condemn marriage, but merely to jest for conference sake. Then sir, quoth she, all is in jest, and so let us to the rest of the company, whom they found talking with a Cook that was come to his master, to know if he would have any extraordinary dish provided for dinner. No Sir, quoth Farneze, I will answer with Socrares, if they be virtuous there is enough, if they be not, there is too much. The old●… Counti●… took occasion ●…eereof to speak of temperance in 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 thus he ●…egan. I remember Gentlemen that Tymotheus a Grecian Captain, having supped with Plato in his Academy, at a sober and simple repast, for their festival fare was Olives, cheese, apples, coal wortes, bread and wine, told the next day certain noble men his companions, that they which supped with Plato digest not his viands in a long time, meaning that wise banquet void of excess, not to content the body with Epicurisine, but to ●…ecke the mind with philosophical precepts, such were the ●…easts of Socrates, Zenocrates, and other: the sages which compared the pleasures conceived in delicates, to the savour of perfumes, which for all their sweet smell pass away like smoke. The Egyptians used in the midst of their banquets to bring in the ●…natomie of a dead man, that the horror of the corpse might mitigate immoderate delights. In deed sir, quoth Bernardino, I remember that Alexander before he fell into the Persian delicacy, refused those cooks and p●…erers that Ada queen of Caria sent unto him, saying to the messenger, for my dinner I use early rising, for my supper a slender dinner, for he did use to eat but once a 〈◊〉: so that Plato seeing Dionysius making two meals, reported in Athens he saw nothing in Sycillia but a monster, that did feed twice before the sun set. Cyrus' monarch of the Per●…ans in his childhood, being demanded of his grandfather Astyages, why he would drink no wine, aunfwered for fear they give me poison: for (quoth he) at the cel●…bration of your nativity, I noted that som●… have made mixture of the wine with some enchanted p●…tion, sith at the end of the feast there was not one ●…parted in his right mind. So did (quoth Perato) Epam●…ondas the greatest captain and philosopher in his time, for be●… invited by a friend of 〈◊〉, the tables over charge●… with super●…uitie & 〈◊〉 of fare, he told his host in great choler that he thought he had been requested, as a friend to dine competently, not to suffer injury by being entertained like a glutton. Caius Fabritius a notable Roman knight, was found by the Samnit ambassadors that came unto him eating of reddish roasted in the ashes, and that in a ●…erie poor house, and by the wai●… to induce a strange miracle that Saint I●…rome reporteth of one Paul an heremit, who lived from sixteen to sixty of Dates only, and from sixty to ●…ixe score and ●…ue (at what time he died) he was said by a little bread brought to him by a crow. Truth (quoth Farneze) infini: are the examples which might pers●…ade us to temper●…ce, but so ●…nde are we now a days as we leave the study of philosophy to learn out kitchen commentaries, but if we persevere still in this dissolute kind of super●…uity, being Christians in name and Epicures in life, we are to fear that in the ends need and necessity will force us to forsake it, and as it happened unto king Darius, who when he had lived a long time in delights, drowning himself in the 〈◊〉 of the Persians, not once looking so low as hunger and thirst, as he fled from Alexander, and waxed very thirsty, drinking puddle water taken from a river tainted with dead carcases, he burst ●…oorth into this speech, that in all his life he never drank sweeter: so will it befall to us by our inordinate excess, and seeing we may best see this virtue of ●…rugalitie by discovering his contrary, we will spend this forenoon in dscoursing the folly of superfluity or gluttony, which Bernardino I appoint unto your charge, as one which we all know to have been an enemy to such disordered banquets. Bernardino not greatly discontent with this command, began after the gentlemen were seated in the arbour, to frame his speech in this manner. Plato the prince of the Academics, who for his sacred sentences with his master Socrates, amongst all the Philosophers, challenged the name of divine, had always this saying in his mouth, that whatsoever exceedeth this word necessary is superfluity, which genus, he divided into two especial parts of apparel and far: for the last whereof I am appointed to entreat, thus to the purpose. Those Gentlemen which build upon the doctrine of the Epicures, and place their chief felicity or summum bonum in the delicacy of fare, consider not that gluttony is like to the Lemons in Arabia, which being passing sweet to the mouth, are inf●…ctious in the stomach, like to the flower of Amyta which glorious to the eye greatly molesteth the smell, the sweet content or rather the bitter pleasures that proceed from these follies, feeding our lust with a tickling humour of ●…elight, for every dram of pretended bliss presents us a pound of assured enormity, for we are so blinded with the vale of this vain sollie, that forgetting ourselves we run headlong with Vlysles into Circe's lap, and so by tasting her enchanted potion, suffer ourself to be like beasts transformed into sundry shapes, for that was the meaning Homer aimed at by the Metamorphosis, saying: some were changed into Lyo●…s as by drunkenness mad●… furious, some into Apes, whom wine had made pleasant, seem into s●…ine, whose brutish manner bewrayed their imperfection by sleeping in their pots, comparing the alt●…ration of men by overmuch drink to no other but a bestial change of their natures, besides this discoucrie Galen, Hypocrates and other learned Physicians approve it the source from whence all diseases and evil dispositions of the body do flow, for saith Plutarch we are sick of those things whereof we do live, and by our natural disposition are wholly given to health, if the disorder of our diet did not infringe the perfect temperature of our complexions. Homer going about to prove the immortality of the Gods, and that they die not, groundeth his argument upon this, because they eat not, as if he would argue, that as eating and drinking maintains life, so they are the efficient causes of death, and that more die of glutto●…e than of hunger, having oft more care to digest meat than care to get it. Seneca said that the Physicians in his time cried out that life was short and art long, that complaint was made of nature, that she had granted unto beasts to live five. or six ages, and to limit man's days but the length of a spann●…, which notwithstanding, being so short and momentary, was oft consumed in excess, drawing on death by our own desires, and offering up our gorged stomachs unto Atropos as sacrifice to entreat that the date of our years be untimely prevented, so that (as the wise man saith) mor●… perish by surfeit than by the sword, unto whom (saith Solomon) falleth woe, affliction, sorrow, strife, tears, redness of the eyes, and diseases? Even to them that sit long at the wine, which at the first pleaseth both the eye and the t●…st, but at last stingeth as deadly as a scorpion.  
Heraclitus was of this opinion that the insatiate appetite of gluttony doth obscure the interior virtues of the mind, oppressing the divine part of man with a confused chaos of sundry delicates, that as the sun eclipsed with dark and undigested vapours, hath not the perfection of his brightness, so the body overcharged with 〈◊〉 of meats, hath the senses so sotted, as they are not able to pierce by contemplation into the Metaphysical secrets of any hono●…rable science. Innumerable also be dissolut●… fashions and wicked enormities that spring fro●… gluttony and drunkenness, for where this folly is predominant, there is the mind subject unto lust, anger, sloth, adultery, love, and all other vices that are subjects of the sensual part: for as the ol●…e Poet saith,  
Sine Cerere & Baccho friget Venus.  
And by the way I rem●…mber certain verses written by our countryman Dante to this effect.  
Il vitio chi conduce:  
Englished thus:  

A monster seated in the midst of men,  
Which daily fed is never satiat,  
A hollow gulf of vild ingratitude,  
Which for his food vouchsafes not pay of thanks,  
But still doth claim a debt of due expense,  
From hence doth Venus draw the shape of lust,  
From hence Mars raiseth blood and stratagems,  
T●…e wrack of wealth the secret foe to life,  
The sword that hasteneth on the date of death,  
The su●…est friend to physic by disease,  
The pumice that defaceth memory,  
The misty vapour that obscures the light,  
And brightest beams of science glittering sun,  
And doth eclipse the mind with sluggish thoughts,  
The monster that afoordes this cursed brood,  
And makes commixture of these dyer mishaps,  
Is but a stomach overcharged with meats,  
That takes delight in endless gluttony.   
Well did Dante note in these verses the sundry mischie●…es that proceed from this folly, seeing what exp●…ces to the purse, what diseases to the person, what ruin to common wealth, what subversion of estates, what misery to princes ●…aue ensued by this insatiate sin of gluttony: We read of the Emperor Vitellius Spynter that he was so much given to superfluity and excess, that at one supper 〈◊〉 was served with two thousand several kind of 〈◊〉, and with seven thousand flying fowls, but the heavens storming at such an insatiable monster, that so highly abused the benefits of God, conspired his overthrow, for 〈◊〉 did not only dispossess him of the imperial Diadem, but caused him to be publicly executed in Rome. Dionysius the younger from gluttony fell to tyranny until he was exiled for his wickedness out of Sirilia. Mulcasses king of Thunis was so drowned in pleasure & delight of superfluous banqueting, that in the midst of his miseries when the Emperor Charles had forsaken him, and left him of a king almost the 〈◊〉 of the world, yet as Paulus iovius rehearseth, he spent a hundredth crowns upon the dressing of a peacock, whereat his musicans playing, he covered his eyes to reap the greater content: but the judgement of God speedily followed this vain delicacy, for within two days after his own sons put out his eyes with bars of hot iron. Infinite also were the examples might be brought of drunkenness, and of his discommodity: of Alexander how he prepared crowns for them that exceeded in that filthy vice, and made a great cup which he called Alexander, after his own name, wherein he did 〈◊〉 to his nobles, but Calisthenes his dear friend refusing, & saying: for drinking in Alexander I will not stand in need of Esculapius, he fell into such fury, that he commanded him to be put in an iron cage with dogs, which Calisthenes not brooking poisoned himself. At an other drunken feast he ●…iue his faithful friend Clitus, a worthy captain and a counsellor, to whom he had so many times been beholding for his life: but afterward when he came to himself, he was so grie●…ed for this fact, that he sought to shorten his days with his own sword, and spent many days in continual tears for his friend, whereby we evidently see how the best that ensueth of this folly is shame and repentance. This meant Heraclitus to teach his country men, when after a mutinous sedition was appeased, and the comm●…ns demanded of him, what 〈◊〉 were best to prevent the like misfortune, presently 〈◊〉 him up to a place where the magistrate used to deliver Or●…tions to the people, and there in ●…teade of pronouncing some eloquent and learned discourse, only began to feed on a morsel of brown bread, & to drink a glass of clé●…re water, thus setting down a golden precept by silence, for by this he signified unto them that as long as daintiness and riot and needless expenses flourished in the city, so long should they stand in danger of civil sedition, but this vain excess abolished a pea●…able and perpetual quiet was like to ensue: if this counsel of Heraclitus were 〈◊〉 in a monarchy, what n●…de have we of such necessary principles, in whose common wealth nothing is glorious, but super●…uitie of food and appa●…ll. Let me borrow a word with you (quoth Peratio) in this, for in deed if men thoroughly consider the vain delight diverse of our Florentines took in trimming and decking out the body, which Epaminondas called the prison of the soul, we shall be at length forced to con●… with Erasmus, that they rather serve to whet the eyes of the beholders to wicked desires, than unto any honest opinion or conceit.  
Epictetus' gave this only precept unto his countrymen at his death: Friends (quoth he) deck not your body with curious superfluity of apparel, but paint them with temperance, for the one is but a shadow that bleareth the eyes, the other an ornament that enricheth the mind, which counsel the ancient monarch and Chieftains of the world foretaught us: for Augustus' famous through the whole world for his fortunes, and honoured for his majesty, never ware other garments than such as his wife and daughters made, and those very moderate. Agesilaus king of Lacedemonia had but one coat for winter and summer. Epaminondas general captain of the Thebans, was contented with one only gown all the year long: this simplicity and moderate use of apparel in such worthy personages, might well serve us for presidents, but that vanity hath so long lulled our sense●… a sleep with pleasure, as the custom of the fault hath taken away the feeling of the fact. Well ●…r (quoth Bernardino) this belongeth to your discourse of pride, and therefore again to our purposs which seeing I have confirmed with sufficient reasons & cramples to be an inordinate vice and more folly I will now also ratify it with a very brief and short histori●….  

Bernardinos Tale.  
IN the city of Auspurg in Germany there ruled not long since a duke whose name for reverence I conceal, & therefore will term him Don Antonio, a man of very honourable parentage, but so given to the filthy vice of dr●…kennesse as he almost suvuerted the state of the city, with his gluttonics. For oftimes he fell into tyrannous and barbarous cruelties, as one that had martial law in ●…is power, and other whiles gave wrong sentence against the innocent, as his humour fit●…, which excess had led him. But above all the rest a poor man having a matter to plead before him, which he was acertained by law should go on his side, Don Antonio coming drunk to the place of judgement, sleeping in his sur●…s, never considered the equity of the cause, but gave s●…ntence against the poor man, and condemned him in so great a sum, as scarss all his movables wer●… able to discharge, well the verdict given he had no other remedy but to abide the censure of the just judge, & to make sale of all that he had to answer his condemnation: which done so little remained that he had nothing left to maintain his wife and children, whereupon poverty being the hea●…iest burde●… a man can bear, presented unto him a glass of many miseries, which were apparent to ensue by distressed want, wherein after the poor wretch had a lon●… while gazed, he fell to despair, that flinging into his back side, he took the balter out of his stable, and running into the field went to hang himself in a thicket hard adjoining to his house, where yet a little entering into consideration with himself, he began thus to debate.  
Infortunate Rustico, for so we will term him, how art thou oppressed with sundry passions, distress haling thee ou to despair, and the care of thy soul willing thee rather to choose poverty than hell. Well did ●…ymon of Athens see the misery of man's life, when he bought a piece of ground, wherein he placed gibbets, and spent his time in such desperate Philosophy, as to persuade his friends to hang themselves, so to avoid the imminent perils of innumerable misfortunes, so Rustico seem thou an Athenian, be one of Tymons friends, listen to his doctrine, follow his counsel, prevent misery with death. But alas this is not sufficient, for in freing thyself from calamity, thou leavest thy wife and children in a thousano sorrows, and further thou cuttest off all hope of revenges. Revenge, yea revenge Rustico, for assure thyself, if thou livest not, yet God will revenge, have two sins escaped unpunished, hath not the accursed duke to his drunken m●…sse added injustice, yes and therefore deserves to be revenged with thin●… own hand, let examples arm thee to the like attempt. Philip king of M●…cedonia was slain by a mean Gentleman Pausanias, because he would not let him have justice against Antipater, who had offered him wrong. Demetrius having received many requests of his poor subjects, as he passed over a bridge threw all their supplications into the water, for which cause he became so odious to his subjects, that they suffered Pyrrhus his enemy to drive him out of his kingdom without battle. Ferdinando the fourth putting to death a knight more for anger than any just cause, the Gentleman at the sentence, cried out: Injurious Emperor, I cite thee to appear before the tribunal seat of God, to answer this wrong within thirty days, on the last of which expired term the Emperor died. Then comfort thyself Rustico, let not despair arm thee to such an heathenish resolution, rather live to revenge than die to double thy misery, and seeing the duke hath dealt thus hardly, use him as Alexander Severus handled his secretary, who being a caterpillar in the Court, and selling the very favourable looks of his master for coin, promising poor men to prosecute their suits, when he never moved their cause: at last in requital of this treacherous dealing was tied to a post and choak●…d with smoke, having a proclamation made before him by sound of trump●…t, that they which sell smoke should so perish with smoke, the poor man from these plaints fell into tears, that overcome with the passions he fell a sleep, where in a dream was by God reveaied unto him the means of revenge, as soon as he awoake and called unto mind the vision, thinking it to be no fantastic illusion of the brain, but a strict command from the heavenly powers, presently went home and waxed contrary unto his wonted custom very merry, frequenting daily the Duke's Palace, where giving himself unto drinking he became in time to be in some savour with the Duke, who never remembered that he sat in judgement against the poor man. On a time seeing that opportunity ●…auoured him, he requested the Duke that as he went on hunting, he would take the pains to visit his poor house, where he should find no dainty fare, but only that he durst promise a cup of good wine. This word was enough to persuade the Duke to a greater matter, so that be granted to come. The poor man glad that his purpose was like to take effect, went home and made a sale of all that he had even to his veri●… shirt, to the great sorrow of his wife, and wonder of his neighbours which knew not his pretence. As soon as he had prettily furnished himself with money, he bought great store of excellent and delicate viands of strong and pleasant wine, and conua●…ed them home to his house, whether within two days after the Duke fore-sent his cook, certifying the poor man that he would dine with him, who providing most sumptuous fare, set all his wealth upon the table at one dinner, and entertained the Duke with such a hearty welcome, that he not only wondered where Rustico got such store of victuals, but gave great thanks for his good cheer. Rustico served in wine in such abundance, that done Antonio fell to his old vice of drunkenness and in such sort, as he never took so much in his life. The poor man seeing him take his drink so freely, went to one of his Trumpeters, and told him that the Duke commanded he should by sound of Trumpet presently summon all the Citizens to appear at his house, either without delay or excuse. Which command, he forthwith executed: and the Burgomaster's & chiefs men of the City marveling what this should mean, yet hasting to the house of Rustico, they found a sca●…folde erected at the door, where after they had stayed a while, Rustico came forth, and began to speak in this manner.  
Worthy Citizens and Burgomasters of 〈◊〉, I know you marvel what the cause of your coming is, especially seeing me that am poor and unlettered prepare to offer an Oration to such politic governors, but it is the ●…are of my Countri●…, & especially of this City, which is like to rui●…ate through the want of the possession of a perfect magistrate, that dryness me to this resolute and desperate attempt: The duty of a magistrate, as I have heard, a certain Philosopher should set down, consisteth in three especial points, in ruling, teaching and judging, that he be wise to govern, virtuous to give ensample, and impartial to judge: for as Cicero saith, sooner shall the course of nature fail, than the subjects will leau●… to follow the steps of their Prince. If then that common wealth be happy that is governed by such a king, in what distress is that City that wanteth such a magistrate, and hath one that neither rul●…th, teacheth, or doth justice, but censures all things by the pallet. Philip of Macedonia being desired by an old woman to hear her complaint, answered, he had no leisure. Then, quoth she, be not ●…ing, meaning that a Prince ought to have more care over the affairs of the common wealth, then over his own private business: Then worthy Citizens, what may that City say, whose governor is addicted to his own pleasure, that delights not in justice, but in superflui●…y, that honours not the seat of judgement with Philosophy, but polluteth the place with drunkenness, that studieth not in the law, but his library is in the kitchen, that seeketh not to learn wisdom, but to gorge his stomach with delicates, such a one, worthy citizens have we, for our Duke, our governor, our m●…gistrate, and as he uttered that word, his poor wife and children dragge●… the Duke upon the scaffold, who was all besmeared in his own vomit, & resembling rather a brute bea●…t then a man, bred loathsomeness to all the people: which ●…e poor man taking ●…or his advantage, cried out: See Burgomasters and citizens of Auspourg, your duke, your magistrate, your governor, who is come upon the 〈◊〉 to hear●… the compla●… of the widow and 〈◊〉, and to minister iud●…ment. This is the t●…e man that condemn●…d me in the half of my goods, by 〈◊〉, and the other h●…lfe I have sold to present you this spectacle: the o●…e half he gave away being 〈◊〉, and the other this day he●… hath c●…nsumed in gluttony. Now citi●…ns, shame you not at such a sight, what shall G●…rmanie, France, Italy, and all the bordering Cities report of our town? What stranger will desire to traffic where there is such a glutton? What City can joy where there is such a governor? If you suffer this, the common wealth is like to ruinated, and you and your children like to bear the burden of a superfluous tyrant: See what Rustico hath done for his Country now use him as you please. The Bu●…gomaisters by a general assent, gave commandment that he should be vucovered upon the scaffold till he came to himself, and in the mean time they assembled themselves and determined his exile. The duke altar he had taken two or three hours sleep, finding himsel●…e upon an open scaffold, was ashamed. But hearing what had happened to him by the means of Rustico, and how the Burgomaster's had resolved on his banishment, as one feeling the horror of the fact, desperately went into the poor man's back side and ●…anged himself. Which ne●…es being brought to the Burgomaster's, with a general voice they created Rustico governor of the City.  
This short and sweet tale of Bernardino greatly pleased the County and the rest of the company, all praising the policy of the poor man, that had made so speedy and sharp a revenge. Well, quoth the old Count●…sse, we have so long discoursed of gluttony, that our simple cheer having so good a sauce as hunger, will prove very good delicates, therefore Gentlemen, seeing we must either make our Co●…ke choleric, or else leave our present parley, let us at this time not disturb his patience, but hie us in to dinner, and repast being taken, willingly we will continue our discourse. Then ●…eignior Farneze and the rest having their stomachs armed to such a combat, willingly ob●…ied, and so for this time we will leave them.   
FINIS.