prince also wolde nat suffre his empresse to use in her apparayle any richer stones than other ladyes; and if any were gyuen her, he either caused them to be solde or els gaue them unto Temples, affirmyng that the example of pompe and inordinate expensis shulde nat procede of the Emperours wyfe. And whan, for the honoure that he dyd to the Senate and lawes, his wife and his mother rebuked him, sayenge that he shulde bring the emperyall maiestie into to lowe an astate, he aunswered that it shulde be the surer and continue the longer.b There is also a Moderation to be used agayne wrathe or appetite of vengeaunce. Hadriane, the emperour, while Moderation he was but a priuate person, bare towarde a capitayne of wrathe. greuous displeasure, who afterwarde herynge that he was made emperour, was in great feare lest Hadriane wolde be aduenged. But whan he came to themperours presence, he nothing dyd or said to hym, but only these wordes, Thou haste well escaped. By the whiche wordes he well declared his modeAntonini nomen repudiasti, Magni prænomen suscipe. Magne Alexander, dii te servent." Et quum sæpius dicerent, Alexander Augustus, ait, "Facilius fuit, Patres Conscripti, ut Antoninorum nomen acciperem: aliquid enim vel affinitati deferrem, vel consortio nominis imperialis. Magni vero nomen cur accipitur? quid enim jam magnum feci? quum id Alexander post magna gesta, Pompeius vero post magnos triumphos acceperit. Quiescite igitur, venerandi patres, et vos ipsi magnifici unum me de vobis esse censete potius quàm Magni nomen ingerite."'--Hist. Aug. tom. i. pp. 890, 896. Sir Thos. Elyot, however, is wrong in saying that this emperor was offered and refused the title of Pater Patriæ, an honour which had been offered in vain to Hadrian and M. Aurelius Antoninus. * Gemmarum quod fuit, vendidit, et aurum in ærarium contulit, dicens gemmas viris usui non esse: matronas autem regias contentas esse debere uno reticulo atque inauribus, et baccato monili, et coronâ cum quâ sacrificium facerent, et unico pallio auro sparso, et cyclade quæ sex unciis auri plus non haberet. Prorsus censuram suis temporibus de propriis moribus gessit. Imitati sunt eum magni viri, et uxorem ejus matronæ pernobiles.'- Ibid. p. 978. Denique quum ei objiceret nimiam civilitatem et Mammæa mater, et uxor Memmia Sulpitii consularis viri filia, Catuli neptis, et sæpe dicerent, "Molliorem tibi potestatem et contemptibiliorem inperii fecisti:" ille respondit, "Sed securiorem atque diuturniorem."-Ibid. p. 911. 'Quos in privatâ vitâ inimicos habuit, imperator tantùm neglexit: ita ut uni quem capitalem habuerat, factus imperator diceret, Evasisti.'-Ibid. p. 160. ration, and also that who so euer puttethe on the habite of a common persone or gouernour, it shall nat beseme him to reuenge priuate displesures. Architas, whan he had bene a longe space out of his countrey and at his retourne founde his possessions and goodes distroyed and wasted, he sayd to his baylife, I wold surely punisshe the if I shuld nat be angry. Au. Gell. Moche lyke dyd Plato, for whan his seruaunt had offended hym greuously, he desired Speusippus, his frende, to punisshe him, leeste (sayde he) if I beate hym, I shulde happe to be angry. Wherin Plato deserued more praise than Architas, in as moche as he obserued his pacience, and yet dyd nat suffre the offence of his seruaunt to be unpunisshed. For most often tymes the omittynge of correction redoubleth a trespace. Semblable moderation and wisedome, Aulus Gellius remembrethe to be in Plutarche, the philosopher, whiche was mayster to Traiane the emperour. It hapned that the bondeman of Plutarch had committed. some greuous offence, wherfore his mayster wylled that he shulde be sharply punisshed. Wherfore commaunding hym to be striped naked, caused an other of his seruauntes in his presence to beate hym. But the slaue who, as it semed, was lerned, while he was in beatynge, cried out on Plutarche, and in maner of reproche sayd unto hym, Howe agreeth this with thy doctrine that preachest so moche of pacience, and in all ■ Tarentinus Archytas, dum se Pythagoræ præceptis Metaponti penitus immergit, magno labore, longoque tempore solidum opus doctrinæ complexus ; postquam in patriam revertitur, ac rura sua revisere coepit, animadvertit negligentia villici corrupta et perdita: intuensque male meritum: "Sumsissem," inquit “à te supplicium, nisi tibi iratus essem.' Maluit enim impunitum dimittere, quàm propter iram gravius justo punire.'-Val. Max. lib. iv. cap. I, ext. I. Nimis liberalis Archytæ moderatio : Platonis temperatior: nam cum adversus delictum servi vehementius exarsisset, veritus ne ipse modum vindictæ dispicere non posset, Speusippo amico castigationis arbitrium mandavit ; deforme sibi futurum existimans, si commisisset, ut parem reprehensionem culpa servi, et animadversio Platonis mereretur.'-Val. Max. lib. iv. cap. 1, ext. 2. See Vol. I. p. 53, note. thy lessons reprouest wrathe, and nowe contrary to thyn owne teachyng, thou arte all inflamed with wrathe, and clene from the pacience which thou so moche praysest? Unto whom Plutarche, without any chaunge of countenaunce aunswered in this fourme, Thou embraydest me causeles with wrath and impacience, but I praye the what perceyuest thou in me that I am angry or out of pacience? I suppose (except I be moche deceiued) thou seest me nat stare with myn eyen, or my mouthe imbosed," or the colour of my face chaunged, or any other deformitie in my persone or gesture, or that my wordes be swyfte, or my voyce louder than modestie requyreth, or that I am unstable in my gesture or motion, whiche be the sygnes and euident tokens of wrathe and impacience. Wherfore, said he to the correctour, sens he can nat proue that I am yet angry, in the meane tyme whyle he and I do dispute of this matter, and untyll he utterly do cese of his presumption and obstinacie, loke that thou styl beate him. Verily, in myn oppinion Plutarch herein declared his excellent wysedome and grauitie, as well in his example of pacience as also in subduynge the stubbourne courage of an obstinate seruaunt. Whiche historie shall be expedient for gouernours to haue in See ante, p. 56, note. Plutarchus, inquit, servo suo, nequam homini et contumaci, sed libris disputationibusque philosophiæ aures imbutas habenti, tunicam detrahi ob nescio quod delictum, cædique eum loro jussit. Cœperat verberari; et obloquebatur non meruisse ut vapulet, nihil mali, nihil sceleris admisisse. Postremo vociferari inter vapulandum incipit : neque jam querimonias aut gemitus ejulatusque facere, sed verba seria et objurgatoria : Non ita esse Plutarchum ut deceret, philosophum irasci turpe esse: sæpe eum de malo iracundiæ edissertavisse: librum quoque wepì dopynoías pulcherrimum conscripsisse ; iis omnibus, quæ in eo libro scripta sunt, nequaquam convenire, quod provolutus effususque in iram plurimis se plagis mulcaret. Tum Plutarchus lentè et leniter, Quid autem, inquit, verbero, nunc ego tibi irasci videor? ex vultune meo, an ex voce, an ex colore, an etiam ex verbis correptum esse me irâ intelligis? Mihi quidem neque oculi opinor truces sunt, neque os turbidum ; neque immaniter clamo ; neque in spumam ruboremve effervesco: neque pudenda dico aut poenitenda: neque omnino trepido irâ et gestio. Hæc enim omnia, si ignoras, signa esse irarum solent. Et simul ad eum, qui cædebat, conversus, Interim, inquit, dum ego atque hic disputamus, hoc tu age.'— Noct. Attic. lib. i. cap. 26. Off. i. remembrance, that whan according to the lawes they do punysshe offendours, they them selfes be nat chaufed" or meued with wrath, but (as Tulli sayeth) be lyke to the lawes, whiche be prouokedde to punysshe nat by wrathe or displeasure, but onely by equitie. And immediately the same autour gyueth an other noble precept concerning moderation in punysshement, sayenge, that in correcting, wrath is principally to be forboden, for he that punissheth whyle he is angry, shall neuer kepe that meane whiche is betwene to moche and to lyttell." For other instances of the use of this word see ante, pp. 71, 266, 322. This is simply an adaptation of the French word chauffer, which Cotgrave translates 'to heat, warme, chafe;' there was also the old form eschauffer; thus Montaigne, who mentions the story referred to in the text, says, 'Platon de mesme, s'estant eschauffé contre l'un de ses esclaves, donna à Speusippus charge de le chastier, s'excusant d'y mettre la main luy mesme, sur ce qu'il estoit courroucé.'Essais, tom. iii. p. 182, ed. 1854. Chaucer borrowed this last form in the following passages. 'Ire, after the philosofer, is the fervent blood of man i-quiked in his hert, thurgh which he wolde harm to him that him hatith; for certes the hert of man by eschawfyng and moevyng of his blood waxith so trouble, that he is out of alle iuggements of resoun.'-Works, vol. ii. p. 308, ed. 1866; and again, 'This ire is a ful greet plesaunce to the devel, for it is the develes fornays that is eschaufid with the fuyr of helle.'-Ibid. p. 309. Spenser uses a substantive chauff in the Faerie Queene. 'But, when as her he by no meanes could find, Poetical Works, vol. iv. p. 123, Aldine ed. The word, which is represented by the modern chafe, is derived from calfare, a corruption of calefacere. с Optandumque, ut ii, qui præsunt reipublicæ, legum similes sint, quæ ad puniendum, non iracundiâ, sed æquitate, ducuntur.'-De Off. lib. 1. cap. 25. Prohibenda autem maximè est ira in puniendo: nunquam enim, iratus qui accedet ad pœnam, mediocritatem illam tenebit, quæ est inter nimium et parum.' -Ubi supra. CHAPTER XXII. Of Sobrietie in Diete. VERELY I nothynge doute but that the more parte of the redars of this warke wyll take in good parte al that is before written, consideringe the benefite, and also the ornament that those vertues of whom I haue spoken, of good reason and congruence, must be to them in whom they shall be planted and do contynue. But I knowe well that this chapitre whiche nowe ensueth shall uneth be thankefully receyued of a fewe redars, ne shall be accounted worthy to be radde of any honourable person, considering that the matter therin contayned is so repugnaunt and aduerse to that perniciouse custome, wherin of longe tyme men hath estemed to be the more part of honour;a in so moche as I very well knowe that some shall accounte great presumption in this myne attemptate in writynge agayne that whiche haue bene so longe used.b But for as moche as I haue taken upon me to write of a * A few years later an improvement seems to have taken place in this respect, to which the writings of the author, and the personal influence exerted by him and other men of high station, no doubt contributed in no slight measure. 'Heretofore,' says Harrison, there hath beene much more time spent in eating and drinking than commonlie is in these daies, for whereas of old we had breakefasts in the forenoone, beuerages or nuntions after dinner, and thereto reare suppers generallie when it was time to go to rest, now these odd repasts, thanked be God, are verie well left, and ech one in maner (except here and there some yong hungrie stomack that cannot fast till dinner time) contenteth himselfe with dinner and supper onelie.'--Descript. Engl. p. 170. The writer quoted in the last note attributes the excessive indulgence in the pleasures of the table to the Normans, who degenerated from their primitive simplicity of habits, for 'misliking the gormandise of Canutus, they ordeined after their arriuall that no table should be couered aboue once in the daie, which Huntingdon imputeth to their auarice; but in the end, either waxing wearie of their own frugalitie, or suffering the cockle of old custome to ouergrow the good corne of their new constitution, they fell to such libertie that in often feeding they surmounted Canutus, surnamed the hardie. For whereas he couered his table but three or foure times in the daie, these spred their clothes fiue or six times, and in such wise as I before rehearsed.'-Descript. of Engl. p. 170. |