tibus maxi

um.

for a new fuit, being afhamed to appear in the Theatre with his Gown a little thread bare, but when he got it, and gave his old cloaths to Godrus, the poor man was ravifh'd with joy, and went and gave God thanks for his new purchase; and Cedrus was made richly fine and chearfully warm by that which Sempronius was afhamed to wear; and yet there natural needs were both alike the difference only was that Sempronius had fome artificial and phantaftical neceflities fuperinduced, which Codrus had not; and was harder to be relieved, and could not have joy at fo cheap a rate: because he only lived according to Nature, the other by pride and ill cuftoms, and measures taken by other mens eyes and tongues, and artificial needs. He that propounds to his fancy things greater than himself or his needs, and is difcontent and troubled when he fails of fuch purchafes, ought not to accufe providence, or blame his fortune, but his folly. God and Nature made no more needs than they mean to fa→ tisfie; and he that will make more, muft look for fatisfaction where he can.

8. In all troubles and fadder accidents let us take Vacare culpâ fanctuary in Religion, and by innocence caft out anin calamita chors for our Souls, to keep them from Shipwreck, mum folati though they be not kept from ftorm. For what Phi lofophy fhall comfort a Villain that is haled to the rack for muthering his Prince, or that is broken upon the wheel for facrilege? His cup is full of pure and unmingled forrow: his body is rent with torment, his name with ignominy, his foul with fhame and forrow which are to laft eternally. But when a man fuffers in a good caufe, or is afflicted and yet walks 2 Ccr, 4.8.9. not perverfly with his God, then Anytus and Melitus may kill me, but they cannot hurt me; then St. Paul's

characters is engraven in the forehead of our fortune; 1 Pet. 3.13. We are troubled on every fide, but not diftreffed; per&4. 15, 16 plexed, but not in defpair; Perfecuted, but not for faken;

caft down, but not deftroyed. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? For. indeed every thing in the world is indifferent, but fin: and all the fcorchings of the Sun are very tolerable in

respect

refpect of the burnings of a Fever or a Calenture. The greatest evils are from within us, and from our felves alfo we must look for our greateft good; for God is the fountain of it, but reaches it to us by our own hand: and when all things look fadly round about us, then only we fhall find how excellent a fortune it is to have God to our friend; and of all friendfhips that only is created to fupport us in our needs. For it is fin that turns an Ague into a Fever, and a Fever to the Plague, Fear into Defpair, Anger into Rage, and Lofs into Ma nefs, and Sorrow to Amazement and Confufion: But if either we were innocent, or else by the fadness are made penitent, we are put to School, or into the Theatre, either to learn how, or elfe actually to combate for a Crown; the Accident may ferve an end of mercy, but is not a Meffenger of wrath.

Beatitudo

Let us not therefore be governed by external, and prefent, and feeming things: nor let us make the fame judgment of things that common and weak underftandings do; nor make other men, and they not the wifeft, to be judges of our felicity, fo that we be happy or miferable as they pleafe to think ns: but let Reafon, and Experience, and Religion, and Hope, pender à re relying on the Divine Promifes, be the measure of ais confilis our judgment. No wife man did ever defcribe feli- in affectin city without vertue; and no good man did ever conftantem think vertue could depend upon the variety of a good dennemi or bad fortune. It is no evil to be poor, but to be bas, Fini. vicious and impatient.

Means to obtain Content by way of
Confiderati n.

To thefe Exercises and fpiritual Inftruments, if we add the following Confiderations concerning the nature and circumftance of humane chance, we may better fecure our peace. For as to Children, who are afraid of vain Images, we use to perfwade confidence by making them to handle and look near fuch things, that when in fuch a familiarity they perceive them inno

I 4

cent,

nem animi

Non te ad

omnia læta genuit,

non, Atreus.

mærere:

Morralis e

velis, Superi

cent, they may overcome their fears: fo muft timorous, phantaftical, fad and difcontented perfons be treated; they must be made to confider, and on all fides to look upon the accident, and to take all its dimenfions, and confider its confequences, and to behold the purpose of God, and the common mistakes of men, and their evil fentences they ufually pafs upon them. For then we fhall perceive that, like Colts of unmanag'd Horfes, we start at dead bones and lifelefs blocks, things that are unactive as they are innocent, But if we fecure our hopes and our fears, and make them moderate and within government, we may the fooner overcome the evil of the accident; For nothing that we feel is fo bad as what we fear.

1. Confider that the univerfal Providence of God hath fo ordered it, that the good things of Nature and Fortune are divided, that we may know how to bear our own, and relieve each other's wants and im perfections. It is not for a Man, but for a God, to Agamem have all excellencies, and all felicities. He fupports opus eft te my poverty with his wealth; I counfel and inftruct gaudere, & him with my learning and experience. He hath many friends, I many Children: He hath no Heir, I have nim natus es, no inheritance: and any one great bleffing together &, ut haud with the common portions of Nature and Neceffity fic conftitue is a fair fortune, if it be but health or ftrength, or the fwiftnefs of Ahimaaz. For it is an unreafonable difcontent to be troubled that I have not fo good Cocks, or Dogs, or Horfes as my Neighbour, being more troubled that I want one thing that I need not, than thankful for having received all that I need. Nero had this disease, that he was not con tent with the fortune of the whole Empire, but put the Fidlers to death for being more skilful in the trade than he was: and Dionyfius the elder was fo angry at Philoxenus for Singing, and with Plato for Difputing better than he did, that he fold Plato a Slave into Agina, and condemned the other to the Quarries.

sunt.

This Confideration is to be enlarged by adding to it, that there are fome inftances of fortune and a fair

con

condition that cannot ftand with fome others, but if you defire this, you must lose that, and unless you e content with one, you lofe the comfort of both. If you covet Learning, you must have leifure and a retired life: If to be a Politician, you must go a broad and get experience, and do all bufineffes, and keep all company, and have no leifure at all. If you will be rich, you must be frugal: If you will be popular, you must be bountiful: If a Philofo pher, you must difpife riches. The Greek that defigned to make the most exquifite picture that could be imagined, fanfied the Eye of Chione,and the Hair of Pagnium, and Tarfia's Lip, Philenium's Chin and the Forehead of Delphia, and fet all these upon Melphidippa's Neck, and thought that he fhould outdo both Art and Nature. But when he came to view the proportions, he found that what was excellent in Tarfia did not agree with the other excellency of Philenium: and although fingly they were rare pieces; yet in the whole they made a moft ugly Face. The difperfed excellencies and bleffings of many men, if given to one, would not make a handfome, but a monftrous fortune. Ufe therefore that` faculty which Nature hath given thee, and thy education hath made actual, and thy calling hath made a duty. But if thou defireft to be a Saint, refuse not his perfecution: If thou would't be famous as Epaminondas, or Fabricius, accept alfo of their poverty; for that added lufter to their perfons, and envy to their fortune, and their vertue without it could not have been fo excellent. Let Euphorion fleep quietly whith his old rich Wife; and let Medius drink on with Alexander: and remember thou canst not have the riches of the first, unless you have the old Wife too; nor the favour which the second had with his Prince, unless you buy it at his price, that is, lay thy Sobrie-foteles quan ty down at first, and thy Health a little after; and do Philippe then their condition, though it look fplendidly, yet lubet, Diowhen you handle it on all fides, it will prick your Diegen genes quando fingers,

2. Confider how many excellent perfonages in all

Ages

Prandet Art

Sergius Sulpibus.

Sect. 6. Ages have fuffered as great or greater Calamities than this which now tempts thee to impatience. Agis was the most noble of the Greeks, and yet his Wife bore a Child by Alcibiades: and Philip was Prince of Ituraa, and yet his Wife ran away with his Brother Herod into Galilee: and certainly in a great Fortune that was a great Calamity: But there are but fingle inftances. Almoft all the ages of the World have noted that their most eminent Scholars were moft eminently poor, fome by choice, but most by chance, and an inevitable Decree of Providence. And in the whole Sex of Women God hach decreed the tharpest pains of childbirth, to fhew that there is no ftate exempt from forFow, and yet that the weakest perfons have strength more than enough to bear the greatest evil; and the greatest Queens, and the Mothers of Saints and Apoitles, have no Character of exemption from this fad Sentence. But the Lord of Men and Angels was alfo the King of Sufferings, and if thy coarse robe trouble thee, remember the Swaddling-cloaths of Jefs; if thy Bed be uneafie, yet it is not worse than his Manger; and it is no fadnefs to have a thin Table, if thou calleft to mind that the King of Heaven and Earth was fed with a little Breaft-Milk: and yet befides this he fuffered all the forrows which we deserved. We therefore have great reafon to fit down upon our own Hearths, and warm our felves at our own Fires, and feed upon Content at home for it were a strange pride to expect to be more gently treated by the Divine Providence than the best and wifeft Men, than Apoftles and Saints, nay, the Son of the Eternal God, the Heir of both the Worlds.

:

This Confideration may be enlarged by furveying all the States and Families of the World: and he that at once faw Agina and Megara, Pyreus and Corinth lie gafping in their ruines, and almost buried in their own heaps, had reafon to blame Cicero for mourning impatiently the death of one Woman. In the moit beauteous and fplendid Fortune there are many Cares and proper Interruptions and Allays: in the fortune of a Prince there is not the coarfe robe of begga