PART XllI

would enfue, cafl: them away *, declaring that ' MuGck is, amongft, other things, an allurement to drink, an exhaufter of Money, a friend to idlenefs,conducing nothing to good, honeft,and generous works ^ that Poetry hath always made men prone to all forts of vices,efpecially to lull:, even by the examples of the Gods themfelves, whom itintroduceth, inflamed with anger, and raging with lufl;, and reprefcnts not only their Wars,cenflias, wounds, hatred, diicords, dif- fentions,birth, deaths.- But alfo their complaints, lamentations, imprifonments, coiton with mor¬ tal children of immortal Parents, and the like ^ which certainly fober men would abhor.
G H A P. XV.
Of Meeknefs oppofite to Anger i
Moreover Lenity or Meeknefs, whereunto are reduced Clemency and Pity, is fo excellent an antidote againft anger, or delirc of Tevenge,thacitis eiteemed a molt eminent vir¬ tue j in as much as anger, efpecially if excelfive, caufeth madnefs for the time. For by anger, the mind is heated and darkned,the eyesfpark- ling with fire, the breaft ready to burft with rage, the teeth gnalhing, the voice choaked,the hairs Itanding on end, the face glowing, and dillorted with menacing looks, horrid, and ugly to behold, fo that the mind feems to have loft the command of herfelf, and to have forgotten all decency. But, lenity cures the mind, or ra¬ ther preferves it found, fo that it is neither moved in itfelf, nor is there any eruption of palTion into the Body, that may caufe the leaft undecency.
Now anger being commonly kindled, and fet on fire,by opinion of fome injury receiv’d j but men are injur’d through hatred, envy, or con¬ tempt i how can a wife man fo bear an injury, as to behave himfelf with Lenity, and fweet- nefs towards thofe who did it ? By fubmitting himfelf to the government of right reafon j whereby ( as 1 formerly faid , ) he muft forti- fie himfelf againft fortune; For, he accounts an injury among things of chance, and difcreetly confiders, it is not in his power to make other men juft, and free from palfion j and therefore, is as little moved at injuries done to him by men, as at the incommodities, or lolTes which happen by accidents of fortune, or by any other caule above, beyondrhis own power.
He is not, for example, troubled at the great heates or colds of the feafons of the year, be- caufe it is the nature of the feafons in their vi- cilfitudes, which he connot alter ' In like man- ner,neither is he troubled at the injuries, which diftioneft and malicious men do to him, becaufc in doing fo,Ehey ad according to their own na¬ tures, and to make them do otherwife, and to change their natures, is not in his power. Be- fides, he conceives it not agreeable to Reafon, and Wifdom, to add ill to ill, (to add, unto the harm which happens to him from without, perturbation within by opinion, ) or, becaufe a- nother man would afflid his mind with vexation he fhould be fo foolifli as to admit that vexation.
and further the ill defigns of his enemy upon • him.
_ Yet is it fit, that a wife man take fuch care of his reputation, as not to beco.me contemptible, fince there are fome pleafures that arife from a good Name, fome troubles from an 111, and the contempt thatfollows it ^ but he muft take cate of his reputation, not fo much by revenging in¬ juries, or being, offended at thofe that do them, as by living well, and innocently, giving no man a juft caufe of contumely of maledidion. To do thus, is in our power j noif, to hinder a- nother from exercifing his one malice.
Whence, if one that bears you ill-will, and is your profes’d enemy, (hall demand any thing of you, you muft not deny him, provided what he demand be lawful, and you are nothing the lefs fecure from him ; he differs not from he Dog, and therefore muft beappeafed with amorfei. Neverthelefs,nothing is better or.fafer,than to confront his malice with innocence of life, and the fecurity of your ownConfcience, and with¬ al to ftiew that you are above injury.
Efpecially, feeing it may fo happen, that a wife man ( as I faid before, ) may be arraign’d and fuffer not only injury, but calumny, accu- fation, condemnation Even then he confiders, that to live well and virtuouily, is in his power, but, not to fall into the hands of envious uniuft perfons^ not to be unjuftly accufed by them *, not to be fentenced by unrigteous Judges,is not in his power. He therefore is not angry, ei¬ ther with the accufers, witnefles, or judges but confiding in a good confcience, lofeth nothing of his lenity and tranquillity, and efteeming himfelf to be above this chance, he looks upon it undanuted, and behaves himfelf in his tryal boldly, and with courage.
Let not any objeft, that what I here advife concerning lenity, is repugnant to what 1 for¬ merly faid of the chaftifing of fervants •, for 1 limited caftigation, only to the refraftory and perverfe._ It is manifeft,that punifhment ought to be inflifted on offenders, zs well in a private family, as in a Common-wealth - and that, as a Prince or Mageftrate puniflieth the offences of his fubjeds, without anger s fo the Fathec of a family may without anger, punifh the faults of his fervants.
Moreover, a wife man muft not only bear injuries, nor only pardon them mildly, but even kindly encourage, and congratulate him, who betakes himfelf to a better courfe. For fince the beginning of reformation is to know onr fault *, therefore.muft this gratulation, and encouragement be given to the penitent offend¬ er, that, as he is affeded with horrour at this knowledge of his crime, fo the excellence, and beauty of that which he ought to have done, and thenceforward muft do, may be fully re- prefented to him, and the love of it increafe daily in him.
CHAP.
I
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