EPaminu[n]das beyng borne of soche parentes, was brought vp in all excellente learnyng, for, vnder hym Philippe the kyng of the Macedonians, the soonne of Amintas, was brought vp. This Epa- minundas, the Histories note hym to be a chief Philosopher, and a capitaine moste valiaunte. In Musike, in plaiyng, and [Fol. xlij.v]
singyng finelie to his Instrumente, notable and famous, no kinde of learnyng, arte, or science, wanted in his breaste: So greate and aboundante were his vertues, that aboue all go- uernours, whiche haue been in Thebe, his name and fame is chieflie aduaunced.
-- The praise of his actes.
[Sidenote: The dutie of good gouer- nors.]
EPaminundas beyng moste valiaunte and no- ble, leauing all priuate commoditee, glory, and riches a side: sought the renoume of his coun- tree, as all rulers and gouernours ought to do.
[Sidenote: Howe a king[-]
dome riseth to all felicitie.]
For, a kyngdome or common wealth, can not rise to any high n.o.bilitee or Roialnesse, where gouernours, rulers, and magistrates, neclecting the vniuersall, and whole body of the common wealthe, doe cogitate and vigilantly en- deuour them selues, to stablish to them and theirs, a priuate, peculiar, and domesticall profite, glorie, or renoume. Couei- teousnes, whiche is in all ambicious Magistrates the poison, plague, destruccion, and ruine of the beste and florishing co[m]- mon wealthes, of al wickednes and mischief the roote: a vice, [Sidenote: Couetousnes a great euill.]
whereupon all vice is grounded, from whom all mischiefe floweth, all execrable purposes issueth. That wanted in Epaminundas, for in the ende of his life, his coffers were so thin and poore, that euen to his Funerall, money wanted to solempnise thesame. Priuate glorie nor excesse, was hunted after of hym, yet his vertues were of soche excellencie, that honour, dignitee, and preeminent state, was offered and gi- uen to hym vnwillinglie. This Epaminundas was in go- uernement so famous, and so vertuouslie and politikelie ru- led thesame, that he was a glorie, renoume, honour, and fe- licitee to his kingdome, by his state. Before the time of Epa- [Sidenote: Beotia.
Thebes.]
minundas, the countree of Beotia was nothyng so famous in their enterprises: neither the citee of Thebe so roiall, puis- saunt or n.o.ble, the antiquitee of that tyme sheweth, that E- paminundas wantyng the power of Thebes, their glorie, strength, and felicitee fell and decaied. The learning of Epa- [Fol. xliij.r]
minundas and knowlege, was so aboundant and profounde bothe in Philosophie, and in all other artes and sciences, that it was wounderfull. In chiualrie and in feates of warre, no peere was more couragious and bolde, or hardie, neither in that, whiche he enterprised, any could be of greater counsaile in hedde more pollitike, of minde more sage and wittie: his gouernement so good, that beyng so good a Magistrate, it is doubted, whether he be better man, or better Magistrate, E- paminundas died in the defence of his countree. The Athe- nians were enemies to the Thebanes, and many greate bat- tailes were a.s.saied of theim and foughten: and often tymes the Athenians felt many bitter stormes, and fortune loured of them, he beyng so valiaunt a capitain. Epaminundas be- yng dedde, the Athenians ceased to practise, any one parte of chiualrie, their prowesse and dexteritee decaied: thei hauyng no aliaunte, and forraine enemie to moleste theim, or whom [Sidenote: A valiant ca- pitain, to his countrie a pil[-]
lar[,] to his ene[-]
mie, a occasio[n]
to dexteritie.]
thei feared. So that a famous, wise, pollitike, and valiaunte capitaine, is not onely a staie, a pillar and strong bulwarke to his countree. But also forraine nacions, hauyng one, who[m]
for his valiauntnes thei dreade, doe practise and inure them selues, to all dexteritee, counsaile, wisedome, and pollicie: soche a one was Epaminundas, to his enemies and cou[n]tree.
-- The comparison.
[Sidenote: Hector.
Achilles.
Numa Pom[-]
peius.
Adria.n.u.s.]
NEither Hector of Troie, nor Achilles of Grece, might bee compared with Epaminundas, Numa Pompili- us was not more G.o.dlie, Adriane the Emperour of Roome, no better learned, nor Galba the Emperour more valiaunte, Nerua no more temperate, nor Traia.n.u.s more n.o.ble, neither Cocles nor Decius, Scipio nor Marcus Regu[-]
lus, did more valianntly in the defence of their countrie, soche a one was this Epaminundas.
-- The conclusion.
OF many thynges, these fewe are recited, but if his whole life and vertues, wer worthely handeled: fewe would beleue, soche a rare gouernour, so vertuous a [Fol. xliij.v]
Prince, so hardie and valiaunte a capitaine, to haue remai- ned in no age.
-- The parte of Rhetorike, called dispraise.
THis parte of _Rhetorike_, which is called dispraise, is a in- uectiue Oracion, made againste the life of any man.
This part of _Rhetorike_, is contrary to that, whiche is be- fore set, called _laus_, that is to saie, praise: and by contrary no- tes procedeth, for the Oratour or declaimer to entreate vpo[n].
This parte of _Rhetorike_, is called of the Grekes _Psogos_.
In praise, we extoll the persone: First by his countree.
Then by his auncestours and parentes.
In the third place, by his educacion and inst.i.tucion.
Then in the fowerth place, of his actes in life.
In the fifte place vse a comparison, comparyng the per- sone with other, whiche are more inferiour.
Then the conclusion.
Now in dispraise, contrarily we doe procede.
Firste, in the dispraise of his countree.
Of his auncetours and parentes.
His educacion is dispraised.
Then his actes and deedes of life.
Also in your comparison with other, dispraise hym.
Then in the laste place, adde the conclusion.
All thynges that maie be praised, maie be dispraised.
-- The dispraise of Nero.
[Sidenote: Uertue.]
AS vertue meriteth commendacion and immor- tall renoume, for the n.o.bilitee and excellencie reposed in it: so ougle vices for the deformitee of them, are in mynd to be abhorred and detested, and with all diligence, counsaile, and wisedome [Sidenote: Uice.]
auoided. As pestiferous poison extinguisheth with his cor- rupcion and nautinesse, the good and absolute nature of all thinges: so vice for his pestiferous nature putteth out vertue and rooteth out with his force all singularitee. For, vice and [Fol. xliiij.r]
vertue are so of nature contrary, as fire and water, the vio- lence of the one expelleth the other: for, in the mansion of ver- tue, vice at one tyme harboreth not, neither vertue with vice [Sidenote: What is ver- tue.]
can be consociate or vnited, for, vertue is a singuler meane, or Mediocrite in any good enterprise or facte, with order and reason finished. Whose acte in life, doeth repugne order and reason, disseuered from all Mediocrite, soche do leaue iustice, equitee, wisedome, temperaunce, fort.i.tude, magnanimitee, and al other vertues, bothe of minde and body: onely by ver- tues life men shewe theim selues, as chief creatures of G.o.d, with reason, as a moste princ.i.p.all gifte, beautified and deco- rated: In other giftes, man is farre inferiour to beastes, both in strength of bodie, in celeritee and swiftnesse of foote, in la- bour, in industrie, in sense, nothyng to bee compared to bea- stes, with beastes as a peculier and proper thyng, wee haue our bodie of the yearth: but our minde, whiche for his diuini- tee, pa.s.seth all thynges immortall, maketh vs as G.o.ds emo[n]g other creatures. The bodie therefore, as a aliaunt and forain enemie, beyng made of a moste base, moste vile and corrup- tible nature, repugneth the mynde. This is the cause, that wickednesse taketh soche a hedde, and that the horrible facte and enterprise of the wicked burste out, in that, reason exiled and remoued from the minde, the ougle perturbacions of the minde, haue their regiment, power, and dominio[n]: and where soche state of gouernemente is in any one bodie, in priuate and domesticalle causes, in forraine and publike affaires, in kyngdome and co[m]mon wealthe. Uertue fadeth and decaieth, and vice onely beareth the swaie. Lawe is ordered by l.u.s.te, and their order is will, soche was the tyme and gouernment of this wicked Nero.
-- Of his countree.
NEro was a Romaine borne, though in gouerne- ment he was wicked, yet his cou[n]tree was famous, and n.o.ble: for, the Romaines wer lordes and hed- des ouer all the worlde. The vttermoste Indians, [Fol. xliiij.v]
the Ethiopes, the Persians, feared the maiestie and auctho- [Sidenote: Rome.]
ritee of the Romaines. From Romulus, who was the firste founder, and builder of that Citee: the Romaines bothe had their name of hym, and grew afterward to marueilous pui- saunt roialnes. There was no nacion vnder the Sunne, but it dreaded their Maiestie, or felte their inuincible handes: there hath been many mightie kyngdomes, on the face of the yearth, but no kyngdome was able, with like successe and fe- licitee in their enterprise, or for like famous gouernors, and continuance of their state, to compare with them. This was, and is, the laste mightee Monarchie in the worlde. Roome a olde aunciente citee, inhabited firste of the Aborigines, which [Sidenote: Carthage.]
came from Troie. The prouidence of G.o.d, so disposeth the tymes and ages of the world, the state of kyngdomes, by the fall of mightier kyngdomes, meaner grewe to power and glorie. The Carthagineans, contended by prowes, and ma- gnanimitee, to be lordes ouer the Romaines. Carthage was a greate, mightie, olde, auncient & famous citee, in the whiche valiaunte, wise, and pollitike gouernours, helde therein re- giment, long warres was susteined betwene the Romaines and Carthagineans, emong whom infinite people, and ma- ny n.o.ble peeres fell in the duste. Fortune and happie successe fell to the Romaines: the people of Carthage va[n]quished, and prostrate to the grounde. Scipio the n.o.ble Consull, beyng at the destruccion of it, seeyng with his iye, Carthage by fire brunte to ashes, saied: _Talis exitus aliquando erit Rome_: eue[n]
[Sidenote: Destruction of Rome to ashes in time.]
as of Carthage, like shall the destruccion of Rome bee, as for continuaunce of the Romaine state, of their glorie, power, and worthie successe, no nacion vnder the Sunne, can com- pare with theim: soche was the state of Rome, wherein wic- ked Nero raigned.
-- Of his anncestours.
DOmitia.n.u.s Nero, the sonne of Domitius En.o.bar- bus, Agrippina was his mothers name: this Agrip- pina, was Empresse of Rome, wife to Claudius Ti- [Fol. xlv.r]
[Sidenote: Agrippina.]