The Closet of Counsells :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Closet of Counsells

conteining The aduice of diuers wyse Philosophers, touchinge sundry morall matters, in Poesies, Preceptes, Prouerbes, and Parrables, translated, and collected out of diuers aucthors, into Englishe Verse: by Edmond Eluiden. Wherunto is anexed a pithy and pleasant discription of the abuses: and vanities of the vvorlde

Elviden, Edmund

[dedication]

[section]

The closet of counsells.

Of forecaste.

Of Labour.

Of Reste.

Of Townes or Realmes.

Of the Common welthe

Of The honor of a reamle.

Of Prayse and disprasye.

Of The contēted state? &c.

Of The pryuye enemye.

Of Euill mens praise.

Of Gentlenes.

Of Mans course.

Of Women and childrē.

Of Lecherye.

Of a good Captayne.

Of seeking and fynding

Of three pyttyfull thinges

Of the pleasures of the soule

Of vnprofitable liuing.

Of the tonge.

Of perfecte patience.

The depycture of a wrathfull man.

Of the harte.

Of reuenge.

Of the wyt.

Of prosperitie and aduersitie.

Of the begininge.

Of a scoldynge woman.

Of a fooles honore.

Of the knowledge of our selues.

Of inordinate desyre.

Of the kynges courte.

Of counsayll.

Of the prodygall & niggarde.

Howe to make the witt apt.

Of Honore not dezerued.

Of the soules sycknes.

Of men whych liue in sorowe.

Of the soules vexacion.

Of the spitefull man.

Of the witt.

Of the Tongue.

Of Equall Frendship.

Of an vnlearned Riche man.

Of Almes.

Of Slothe.

Of the Worlde.

Of the knowledge of this worlde.

Of Iustice.

Of punishment of the wicked.

What is perfect honoure.

Of perseueraunce in counsell.

Who may not bee iuste.

Of the witt without knowledge.

Of people or subiects.

Of the most euill thing.

Of the knowledge of our selues.

Of wise mens fore knowledge.

Of deffe and blinde men.

Of our life and death.

Of the learned vertuous man.

Of our corrupt nature.

Of measure in speach.

What is our best knowledge.

Of three incombrances.

Of death.

Of a bewtiful foole.

Of fearefulnes or timorosity.

Of vertue and vice.

Of perfect good.

Of the wearines of nature.

Of abstinence.

Howe to see and perseaue folly in a man.

Of the lazy life.

How to make of foos freendes.

How to disclose our secreats.

Of deliberate speaking.

Of worldly pleasures.

Of aduice in all things.

Of wittes exercise.

Of malice.

Of reason and knowledge.

Of superfluous praters.

Of enuious men.

Of hasty attemptes.

Of thinges surpassing our capasitie.

Of the greatest shame.

Of a sad countenance.

Of Obedience.

Of Charitie.

Of the tongue or wordes.

Of contented riches.

Of good aduice.

Of worldly care.

Of the worldes misery.

Of a kinges duety, written by Claudianus a famous Poete.

Of meeke witted men.

How to knowe a wise man.

Of honor and riches.

Of a good law.

Of the proofe of good counsell.

Of well doing.

Of Ignorance.

Of euill life.

Of learning and knowledge.

Of frequenting thy frendes house.

Of vowes.

Of superfluous curiositie.

Of good and yll.

Of the diuersitie of disceites.

How to purchase fame.

Of an euyll wife.

What best becomes a woman.

Of gentlenes.

How te instruct youth.

Of well doinge.

Of Wyne.

Of a licentious tonge.

Of goods ill gotten.

Of foule language.

Of Lust.

Of a fooles good fortune.

Of the pleasure in monie.

Of counterfeyt things or fraude.

Of a Souldiers dewtye.

Of vice or wickednes.

Of the hartes disease.

Of man and his soule.

Of worldly men.

Of a happy realme.

Of mercy and iustice.

Of the auncesters.

Of freendship and iustice.

Of fooles and wise men.

Of goodnes and wickednes.

Of faythfulnes and trueth.

Of loue.

Of charitie.

Of a liberall heart.

Of geuing and receiuing.

Of a faythfull freende.

Of the wilfull man.

Of Enuie.

Of thretninge.

How to delaie spight or grudge.

Of labor and custome.

Of a womans duety.

Of thankfulnes.

Of the husbande.

Of good and wise men.

Of the tongue and the heart.

Of the apparell and speach.

Of superfluous talke.

Of slaunder and flattery.

Of the couetous man.

Of foresight.

Of an enemy

Of the feare of death.

Of the vncertainty of time.

Of good deedes done to the wicked.

Of foolish ioyes.

Of natures workes.

Wherin honor consisteth.

Of counsell taking.

Of riches left to a waster.

Of the force of riches.

Of constant loue.

Of giftes well imployed.

Of the trauels of life and death.

Of too much escrutiositie.

Of strikinge.

Of chorlish nature.

Of the profite of a realme.

Of wise mens loue, and fooles.

Of euill mens consente.

Of priuie benefites

Of speache and silence.

Of thankfullnes.

Of furye.

Who liues in quiet.

Sustayne and abstayne.

Of the worldes misery.

Of vanishing thinges.

Of suffisance.

Of death.

Of the mighty man.

Of the conscience troubled.

Of measure.

Of the auaritious miser.

Of sensualitie.

Of the world to come.

Preceptes of liuinge.

Or thus.

A Pithy and pleasante discription of the Abbusions, and Uanities, of the Worlde.

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

Of the knowledge of this worlde.

If to thy selfe, thou purchase woulde
the needefull perfect skill,
Bothe of thy selfe, and of this worlde,
imploye thye paynefull will
With busie care for to suppose
and diligence to waye,
Three singuler especiall thinges
wheron thie state dothe staye:
The firste which rightly doth require
the chiefest roume or place:
Thy soule it is because the same
pretends in this same case,
The figure which immortall is
of portrature diuine:
Created by the mighty God,
who did the same assigne.
The next and seconde to the same
thy body, which the graue
Or closet is of that thy soule:
which body semes to haue.
The execution of the aduise
the soule by heauenly grace:

Doth moue and stirre the body to,
when vice it doth deface.
And last as seruaunt to the rest
this world supplies the nede
Of euery thing the body lackes,
and is the least in dede.
Let therfore thus accordingly

Socrates

the eyesight of thy minde
Respecte the vertues of these three,
as thou therof shalt finde.
And first accompt thy soule the best
and therfore most bequeaue,
Thy diligence vnto the same
which ought it to receaue.
And then vnto thy body next,
according to degre:
And last and least vnto the world
for so it ought to be.