A treatyce of Moral philosophy containing the sayinges of the wise Wherein you maye see the worthye and pithye sayinges of ye Philosophers, Emperors, kinges, and oratours, of their liues, their aunswers, of what lignage they came of, and of what cou[n]trey they were, whose worthy and notable preseptes, counsailes parables and semblables doth hereafter folow: First gathered and englished by Willia[m] Baldwin, after that, twise augmented by Thomas Paulfreyman ... & now once againe enlarged by the first aucthor |
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These verses folowinge.
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 | A treatyce of Moral philosophy containing the sayinges of the wise |  |
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These verses folowinge.
[though thy power stretche bothe farre and large]
Claudian.though thy power stretche bothe farre and large,
through Inde the riche set at the worlds ende,
and mede with arabic, be bothe vnder thy charge,
and also Seres, that silke to vs doth sende,
If seare thee trouble, and small thinges thee offend
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Thou art in bondage, thyne honoure is defaced.
thou shalt be deemed then worthy for to reigne
VVhen of thy selfe thou winnest the maistrie.
euill custome bringeth vertue in disdeigne.
licence superfluous perswadeth muche folly.
in to much pleasure set not felicitie
if lust or anger doth thy mynd assayle.
subdue occasion, and thou shalt soone preuaile.
VVhat thou maist do, delight not for to know
but rather what thing will become thee best
embrace thou vertue, and keepe thy courage lowe.
and thinke, that alway measure is a feaste.
loue well thy people, care also for the least.
and when thou studiest for thy commoditie
make them all partners of thy felicitie.
be not muche moued with singuler appetite,
except it profit vnto thy subiectes all.
at thyne example the people will delight.
be it vice or vertue with thee they ryse or fall.
no lawes auaile, men tourne as doth a ball.
for where the ruler in liuing is not stable
both law and counsayle is tournd into a fable.
| A treatyce of Moral philosophy containing the sayinges of the wise | |