inherit the crown of France. The English said; Yes, but that was meant of the women themselves, not of such males as claimed by women. The French gentleman said; Where do you find that gloss? The English answered; I'll tell you, Sir: look on the backside of the record of the law Salique, and there you shall find it indorsed: meaning there was no such thing at all as the law Salique, but that it was a fiction.3

185. (33.) There was a friar in earnest dispute about the law Salique, that would needs prove it by Scripture; citing that verse of the Gospel; Lilia agri non laborant neque nent: which is as much as to say (saith he) that the flower-de-luces of France cannot descend neither to distaff nor spade: that is, not to a woman, nor to a peasant.

186. (167.) Julius Cæsar, as he passed by, was by acclamation of some that were suborned called King, to try how the people would take it. The people shewed great murmur and distaste at it. Cæsar, finding where the wind stood, slighted it, and said; I am not King, but Cæsar; as if they had mistook7 his name. For Rex was a surname amongst the Romans, as King is with us.

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187. (168.) When Croesus, for his glory, shewed Solon great treasure of gold, Solon said to him; If another come that hath better iron than you, he will be master of all this gold.

188. (99.) There was a gentleman that came to the tilt all in orange-tawny, and ran very ill. The next day he came 10 all in green, and ran worse. There was one of the lookers on asked another; What's the reason that this gentleman changeth his colours? The other answered Sure, because it may be reported that the gentleman in the green ran worse than the gentleman in the orange-tawny.

189. (230.) Aristippus said; That those that studied particular sciences, and neglected philosophy, were like Penelope's wooers, that made love to the waiting women."1

190. (170.) Plato reproved 12 severely a young man for entering into a dissolute house. The young man said to him; What 13

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3 is a mere fiction. R.

A friar of France being in an earnest dispute. R. The lilies of the field do neither labour nor spin: applying it thus, that. R. ⚫ of some that stood in the way, termed. R.

7 mistaken.

R

R

⚫ his great treasures. R. 9 if another KING come. R. 10 came again. woman. R. 12 reprehended. R. 13 why do you reprehend me so sharply. R

for so small a matter? Plato replied; But custom is no small

matter.

191. (190.) There was a law made by the Romans against the bribery and extortion of the governors of provinces. Cicero saith, in a speech of his to the people; That he thought the provinces would petition to the state of Rome to have that law repealed. For (saith he) before the governors did bribe and extort as much as was sufficient for themselves; but now they bribe and extort as much as may be enough not only for themselves, but for the judges and jurors and magistrates.

192. (171.) Archidamus King of Lacedæmon, having received from Philip King of Macedon, after Philip had won the victory of Charonea upon the Athenians, proud letters, writ back to him; That if he measured his own shadow, he would find it no longer than it was before his victory.

193. (172.) Pyrrhus, when his friends congratulated to him his victory over the Romans, under the conduct of Fabricius, but with great slaughter of his own side, said to them again; Yes, but if we have such another victory, we are undone.

194. (173.) Cineas was an excellent orator and statesman, and principal friend and counsellor to Pyrrhus; and falling in inward talk with him, and discerning the King's endless ambition', Pyrrhus opened himself to him; That he intended first a war upon Italy 2, and hoped to atchieve it. Cineas asked him; Sir, what will you do then? Then (saith he) we will attempt Sicily. Cineas said; Well, Sir, what then? Then (saith Pyrrhus) if the Gods favour us, we may conquer Africk and Carthage. What then, Sir? saith Cineas. Nay then (saith Pyrrhus) we may take our rest, and sacrifice and feast every day, and make merry with our friends. Alas, Sir, (said Cineas) may we not do so now, without all this ado?

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195. (231.) The embassadors of Asia Minor came to Antonius, after he had imposed upon them a double tax, and said plainly to him; That if he would have two tributes in one year, he must give them two seed-times and two harvests.

196. (174.) Plato was wont to say of his master Socrates;

1 when Pyrrhus. R. 2 Sicily. R. 3 Italy and Rome. R.

succour. R. 3 we may conquer the kingdom of Carthage. R. Compare Erasmus's version of this anecdote (V. Pyrrh. 24.), from which it seems to be compressed: where the order of the proposed conquests is Rome, Italy, Sicily, Libya and Carthage, Macedonia and Greece.

That he was like the apothecaries' gally-pots'; that had on the outside apes, and owls, and satyrs; but within precious drugs.1

† 197. Lamia the courtezan had all power with Demetrius King of Macedon; and by her instigations he did many unjust and cruel acts. Whereupon Lysimachus said; That it was the first time that ever he knew a whore play in a tragedy.

† 198. Themistocles would say of himself; That he was like a plane-tree, that in tempests men fled to him, and in fair weather men were ever cropping his leaves.

†199. Themistocles said of speech; That it was like Arras, that spread abroad shews fair images, but contracted is but like packs.

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200. (90.) Brisquet 2, jester to Francis the first of France, did keep a calendar of fools, wherewith he did use to make the King sport; telling him ever the reason why he put every one 3 into his calendar. So when Charles the fifth passed, upon confidence of the noble nature of Francis, thorough France, for the appeasing of the rebellion of Gaunt, Brisquet put him into his calendar. The King asking the cause, he said; Because you having suffered at the hands of Charles the greatest bitterness that ever prince did from other 5, he would trust his person into your hands. Why, Brisquet, (said the King) what wilt thou say, if thou seest him pass in as great safety as if it were thorough the midst of Spain? Saith Brisquet; Why then I will put out him, and put in you.8

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201. (245.) Lewis the eleventh of France, having much abated the greatness and power of the Peers, Nobility, and Court of Parliament, would say; That he had brought the Crown out of ward.

202. (57.) Sir Fulke Grevill', in Parliament, when the Lower House in a great business of the Queen's 10, stood much upon precedents, said unto them; Why should you stand so much upon precedents? The times hereafter will be good or bad: If good, precedents will do no harm; if bad, power will make a way where it finds none.

• Compare Melch. I. 3. 1., where a different story with a similar point is told of Alonso Carrillo and one of his servants.

afterward Lord Brooke, R.

10 when the House of Commons in a great business stood, &c. R.

203. (34.) When peace was renewed with the French in England, divers of the great counsellors were presented from the French with jewels. The Lord Henry Howard' was omitted. Whereupon the King said to him; My Lord, how haps it that you have not a jewel as well as the rest? My Lord answered again, (alluding to the fable in Æsop;) Non sum Gallus, itaque non reperi gemmam.

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204. (232.) An orator of Athens said to Demosthenes; The Athenians will kill you, if they wax mad. Demosthenes replied, And they will kill you, if they be in good sense.

205. (175.) Alexander sent to Phocion a great present of money. Phocion said to the messenger; Why doth the King send to me and to none else? The messenger answered; Because he takes you to be the only good man in Athens. Phocion replied; If he think so, pray let him suffer me to be good still.3

206. (92.) Cosmus duke of Florence was wont to say of perfidious friends; That we read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.

207. (102.) Æneas Sylvius, that was Pius Secundus', was wont to say; That the former Popes did wisely to set the lawyers on work to debate, whether the donation of Constantine the Great to Sylvester were good and valid in law or no? the better to skip over the matter in fact, whether there were any such thing at all or no?

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208. (176.) At a banquet, where those that were called the Seven Wise Men of Greece were invited by the embassador of a barbarous King, the embassador related, That there was a neighbour King, mightier than his master, picked quarrels with him, by making impossible demands, otherwise threatening war; and now at that present had demanded of him to drink up the sea. Whereunto one of the Wise Men said; I would have him undertake it. Why (saith the embassador) how shall he come off? Thus, (saith the Wise Man:) Let that King first stop the rivers that run into the sea, which are no part of the bargain, and then your master will perform it.

209. (177) At the same banquet, the embassador desired

the Seven, and some other wise men that were at the banquet, to deliver every one of them some sentence or parable, that he mought report to his King the wisdom of Græcia. Which they did. Only one was silent. Which the embassador perceiving, said to him; Sir, let it not displease you, why do not you say somewhat that I may report? He answered, Report to your lord, that there are of the Grecians that can hold their peace.

† 210. One of the Romans said to his friend; What think you of such an one as was taken with the manner in adultery? The other answered; Marry, I think he was slow at dispatch.

† 211. Lycurgus would say of divers of the heroes of the heathen; That he wondered that men should mourn upon their days for them as mortal men, and yet sacrifice to them as gods.

212. (93.) A Papist being opposed by a Protestant, that they had no Scripture for images, answered; Yes; for you read that the people laid their sick in the streets, that the shadow of Saint Peter mought come upon them; and that a shadow was an image; and the obscurest of images.1

† 213. There is an ecclesiastical writer of the Papists, to prove antiquity of confession in the form that it now is, doth note, that in very ancient times, even in the primitive times, amongst other foul slanders spread against the Christians, one was; That they did adore the genitories of their priests. Which (he saith) grew from the posture of the confessant and the priest in confession: which is, that the confessant kneels down, before the priest sitting in a raised chair above him.

† 214. Epaminondas, when his great friend and colleague in war was suitor to him to pardon an offender, denied him. Afterwards, when a concubine of his made the same suit, he granted it to her; which when Pelopidas seemed to take unkindly, he said; Such suits are to be granted to whores, but not to personages of worth.

215. (178.) The Lacedæmonians had in custom to speak very short. Which, being in empire2, they mought do at pleasure. But after their defeat at Leuctra, in an assembly of the Grecians, they made a long invective against Epaminondas; who stood up, and said no more but this; I am glad we have taught you to speak long.

† 216. Fabricius, in conference with Pyrrhus, was tempted to

1 of all images. R.

2 being an empire. R.