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ing, and that fearing (through want of exercise) that he should not perform what he desired, he had therefore refused the Emperors's command. This was told again unto Alexander: who thereupon not only commanded he

have no Roman co-partner with him in the Piratic victory.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

some Persons.

should be set at liberty, but also gave Of the intolerable Pride and Haughtiness of him many gifts, admiring the greatness of his spirit, that had rather die, than lose any of that reputation he had formerly gained.

17. Nero the Emperor was possessed with a desire (though an inconsiderate one) of eternity, and perpetual fame, and thereupon abolishing the old names of many things and places, he gave them others from his own name. The month April he would have called Neroneus: and he had determined to have named Rome itself Neropolis, or Nero's city.

18. Ælius Adrianus, the Emperor, was of an eager but variable disposition; he covered the impetuousness of his mind with a kind of artifice, feigning continence, courtesy, and clemency, and on the other side dissembling and concealing as he could that burning desire that he had after glory. He envied great wits, both living and dead; he endeavoured to extenuate the glory of Homer; and gave order to celebrate the memory of Antimachus in his stead, whereas many had not so much as heard of his name before. He persecuted even such handicraft-men as excelled in any particular thing, many of which he depressed and crushed, and many of them he caused to be slain. For whereas he himself was desirous to be accounted superexcellent in all things, he hated all others that had made themselves remarkable in any thing. Having bought peace of divers Kings by private presents, he boasted that he had done more sitting still, than others by their forces and arms.

19. Pompey the Great pursued the pirates in the Piratic war into Crete, where, when he found they were opposed by Metellus the Pretor in that island, inflamed with an over desire of glory, he defended them against Metellus with his own forces, that he might

PRIDE well placed and rightly defined, is of ambiguous signification," says the late incomparable Marquis of Hallifax :

one kind of it is as much a virtue as the other is a vice. But we are naturally so apt to choose the worst, that it is become dangerous to commend the best side of it. Pride is a sly insensible enemy, that wounds the soul unseen, and many that have resisted other formidable vices, have been ruined by this subtle invader; for though we smile to ourselves, at least ironically, when flatterers bedaub us with false encomiums; though we seem many times to be angry, and blush at our praises; yet our souls inwardly rejoice, we are pleased with it, and forget ourselves. Some are proud of their quality, and despise all below it; first, set it up for the idol of a vain imagination, and then their reason must fall down and worship it. They would have the world think, that no amends can be made for the want of a great title or an ancient coat of arms. They imagine that with these advanta ges they stand upon the higher ground, which makes them look down upon merit and virtue as things inferior to them. Some, and most commonly women, are proud of their fine clothes, and when she hath less wit and sense than the rest of her neighbours, comforts herself that she hath more lace. Some. ladies put so much weight, upon ornaments, that if one could see into their hearts, it would be found that even the thought of death was made less heavy to them, by the contemplation of their being laid out in state, and honourably attended to the grave. The man of letters is proud of the esteem the world gives him for his knowledge: but he might

(16) Zuin. Theat. vol. 2. 1. 5. p. 394. Feltham's Resol. p. 47. Fulg. Ex. 1. 8. c. 15. p. 1108. 1109.- (17) Sueton. 1. 6. c. 55. p. 208,—(18) Pexel. Mell. Hist. tom. 2. p. 193,—(19). Fulg, Ex. 1. 8. c. 15. p. 1104.

easily

easily cure himself of that disease, by considering how much learning he wants. The military man is proud of some great action performed by him, when possibly it was more owing to fortune than his own valour or conduct and some are proud of their ignorance, and have as much reason to be so as any of the rest; for they being also compared with others in the same character and condition, will find their defects exceed their acquisitions." 1. The order of the Jesuits, which, from very mean beginnings, are grown the wealthiest society in the world, are 30 swelled with the tumour of pride, that though they are the most juvenile of all other orders in the Roman church, and therefore by their canons are obliged to go last in the show on festivals, never go at all in procession with other orders, because they will not come behind them. 2. Dominicus Sylvius, Duke of Venice, married a gentlewoman of Constantinople: she was plunged into sensuality with so much profusion, that she could not endure to lodge but in chambers full of delicious perfumes; she would not wash herself but in the dews of heaven, which must be preserved for her with much skill: her garments were pompous, that nothing remained but to seek for new stuffs in heaven, for she had exhausted the treasures of earth: her viands so dainty, that all the mouths of Kings tasted none so exquisite; nor would she touch her meat but with golden forks and precious stones. God, to punish this cursed pride and superfluity, cast her on a bed, and assailed her with malady so hideous, so stinking and frightful, that all her nearest kindred were forced to abandon her; none stay

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ed about her but a poor old woman, thoroughly accustomed to stench and death; the delicate Seniora was infected with her own perfumes in such a manner, that from all her body there began to drop a most stinking humour, and a kind of matter so filthy to behold, and so noisome to the smell, that every man plainly perceived that her dissolute and excessive daintiness had caused this infection in ber.

3. Tigranes, King of Armenia, had ever in his court divers kings that waited upon him, four of which always attended upon his person, as his footmen: and when he rode abroad, they ran by his stirrup in their shirts; when he sat in the chair of state, they stood about him holding their hands together, with countenances that shewed the greatest bondage. and subjection imaginable: shewing thereby that they resigned all their liberty, and offered their bodies to him as their lord and master, and were ready to suffer any thing he required.

4. Aldred, Archbishop of York, had a favour to ask from William the Conqueror, and having a repulse therein, the Archbishop, in great discontent, offered to depart. The King, standing in awe of his displeasure, stayed him, fell down at his feet, desired pardon, and promised to grant his suit. The king all this while being at the archbishop's feet, the noblemen that were present put him in mind that he should cause the king to rise: "No," said the prelate, " let him alone, let him find what it is to anger St. Peter."

5. Hannibal was so exalted with the victory he had got at Canne, that afterwards he admitted not any of the citizens of Carthage into his camp; nor gave answer to any but by an interpreter. Also, when Maherbal said at his tent door, "That he had found out a way whereby in a few days (if he pleased) he might sup in the Capitol, he despised him." So hard is it for felicity and moderation to keep company together.

6. King Henry the Second of England, anno Dom. 1170, caused his son prince Henry at seventeen years of age to be crowned king, that he might, in his own life-time, participate in the go

vernment with him. And on his coronation-day (for honour's sake) placed the first dish on the table himself, while the new king sat down. Whereupon the Archbishop of York said pleasantly to him, "Be merry, my best son, for there is not another prince in the whole world that hath such a servitor at his table." To whom the young king scornfully answered, “Why do you wonder at this?

(1.) Fuller's Holy State.-(2.) Caus. Holy Court, tom. 3. max. 15. p. 418. Camer. Oper. SubSCIS. Cent. 2. c. 38. p. 1. 164. Sabell. 1. 4. dec. 1. Zuin. vol. 2. l. 4. p. 364.--(3.) Plut. in Lucullo. p. 305.-(4.) Bak. Chron. p. 40.- −(5.) Lond. Theat. p.637.

my

my father doth not think that he doth more than becomes him; for he being a king only by the mother's side, serveth me who have a king to my father, and a queen to my mother."

7. Frederick the first, surnamed Barbarossa, in prosecution of Pope Alexander the Third, had sent his son Otho to pursue him with seventy-five galleys. The pope had saved himself at Venice, and Otho was made prisoner and carried to Venice by Cian, the Venetian admiral. Whereupon Frederick grew more mild, and accepted conditions of peace prescribed by Alexander, as that he should crave absolution on his knees, and in his own person should lead his army into Asia. So Frederick comes to Venice, and being prostrate at the pope's feet, in a solemn assembly he asks pardon. The pope sets his foot on his neck, and cries with a loud voice, Super Aspidem, & Basliscum ambulabis. The emperor moved with this disgrace answers, Non tibi sed Petro. The pope replied, Et mihi & Petro. This happened at Venice anno 1171, in the presence of the ambassadors of the kings and princes, and of the greatest states in Europe.

8. Simon Thurway, born in Cornwall, bred in our English universities, until he went over unto Paris, where he became so eminent a logician, that all his auditors were his admirers. He was firm in his memory, and elegant in his expression, and was knowing in all things save in himself: for profanely he advanced Aristotle above Moses, and himself above both. But his pride had a great and a sudden fall, losing at the same instant both language and memory, and becoming void of reason and speech. Polydore Virgil saith of him, Juvene nihil acutius, sene nihil obtusius: whilst others add," that he made an inarticulate sound like unto lowing." This great judgment befel him about the year of our Lord 1201.

9. The felicity and virtue of Alexander the Great was obscured by three most evident tokens of insolence and

pride; scorning Philip, he would have Jupiter Ammon for his father; despising the Macedonian habit, he put on the Persian; and, thinking it little to be no more than a man, he would needs be adored as a god. Thus diseembling at once the son, the citizen, and the

man.

10. Pallas, the freedman of Claudius the emperor, was arrived to that excess of pride, that within doors (to beget a kind of veneration in those of his family) he used no other way to express what he would have done but with a nod of his head, or some sign of his hand : orif things required any further explication than such sign would admit of, he informed them of his pleasure by writing, that he might save the labour of spending himself in speech.

11. Staveren was the chief town of all Friesland, rich, and abounding in all wealth, the only staple for all merchandize, whither ships came from all parts. The inhabitants thereof, through ease, knew not what to do, nor desire, but shewed themselves in all things excessive and licentious, not only in their apparel, but also in the furniture of their houses, gilding the seats before their lodgings, &c. so that they were commonly called "The debauched children of Staveren." But observe the just punishment of this their pride. There was in the said town a

widow, who knew no end of her wealth, the which made her proud and insolent: she did freight out a ship for Dantzick, giving the master charge to return her, in exchange of her merchandize, the rarest stuff he could find. The master of the ship finding no better commodity than good wheat, freighted his ship therewith, and so returned to Staveren. This did so discontent this foolish widow, that she said unto the master, that" if he had laden the said corn on the starboard side of the ship, he should cast it into the sea on the larboard:" the which was done, aud all the wheat poured into the sea. But the whole town and province did smart for this one

(6.) Polyd. Virg. l. 13. p. 212. Speed's Hist. p. 479.-(7.) M. de Serres Hist. of France, p. 113, 114. Lond. Theat. p. 641. Simps. Ch. Hist. 1. 1. cent. 12. p. 114.-(8.) Del. Desq. Magie, p. 245. Polyd. Virg. Hist. Ang. 1. 15. p. 284. Bak. Chron. p. 110. Full. Worth. p. 233. (9) Lond. Theat. p. 637.-(10.) Tacit. Ann. Lips. Mon. 1. 2. c. 16. p. 365,

woman's

man's error: for presently, in the same place where the mariners had cast the corn into the sea, there grew a great bar of sand, wherewith the haven was so stopped as no great ship could enter; and at this day the smallest vessels that anchorthere must be very careful, lest they strike against this flat or sand-bank; the which, ever since, hath been called Urawelandt; that is, "The Woman's Sand." Hereby the town, losing their staple and traffic by little and little, came to decline. The inhabitants also, by reason of their wealth and pride, being grown intolerable to the nobility, who in sumptuousness could not endure to be braved by them, the said town is become one of the poorest of the province, although it be at this day one that hath the greatest privileges amongst all the Hanse-towns. 12. Plutarch, in the Life of Artaxerxes, tells a story of one Chamus, a soldier, that wounded King Cyrus in battle, and grew thereupon so proud, and arrogant, that in a short space after he lost his wit.

13. Alcibiades had his mind exceed ingly puffed up with pride, upon the account of his riches and large possessions in land: which, when Socrates observed, he took him along with him to a place where was hung up a map of the world, and desired him to find out Attica in that map; which, when he had done, "Now," said he, "find me out your own lands:" and when he replied, that " they were not all set down," "How is it then," said Socrates," that thou art grown proud of the possession of that which is no part of the earth?"

14. Parrhasius was an excellent painter, but withal grew so proud, that no man ever shewed more insolence than he. In this proud spirit of his, he would take upon him divers titles and additions to his name: he called himself Abrodiætus; that is, fine, delicate, and sumptuous: he he went clothed in purple, with his chaplets of gold, his staff headed with gold, and, his shoe-buckles of the same: he called himself the prince of painters:

and boasted, that the art by him was made perfect and accomplished. He gave out, that in a right line he was descended from Apollo. Having drawn the picture of Hercules according to his full proportion, he gave out that "Hercules had often appeared to him in his sleep, on purpose that he might paint him lively as he was." In this vein of pride and vanity, he was put down, in the judgment of all present, by Timanthes, a painter of Samos, who shewed a picture of Ajax, that excelled the one that was made by the hand of Parrhasius.

15. Hugo, the pope's legate, coming into England, a convocation was summoned at Westminster, where Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, being sat at the right hand of the legate, Roger, Archbishop of York, coming in, would needs have displaced him, which, when the other would not suffer, he sat down in his lap all wondered at this insolence, and the servants of Canterbury drew him by violence out of his ill-chosen place, threw him down, tore his robes, trod upon him, and used him very despitefully: he, in this dusty pickle, went and complained to the king, who was at first angry; but when he was informed of the whole truth, he laughed at it, and said he was rightly served.

16. Chrysippus was an ingenious and and acute person, but withal so lifted up, and so conceited of his sufficiency, that when one craved his advice, to whom he should commit his son to be instructed, his answer was, "To me; for," said he, "if I did but imagine that any person excelled myself, 1 would read philosophy under him."

17. Metellus, the Roman General, having once by chance overcome Sertorius in a battle, he was so proud of his victory, that he would needs be called Imperator; would have the people set up altars, and do sacrifice to him in every city where he came. He wore garlands of flowers on his head, sitting at banquets in a triumphal robe: he had images of Victory to go up and down the room,

(11.) Grimst. Hist. of the Netherlands. 1. 1. p. 30-(12.) Burt. Mel. par. 1. § 2. p. 117.—(13) Elian. Var Hist. 1. 1. c. 28. p. 124.-(14.) Plin. l. 35. c 10 p. 536.-(15.) Bish. Godwin, p. 90. Chetwin's Hist. Collect. cent. 5. p. 158.-(16.) Laert. Vit. Phil. 1. 7. p. 228.

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moved

moved by secret engines, carrying trophies of gold, and crowns and garlands; and lastly had a number of young and beautiful boys and girls following, with songs of triumph, that were composed in praise of him.

CHAP. XXXIX.

Of the Insolence of some men in Prosperity, and their abject Baseness in Adversity.

QUEEN Maud, the wife of King Henry the First, hath this commendation left her.

Prospera non lætam fecere, nec aspera tristem ;
Aspera risus ei; prospera terror erant.
Non decor effecit fragilem, nec sceptra superbam,
Sola potens humilis, sola pudica decons.

When prosp'rous, not o'erjoyed; when crost, not sad;

Things flourishing made her fear, adverse made glad.

Sober, though fair; lowly, though in throne placed;

Great, and yet humble; beautiful, yet chaste.

People, of the disposition of this Princess are as rare as black swans; and few but degenerate into pride or baseness, according as the scene of their fortune turns, and changes to black or white.

1. Lepidus was one of that Triumvirate that divided the Roman empire among them: coming out of Africa, he met with Octavianus Cæsar in Sicily, who had newly been beaten by Sextus Pompeius: here Lepidus, puffed up with pride, that he had now about him twen ty legions of soldiers, with terror and threats demanded the chief place of command: he gave the spoil of Messana to his own soldiers; and when Cæsar repaired to him, he rejected him once and again, and caused some darts to be thrown at him; which Cæsar wrapping his garment about his left-hand, with difficulty bore off: speedily therefore he set spurs to his horse, and returned to his own camp, disposed his soldiers in military posture and led them immediately against those

of Lepidus: some were slain, and many legions of the adverse part were persuaded to come over to Cæsar's part. Here Lepidus, finding whereunto his former insolence and vanity began to tend, casting off his general's coat, and having put on the habit of mourning, he became a miserable suppliant to that Cæsar whom he had just before despised; who gave him his life and goods, but condemned him to perpetual banishment.

scorn

2. The Duke of Buckingham, that great favourite, sent a noble gentleman to Bacon, then Attorney General with this message: "That he knew him to be a man of excellent parts, and, as the times were, fit to serve his master in the keeper's place: but also knew him of a base ungrateful disposition, and an arrant knave, apt in his prosperity to ruin any that had raised him from adversity: yet for all this, he did so much study his master's service, that he had obtained the seals for him, but with this assurance, should he ever requite him as he had done some others, he would cast him down as much below as he had now raised him high above any honour he could ever have expected." Bacon, patiently hearing this message, replied: "I am glad my noble Lord deals so friendly and freely with me: But," saith he, " can my Lord know these abilities in me, and can he think, when I have attaind the highest preferment my profession is capable of, I shall so much fail in my judgment and understanding, as to lose those abilities, and by my iniscarriage to so noble a patron, cast myself headlong from the top of that honour to the very bottom of contempt and scorn? Surely my Lord cannot think so meanly of me." Now Bacon was invested in his office, and within ten days after the King went to Scotland. Bacon instantly begins to believe himself King; lies in the King's lodgings; gives audience in the great banqueting-house; makes all other counsellors attend his motions with the same state the King used to come out to give audience to Ambassadors. When any other counsellors sat with him about the King's affairs, he

(17.) Plut. in Vit. Sert. p. 579. Clark's Mir. c. 102. p. 476. (1.) Oros. Hist. 1. 6. c. 18. p. 267.

would

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