The living librarie, or meditations and observations historical, natural, moral, political, and poetical / Written in Latin by P. Camerarius. And done into English by John Molle.
- Philipp Camerarius
- Date:
- 1621
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The living librarie, or meditations and observations historical, natural, moral, political, and poetical / Written in Latin by P. Camerarius. And done into English by John Molle. Source: Wellcome Collection.
26/432 page 6
![—M CCH AP. It vee muff abflaine from calumnies and ontragious words : aboue all from iniuryimg the dead and the abfent. X6 vl ;E E hauea common faying in our mouthes,and it weretobee wifhed GP wee would practife it in our deeds , 7hat;t 2j not lawfull-to [peake ought WIE but good of the abfent,and of the dead. ‘The Ancients were carefull here- 2 of. and oneof the precepts of their Wife-menis , Zhatweeonght not to wrong the deceafed. Another,Zhat wee fbould at no hand mocke the dead. Wheteun- | toagreeth the deuife or writing of Platees feale, 1t is eafier to ftirre bim that refteth, dead, nor is it fit to wrong them in words ; an iniurie piercing deeper,than doth the acknowledgement of the good receiued : or(as Cornelius Tacitus wifely faith) | wee incline more to veuenge an tniurie , than to requite a goodturne : becaufe the requitall Plut.in his life. | Lib.irde | Legi, Ayn. Fervon, Cle, law of Solon much efteemed,forbidding to curfe the dead. For it isa dutie of pietie to account them facred that are gon out of the world : it being alfo rea- enmities,andnot to fuffer that they grow to bee infinite : or (as Carifius fayth) wee mu]! not be angrie like anenemie. And certainely,, thofe ancient Law-makers did wilely,to turne men away from fo many detractions and flanderous reportings: | with inturious {peeches than with outragious deeds : and that many can beare | more patiently the loffe of wealth, than an infolent word. Itfeemeth a thing | permitted to enemies,to defend themfelues in deedes,becaufe of the neceffitie : | Plato would thew that with the finger(as one may fay) when hee fetteth fuch il- | mouth’d fellowes in the ranke of the furious : There are fuudrie forts of mad-men | faith he) fome lie ficke in their beds :others,by a depraued nature, ora cruell minde, or | through bad nourifhment fall into frenzdesand all thefe for a light offence keepe a clamoring, | and euen teare themfelues with opprobrious words,wherewith they lay about them of euerte | fide. Whichin a well gouerned State fhould in no wife bee fuffered. Herodotus alfo obferued the fame, faying ; that Detraction is a grieuous thing, confifling of two that doe iniurie,and of one to whom the iniurie is done. For,the Detracfor doth wrong jn | accufing one that isnot prefent to anfwere : Hee that heareth him, 1s iniurious alfo, becaufe | beebeleeueth before bee knoweth the truth : and the abfent hath iniurie done to bim,in that | bee is accufed to bee naught by the one, and accounted fo by the other. And hereunto | agreeth a law of Platoes in thefe words ; Let none doe iniurie to any: But who fohath | amatter again? any man, let him conferre with bis aduer[arie and with thofe that are priute | to the canfe,and let them beare one another, abftayning viterly from il fpeeches. “There- fore Charles of Bourbon had often in his mouth the Apophthegme ofa Gafcoyne | Gentleman, who being demanded of King Charlesthe 7. what reward might | winne him to breake his faith with him,whereof he had madetriall in fomany | important affaires : J couldnot bee drame thereunto, Sir, ( anfwered hee) though 1 | might haue your Kingdome giuen mee,or the Empire of the Eartb,or all the treafures of the | world : but I might be mooued to doe it by an outrage that might be offred me,and for fome | ininrie that [Dould touch mine honour. . Touching the dead,this is a good precept of Chilo the Lacedemonian ; Speake | mot ill of a dead man,but thinke him bappie. Thofe ancient wifemen thought that a | man of honour could not ftaine himfelfe more ; thanby wronging thofe that could — Lr IER (2 — L NE E SS => => cd —a = ra](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30334913_0026.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
