interpreteth, Iuxta pusillum, besides a little, and mapaμupov, is an aduerbe, signifiyng, Fere poene, that is in Englishe: almoste, or welnigh, so that the saiyng of Socrates maie purporte this sense, and bee thus interpreted, to bee ones entred is not a little begon, but the whole matter welnigh doen.

95. ἔφασκε δεῖν Yewμerpeiv, γεωμετρεῖν, μέχρι ἄν τις μέτρῳ δύνηται γῆν Tapaλaßeîv

τε καὶ

παραδοῦναι. What Geometrie Socrates would to be studied &

labored.

Ouer great

incommodious

It was also a lesson of his teaching, that Geometrie ought to be studied, vntil a bodie bee sufficiently able, bothe to receiue or take, and also to giue out, or deliuer ground by measure.

¶ I suppose he meaned, that men ought not to purchace, but landes and possessions moderate, whiche it might well stande with a bodies ease and commoditee, bothe to receiue of his auncestours, and also to leaue to his heires. For ouer great possessions of landes, as thei be not purchaced ne gotten, without moche a do, so thei come to the heires handes not peaceably, nor without great trauerse. The quickenes & pithe of the possessions ar saiyng, consisteth in the Greke worde yewuerpeîv whiche in significacion, is indifferent to the arte of Geometrie, and to meters of landes, or ground in a feld. Yea, & also in the Greke worde μerpy that is, by measure. For, he would mennes purchases not to extende beyonde the compasse of sufficiencie, but to consist within the boundes of Mediocritee, whereby he reproued the vnsaciable desire of men, to haue possessions infinite. Albeit, this saiyng can not well be expressed, to haue any grace in the Englishe toungue.

bothe to the owner, & to his heire.

Purchace of

landes ought to be moderate.

96.

In Athenes the

commonweale

To a certain persone taking greuously, that he was cleane out of regard and estimacion, at what was gouerned tyme the thirtie tyrannes had inuaded and vsurped the gouernaunce of the common weale: Why, hast thou doen any thing (quoth Socrates) that greueth thy conscience, or repenteth thee?

by the com

mons, till that in Socrates

time, 30 tirannes vsurped & toke vpon them the regiment, which tirannes were after

warde destroied by the policie

of one Thrasibulus.

¶ Meanyng that it is not to be taken in the euill parte, if a man be despised or made an abiect, by vnhonest & naughtie disposed feloes: and that no persone ought, for any soche cause to mislike hymself: but if he haue doen some fault, trespace, or offence, wherefore he should iustlie encurre, the displeasure & indig

nacion,

nacion, bothe of hymself and of other honest menne. For, to be misliked of euill persones, is a poincte of high praise and commendacion.

When him semed that one saied vnto hym in his slepe, this verse of the Greke Poete Homerus. ἤματι μεν τριτάτῳ φθίην ἐρίβωλον κοιο.

On the third daie, nexte after this,

Come to Phthia, and doe not misse.

Of the nomber of those tyrauntes were Critias and

97.Charicles, is made men

of whom

cion afore in the .20. saiyng of Socrates. Socrates knewe

and saied, that

he said vnto Aeschines, This daie thre daies shall he should die,

I bee a dedde man.

and plea-
Phthia ‡

3 daies before by a vision and voice that he had in his slepe.

‡Phthia a citee in the countree

of Thessalia

¶ Interpretyng & expouning the verse of Homerus, for an aunswere or declaracion of Gods will sure, and the thing came euen so to passe. was a citee in the region of Thessalia, the countree of * Achilles. And the frendes of Socrates did what thei could to perswade vnto hym, that he should flee into Thessalia, because he had there many good frendes. Peleus kyng of Thessalia, and of Thetis doughter of Chiron the moste puissaunt and valiaunt warrier, that was emong all the kynges of the Grekes at the battaill of Troie.

It was also one of his saiynges, That menne wer bounden, to be obedient to the lawes of the citee or countree: and wiues to the maners and facions of their housbandes, that thei liue in companie withal.

¶ Thei rule to liue by, and to be ordered by for the wife, is the housebande, whiche wife liueth well and vprightly, if her housebande bee obedient, to the lawes publique of the realme.

He gaue warnyng, that naughtie pleasures of the bodie, ought none other wise then the Mermaides of the sea called Sirenes, to bee passed by, and eschewed of any persone, that maketh haste in his waie toward vertue, as though after a long iourney, had gotten at last a sight of his countree.

¶ He alluded vnto the fable of Vlysses, who stopped his eares with waxe, and by that meanes in saillyng,

passed

the region of Achilles.

*Achilles was

the sonne of

98.*

The rewle to liue by for the wife, is her

husbande, if he be obedient to publike.

the lawes

99.
He that hasteth

toward vertue,

must auoide the naughtie pleasures of the bodie, as he wold the

monsters of

the sea.

passed awaie by the monstres of the sea, called Sirenes (in Englishe Marmaides) when he had after his returne from Troie, ones espied the smoke of his countree Itacha, mountyng into the aire out of the chimneies.

The poetes fables saien the Sirenes, were these thre, Parthenope, Lygia, & Leucosia. doughters of the flood Achelous, and of Calliope, one of the nine Muses, and that thei had their abidyng in a certain Isle, betwene Italie and Sicilie, and by the swetenes of their syngyng, thei allured passengers on the sea, and when thei had theim, slue them. Wherefore Vlysses returnyng from Troie, to Ithaca his countree, stopped the eares of all his companie with waxe, and caused hymself to be fast bound to the mast of the ship, and so escaped from the Sirenes, as Homerus writeth. And the Sirenes for anger and sorowe, that thei wer so despised, tumbled hedlong into the sea, and doe still remaine there.

100.

When he heard the dialogue of Plato, entitled Socrates of an Lysides, readen, Oh lorde in heauen (saieth he) how many lies the young man forgeth on me.

humblenesse

of minde, would not knowlege the laudes and praises that

Plato attributed vnto hym.

ΙΟΙ.

¶ Either for that of his humilitie and lowlines, he would not knowlege the laudes and praises, which Plato did attribute vnto hym, or els because he feigned many thynges on Socrates in that dialogue.

Unto Aeschines, who was sore oppressed with Taρ' avrov pouertee, he vsed to giue warning and auise, that Savelleolar he thesaid Aeschines should borowe or take vsurie of his own self, and moreouer shewed the waies borowe money how, that was, by abatyng of his sumptuous fare of hymself, to

How an euill

housband maie

get aforehand. at his table.

Magnum vecti

Accordyng to the prouerbe: good husbandrie, gal parsimonia and sparyng in an hous, is a great penie rent of yerely

Good hous

bandrie is a

greate yerelie richesse, is to abate of his charges.

reuenue to an householder.

I02.

reuenues. The moste readie waie to encrease a mannes And (as our Englishe Prouerbe saieth) Hous kepyng is a priuie theef. Beyng asked concerning Archelaus the sonne Archelaus the of Perdicca, who at that season was estemed a son of Perdicca verie valiaunt and hardie man, whether he iudged hym to bee in perfecte blisse, or not: I can not tell (saieth he) I neuer had communicacion with of a man, con- him. And to the other partie then saiyng, After that sort or maner, Ye maie aswel doubt of the minde and not king of the Persians, whether he be in the state

The state of blissefulnes

sisteth in the

vertues of the

of

of perfecte felicitee, or not: Yea, what els (quoth in worldlie Socrates) forasmoche as I knowe not how well thynges. learned he is, or how good and how honest he is.

Socrates measured the blissefulnes of a man, by the verie true good qualitees and vertues of the minde. This doeth Cicero reporte and cite in the .5. booke of the Tusculane questions, out of the dialogue of Plato, entitled Gorgias.

The saiynges of

ARISTIPPUS.

Ext after the maister, I thinke most congruente to set his owne scholare, that was bothe in age and time first, and in aucthoritie Aristippus a philosophier of chief of all the others, that is Aristippus: an excellent then whom emong al the Philosophiers, ther hath not wit, & of singular dexteribeen any one, either of a more apt or readie & prompt tee: the first wit, in conueighaunce or casting of thynges, & more and chief of all the disciples agreable to all maner states, sortes, or facions of liuing, of Socrates. or els in his saiyinges more merie conceipted, within the Who taught bondes of honestee, or more pleasaunt. Albeeit he Philosophie for semeth not to haue shewed that holinesse of maners, and behauour in liuyng, whiche all men doe honour and highly esteme in Socrates.

money, as is aforsaid. The disciples &

foloers of

Aristippus wer

called after his time, Cyrenaici because he came to Athenes out of that countree.

stippus & Diogenes was cockyng and moche good

Betwene Aristippus and Diogenes the Cynike, I. there was moche good Cocking, and striuing, Betwene Ariwhether of them should win the spurres, and beare the bell, because thei wer of twoo sondry, and in maner contrary sectes, trades, or profes- emulacion. sions of liuyng. Diogenes called Aristippus the kynges hound because he was a daiely waiter, and gaue continually attendaunce in the Courte of Dionysius

Aristippus one of the Courte

with Dionysius

Sicilie.

of Aristippus and Diogenes.

the Tyranne of Dionysius the tyranne of Sicilie. Against whom Aristippus on the other side vsed to saie: If The countring Diogenes could behaue hymself, to be familiare with kinges, and daily about theim, he should not neede to eate rawe or grene herbes. Then Diogenes again countreyng, saied: If Aristippus had learned to bee contented with rawe herbes, he should not nede to be the kinges hounde.

A drachme

2.

was about the

sterlyng, or somewhat

more.

When he had on a tyme, commaunded a Pertrige to be bought, whiche he might not gette, value of a grote vnder the price of .50. drachmes, that is .16s. 8d. sterling, or there aboute, vnto a certain person detesting and criyng abominacion on soche riotous superfluitee or prodigall excesse in a Philosophier: Why euen thou thy self (quoth Aristippus) if the price of a Pertrige were an halfpenie, wouldest not thou buye of theim? When he had answered, Yes: And euen as moche & no more doe I set by a merke and fowertie pens (saied Aristippus) as thou doest by thy halfpenie.

Aristippus de spised gold and siluer.

Who so is
driuen from
buying, by
reason of
the high price,
setteth not little
by the thing
but setteth
moche by the
money.

A right Philosophier despiseth money.

3.

Thesame thing that the other iudged to bee an abominable poinct of riot, excesse, and prodigalitee: the Philosophier tourned an other waie, to the laude & praise of despisyng money. For, who so is by reason of the costlinesse or high price, feared and driuen awaie from buiyng, thesame doth not sette little by the meate, but setteth moche by the money. But to the estimacion of the Philosophier, no whitte more in valour wer .50. drachmes, then to the other feloe an halfpenie. Then Aristippus beyng in the desirefulnesse of that cates, nothyng worse then the other felowe, in the contempte of money, was ferre better.

When Dionysius had brought forthe before hym, three beautifull young damiselles, of light conuersacion, biddyng hym to chose one, whiche soeuer he would of the 3: Aristippus laied hande

on