Worship not Jove with curious fancies vain,
Nor dim despise! hold right atween these twain.
No wasteful wight, no greedy groom' is prais'd:
Stands largess just in egall3 balance payz'd.*

2

So Cato's meal surmounts Antonius' cheer,
And better fame his sober fare hath here.
Too slender building, bad; as bad, too gross;
One an eye-sore, the tother falls to loss.
As med'cines help in measure, so (God wot)
By overmuch the sick their bane have got.
Unmeet meseems to utter this mo ways:
Measure forbids unmeasurable praise.

Musonius the Philosopher's Saying.

IN working well, if travel you sustain,
Into the wind shall lightly pass the pain ;
But of the deed the glory shall remain,

And cause your name with worthy wights to reign.
In working wrong, if pleasure you attain,
The pleasure soon shall fade, and void as vain.
But of the deed throughout the life the shame
Endures, defacing you with foul defame;

And still torments the mind both night and day;
Scant length of time the spot can wash away.
Flee then ill-swading Pleasure's baits untrue,
And noble Virtue's fair renown pursue.

* Ed. 1567, “ gut.” 2 Liberality. Fr. 3 Equal. 4 Poised.

Of Friendship.

[In the original, each of the following stanzas makes only two long lines.]

Or all the heavenly gifts

That mortal men commend,

What trusty treasure in the world

Can countervail a friend?

Our health is soon decay'd;

Goods casual, light, and vain;

Broke have we seen the force of power,
And honour suffer stain.

In bodies lust man doth

Resemble but base brute;

True virtue gets and keeps a friend,

Good guide of our pursuit:

Whose hearty zeal with ours

Accords in every case;

No term of time, no space of place,
No storm can it deface.

When fickle Fortune fails

This knot endureth still;

Thy 'kin out of their kind may swerve
When friends owe thee good will.

1 Ed. 1567," The."

What sweeter solace shall

Befall, than one to find

Upon whose breast thou mayst repose The secrets of thy mind?

He waileth at thy wo,

His tears with thine be shed; With thee doth he all joys enjoy, So leef a life is led.

Behold thy friend, and of

Thyself the pattern see;

One soul a wonder shall it seem
In bodies twain to be.

In absence present, rich

In want, in sickness sound, Yea after death alive may'st thou By thy sure friend be found.

Each house, each town, each realm, By steadfast love doth stand; Where foul debate breeds bitter bale

In each divided land.

O sacred bond of blissful peace,
The stalworth stanch of strife!

Scipio with Lælius

Didst thou conjoin in care,
At home, in wars, for weal and wo
With egall faith to fare.

*

Down Theseus went to hell

Pirith his friend to find:

O THAT THE WIVES IN THESE OUR DAYS WERE TO THEIR MATES SO KIND!

Cicero, the friendly man,

To Atticus his friend

Of friendship wrote; such couples, lo!
Doth lot but seldom lend.

Recount thy race now run,

How few shalt thou there see,

Of whom to say,

"This same is he

"That never failed me."

So rare a jewel then

Must needs be holden dear ;

And as thou wilt esteem thyself

So take thy chosen fere.

The tyrant in despair

No lack of gold bewails,

But "Out I am undone," saith he,
"For all my friendship fails."

Wherefore since nothing is

More kindly for our kind;

Next wisdom, thus that teacheth us,

The Death of Zoroas, an Egyptian Astronomer, in the first Fight that Alexander had with the Persians.

[An extract.]

Now clattering arms, now raging broils of war 'Gan pass the noise of dreadful trumpet's clang.

The lightning Macedon, by swords, by glaives,
By bands and troops of footmen with his guard
Speeds to Darie.

Shaking her bloody hands Bellone among
The Perses sow'th all kind of cruel death.

*

*

*

Right over stood in snow-white armour brave

Ed. 1567,"friendly,"