Curas tolle graves, irasci crede profanum.  If it be idleness hath caused this infirmity, or that he perceive himself given to solitariness, to walk alone, and please his mind with fond imaginations, let him by all means avoid it; ’tis a bosom enemy, ’tis delightsome melancholy, a friend in show, but a secret devil, a sweet poison, it will in the end be his undoing; let him go presently, task or set himself a work, get some good company.  If he proceed, as a gnat flies about a candle, so long till at length he burn his bodv, so in the end he will undo himself:  if it be any harsh object, ill company, let him presently go from it.  If by his own default, through ill diet, bad air, want of exercise, &c., let him now begin to reform himself.  “It would be a perfect remedy against all corruption, if,” as [3411]Roger Bacon hath it, “we could but moderate ourselves in those six non-natural things.” [3412]"If it be any disgrace, abuse, temporal loss, calumny, death of friends, imprisonment, banishment, be not troubled with it, do not fear, be not angry, grieve not at it, but with all courage sustain it.” (Gordonius, lib. 1. c. 15. de conser. vit.) Tu contra audentior ito. [3413]If it be sickness, ill success, or any adversity that hath caused it, oppose an invincible courage, “fortify thyself by God’s word, or otherwise,” mala bonis persuadenda, set prosperity against adversity, as we refresh our eyes by seeing some pleasant meadow, fountain, picture, or the like:  recreate thy mind by some contrary object, with some more pleasing meditation divert thy thoughts.

Yea, but you infer again, facile consilium damus aliis, we can easily give counsel to others; every man, as the saying is, can tame a shrew but he that hath her; si hic esses, aliter sentires; if you were in our misery, you would find it otherwise, ’tis not so easily performed.  We know this to be true; we should moderate ourselves, but we are furiously carried, we cannot make use of such precepts, we are overcome, sick, male sani, distempered and habituated to these courses, we can make no resistance; you may as well bid him that is diseased not to feel pain, as a melancholy man not to fear, not to be sad:  ’tis within his blood, his brains, his whole temperature, it cannot be removed.  But he may choose whether he will give way too far unto it, he may in some sort correct himself.  A philosopher was bitten with a mad dog, and as the nature of that disease is to abhor all waters, and liquid things, and to think still they see the picture of a dog before them:  he went for all this, reluctante se, to the bath, and seeing there (as he thought) in the water the picture of a dog, with reason overcame this conceit, quid cani cum balneo? what should a dog do in a bath? a mere conceit.  Thou thinkest thou hearest and seest devils, black men, &c., ’tis not so, ’tis thy corrupt fantasy; settle thine imagination, thou art well.  Thou thinkest thou