Literary and Philosophical Essays: French, German and Italian eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 544 pages of information about Literary and Philosophical Essays.

Literary and Philosophical Essays: French, German and Italian eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 544 pages of information about Literary and Philosophical Essays.

And when he shall perceive his scholler to have a sensible feeling of himselfe, presenting Bradamant [Footnote:  A warlike heroine in Boiardo’s “Orlando Innamorato” and Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso.”] or Angelica [Footnote:  The faithless princess, on account of whom Orlando goes mad, in the same poems.] before him, as a Mistresse to enjoy, embelished with a naturall, active, generous, and unspotted beautie not uglie or Giant-like, but blithe and livelie, in respect of a wanton, soft, affected, and artificiall-flaring beautie; the one attired like unto a young man, coyfed with a bright-shining helmet, the other disguised and drest about the head like unto an impudent harlot, with embroyderies, frizelings, and carcanets of pearles:  he will no doubt deeme his owne love to be a man and no woman, if in his choice he differ from that effeminate shepheard of Phrygia.  In this new kind of lesson he shall declare unto him, that the prize, the glorie, and height of true vertue, consisted in the facilitie, profit, and pleasure of his exercises:  so far from difficultie and incumbrances, that children as well as men, the simple as soone as the wise, may come unto her.  Discretion and temperance, not force or way-wardnesse are the instruments to bring him unto her.  Socrates (vertues chiefe favorite) that he might the better walke in the pleasant, naturall, and open path of her progresses, doth voluntarily and in good, earnest, quit all compulsion.  Shee is the nurse and foster-mother of all humane [Footnote:  Human.] pleasures, who in making them just and upright, she also makes them sure and sincere.  By moderating them, she keepeth them in ure [Footnote:  Practice.] and breath.  In limiting and cutting them off, whom she refuseth; she whets us on toward those she leaveth unto us; and plenteously leaves us them, which Nature pleaseth, and like a kind mother giveth us over unto satietie, if not unto wearisomnesse, unlesse we will peradventure say that the rule and bridle, which stayeth the drunkard before drunkennesse, the glutton before surfetting, and the letcher before the losing of his haire, be the enemies of our pleasures.  If common fortune faile her, it cleerely scapes her; or she cares not for her, or she frames another unto herselfe, altogether her owne, not so fleeting nor so rowling.  She knoweth the way how to be rich, mightie and wise, and how to lie in sweet-perfumed beds.  She loveth life; she delights in beautie, in glorie, and in health.  But her proper and particular office is, first to know how to use such goods temperately, and how to lose them constantly.  An office much more noble than severe, without which all course of life is unnaturall, turbulent, and deformed, to which one may lawfully joyne those rocks, those incumbrances, and those hideous monsters.  If so it happen, that his Disciple prove of so different a condition, that he rather love to give eare to an idle fable than to the report of some noble voiage, or other notable and wise discourse,

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Literary and Philosophical Essays: French, German and Italian from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.