Poete _Homer_ ment couertlie (as wise and Godly men do iudge)
Psal. 33. // that loue of honestie, and hatred of ill, which
_Dauid_ more plainly doth call the feare of God:
the onely remedie agaynst all inchantementes of sinne.
I know diuerse noble personages, and many worthie Ientle-
men of England, whom all the _Siren_ songes of _Italie_, could
neuer vntwyne from the maste of Gods word: nor no inchant-
ment of vanitie, ouerturne them, from the feare of God, and
loue of honestie.
But I know as many, or mo, and some, sometyme my
deare frendes, for whose sake I hate going into that countrey the
more, who, partyng out of England feruent in the loue of
Christes doctrine, and well furnished with the feare of God,
returned out of _Italie_ worse transformed, than euer was any in
_Circes_ Court. I know diuerse, that went out of England, men
of innocent life, men of excellent learnyng, who returned out
of _Italie_, not onely with worse maners, but also with lesse
learnyng: neither so willing to liue orderly, nor yet so hable to
speake learnedlie, as they were at home, before they went
abroad. And why? _Plato_ y^t wise writer, and worthy
traueler him selfe, telleth the cause why. He went into _Sicilia_,
a countrey, no nigher _Italy_ by site of place, than _Italie_ that is
now, is like _Sicilia_ that was then, in all corrupt maners and
licenciousnes of life. _Plato_ found in _Sicilia_, euery Citie full of
vanitie, full of factions, euen as _Italie_ is now. And as _Homere_,
like a learned Poete, doth feyne, that _Circes_, by pleasant in-
chantmentes, did turne men into beastes, some into Swine, som
into Asses, some into Foxes, some into Wolues etc. euen so
Plat. ad // _Plato_, like a wise Philosopher, doth plainelie
Dionys. // declare, that pleasure, by licentious vanitie, that
Epist. 3. // sweete and perilous poyson of all youth, doth
ingender in all those, that yeld vp themselues to her, foure
notorious properties.
{1. lethen
The fruits // {2. dysmathian
of vayne // {3. achrosynen
pleasure. // {4. ybrin.
The first, forgetfulnes of all good thinges learned before:
Causes // the second, dulnes to receyue either learnyng or
why men // honestie euer after: the third, a mynde embracing
_the brynging vp of youth._ 227
lightlie the worse opinion, and baren of discretion // returne out
to make trewe difference betwixt good and ill, // of Italie,
betwixt troth, and vanitie, the fourth, a proude // lesse lear-
disdainfulnes of other good men, in all honest // ned and
matters. _Homere_ and _Plato_, haue both one // worse ma-
meanyng, looke both to one end. For, if a man // nered.
inglutte himself with vanitie, or walter in filthi- // _Homer_ and
nes like a Swyne, all learnyng, all goodnes, is // _Plato_ ioy-
sone forgotten: Than, quicklie shall he becum // ned and ex-
a dull Asse, to vnderstand either learnyng or //pounded.
honestie: and yet shall he be as sutle as a Foxe, // A Swyne.
in breedyng of mischief, in bringyng in misorder, // An Asse.
with a busie head, a discoursing tong, and a factious harte, in // A Foxe.
euery priuate affaire, in all matters of state, with this pretie
propertie, alwayes glad to commend the worse // aphrosyne,
partie, and euer ready to defend the falser // Quid, et
opinion. And why? For, where will is giuen // vnde.
from goodnes to vanitie, the mynde is sone caryed from right
iudgement, to any fond opinion, in Religion, in Philosophie, or
any other kynde of learning. The fourth fruite of vaine
pleasure, by _Homer_ and _Platos_ iudgement, is pride // hybris.
in them selues, contempt of others, the very
badge of all those that serue in _Circes_ Court. The trewe
meenyng of both _Homer_ and _Plato_, is plainlie declared in one
short sentence of the holy Prophet of God // Hieremias
_Hieremie_, crying out of the vaine & vicious life // 4. Cap.
of the _Israelites_. This people (sayth he) be
fooles and dulhedes to all goodnes, but sotle, cunning and
bolde, in any mischiefe. &c.
The true medicine against the inchantmentes of _Circes_,
the vanitie of licencious pleasure, the inticementes of all sinne,
is, in _Homere_, the herbe _Moly_, with the blacke roote, and white
flooer, sower at the first, but sweete in the end: which,
_Hesiodus_ termeth the study of vertue, hard and // Hesiodus
irksome in the beginnyng, but in the end, easie // de virtute.
and pleasant. And that, which is most to be
marueled at, the diuine Poete _Homere_ sayth plainlie that this
medicine against sinne and vanitie, is not found // Homerus,
out by man, but giuen and taught by God. And // diuinus
for some one sake, that will haue delite to read // Poeta.