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FIRST LITTLE WORK. THE RULE OF AN HONOURABLE LIFE. TO MIRO, KING OF GALICIA. To the most glorious and most serene Miro, king, endowed with piety and conspicuous for catholic faith, Martin, a humble bishop. I am not unaware, most clement king, that with the most ardent thirst of your mind you insatiably long to drink at the cups of wisdom, and that you eagerly seek out those founts from which the streams of moral knowledge flow. And for this reason you admonish my humility by your frequent letters, that, often writing something to your Worthiness by epistle—whether of consolation or of some exhortation—I should offer you whatever sayings there may be.
But although the laudable zeal of your piety demands this of me, know nevertheless that the unaccustomed presumption of my slenderness is at once dashed against the cautious as upon a rock, if I should join, to the gravity of your kingly reverence, sayings either over-frequent or worthless, as it may chance. And therefore, lest either I should abuse the freedom of your kindly invitation by speaking too much, or should resist your desire by keeping silent, I have brought forth this little book—polished by no showy display of sophisms, but excerpted with the plainness of pure simplicity—to be recited with confidence to receptive ears. This I have composed not specially for your authority, to whom the sagacity of natural wisdom is ready at hand, but generally for those whom it befits, as they stand attending upon your services, to read, understand, and hold these things.
The title of the little book is: The Rule of an Honourable Life; which I wished to be inscribed with such a name for this reason, that it does not set forth those arduous and perfect things which are accomplished by few and most excellent worshippers of God, but rather admonishes those things which, even without the precepts of the divine Scriptures, by the natural law of human intelligence alone, can be fulfilled even by laymen living rightly and honourably. Four kinds of virtues have been defined by the opinions of many wise men, by which the human soul may be ordered to honourableness. The first of these is prudence; the second, magnanimity; the third, continence; the fourth, justice. Each is annexed to you in the duties that fall under it, and they make a man of good character. CHAPTER ONE.
On prudence. Whoever you are that desire to follow prudence, you will then live rightly according to reason if you first weigh and ponder all things, and establish the worth of things not from the opinion of the many but from their own nature. For you ought to know that there are things which seem to be good and are not, and there are things which seem not to be good and yet are. Whatever you possess of transitory things, do not marvel at it, nor esteem as great what is perishable; nor will you keep what you have as though it were another's, but you should dispense it and use it for yourself as though it were your own. If you embrace prudence, you will everywhere be the same; and as the variety of affairs and times demands, so accommodate yourself to the time; nor change yourself in some things, but rather adapt yourself:
just as the hand, which is one and the same both when it is extended into a palm and when it is clenched into a fist. It is the property of a prudent man to examine his counsels, and not quickly to slip into falsehoods through easy credulity. Concerning doubtful matters, do not pronounce a verdict, but hold your judgment in suspense. Affirm nothing untried, for not everything that is probable is at once true; just as, on the contrary, what at first seems incredible is not straightway false. For truth often wears the face of falsehood. Often falsehood is concealed under the appearance of truth. For just as sometimes a friend shows a sad countenance, and a flatterer a soothing one, so truth is coloured with verisimilitude, and, that it may deceive or creep in, it is coloured. If you wish to be prudent, direct your foresight to the future;
and set before your mind all things that can happen. Let nothing be sudden to you, but you will look ahead beforehand at your leisure. For he who is prudent does not say: 'Indeed I did not think this would happen'; because he does not doubt, but expects; nor does he merely suspect, but takes precaution. Seek out the cause of every deed: when you have found the beginnings, you will ponder the outcomes. Know that in certain matters you ought to persevere because you have begun; but in others you ought not even to begin, in which to persevere would be harmful. The prudent man does not wish to deceive, and cannot be deceived. It is the mark of a good man to deceive no one, even in death. Let your opinions be judgments. Wandering and useless thoughts, like those of a dream, you will not entertain;
for if your mind has delighted itself with these, when you have arranged everything you will remain sad. But let your thought be stable and certain; whether it deliberates, or inquires, or contemplates, let it not depart from the truth. Let your speech also not be empty, but let it either persuade, or admonish, or console, or instruct. Praise sparingly, blame more sparingly. For excessive praise is reprehensible in like manner as immoderate blame. The former is suspected of flattery, the latter of malignity. You will render your testimony to truth, not to friendship. Promise with consideration; perform more fully than you have promised. If your mind is prudent, let it be dispensed over the three times. Order present things, foresee future things, recall past things.
For he who thinks nothing of the past loses his life; he who premeditates nothing of the future falls heedlessly into all manner of mishap. Set before your mind future evils and goods, that you may be able to endure the former and to moderate the latter. Be not always in action, but now and then give rest to your mind; and let that rest itself be full of the pursuits of wisdom and of good thoughts: for the prudent man never grows slack in idleness. He sometimes has a relaxed mind, never a dissolute one. He hastens what is slow, disentangles what is intricate, softens what is hard, levels what is steep. For he knows what he ought to attempt and by which way; and he sees all things distinctly. By the counsel of the skilled, he estimates the obscure from the open, the great from the small, the remote from the near, the whole from the parts.
Let not the authority of the speaker move you; nor attend to who speaks, but to what he says. Nor consider to how many it is pleasing, but to what sort of men. Seek that which you can find. Learn that which you can know. Desire that which can be desired in the presence of good men. Do not impose upon yourself any matter too lofty, in which, standing, you must tremble, and, ascending, must fall. Call to yourself counsels that bring salvation. When the prosperity of life smiles upon you, then you will hold and steady yourself as if on slippery ground, nor will you give yourself free rein, but will look about where you must go, or how far. CHAPTER II. On magnanimity. Magnanimity, indeed, which is also called fortitude, if it dwell in your mind, you will live free, undaunted, eager, with great confidence.
It is the good of a man of great mind not to waver, to be consistent with himself, and to await the end of life undaunted. Nothing else is great in human affairs save a mind that despises great things. If you are magnanimous, you will never judge that an affront is being done to you. Of an enemy you will say: 'He did not harm me, but he had the will to harm'; and when you see him in your power, you will reckon it vengeance to have been able to take vengeance. For know that to forgive is an honourable and great kind of vengeance. Assail no one with whispering, undermine no one; attack openly. You will not wage a conflict unless you have declared it; for frauds and tricks befit the weak. You will be magnanimous if you neither seek dangers, like the rash, nor dread them, like the timid;
for nothing makes a mind timid save the consciousness of a reprehensible life. The measure of magnanimity, therefore, is that a man be neither timid nor over-bold. CHAPTER III. On continence. If you love continence, cut away what is superfluous and constrain your desires into a narrow compass. Consider with yourself how much nature requires, and not how much desire craves. If you are continent, you will arrive at this point: that you are content with yourself. For he who is sufficient to himself is born with riches. Put a bridle and a measure upon your concupiscence, and cast off all the allurements that draw on a hidden pleasure. Eat short of surfeit, drink short of drunkenness.
Take heed lest at a banquet, or in any fellowship of life, you seem to condemn those whom you will not imitate. Neither cling to present delights, nor desire absent ones. Let your sustenance be easily obtained, and approach it not for pleasure but for nourishment. Let hunger, not flavours, whet your palate. Redeem your desires at a small price, for you ought to take care only of this—that they may cease; and, as one fashioned after the divine pattern, hasten as much as you can to lead yourself back from the body to the spirit. If you study continence, dwell not pleasantly but wholesomely; nor wish the master to be made known by his house, but the house by its master. Do not ascribe to yourself what you will not be, nor what you are; nor wish to seem greater than you are.
Observe this greater point, that your poverty be not unclean, nor your frugality sordid, nor your simplicity neglected, nor your gentleness languid; and if your means are scanty, let them nevertheless not be straitened. Neither bewail your own things, nor marvel at others'. If you love continence, flee shameful things before they draw near; nor will you stand in awe of any other more than of yourself. Believe all things tolerable except baseness. Abstain also from shameful words, for licence in them nurtures imprudence. Love useful discourses rather than witty and charming ones, upright ones rather than complaisant ones. You will mingle jests sometimes with serious matters, but tempered, and without detriment to dignity and modesty.
For laughter is reprehensible if it is immoderate, if poured out childishly, if broken effeminately. Laughter also makes a man hateful, if it be proud, or loud, or haughty, or malicious and stealthy, or called forth by the misfortunes of others. If therefore you require these jests, conduct even these with the dignity of wisdom, so that they neither burden you as harsh, nor make men despise you as worthless. There will be in you no buffoonery, but agreeable urbanity. Let your wit be without a bite, your jokes without baseness, your laughter without a guffaw, your voice without an outcry, your gait without commotion: yours will be repose, not sloth; and when others are at play, you will handle something holy and honourable. If you are continent, avoid flatteries;
and let it be as grievous to you to be praised by the base as if you were praised for base things. Be the more glad whenever you displease the wicked, and account the wicked's bad estimations of you to be the true praise of yourself. It is the most difficult work of continence to repel flatteries with their fawning, whose speeches dissolve the mind with pleasure. Merit no one's friendship through flattery, nor open by this means a way to earning your own. You will not be over-bold nor arrogant: you will submit yourself, but not cast yourself away; with gravity preserved, you will be admonished willingly and reproved patiently. If anyone rebukes you with cause, know that he has done you good; if without cause, know that he wished to do you good. You will fear not harsh, but smooth words. Be yourself a fugitive from vices;
but of others' vices be neither a curious investigator nor a bitter censurer, but a corrector without reproach, so that you anticipate the admonition with cheerfulness, and readily grant pardon to error. Neither extol anyone, nor cast anyone down. Be a silent hearer of those who speak, a prompt receiver of those who listen. Answer readily one who inquires, readily one who despises; lest you depart into quarrels and execrations. If you are continent, observe the motions of your mind and body, that they be not unseemly. Nor despise them for the reason that they are hidden; for it makes no difference if no one sees them, since you yourself see them. Be agile, not fickle; constant, not obstinate. Let it be neither unknown nor irksome to you to have knowledge of some matter. You will make all men your equals:
yet you will not despise your inferiors by being proud. Your superiors, by living rightly, you will not fear. In rendering your dutiful service, appear neither negligent nor an exactor. Be benign to all, fawning to none, familiar with few, fair to all. Be more severe in judgment than in speech, in life than in countenance: a cultivator of clemency, a detester of cruelty; neither a sower of your own good fame, nor an envier of another's. To rumours, accusations, suspicions, be least credulous or malignant, but rather most opposed to those who, under the appearance of simplicity, creep in to harm certain people. Slow to anger, prone to mercy, firm in adversity, cautious and humble in prosperity: a concealer of your virtues, as others are of their vices.
A despiser of vainglory, and not a harsh exactor of the goods with which you are endowed. Despise no one's imprudence. Be yourself of rare speech, but patient with those who speak. Severe, not savage; yet not spurning the cheerful man. Desirous of wisdom and teachable: what you know, impart without arrogance to one who asks; what you do not know, ask without concealment of your ignorance to have imparted to you. The wise man will not disturb public morals, nor turn the people upon himself by novelty of life. After these, justice is a virtue. CHAPTER IV. On justice. What is justice, but a silent compact of nature, devised for the help of the many? Justice is not our enactment, but a divine law, the bond of human society. In it there is no place for us to estimate what is expedient:
whatever it shall have dictated is expedient for you. Whoever, therefore, you are that desire to follow this, fear God first and love Him, that you may be loved by God. You will be lovable to God if you imitate Him in this, that you will to profit all and to harm none. And then all will call you a just man, will follow, revere, and esteem you. For that you may be just, you will not only do no harm, but will also restrain those who harm; for to do no harm is not justice, but abstinence from what is another's. From these things, then, begin: that you take nothing away, that you may advance to greater things, and that you restore to others things taken away. Plunderers too, lest they be feared by others, chastise and restrain. Weave no controversy out of any ambiguity of word, but look to the quality of the mind.
Let it make no difference to you whether you give an assurance or whether you swear an oath. Know that, wherever truth is treated of, the matter concerns faith and religion: for if God be invoked by an oath, He is also a witness to one who does not invoke Him; you shall not overstep the truth, lest you overstep the law of justice. But if at any time you are constrained to use a falsehood, use it not for the guarding of the false but of the true; and if it should befall that fidelity be redeemed by a falsehood, you will not be lying, but rather will be excused: because where the cause is honourable, the just man does not betray secrets, for he keeps silent what is to be kept silent and speaks what is to be spoken; and to him belongs open and secure tranquillity, so that, while others are conquered by evils, evils are conquered by him.
If, therefore, you take care to be zealous for these things, you will await the end of your course glad and undaunted; you will look upon the sad things of this world cheerful, upon its tumultuous things tranquil, upon its final things secure. CHAPTER V. On the measure and moderation of prudence. When these instructions have been observed, the four kinds of virtues will make you a perfect man, if you keep the measure of their rectitude by an even rule of living.
For if prudence exceed its bounds, you will have committed cunning and timorous things, and will show yourself an investigator of hidden matters and a scrutinizer of injuries of every kind; you will be noted as timid, plausible [perhaps: suspicious], over-attentive, always seeking something, always fearing something, always doubting something, and dashing your most subtle suspicions against the apprehension of your own mind. You will be pointed at with the finger as one full of craft, a turncoat, an enemy of simplicity, a contemplator of faults; and at last by one name you will be called by all: an evil man. Into these stains, therefore, will immoderate prudence lead you. Whoever persists in that middle balance will have in himself nothing dull nor anything crafty. CHAPTER VI. On the moderation of fortitude.
But if magnanimity exalt itself beyond its measure, it will make a man menacing, puffed up, turbulent, restless; and headlong into every kind of extravagance of words and deeds, with honour neglected; one who at every moment raises his eyebrows, and, like a beast-fighter, stirs up even quiet things, strikes one, puts another to flight. But although he be a bold assailant, yet he will not be able to bear many things stronger than himself. But he either seeks a wretched end, or leaves behind a calamitous memory of himself. The measure of magnanimity, therefore, is that a man be neither timid nor over-bold. CHAPTER VII. On the mode of temperance. Let continence next bind itself by these bounds: beware lest you be stingy, lest you draw back your hand showily and timidly. Do not set up a mirror even in the least things.
For such an integrity, so pared down, will be reckoned mean. By this line of moderation, therefore, you will observe continence, so that you appear neither given over to pleasure, prodigal and luxurious, nor exist sordid or obscure through avaricious tenacity. CHAPTER VIII. How justice is to be moderated. Justice, finally, is to be tempered by such a path of moderation that the reasoning of the mind, kept ever unmoved, may not be followed perpetually by negligence under a [variously: basely] light guidance. While you take care to correct neither the great nor the small vices of those who err, yet you neither permit licence in sinning—whether to those who fawningly delude you, or to those who delude you wantonly—nor again, by excessive rigidity and harshness, reserving nothing for pardon or kindness.
reserving nothing for pardon or kindness, appear harsh to human society. Thus, therefore, is the rule of justice to be held, that the reverence of its discipline neither grow cheap, despised through too great a fellowship of negligence, nor, through a harsher and prolonged severity, lose the grace of human amiability. Conclusion of the foregoing. If anyone, then, desires to order his life blamelessly to the advantage not only of himself but of the many, let him follow this formula of the aforesaid virtues according to the qualities of times, places, persons, and causes: pressing on by that path of moderation whereby, through the precipices that fall away on either side, he may either avoid the headlong madness of the body, or punish its productive sloth.