A Discourse of Life and Death, by Mornay; and Antonius by GarnierMornay, Philippe de, seigneur du Plessis-Marly
Religion
A Discourse of Life and Death, by Mornay; and Antonius by Garnier
Mornay, Philippe de, seigneur du Plessis-Marly
Antonius, Marcus, 83 B.C.?-30 B.C. -- Drama; Death -- Early works to 1800
But alas! men cannot take heerein what parte they woulde: and
euen they which do, finde not there all the rest they sought
for. Some would gladly doo, but shame of the world recalls them.
Fooles to be ashamed of what in their heartes they condemne: and
more fooles to be aduised by the greatest enemye they can or
ought to haue. Others are borne in hande that they ought to
serue the publique, not marking that who counsell them serue
only themselues: and that the more parte would not much seeke
the publique, but that they founde their owne particular. Some
are told, that by their good example they may amende others: and
consider not that a hundred sound men, euen Phisitions
themselues, may sooner catch the plague in an infected towne,
then one be healed: that it is but to tempt God, to enter
therein: that against so contagious an aire there is no
preseruatiue, but in getting farre from it. Finally, that as
litle as the freshe waters falling into the sea, can take from
it his saltnes: so little can one _Lot_ or two, or three,
reforme a court of _Sodome_. And as concerning the wisest, who
no lesse carefull for their soules, then bodies, seeke to bring
them into a sound and wholesome ayre, farre from the infection
of wickednes: and who led by the hande of some Angell of God,
retire themselues in season, as _Lot_ into some little village
of _Segor_, out of the corruption of the world, into some
countrie place from the infected townes, there quietlie
employing the tyme in some knowledge and serious contemplation:
I willinglie yeeld they are in a place of lesse daunger, yet
because they carie the danger, in themselues, not absolutelie
exempt from danger. They flie the court, and a court folowes
them on all sides: they endeuoure to escape the world, and the
world pursues them to death. Hardly in this world can they finde
a place where the world findes them not: so gredelie it seekes
to murther them. And if by some speciall grace of God they seeme
for a while free from these daungers, they haue some pouertie
that troubles them, some domesticall debate that torments them,
or some familiar spirit that tempts them: brieflie the world
dayly in some sorte or other makes it selfe felt of them. But
the worst is, when we are out of these externall warres and
troubles, we finde greater ciuill warre within our selues: the
flesh against the spirite, passion against reason, earth against
heauen, the worlde within vs fighting for the world, euermore so
lodged in the botome of our owne hearts, that on no side we can
flie from it. I will say more: he makes profession to flie the
worlde, who seekes thereby the praise of the worlde: hee faineth
to runne away, who according to the prouerbe, By drawing backe
sets himselfe forward: he refuseth honors, that would thereby be
prayed to take them: and hides him from men to the ende they
shoulde come to seeke him. So the world often harbours in
disguised attire among them that flie the world. This is an
abuse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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