Tlie feventh BookejMfi 



V^hereof and in atteiriing thereuntOj all the great Sages of the world fpend their whole time : G 

 for (faith bee) his defire wasjand therto he aimed5namcly, to be a moft doubtie and hardie war- 

 rioutjan excellent oratotja right valiant captaine and conimaunder : Itsm^io have the conduci, 

 charge^and execution of the greateft and moft important affaircsjto be in the higheft place of 

 honour jto be Angular for wifdome jto be accounted the principal! and chiefe in Senat_,to come 

 to great wealth and riches by good and lawful! meanes_, to leave much faire ifTue behind him : 

 and to conclude, to be (imply the beft man of all orherj and the nobleft perfonage in the cittie. 

 To thefe perfe(3:ionSj he and none hut he fince the time that Rome was Romc5attained. Now to 

 confute this, were a long and needlefTepeece of workejconfidereringthat one onely mifchance 

 checked the!e favours of Fortune^and fully difp^oove.d all : for the very fame Metellm became 

 blind in his old age ; for he loft both his eyes in a skare-fire, at what time as he would have favcd j-j 

 and got away the Palladium, /. the image of CMlmrva^ out of the temple of Vejlai:{\s adj con- 

 fefle, was vcrtuous and memorablejbut the event was ill for him and miferablcln regard whcre- 

 ofjl know not how lie fhould be called unhappie and wretched : 9nd yetl fee not why he fiiould 

 be named happie and fortunate. This Imuft needs fay in conclufion, that the people of Rome 

 giaunted unto him thatpriviledge, that iiever man before him in the world was known to have, 

 namely^ to ride in his coach to the Seaat-houfe lb oft as hee went to fit at the councell table; A 

 greatprerogativcl confcfle, and moft ftately^ but it was allowed him for the want of his eyes. . 



Chap, xliiii. 



of another Mctelli^^, ^ 



A Sonne likewife of this ^Metellm, vho gave out thofe commendations abovefaid of his 

 father, may be put in the ranke of the moft rare precedents of felicitie in this world: for 

 over and befides the moft honourable dignities and promotions that hee was advauncexl 

 Unto in his life time, and the glorious addition and furname of Mdcedonicm^ which hee got in 

 Macedonia ; when he was dead, there attended upon his dead corps at his funerals to interre it, 

 fourc fonnesof hisjtheone Pretor for the time being: the other three had beenConfuls in 

 their time rand of thefe three,two had trrumphed inRome,and the third had ben Cenfor. Thefe 

 <vere points, I may tell you,of great marke and regard, and few men are to be found in. compa- 

 rifon^that can come to any one of them. And yet {ee ! in the very prime and flower of all thefe K 

 honours, it fortuned that Catimu-s Labeo furnamed Maccrto^z Tribune or protccStor of the com- , 

 mons (whome he before-time by vertue of his Cenforfhip had difplaccd out of the Senat)wai- 

 ted his time when he returned about noone from Afiiri- field, and feeing no m^an ftirring in the 

 market place nor about the Capitoll, tooke him away perforce to the cMe Tarpeius, with a full 

 purpofe to pitch him downe headlong from thcncCp and to breakchisnecke. A number came 

 running about him of that crew and companie, which was wont to falute him by the name of 

 Father ; but not fo foone as fuch a cafe required, confidering this fo fodainc an occurrent ; and 

 when they were come,wcnt butflowly about any refcue, and kept a foft pace as if they had wai- 

 ted upon fome corps to a buriall : and to make rcfiftance and wiithftand perforce the Tribune^ar- 

 mcd with his facrolan6t and inviolable anthoritie,thcy had no warrant by law : in fo much as he L 

 was like to have periihcd and come to a prelcnt mifchiefe, even for his vertue and faithful! exe- 

 cution of his Cenforlliip, had there not been one Tribune often found, hardly and with much 

 adoe to ftepbetwecne, and oppofehimfelleagainft his colleague, and fo by good haprefcucd 

 him out of his clutches, and laved him as it were at the very pits brinke, even from the utmoft 

 point of death. And yet he lived afterwaresof thecourtefie and liberalitie of other men: for 

 why ? all his goods from that day forward, were fcized as forfeit and confifcate, by that Tribune 

 «vhom before- time he had condemned : as if he had not fuffred punifhment and Ibrrow enough 

 at his hands, to have his necke fo writhed by him, as that the bloud was fqueafed out at his vene 

 cares. Certes, for mine owne part,! would reckon this for one of his croffes and caIaniities,Thac 

 he wasanenemie to the later ^fr^V/rw^^iEj^^yto/iy, even by theteftimonie and confeffion of M 

 uVWwi^himfelfe. For after the death of thefaid cx//a/£-.i»/^^5 thefe were his words unto his 

 owne fonnes : Go your waies firs,and doe honour unto his obfequiesj for the funerals of a grea- 

 ter perfonage and abetter cittizen,{hall ye never fee. And thisfpake hee to them, when as they 

 had conquered Creta and the Baleare Hands, and therof wer furnamed Creticm rnd Bakmcu^^ 



and 



