The Art of Happiness, Title page – Dedication 2
THE ARTE OF HAPPINES.
Consisting of three parts, whereof
The first searcheth out the happinesse of man.
The second, particularly discouers and approues it.
The third, sheweth the meanes to attayne and increase it.
BY FRANCIS ROVS.
Summa Philosophia est, quae exquirit summum Bonum.
Mans chiefest wisedome is, To find out his chiefe and soueraigne Good.
LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for Iohn Parker, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Ball. 1619.
TO HIS MVCH HONORED FATHER, Sr. ANTHONY ROVS of Halton in Cornwall, Knight.
SIR,
IF the Author and the work bee considered, it is no hard matter to finde, to whom the Author should first of all offer his worke. A sonne cannot present his labours more fitly then to a Father, especially when they bring with them so excellent a thing as Blessednesse. And although I know you hauehave beene an ancient Trauailer in the path of Felicitie, so that the commendation of your posteritie shall bee to follow your steps, yet I am assured, it cannot but bee a comfort to you, to see some increase from aboue, where your careful education hath planted & watered below; in which you hauehave farre exceeded the vsuall prouidēce of Fathers, that ordinarily lookes no farther then the bodie, pride, and earth. I cōfesse, the outward shewes of this world had so farre transported me, that I was very vnlikely to hauehave made this kinde of Matter the maine busines of my Time, but I tooke ship to goe to Tarsus, euen to forraine Countries, and in mine owne beganne the studie of the Law, vntill a storme from heauen chased mee away to the studie of Eternitie, wherein I hauehave found so much comfort and assistance from aboue, that the incouragement thereof is to mee in stead of a voice speaking in mine eare; This is the way, walke in it: And in this way I desire to walke as stedfastly, as bodily infirmitie, and the necessarie distractions of this life will permit, vntill my Time shall bee no more, that so I may passe immediately from the contemplation of Felicitie, vntounto the fruition. This felicitie I likewise wish vntounto you with most humble and heartie prayer, and that this worke following may giuegive some (though small) aduancement to it, that so you may reape a little, where you hauehave sown much.
From my house in Laurake, Aprill 29. Your sonne in all dutie and obseruance. FRANCIS ROVS.
TO MAN.
HAVING cast mine eyes on the frame of this World, & somwhat particularly considered the works which are wrought vnderunder the Sunne; I beheld Man, placed as the top and chiefe of the Creatures, and I saw in Man the sparks of an excellent soule, which might seeme to iustifie this his preeminence: but withall hauing searched the depth and bredth of the life of Man, to see what great actions this Eminent thing produced, or what extraordinarie happines he enioyeth sutable to his excellence; I finde generally, that this Head of the World doth vsually spend himselfe in base works of Vanitie, Labour, and Wickednesse; and is himselfe spent away by Miserie, Sicknes and Death. His actions are either no actions at all, but idle, foolish, and superfluous recreations; or meere labours for his owne body, that hee may bee to morrow, not better, but the same that he was to day; or that he may better his estate by making himselfe worse, euen by the losse or diminution of his owne goodnesse; and yet at last, this estate which hee hath bought with himselfe, will turne him out most vnkindly and vnthankfully from possessing it. And as for Mans happinesse, most commonly he sends it before him, by proposing high and remote obiects to his desires; which either he neuer ouertakes, or if he doe, it doth often vanish into Nothing, as being made of meere Imagination; or if it will needs seeme something being attayned, yet it is at last digested into perfect Nothing, when that and the Owner thereof, are both deuoured by the wide mouth of Death, that eates vp all the thoughts and workes of perishing Mankind. But before Man arriues to this point of dissolution, by which hee comes to bee rid of his vaine happinesse; miserie, sicknesse, and mutuall vexation (Man to Man being a continuall Hangman and Tormentor) by smarting and still-returning stripes, most often cut his little happinesse to lesser pieces, and ouercome the slight and slender sweetnesse thereof, with the inter-mingled gall of solide and substantiall griefe.
Now this being the state of Things, what is all that we see, and to what purpose is it? Are wee here met together to play the Wretches and Fooles? Is this our appointed taske to labour for Vanitie? and to be imaginarily pleased, and really tormented? or to take great care and paynes to come to Nothing? Is this the fruit of this huge masse of Creatures, and of glorious Man, the principall of them? Surely, if wee should lye downe in this opinion, we might also lye downe in amazement, wondring what we make here, and why Man was created vntounto so great folly and misery. We might rightly cry out, that in regard of this World, the day of Death is better then the day of Birth, and that not to bee at all, is better then them both. But here wee may not rest, for then all the Creatures, which we see, would rise vp against vsus like so many Aduersaries, and Obiections. For it were a great iniurie to the Creator, to see and acknow ledge (which acknowledgment is extorted euen from meere naturall men) a great wisedome in the Matter and Forme of the Creatures, and not to acknowledge a great wisedome likewise in the End of the Creatures; that he which made eueryevery thing so orderly in his parts, should make a confusion in the whole; and that he who hath made so excellent things for Man, should make Man for basenesse, vanitie, and miserie. Therefore I thought it most likely and safe, to beleeue that the Creator had not fayled in his Creation, but that the Creature had erred from the course and scope of his Creation, and that Man by some fault of his owne, was gone out of the way, both in regard of imployment and happines; which two, in all probabilitie, should be found in one path, it being most agreeable to wisedome, that a Creature should then be in the best and happyest case, when hee doth the worke appointed him by his Creator. Then also it seemed necessarie to inquire what was that right way, from which Man had strayed; euen to search what was the true end of Mans actions, and the true scope of his desires; his duetie and his felicitie.
What I hauehave met with, in this search, I hauehave here discouered; and because there are three sorts of men, which especially doe erre in the matter of happinesse, for these especially hauehave I fitted the parts of this Discourse. One sort of these are they, That come blinde into the world, and so goe out, neither knowing, nor caring, nor asking, what they hauehave to doe here, nor what is chiefly good for them while they bee here, nor whether there be any other place for them when they depart hence. These for the most part doe what they see done, or what their owne lusts will hauehave done, and so hauing spent their time according to Custome and Concupiscence, they liue to no purpose, and die to no end, for ought they know. A second sort is of them, That thinke there is a happinesse, and a way to it; and which is more, they thinke they hauehave it; yet all the while they goe without it, euen for this reason, because they thinke they hauehave it. For, not hauing it, by their beliefe that they hauehave it, they cease from seeking, and so from finding of that which may only be found by seeking. A third sort is, of such as thinke it enough to come within the reach of happinesse, but care not much to fasten it or to increase it, but please themselues in looking on it, or onelyonly in a little taste of it. It is good to be happy, they thinke, but it is not good to be too happy, and therefore they will gladly trafficke some superstuous happi nesse, for a little folly and vanitie. To all these (which are almost all) are the chiefe parts of this Treatise directed, as Nayles to driue out Nayles, euen rules of Light and Blisse, to driue out the vsuall and receiued rules of darknesse and miserie; and to stand fast in their roome. Of these and the like directions let wretched and ignorant mankinde lay hold, as vponupon Boords & Masts in this great shipwracke of Nature. Let them by such helps lift vp their heads aboue the element of Basenesse and Vanitie, wherein the sonnes of corrupted and degenerate Nature, like Fishes doe swim and liue, and die. And let them mount vp into that higher Region, wherein onelyonly true and very Men are to bee found, the rest being but the resemblances of Men, and in substance the true Companions of brute and vnreasonable Creatures.
A Seeker of Happinesse for himselfe and thee, F. Rovs.