The Art of Rhetoric, Book 1 · Part · Section 23
¶An example in commendacion of Iustice, or true dealyug.
SO many as loke to liue in peaceable quietnesse, beyng mynded rather to folowe reason, than to be led by wilfull affection: desire iusticeIustice commended. in al thynges without the which no countrie is able long to cō tinue. Then may I be bolde to commende that, whiche all men wishe & fewe can hauehave, whiche all men louelove, & none can want: not doubtyng but as I am occupied in a good thyng, so al good men wil heare me with a good wil. But woulde God I were so wel able to perswade all men to Iustice, as al men know the necessarie vse therof: and then vndoubtedly I woulde be muche boulder, and force some by violence, whiche by faire wordes can not be entreated. And yet what nedes any perswasion for that thyng, whiche by nature is so nedeful, & by experience so profitable, that looke what we want, without iustice we get not, loke what we hauehave, without iustice we kepe not. God graūt his grace so to worke in the hartes of al men, that they may aswel practise well doyng in their owne lyfe, as they would that other should folowe iustice in their lyfe: I for my part wil bestow some labor to set forth the goodnes of vpright dealing that al other men the rather may do therafter. That if through my wordes, God shal worke with any man, than may I thynke my self in happy case, & reioyce much in the trauaile of my wit. And how can it be otherwyse, but that al men shalbe forced inwardly to allowe that, whiche in outwarde acte many do not folowe: seyng God poured first this law of nature into mans hart, & graūted it as a meane wherby we might know his wil, & (as I might saie) talke with him, groundyng stil his doinges vpō this poinct, that mā should do as he would be done vntounto, the whiche is nothyng elles, but to lyue vprightly, without any wil to hurte his neighbour.Iustice naturally in eueryevery one of v…. And therfore hauyng this light of Goddes wil opened vntounto vsus thorowe his mere goodnesse, we ought euermore to referre al our actions vntounto this ende, both in geuyng iudgement, and deuisyng lawes necessarie for mans lyfe. And here vponupon it is that when men desire the lawe for trial of a matter, they meane nothyng elles but to hauehave iustice,Iustice what it is, and howe largely it extendeth. the whiche iustice is a vertue that yeldeth to eueryevery man, his owne: to the euer liuyng God, louelove aboue al thynges: to the Kyng, obedience: to the inferiour, good counsel: to the poore mā, merciemercy: to the hateful and wicked, sufferaunce: to it self, truthe: and to al men, perfite peace, and charitie. Now what can be more said in praise of this vertue, or what thyng can be like praised? Are not al thynges in good case, when al men hauehave their owne? And what other thyng doeth iustice, but seketh meanes to contente al parties? Then how greatly are they to be praised, that meane truely in al th…ir doynges, and not onelyonly, do no harme to any, but seke meanes to helpe al. The sunne is not so wonderful to the world (saith AristotelAristotel.) as the iust dealyng of a gouernour is merueilous to al mē. No the yerth yeldeth not more gaine to al creatures, than doth the iustice of a Magistrate to his whole Realme. For, by a lawe, we liue, and take the fruites of the yearth, but where no law is, nor iustice vsed: there, nothyng cā be had, though al thynges be at hande: For, in hauyng the thyng, we shall lacke the vse, and liuyng in great plentie, we shal stande in great nede. The meane therfore that maketh men to enioye their owne, is iustice, the whiche beyng ones taken away, all other thynges are lost with it, neither can any one saue that he hath, nor yet get that he wanteth. Therfore if wrōg doyng shoulde be borne withal, and not rather punished by death,Wvrong dealyng deserueth death. what man coulde lyue in reste? Who coulde be suer either of his lyfe, or of his liuyng one whole day together? Now because eueryevery man desiereth the preseruation of hym selfe, eueryevery man should in lyke case desire the sauegarde of his neighbour. For if I shoulde wholly mynde myne own ease, and folowe gaine without respect to the hinderaunce of myne euen Christian: why should not other vse thesame libertie, and so eueryevery man for hymselfe, and the deuil for vsus al, catche that catche may? The whiche custome if all men folowed, the earth woulde soone be voide for want of men, one woulde be so gredie to eate vp an other. For in sekyng to lyue, we shoulde lose our lyues, & in gapyng after gooddes, we shoulde soone go naked. Therefore to represse this rage, and with holsome deuises to traine men in an order, God hath lightened man with knowledge, that in al thynges he may se what is right, and what is wrong, and vponupon good aduisement deale iustly with al men. God hath created al thynges for mans vse, and ordeined man for mannes sake, that one man might helpe another. For thoughe some one hauehave giftes more plentifully then the cōmune sorte, yet no man can liue alone without helpe of other.Iustice necessarie for almō. Therfore we shoulde striue one to helpe another by iuste dealyng, some this way, & some that way, as eueryevery one shal hauehave nede, and as we shalbe alwaies best able, wherein the lawe of nature is fulfilled, and Goddes commaundemēt folowed. We louelove them here in yearth that geue vsus faire wordes, and we can be content to speake wel of them, that speake wel of vsus: and shall we not louelove them, and take them also for honest men, whiche are contented from tyme to time to yelde eueryevery mā his owne, and rather woulde dye then consent to euill doyng?From the lesse to the greater. If one be ientle in outwarde behauiour, we lyke hym wel, and shal we not esteme hym that is vpright in his outward liuyng? and like as we desire that other should be to vsus, ought not we to bee likewyse affected towardes them? Euen emong brute beastes nature hash appoincted a law, & shal we men lyue without a lawe? The StorkeYoung Storkes. beyng not able to feede her selfe for age, is fedde of her youngones, wherin is declared a natural louelove, and shal we so lyue, that one shal not louelove another? Man shoulde be vntounto man as a God, & shal man be vntounto man as a Deuil? Hath God created vsus, and made vsus to his owne likenesse, endewyng vsus with al the riches of the yearth, that we might be obedient to his wil, and shal we neither louelove him, nor like his? How can we say that we louelove God,Vnnaturalnes in man towardes God. if there be no charitie in vsus? Do I louelove hym, whose mynde I wil hot folowe, although it be right honest? If you louelove me (saith Christe) folow my commaundementes.Ihon. …iiii. Matth. …ix. …. …. Christes will is suche that we shoulde louelove God aboue al thinges, and our neighbour as our self. Then if we do not iustice (wherin louelove doeth consist) we do neither louelove man, nor yet louelove God. The Wyse man saith: The begynnyng of a good lyfe, is to do iustice.Proner. …v…. Yea, the blessyng of the Lorde is vponupon the heade of the iuste.Prouer. iiii. Heauen is theirs (saith Dauid) that do iustly frō tyme to tyme.Psal. xcvi. What els then shal we do that hauehave any hope of the general resurrection, but do the will of God, and lyue iustly all the daies of our life? Let eueryevery man, but consider with hymself what ease he shal finde therby, & I doubt not but eueryevery one depely waiyng the same, wil in hart confesse that iustice maketh plentie,Profite of iustice. and that not one man coulde long hold his owne, if lawes were not made to restraine mans will. We trauaile now, Wynter & Sommer, we watche, and take thought for maintenaunce of wife & children, assuredly purposyng (that though God shal take vsus immediatly) to leaue honestly for our familie.Sauegarde had by iustice. Now to what ende were all our gatheryng together, if iust dealyng were set a side, if lawes bare no rule, if what the wicked list, that they may, and what they may, that they can, & what they can, that they dare, & what they dare, the same they do, & whatsoeuer they do, no man of power is agreued therwith?Gradation. What maketh wicked mē (which els woulde not) acknowlege the Kyng as their souereigne lorde, but the power of a lawe, & the practise of iustice for euil doers?The necessitie of iustice. Could a Prynce mainteine his state royal, if law and right had not prouided that eueryevery man shoulde hauehave his owne? Would seruauntes obey their masters, the sonne his father, the tenaunt his landlorde, the citezen his maiour, or Shirife…if orders were not set & iust dealyng appoincted for al states of men? Therfore the true meanyng folke in all ages geue thē selues some to this occupacion, & some to that, sekyng therin nothing els, but to mainteine a poore life, and to kepe them selues true men both to God and the worlde. What maketh men to performe their bargaines, to stand to their promises, & yelde their debtes, but an order of a lawe grounded vpō iustice?Vvhere iustice is executed, vice is exiled. Where right beareth rule, there craft is coumpted vice. The lyar is muche hated, where truth is wel estemed. The wicked theues are hāged, where good men are regarded. None can holde vp their heades, or dare showe their faces in a well ruled commune weale, that are not thought honest, or at the least hauehave some honest way to lyue. The Egiptians therfore hauyng a worthy and a wel gouerned publike weale, prouided that none shoulde lyue idlye, but that eueryevery one monethly should geue an accompte how he spente his tyme, and had his name regestrede in a Booke for the same purpose.¶Aegiptians what order they vsed to banishe ydelnesse. But Lorde, if this lawe were vsed in England, how many would come behynde hande with their reckenynges at the audite daie. I feare me there doynges woulde be suche, that it would be long ere they gotte there quietus est. Therfore the wourse is our state, the lesse that this euil is loked vntounto. And suerly, if in other thynges we shoulde be as negligent, this Realme could not long stand. But thankes be to God, we hang theim a pace that offende a lawe, and therfore we put it to their choise, whether they wil be idle and so fal to stealyng, or no: they knowe their rewarde, go to it, when they will. But if therewithall some good order were taken for education of youthe, and settyng loiterers on worke (as thankes be to God the Citie is most Godly bent that way) all would sooue be well without all doubt. The wyse and discrete persons in al ages sought all meanes possible to hauehave an order in all thynges, & loued by iustice to directe al their doynges, wherby appereth both an apt wil in suche men, & a natural stirryng by Godes power to make al men good.Iustice easy to be obserued, if wil be not wā …yng. Therfore, if we doe not well, we must blame our selues, that lacke a wil, and do not cal to God for grace. For though it appere hard to do wel, because no man can get perfection without continaunce: yet assuredly to an humble mynde that calleth to God, and to a willyng harte that faint would do his best, nothing can be hard. God hath set al thinges to sale for labour, and kepeth open shop, come who will. Therefore in all ages whereas we see the fewest good, we must wel thinke, the most did lacke good wil to aske, or seke for the same. Lorde, what louelove had that worthie Prince Seleueus to maintein iustice, & to hauehave good lawes kepte, of whome suche a wondrefull thyng is written. For whereas he established moste holsome lawes for sauegarde of the Locrensiās, and his owne sonne thereupon taken in adultrie, should lose bothe his iyes accordyng to the lawe then made, and yet notwithstandyng, the whole Citie thought to remitte the necessitie of his punishement for the honour of his father, Seleucus woulde none of that in any wyse.Valer. lib. vi. Yet at last through importunitie beyng ouercome, he caused first one of his owne iyes to be pluckte out, & next after, one of his sonnes iyes, leauyng onelyonly the vse of sight to hymself & his sonne. Thus through equitie of the lawe, he vsed the dew meane of chastisement, showyng hymself by a wonderful temperature both a merciful father, & a iust lawe maker. Nowe happy are thei yt thus obserue a law, thinking losse of body, lesse hurt to the man, then sparyng of punishemēt, mete for the soule. For God wil not faile thē, that hauehave suche a desire to folowe his wil, but for his promise sake, he wil rewarde them for euer. And now, seeyng that iustice naturally is geuē to al men without the whiche we could not liue, beyng warned also by God alwaies to doe vprightly, perceauyng againe the commodities that redounde vntounto vsus by liuyng vnderunder a lawe, & the sauegard wherin we stand hauyng iustice to assiste vsus: I trust that not onelyonly all men wil cōmende iustice in worde, but also wil liue iustly in dede, the which that we may do, God graunt vsus of his grace, Amen.