The Victory of Patience, Chapter 25
CHAP. 25. That their expectation may not be answered.
3 BEcause he will not answer his enemies expectation; in which kind he is revenged of his enemy, even while he refuseth to revenge himselfe. For as there is no such griefe to a Iester or Iugler, as when he doth see that with all his jests, tricks, and fooleries, he cannot move mirth, nor change the countenances of them that see and heare him; so there can be no greater vexation to a wicked and malitious enemy, then to see thee no whit grieved nor moved at his malice against thee; but that thou dost so beare his injuries, as if they were none at all. Yea, he which makes the triall, shall finde that his enemy is more vexed with his silence, than if he should returne like for like.
Dion of Alexandria was wont to take this revenge of his enemies; amongst whom there was one, who perceiving that by injuring and reviling of him he could not move him to impatience, whereby he might have more scope to raile; went and made away with himselfe, as Brusonius reports. And Mountaine tels us of a Citizen that having a Scould to his Wife, would play on his Drum when shee brawled, and rather seeme to be pleased with it, than angry; and this for the present did so mad her, that she was more vexed with her selfe, than with him: but when she saw how it succeeded, and that this would not prevaile, in the end it made her quite leave off the same, and prove a loving wife, that so she might overcome him with kindnesse, and win him to her bow, by bending as much the other way; that so, like a prudent Wife, she might command her Husband by obeying. And whosoever makes the triall, shall finde, that Christian patience, and magnanimous contempt, will in time either draine the gall out of bitter spirits, or make it more overflow to their owne disgrace: so that the best answer is either silence, or laughter; or if neither of these will do, a Cudgell. The best answer to words of scorne and petulancy, saith learned Hooker, is Isaac's Apologie to his brother Ismael, the Apologie which patience and silence make, (no Apologie) and we have our Saviours president for it: for when false witnesses rose up and accused him falsely before the Priests, Scribes, and Elders, it is said, that Iesus held his peace: that infinite wisdome knew well, how little satisfaction there would be in answers, where the Sentence was determined, where the Asker is unworthy, the Question captious, words bootlesse, the best answer is silence. Let our Answer then to their Reasons be, No; to their scoffes nothing. And yet when the slanders which light on our persons rebound to the discredit of our profession, it behoveth us not to be silent in answering truly, when as our adversaries are eloquent in objecting falsely; an indignity which only toucheth our private persons, may be dissembled; as Austine replied to Petillian; Possumus esse in his copiosi pariter, sed nolumus esse pariter vani. But in the other case, the retorting of a poisoned weapon into the adversaries owne breast, is laudable.
It is the weaknesse of some good natures (the more is the pitty) to grieve and to be angry at wrongs received, and thereby to give advantage to an enemy. But what would malice rather have, then the vexation of them whom it persecutes? We cannot better please an adversary, than by hurting our selves: and this is no other than to humour envie, to serve the turne of those that maligne us, and to draw on that malice, whereof we are already weary: whereas carelessenesse puts ill wil out of countenance, and makes it withdraw it self in a rage, as that which doth but shame the Author, without hurt of the Patient. In a causelesse wrong, the best remedy is contempt of the Author.