A Counterpoison, Religious treatise · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
That it is more laudable to forgive, than revenge.
2. BEcause it is more generous and laudible to forgive, than revenge: certainely in taking revenge a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing it over he is superiour to him; for it is a Princes part to pardon; yea, qouth Alexander, There can be nothing more noble, than to doe well to those that deserve ill. And Saint Gregory, it is more honour to suffer injuries by silence, than to overcome them by answering againe. Princes use not to chide when Embassadours have offered them undecencies, but deny them audience; as if silence were the way royall to correct a wrong. And certainely he injoyes a brave composednesse, that seats himselfe above the flight of the injurious claw. Like the Emperour Augustus, who though of a most tenatious, and retentive memory, would forget wrongs, as soone as they were offered. Or Agathocles, Antigonus, and Caesar who being great Potentates, were as little moved at vulgar wrongs, as a Lyon at the barking of Curres; yea, the Orator gives it as a high praise to Caesar that he could forge… nothing but wrongs, remember nothing but benefits; and who so truely noble as he that can doe ill and will not?
True, it is not rare to see, a great man vex himselfe at the neglect of a peasant: but this argnes a poore spirit: A true Lyon would passe it by, with an honourable scorne. You'l confesse then tis Princely to disdaine a wrong; and is that all? No, forgivenesse, saith Seneca, is a valiant kind of revenge: and none are so frequent in pardoning as the couragious. Hee that is modestly valiant, stirs not till he must needs, and then to purpose: Like the Flint, he hath fire in him, but it appeares not untill you force it from him: who more valiant than Joshua? and he held it the noblest victory to overcome evill with good: for the Gibeonites tooke not so much paines in comming to deceive him, as he in going to deliver them. And Cicero more commends Caesar for overcomming his owne courage in pardoning Marcellus, than for the great victories he had against his other enemies. Yea, a dominion over ones selfe, is greater than the Grand Signiory of Turkie. For as the greatest knowledge, is truely to know thy selfe, so the greatest conquest, is to subdue thy selfe; he is a wise man that can avoid an evil, he is a patient man that can indure it, but hee is a valiant man that can conquer it. And indeed, for a man to overcome an enemy, and be overcome by his owne passions, is to conquer a petty Village with the losse of a large City. What saith a Father, miserable is that victory wherein thou overcommest thine enemy, and the Divell in the meane time overcoms thee: thou slayest his body, the Divell thy soule; now wee deeme him to have the honour of the warre, that hath the profit of it. But as an Emperour said of the meanes prescribed him to cure his Leprosie (which was the blood of Infants) I had rather be sicke still, than bee recovered by such a medicine; so wilt thou in this case, if thou hast either Bowels, or braines. Yea, if the price or honour of the conquest is rated by the difficulty; than to suppresse anger in thy selfe, is to conquer with Hercules one of the Furies: To tame all passions is to leade Cerberus in chaines: and to indure afflictions and persecutions strongly and patiently, is with Atlas to beare the whole World on thy shoulders, as saith the Poet.
It is no shame to suffer ill, but to doe it; to bee evill, we are all naturally disposed, to be holy and good, is the difficulty. Yea, every Beast and Vermine can kill: It is true prowesse and honour to give life, and preserve it. Yea, a Beast being snarled at by a Cur, will passe by as scorning to take notice thereof. I, but is it wisedome so to doe? Yes, first, the ancient received opinion is, that the sinewes of wisedome, are slownesse of beleife, and distrust. Secondly, none more wise than Salomon, and he is of opinion; That it is the glory of a man to passe by an offence, Pro. 19. 11. We fooles think it ignominy and cowardise to put up the lye without a stab; a wrong without a challenge: but Salomon, to whose wisedome all wise men will subscribe, was of another judgement; and to this of Salomon, the wisest heathen have set their seale: Pittacus the Philosopher holds, That pardon is better than revenge, inasmuch as the one is proper to the spirit, the other to a cruell Beast. But how Socrates whom the Oracle of Apollo pr…nounced the wisest man alive, and all the rest of Philosophers approved of it, both by judgement and practice▪ We shall have occasion to relate in the reasons insuing. No truer note of a wise man than this; he so loves as if hee were to be an enemy, and so hates as if he were to love againe. We know a sparke of fire falling upon a solid body, presently goes out, which falling upon combustable matter, kindles and burnes: Now as with fire, the light stuffe and rubbish kindles sooner than the solid and more compact, so anger doth sooner inflame a f…ole than a man composed in his resolutions. This the Holy Ghost witnesseth, Eccles, 7. Bee not thou of a hasty spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles. Vers. 9. So much fury, so much folly; the more chafing, the lesse wisedome.
Some have no patience to beare bitter scoffes: their noses are too tender to indure this strong and bitter Wormewood of the braine. Others againe like tyled houses, can admit a falling sparke unwarmed; it may be coales of Juniper without any danger of burning: Now what makes the difference? the one hath a good head peece and is more solid, the other are covered with such light dry straw that with the least touch they will kindle and flame about your troubled eares: and when the house is one fire, it is no disputing with how small a matter it came. I confesse I find some wise men extreamely passionate by nature, as there is no generall rule but admits of some exceptions: Even God himselfe, had particular exceptions, from his generall Lawes, as the Cherubims over the Arke, was an instance against the second Commandement: the Israelites robbing the Aegyptians, against the eight: the Priests breaking the Sabboth, Math. 12. 5. against the fourth, and Phimiras killing Zimry, against the sixth, Numb. 25. 8. And these as they are more taken with a joy, so they taste a discontent more heavily. In whom Choler, like fire in stubble, is soone kindled, and soone out, for they are stung with a Nettle, and alayed with a Dock: being like Gunpowder, to which you no sooner give fire, but they
And lastly, this of all others is the most divine and Christian-like revenge; witnesse our Saviour Christ, who by death, overcame death; as David cut off the head of Goliah, with his owne sword: and even then tryumphed over his enemies, when most they seemed to tryumph over him, Col. 2. 15. And the Martyrs who are said by the Holy Ghost to overcome the great Dragon, that old Serpent called the Devill and Satan, in that they loved not their lives unto the death, Revel. 12. 11. There conquering, was by dying, not by killing: and can the back of charity now bare no loade; are the sinewes of lov… growne so feeble. And holy David, who when he had S…ul at his mercy, in stead of cutting off his head, as his servants perswaded him, onelyonly cut off the Lap of his Garment, and after, thought that too much also. And at another time, when the Lord had closed him into his hands, finding him asleepe in the Fort, in stead of taking away his life, as Abishai counselled him, hee tooke away his Speare, and in stead of taking away his blood from his heart, he takes a pot of water from his head. That this kinde of revenge for a man to finde his enemy at an advantage, and let him depart free, is generous and noble, beyond the capacity of an ordinary man; you may heare Saul himselfe confesse, 1 Sam. 24. 17. to 23. Againe, when the King of Syria sent a mighty Host to take Elisha, and the Lord had smote them all with blindnesse, and shut them into Samaria, what doth the Prophet? Slay them? no. Indeed the King of Israel would saine have had it so, his fingers itcht to be doing: but Elisha commanded bread and water to bee set before them, that they might eate and drinke, and goe to their Master, 2 King. 6. 22. So a Christian truely generous, will omit no opportunity of doing good, nor doe evill, though hee have opportunity: for to may, and will not, is the Christians lawde.
Which yet is not all, for besides that it is the most generous, noble, valiant, wise, divine, and Christian-like revenge, to passe by, and forgive injuries: our Saviour Christ, in whom is the fountaine of all wisedome, and knowledge, as all the sences are in the head, Zach. 4. 12. alowes none for magnanimous, but such as together with forgiving, Blesse those that curse them, and doe good to such as hurt them, Math. 5. 44. which is true generosity indeed. But how contrary is the opinion of the World, to the judgement of God, and the wisest of men concerning vallour: for should the greatest, and gravest Bishop in the Land, Preach this; our impatient Gallants would not beleeve; but that it consists in a brave revenge, and that an humble patience is an argument of basenesse, and that every wrong, or disgracefull word, is quarrell just enough to shed blood: and least there should want offences, or they give place …nto wroth as the Apostle adviseth, Rom. 12. 19 they will strive for the way, or contend for the wall, even to the death: which proves them to be as wise as a wall, for they come short of the wisedome of Beasts: Pliny tells of two Goates, (Mutianus being an eye-witnesse) which meeting on a straight, and narrow Bridge, that the one could not passe by the other, nor turne aside to returne back againe: neither made his way by overturning the other, but the one lay downe, that the other might goe over him. I pray God their too much turning to the right hand before man, cause them not to bee set at Christs left hand, with those Goates which are destined to everlasting fire. But certainly, if they amend not their course, God shall condemne them for invading his office; for vengeance is his, and that they call courage, he shall judge outrage.
Woe is me, into what unhappy times are we falne, and how hath the devill blinded and bewitcht our Gallants; that the wretchedst, and basest cowardise, should ruffle it out in the garbe of valour: while the truly valiant passe for, and are reputed cowards. And how great is the corruption of mans heart, which is not ashamed of things shamefull; and yet ashamed of things, wherein they ought to glory. Is this courage, to kill one another for the wall, as though either of their honours were of more worth then both their soules. Yea, suppose they overcome, is not this power of theirs the greatest infirmity; for whether they thus dye, or kill, they have committed murther; if they kill, they have murthered another; if they die, they have murthered themselves: Surviving, there is the plague of conscience; dying, there is the plague of torments: if they both scape, yet it is homeside, that they meant to kill. O that they would take notice of this, and lay it to heart.
But what's the reason of this their mistake; what makes them judge Job a foole, and count David a coward, for their humble patience: this is the difference; there was the faith, and patience of the Saints; here is the infidelity, and impatience of sinners, whom the Devill hath bewitcht, to glory in their shame; or in plaine English, a reprobate judgement is the onelyonly cause; for with them, every vertue is counted a vice, and every vice a vertue; as their owne words witnesse: in nicknaming each vice and grace with opposite titles. But as when it was objected to a Martyr, that his Christ was but a Carpenters sonne; hee answered, yea, but such a Carpenter as built Heaven and Earth: so we grant wee are cowards, as they tearme us; but such cowards as are able to prevaile with God, Gen. 32. 26. 28. Exod. 32. 10. And overcome the World, the Flesh, and the Devill, 1 John 5. 4. Galat. 5. 24. 1 John 2. 14. which is as much Valour and Victory as we care for.