Of Peace and Contentment of Mind, Book 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Of the goods of the Body, Beauty, Strength, Health.
FRom the goods of Fortune which are altogether out of us and many times conſiſt in imagination, we come to the perſonal: beginning by thoſe of the body.
The firſt is Beauty, which among bodily goods may be called the firſt gift of God, and the firſt advantage of nature. I ſay not, that it is the principal, for health is farre above it in excellency. But it cannot be denyed that it is the firſt, ſince God hath placed it in the entry, and on the front of this building of the fleſh.
Beauty at the very firſt meeting winnes the good Opinion of beholders, and gives an advantagious preconceit of a faire mind. Beauty is a ſigne of goodneſſe of nature. The ſweet vigour of the eyes, the ſmoth skinne, the lively white and red, the handſome lineaments of the face, and the comely proportion of the body are markes of a quick and well compoſed mind. Which yet is not peculiar to Beauty: For many perſons in whom melancholy is predominant, which tanneth their skin, ſets their eyes deepe in their head, & puts a ſowreneſs on their brow, have a penetrating and judicious underſtanding. Open faces, which are the moſt beautiful, have commonly candid and ſerene ſoules, but none of the craftieſt.
The obſervation that Pride is a companion to Beauty is not naturally true, but by accident; for beautifull perſons being praiſed and admired of all, who can wonder that they grow proud, ſince ſo much paine is taken to make them ſo?
A good preſence is well ſorted with valour and wiſedome, and doth excellent ſervice to brave men, if they ſpoyle it not by affectation.
Beauty is the loadſtone of Love; which courts her and calls its her faire Sun. And ſo ſhe is, for it gets heat by Beauty. And as the heat cauſed by the Sun is allayed when the Sunne is ſet, ſo doth the heat kindled by Beauty loſe its flame when Beauty its gone. When love outlives Beauty, ſome other cauſes muſt keep it alive, as vertue and utility.
Beauty is among deſirable goods, not among the laudable; for nothing is laudable in us but the productions of our will and induſtrie. For which reaſon handſome women ought to reject prayſes of their Beauty; for either theſe praiſes are injurious to God, who as the Author ought to have the whole praiſe of his work; or they are injurious to them, and ſeeme to preſuppoſe that they have made their beauty, and ſophiſticated nature by art; for none ought to be praiſed for that he hath not done.
Great and rare Beauty in its nature is deſirable, but by accident; and as the world goes, it is more to be feared then deſired, and does more harme then good. It is hurtfull to the perſon that is endowed with it, for it expoſeth her to temptations and inſolence, which commonly make her wicked and miſerable. It is hurtful to the perſon that woeth it or enjoyeth it, for it ſets him as a marke for injuries. Many might have led a tranquil life, and eſcaped diſcredit, quarrel, ruine, and ſtabbing in the end, had not their wives bin too handſome.
But though beauty were not cumbered with all this danger, the nature and price of it muſt be well conſidered, that we may not expect of it a contentment beyond its kinde. Beauty is the exteriour and ſuperficiall ornament of a ſickly and mortall body, the inſide whereof is unpleaſing to the eye, and would make the hearts riſe of the admirers of the outſide if they could ſee it. It is a faire bloſſom onelyonly for the ſpring of life, which will fade with age, or wither with ſickneſſe and cares, in the very ſpring. It is a cheater, which promiſeth much, & keepeth not promiſe, for the moſt amorous never found in it a delight anſwerable to the deſire that it kindleth. Take the right meaſure of the goodnes of that ſo much deſired poſſeſſion of beauty, ſo ſhal you not deſire it above meaſure; and when you have it, you ſhall reape from it a more ſincere content, becauſe you ſhall require of it as much as its nature affords, and no more.
Strength alſo and Health are things deſired, not laudable, as things that come by nature, not by will.
Great ſtrength of body is commonly accompanied with a weake minde; and that diſproportion is augmented with much feeding, and obligeth nature to beſtow the maine Magazine of ſpirits upon diſgeſtion diſtribution of meat, and hardning of the brawnes of the limbs, to enable them for ſtrong labour, leaving but few ſpirits to attend reaſoning & contemplating. Speak to perpetuall hunters, of the delight of ſpeculation; you ſhall finde them little more capable of it then their hounds, which are the higheſt point of their meditation. To their minde is very convenient the definition which Ariſtotle gives to the Soul, that it is the firſt act (that is the principle of the motion) of an organical body; for their ſoul ſeemes to be made for no other end but to move their body. It is certain that too great excerciſe of the body dulls the mind. The preheminency of man above beaſts conſiſteth in reaſon, and the capacity of knowing and loving God. Men that are proud of their ſtrength, robore corporis ſtolidè feroces, placing their advantage and content in a thing wherein they are inferiour to many beaſts, deſcend from their dignity and take place under their natural ſubjects. He that with his forehead would knocke a great naile into a poſt, to the very head, deſerved this praiſe, that next to a Bull he had the hardeſt head of all beaſts.
Health of all goods of the body is moſt to be deſired, yea more then life; A truth not contradicted by the knowne Maxime, that the end is better then the meanes, for I hold not health to be ſubordinate unto life, but life unto health. Being is the meanes, and well being is the end. Non eſt vivere ſed valere vita. So Mecenas muſt be left to his owne Opinion & deſire, who though he were maimed hands and feet, and had all his teeth looſe in his head, and a bunch on his crooked back, would think himſelfe well, if he had but life; Yea if by enduring the ſharpeſt tortures of the croſs he might keepe life he would willingly endure them. His enemies could wiſh him no greater harme, then to buy life at that rate.
The body being made for the ſoul, the true natural benefit of Health is not long life, but the liberty of the actions of the mind. For the minde ſtickes ſo to the body that it cannot act very freely in a body tormented with acute paine, or pined with a lingring diſeaſe. Wherefore that we may go through that neceſſary captivity as eaſily as may be, an eſpecial care muſt be had of the health of our body; taking all occaſion from it, of accuſing the exceſſes & ill government of the minde, for the corruption and inflammation of the humours; behaving ourſelves with our body, not as living for it, but as unable to live in the world without it. Our minde was made for a better end then to ſerve the fleſh. Yet let us give it faithfully its due, as to the horſe that carryes us in our journey: It muſt be fed and tended, elſe it will faile us in the way.
Curious perſons commit two faults about the care of their bodies. They beſtow much coſt and labour to adorne them, but they neglect their health, expoſing themſelves halfe naked to cold aire to ſhew a fine halfe ſhirt, as if they furniſht their roomes with rich hangings, and ſuffered the raine to fall on them for want of repairing the roofe. In matter of cloathes, health and commodity are the beſt counſellors, not the eyes and Opinions of ſtrangers.
Health muſt be acknowledged the richeſt jewell of all temporal things, yea preferable to many ornaments of the minde. He that hath got much learning in the Tongues, and hath diſeaſed his body with watching, hath loſt more then he hath got.
But the healthfulleſt body of the world is a tottering houſe which muſt every day be underpropt with food, and (for all our care) will fall in the end. We muſt looke upon it as a tenement at will, which we hold under God our Landlord; not fearing but rejoycing that we muſt leave it, knowing that if our earthly houſe of this tabernacle were diſolved, we have a building of God, a houſe not made with hands eternal in the heavens. 2 Cor. 5.1.
LIFE, I ſet neither among goods nor among evils, for it is neither good nor evill in itſelfe, but the ſubject of good and evill, like the painters cloath where all ſorts of colours are couched. Such as it is, it muſt be put in the rank of thoſe things that depend not of our will, and therefore muſt not be accounted ours, but uſed as a borrowed commodity. We muſt ſay more of it, when we ſpeake of Death.