A Sum of Moral Philosophy, Part 13 – Part 20
XIII Of Pleasure the 5th. Passion.
THis is the aime and vp-shot of the 4. former Passions:
Love
Desire
are like the qualities of lightnes in fire, which inclineth it to make
Hope.
Boldnes.
like the motion or Passage of it.
Pleasure resultes as the quietnes and rest of the Soule in her obiect: it is neuer hearty before the goods are in presence.
It is generally in men and beasts; it is tearmed properly pleasure, or delight: As it is in men by Opinion, it is called Ioy, Gaudium.
This in men hath 2.Aquenas. operations, sc:
1 Enlarging the hart: hence properly it is called laetitia, quasi latitia.
2 Forcing outward gestures, and so it is called Exultatio.
The Tenents touching it are,
1 Noe Passion is so vehement: So that many hauehave dyed of it; the reason is because it opens the hart, and being overmuch passes out the spirits, that keepe in life.
2 The greater Ioy, the greater content, and in men it is the consequent of happines.
3 It is neuer true, and of continuance, but where there is Peace of Conscience.
4 It is the Adjunct of Vertue.
5 It is increased by Variety of objectes.
6 It purifies the Soule, helpes concoction, expelles superfluities, hence the merry hauehave
Good wittes.
Faire complexions.
7 It is for goods present: though we joy for remembrance of things past, or for hope of things future, yet they are apprehended by vsus in a sort of Presence.
Motiues to rayse delights in a man are,
1 Perswade him to a
LoueLove
Desire
of those things, we would hauehave him delighted in.
2 Marke his inclination, sort, profession, and frame your selfe to the like practises.
3 Amplifie the goodnes of the thing, we would hauehave him delight in, not by describing it in grosse, but viewing every particular: Thence Poets in their louelove-legends describe every part of their Mrs th… more to delight.
4 Shew the continuance of this Ioy, that it breeds not after-repentance Variety c…useth delight, and vniformity rayseth loathing.
Pleasure is
Comon to men with beastes
Proper to men alone.
1 That in common is the Issue of Sence, and comes from a naturall appetite,
It is
Negatiue for the avoydance only of trouble.
Positiue for the gaining of some reall good.
This grounded on 2 conditions, viz.
1 The attaineing of a good convenient.
2 The perswasion that we hauehave attained it.
2 That proper to men is voluntary and hatched by Opinion.
It is either of
Mind or
Body
The Pleasures of the mind are best, yet all not warrantable, as the
Prone
Malicious
take delight in their passions, yet their minds are corrupt: these begin in hope, but end in shame and Griefe.
The truest delight of the mind without repentance is
1 Meditation on God, and heavenly things.
2 The view of learning.
Eudoxus wished to be burn'd with Phaëton, so he might stand neere the sunne to contemplate the nature of it: And Archimedes left not his drawing of lines, till a sword was drawen through his body.
Pleasures of the body are sensuall, and quickly Exceed Measure.
The Properties of them are
1 Inconstancie and fleeting.
2 Saciety, & cloying like rancke meate.
3 Ending in repentance.
4 They quench the thirst no more then Salt water, that wets the palate, but inflames the stomacke.
They are perswaded by three Enimyes.
1 World.
2 Flesh.
3 Devill.
The Wordlings take
Present
Apparent
Ioy for future, and reall payne.
The good had rather suffer here, and play hereafter.
Sensuall pleasures proceed from the diverse affecting of the Sences, as Musicke, and odors affect the Eare and Smell, pictures the Eye, &c. The strongest delight comes from the Sence of touching, The reason is, Delight is caused of LoueLove: we louelove those things, that most besteed vsus, of all the Sences touching is most vsefull; without which it is impossible we should liue: And as the goods affected by it are more deare; so the pleasure, when it is attained, must be more moving.
These bodily exercises in their Excesse distract the minds, and hinder the vse of right reason.
XIIII. Of Hate and Detesting.
THese are the 2. opposites of
LoueLove.
Desire.
Hate begins the dislike, dedetesting is the vehemency of it.
The obiect of both is evill: It is either of the
Thinge.
Person.
1 The thing hated principally is Sinne, and for it we dislike of the Person
Sinne is against the law of
1 Nature this breeds the hate of either
Moralists.
Heathens.
2 Grace, this breeds the hate of Christians.
sith all partake of nature, and are bound to its laws.
2 The Person we may not simply hate. It is proper to Ʋbicun{que} homo est, ibi benificio locus est.Seneca
3 heads of Sin moue …ate
1 Irreligion towards God.
2 Injustice towards men.
3 A selfe inclination to evills without outward motiues.
If these heads grow stronger, and are done wilfully, it transcends hate, and mov…s detestation.
The principle obiect of it is Atheisme.
1 It is the ground-plot of all other sinnes.
2 It is an evill of Will, not of Vnderstanding; we cannot alledge Ignorance for that, which the creature reveales. It is voluntary presumption.
3 Athists are most vnfit for Society.
Their commerce is either
1 Scoffing.
2 Impudency.
3 Vaine.
of that Constitution, as is most contrary to wisdome, and morall gravity.
These things moue the greatest detestation.
Hate is either
In common against states.
Particular for private respects.
1 That in common aryses, if
Their religion be in oposition to ours.
Their lawes be against nature.
Their oft iniuries done be without hope of righting.
2 Hate for private respects, is
1 Against a wronger of many, as
1 Tyrants
2 Extortioners.
2 Against a wronger of himselfe only for the indignity of his person.
This is set downe by its life
1 Towards God.
2 Towards himselfe.
3 Towards his Neighbour.
His entry into the World is shamefull, his stay, and departure hence with misreport, like a snuffe leauing a stincke, when the light is out.
Satis de odio, & detestatione.
XV. Of Despayre a…d Feare.
THese 2. are opposite to
Hope.
Boldnes.
Their speciall Art is in avoyding the future evill, which seeing they cannot master, they yeild.
1 Despaire ariseth from fayle of helpes.
2 Feate from the Imminence of evills.
The tenents of despaire are 3.
1 It deiecteth the minde.
2 It makes venterous to try the vtmost of dangers.
3 It is deepest in them, who before had greatest hopes.
The tenents of feare are 3.
1 It is never moved, but where some spice of hope is, for things without remedy are rather despaire, then feare.
2 The greater the things feared, and of long continuance, the greater is the feare.
3 It prepares Patience, awakes industry whereas despaire is only in suffring.
It ariseth from 3 heads
1 The debility of the person.
1 The greatnes of the danger.
3 The certainety and imminency thereof
Feare is either of a
Person.
Thinge
1 Of a Person it is either
1 Filiall, which is properly louelove.
2 Servile, which is only for escape.
The persons most feared by vsus are.
1 Great men offended with vsus.
2 Lewd men made powerfull.
3 They who stand in bodily feare of vsus.
4 High stomackes wronged by vsus.
5 They, who hauehave our life and credit in their hands
We feare them either
1 As in themselues faithlesse.
2 To be provoked …y
1 Gaine.
2 Threates.
3 Danger on their part, want of service in our part
Persons not …uch to be feared are.
1 They that are soone angry, and soone pleased.
2 They which open themselues too much in menaces and threats.
3 They that disclose their purposes. They close heart concocts malice. Vlysses is sayd to dissemble his disslike for the Woers ryot; but revenged them at occasion. Anthony and Dolabella frayd not Coesar, though they conspired against him: Hee answered he feared not those fatte, and open fact Traytors, but two leane ones Brutus and Cassius which proved his deaths-men. Demissos animo, & tacitos vitare memēto.
2 Things feared are evills bringing either
1 Destruction to the whole man, or
2 Baine to any part of him.
Evils are of
1 Sin, malum culpae.
2 Punishment, malum paenae.
1 The former is feared by the best men.
2 The latter is feared by the worst.
The parties most fearfull are,
1 They, whose quantity of heart is such, that it diffuseth the spirits.
2 They, that know their owne weaknes, and others ablenes to hurt.
3 They, that amplifye on the Evills feared.
The parties least fearefull are, The
Wise
Iust
who count no euill but
Sinne
Disgrace
which they endeavour to avoyd.
1 The most couragious.
2 They that preferre honour before their liues.
3 They that hauehave strength of meanes to backe them.
Satis de desperatione, & metu.
XVI Of Greife.
GReife is the End of the former Passions, and ariseth from the presence of evill.
It is of
Body.
Minde.
that of the min… is more dangerous.
The Tenents of it are;
1 It neuer touches things of absolute perfection, as God, Angells, &c. but is there most frequent, where is most plenty of evills, as in hell.
2 It dryeth the Body and ingendereth melancholy by cold blood.
3 It makes one vnfit for Action.
It growes vponupon vsus by
1 Yeilding too much to pleasures.
2 Entertayning a conceit of evils present.
The Way to resist it in our selues.
1 Propose to your selues examples of Patience, as of Marius. Ita tulit dolorem; vt vir & vt homo maiorem ferre sine causa necessariâ noluit.
2 Resolue to resist evills. As that Souldier, that stands it out, often winnes, when the coward dies by flight. Animi contentio Sola officij tanquam custodia.
3 That the euills now are not so great, but the goods ensueing counterpoyse them.
The way to allay it in others is comfort
Perswasion of a good to come.
Removall of an evill present.
In it are 2. things.
1 The time to apply it, when the greife is ripened, not newly begun; As Surgeons first let the sore soften, before they begin to draw it.
2 The manner of applieing it is
Generall.
Speciall.
1 The Generall by these places.
1 Shew how greater evills hauehave happened to others, then we now suffer. It was Socrates his saying, if of all mens evils heaped together all should hauehave equall share, each would rest content with their present estate.
2 Our evills be ordinary, and do what we can, we shall hauehave
1 Cares of minde.
2 Diseases of Body,
3 If the thing be …eable, shew the meanes of regaining it; if not, yet it is a folly … mourne for it:
4 That God sees, wha… is better for vsus, then we for our selues.
2 The speciall is according to the maine motiues of Griefe.
1 These are
Death.
Temporall misfortune.
2 Our comfort death is.
1 It is vnavoydable by fate, and all men must, and do tast of it.
2 It is noe Evill, but a passage to a better life.
3 Our life hath many troubles, and anguishes, death is the quiet of them.
4 If we greiue for the dead, then either, because they are not or because they are in torment; If they are not, why greiue we more for their now not-being, then for our children yet vnborne; If they be in torment, it is seene, they were evill, we were the better rid of them.
Of deaths they are most greveous, that are
Suddaine.
Vntimely.
Against these our comforts are 3.
1 We ever beare Corruption in our flesh, that in a moment may kill vsus.
2 Dying yonge makes vsus lesse fixt to the world, and fitter for God. foreign. He calles vsus hence as from a banquet, lest ouermuch sitting should make vsus surfeit.
3 The thing cannot be suddaine, sith we are euer lyable to evill. We ought euer to expect it.
2. Our comfort for temporall misfortunes.
1 They come from Gods decree, and so are necessary to fall on vsus.
2 They are profitable vntounto vsus, and debarre our insolence.
3 They may befall any as well as vsus.
4 Shall we greiue euer or leaue at last? If ever, to great a misery we impose on vsus: if we will l…ue, why resolue we not at first.
The Persons most giuen to … …fe are 3.
1 Whose temper of Body is Mela…cholie.
2 Weomen, because of their easines in yeilding.
3 They, who hauehave giuen themselues to ouermuch Ioy: This falling must end in depth of Griefe.
Satis de dolore.
XVII. Of Samefacenes.
It is a mixt passion joyned with
Feare of infamy.
LoueLove of Honesty.
It ariseth partly
before a fault.
After a fault.
It is only in good natures, but vnsteddy, soone fayling, and easily revoked by councell: It it commendable in youth, but not in the Aged.
The Effects of it are 2.
1 It moues to vertue; thence termed Purpura virtutis.
2 It calls blood into the face. Reason and Passion moue the heart; the heart, the spirits, the spirits the blood.
Now shame consists of 2 passions
1 Feare, that gathers blood to the hart.
2 LoueLove, that sends it abroad to the outward parts.
If we feare only disgrace, and hauehave no louelove to good, our blood keepes within: This is the signe of a bad nature, which being convicted of faults lookes not redde; but pale in the Face.
If we feare not only disgrace, but louelove and desire amendment, our blood spreadeth outward, and causeth blushing. Aristoteles his daughter being asked, what she counted the fayrest colour, answered the ruddy caused by an ingenuous blush.
It is a note of the best natures, and fittest for Counsell.
The reason, why t… blood sheweth it selfe most in the face is, because as the blo… is moued by the spirits so the spirits are most quicke, … animate the organ of sence; and the Organs of sence princi…ally are about the face.
The Extreames of shame are
… foreign, an overbashfulnes
2 Impudence, the defect of shame.
Bashfulnes in it selfe is not evill, but may often be a provocation to evill. It is grounded vponupon an overlenity of nature, and easines of yeilding. The object of it is feare of infamy. The persons whom it may hurt are 5.
1 Young men as leading them to an vnset'led and floating carriage in manners.
2 It makes them easie to suitors, without respect of their choyce.
3 Incontinent persons; It makes them vnable to resist evill-motions, though in the yeilding they greiue at it.
4 It debarreth their courage in punishing faults, and makes them loth to displease.
5 They, which are rich, powerfull, kind-hearted, and hauehave many helps to further others.
1 It makes the rich
Rash lenders.
Heady suretys.
2 The kind harted by it either
1 Follow the riot of bad company.
2 Beare false witnes for their Acquaintance.
3 Soone take paines for others.
4 Ioyne their to vnworthy men.
3 The powerfull hauehave many suitors, and by it are made easie to yeild to any demand, and profer without election.
The way to barre it is to acquainte our selues with resistance to motions, denialls of suits, if they be not honest, and convenient, but hurtfull to the granter.
The Inhabtants of Asia were all slaues, because they could not pronounce this word foreign. And Brutus said.
Impudence passes not feare of Infamy.
The difference betwixt it and bashullnesse is, that the bashfull retaine a louelove of vertue; the Impudent doe not.
Perijt, cui perit pudo…,
Satis de pudore.
XVIII Of Repentance.
REpentance is an act of Conscience arising from the thought of an evill done.What it is
It is either
1 Theologicall, because of offences done against the law of Grace.
2 Morall because of things done against the law of nature, or common Honesty.
1 Repentance theologicall is in Christians alone.
2 Morall is in Heathens.
It is raised by three motiues
1 Infamy.
2 Punishment.
3 Hate of vice.
1 That arising from feare of Infamy, and punishment is slauish, and incident to the most.
2 The best repent for the hate of vice: For as they louelove good for the good, not for reward: So they hate evill for the Evills sake, not for the punishment.
The parts of repentance are 2.
1 Hate of the evill done.
2 Resolution of amendment.
It is descryed 3. wayes
1 By contrition of the hart.
2 By confession of the mouth.
3 By satisfaction by good workes.
Its propertyes are three.
1 Repentance must be with vehemency of greife, least, while our greife for the fault slackenes, our care for amendment slackenes also.
2 It must not be for a time, but for continuance, sith evill is ever to be hated, and good ever to be resolued vponupon.
3 It must not be deferred, least delay breed custome of evill, and custome hardnes of hart.
The stops of repentance are 7.
1 Shame to confess… our faults, or pride in not acknowledging them.
2 Delighting in our sinnes.
3 Hope of longe life.
4 Despaire of obtaining grace.
5 Presumption of Gods mercy.
6 Longe custome of sinning.
7 Examples of bad men, which hauehave longe flourished, yet never repented.
The tenents of repentance are 5.
1 Repentance cannot be in a nature meerely good, as God, nor meerely bad, as the Deuill; but in such only as are partly good, and partly bad, as in men.
These are
Bad by nature; hence they offend.
Good by grace; hence they amend.
2 It is only in things, that we to fall: Beasts hauehave it not: those actions are not voluntary, but necessary, which cannot be repented off.
3 It ariseth from a knowledge, and tast of sinne committed: thence children hauehave it not.
4 It groundeth on hope: They that dye desperate hauehave it not, sith the desperate are swallowed vp with greife: The repentant receiue greife for the evill past, but ioy for the future good, and future things more moue then those past.
5 Repentance is ioyned with shame, as Impenitence is ioyned with jmpudence.
XIX. Of Pitty.
Pitty lookes outwardly to the Evills of others, but by reflexe to our owne.
It is mixed with
Greife for the Evills fallen.
Desire for their remedy.
Evills that raise pitty are 4
1 Greife …f minde.
2 Tortu… …f Body.
3 Dan…r of others death.
4 Mis fortune in goods.
The Evills moue most
1 If they are so neare to fall, that we feare them.
2 If so lately fallen, that we freshly remember them.
3 If their then present falling barres our Expectance of contrary profit.
The ground of pitty is our communion of nature.
The extent of it is a Desire to helpe.
This desire hath 2 conditions
If we we are able to helpe.
If iustice permit.
1 Greiuing for such as lawes, and Iustice will hauehave banished, is womanish.
2 For those we are not able to remedy, it is fruitlesse.
The Tenents of pitty are 4.
1. The better nature, the more it is inclinable to it.
2 It is meanes to provoke charity.
3 It compares the evill fallen with the desert, and concluds the person vnworthy to suffer it.
4 It brings vsus to acknowledg our owne misfortunes.
The parties most pittying are 5.
1 Old men partly
As not being so stomackefull, as the yonge.
As hauing more experience of Dangers.
2 Weaklings
Weomen
Children
they thinke for their infirmity, they may soone suffer the like.
3 Schollers, as being by bookes accquainted with many examples of dangers.
4 They that hauehave felt former evills, and now are ridde of them.
5 They that hauehave opinion of anothers worth, they count it below his deserts to be in evills.
The parties least pittying are 5.
1 Who are most giuen to
Anger
Boldnes
they recount not the evills, that may befall them.
2 Scoffers and they who are readie to wrong others.
3 They that are in ex…remitie of distresse: As in Cityes beseiged parents eate their owne children; whereas otherwise they vsed to pitty them. Their care is for the remedy of their owne harmes, little for others: thence they that feare imminent dangers, pitty not others, but care for themselues.
4 They that are in height of fortune not likely to fall. Thence tyrants and rich men pitty least,
5 They that hauehave prejudice against others behaviour, what befalls them, they count it desert, and doe lesse greiue at it.
The persons, whom we pitty most, are 4.
1 Acquaintance rather then strangers.
2 Our equalls either in
1 Yeares.
2 Manners.
3 Profession.
4 Office.
5 Stocke.
2 They who suffer those evills, which wee our selues feared,
4 Men bearing their harmes with
1 Patience
2 Courage
by it we count them vnworthy of them, & so pitty them.
The way to raise pitty for others.
1 Shew the valour, and the worth of the person, that suffers.
2 The greivousnes of the Evills befallen.
3 The like may happen either to them, or their freinds.
Conscience of a mans owne case moues it.
XX. Of Zeale and Iealousie.
1 ZEale is a Passion grounded on louelove.
It is
1 Griefe for a fault committed.
2 Desire for a good intended.
It borders on repentance, and is the issue and effect of it.
It is ever with fervency: It is most dangerous, vnlesse it be regulated with knowledge.
It is either for a
Good quality.
the good of a person.
1 The former is in the best, who…re …ealous of good for goodnes it selfe.
2 The latter comes from the respect of a person conceiued in the behalfe of one, we louelove.
It supposeth
Wrong done to our freind
Desire of remedy
or griefe for it.
2 Iealousy is a passion conceiting an Evill in another, that perhaps is guiltles of it: it comes only by conjectures.
It proues often injurious.
It breeds trouble in ourselues, and distrust to our freinds.
The way to barre it is, not to skanne the actions of others, but with a favourable interpretation.