rd the
conuersation is not indecent.

And _Proclus_ the Philosopher knowing how euery indecencie is vnpleasant
to nature, and namely, how vncomely a thing it is for young men to doe as
old men doe (at leastwise as young men for the most part doe take it)
applyed it very wittily to his purpose: for hauing his sonne and heire a
notable vnthrift, & delighting in nothing but in haukes and hounds and gay
apparrell, and such like vanities, which neither by gentle nor sharpe
admonitions of his father, could make him leaue. _Proclus_ himselfe not
onely bare with his sonne, but also vsed it himselfe for company, which
some of his frends greatly rebuked him for, saying, o _Proclus_, an olde
man and a Philosopher to play the foole and lasciuious more than the
sonne. Mary, quoth _Proclus_, & therefore I do it, for it is the next way
to make my sonne change his life, when he shall see how vndecent it is in
me to leade such a life, and for him being a yong man, to keepe companie
with me being an old man, and to doe that which I doe.

So is it not vnseemely for any ordinarie Captaine to winne the victory or
any other auantage in warre by fraud & breach of faith: as _Hanniball_
with the Romans, but it could not well become the Romaines managing so
great an Empire, by examples of honour and iustice to doe as _Hanniball_
did. And when _Parmenio_ in a like case perswaded king _Alexander_ to
breake the day of his appointment, and to set vpon _Darius_ at the
sodaine, which _Alexander_ refused to doe, _Parmenio_ saying, I would doe
it if I were _Alexander_, and I too quoth _Alexander_ if I were
_Parmenio_: but it behooueth me in honour to fight liberally with mine
enemies, and iustly to ouercome. And thus ye see that was decent in
_Parmenios_ action, which was not in the king his masters.

A great nobleman and Counseller in this Realme was secretlie aduised by
his friend, not to vse so much writing his letters in fauour of euery man
that asked them, specially to the Iudges of the Realme in cases of
iustice. To whom the noble man answered, it becomes vs Councellors better
to vse instance for our friend, then for the Iudges to sentence at
instance: for whatsoeuer we doe require them, it is in their choise to
refuse to doe, but for all that the example was ill and dangerous.

And there is a decencie in chusing the times of a mans busines, and as the
Spaniard sayes, _es tiempo de negotiar_, there is a fitte time for euery
man to performe his