o
mark exactly, shall be able to espie and iudge the natures of al
men, whose conuersacion he doth know, though thei vse great
dissimulacion to colour their desires, especially when they
perceiue other men to mislyke that which thei so much desire:
For no man wold gladly haue his appetite improued. And herof
commeth that seconnde thing wherin al agree, that euery man would
most gladly win all other men to his sect, and to make them of
his opinion, and as far as he dare, will dispraise all other
mens iudgementes, and praise his own waies only, onles it be when
he dissimuleth, and that for the furtherance of his own purpose.
And this propertie also doth geue great light to the full
knowledge of mens natures, which as all men ought to obserue, so
princes aboue other haue most cause to mark for sundrie
occasions which may lye them on, wherof I shall not nede to
speke any farther, consideryng not only the greatnes of wit, and
exactnes of iudgement whiche god hath lent vnto your highnes
person, but also y^e most graue wisdom and profound knowledge of
your maiesties most honorable councel, by whom your highnes may so
sufficiently vnderstand all thinges conuenient, that lesse shal
it nede to vnderstand by priuate readying, but yet not vtterly
to refuse to read as often as occasion may serue, for bokes dare
speake, when men feare to displease. But to returne agayne to my
firste matter, if none other good thing maie be lerned at their
maners, which so wrongfully place their felicity, in so miserable
a condition (that while they thinke them selfes happy, their
felicitie must nedes seme vnluckie, to be by them so euill
placed) yet this may men learn at them, by those .ij. spectacles
to espye the secrete natures and dispositions of others, whiche
thyng vnto a wise man is muche auailable. And thus will I omit
this great tablement of vnhappie hap, and wil come to .iij.
other sortes of a better degre, wherof the one putteth felicitie
to consist in power and royaltie. The second sorte vnto power
annexeth worldly wisdome, thinkyng him full happie, that could
attayn those two, wherby he might not onely haue knowledge in
all thynges, but also power to bryng his desires to ende. The
thyrd sort estemeth true felicitie to consist in wysdom annexed
with vertuouse maners, thinkyng that they can take harme of
nothyng, if they can with their wysedome ouercome all vyces. Of
the firste of those three sortes there hath been a great numbre
in all