AS the Phylosofers sayth , the Sonne is the iye of the worlde / the gladnesse , and the Iocundyte of the daye / the beautie of Heuen / the measure of tyme , the vertue and orygynall of all thynges growyng , the lord of all planettes , the leder and perfectour of al planettes and sterres . ¶ The Moone also as sayeth Ambrose exameron , is bewtye of the nyght , mother and mynyster of all humours , measure of all tymes , guyder of the see , chaunger of the ayre folower of the Sonne . And for as moche as she is moste lyke vnto the Sonne , vpon a tyme she began to detract and defame the Sonne , the whiche he perceyuyng spake to the Moone & said : Why doest thou backebyte me & blasphemest me / I haue euer gyuen the lyght and gone afore the to thy profyte , & thou hatest me and maliciously malignest agaynst me . Go from me sayde the Moone for I loue the nat . For thy great bryghtnes causeth me to be set lytel store by in the worlde . For & thou were nat , I shulde be in great dygnyte . The Sonne answered & sayd . O thou vncurteys creature be thou content with thy degre . For as I shyne in the day tyme and bere than the rule , so thou without impedyment occupyest all the nyght at thyne owne pleasure . Let vs therfore mekely obey vnto our maker , & exalte nat thy selfe by pryde , but suffre me pacyently to do as I am ordeyned , and do thou thy duety . The Moone consyderynge no reason in great angre departed and gathered togither all the sterres , and began batell , & shot arowes agaynst the Sonne , and entended vtterly with dartes and arowes to smyte hym & destroye hym . The Sonne beyng aboue and at a vauntage seynge al this cruelnes , drewe out his sworde and smote the Moone a sonder , & threwe downe the sterres & sayd , as often as thou art rownde , I shal departe thee . For this cause as fables reporte the Moone conceyueth nat rownde , & sterres oftentymes fall downe . And so the Moone was confused and sayde .

SO in lykewyse moche people beyng inflate and blowen vp with pryde & elacion , wold be lyke vnto the Sonne , and haue domynacion aboue all other , and by theyr wylles wolde that none were aboue them , nor lyke vnto them , as the glose sayth . Pride is a brennyng eleuacyon in the mynde , dyspysyng them that be vnder , and wolde be equall with them that be aboue , for why as Crysostom sayth , desyre of exaltacion is great synne , and vtterly to be dyspysed , and suffraunce is worshipful and commendable . It is wrytten & sayd , that the prowde people be lyft on heyght , bycause theyr fall shuld be the more greuous . For he that falleth but lowe may soone aryse as the Poete sayth . But he that falleth from on hyghe may nat so esely be restored to helth . Braunches of a tree growynge alowe , be conserued from tempestes , as wryteth Crysostom . But they that be on hygh be oftentymes broken and in great ieoperdye . Wherfore Quintus Curci{us} sayth , that a certayne persone said vnto kynge Alexaunder , that a tree beyng of great heyght may the sooner be blowen vp by the rote . And thoughe a Lyon be myghtye and prowde , yet be smal byrdes fedde with his flesshe . ¶ A Phylosopher came to the tombe of Alexaunder and sayd / yesterday to this man suffysed nat all the worlde . Nowe is he suffysed with the space of .vij. fote long . And therfore pryde is to be reproued . &c.

PHylosophers wryte that there be .vij. planettes / that is to say , Saturne , Iupiter , Mars , Sol , Venus , Mercurye , & Luna . But there is great space bytwene planet & planet . For as Moyses greatest of Phylosophers reherseth & sayth / also it is wryten in the golden legende , that euery compas of euery planet hath in thyckenes the way of .v. C. yeres that is to meane , asmoche space as a man may iourney and walke in .v. C. yeres / so that dayly his iourney extended to .xl. myles / & euery myle to bere in length ii . M. pace . Vpon a tyme a great thicke clowde began to exalte her self & sayd . Myne excellencye is great , for I maye by interposycion of my greatnes cause that other planettes may nat shewe them selfe in the world but at my wyll . Seynge that I am vnder other planettes and may do so moche , yf I were exalted hygher , than myght I do moche more . And thus this clowde prowdly ascended vpwarde tyl she came to Saturne . Saturne seyng this clowde presumptuously aplying to go aboue hym was sore greued & sayd vnto her , what arte thou that coueytest with pryde to ascend there as neuer man cam . I shal ascende aboue the said the clowde , and ouerthrowe the . That heryng Saturne and sore moued , ordeyned harneys and wepyn / and stopped fast the waye and threwe downe the clowde , and dystroyed hym for euer and sayde .

SO befell it to Nabugodonosor / whiche desyred to be aboue all other kynges and prynces , and to be called kyng of all kynges , and Lorde of all lordes . For pryde nat consyderynge that almyghty God h dom●nacyon aboue all earthly lordshyp● as it is specifyed , Danyell .iiij. Whan the herte of Nabugodon●s●● was lyfte vp by pryde , wherfore he was deposed from his dygnyte , wherof it was sayde vnto hym . The dwellyng of the shal be amonge wylde beastes , & God shall eiect thee and cast the out from mans company / and thou shalte eate hay lyke an Oxe , and .vij. seasons shal be chaunged ouer the . It is writen in Hystory scolastical that Nabugodonosor was nat chaunged in to a beast vnreasonable by mutacyon and chaunge of the body / but by mutacyon and elienacion of his wytte and reason / and also the eloquencie of his speche was taken from hym / and he feined hymselfe that in his forelymbes of his body he was lyke to an Oxe or a bul , & in his hinder parties he thought hymselfe to be lyke a lyon . Daniel also at the time of his elienacion prayed for hym so hertely , that the .vij. seasons / that is to say .vij. yeres by his prayers were chaunged into .vij. monethes . In the whiche .vij. monethes the space of .xl. dayes he had great infirmite & disease Other .xl. dayes within the sayde .vij. monethes he retourned to his mynde / and prayde with great wepyng so largely that his iyen were tourned in to rednes / & lyke vnto rawe flesshe . Many one went to haue a syght of hym / after that .vii. monethes were fully complete and fulfyld , he was reuoked and called agayne vnto his fyrste estate / but he raygned nat immediatly / for there were ordeyned .vij. Iudges , and so he contynued in abstynence & penaunce vnto the ende of .vij. yeres neuer eate breade nor flesshe / nor dranke wyne in al that longe season .

EVen so it is conuenyent for vs to do when we haue a good ruler the which ryghtfully ruleth and guydeth vs , we be bounde to loue hym , and to do hym honour and worshyp / & nat lyghtly to chaunge hym , but cherysshe hym after our power for the great laboure that he hath to guyde vs for our wele . The degre of gouernaunce is called great worship , but it is great charge as Barnarde sayeth / what is worshyp or power , but a great burdayne & myserie . Or what is sublymyte or dygnyte of the worlde , but a perylous and doubtful tempest . Who may be in worshyp or prelacye without payne or trybulacyon . Or who is in dygnyte without vanite , as Valery telleth . liber .vij. Of a kynge that was of so great wyt , and so great counsell / that when the Crowne was delyuered to hym he held it long betwene his handes or he set it vpon his heade , and considering it wel and sayd . O noble and fortunable garlande / howe full of besynes and peryll art thou , innumerable to be tolde . For as Augustyn sayth . There is nothyng more laborious , more harde , nor more peryllous , than is to haue great domynacion or sygnyorye , and therfore Valerius doth shewe vnto vs in libro .vij. of Corneli scipion / that when Spayne was fallen vnto him / he answered and said he wolde nat go thyther / & shewed the cause why . For he could nat do equite & ryghtwysnes , for he thought hym selfe nat connynge ne suffycyent to so great a worshyp / and so great a peryll togyther .

OF dyuers Philosophers the saying is / that the earth is the mydel parte of the worlde . the conseruer of fruytes , the couerynge of hell , the noryssher of all quycke thinges . The mother of all growyng thynges . The conseruatryce of lyfe / & the swalower of all thynges . ¶ Vpon a tyme heuen sent downe to the earth here many great tempestes / of rayne , of thonder , and of lyghtnyng , wherby he greued the earth verye sore , when she was angry and greatly dysplesed she called the ayre to her & sayd . Brother ayre I pray the medyll nat bytwene heauen and me , for myne entente is vtterly fyxed to ouerthrowe hym , for he hath done great wronge & iniury vnto me , that I hope to be auenged vpon hym with suche wayes as I can fynde . To whom the ayre answered and sayd . Do nat so syster , but let thy wrath passe . For thoughe it be so that heauen haue greued the nowe , another tyme ye shall be frendes & make mery togither . The earth beyng blynde and ouercome with anger wolde nat cease , but ran & caught harneys , & began to fyght with heuen . That seyng the ayre raysed vp great darkenes , & brought forth great clowdes , & caused so great thyckenes , that the earth coulde nat discerne where heuen was . And that contynewed so longe , vntyll the wrath and wodnes was clene gone . Than after that the ayre sent out wyndes and purged the countrey , and droue away the mystes & darknesses , and made all clere and sayde .

EVery man ought so to do when he seth his frendes and neyghbours wroth togyther . For after the sayinge of Caton . Yre & wrath letteth the mynde that it may nat discerne truth . For a man that is angry is past his mynde , and therfore he is to be temperatly guyded and refrayned by his frendes , tyll he be remoued from that wodnes / and tyll wrath in hym be ended . For as Seneca sayth The begynnyng of wysdom is to moderate yre and wrath / for he that ouercommeth wrath / doth ouercome his greatest ennemye , as Valery telleth whan Archita Tarentius was greued with his seruaunt , he said vnto hym . O thou vnhappy creature nowe wolde I correcte the / yf I were nat at this tyme wroth with the . Wherby it appereth that Yre and malyce is to be voyded out of mynde . For it is sayde in the boke of Prouerbes .xxvij. Yre hath no mercye . Therfore a Iudge ought neuer to gyue sentence whyle he is angrye . Wherfore it is red in thystoryes of Romaynes that Theodosius the emperour was often tymes prompt and dysposed to do cruell execucyon . But there was a wyse man that gaue hym counceyl that whan he felt hymselfe greued and angry / or euer he gaue any sentence he shulde saye and reherse softly with in hymselfe .xxiij. letters of the . A.b.c. That his mynde myght be refresshed / and so to muse what was best to be done / and that he myght the more rypely se and knowe what iudgement ought ryghtwysly to be gyuen with good discrecyon and delyberacyon .