honey mixed was,
Nor did they silk in purple colours steep;
They slept upon the wholesome grass,
And their cool drink did fetch from rivers deep.
The pines did hide them with their shade,
No merchants through the dangerous billows went,
Nor with desire of gainful trade
Their traffic into foreign countries sent.
Then no shrill trumpets did amate
The minds of soldiers with their daunting sounds,
Nor weapons were with deadly hate
Dyed with the dreadful blood of gaping wounds.
For how could any fury draw
The mind of man to stir up war in vain,
When nothing but fierce wounds he saw,
And for his blood no recompense should gain?
O that the ancient manners would
In these our latter hapless times return!
Now the desire of having gold
Doth like the flaming fires of Aetna burn.
Ah, who was he that first did show
The heaps of treasure which the earth did hide,
And jewels which lay close below,
By which he costly dangers did provide?

VI.

Quid autem de dignitatibus potentiaque disseram quae uos uerae dignitatis
ac potestatis inscii caelo exaequatis? Quae si in improbissimum quemque
ceciderunt, quae flammis Aetnae eructuantibus, quod diluuium tantas strages
dederint? Certe, uti meminisse te arbitror, consulare imperium, quod
libertatis principium fuerat, ob superbiam consulum uestri ueteres abolere
cupiuerunt, qui ob eandem superbiam prius regium de ciuitate nomen
abstulerant. At si quando, quod perrarum est, probis deferantur, quid in
eis aliud quam probitas utentium placet? Ita fit ut non uirtutibus ex
dignitate sed ex uirtute dignitatibus honor accedat. Quae uero est ista
uestra expetibilis ac praeclara potentia? Nonne, o terrena animalia,
consideratis quibus qui praesidere uideamini? Nunc si inter mures uideres
unum aliquem ius sibi ac potestatem prae ceteris uindicantem, quanto
mouereris cachinno! Quid uero, si corpus spectes, inbecillius homine
reperire queas quos saepe muscularum quoque uel morsus uel in secreta
quaeque reptantium necat introitus? Quo uero quisquam ius aliquod in
quempiam nisi in solum corpus et quod infra corpus est, fortunam loquor,
possit exserere? Num quidquam libero imperabis animo? Num mentem firma sibi
ratione cohaerentem de statu propriae quietis amouebis? Cum liberum quendam
uirum suppliciis se tyrannus adacturum putaret, ut aduersum se factae
coniurationis conscios proderet, linguam ille momordit atque abscidit et in