wilt reform it: fear of a whip will make
thee do, or not do. Do that voluntarily then which thou canst do, and must
do by compulsion; thou mayst refrain if thou wilt, and master thine
affections. [3415]"As in a city" (saith Melancthon) "they do by stubborn
rebellious rogues, that will not submit themselves to political judgment,
compel them by force; so must we do by our affections. If the heart will
not lay aside those vicious motions, and the fantasy those fond
imaginations, we have another form of government to enforce and refrain our
outward members, that they be not led by our passions." If appetite will
not obey, let the moving faculty overrule her, let her resist and compel
her to do otherwise. In an ague the appetite would drink; sore eyes that
itch would be rubbed; but reason saith no, and therefore the moving faculty
will not do it. Our fantasy would intrude a thousand fears, suspicions,
chimeras upon us, but we have reason to resist, yet we let it be overborne
by our appetite; [3416]"imagination enforceth spirits, which, by an
admirable league of nature, compel the nerves to obey, and they our several
limbs:" we give too much way to our passions. And as to him that is sick of
an ague, all things are distasteful and unpleasant, _non ex cibi vitio_
saith Plutarch, not in the meat, but in our taste: so many things are
offensive to us, not of themselves, but out of our corrupt judgment,
jealousy, suspicion, and the like: we pull these mischiefs upon our own
heads.

If then our judgment be so depraved, our reason overruled, will
precipitated, that we cannot seek our own good, or moderate ourselves, as
in this disease commonly it is, the best way for ease is to impart our
misery to some friend, not to smother it up in our own breast: _aliter
vitium crescitque tegendo_, &c., and that which was most offensive to us, a
cause of fear and grief, _quod nunc te coquit_, another hell; for [3417]
_strangulat inclusus dolor atque exaestuat intus_, grief concealed
strangles the soul; but when as we shall but impart it to some discreet,
trusty, loving friend, it is [3418]instantly removed, by his counsel
happily, wisdom, persuasion, advice, his good means, which we could not
otherwise apply unto ourselves. A friend's counsel is a charm, like
mandrake wine, _curas sopit_; and as a [3419]bull that is tied to a
fig-tree becomes gentle on a sudden (which some, saith [3420]Plutarch,
interpret of good words), so is a savage, obdurate