keth of Robin hood that
neuer shot in his bow: there came a great Oratour before _Cleomenes_ king
of _Lacedemonia_, and vttered much matter to him touching fortitude and
valiancie in the warres: the king laughed: why laughest thou quoth the
learned man, since thou art a king thy selfe, and one whom fortitude best
becommeth? why said Cleomenes would it not make any body laugh, to heare
the swallow who feeds onely vpon flies to boast of his great pray, and see
the eagle stand by and say nothing? if thou wert a man of warre or euer
hadst bene day of thy life, I would not laugh to here thee speake of
valiancie, but neuer being so, & speaking before an old captaine I can not
choose but laugh.

And some things and speaches are decent or indecent in respect of the time
they be spoken or done in. As when a great clerk presented king
_Antiochus_ with a booke treating all of iustice, the king that time lying
at the siege of a towne, who lookt vpon the title of the booke, and cast
it to him againe: saying, what a diuell tellest thou to me of iustice, now
thou seest me vse force and do the best I can to bereeue mine enimie of
his towne? euery thing hath his season which is called Oportunitie, and
the vnfitnesse or vndecency of the time is called Importunitie.

Sometime the vndeceny ariseth by the indignitie of the word in respect of
the speaker himselfe, as whan a daughter of Fraunce and next heyre
generall to the crowne (if the law _Salique_ had not barred her) being set
in a great chaufe by some harde words giuen her by another prince of the
bloud, said in her anger, thou durst not haue said thus much to me if God
had giuen me a paire of, &c. and told all out, meaning if God had made her
a man and not a woman she had bene king of Fraunce. The word became not
the greatnesse of her person, and much lesse her sex, whose chiefe virtue
shamefastnesse, which the Latines call _Verecundia_, that is a naturall
feare to be noted with any impudicitie: so as when they heare or see any
thing tending that way they commonly blush, & is a part greatly praised in
all women.

Yet will ye see in many cases how pleasant speeches and fauouring some
skurrillity and vnshamefastnes haue now and then a certaine decencie, and
well become both the speaker to say, and the hearer to abide, but that is
by reason of some other circumstance, as when the speaker himselfe is
knowne to be a common iester or buffon, such as take vpon them to make
princes merry, o