Of Titus Uespasianus emperor of Rome we read, that he answered one of his freends, admonish|ing him to hold his hands, and not to make his libe|ralitie and gentlenesse common to all men, saieng; Suetonius. that it becommeth not a prince to let anie man part EEBO page image 1265 from him with a heauie hart. This worthie erle was of like mind:The huma|nitie, courte|sie, affable|nesse, and other ver [...]ues of this earle. for he was so full of humanitie and compassion, that he would be loth to let anie distres|sed part from him without some comfort and ease. In so much that in him (if euer in anie man) this adage, Homo homini Deus, A man a god to man, was as true|lie performed, as in tyrants the contrarie adage, that is, Homo homini lupus, A man a woolfe to man. Wee read in chronicles of emperors, kings, & noble men, which for their bountifulnesse, gentlenesse, affabilitie, and goodnesse, deserued some honorable addition to their names; as amongst the emperors Antoninus pi|us, Anthonie the vertuous; amongst the British kings, Elidorus pius, Elidor the godlie; and amongst noble men, in the time of king Richard the second, sir Thomas Montacute the good earle of Salisburie; and in the time of king Henrie the sixt, sir Thomas Beuchampe the good earle of Warwike. This no|ble earle for the verie like qualities hath trulie deser|ued to be called, the good earle, the vertuous earle, and the valiant earle of Essex.

Temperance, a noble vertue wherewith this erle was indued.Temperance is the founteine of nobilitie; it is a vertue whereby a man obserueth a moderation, & a reasonable meane in the vse of all things perteining to bodie & mind: it is the mother of all other vertues, without which, the rest are blemished and disgraced. In the Dutch chronicles that tell of the liues of em|perors, the first qualitie that is noted, is temperat, or not temperat, as an argument of the rest of his life and dooings: for he is thought vnworthie to rule others that can not rule himselfe. This noble earle had a speciall grace, and an excellent gift of God in obseruation of this vertue, whether you respect diet, or the suppression of all vicious affections.The bishops report of the earle vpon his owne know|ledge. I haue di|uerse times noted in him, when vnderstanding was brought vnto him of some Thrasonicall contumeli|ous word, spoken by some glorious inferior aduersa|rie against him, he would neuer be stirred to anie perturbation of mind thereby, but with graue wise|dome and magnanimitie contemne it and smile, de|riding the vanitie and waiwardnesse of that canke|red stomach that vomited such sowre rotten infecti|on: for he did effectuallie consider that it became no better a noble hart to take in & receiue wranglings, brallings, chafings, and anger, than it is conuenient to dawbe a golden piller with mire and claie. Salo|mon was of that mind, Eccles. 7.9. and therefore saith; Be not thou hastie to be angrie, for anger resteth in the bo|some of fooles. I haue had occasion by that I noted in his lordship to call to remembrance this saieng of Christ; Luke 6.45. A good man out of the good tresure of his hart bringeth foorth good things: & the euill man out of the euill treasure of his hart bringeth foorth euill things. For though occasion were ministred, yet should you neuer heare him vtter anie opprobrious words, no not against his aduersarie, so pure & immaculate did he studie to preserue the nobilitie of his mind.The earle could not a|waie with swearing, cha|sing, nor anie disordered dealing, &c. There be some that count themselues worthie honor & esti|mation, when they teare God in péeces with chafing and horrible oths: which this noble earle detested and abhorred, as a matter not onelie vndecent, but also repugnant to the nature of true nobilitie, attribu|ting due reuerence to the name of the Lord, & there|by proouing the founteins of his nobilitie to spring out of the hill of the feare of God.

But what was his religion, what faith God had blessed him withall, what godlie disposition he was of, and how abundantlie God had inriched him with his holie spirit; the confession of his faith, his spée|ches, naie rather his sermons in his sickenesse afore his death shall testifie for euer.The disposi|tion and de|uotion of this earle in the time of his sickenesse. For I receiued by the relation of such as are woorthie credit, and were pre|sent about him, although not all, yet manie of his learned godlie saiengs at that time. Concerning his saluation, he reposed his affiance and sure trust in the bloud of Iesus Christ. He forgaue all the world, and by inuincible faith apprehended, laied hold, and imbrased remission of his sinnes, in the merits of the sacrifice of Christs bodie offered vpon the crosse for the sinnes of the world. Trentals, masses, diriges, pardons, and such other papisticall trifles he vtterlie contemned, as wicked and blasphemous against the death and passion of Christ. He fared like the children of Israell in the wildernesse, which when they were stinged with serpents euen to death: Numb. 21. [...]. yet when they lookt vp to the brasen serpent, they were made whole, safe, and sound. So this noble earle grieued with the remembrance of his former vnthankefull life (as he iudged) immediatlie directed the eies of his mind to the passion of Christ,The heauen|lie contem|plation of this earle drawing to his end. and foorthwith felt such health of soule, that he was filled with ioie in the holie Ghost, and all his delight was in meditation of the ioie of the world to come, and the fruition of the presence of God for euer: insomuch that fiue or six daies before he died, he shewed himselfe more like an angell from heauen, than a man compassed with flesh and bloud.