DE toutes les resueries du monde, la plus receuë et plus vniuerselle, est le soing de la reputation et de la gloire, que nous espousons iusques à quitter les richesses, le repos, la vie et la santé, qui sont biens effectuels et substantiaux, pour suyure cette vaine image, et cette simple voix, qui n’a ny corps ny prise: La fama ch’inuaghisce a vn dolce suono / Gli superbi mortali, et par’ si bella, / E vn echo, vn sogno, anzi d’vn sogno vn’ ombra / Ch’ ad ogni vento si delegua et sgombra.
OF all the fancies in the world, the most accepted and most universal is concern for reputation and glory, which we espouse to the point of giving up wealth, rest, life and health, which are real and substantial goods, to follow that empty image and that mere voice that has neither body nor anything to grasp. Fame, which with sweet sound beguiles / Proud mortals and seems so fair, / Is an echo, a dream, nay, the shadow of a dream, / That at every wind melts and vanishes.
Et des humeurs des-raisonnables des hommes, il semble que les philosophes mesmes se défacent plus tard et plus enuis de cette-cy que de nulle autre: c’est la plus reuesche et opiniastre. Quia etiam bene proficientes animos tentare non cessat. Il n’en est guiere de laquelle la raison accuse si clairement la vanité: mais elle a ses racines si vifues en nous, que ie ne sçay si iamais aucun s’en est peu nettement descharger. Apres que vous auez tout dict et tout creu, pour la desaduouer, elle produict contre vostre discours vne inclination si intestine, que vous auez peu que tenir à l’encontre.
And of all the unreasonable dispositions of men, it seems that even the philosophers rid themselves of this one later and more reluctantly than of any other: it is the most intractable and stubborn. Because it does not cease to tempt even souls that are making good progress. There is hardly any whose vanity reason exposes so clearly; but it has its roots so alive in us that I do not know whether anyone has ever been able to rid himself of it cleanly. After you have said everything and believed everything to disown it, it produces against your reasoning an inclination so deep within you that you have little to hold out against it.
Car comme dit Cicero, ceux mesmes qui la combatent, encores veulent-ils, que les liures, qu’ils en escriuent, portent au front leur nom, et se veulent rendre glorieux de ce qu’ils ont mesprisé la gloire.
For, as Cicero says, even those who fight it still want the books they write about it to bear their name on the title page, and want to win glory from having despised glory.
Toutes autres choses tombent en commerce. Nous prestons nos biens et nos vies au besoin de nos amis: mais de communiquer son honneur, et d’estrener autruy de sa gloire, il ne se voit gueres. Catulus Luctatius en la guerre contre les Cymbres, ayant faict tous efforts pour arrester ses soldats qui fuioient deuant les ennemis, se mit luy-mesmes entre les fuyards, et contrefit le coüard, affin qu’ils semblassent plustost suiure leur Capitaine, que fuyr l’ennemy: c’estoit abandonner sa reputation, pour couurir la honte d’autruy.
All other things can be shared. We lend our goods and our lives to our friends in need; but to share one’s honor and make a present of one’s glory to another is hardly ever seen. Catulus Lutatius, in the war against the Cimbri, having made every effort to stop his soldiers who were fleeing before the enemy, put himself among the fugitives and played the coward, so that they would seem to be following their captain rather than fleeing the enemy: that was abandoning his reputation to cover the shame of others.
Quand Charles cinquiesme passa en Prouence, l’an mil cinq cens trente sept, on tient que Antoine de Leue voyant l’Empereur resolu de ce voyage, et l’estimant luy estre merueilleusement glorieux, opinoit toutesfois le contraire, et le desconseilloit, à cette fin que toute la gloire et honneur de ce conseil, en fust attribué à son maistre: et qu’il fust dict, son bon aduis et sa preuoyance auoit esté telle, que contre l’opinion de tous, il eust mis à fin vne si belle entreprinse: qui estoit l’honorer à ses despens.
When Charles the Fifth came into Provence in the year 1537, it is said that Antonio de Leyva, seeing the Emperor resolved on this expedition and judging that it would bring him marvelous glory, nevertheless argued the opposite and advised against it, so that all the glory and honor of the decision would be attributed to his master, and it would be said that his good judgment and foresight had been such that, against everyone’s opinion, he had carried so fine an enterprise through to the end: which was honoring him at his own expense.
Les Ambassadeurs Thraciens, consolans Archileonide mere de Brasidas, de la mort de son fils, et le haut-louans, iusques à dire, qu’il n’auoit point laissé son pareil: elle refusa cette louange priuee et particuliere, pour la rendre au public: Ne me dites pas cela, fit-elle, ie sçay que la ville de Sparte a plusieurs citoyens plus grands et plus vaillans qu’il n’estoit.
When the Thracian ambassadors were consoling Archileonis, mother of Brasidas, for the death of her son, and praising him so highly as to say that he had left no equal behind him, she refused this private and personal praise in order to give it back to the public. “Do not tell me that,” she said; “I know that the city of Sparta has many citizens greater and more valiant than he was.”
En la bataille de Crecy, le Prince de Gales, encores fort ieune, auoit l’auant-garde à conduire: le principal effort du rencontre, fust en cet endroit: les Seigneurs qui l’accompagnoient se trouuans en dur party d’armes, manderent au Roy Edoüard de s’approcher, pour les secourir: il s’enquit de l’estat de son fils, et luy ayant esté respondu, qu’il estoit viuant et à cheual: Ie luy ferois, dit-il, tort de luy aller maintenant desrober l’honneur de la victoire de ce combat, qu’il a si long temps soustenu: quelque hazard qu’il y ait, elle sera toute sienne: et n’y voulut aller ny enuoyer: sçachant s’il y fust allé, qu’on eust dit que tout estoit perdu sans son secours, et qu’on luy eust attribué l’aduantage de cet exploit.
At the battle of Crécy, the Prince of Wales, still very young, had the vanguard to lead, and the main brunt of the encounter fell at that point. The lords accompanying him, finding themselves hard pressed in the fighting, sent word to King Edward to come nearer and help them. He asked how his son was, and when told that he was alive and on horseback, he said: “I would wrong him if I went now and robbed him of the honor of victory in this combat he has sustained so long; whatever the risk, it shall be all his.” And he would neither go nor send anyone, knowing that if he had gone, people would have said that all was lost without his help, and the credit for this feat would have been given to him.
Semper enim quod postremum adiectum est, id rem totam videtur traxisse. Plusieurs estimoient à Rome, et se disoit communément que les principaux beaux-faits de Scipion estoient en partie deuz à Lælius, qui toutesfois alla tousiours promouuant et secondant la grandeur et gloire de Scipion, sans aucun soing de la sienne. Et Theopompus Roy de Sparte à celuy qui luy disoit que la chose publique demeuroit sur ses pieds, pour autant qu’il sçauoit bien commander: C’est plustost, dit-il, parce que le peuple sçait bien obeyr.
For it is always the last thing added that seems to have accomplished the whole. Many in Rome believed, and it was commonly said, that Scipio’s chief fine deeds were partly owed to Laelius, who nevertheless always went on promoting and supporting Scipio’s greatness and glory, with no concern for his own. And Theopompus, king of Sparta, said to the man who told him that the state stood firm because he knew how to command well: “It is rather because the people know how to obey well.”
Comme les femmes, qui succedoient aux pairries, auoient, nonobstant leur sexe, droit d’assister et opiner aux causes, qui appartiennent à la iurisdiction des pairs: aussi les pairs ecclesiastiques, nonobstant leur profession, estoient tenus d’assister nos Roys en leurs guerres, non seulement de leurs amis et seruiteurs, mais de leur personne. Aussi l’Euesque de Beauuais, se trouuant auec Philippe Auguste en la bataille de Bouuines, participoit bien fort courageusement à l’effect: mais il luy sembloit, ne deuoir toucher au fruit et gloire de cet exercice sanglant et violent. Il mena de sa main plusieurs des ennemis à raison, ce iour là, et les donnoit au premier Gentilhomme qu’il trouuoit, à esgosiller, ou prendre prisonniers, luy en resignant toute l’execution.
Just as women who succeeded to peerages had, notwithstanding their sex, the right to attend and give their opinion in cases belonging to the jurisdiction of the peers, so the ecclesiastical peers, notwithstanding their profession, were obliged to assist our kings in their wars, not only with their friends and servants but in person. So the Bishop of Beauvais, being with Philip Augustus at the battle of Bouvines, took a very courageous part in the action; but it seemed to him that he ought not to touch the fruit and glory of that bloody and violent exercise. With his own hand he brought several of the enemy to submission that day, and handed them over to the first gentleman he found, to cut their throats or take them prisoner, leaving the whole execution to him.
Et le feit ainsi de Guillaume Comte de Salsberi à messire Iean de Nesle. D’vne pareille subtilité de conscience, à cet autre: il vouloit bien assommer, mais non pas blesser: et pourtant ne combattoit que de masse. Quelcun en mes iours, estant reproché par le Roy d’auoir mis les mains sur vn prestre, le nioit fort et ferme: c’estoit qu’il l’auoit battu et foulé aux pieds.
And so he did with William, Earl of Salisbury, whom he handed over to Sir Jean de Nesle. His was a subtlety of conscience like that of another man, who was quite willing to club men down but not to wound them, and so fought only with a mace. Someone in my day, reproached by the King for having laid hands on a priest, denied it flatly: the fact was that he had beaten him and trampled him underfoot.