LA mort, dit-on, nous acquitte de toutes nos obligations. I’en sçay qui l’ont prins en diuerse façon. Henry septiesme Roy d’Angleterre fit composition auec Dom Philippe fils de l’Empereur Maximilian, ou pour le confronter plus honnorablement, pere de l’Empereur Charles cinquiesme, que ledict Philippe remettoit entre ses mains le Duc de Suffolc de la Rose blanche, son ennemy, lequel s’en estoit fuy et retiré au pays bas, moyennant qu’il promettoit de n’attenter rien sur la vie dudict Duc: toutesfois venant à mourir, il commanda par son testament à son fils, de le faire mourir, soudain apres qu’il seroit decedé.
Death, they say, releases us from all our obligations. I know some who have taken this in different ways. Henry VII, king of England, made an agreement with Don Philip, son of the Emperor Maximilian—or, to give him a more honorable comparison, father of the Emperor Charles V. Philip was to hand over to him the Duke of Suffolk of the White Rose, his enemy, who had fled and taken refuge in the Low Countries, in return for Henry’s promise to make no attempt on the Duke’s life. Yet when Henry came to die, he ordered his son in his will to have the Duke put to death immediately after his own decease.
Dernierement en cette tragedie que le Duc d’Albe nous fit voir à Bruxelles és Contes de Horne et d’Aiguemond, il y eut tout plein de choses remerquables: et entre autres que ledict Comte d’Aiguemond, soubs la foy et asseurance duquel le Comte de Horne s’estoit venu rendre au Duc d’Albe, requit auec grande instance, qu’on le fist mourir le premier: affin que sa mort l’affranchist de l’obligation qu’il auoit audict Comte de Horne. Il semble que la mort n’ayt point deschargé le premier de sa foy donnee, et que le second en estoit quitte, mesmes sans mourir. Nous ne pouuons estre tenus au delà de nos forces et de nos moyens.
Recently, in that tragedy the Duke of Alba staged for us in Brussels with the Counts of Horn and Egmont, there were a great many remarkable things. Among others, Count Egmont, on whose word and assurance Count Horn had come to give himself up to the Duke of Alba, earnestly begged to be put to death first, so that his death might free him from the obligation he owed Count Horn. It seems that death did not discharge the first man of the word he had given, and that the second was quit of his even without dying. We cannot be bound beyond our strength and our means.
A cette cause, par ce que les effects et executions ne sont aucunement en nostre puissance, et qu’il n’y a rien en bon escient en nostre puissance, que la volonté: en celle là se fondent par necessité et s’establissent toutes les regles du deuoir de l’homme. Par ainsi le Comte d’Aiguemond tenant son ame et volonté endebtee à sa promesse, bien que la puissance de l’effectuer ne fust pas en ses mains, estoit sans doute absous de son deuoir, quand il eust suruescu le Comte de Horne.
For this reason—since the outcomes and the carrying out of things are not in our power at all, and nothing is truly in our power but the will—all the rules of man’s duty are necessarily founded and established on the will. So Count Egmont, holding his soul and will bound to his promise, although the power to carry it out was not in his hands, would undoubtedly have been absolved of his duty even if he had outlived Count Horn.
Mais le Roy d’Angleterre faillant à sa parolle par son intention, ne se peut excuser pour auoir retardé iusques apres sa mort l’execution de sa desloyauté: non plus que le masson de Herodote, lequel ayant loyallement conserué durant sa vie le secret des thresors du Roy d’Egypte son maistre, mourant les descouurit à ses enfans.
But the king of England, breaking his word in his intention, cannot be excused for having put off carrying out his treachery until after his death. No more can Herodotus’s mason, who faithfully kept the secret of the treasures of the king of Egypt, his master, all his life, and revealed it to his children as he was dying.
I’ay veu plusieurs de mon temps conuaincus par leur conscience retenir de l’autruy, se disposer à y satisfaire par leur testament, et apres leur decés. Ils ne font rien qui vaille. Ny de prendre terme à chose si pressante, ny de vouloir restablir vne iniure auec si peu de leur ressentiment et interest. Ils doiuent du plus leur. Et d’autant qu’ils payent plus poisamment, et incommodéement: d’autant en est leur satisfaction plus iuste et meritoire. La penitence demande à charger. Ceux la font encore pis, qui reseruent la declaration de quelque haineuse volonté enuers le proche à leur derniere volonté, l’ayants cachee pendant la vie.
I have seen many people in my time who, convicted by their conscience of keeping what belongs to others, arranged to make amends by their will, after their death. They achieve nothing worthwhile—neither by setting a deadline on a matter so urgent, nor by trying to redress a wrong at so little cost to their feelings and their interest. They owe something more truly their own. The more heavily and inconveniently they pay, the more just and meritorious their reparation. Penitence asks to be a burden. Those do still worse who save for their last will the declaration of some spiteful intention toward a relative, having hidden it during their lifetime.
Et monstrent auoir peu de soin du propre honneur, irritans l’offencé à l’encontre de leur memoire: et moins de leur conscience, n’ayants pour le respect de la mort mesme, sceu faire mourir leur maltalent: et en estendant la vie outre la leur. Iniques iuges, qui remettent à iuger alors qu’ils n’ont plus cognoissance de cause. Ie me garderay, si ie puis, que ma mort die chose, que ma vie n’ayt premierement dit et apertement.
They show they care little for their own honor, since they provoke the injured party against their memory; and less for their conscience, since not even out of respect for death itself could they make their ill will die, but instead extended its life beyond their own. Unjust judges, who put off judging until they no longer know the case. I shall take care, if I can, that my death says nothing my life has not said first, and said openly.