A. Atqui sunt feliciores But they are more happy in isto nomine, qui dormiunt in that respect, who sleep in their sepulchris; nam nonnun- graves; for sometimes dreams quam insomnia sunt molesta are troublesome to a man dormienti. asleep.

B. Aiunt corpus saginari

maxime eo somno.

non

They say that the body is fattened most of all with that sleep.

A. Ista est sagina glirium, That is the fattening of dorhominum. Animalia mice, not of men. Animals quæ parantur epulis recte sa- that are prepared for feasts are ginantur. Quorsum attinet rightly fattened. What signihomini accersere obesitatem, fies it for a man to procure fatnisi ut incedat onustus gravi- ness, but that he may go loaded ori sarcina? Dic mihi, si with a heavier pack? Tell me, haberes famulum, utrum mal- if you had a servant, whether les obesum, an vegetum et you had rather have him fat, or habilem ad omnia munia ? lively and fit for all services?

lus.

B. Atqui non fum famu

A. Sat est mihi, quod

But I am not a servant.

It is enough for me, that

malles ministrum aptum offi- you had rather have a servant

ciis quam bene saginatum.

B. Plane mallem.

fit for service than well fattened. Indeed I had rather.

But Plato said that the soul

A. At Plato dixit animum hominis esse hominem,corpus of a man is the man, that the esse nihil aliud quam domi- body is nothing else than a house, cilium, aut instrumentum. or an instrument. You howTu certe fateberis, opinor, ever will confess, I suppose, animam esse principalem por- that the soul is the principal part tionem hominis, corpus mi- of man, the body the servant of nistrum animi. the mind.

B. Esto, si vis.

A. Cum tibi nolles ministrum tardum abdomine,

Let it be so, if you will. Since you would not have a servant heavy with a great sed malles agilem et alacrem, belly, but had rather have one cur pares ignavum et obesum nimble and brisk, why do you ministrum animo?

B., Vincor veris.

provide a lazy and fat servant for the mind?

I am overcome with truth.

As

A. Jam accipe aliud dis- Now hear another loss. pendium. Ut animus longe the mind far excels the body, so prastat corpori,ita fateris opes you confess that the riches of the animi longe præcellere bona mind far excel the good things corporis. of the body.

B. Dicis probabile.

A. Sed inter bona animi, sapientia tenet primum.

B. Fateor.

A. Nulla pars diei est uti- No part of the day is more lior ad parandam hanc, quam useful for the getting of this, diluculum, cum sol exoriens than the morning, when the novus adfert vigorem et ala- sun rising fresh brings vigour critatem omnibus, discutitque and briskness to all things, and nebulas consuetas exhaliari e dissipates the fumes that use to ventriculo, que solent obnubi- be exhaled out of the stomach, lare domicilium mentis. which are wont to cloud the habitation of the mind. I do not dispute it.

4

B. Non repugno.

A. Nunc supputa mihi

Now reckon up for me how

quantum eruditionis possis pa- much learning you might get to rare tibi illis quatuor horis, yourself in those four hours, quas perdis intempestivo som- which you lose in unseasonable

no.

B. Multum profecto.

A. Expertus sum plus effici in studiis, una hora matutina, quam tribus postmeridianis, idque nullo detrimento corporis.

B. Audivi.

sleep.

I have experienced that more is done in one's studies, in one hour in the morning, than in three in the afternoon, and that with no damage to the: body.

I have heard so. A. Deinde reputa illud; Then consider that; if you si conferas in summam jactu- cast up into a sum the loss of ram singulorum dierum,quan- every day, how great a mass it, tus cumulus sit futurus.

will be.

B. Ingens, profecto.

A huge one, truly.

F 2

He that squanders away jew

A. Qui profundit gemmas et aurum temere, habetur els and gold rashly, is reckoned prodigus, et accipit tutorem; a prodigal, and receives a guarqui perdit hac bona tanto dian; he that throws away pretiosiora, nonne est multo these good things so much more turpius prodigus?

precious, is not be much more scandalously prodigal ?

B. Sic apparet, si perpen- So it appears, if we examine damus rem recta ratione. the matter by right reason. A. Jam expende illud quod Now consider that which Plato scripsit, nihil esse pul- Plato wrote, that nothing is chrius, nihil amabilius sapien- more beautiful, nothing more tia, quæ si posset cerni corpo- lovely than wisdom, which if it reis oculis, excitaret incredibi- could be seen with bodily eyes, lem amorem sui. would' raise incredible love of

B. Atqui illa non potest

cerni.

itself.

But that cannot be seen.

A. Fateor, corporeis ocuI confess, with bodily eyes, lis, verum cernitur oculis ani- but it is seen with the eyes of mi, qui est potior pars homi- the mind, which is the better nis,et ubi est incredibilis amor, part of man, and where there is ibi oportet adsit summa vo- incredible love, there must be the luptas, quotiesanimus congre- greatest pleasure, as oft as the ditur cum tali amica. mind confers with such a mis-tress.

B. Narras verisimile. A. Ito nunc et commuta somnum, imaginem mortis, pro hac voluptate, si videtur. B. Verum interim nocturni lusus pereunt.

You say what is likely. Go now and change sleep, the image of death, for this pleasure, if it seem good.

But in the mean time nightly sports are lost.

A. Perdit plumbum bene, He loses lead well, who qui vertit in aurum: Natura turns it into gold. Nature has tribuit noctem somno. Ex- given the night for sleep. The oriens sol revocat cum omne rising sun calls upon both every genus animantium, tum præ- kind of living creatures, and cipue hominem, ad munia vi- especially men, to the offices ta. Qui dormiunt, inquit of life They who sleep, says Paulus, dormiunt nocte et Paul, sleep in the night; and

qui sunt ebrii, suntebrii nocte. they who are drunk, are drunk Proinde quidest turpius quam in the night. Therefore what cum omnia animantia exper- is more scandalous than when giscantur cum sole, quædam all animals awake with the sun, etiam salutent eum nondum some also salute him not yet apapparentem, sed adventan- pearing, but coming, with singtem cantu; cum Elephantus ing; when the Elephant adoreth adoret orientem solem, homi- the rising sun, that man should. nem stertere diu post exortum snore a long time after the rising solis? Quoties ille aureus of the sun? As often as that splendor illustrat tuum cubi- golden splendour enlightens your culum, nonne videtur expro- bed-chamber, does it not seem brare dormienti; Stulte,quid to upbraid you sleeping; Thou gaudes perdere optimam par- fool, why dost thou love to lose tem vitæ tua? Non luceo in the best part of thy life? I do boc ut dormiatis abditi, sed ut not shine for this, that you may invigiletis honestissimis rebus. sleep in private, but that you may Nemo accendit lucernam, ut mind the most honourable dormiat, sed ut agat aliquid things. Nobody lights a candle operis et nihil aliud quam that he may sleep, but that he stertis ad hanc lucernam pul- may do some work: and dost cherrimam omnium ?

B. Declamas belle.

A. Non belle, sed vere.

thou nothing else but snore by this candle, the finest of all? You declaim prettily.

Not prettily but truly. Well, Age, non dubito quin audive- I doubt not but you have beard ris frequenter illud Hesiode- frequently that of Hesiod, um, parsimonia est sero in sparing is too late in the bottom. fundo.

B. Frequentissime, nam

Very frequently, for wine is vinum est optimum in medio the best in the middle of the cask. dolio.

A. Sic apparet.

B. An est ulla possessio, qua sit conferenda cum vita hominis?

A. Ne universa gaza quidem Persarum.

So it appears.

Is there any possession that is to be compared with the life of man ?

Not all the treasure indeed of the Persians.

B. An non odisses homi- Would you not hate the man nem vehementer, qui posset very much, who could and ac vellet decartare vitam tibi would shorten your life for you malis artibus ad aliquot an- by evil arts for some years nos ?

A. Ipse mallem eripere vitam illi.

B. Verum arbitror pejores et nocentiores, qui volentes reddunt vitam breviorem sibi.

A. Fateor, si qui tales reperiuntur. B. Reperiuntur! Imo,omnes similes tui faciunt id.

A. Bona verba.

?

I had rather take his life from him.

But I think them worse and more mischievous, who voluntarily make life shorter to themselves.

I confess if any such are

found.

Good words.
Very good.

B. Optima. Reputa sic Think thus cum tuo animo, nonne Plinius with your mind, does not Pliny videtur dixisse rectissime, vi- seem to have said very rightly, tam esse vigiliam, et homi- that life is a watch, and that nem vivere hoc pluribus ho- man liver so many the more ris, quo majorem partem tem- hours, by how much the greater poris impenderit studiis? Som- part of his time he spends in nus enim est quædam mors. his studies? For sleep is a sort Unde et fingitur venire ab of death. From whence also it inferis, et dicitur germanus is pretended to come from hell, mortis ab Homero. Itaque and is called the brother german quos somnus occupat, nec cen- of death by Homer. Wheresentur inter vivos, nec inter fore those whom sleep seizeth mortuos, sed tamen potius inter are neither thought among the

mortuos.

A. Ita videtur omnino,

living, nor among the dead, but
yet rather among the dead.
So it seems indeed.