Page:Plutarch - Moralia, translator Holland, 1911.djvu/167

Rh Philip built of purpose, and peopled it with the most wicked, graceless and incorrigible persons that were in his time, calling it Poneropolis when he had so done.

And therefore these curious meddlers in collecting and gathering together on all sides the errors, imperfections, defaults, and solecisms (as I may so say) not of verses or poems, but of other men's lives, make of their memory a most unpleasant archive or register, and uncivil record, which they ever carry about them. And like as at Rome, some there be who never cast eye toward any fine pictures, or goodly statues, no, nor so much as make any account to cheapen beautiful boys and fair wenches which there stand to be sold, but rather go up and down the market where monsters in nature are to be bought, seeking and learning out where be any that want legs, whose arms and elbows turn the contrary way like unto cats; or who have three eyes apiece in their heads, or be headed like unto the ostrich: taking pleasure (I say) to see if there be born

But if a man should bring them to see such sights as these ordinarily, the very thing itself would soon give them enough, yea and breed a loathing in them of such ugly monsters; even so it fareth with those who busy themselves and meddle in searching narrowly into the imperfections of other men's lives, the reproaches of their stocks and kindred, the faults, errors, and troubles that have happened in other houses; if they call to mind what like defects they have found and known beforetime, they shall soon find that their former observations have done them small pleasure, or wrought them as little profit. But the greatest means to divert this vicious passion is use and custom; namely, if we begin a great way off and long before to exercise and acquaint ourselves in a kind of continency in this behalf, and so learn to temper and rule ourselves; for surely use it was and custom that caused this vice to get such an head, increasing daily by little and little, and growing from worse to worse: But how and after what manner we should be inured to this purpose we shall see and understand as we treat of exercise withal.

First and foremost, therefore, begin we will at the smallest and most slender things, and which most quickly may be effected. For what matter of difficulty is it for a man in the way as he travelleth, not to amuse and busy his head in reading