Page:Plutarch - Moralia, translator Holland, 1911.djvu/41

Rh may be seen as evident a yielding and obeisance thereof, suffering itself to be directed thereby, yea, and willingly running and offering her assistance and helping hand.

To illustrate this by a familiar example, it happeneth otherwhiles that an honest man espouseth a wife according to the laws, with this intention only, to cherish and keep her tenderly, yea, and to company with her duly, and according to the laws of chastity and honesty: howbeit afterwards in tract of time, and by long continuance and conversing together, which hath bred in his heart the affection of love, he perceiveth by discourse of reason, and findeth in himself that he loveth her more dearly and entirely than he purposed at the first. Semblably, young scholars, having met with gentle and kind masters at the beginning, follow and affect them in a kind of zeal, for the benefit only that they reap by them. Howbeit afterwards in process of time they fall to love them; and so instead of familiar and daily disciples, they become their lovers, and are so called. The same is usually to be seen in the behaviour and carriage of men toward good magistrates in cities, neighbours also, kinsfolk and allies: For they begin acquaintance one with another, after a civil sort only, by way of duty or necessity and use: but afterwards, by little and little ere they be aware, they grow into an affectionate love of them, namely, when reason doth concur, persuading and drawing unto it that part of the mind which is the seat of passions and affections. As for that poet, whosoever he was, that first wrote this sentence:

doth he not plainly shew that he hath found in himself, by experience oftentimes, that even this affection, by means of lingering delay, and putting off from time to time, hath put him by the benefit of good opportunities, and hindered the execution of many brave affairs?

Unto these proofs and allegations precedent the Stoics being forced to yield, in regard they be so clear and evident: yet for to make some way of evasion and escape, they call shame, bashfulness; pleasure, joy; and fear, wariness or circumspection. And I assure you, no man could justly find fault with these disguisements of odious things with honest terms: if so be they would attribute unto these passions the said names