Page:Plutarch - Moralia, translator Holland, 1911.djvu/87

 and other enormous indignities, under the colour of religion; and seek to reform him. Certes, a foolish fellow were he who, coming to a man diseased with tumours, swellings, impostumes, or hollow ulcers, called fistulae, should with a chirurgeon's lancet or barber's razor, fall to cut his hairs or pare his nails; even so it fareth with these flatterers, who apply their liberty of speech to such things as neither are in pain nor yet do any hurt.

Moreover, some others there be of them, who being more cunning and crafty than their fellows, use this plainness of language and reprehension of theirs for to please and make sport withal. Thus Agis the Argive, seeing how Alexander the Great gave very great rewards and gifts to a certain pleasant and odd fellow that was a jester, cried out for very envy and dolour of heart, great abuse and monstrous absurdity: The king hearing it, turned about unto him in great displeasure and indignation, demanding of him what he had to say? I confess (quoth he) indeed that I am grieved, and I think it a great indignity, when I see all you that are descended from Jupiter and his sons, to take pleasure in flatterers and jesters about you, for to make you merry. For even so Hercules took a delight to have in his company certain ridiculous Cercopes, and Bacchus had ever in his train the Silenes. In your court likewise, a man may see such to be in credit and highly esteemed.

When Tiberius Caesar, the emperor, upon a certain day was come into the senate house of Rome, one of the senators who knew how to flatter, arose and stood up, and with a good loud voice; Meet it is (quoth he), Caesar, that men free born should likewise have the liberty of speech, and speak their minds frankly, without dissimuling or concealing anything which they know to be good and profitable: with this speech of his he stirred up the attention of the whole house, so as they gave good ear unto him, and Tiberius himself listened what he would say. Now when all was still and in great silence; Hearken quoth he), Caesar, what it is that we all accuse and blame you or, but no man dare be so bold as to speak it out: You neglect yourself, and have no regard of your own person; you consume and spoil your body with continual cares and travels for our ake, taking no rest nor repose either day or night. Now when he had drawn out a long train of words to this purpose, Cassius Severus, a rhetorician, stood up, and by report said thus; Such liberty of speech as this will be the utter undoing of this man.

But these flatteries are of the lighter sort, and do less hurt: here be other more dangerous which work the mischief and