of myself, and in nothing to be carried about; to be cheerful and
courageous in all sudden chances and accidents, as in sicknesses:
to love mildness, and moderation, and gravity: and to do my business,
whatsoever it be, thoroughly, and without querulousness.
Whatsoever he said, all men believed him that as he spake, so he thought,
and whatsoever he did, that he did it with a good intent.
His manner was, never to wonder at anything; never to be in haste,
and yet never slow: nor to be perplexed, or dejected, or at any
time unseemly, or excessively to laugh: nor to be angry, or suspicious,
but ever ready to do good, and to forgive, and to speak truth;
and all this, as one that seemed rather of himself to have been
straight and right, than ever to have been rectified or redressed;
neither was there any man that ever thought himself undervalued by him,
or that could find in his heart, to think himself a better man than he.
He would also be very pleasant and gracious.
XIII. In my father, I observed his meekness; his constancy
without wavering in those things, which after a due examination
and deliberation, he had determined. How free from all
vanity he carried himself in matter of honour and dignity,
(as they are esteemed:) his laboriousness and assiduity,
his readiness to hear any man, that had aught to say tending
to any common good: how generally and impartially he would
give every man his due; his skill and knowledge, when rigour
or extremity, or when remissness or moderation was in season;
how he did abstain from all unchaste love of youths;
his moderate condescending to other men's occasions as an
ordinary man, neither absolutely requiring of his friends,
that they should wait upon him at his ordinary meals,
nor that they should of necessity accompany him in his journeys;
and that whensoever any business upon some necessary
occasions was to be put off and omitted before it could
be ended, he was ever found when he went about it again,
the same man that he was before. His accurate examination
of things in consultations, and patient hearing of others.
He would not hastily give over the search of the matter,
as one easy to be satisfied with sudden notions and apprehensions.
His care to preserve his friends; how neither at any time
he would carry himself towards them with disdainful neglect,
and grow weary of them; nor yet at any time be madly fond of them.
His contented mind in all things, his cheerful countenance,
his care to foresee things afar off, and to take
order for the least, without any noise or clamour.
Moreover how all acclamations and flattery were repressed by him:
how carefully he observed all things necessary to the government,
and kept an account of the common expenses, and how patiently
he did abide that he was reprehended by some for this his strict
and rigid kind of dealing. How he was neither a superstitious
worshipper of the gods, nor an ambitious pleaser of men,
or studious of popular applause; but sober in all things,
and everywhere observant of that which was fitting; no affecter
of novelties: in those things which conduced to his ease
and convenience, (plenty whereof his fortune did afford him,)
without pride and bragging, yet with all freedom and liberty:
so that as he did freely enjoy them without any anxiety or
affectation when they were present; so when absent, he found no
want of them. Moreover, that he was never commended by any man,
as either a learned acute man, or an obsequious officious man,
or a fine orator; but as a ripe mature man, a perfect sound man;
one that could not endure to be flattered; able to govern
both himself and others. Moreover, how much he did honour all
true philosophers, without upbraiding those that were not so;
his sociableness, his gracious and delightful conversation,
but never unto satiety; his care of his body within bounds
and measure, not as one that desired to live long, or over-studious
of neatness, and elegancy; and yet not as one that did not
regard it: so that through his own care and providence,
he seldom needed any inward physic, or outward applications:
but especially how ingeniously he would yield to any that
had obtained any peculiar faculty, as either eloquence,
or the knowledge of the laws, or of ancient customs,
or the like; and how he concurred with them, in his best
care and endeavour that every one of them might in his kind,
for that wherein he excelled, be regarded and esteemed:
and although he did all things carefully after the ancient
customs of his forefathers, yet even of this was he not desirous
that men should take notice, that he did imitate ancient customs.
Again, how he was not easily moved and tossed up and down,
but loved to be constant, both in the same places and businesses;
and how after his great fits of headache he would return fresh
and vigorous to his wonted affairs. Again, that secrets he neither
had many, nor often, and such only as concerned public matters:
his discretion and moderation, in exhibiting of the public
sights and shows for the pleasure and pastime of the people:
in public buildings. congiaries, and the like. In all these things,
having a respect unto men only as men, and to the equity of
the things themselves, and not unto the glory that might follow.
Never wont to use the baths at unseasonable hours; no builder;
never curious, or solicitous, either about his meat,
or about the workmanship, or colour of his clothes,
or about anything that belonged to external beauty.
In all his conversation, far from all inhumanity,
all boldness, and incivility, all greediness and impetuosity;
never doing anything with such earnestness, and intention,
that a man could say of him, that he did sweat about it:
but contrariwise, all things distinctly, as at leisure;
without trouble; orderly, soundly, and agreeably. A man might have
applied that to him, which is recorded of Socrates, that he knew
how to want, and to enjoy those things, in the want whereof,
most men show themselves weak; and in the fruition, intemperate:
but to hold out firm and constant, and to keep within
the compass of true moderation and sobriety in either estate,
is proper to a man, who hath a perfect and invincible soul;
such as he showed himself in the sickness of Maximus.