But if thou resist and go about vim vi repellere, as the custome of the world is, to right thy self, or hast given just cause of offence, ’tis no injury then but a condign punishment: thou hast deserved as much: A te principium, in te recidit crimen quod à te fuit; peccasti, quiesce, as Ambrose expostulates with Cain. lib.3. de Abel & Cain.

Dionysius of Syracuse, in his exile was made stand without dore; patienter ferendum, fortasse nos tale quid fecimus, quum in honore essemus, he wisely put it it up, and laid the fault where it was, on his own pride and scorn which in his prosperity he had formerly shewed others.

’Tis Tullies axiome, ferre ea molestissimè homines non debent, quæ ipsorum culpa contracta sunt, self do, self have, as the saying is, they may thank themselves.

For he that doth wrong must look to be wronged again; habet & musca splenem, & formicæ sua bilis inest, The least fly hath a Spleen, and a little Bee a sting.

An Asse overwhelmed a Thisselwarps nest, the little Bird pecked his gaul’d back in revenge; and the Humble-bee in the fable flung down the Eagles eggs out of Jupiters lap.

Bracidas in Plutarch put his hand into a Mouse nest, and hurt her young ones, she bit him by the finger: I see now (saith he) there is no creature so contemptible, that will not be revenged.

’Tis lex Talionis, and the nature of all things so to do: If thou wilt live quietly thy self, do no wrong to others; if any be done thee, put it up, with patience endure it.

For this is thankworthy, saith our Apostle, if a man for conscience towards God endure grief, and suffer wrong undeserved: for what praise is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye take it patiently? but if when you do well, ye suffer wrong, and take it patiently, there is thanks with God: for hereunto verily we are called.

Qui mala non fert, ipse sibi testis est per impatientiam quod bonus non est, He that cannot bear injuries witnesseth against himself that he is no good man, as Gregory holds. ’Tis the nature of wicked men to do injuries, as it is the property of all honest men patiently to bear them.

Improbitas nullo flectitur obsequio. The Wolf in the Emblem sucked the Goat, (so the shepheard would have it) but he kept nevertheless a Wolfs nature; a knave will be a knave.

Injury is on the other side a good mans foot-boy, his fidus Achates, and as a lackey followes him wheresoever he goes. Besides misera est fortuna quæ caret inimico, he is in a miserable estate that wants enemies: it is a thing not to be avoided, and therefore with more patience to be endured.

Cato Censorius, that upright Cato of whom Paterculus gives that honourable elogium, bene fecit quod aliter facere non potuit, was 50 times endited and accused by his fellow citizens,

and as Ammianus well hath it, Quis erit innocens si clam vel palam accusasse sufficiat: if it be sufficient to accuse a man openly or in privat, who shall be free?

If there were no other respect then that of Christianity, Religion and the like, to induce men to be long-suffering and patient, yet me thinks the nature of Injury it self is sufficient to keep them quiet, the tumults, uproars, miseries, discontents, anguish, losse, dangers that attend upon it might restrain the calamities of contention: for as it is with ordinary gamesters, the gains go to the box, so falls it out to such as contend; the Lawyers get all; and therefore if they would consider of it, aliena pericula cautos, other mens misfortunes in this kind, and common experience might detain them.

The more they contend, the more they are involved in a Labyrinth of woes, and the Catastrophe is to consume one another, like the Elephant and Dragons conflict in Pliny: the Dragon got under the Elephants belly, and sucked his blood so long, till he fell down dead upon the Dragon, and killed him with the fall, so both were ruin’d.

’Tis an Hydra’s head, contention; the more they strive, the more they may: and as Praxitiles did by his glass, when he saw a scurvy face in it, brake it in pieces: but for that one, he saw many more as bad in a moment: for one injury done they provoke another cum fænore, and twenty enemies for one.

Noli irritare crabrones, oppose not thy self to a multitude: but if thou hast received a wrong, wisely consider of it, and if thou canst possibly, compose thy self with patience to bear it. This is the safest course, and thou shalt find greatest ease to be quiet.

I say the same of scoffs, slanders, contumelies, obloquies, defamations, detractions, pasquilling libels, and the like, which may tend any way to our disgrace: ’tis but opinion: if we could neglect, contemn, or with patience digest them, they would reflect on them that offered them at first.

A wise citizen I know not whence, had a scold to his wife: when she brawled, he plaid on his drum, and by that means madded her more, because she saw that he would not be moved.

Diogenes in a crowd when one called him back, and told him how the boys laughed him to scorn, Ego, inquit non rideor, took no notice of it.

Socrates was brought upon the stage by Aristophanes, and misused to his face, but he laughed as if it concerned him not: and as Ælian relates of him, whatsoever good or bad accident or fortune befel him, going in or coming out, Socrates still kept the same countenance:

Even so should a Christian souldier do, as Hierom describes him, per infamiam & bonam famam grassari ad immortalitatem, march on through good and bad reports to immortality, not be moved: