Spiritual physic to cure the diseases of the soul, arising from superfluity of choler,…Spiritual physicke to cure the diseases of the soule, arising from superfluitie of choller,…

Sect. 4.

The third means to vanquish anger, ¹is for a while to bridle and restrain it from bursting out into present revenge. For if we resist it in the first encounter, we shall find the strength thereof much weakened. & this the wise Athenodorus knew well; who being to depart from Augustus, was requested by him that he would ⟨image 81⟩²leave behind him some good instruction for the well governing of his empire, to whom he gave this counsel, that he should do nothing in his anger, before he had numbered on his fingers the letters of the Greek Alphabet. An example hereof we have in Socrates, who finding his anger incensed against his servant, deferred to take correction, saying: I would beat thee if I were not angry. ³And also in Plato, who being provoked to anger by some notable fault committed by his servant, took a cudgel into his hands, and held it over him a good space, as if he would have stricken; And being asked of his friend Speusippus, what he meant by such kind of act on. O (said he) Exigo paenas ab homine iracundo. I take punishment of one ⁴who is angry; meaning of himself, by bridling his affection. If then the heathen could thus defer and curb in their unruly passions; who had only the small glimpse of natures light, and heathen Philosophy to direct them; let us be ashamed to come behind them, seeing we have not only that, but also the bright sun shine of the word of ⟨p. 75⟩