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THE SECOND BOOKE 331
Coniugium petimus partumque uxoris, at illis
Notum qui pueri, qualisque futura sit uxor. 1
We wish a wife, wifes breeding: we would know,
What children; shall our wife be sheep or shrow.
And the Christian beseech eth God, that his will
may be done, least he should fall into that inconvenience
which poets faine of King Midas, who requested
of the Gods that whatsoever he toucht might be converted
into gold : his praiers were heard, his wine was
gold, his bread gold, the feathers of his bed, his shirt,
and his garments were turned into gold, so that he
found himselfe overwhelmed in the injoying of his
desire, and being enricht with an intolerable commoditie,
he must now unpray his prayers :
Attonitus novitate mah, divesqne miserque,
Effugere optat opes, et quve modo voverat, odit ²
Wretched and rich, amaz'd at so strange ill,
His riches he would flie, hates his owne will.
Let me speake of my selfe; being very yong I besought
fortune above all things that she would make me a
knight of the order of Saint Michael, which in those
daies was very rare, and the highest tipe of honour the
French nobilitie aymed at; she very kindly granted
my request; I had it. In lieu of raising and advancing
me from my place for the attaining of it, she hath
much more graciously entreated me, she hath debased
and depressed it, even unto my shoulders and under.
Cleobis and Biton, Trophonius and Agamedes, the
two first having besought the Goddesse, the two latter
their God, of some recompence worthy their pietie,
received death for a reward. So much are heavenly
opinions different from ours, concerning what we have
need of. God might grant us riches, honours, long
life and health, but many times to our owne hurt.
For, whatsoever is pleasing to us, is not alwaies healthfull
for us. If in lieu of former health he send us
death, or some worse sicknesse: Virga tua et baculus
1 Juv. Sat. x. 352. ² OVID. Met, 1. xi. 128.