I beshrew his
fooles head quoth the king, why had he not sued vnto vs and made vs pruie
of his want, then added, but in truth we are most to blame our selues, who
by a mindeful beneficence without sute should haue supplied his
bashfullnesse, and forthwith commaunded a great reward in money & pension
to be sent vnto him, but it hapned that when the kings messengers entred
the chamber of _Diopithus_, he had newly giuen vp the ghost: the
messengers sorrowed the case, and _Diopithus_ friends sate by and wept,
not so much for _Diopithus_ death, as for pitie that he ouerliued not the
comming of the kings reward. Therupon it came euer after to be vsed for a
prouerbe that when any good turne commeth too late to be vsed, to cal it
_Diopithus_ reward.
In Italy and Fraunce I haue knowen it vsed for common pollicie, the
Princes to differre the bestowing of their great liberalities as
Cardinalships and other high dignities & offices of gayne, till the
parties whom they should seeme to gratifie be so old or so sicke as it is
not likely they should long enioy them.
In the time of _Charles_ the ninth French king, I being at the Spaw
waters, there lay a Marshall of Fraunce called _Monsieur de Sipier_, to
vse those waters for his health, but when the Phisitions had all giuen him
vp, and that there was no hope of life in him, came from the king to him a
letters patents of six thousand crownes yearely pension during his life
with many comfortable wordes: the man was not so much past remembraunce,
but he could say to the messenger _trop tard_, _trop tard_, it should haue
come before, for in deede it had bene promised long and came not till now
that he could not fare the better by it.
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