SECTION. I.

THough the bodyworke not without the spirit, yet the spirit is either compelled, or inclined, or rather declined to e­uill actions, by the pas­sions of the body; wherefore they that handle Astrology, Phy­siognomie, and Phy­sicke: proceede sometime certainly, and alwayes pro­bably; because of the mutuall sympathy and vnde­vorceable [Page 2] dependance of the soule and bodie: the like proportions are to be found in speech, wherein the vowels resemble the soule, the consonants the bodie: the greatest vigor of speech is seene in names, concerning which wee will declare: first, that all knowledge comes by deduction of them: secondly, that all error ariseth from seduction by them.

SECTION. II.

NOw then it is certaine, that as it is in the fable of the Foxe, which licked onely the outside of the glasse, but could not come to the pottage, so we know names, but not things: This was signified of old by them that told, how Iupiter wasfed with bones [...]ucian dialog. of Iupiter and Prometheus. and fat, Prometheus reseruing vnto himselfe the solid flesh: by the flesh is meant sound knowledge, by the fat the fleeting shew of superficiarie tearmes of Arte, by the bones is deciphered, the inextricable and per­plexed labour in the curiosities of euerstriuing con­tradictions, So Ixion imbracing a cloud for Iuno▪ and Narcissus louing his owne shadowe for a water Nymph, and Paris maintaining the Troian warre inE [...]ripid. in He­ [...]na. [...]eophron in Cassandra. the defence of Helenaes Idoll, for Helena her selfe was conueied by Iuno to Proteus King of Egypt: All these declare that we are fedde with the shales, not with the kernels of learning, and as the common by-word goeth, whilest the blind and the lame manHerodotus in the l [...]fe of Ho­mer. haue for their portions the shels of the Oyster, the Lawyers fees is the flesh of the fish. To conclude [Page 3] this truth by no fabulous truthes, consider that trueM [...]tamor. 5. lib. Claudian de raptu Proserpinae fable of Proserpina, wherein it is auouched, that shee for eating seuen graines of a Pomegranat in the Eli­sian garden, was made the Queene of Hell, to the o­pening of this Muthologie, the Turkish Priests in their Alcaron doe giue vs light: for they say, that the forbidden fruite was a Pomegranat, and that euery graine therein was of the quantitie of an egge. The Frenchmen at this day call a Peache, vn peche, which they deriue a peccando, as the Latines malum for an Apple hath great affinitie, with malum for euill, now she that tasted this Apple, was before her fallPlutarch. de I side & Osiride tearmed Isha, the Egyptians ignorantly called her Isis, which name Plutarch expoundeth, to signifie know­ledge, and this was the knowledge of good and euill, of good by depriuation, of euill by deprauation, and late repenting experience, the highest note whereof is to know, That we know nothing but Names.

SECTION. III.

THis assertion we shall now bring to the hammer, the Anuell, and the touchstone: namely to firme reason, the first agument is this; euery thing is either a substance or an accident, the substance is a Wood,See Zabar [...]ll vpon the first of the demonstra­tions. cap. 4. peirsable by no starre, for all demonstration is of acci­dents, seeing that the maior terminus, is a proper effect the minor is the subiect, the middle extreame is the cause efficient or finall: likewise all definitions are of accidents, for as much as they are inquired onely by demonstration, [Page 4] which indeed is to be turned into a definiti­on, as we see in the nature of the Silke-worme, the Egge becomes a Worme, and the Worme in time a Flie, so a demonstration by altering of termes is made a definition: O [...]e example will explaine all. Where the Earth is interposed, there is a depriuati­on of light, or an Eclips, but betweene the Moone and Sunne, the Earth is interposed, in the Moone therefore there is an Eclips. From this reall demon­stration by an vnfabling Metamorphosis: wee collect this definition, an Eclips is the depriuation of light in the Moone, made by the interposition of the Earth betweene her and the Sunne, by this it ap­peares, that accidents only can be demonstrated and defin'd: Now euery accident is either quantitie, qualitie, action, passion, or relation which last is no­thing but a terme or name imposed by Art, and is extracted from the foundation of the fower former accidents, as great and little, from quantitie, better and worse, from qualitie, Father and Sonne, from action and passion, now it shall appeare that wee know nothing but relations, and consequently no­thing but naked names. This is first euident in all quantities which by Aristotle are reputed fiue, Mag­nitude, Time, Place, Number, Speech, as the quan­titie of Sillables is therein considered, Magnitude is length, breadth, thicknesse, now to leaue the Mathe­maticians to there nightly speculations, I request all actiue wits to tell me, what doe [...]hey vnderstand in length, but a certaine name of difference from breadth and thicknesse, and what is Magnitude but [Page 5] an accident of the matter, how can be distin­guished from the forme by an essentiall difference, considering difference of difference cannot be assig­ned, except we will runne out into infinite Laborin­thes. And as for Time is it ought, but a name re­spectiue of that which is past and to come? So that certainely about this flower or rather about the smel thereof, many haue distilled out the flower of their best Time: Concerning Place, it hath so many bones, that we haue neede of Cranes to plucke them out of the throates of Philosophers, Scaliger afterExercitio. 6. many Maeanders and excursions saith, Locus est vacui­tas Corporis subituri, Place is an emptinesse capable of a body that shall enter or succeede. I pray you what is this but Maedeaes emptie Casket setting Cryu­sa with her house on fire. Now for Number, it is most spent in C [...]phers, places, names. Lastly for Speech, what sinewes can wee expect from it, is itOdyss. 11. not like the Ghost in Homer: [...]

Thus much of Quantitie: Now Qualitie consist­eth all in Degrees, which are nothing but respects, respects are nothing but relations relations nothing but Names, as for Action and Passion, they are so meerely Relatiue, that Aristotle saith, they differ no more then the way from Thebes to Athens, andPhys. 3. lib. cap. 3. from Athens to Thebes. Thence we conclude, that as the Thunder many times destroyeth the sword, leauing the scabberd vntoucht, so the substance and [Page 6] realitie of all knowledge is suckt out, like the egges of the Crocadile by the Icnumon, and nothing left for our inheritance but shels, sheathes and Names.

SECTION. IIII.

THe second argument or plea may bee thus fra­med, to proue that we haue nothing but the Ca­mels skinne stuft with Hay, as Semiramis did against the King of India, either wee knowe the beeing, (which nice wits haue called the essence) or the ma­ner of being, which Scholemen abounding with leasure, rather then learning, haue called existence, the being is vnknowen like the head of Nilus in the mount Atlas, for who dares auer, that he knowes the matter and forme of an accident, except hee would be confined to the Isle of Antisera, to haue his braine purged with Helibore: as for the existence or mnaner of subsisting, is it not a notionall and relatiue terme? cramming a man with learning, as promises doe with hope, and what bee termes, but names? So that to conclude, as in the Citie of Butus, they thatHerodotus in Euterpe. consulted with the Oracle of Latona, after they had slept before her Image, did by the first word of the next that met them, gather a prediction: so whē Ma­sculine promises of reall knowledge are made, we are turned off at last with Feminine performance, in re­uersion of words, so that the distinction of the two Sects of Schoole-men, reall, and nominall, is now confounded.

SECTION. V.

THe third reason doth thus ratifie the matter:Exercitat [...]. 307. Sect. 21. All knowledge is by species and shewes, called intelligible, which are prooued by Scaliger to bee meere accidents, but if we sift it further, we shall find them to be nothing but Names or Notions, presen­ted to the vnderstanding: for colours, sounds, smels, tastes, and qualities of touching, offering themselues to the common sense, are carried into the inner clos­set of the phansie, in whose myrror they are repre­sented to the simple vnderstanding, which first con­ceiuing them as single termes, maketh of them seuen Spiders-webs: first compounding and diuiding, se­condly reasoning and discoursing, thirdly resting or agreeing, fourthly deliberating and consulting, fiftly chusing, sixtly reflecting by the facultie of consci­ence, lastly desiring and mouing. So that to gather the totall summe, these species, which we call intelli­gible, are but termes gathered into sundry formes, as of the same watrie vapour are made many meteors, a Cloud, a Raine-bow, the Rods, the Crowne, pare­lins; also raine, haile and snow: so of the same names variably framed, issue not new things, but new ap­pearances, by this it is cleare that the Quotum of all our knowledge consisteth in a small number of bro­ken names, which we may call reliquias Danaum, atque immitis Achilli: the reliques of mans fall, wherein the wings of the soule were so clipped, that were they not repaired by Dedalus, who hath his [Page 8] name from [...] to know, shee should alwaies haue flagged vpon the fennes of base mortalitie.

SECTION. VI.

THe last reason of this quaternion of Souldiers, may thus be demonstrated, all knowledge is by some argument, for the Latine arguere to argue, is deduced from the Greeke [...], white or cleere, whence is drawen [...] argentum, Siluer, it is now not materiall, whose method wee insist vpon, whether of Ramus the bough, or Aristotle the roote, by either clew we may get out of the laborinth, let vs therefore assume for example sake, any sort of Ar­gument, as causa, causatum, vulgarly called effectum Subiectum, accidens, lately intituled adiunctum, and we shall find that all their knowledge is by relation of termes. For as all men acknowledge there bee fower causes, Efficient, Matter, Forme, End, so the most learned haue form'd fower causata or products of causes, Effectum, Materiatum, Formatum, Destina­tum, which doe mutually answere to the causes, like the cords of Musicke, and what are these but Names and new notions? The same may be obserued in the proportionable differences of Subiectum & Accidens. For as at Philbets in Egypt, of Camels dung and a soft fire, they make Chickens to bee hatcht from Egges, which are there set: so mans mind being well tempered, from one relatiue terme frameth another, farre surmounting both the skil and felicitie of them, [Page 9] which extract the spirit of Roses, Wine, yea and all Chimicall impostures. Shall we thinke the like is not to bee seene in Arguments of lesse moment? what be reasons drawen from disagreeing, compa­rison, from Name, diuision, definition, testimonie; but a heape of Aenigmaticall termes, ouergrowne with distinctions, as Archymedes Tombe was withTuscul. Ques. 5. lib. Thornes, when Cicero came to visit it. Wherefore if all knowledge be of Accidents, and those are rela­tiue, if we onely know the maner of being, not the being of things in nature, if all shewes intelligible, and Arguments, be but Accidents in relation, that is meere Names, it remaineth that we onely feede vpon the Thistles of Names, howsoeuer we seeme to carie vpon our backs most precious Merchandise.

SECTION. I.

WE haue hitherto lent one eare to the de­fendant,VVater with Romanes, as with vs the [...]ower Glasse. Su [...]tonius in Claudio. the accuser is now to bee heard, we are to allow him sufficient water to pleade by, First then he reasoneth against vs thus: We know God as we are taught, and ther­fore all knowledge is not of Names. But stay pre­sumptuous man, cast down thy eyes from thy traine to thy feete, speake not De numine sine lumine, talke [Page 10] not of God without God, canst thou know him but by his workes, thou mayest indeede belieue aboue reason, but wilt thou emptie his Ocean into thy Oy­ster, canst thou diuine how the begetter should not be before him that is begotten, canst thou dreame how generation and proceeding differ, doth not the Spirit worke like the Wind, whose sound thou hea­rest,Ioh. 3. 8. but knowes not whence it comes, or whether it goes! In a word, if thou beleeuest with reuerence thou shalt one day know him face to face, but now thou knowest him onely in a Riddle, and well is it for thee, if thou knowest his Name.

SECTION. II.

BVt now like Hanibal or Mithridates once ouer come, this aduersarie recollecteth his forces, and thus pleadeth the second time. Know you not that the Skepticke doctrine of Pyrrho, A [...]ston, and Hiril­lus, hath beene lone agoe hist out of the Schooles or rather banisht and confined among the Barbarians, will you cause vs to doubt of all things, then shall we doubt, whether you doubt or no, tis possible you may carrie bread in the one hand, and a stone in the other, and that you may speake as false as an Almanacke maker, though you meane as true, as a man vpon his death bed. Staffords Law must an­swere you, if you be possest with this frenzie, but oh my friend haue me not to Bedlam, it may be I haue sold my Land, which you meane to begge. I answere [Page 11] in a word, I am no Skepticke, nor I hope you no Gnosticke, I doubt not whether I know, but know resoluedly, that I doe not know any thing but Names whereupon to resolue. They that cameAristotle Mund. Cap. 1. to Athens the first yeere were wise men▪ The second yeere Philosophers, that is louers of Wisedome: The third yeere Rhetoritians, that is meere bable [...]s, The meaning is, First, they deemed themselues to be wi [...]e, casting vp Mountaines to heauen, like the Sonnes of Aeolus. After feeling themselues to bee puft with a timpany of Pride, they desired that to beMetamor. 11. in themselues which they admired in others: Lastly seeing the more they strayed, the lesse they could goe backe, they found a Haruest of wild corne was left them, it may be of those Reedes which M [...]d [...]s Barber filled full of words, neither is this spoken of modest hypocrisie or glory in holding Paradoxes. For when I say that we know Names, I ascribe such a measure of knowledge to mans shallow vessel, as it is hardly capable of, for are not Names drawne from the causes, effects, subiects, and accidents, which like the fower Riuers of the Moone, Rhenus, Danubius, Nylus, and Ganges, are stored with endlesse plentie of wholsome waters? Some haue not doub­ted to say, that Names are taken by Antiphrasis from the contrary, as Parca quod min [...]m [...] parcat, Lucus quod non luceat, but this counterfeit Antiphrasis is now vn­cased, doth not the Parca spare, when two produce the life, and onely one cutteth it off: May not lucus be drawne a luce, seeing it is a Groue shining with the torches of heathen Idols, neither shall we feare [Page 12] barrennesse, because we haue no Bastards, or lacke of Names, because we want Antiphrasis: To conclude then, though we know nothing but Names, yet by them as the Vines doe by their Palmites, wee lay hold on the Elme, that is, we doe see the backe parts of things.

SECTION. III.

I Had thought by this time that Cerberus would haue coucht, but with his third head hee barkes a­gaine thus, All Artes, but especially Sciences, pre­ [...]end the knowledge of things, therefore to serue vs like yonger brethren with Legacies of meere names, and to bereaue vs of the Gauell-kind Land, is to shew that you are a selfe-louer without a Corriuall: But stay my friend, let it be first manifest that my Fa­ther left Land, and then we wil rather agree at home, then suffer the Butlets boxe to winne all. Agrippa in his Booke Devanitate Scientiarum & Viues, whose fame euer liues in his Booke De causis corruptarum Artium, will soone purge thee of this swelling error: but experience in euery Art, and the sequell of this Treatise, shal in part aswage thy hunger, except thou haue Caninā appetentiam, such a hunger as Erisicthon Metamorp. 12. had, which was maintained by his daughters Meta­morphosing, that is by her whoredome, as learned men expound it: But now enough of this Problem, for they that are wise know it already, and fooles wil not vnderstand it, though you bray them like Anax­archus in an Iron morter.

SECTION. I.

HAuing sufficiently to the vnlearned, and superficially to the iudicious declared, that our knowledge is onely of Names, it remaineth that we manifest errors which come by Names, for so this new Age of Old Names will be detected. For as the Speare of Achilles did both wound and heale T [...]liphus, and as the water of Dodona doth both ex­tinguish and lighten Torches▪ so Names both teach and seduce: many spices are said to bee cold in tou­ching, and hot in working; that is in applying, as when they are beaten, eaten or disgested: so Names if they be but nakedly touched, pricke and sting like nettles, but if they be more roughly examined, they bring no damage nor deceit; and first this is plaine in matter of policie: the yron gouernment of the Romanes may bee a president for all: First when A [...]neas had ouercome Turnus, to appease the mind of the Hetrurians and Latines whom he conquered, he was content that the name of Troians should bee abrogated, & rested satisfied with those names which he found in Italy: as if now the Kings Maiestie com­ming out of Scotland into England; should to the further vniting of both the Realmes, call them by [Page 14] the auncient name of Britanie, and stile himselfe King of Great Britaine, as Alphred and some aunti­ent Princes haue done: next Romulus, when the Sa­bines were vnited to him, was content that the name of Tatienses should remaine, and that Tatius should enioy the name of a King, though it appeared not long after, that as small Brookes falling into a great riuer loose their name, so this weake starre concur­ring with the Sol that would be so [...]us, soone suffered both a totall and finall Eclips, for to say no more, the murther of Tatius by Romulus his craftie conni­uence, was not reuenged: the like is obserued in Tul­lus Hostilius, the third king of Rome, who suffered that the Albanes should loose their name, though they were his Countrimen, yet withall he infranc [...]i­sed them in the liberties of Rome: But to leaue Kings. When the Romans had vomited out the vi­perous broode of Tarquinius, they found out a new Name, for instead of one King, they had two Consuls, and withall enacted a Law, that as the name of Tyrant in old time, so now the name of King among them, should be for euer held most odious and omi­nous, and withal they banished Collatinus Tarquinius onely for the name sake, though indeed he was one of the first that conspired against the tyrant, nei­ther was this law transitorie, for Iulius Caesar fiue hundred yeeres after, could by no meanes obtaine the name of King, though he were not second to a­ny man, either in authoritie or policie: and yet Au­gustus Caesar rather by the length of time, then strength of wit; did in this kind minister sundry ex­periments [Page 15] as is at large to be seene in Appian and Dion: to name all, were more then tedious, and yet to leaue all, would leaue this Remonstrance too naked.

SECTION. II.

AVgustus therefore finding that the name of king was odious, and the terme of Dictator mis­liked or suspected, forged a new name of Emperour, and so put away the title, but not the power of aSi Catulos Ca­nibus, &c. kingdome; not vnlike (if we may compare whelpes with dogges) to her that hauing denied a yong man twise, finding him not to renue his suite, told him by letter, two Negatiues make an Affirmatiue, and so with her louing Logicke she entertained him againe into grace, but leaue wee one of the worst among women, and to returne to one of the best among men.

Augustus gaue the richest and weakest kingdoms of the world to the Senate, reseruing the poorest and the most warlike to himselfe, by which deuise hee kept the Senate in a perpetuall honourable bondage. Also he made a double Exchequer, the first he called his owne, the other the Common-wealths, not vn­like that craftie Churle, which hauing two chests, the one emptie, which he called all the world, the other full, which hee termed his friend, being reque­sted to lend, would aunswere he had no coine in all the world, but hee would goe to his friend, who [Page 16] would not lend but for interest. For indeede Au­gustus vsed both these Exchequers as his owne Concubines: likewise he appointed triumphall or­naments for victorious Senators, still reseruing the triumph it selfe, for himselfe, and his successors; and so played with the Romanes, as vermine doe with poultry, sucking the best blood, and leauing the re­fuse for all commers: but what should I speake of all his publike actions and mysteries of state, one priuate policie shall be an hostage for all; he desired to haue a bond-man giue testimony against his master, it was answered, that it was against law, whereupon hee caused him to be sold to another, and so made him his accuser, is not this to call stumbling starting, and iadish dulnesse, nothing but forget fulnesse: true it is that Tacitus records this of Tiberius, with whose cru­ell and wilie nature, this seemeth to bee very conso­nant, but Dion saith, hee had his plot-forme from Augustus, it is not improbable, seeing he had his pre­sident from him in most matters of regiment.

SECTION. III.

THat we may something drawe on this webbe of story, the succeeding Romane Emperous, haue throughly declared what Names can doe in policie. Infinite examples are found in Tiberius, which to re­cite, were to write againe the eleuen first bookes of Tacitus his Annals, not vnlike Crysippus, who for aLaertius in vita Crysippi. citation, writ downe a whole Tragedie of Euripides: [Page 17] or many moderne bunglers, which are rather ex­scriptores, then scriptores: and as it was merily said, bad springs of water, but good leaden spouts: but toGilbert in Mag­nete. returne to Tiberius, it is no maruaile, though Sueto­nius report, that Domitian only would read the Acts and Records of Tiberius, for by that little which Ta­citus hath left, the rest being consumed, as it seemes by Gothes and Vandals, or by some timorous Tyrant, it doth appeare that by the changing of Names, and shew of libertie, he brought the Romanes vnder the lowest degree of basest seruilitie: hee would not bee called Lord, but played the Vsurper and the Tyrant: he would haue the Empire diuided into three parts, and when he was demaunded which part hee would haue, he aunswered indeed, that it did not befit his modestie to chuse, but though it were replied, this question was asked to shew the indiuisibilitie of the kingdome, yet he pursued the Author of this questi­on, namely Gallus to the death. In a word, hee ne­uer spake as hee thought, and yet hated them most that seemed but the least to suspect or mistrust him, and I am affraid if all Tacitus were extant, the myste­ries of state would bee too much exposed to vulgat eyes, of all which, this is one maine Maxim, that the name be as little changed as may bee, though the thing bee altered: the like things are obserued by Herodiane in the liues of Seuerus, & Maximinus: as al­so by the Church writers in the liues of Constantine, Iustiniane, and others; but I will not mount too hie, least with Phaeton I fall into Rhodanus.

SECTION. IIII.

TO aleage other stories, would either be too diffi­cult, or at least too laborious, to aleage our own Chronicles, would seeme too perilous: but some wil say, doe you condemne all policie in Names, or Names in policie? To this I frame this direct, but (yet I feare me in regard of some) an obscure answer, policie and moralitie as they are sundry arts, so they aime at seuerall ends, for policie sheweth what can be done, moralitie what should be done; the Mora­list saith, men should be good and not mutinous, the Polititian answereth, that men commonly neither are nor will be good, except they bee constrained or deceiued: no constraint being violent can be perpe­tuall, but deceit being more secret, is more secure and durable: when we giue Alloes to children, wee giue it in the pappe of an Apple, that being receiued, they may eate; and eating may liue. So common people many times to their owne good must be il­luded, it is not requisite in a familie, that the seruant should know in all points his masters will; and ther­fore so long as no euill is commaunded, the secrets of state howsoeuer they seeme to deceiue the many­headed multitude, yet are most lawfull, conuenient, necessary. Wherefore we discommend not Tiberius and Domitian; because they vsed cunning, and many times collusion; but because they abused it, in mis­applying the same to murther and lust. Briefly let no captious Cauiller with sharper nailes then wit, claw [Page 19] at this position: Ethicks and policie are not contrary, but yet diuers.

SECTION. V.

THis bitter pill wee will once againe lenifie with an other Iulip or a Pozeme, that it may be the more gently intertained: as in all policy, so princi­pally in that which is Militarie, error in Names is most subtile, yet most profitable: The three Decij in Liuie commanded, if they were killed in the battaile, it should be giuen out, that they did voluntarie run into the midst of the enemies, vpon a vowe for the safetie of the Common-wealth, so that their death was not preiudiciall to the armie, as otherwise it would haue bene. Haniball hauing ouercome the Romanes, put on their armour, and so his souldiers being taken for Romanes, wonne a City vnder their subiection: Iulius Caesar when his Souldiers muti­ned, onely vsed this word Quirites, that is Gentle­men of Rome, by which they vnderstood, that hee would cassheare them from their militarie seruice, at which word they were so astonished, that imme­diatly they desisted from sedition, and with much a­doe in apparance obtained pardon: wee will con­clude with later examples, Scanderbegge King of Al­bania, when hee felt the pangs of death to approch, commaunded the armie should martch, and withall that it should be proclaimed, that himselfe was ad­uancing forward; which Proclamation did so amate [Page 20] the Turkes his enemies, that presently they brake their rankes, without breaking a Lance. Tamber­lane the Emperour of Tartary would not cut his haire after the manner of his owne Country, but ware it long, saying, that hee came (by the mothers side) from Sampson, whose strength was supposed to consist in his haire, by which fable he obtained this honor, that he was thought inuincible. To conclude, error by names in warlike, and in all other policies, hath bene held to be of least perill and most efficacy.

SECTION. VI.

BVt some will grinne against that which hath bin said, that error of Names hath bene the Schole­mistris of learned flatteries, which are the cankers of Ty [...]ants, and many times the apoplexies of estates, as Tacitus and Suetonius doe shewe in Nero; Dion, and Herodian declare in Commodus; but as I take it, Tacitus in the beginning of the life of Iulius Agricola, as al­so in the end thereof, hath throughly discust this doubt, demonstrating against Thraseus, Priscus, and Rusticus, that to flatter a Tyrant for a mans owne safetie, not with any dishonestie, is a thing of no lesse prayse then securitie: for tell me why should a man loose the seruice of his head for the freedome of his tongue: which as it is otherwise vnseasona­ble, not vnlike to him that preacht to them that robd him, so many times it kindleth the rage, sharpe­neth the suspitions, and iustifieth the pretences of ty­rants, [Page 21] whereas a modest silence would reserue a man to better times.

SECTION. I.

HAuing a while waded in the wide Ocean of Policie, which dependeth vpon expe­rimentall Reason, it resteth that we treate of Reason artificiall, commonly intituled Logicke, which though shee be full of Thornes, yet if wee put ouer our hedging Mittens, may bee tractable: we auouch then that all fallacians, which are errors in Logicke, doe issue from Names, which like the Rainebow: Mille trahunt varios aduerso sole Aeneid. 9. colores, and receiue as many formes as materia prima, or as Quartilla did louers, and this may be thus made perspicuous. The thirteene fallacians, as they are commonly reckoned, may bee all reduced to Igno­rantia Elenchi, which is when the subiect of the Question is taken away, or the state changed, this is plaine by instance:

In this fallacie of Equiuocation, by the word suum [Page 22] and sua, the state of the question is inuerted, for the Verses were his by the right of a possessour, not of a maker. Likewise in that Oracle, Domine mancas hostes enim penetrabunt terram tuam, & subijcientur domui K [...]kerman in his third Booke of Logicke. tuae, which indeede should haue beene written thus, Domi ne maneas, hostes enim penetrabunt terram tuam, & subijcient Vr domui tuae, Now Vr in Chalde signi­fieth fire. In this Oracle, I say, wherin are the fallacies of Amphibole, Composition, Diuision, Accent, Fi­gure of speech: The state of the Question is altered, as appeares by the contrarietie of interpretations the same is most ocularly manifest in the other sixe fallacies, for that which we call Polyzetesis, or many Interrogations, is nothing but an Equiuocation turn'd into a Question, and so is of the same nature. Also in this Example, Qui te animal dicit verum praedicat, at qui te asinum idem & te animal dicit, ergo. The Elenchs of accidents secundum quid, are lurking, and yet with all the Question is changed, for the reason is drawen from a particular to an vniuersall, which is most preposterous and retrograde, so where the Question is begged, the streame of the disputation turnes his channell: Lastly, in fallacies of a Non consequente & a non causa, there is nothing but a change of the Question, which is in effect but a Name inuerted, not vnlike the legerdemaine of Iug­lers, or the glittering glosse of Alcumists gold, which though it satisfie the eye, it will hardly indure the stampe, the touchstone, or the hammer.

SECTION. II.

FVrthermore seeing darknesse is knowen by light, and deafenesse by hearing, fallacies being the dis­eases of the Soule, are knowen by their soueraigne medicines. Now as the Sunne driues away the Wind and the Cloudes, so a distinction onely doth extinguish the Ignis fatuus, and dispell the mistie my­steries of cheating falacies. There are indeede three wayes to dissolue an Argument, deniall, retorting, and distinction, but Deniall is too hostile, sauoring more of obstinacie then of Arte, retorsion is more wittie then profitable, in a word, Deniall is like sea­ring and launcing, Retorsion like medicines draw­ing or purging, Distinction is like to ripening reme­dies, or to purges which we call benedicta, because they clense and feede. Now I would be iudged by a crewe of Critikes, neither doe I passe though the soule of Lipsius were coniurde from his Purgatorie, the verdict I craue is vpon this point, whether a di­stinction be any other thing, then the enumeration of sundry significations of the same word, with an apt application to the thing in question. By this it is cleare, that a falacie is like the Sea-prophet Prote­us, to whom if any came to consult, he would turne himselfe both into water and fire, both into a sense­lesse Tree and a sauage Tyger, and in fine into euery forme of formes: But if the consulter did but binde him, not fearing or regarding his shapes, then would he yeeld a direct answere to his demaund, so if you [Page 24] bi [...]de a fallacie with the chaines of a distinction, you shall cause her to appeare in her owne likenesse, like Duessa disroab'd by Prince Arthur. In briefe, it is largely confirmed by Aristotle, in the fourth Booke of his Metaphysickes, which is commonly called the Booke of Distinctions, that all errour proceedeth from indistinction of Names, not much vnlike the halucination, or errour of the sight in the Arte Opticke.

SECTION. III.

NEither are fallacies onely impaled within theMarloe. Schooles, but as farre as Boreas claps his brasen wings, and wheresoeuer men or wits be found, there is either the fuell or the fier of deceit: no not in warre where Thalius harpe cannot be heard for the neigh­ing of horses, no not in religion which is a cloake so large, that it may couer the whole world; as Tam­berlane was wont to say: no not in a mans most re­tired meditations (where one would be most loth to put a tricke vpon himselfe) will any place bee found so narrow, where deceit wil not hatch, if her egges in time be not broken. For as at the dawning of the day, in each part of the aire, darkenesse is mingled with light; so in euery part of the soule, error cleaues fast to truth. In the Theorick vnderstanding, know­ledge, ignorance: In the Practicke, faith and infide­litie, prudence and folly: In the Conscience, scru­ples and resolution: lastly in the Affections, toward­nesse [Page 25] and waywardnesse: and according to the vul­gar opinion, vice and vertue wage warre without truce: and rage like the Sea of Oseria, which ebbes and flowes foure and twentie times each day: hence we conclude that fallacies are vbiquitaries, and busie as newes-mongers, and that as each part of the body hath some disease sent from the Witch Acrasia, which is intemperance: so there is no part or fun­ction of mans life, which may not bee ouergrowen by the brambles of some fallacie.

SECTION. I.

SEeing then this leprosie of errour doeth creep vpon alwals, let vs examine it first in vertues, wherin we wil follow the knowen tract, being a thing not so hard as imper­tinent to mint new diuisions of vertues: the chiefe vertue then is Fortitude, a mediocritie in despising dangers, and wee may extend it to be constancie, which makes euery vertue a habite: but now all you Muses, Heliconides, Aonides, Peonides, Sycilides, Lebe­thrides, and if there be any other kindes come to my ayde, for as the Poet saith, Grande loquuturi nebulas Persius. Satyr. 6. Helicone legunto, ayde me I pray you, and shew mee [Page 26] into what shapes of Names this Fortitude hath beene transelementated. First therefore single fight by many greene heads hath beene so well esteemed, that whosoeuer doeth refuse it, is proclaimed a dast­ard: we know indeede that Dauid by heroycall in­stinct, did trie a single combat with Goliah, but this is not exemplarie: Againe the Romanes tollerated the combat of the three Horatii with the Curiatii, but it prooued afterwards preiudiciall to them, neither was it done but in the infancie and barbarisme of their state. Lastly a Battell for triall of truth, was allowed by the positiue Lawes of sundry Countries, but now they are repealed, as being made in the times of vnciuill ignorance: for what can bee more perilous in Warre, then by the death of one enemie to hope for a compleate victorie, and by the fall of some one friend to betray the rest, as yet vntouched, vnto wilfull slauerie: Were it not a strange thing to iudge of sounds by taste, no lesse vncoth is it to de­cerne right by a combat: May not the vniuster per­son bee more strong, more skilfull, or at least more subtill? but if they answere, but yet not more fortu­nate, let them know they tempt Prouidence, and therefore prouoke her, no maruaile then though the Turkes at this day doe point single Combatants to be burnt in the side with hotte coales of fire, these shall rise against vs in iudgement, when it shall bee told vs that this single combat is no Fortitude, but an impatient distrust in the diuine administration, as if it could not present vs with iust occasions of try­ing our valour.

SECTION. II.

THere reignes another humour not vnlike the former, namely reuenges desire much practised in Suites of Law, which serue instead of Ciuill warres, for whilest Bellona wasteth the Countrey, there is a perpetual vacation in law, but when Peace returneth, the Tearme begins, so that men alwayes must be waging warre or Law, but of this hereafter: meane time the Spirit of reuenge in generall, hath borrowed the visard of Fortitude, and yet it is found in all mishapen, wrinckled, hollow-eyed: In a word, anger flaming witches, for vpon hope of reuenge, only those bloody couenants are commonly drawn with Sathan: the ground of this error is, that men forget that, whereof no man can be ignorant, [...] Of [...], to worke forcibly, [...] a steppe. [...] to distribute. [...] the reuenging eye, the Heathens had many Names for their Goddesse of reuenge, as Erynnis, Icnaea, Nemesis, Ramnasia, Astraea, Ceres, for all these are but one, though some respects of difference haue bene found in the names, she was termed Erinnis, of her violent actions against euill men: Likewise Icnaea because shee hunted them as it were by footesteps: Shee was intituled Nemesis for distributing due pu­nishment, Ramnusia was a particular name giuen by the Ramnenses, which were the followers of Romulus, to appease the Ghosts of Remus, which were called at the first, remures, but afterwards lemures. Astraea Ouid. de Trist. is not onely the name of Iustice, but of reuenge, for Iustice many times with Iron hand, though with [Page 28] leaden feete, doth reuenge long smoothered crimes:Metamor. 5. Lastly Ceres is brought in plaguing the earth with Cockle, Darnell, barrennesse for the losse of Proser­pina. Of [...] pu­nishment and [...] Murder. a priuatiuum and [...] a bedde. [...] enuie. What should we say of Tysiphone, reuenging murther, Alecto, vnchastitie, Megaera strife and en­uie, by all which it appeareth, that the Heathens will condemne vs before the true Minos, for our reueng­full desires, masked with the Name of Fortitude, which is notwithstanding taken a Ferendo not a feri­endo, nam patiendo, male non faciendo, fortes sumus.

SECTION. III.

THe next Cheater vnder the name of Fortitude, is that desperate resolution, which is found in Saylers, a thing grounded vpon custome and Athe­isme, and indeede built vpon the sand, for not onely in stormes, they are found ridiculously fearefull, but especially in Sea-fights, the most desperate Sea-men discouer their cowardize. This was obserued in the Romane gladiatores, and with vs in our executioners and Bearewards, that though otherwise they bee bloody, and obstinate, yet if they fall into a danger without the compasse of their owne element, they are found to be most meticulous, for indeede he that despiseth not all dangers equally, despiseth none resoluedly.

SECTION. IIII.

MAns mind is like a distempered Locke, which wil neither open nor shut, or like a man that by halting in iest, is become lame in earnest: strange it is, that Male-contentment should be now counted the straine of resolution and badge of Fortitude, neither is this a new error: For why were Brutus and Cassius, and after them Cato Vticensis, so much renowmed for their fortitude? Was it not because they were great male-contents. But now not the oppression of our libertie & ruine of our Countrey, hath brought forth this melancholike streames, Idlenes and want of imployment, ioyned with pride and Epicurisme, haue drawne vs into this back ward passion, but more of this in Magnanimitie.

SECTION. V.

THere remaineth yet an other order of men, which haue borrowed the Gregorian or false haire of fortitude, Namely, such as thinke it valour to resist Lawes and Officers, a vertue vnknowen in other Countreyes, where all such resistance is pla­gued with seueritie of corporall paine, and infamous in dignitie, but such is our popular indulgence, that we winke at it in all, commend it in some: And no maruaile, for we finde the vulgar voice so condem­ning Serieants, and other Officers, as if the functi­ons

SECTION. I.

TEmperance is a kind of Fortitude, in bearing the violent assaults of lust and other appetites: So Fortitude is a kind of Temperance, moderating and tem­pering the turbulent affections, and therefore by Aristotle, iustly Temperance is marshaldEthi [...]. 3. 11. [...] de arte [...]. in the second ranke, and by some is made the com­mon Mediocritie of all vertues. But infinite are the distempers of glosing and seeming Temperance, to omit Heretickes and Turkes, the moderne vale of chastitie is drawne ouer sundry Realmes, Adulterie seemes to be much condemned, and yet Stewes are [Page] [...] compelled to lie in yron beddes) as the iealous locks wherewith chastity is rather tempted then taught, a grieuous error in Names to hold, that harlots are free for their lust, and wiues must neuer be exemp­ted from the contagion of suspition.

SECTION. II.

AN other kind of Temperance is in drinke and meat, wherein there is a Babilonish confusion of Names: in Italy, and Spaine, wee are condemned for great gluttons, the Germanes for great drinkers, and some haue not doubted to answere, that it is their nationall sinne, which is vntrue: for before the Teutones and Tygurines came ouer the Alpes, what time they besieged the Capitoll of Rome, it is mani­fest, [Page 32] there were no grapes in Germanie; this being the onely true occasion of that warre; a certaine Bar­barian returning from Rome into Germany, where he was borne, brought with him certaine grapes, at the sight and teste whereof, the Germanes desired to inuade Italy; and therefore drunkennesse was not alwayes the nationall sinne of Germany. Besides the great Temperance of the old Britons & Saxons, and of sundry Normane Kings, as Rufus, Stephen, Henrie the first, surnamed Beauclarke: doth sufficient­ly shew, that our surfeting doth not onely proceede from the climate, nor onely from the Petigree, wee being deriued from Saxons, which be Germanes; and Normanes, which came out of France, but de­scended from Denmarke: except we should likewise imagine suspition is the nationall sinne of Italy, and pride of Spaine, whereas wee know that vnder the auncient Romanes, Italy was famous for plaine dea­ling, and before the Gothes ouerranne Spaine, it was as void of pride as now it is of drunkennesse.

To determine this matter, these things make a sinne, as it were nationall. First the Petigree, se­condly the Climare, thirdly the Neighbour-borde­ring of some nation, fourthly Impunity, fiftly some corruption in Religion, lastly ouermuch Peace: for example, it cannot bee denied, but that great luxu­rie hath ouer [...]aken our land, for we came of the Ger­manes and French, the one a hungry, the other a daintie Nation; and so we learne to exceede both in quantitie and qualitie of diet. Againe, our Cli­mate is cold in respect of Italy or Spaine, so that the [Page 33] Italian comming into our Countrey, eateth more liberally then at home, the externall cold kindling the heat of the stomacke: likewise our neighbours are the Low Dutch, much boasting with Darius, that they can beare wine. As for impunitie of luxurie it is very strange, seeing it is not onely not punisht, but euen defended and rewarded: of corruption in Reli­gion we shall treate hereafter. Lastly, for long peace, it cannot be denied, but as the hot sands in Affrica bring forth continually newe Serpents: so this daily and nightly produceth newe excessiue pleasures. The summe is, Temperance if it be mea­sured by the stomacke of any one Countrey, it shall be meted with a Lesbian and mutable rule. So that if we stile all English gluttons, and Germanes drunkards, the speech will sauor of popularity more then of charity.

SECTION. III.

THere followeth yet a more daungerous error, more affecting or rather infecting our manners, drunkennes of late daies hath found among vs patri­monia, and matrimonia, & euery where patrocinia, and is maintained with some shadowes of truth, the bre­thren of Ioseph are said to be drunke, whereas indeede the meaning is, they dranke liberally of the best, theyGene. 43. 34. Compare Hagg 1. 16. Iohn 2. 10. drunke the cup of necessitie, strength, delight, and it may be of sleepe: but who touched the cup of folly, of lust, of furie: with no lesse infelicitie doe they tra­duce [Page 34] rather then produce Salomon, hee bids theeProu. 31. 6. d [...]inke that thou mayest bee glad for a season, not void of reason with vntimely madnesse: wee haue heard say, that the Danes thinke, what entereth in,Matth. 15. 20. defileth not, but what they vomite. If this be true, I am sure they vomite great blasphemies, for in that place is mention of such things onely, which issue from the heart and soule, not from the stomach: o­ther haue found drunkennesse to bee a remedie for a quartan, and haue purchast withall an habite of drin­king. So that of sicke men, they are become sound beasts: other defences as of company, of gentry, of inforcement, and the like are confuted by the bare repeating. To conclude, it is shame that the com­binations of drinking are not dissolued by seuerer ex­ecution of good lawes.

SECTION. I.

LIberalitv and Magnificence, differs as a Pike and a Pikerell, the former being con­uersant about ordinary beneuolence; the latter about sumptuous workes, but as I take it, this distinction is not so much found in the thing, as in the flattery of writers; the first Gangren of this vertue, is the false name of hospitalitie, where­by [Page 35] by men fill the full onely, maintaining either Instru­ments of recreation, otherwise lawfull: as Horse, Hauke, Hound; or of meere pompe, as multitude of seruants without office, or of importunacy, as vali­ant Vagrants, or of mutuall flatterie, as men that can re-inuite them: meane while, the labouring▪ the impotent, the sicke, the imprisoned, the necessarily wan­dring; the learned and ministeriall poore are neg­lected. The Names of Lord and Ladie, as is proued out of the Saxon recordes, were giuen in auncientVerstegands Antiquities. time, for true hospitality: for Lord was written La­ford, now Lafh is that which we call loafe, but signi­fieth bread in generall: not the forme onely. Hee therefore was a La-forde, or a Lord, that afforded bread: this terme Ladie was written Laphdian, that is a woman, diuiding or distributing Bread allowed by her Lord and husband: The name remaines, the thing is abolisht, for either housekeeping is neglect­ed, or the rich onely feasted. Thus did not the Pa­triarkes, nor the Grecians, and Romanes, so famous for Hospitalitie, other Nations greatly contemne vs, though with a greater pride bending on the o­ther side to couetous solitarinesse.

SECTION. II.

AN other poyson of pretended liberalitie, is the Phrensie of building, a thing well Painted by many, but yet in the end it prooueth a rotten poste. The Bricklayers of Babel, and the Kings of Egypt [Page 36] that made the Pyramides by the labour of the Israelites, doe partly shew vs, what bad successe these glo­rious Titles did purchase: the manifold terrors of Caine, the builder of the first Citie; the curse of him that built Iericho, the madnesse of Nabuchadonoser, who built Babel for his owne glorie, doe testifieLycanthropia, a disease wherein men thinke themselues to be beasts. sometimes the ruine, often the infelicitie, alwayes the vanitie of the dooers. To conclude this, let buil­ders remember that to be most true, that Ouid spake in an other sense.

It was but a fable of Phaeton, but we expect now that it shall bee both truely and shortly perform'de, at what time these buildings will make a faire show in the publike fire, as Nero said of Rome, when it was a burning. As for the Almes which they pre­tend in building, they are like the white of an Egge without salt, for the labourer is worthy of his wa­ges, neither can Almes and stipend concurre in the same Salarie or gift.

SECTION. III.

THe third Imposture is, our English Apish vani­tie, whereby wee tire our selues in changes of strange costly and gaudie tyre, not to couer naked­nesse, not for ornament and distinction of orders, [Page 37] not for defence alone, but to shew our leuitie in imitation, our facilitie in aluring, beside our need­lesse expense and lunasicke inconstancie. So that al­though sundry Diseases are sent from other Nati­ons to vs: Yet we are alwayes the cause of the Chin­coughCachinnus. in other Countreyes, whilest they wonder at vs, which as a King-Fisher being dead, change with the wind, that is with each fashion, not vnlike Hor­ses sicke of the fashions; Indeede other Countreyes retaine their old habit, out of pride contemning the in frugalitie of new inuentions, but we are changed with sordid mutabilitie, ascribing the fault com­monly to Women or Taylors, who serue like Mun­keyes or Dogges among Ladies, vpon the sent of e­uill sauors: Whereas the truth is, the husbands pride like the luster of the Sunne, is seene in his wife repre­senting the Raine-bow. When Solon came before Cresus, being demaunded, whether hee had seene a more pompous show, answered hee had seene Phe­sants and Peacockes in their natiue habit, as for his apparell it was borrowed. O Solon, hadst thou knowne how raiment came vp, thou shouldest haue seene that thou spakest not by guesse: It was said, Is not the body more worth then rayment? as if the body without rayment might be safe, for not onely in the Golden age before Adams fall, was there no neede of such borrowed vesture, but euen in this Iron sea­son, wherein Gold is of most estimation. The sa­uage Indians, rather vpon ignorance of vice, then affection to vertue, keepe all parts bare, saue those which nature biddes should bee concealde, their [Page 38] simplicitie, being a ragged remnant of our ruined innocencie: And if the temperament of our Climate would indure the same, we doubt not but the bodies of sober minds would admit the like naked sinceritie.

SECTION. IIII.

THe fourth coloured name of Magnificence, isDion in Claudio. painting, a notable president wherof was Poppaea, which had the Milke of fiue hundreth shee Asses to wash her face with, the oldest patterne we reade of, was Iesabel, though some would fetch it farther fromIob 42. Iobs daughter, which was named Cheren-happucke, by interpretation the horne of stibium or complexi­on, but I thinke if some nose-wise Criticke were hereNice No [...] de. he would think that she was so called for her natural beauty, exceeding all Painting, but it is not safe of an Etimologie to make an Historie, except we like his Dreame, that said Brutus was an adulterer, becauseO Brutus for Obrutus. of selfe-will, he thus read Ouids verse, O Brutus in­sanis esset adulter aquis, whereas tis certaine that Bru­tus reuenged the Rape of Lucrese, and the Adulterie of Tarquinius, but such lippes such lettisse, Painted stories & Painted faces may well agree, the latter be­ing made to offend by inchantments, the former to defend them, certaine it is that as Gunnes haue taken away manhood, so Painting hath disgra'st beautie.

SECTION. I.

THe next golden paire of vertues com­monly reputed, are Magnanimitie and Modestie, differing in qua [...]titie as the former vertues, the first being seene a­bout great Honours, the second about smaller, these distinctions we will not now refute, least wee should seeme Parentes colere, that is to plough vp our Fathers graues, as it was said by Au­gustus. The first Cantherist that eates vp the rootes of this tree, is selfe-loue, which men (who skilfull to sucke Milke out of a Flint) haue thus assayed to draw out of the fountaine of veritie, it is written, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe: And therefore selfe-loue is enioyned, for the rule is better then the thing ruled, but selfe-loue is the rule. The thing ruled is the loue of the neighbour, selfe-loue there­fore is better and more inioyn'd. We answere, that Loue of our selues, is a rule naturall not morall, like as when we say, be Morally dilligent, as the Pismire is naturally, Also loue thy neighbour Morally, as Christ hath loued thee supernaturally: For tell me, thou that iudgest without preiudice, when it is said, Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe, is this thy meaning, as thou dost, or as thou oughtest to loue thy selfe? The [Page 40] first being in nature, the latter in duetie, if thou auer the latter as some haue done, then tell mee how ought I to loue my selfe? Is not now the rule as vn­certaine as the thing ruled, and hath euer any man [...] in [...]. offended in this duetie, hath euer any hated his owne flesh, is not this vertue found in bruite beasts aswell as men? Nay, can we thinke the Prince of darkenesse loueth not himselfe. To conclude, where it is said, I hate them as if they were mine enemies, the mea­ning is, I hate them as, if I were a naturall man, I should hate my naturall foes, so when it is said, Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe, this is the meaning; That which by nature thou dost to thy selfe, by duetie performe to thy brother.

SECTION. II.

BY this it is plaine, that the Name of Magnani­mitie being defined to bee a vertue, whereby a man being worthy of great honour, thinks himselfe worthy of the same, doeth something smell of the Brimstone of heathenish pride, for of what honour should a man dreame himselfe to be worthy, seeing the highest top of all knowledge, is to acknowledge that we haue none, and the fairest buildings of ver­tue, should be laide vpon the foundation of humili­tie. Tis said that Neptune did helpe to build the Walles of Troy, because in the foundation of building, we should digge till we come where there is water. Humilitie then the foundation of Vertue, [Page 41] must be laid vpon the water of contrition, issuing from the cleere fountaine, wherein we see the faces of our owne misery: and therefore some haue not doubted to say, that Aristotle in the great praises of magnanimity, did sowe pillowes vnder Alexanders elbowes: other deny the booke of Ethicks to be his, because Nichomacus (as they say) was but sixe yeere old when he died, as if Quintilian did not dedicate his institutions to his sonne at the same yeeres, other say, that these Ethicall discourses were popular, not accurate, but why doe these sillie Hares thus insult vpon a dead Lyon? I beleeue that he which groped so well in the darke, had he seene our light, he would haue looked vpon the glistering sunne, aswell as any of our Eagles.

SECTION. III.

ANother Moth that frets the Name of Magnani­mity, is an act, which some ascribe to Fortitude; namely killing of a mans selfe, but for as much as ho­nour hath bene most pretended to be sought by it, it may seeme to be a straine of Magnanimity, rather then of Fortitude: now although it hath bene pra­ctised, by men otherwise famous, yea by women of the noblest spirits, yet we shall find first that the fiue examples in Scripture: Abimelech, Saul, and his ar­mor-bearer, Achitophell, and Iudas, are branded ei­ther with pride, or with dispaire: next it is cleere, that Codrus, Cursius, Minutius, and others haue done [Page 42] it vpon barbarous superstition. For Sathan know­ing that Christs blood should be the propitiation for the sinnes of the world, of which the Sacrifices in the law were types, perswaded the wandring Heathen, that the Diuinity was onely appeased by humane blood, hence wee haue the oblations to Molech a­mong the Ammonites, and to Saturne among theLooke Tobie Matthew his Sermon prea­ched before the Queene, 1580. Carthaginians, Thrasians and Samnites, and to Hae­sus among the Gaules: as for the three Decij, I take it, it was no vow but a policie. Cato Vticensis indeed is much praised, but I suppose (all things considered) it was but a male contented pride, that droue him to this exigent: as for the women, Dido, Sisigambis Por­tia, Cleopatra, and others, they are the lesse to be ac­cused, because of the great infirmity of their sexe, and impotencie of their passion, and this is much more euident in Martyrs and Virgins, who pretending to saue their faith and virginitie, cast not their wares out of the ship, but themselues out of the world. Their good intent is not to be concealed, their frail­tie is to be pitied: in briefe it is not lawfull to breake prison, or to leaue the watch before the appointed hower, and though many glorious yuie bushes bee hanged ouer this act, yet indeed it is a wine running out of the vessell of pusillanimitie, neither did any euer kill himselfe, that dreaded not a daunger greater in shew, which thereby he indeuored to escape.

SECTION. IIII.

NEither hath only Magnanimitie bene thus trans­figured, but Modestie hath borrowed many fea­thers, one greatest & most deformed she tooke from the lasie Owle, vnder this pretence [...] bene qui Timo [...]. latuit, bene vixit, quia latere est viuere, & viuere [...]st la­tere: this nation of men leaneth vpon this principle, a man is borne for himselfe, and therefore it is but ambition to striue to helpe others, but as the roote is bitter, so is the fruit, as the principle is erroneous, so is the conclusion; God the Father gaue his whole being to his Sonne, these both in vnspeakeable man­ner breathed forth the holy Ghost; these three per­sons made the world: & rule it with continually-wor­king assistance: the Angels are for our sake sent out daily vpon certaine mysteries and Ministeries: Eue was made to helpe man, and he to rule both her and all other visible creatures, the heauens by their influ­enceScalig. exercita. 300. Sect. 59. 13 guide the Elements, which feede the plants, the foode of beasts, and they of vs: is any part of the bo­dy made for it selfe, doth not the liuer minister spirits to the heart, the heart to the braine, the braine to the whole microcosme: wherefore he that liues to him­selfe, quencheth the spirit in himselfe, and burieth his talent, but I spare to speake of this any further in this bold and ambitious age, yet many wee know there be, that haue thus erred on the right hand.

SECTION. I.

THe seuenth vertue called Clemencie, opposed to Crueltie and Indulgence, is assaulted by many errors of Names: The first is this, some thinke, we ought to forgiue all iniuries, not onely in re­spect of malice, but euen in regard of punishment in censure: these consider not that prudence is the forme and square of all vertues & so of charitie: true it is she suffereth all things: namely, which prudence aduiseth may be suffered. Notwithstanding, first it is as true, that to yeeld impunity to euill doers, is in a sort as dangerous as to punish the iust. Secondly it is meere follie to ascribe integritie to an euill man, or to write him in the bead-roule of my friends, that is a close and dangerous enemie: for example to trust a man of an other Religion, or contrarie faction, vpon what protestation or bond soeuer, is neerer to phrenzie, then to charitie: credulitie is after a sort as bad as suspition, for he that beleeues the best of e­uery man, holds the truth of no man, for ordinarily it appeareth that men credulous, because they be­leeue the good speaking against the bad, and the bad against the good, are found in euent, if not in effect most suspitious: for as an anarchy and tyranny differ [Page 45] litle, so is it like perillous to beleeue all or none. True it is, if a man repent, our censure must be altered, but our censure must leane vpon probable Arguments of a mindepenitent.

SECTION. II.

AN other supposed enemy of clemencie, is going to Warre and to Law: Against Warre, many phanaticall humours haue beene found to rayle; but besides the ancient testimonies and examples, of Abraham, Moses, Iosuah, Dauid, and others: TheApo [...]a. 17. 15. New Testament describeth the Warre of the tenne Kings as most lawfull: Besides it is manifest, if sub­iects being witches and murtherers, may bee put to death, why may not forraine Princes vpon open in­iurie be repelled, or reclaim'de by Warre: Yea say they, but vnder the Messias they shall turne their Swords to Sithes, and Speares to Mattockes, and shal learne to fight no more. The meaning is, they shall surcease all Ciuill and intestine Warre, they shall haue no tumult in conscience, and in the gene­rall iudgement all warlike and domesticall strife shall be abolisht.

SECTION. III.

THe vse of going to Law, may no lesse be defen­ded, so that the cause be both true and great, so [Page 46] that by no arbitrement, the strife can be determined, so that rigour be not shewed in the aduantage. True it is, that suites before Heathen Iudges were scanda­lous, specially when the matters might haue beene comprimised by priuate Vmpires. But Christian Iudges, and causes otherwise irreconcileable, remoue this stumbling blocke: Alwayes being remembred that fraud, violence, and auarice, creepe not into them that should be patterns and patrons of Iustice.

SECTION. IIII.

A New Chymaera doeth appeare of clemencie, vn­der the Title of the prerogatiue Royall, when wilfull murtherers, Witches, Sodomites, and ob­stinate Traytors are pardoned, wherein although Princes in the most part doe erre, by ignorance of the fact, not of right: Yet Trapezuntian flatterers make their Apologies, as if it were lawfull for them to dispence with any sinne, not remembring that Kings being Gods vicegerents, may not slacke the bridle of his seueritie, whom they represent. Domi­tian Suetonius in Domitian. said truely, hee that punisheth not Informers, cherisheth them: So he that cutteth not off Murthe­rers, is accessarie for all his Prerogatiue, neither doe we shorten the power thereof, but direct the limits. God is said, not to be able to doe that he will not, so we may say, Princes can not do that they should not.

SECTION. V.

THe like deceit, but farre more generall and per­nicious, is Indulgence, whether of Captaines to their Souldiers, or of Parents to their Children. The former being the ruine of Armies, the latter of Families, which as they are the Seminaries of the Common-wealth, so they spred their defects be­yond all possible meanes of redresse: First, for com­mands of Warre; it hath beene found, that the im­perious crueltie of Lucullus was dangerous to him, as Appian sheweth in the Ciuill Warres, and yet the remisnesse of Scipio did bring no lesse damage for a time, till being better informed, he reformed his er­rour. Scipio the yonger, for his prudent seueritie before Numantia, wherein hee had more adoe withZe [...]ophon in the expedition of the Graetians. his Souldiers then his enemies, was in a maner pre­ferred before all but Caesar. Clearchus said, a Souldier should feare his Captaine more then his foe. As for the indulgence of Parents, although men other­wise most famous as Iacob, Ely, Dauid, haue beene noted for it, yet their infamie and punishment, and with all the praise of Abraham, Iudah, Moses, in Scripture, and in other stories of Brutus, Manlius, Augustus, doe shew both the rarenesse of the vertue, and of the vertuous in this behalfe. For men being tainted with a naturall selfe-loue, can hardly by reflection, see their own faults in their Children, being portions extracted from their seede, and most times from their follies, so that next to the taming [Page 48] of a mans selfe-loue, vaine pitie to Children is har­dest to be subdued.

SECTION. I.

VEracitie a vertue in telling veritie, is Eclip­sed by the shadows of sundry Names. First, Equiuocation desires to bee cousen Ger­maine to it, saying that it reserues a lawfull conditi­on, as when the magistrate demaundeth a thing to the hurt of the partie demanded: for (say they) it is a­gainst ciuill law, & ciuilitie, that a man should accuse himselfe: wherein these men consider not they abo­lish ius ex officio, a thing by them more practised thenBeing Papists. by vs. Againe, when Christ was adiured to tell whe­ther he were the Christ; he gaue a testimony with­out all mentall reseruation. Now whereas they talke of mixt propositions, partly mentall, and part­ly vocall, as they disturbe all societies with their new inuentions: so they make their speech a Centaure, halfe a man halfe a horse, or like one of the broodes of Nilus, halfe earth, halfe frog; a thing both shape­lesse, and shaped in one mixture.

SECTION. II.

A Second bastard of Veracitiy, is an officious lie, a thing excused, defended, and praysed by many: but if this Lie be sifted it will be found, that it comes Ab officio, verbo, non nomine, That is from hurting, not from helping, for though it bewrayeth not thy friend, yet it betrayeth the trueth, which should be dearer then all friends, in desence of it many exam­ples haue beene alleadged. Abraham lied to saue his life, in calling his wife his sister, but I wonder what foreheads these men haue, seeing Abraham himselfe auouched that shee was his sister by the fathers side, besides this terme sister in that language, importeth euery kinswoman: Yea, but say they, the Midwiues lied, in saying the Ebrew women were liuely, and yet God built them Houses, we answere. First, the word liuely may signifie Midwiues: Againe the E­brew [...] tongue. women being premonished of the daunger, might by the aide of neighbours without those so­lemne Midwiues be deliuered, as the Vigine Marie was in Bethelem, and harlots with vs, and all in A­merica: Now where it is said, God built them Hou­ses, [...], [...] not [...]. it is meant of the Israelites, not of the Midwiues, the Ebrew word being of the Masculine gender. Lastly, though it were meant of the Midwiues, the blessing was not granted for their Lie, but for their feare of God, as for the examples of Iacob, Rahab, and others, they are no more presidents to vs, then Dauids adulterie, Salomons idolatrie, Peters Apostacie.

SECTION. III.

THe last enemy of Veracitie, vnder the title of a preposterous name, is a perseuerance in the truth without auoydance of persecution: true it is, we may not flie vpon distrust, or against conscience, calling, or charity, otherwise we may aswell flie from pursu­ing enemies, as from the foure great plagues, wilde beasts, pestilence, famine, warre. Shall we not say, that he suffereth, who leaueth his Countrey, his kin­dred, his goods, rather then hee will howle with Woolues: what if some Martyrs haue beene in this error, we liue by lawes, not by examples; to con­clude, he that flieth may fight againe as Demosthenes said, and as Leonidas Souldiers, may reserue himselfe to better times.

SECTION. I.

AFfabilitie or Comitie is a curteous be­hauiour to all men, Vrbanitie is a pleasant facility in harmelesse iests, the first error of Name, which ouershadoweth Comity is that, which indeed should be termed ambitious flatterie: This first is found in men that seeke for So­ueraigntie, [Page 51] witnesses be Iugurtha, Iulius Caesar, Seue­rus the Emperour, In Scripture we haue Absolon, Adoniah, Ismael, their ends were confusion, as in­trusion was their meanes: now if the fountaine beeNot be in Gene­sis, but in J [...]re­m [...]. poysoned, what shall we thinke of the riuer, it is not lawfull to say, that Pharaohs Butler forgot Ioseph two yeeres, it is not expedient to say, that they can flat­ter, that see the face of Ahazzuerus, they are so mo­dest, receiue so little benefite by collusion, and haue so small occasion to vse it, that a man would little think, that Crowes should build their neast so neere the palace: true it is that Solon sayd to Aesope, men may not come to Craesus if they will not flatter, but sure I am when Craesus was tyed to the stake to bee burned, he was in another mind, certainly Aesope whither of purpose I know not, sayd, the Lion could not be healed without the Apes liuer, that is, PrincesHerodotus in C [...]o. cannot be safe without the death of flatterers.

SECTION. II.

VRbanity a most pleasant vertue, is pestered with the affinity of common ieasting, which vsually hath one of these foure vices: first, prophanenesse a­gainst God, whose name when Pilate heard, he trem­bled: secondly, biting scurrility, whereby men ra­ther loose their guest then their ieast. Vespasian be­ing once troubled at his table with such a Bufphoon, willed him to ieast no more at his friends, but at himselfe: which as Suetonius reports was presentlySuctonius in Ʋ [...]spasian. [Page 52] done in most obscene manner; the third vice then is obcenity: these three are in the quality; the last ex­cesse is in quantity, namely, vncessant babling: he that would make a great fire continually, must rake toge­ther much meane fuell, and he that will alwayes be shaking the splene of others, must haue much curi­osity, more wordes, and most lies, his face must be as hard as the shell of a Tortis, his tongue as sharpe as the quilles of a Porcupine, his heart as vncleane as the stable of A [...]geus, before Hercules brought in the riuer Alphaeus to clense it, and therefore this sor­dide generation should be banisht into Affrica, as Titus did Promoters.

SECTION. III.

THe abuse of sundry Theaters here seemes to pre­sent it selfe, which were they reduced to their first institution, might heale as much as they now hurt: Among the Romans no womans part was plaid by a man: this was the mischiefe, the women were Curtisans; neither indeed can it fit matron­like modesty to be Actresse on a Stage; but by this we conceiue, the heathens saw light though through a narrow grate, and if we marke the ancient Trage­dies of AEsculus, Sophocles, Seneca, we shall finde the reproofe of AEsculus, wherewith he reprooued Eu­ripides, for bringing a woman in loue vpon the stage, & for effeminating the mind of the Athenians to haue been most iust, and yet such is mans frailety, [Page 53] he that bringes in this reproouer, doth euery where [...] abound with obscaenity; I grant it is not so comi­call as Satyricall, but lust is such a sinne as it can hardly be reprehended without sinne, and hee that will rebuke it, must be first wicked by experience, or by imitation: no maruell then though all Histrio­nicall persons were infamous by the Romane law, though they changed no apparrell of their sexe, though they played but once, and that without hier; though their part had neither dicacitie nor filthines: For prophane speeches were in those dayes capitall, the Cynicks iudgement also is to be obserued, whose opinion being demanded of Players, answered, the better, the worse, that is the better Players, the worse men; and certainely, the Actors are many times [...] in the [...]fe of [...] more culpaple then the Spectators, specially if their Action be continuall and mercenarie; notwithstan­ding, if we marke how young men spend the latter end of the day in gaming, drinking, whoring, it were better to tollerate Playes with Augustus, Vespasian, Titus, Nerua, Traian, and other good Emperours, then with Domitian to cut downe the vines, least til­lage be neglected, remembring the verses set downe by Suetonius against him:

For it is a Principle in Policie, that the deteining of the multitude by publike spectacles, is a great obstacle to many base and clandestine Actions, [Page 54] and therefore a Player being condemned by Augu­stus for a quarrell at the Theater, answered, if these things be winked at, the people shall haue lesse lea­sure to inquire into your great actions. It is said ofSee T [...]on in his life. the Mantinians in Polibius, that the leauing of their Country Musicke, was the cause why they degenera­ted into Barbarisme and cruelty: so I feare if all pub­like sports were restrained, our Country would soone turne to sottishnesse or mutineys.

SECTION. IIII.

AN other occasion of mirth, but hinderance of Vrbanity, is a certaine sport in cruelty, exerci­sed vpon men or beasts: first for men, wee know that among the Romanes whilst Paganisme indured, sword fight was publikely tollerated, whereby some­times in one day ten thousand were killed; this hea­thenish or brutish play was abolisht by decrees of Christian Emperors, not much vnlike this, is the de­light which we commonly take in innocents, which were kept in auncient time by great men, partly for spectacles of horror and humility; partly for chari­ty: and therfore we haue an old ceremonious speech in our Countrey, he cannot but thriue, that keepes a foole, it may be also there was a respect had to their ability and willingnes to labor, but that men should make sport vpon their folly, which are no more ob­noxious to it, then our selues: is an argument of sense­lesse and vnnaturall crueltie, neither may we com­mend [Page 55] the immoderate delights in bayting of beasts and Cock-fights, seeing all these contentions came by mans fall, so that if by accident we behold them, we are thence to draw occasion of repentance rather then of delight, neither yet may we for all that hence inferre the condemnation of hunting and hawking, the former being allowed by Isack in his eldest sonne, and both of them being but instruments of taking those creatures, to which wee haue right: and therefore the accidentall sport being seasonably taken by men of ability cannot be disallowed.

SECTION. I.

IVstice a vertue of giuing euery man his owne, either Arithmetically by distribu­tion, or Geometrically by commutation and compensation, hath receiued manySee Iustin in the beginning of his first Booke. variable Names: first by tyrannicall power of doing all things at the will of a Monarch, without positiue lawes in the Countrey, was a long time held for Iu­stice; this afterward prooued very preiudiciall, not onely because tyrants made stawking horses of their willes: for it is perilous when men can doe what they will, and will not what they should: but also be­cause there did succeed many Princes either natural­ly, [Page 56] or by education very defectiue, as Kilparicke. Charles the simple & others, by whose arbitrement, if things had beene moderated and not by Lawes, the Common-wealth must haue suffred shipwrack. Lawes therefore were inuented, and with great in­dustrie perfected, that the actions both of Tyrants might be repealed & of fooles moderated, Example [...] and [...] in the [...] of which we finde in Caligula, Commodus, and Pseu­dantoninus. The same is to be seene at this day in the Gouernement of the Turkes, Preter-Iane, the Barba­r [...]an, and the Russian, in whose absolute Gouerne­ment Lawes are silent, equitie being destroyed by the rigour of Iustice, and this is supposed to bee the cause, why more excellent men haue beene found in free States, as Rome, Athens, Sparta, then in abso­lute Kingdomes, because in them the great Pike de­uours the Eeles.

SECTION. II.

BVt although Lawes haue beene most needefull, yet three great defects haue bene found in them, First the swarming of Suiters, for as many Physiti­ans in a Citie, argue much intemperance, so many Pleaders, much wealth, more hatred, most conten­tion. Poyson in physicke is an extreame remedie, be­cause one deleterious poyson is hardly tempred but by one of equal strength: law and war are desperateTacitus in his [...] w [...]iting of [...] P [...]sius. medicines, and therefore as Informers were much complained on in Rome in the dayes of Vespasian, [Page 57] not because they were simply to be taken away, but rather to be diminished i [...] regard of their number and power, and corrected in respect of their fraudu­lent malice, learned fraud, and dangerous learning, so the ouerflow of suites and pleaders, and the ranck­nesse of iniuries in this kind is rather to be lamented then helped, for though the latter be better, the for­mer is possible: now wee ought to frame our wi­shes according to possibility of thinges, which were it well obserued, it would bee a cordiall to many,Epictetus in his Enchry [...]d [...]on. whose melancholy, not the land of Helibore, no not Virginia now can purge.

SECTION. III.

A Second impotencie is in the execution of laws, when they that might bee most operatiue Iud­ges, are too much imployed otherwise in warre or pleasure, the Romane Emperours therefore especi­ally the best, did often personally assist the iudgement seat, yea Claudius himselfe, though otherwise ouer­ruled by women and seruants, yet was much com­mended for a iudgement he pronounced: a certaine widdow hating her owne onely sonne, defrauded him of his inheritance, saying hee was a foundlingA child found and brought [...] by her hu [...]b [...]d. not her sonne, the young man replyed, that hee was her sonne, and claimed the land: Claudius hereupon commanded the widdow to marry this young man: but shee whether through horror of incest, or ha­tred of his person, confessed that he was her sonne, [Page 58] and so the land was adiudged to him, and thereforeThe resurrection of fooles. it may be that those bookes [...], and Sene­caes Cotakuntosis were made vpon flatterie against him, not vpon truth: Luther in his booke de subli­miore potentia, sheweth how a wise Prince is better then all lawes, by a notable example, which was this, one tooke a Noble man prisoner, whose wife came to entreate for her husbands life, he answered, if she would consent to his folly, he should be deliue­red, she craued first licence to conferre with her hus­band about it, which was granted; her husband al­so gaue her licence to doe it, the next day her hus­bandes head being chopt off, was sent vnto her, whereupon shee complained vnto the Duke of Bur­gundy, who sending for him, compelled him first to marry her, and then beheaded him, intituling her into his lands and goods: this Act hee preferreth before a hundreth sentences of wrested law: in briefe, those states are most happy, where the su­preame Magistrate doth moderate lawes, otherwise vnchangeable, as those of the Medes and Persians.

SECTION. IIII.

THe third vnhappinesse of lawes, is when they are not made altogether in the first foundation, therefore the common wealthes of Israel, Crete, Cybaris, Sparta, Carthage, whose lawes were v­niformely made at once by Moses from God, by Mi­nos, Charondas, Lycurgus, and Phaleas, are preferred [Page 59] before those kingdomes, whose lawes haue been fra­med successiuely vpon new occasions, for we see no Romane lawes made in the time of a free estate, but vpon seditious compulsion, which howsoeuer by ac­cident, did inlarge their power, because their mutinies were ended by law, not by sword: yet if wee marke the sequell, we shall finde, that first it was not durable but in warre, being else molested withReade the Flo­rentiae history. ciuill broiles: secondly, when it had ascended to the height, it could not be preserued without a Monar­chy: thirdly, when the Empire was establisht, it wasSee Dion in Augustus. like neuer long to endure, as both the euent decla­reth, and by narration of the causes, might easily bee conuinced. To conclude, happie bee the countries, whose lawes are framed with the caution made by Carondas, who did ordaine, if any man would changeDio lorus Si [...]u­lus in his [...]ib­liotheca. a law made, hee should come wearing a rope about his necke, with which he should be executed, if his new inuention were not found better then the olde constitution: were this performed, interpretation and execution of olde lawes would serue without innouation.

SECTION. V.

DIuers things are pretended to be enemies to iu­stice, as first the remitting of the rigor of our auncient lawes, whereby wilfull murtherers were hanged aliue in chaines; but howsoeuer this seeme to equalize common fellons to them, for as much as [Page 60] according to the present state, their executions differ not in sense but in shame, yet if we consider all cir­cumstances, we shall finde, first that this death by fa­mine cuts off the ordinary meanes of repentance, be­cause it exceedeth the patience of mans nature, and driues him to vnexpected dispaire, and obstinacie: a­gaine, it shall appeare, that this auncient cruelty would now too much harden our hearts, more then sufficiently frozen ouer with the insensible yse of in­charitablenesse.

SECTION VI.

AN other supposed enemy of iustice, is the pra­ctise of Vsurie, which indeed if it be exercised to the poore, or to rich without respect of damage in suing, may be intollerable; but in case of interest when time of payment is neglected, in the state of Orphants, in mutual hazard, or in hazard publike, simply to dissalow it, is to cut of all traffique and so­cietie, for this sinne is rather in the conscience then in the act, therefore no penalty is imposed vpon it by Gods law; true it is, our lawes tollerate ten in the hundreth, but the intent, not the rigor thereof is to be weighed, for the clearing of iustice: the em­periall lawes which appointed sixe, eight or twelue in the hundreth, do shew there is great difference in the moderation of these matters, which Prudence onely directs as the loadstone doth the variation of the Pole.

SECTION. I.

HAuing runne ouer the perfect vertues, it followeth next, we should entreate of those which are counted dimidiate and imperfect, the first is constancie, an appendent to fortitude, which is a perseuerance in doing good with resistance of affe­ction, so that except wee will bee Stoickes, who banish affections specially obstinate, Fortitude is a vertue which should be; Constancie which is for whilst we liue in this clay, this generation of affecti­ons is Lasciuis hederis ambitiosior, and stickes like a horse-leach, drawing bloud till it burst, but euen this imperfect vertue, is perfectly ouershadowed, first with obstinacie, which seruilefieth a man to his will so that hee becomes like Moecenas, a thousand times married to the same wife, alwayes iarring, yet alwayes faint to bee reconciled; the ground of this phrensie is, that men will, before they deliberate; first executing the Prisoner, then enquiring of his demerite as men say they doe at Halifax, or as some haue done in religion first broching a new doctrine, then setting Clarkes a worke to maintaine it by ex­quisite argument: this obstinacy feedes heresie, as [Page 62] the vapor of the adioyning Sea doth the flame in Mount Aetna, which breakes out euery thirdThucidides, lib. [...]. yeare, the onely medicine of this fansie, is Argu­mentum a fustibus, flat violence vpon iniurie, where­of he shall finde best experience, that dealeth with Mariners, or vntutored Barbarians.

SECTION. II.

ANother soyling of constancy, is an immode­ [...]ate kind of selfe-loue, such as Pamphilus pretends in Arcadia, who though he loued many by a successiue mutabilitie, yet proued that he was con­stant, by this reason: The thing which I loued was my fancie affecting her, when that fleeted to an o­ther, still I pursued the same fancie, and therefore cannot be accus'd of inconstancie, which is as much as if hee had made himselfe the Center, and had drawne all lines of the Circle, from the circumfe­rence of his actions to that one vndiuided point. By this rule some Politicians, all pennie-fathers haue beene so guided, that as Lyons and other beasts are led by the sent in the night to their pray, so these by their owne selfe-loue are drawne to each desire and action, so that where they find not bonum coniunctum as they terme it, they relinquish it as vnsociable.

SECTION. III.

THe second imperfect vertue is abstinence, or continence, which is a temperance with the combat of affections, this combat in case of lust Di­uines call burning, according to the saying, it is bet­ter to Marrie then to burne. Now burning is not onely an assent after abstraction and inescation, commonly called the first motion and delight, but rather a continuall soliciting of the minde, together with an auocation, from the ordinarie functions of a mans vocation. Here is then the vulgar error, to suppose each tickling of the minde to bee burning, and so to imply a necessitie of Matrimonie, whereas indeede if a man abstaine both from lawlesse actes, and bee withall so laborious in his calling, that hee can (though with some difficultie) repell these fierie assaults, he may be truely termed continent.

If there bee no contention or resistance, how shall a man promise to himselfe, that after Hymens rites, he shall not yeeld to his owne adulterous sug­gestions.

SECTION. IIII.

THe third inchoate vertue is Shamefastnesse, in ancient times much praised in yong men, deri­ded [Page 64] then in olde men, now in both, saue that some haue found a new Name for their Palenesse, at the recitall of their vnrepented villanies, which they haue clothed with the maiden-like robes of blush­ing. Whereas indeede blushing is but a feare of re­buke for an error, vpon misprision or mistaking, not a dead wannesse for a fault, which a man neuer in tends to leaue till it forsake him, this is nothing but the stripes or streaked colours of conscience, Quae cae­co verbere torquet, Like the rods which are made in the clouds, but blushing & fasting are banisht toge­ther, the one being accused of ignorance, the other of rigorousnes: The first was confined to Terra Flo­rida, or some such Countrey, where ignorance of vice seemes to doe more good, then the knowledge of vertue, the latter was shipt ouer into the Ile of su­perstition.

SECTION. I.

FRiendship not a vertue, but the reflexion of vertues in two, as being a mutual loue not lurking, doeth change her Name as often as the Sea. which heere is called Aegeum, there Ionium, elsewhere Adriaticke, At­lantic, Persic, and the like. The first Name, is Loue, [Page 65] which like the fish Polypus, assumes the colour of a Rocke, to which it stickes; so doth this, of friendship, here is onely the difference, the fish deludeth other fishes onely, this it selfe principally; but tell mee, what is loue? A Mule is a beast begott of a horse and a shee Asse: so loue is an humour begot be­tweene wit and idlenesse, and to omit other imputa­tions, it hath borrowed the names of two famous Artes, insomuch that the Artes themselues are al­most lost, if some small shards of them had not been digged out of the monuments of antiquity, the first is Musicke, the Theorie whereof is almost abrogated by Arithmeticall and Geometricall proportions, so celebrated in Pythagoras and his followers, and now layde in Democritus pit, where hee buried truth: the practise also of Musicke is deformed by amorous Lyricks, whose Sonets are nothing but bellows of contemplatiue lust, of whome may be said what Iu­uenall sayth of women:

To pretermit other innouations, the Art of Dan­cing with the misteries thereof, which was an Ap­pendant of Musicke, is now made the mother of toyes, and whereas in ancient times it serued Mars, Minerua, Ceres, and Pan, Warre, Learning, Hus­bandry and Shepheards, now forsooth Dame Ve­nus hath made an impropriation of it.

SECTION. II.

THe second Art, which this Circe with her wand hath inchanted, is Poetrie, by her Syren songes drawne downe from the toppe of Parnassus, al­most to the vale of Taenarus. The Duke of Vrbins Painter, being commaunded to draw the shape of Paul and Peter, drew the face somewhat red. other pointes of his workemanshippe were commended. but when a doubt was moued of this, hee answered that indeed they were somewhat pale with prea­ching, but were they now aliue, a vermilion blush would dye their faces, to see the lazie fattnesse of their imagined successors: so I thinke, if a man would paint Homer, Hesiod, Aratus, Nicander, Op­pian, Horace. M [...]dta Drrcaeum leuat [...] Heroicke Poets: or the Tragedians, AEscu­lus, Sophocles, Lycophron, or that famous Theban Swan, Pindirus the Prince of the Lyrickes, or the Latine Poets, Virgil, Claudian, Lucan, Statius, I sup­pose they should all be painted blushing, to see Eu­ripides, Theocritus, Catullus, Ouid, Martial, and o­thers, seruing Venus in Mineruas rayment: if wee consider those heauenly Poets, Moses, Iob, Debo­rah, Dauid, Esay, Habacuk, or those of a lower ranke, but yet diuine, Nonnus, Apollinarius, Serra­nus, wee shall see that the most excellent subiectes were selected for Poetrie, that the wisest Princes, ho­liest Prophets, most learned Priestes, thought them selues honoured by this Arte: but now pardon me you Manes Homerici, & Virgiliani, shee is now be­come [Page 67] Trulla, I had almost said the Trull of lewde loues, fancies and passions: redeeme her from this shame, if any sinew of Spencer be left in you, and let it be a capitall fault in Virginis choro, I meane Pallas, Veneris torum vel nominasse.

SECTION. III.

GRieuous it is, that the wolfe should deuoure the Lambe, but when the Lambe eates the Lambe, what Southsayer would not bee amased? Friendship to be iniured by vice, is euill, but no wonder; but it is a wondrous euill that a vertue, namely Concord, should doe her wrong, yet so it is, some men thinke they should haue concord with all men, friendship with none: by concord they vnderstand peaceable conuersation, vpon respects of mutuall gaine, plea­sure, honour; by friendshipp, they fancy a thing in abstract or rather in the cloudes, a perfect simi­litude of manners, studies, age, degree, with coha­bitation, a thing scarsely to be expected in heauen, where although loue haue Temperamentum ad pon­dus (as they say in Physicke) yet as a starre exceedeth a starre in one of the sixe magnitudes, so soule sur­mounteth soule in glorie: all the cupps are full of Nectar, yet one surpasseth another in capable quan­tity: wherefore vpon this pretence, that friendshipp cannot bee more then Celestiall, to abandon the golden linckes of friendshipp, and to vse onely the base coine of common concord, is a greater signe [Page 68] of suspition then of vertue, wee doe like the fellow­shipp of Saintes, not onely by the light of faith, but partly led thereto by reason: Antigona could say, that shee ought to please those, with whome sheeSophocles in An­tigona. hoped to remaine for euer, meaning thereby the Ci­tizens of Heauen: So if Socrates in Plato, and Sybilla in Virgil, doe tell vs that heauen, or Elysium is pre­pared for good men, wee ought to bee acquainted in this sea, that when wee arriue at the hoped Ha­uen, wee may enioy the ioy of indissoluble friend­shippe: and although concord make a good Citi­zen, yet hee that wants friendshipp, is but a bad man, for a good Citizen and a good man are not all one.

SECTION. IIII.

COmbinations of thieues, of them that follow the Lupercals, of Rebels, of Heretickes, haueObscene sacrifi­ces of Pan. also challenged the name of friendshipp, as if shee were a Camelion, admitting all colours but red and white; the former being a symbole of modestie, the latter of integrity: Certaine it is, that vnion not of minds, but of causes, makes friendshippe, else this vertue might be found in Plutoes guard, and a­mong the Nimphes that watch about Acharon, Styx, Lethe, Cocytus, Peryphlegeton, the fiue loathsome Lakes of hatefull hell: yet so it is, these seeming societies, or rather conspiracies, vsing or­der in disorder, I meane in the feastes of Bona Dea, [Page 69] that is of good fellowship, haue made a Monopo­ly of all neighbourhood, as if the better sort did liue like Apri singulares & Solivagi, solitary wandring Boares, whereas these good Wolues pray together, though it may be, they neuer praied but in a storm, in which. if Bias had beene with them, hee would haue desired their silence, lest that God hearing their prai­ers, so contrary to their deedes, should as contrary to their wils drowne them in the seas, as they with their wils had drowned themselues in the dead sea of pleasure. But here is the error, they cannot be mer­rySee the Legend of Phaedria in the 2. booke of the Fayerie Queene. except they laugh a Sardonian laughter, qui plus Alloes quam Mellis habet, which turneth at last to wormewood, or rather to the worme that neuer dyes, and the burning wood, whose consumption shall neuer receiue consummation: but the truth is, this violent amity cannot be perpetuall; when Apes sees Nuts, and Serpents Bettany, they leaue their dauncing and hissing concord, and fight a Cad­mion fight to winne a bloody victory, where the Conquerour weepes, and hee that is conquered is vndone.

SECTION. V.

THe pluralitie of friends, is not the least Viper eating out the heart of friendship, and yet as Po­lygamie will needes be Mariage, howsoeuer in latter times it is accounted adulterie: so he that hath many friends, thinkes hee hath much friendship. Well, [Page 70] Adrian said truely, by the multitude of PhysiciansD [...] in h [...]s li [...]. the Emperour is dead, so I suppose, friendship beingH [...]rod [...]tus in C [...] *Th [...]s is Gi [...]on in the 2. o [...] G [...]ne. distracted like the riuer * Gingdes, by Cyrus into three hundreth sixtie fiue Brookes, to loose both her Name and nature. An old man in the Fable at his death, demanded his Sonne what friends he had, the yong man answered very many: Well said hee, I haue liued so long, and yet haue found but halfe a friend, you therefore for your instruction doe thus: Kill a Calfe and put it in a sacke, goe to your friends and tell them tis a child, whom you haue murthered, requesting them to burie and conceale it, the yong man obeying, found that his friends sho [...]ke him off, as a Spaniell comming to land, shakes the water off his haire, then at his Fathers aduise hee went to his halfe friend, who presently assented to it, meane while one of this yong-mans friends accused him, and had sent him to Charon before his Father, had not the matter beene discouered, we need not Print the meaning of this tale. Tis plaine, that as he that had his haire halfe Gray halfe Blacke, being Married to a yong and an old wife, the yong pulling off the Gray, the old the Blacke, he became Balde before he was craftie, so hee that diuides his friendship, as the harlot would haue had the child before Salomon, may Marrie with friendship by the Popes old Law, for he is aboue seuen degrees from it. We haue read one­ly of Dauid that had two friend, Ionathan and Husha, but the latter was not his friend, till many yeeres af­ter the death of the former: Some thinke Augustus Caesar had two friends, Maecenas and Agrippa, but [Page 71] the former was so garrulous, the latter so impatient, that he had much adoe to shunne the one, and beare with the other. And whereas some make Poll [...]o, to be the third, Dion refutes that errour, shewing that Poll [...]o was so cruell, that when A [...]g [...]stus came to suppe with him, he commanded one of his seruants for breaking a Christal glasse, to be cast to his Lam­prees, that they might deuoure him aliue, but Au­gustus calling for all the Christals in the house, brake them, and saued the seruant, and afterward he demo­lished Pollioes house, though hee gaue it him on his death bed. By this declaring that Princes may haue many wel-willers, but few friends, for the friends of great men dwell either at the Citie Trapezus, so cal­led of [...], a Table, or at Placentia, so named a placendo, but few either at Verona, or Constantia, few are either so true or constant, that they will not hold their friends as men doe Wolues by the eares, not able to retaine, and fearing to let goe. Most cleare it is, that the noble paires of friends, Orestes and Pylades, Nisus and Eurialus, Damon and Pytheas, Scipio and Lelius, Cicero and Atticus, Iesippus and Fuluius, and in the Arcadia, Musidorus and Pyrocles, are no lesse extold by Aristoes two Swannes, Histo­rie and Poesie, then Dichotomies are by Ramists, or the quadrature of the Circle, and the Philosophers stone by them that neuer knew them. To seale vp all, we will haue Catoes posie in his Ring: Esto inimi­cus nullius, vnius amicus.

SECTION. I.

VErtue according to the Stoickes, was diui­ded into Cathecon and Catorthoma, that is,Cicero. O [...]ic. 1. into Vertue meane and possible, or Vertue transcendent and heroycall, such as the Scriptures ascribe to Sampson, the Poets their Apes to Hercules, and our writers to Prince Arthur. This vertue hath beene three wayes assaulted, First, by calumniation, for actions done by diuine instinct, haue euer found some Zoylus, Momus, Mastix, orSee Spencer. lib. 6. tongue of blattant beast, so called of [...], to hurt. Hence commeth [...], dammage, from which it may be, our word Blab doeth fetch his Pedigree. The deedes of Sampson are scoft at by many, not knowing with what spirit he did them, as for them that carpe at the acts of Hercules, wee pittie their braines, because they vnderstand not the Poets di­uine intent, which was to describe a man indued in­deede with eminent Vertues, yet not exempt from humaine passions, and therefore they faine him drunke, and mad, and that which is worse then both, so drunke and mad with the loue of Omphale, that he serued her in a womans habit. Not vnlike things doe Homer and Statius ascribe to Achilles, neither is Homers Vlisses free from all tincture of folly: Yea [Page 73] Virgil the Prince of Helicon, decyphering in his Aeneas, the valour of Achilles in the Iliads, and the wisedome of Vlisses in the Odysses, is not blamed for writing that verse,

Who knowes not what followed, and how sharpe­ly hee was rebuked from Iupiter by Mercurie. But some Asse that neuer tasted of the Modals will say, why doe you bring your patterns from braine sicke Poets? to whome wee shape this answere, not onely these which lie not, because they say they lie; but e­uen those which cannot erre, haue set downe men of heroycall vertues, yet darkened like the Moone with some blot; therefore as well the sinnes as the vertues of Moses, Sampson, Dauid are registred with the point of a Diamond in the glasse of true hi­story, seeing none can truely challenge that to him­selfe, which the Hasell tree said in Ouid,

SECTION. II.

THe next impeachment of Heroycall vertue is Apish imitation, to which may be applyed that of Horace,

We reade of Salmoneus imitating Iupiters thunder, and so punished by it.

By which is insinuated that actions diuine or super­naturall, are not with emulation to be followed, but to bee adored with admiration; for this in other things is most ridiculous, in religion most perilous, of which hereafter. Antonius that would in all points be Alexander, Alexander himselfe that would bee son of Iupiter Hammon, Commodus for imitating Her­cules, and Nero Phoebus, both in [...]inging and driuing Chariots, are read of with as much laughter being dead, as being aliue, they were feared with hatred: M [...]crinus in Herodian is much condemned for his vaine persisting in the steppes of good Pertinax, wearing like the Cuman Asse the Lyons skinne, till [Page 75] the stranger that had seene a Lyon, knew him by his eares and braying. Caligula would needs imitate Iu­lius Caesar in conquering Britaine, and conducting his Armie to the sea side, commaunded his Souldi­ers to gather shelles, which hee called the spoiles of the Ocean, and binding a few Germanes that neuer fought against him, led them in triumph to Rome; with many other things, which Dion, Suetonius, and Tacitus also, if that part of him were extant, haue re­ported, not because they should moue the spleene, but that wee may see how Princes haue beene flatte­red in things so absurde, in so much that Vespasian had like to haue beene put to death, because he see­med in some sort to bee weary of Neroes singing; and Corbuto was killed before hand, because it was thought he would dislike it when he came: and this certainely hath beene the meanes to encrease the in­solency of many Tyrants, that once takinga con­ceite, that they were like some famous Prince; their humour being found and followed by some worse then Crowes, feeding vpon the faults of the liuing, not vpon the carkases of the dead, haue withall cru­elty endeauoured to make good their first fancy. Bas­sianus the Emperour thought himselfe so like A­lexander, that when a Lawyer in a Plea with one of that name, did crie out, O wicked Alexander! O the manners of Alexander! what shall bee done to Alex­ander? at length in great choler answered, if you doe not quickly cease reyling of Alexander, you shall feele great Alexanders power. If I should tell at large the like things of Commodus, I should write out the [...] [Page 78] propounded by Menenius Agrippa, how the Nobility was reputed, he told the people which re­uolted from the Nobility, that the stomacke was once forsaken by the members of the body, com­playning, that it was idle, and they endured all the labour for it; In conclusion, the stomacke fainting, they likewise quailed, and too late agnised their owne errour. This parable so moued the multi­tude, that they neuer after vpon any mutiny labou­red wholly to abolish, but to qualifie and moderate the Nobility: and howsoeuer in the ciuill warres of Scylla, and Marius, Cinna and Sertorius, Pompey, Cras­sus and Caesar, Anthonie, Lepidus and Augustus, the Nobilitie was much impaired, yet Augustus accor­ding to his publicke prouidence, repayred and ho­noured the Senate, augmenting their Reuenewes, purging their infamies, and at least in appearance, confirming their authorities: And this as it was not neglected by Tyberius, so was it mainely respected by Vespasian, Nerua, Traian, Aurelius, Pertinax, and other Emperours, no lesse worthy of a Maeonian Trumpet then Achilles. The Venetians, Floren­tines, and they of Genoa haue most curiously ob­serued the same; but Venice is most famous for it, as appeares by that excellent Epigram:

For the Nobility is interessed in the Common­wealth, neyther doe I thinke, that any State, eyther [Page 79] auncient or moderne, can be preferred to it for pol­liticke and discreete Gouernement: It were labori­ous to recite, and tedious to heare, how, as when Bees are decayed, they are reuiued by the death of an Oxe; so Nobilitie hath beene often repaired in Fraunce, England, and else-where. When the two Roses in England, the redde and the white, had al­most beene made redde with the blood of thirteene set battels, yet care was had by that second Salomon, I meane that renowned Henry the seuenth, that out of the ashes of the olde Nobility, a new Phoenix might be raised.

SECTION. IIII.

THE second error concerning Nobility is, that birth alone is Magnanimity or Heroycall vir­tue: this hath sufficiently beene refeld by Agrippa, De vanitate Scientiar. Saty. 15. Saty. 2. by Iuuenall, by Persius, but especially by Maximili­ans foole, for when he desired to bring his Petegree to Noahs Arke, he told him, that whereas now he re­uerenced him like a God, if he came once to the Arke, he should be his fellow; for he was sure, that he also descended from thence. Furthermore con­cerning this successiue Nobility, these things are ob­serued: First, that children so borne, seldome enlarge their fathers gouernement, but resting contented with their atchieuements, settle vppon their lees: Secondly, these men comming with ease to authority, being trained vp in a flattered educati­on, [Page 80] doe easily degenerate to all lawlesse licence; ex­amples of Nero and Commodus are euident: Nay, Herodian sheweth, that this consideration greatlyHerodian l. 1. molested Marcus Aurelius vpon his death-bed; and therefore both the same Marcus, and Pertinax; yea and Augustus himselfe twice indeede: likewise Tybe­rius and Seuerus alwaies in shew, a tempted to re­duce the Common-wealth to the Gouernement, by election, not by succession. But although it be true, that sometimes ignorant or euill Princes suc­ceede, yet the condition of Kingdomes and Nobili­ty is not alike; for although the King be insufficient, yet his peaceable succession preuents intestine mu­tinies, specially if the Councellers be wise; and for­raine inuasions doe not approach: but when the children of Nobles are weake or wicked; it will be hard to find a domesticall remedie: Thirdly, we find a Common-wealth not to be durable, where linkes of order are not equall in proportion of depen­dance, for in nature we see, that the Elements are ioyned by Symbolization, the ayre to the fire by warmenesse, the water to the ayre by moysture, theParcite Philo­sopho manes Ci­ceroniani & Syd mani. earth to the water by coldnesse; but where Nobles are without regard of vertue, there is no descending by stayres, but eyther a Pesant or a Gentleman, a Dolphin or a Dog-fish, an accident or a substance: Lastly, meere Nobility is commonly the ruine of the family; for hee that is noble without vertue, proues ignoble by extraordinary vices of his owne, or deuises of others: wherefore it is expedient that the Temples of vertue and honour be built together [Page 81] as it was in Rome, and that euery man take great birth, to be an obligation of vertue made vnto him: It was ominous in Xerxes Armie, when a MareIustine. brought foorth a Hare, for it was a signe that his great Army should be surprised with prodigious cowardise: no lesse monstrous is it to see Thyrsites come of Achilles, to see Samias Ninias the sonne of great Ninus, drunken Cambises of sober Cyrus, and Marcus to whom Cicero dedicated his Offices, to liue as much baselyer then his father, as his father did more honourable then his Auncestors: Who mournes not to heare the two sonnes of Tamber­laine more inferiour to the meanest, then hee was superiour to the best: it is a griefe to a Prince, when necessity inforceth him to fill his Councell-Table and places of trust, with men of meane discent, whilest the Nobility clayme their fathers titles and titles of honour, and yet are neyther sent to warre, nor rule in Iudgement; as being eyther vnable or vnwilling: but in our land there be no Wolues, and I hope neyther Owles nor Asses: we detest the Bull of Pius Quintus, that laide this imputation vpon vs, whether vpon error or wilfully we know not, but certainely we haue had, and haue many buds of true Nobility, which haue brought forth the fruites of Magnanimity and heroycall vertue.

SECTION. I.

THe moral Vertues being handled, it re­maines to treate of the intellectuall, which commonly are reckoned fiue, Wisedome, Vnderstanding, Science, Prudence, Arte. But I know not by what infelicitie, Art and Science, haue vnder their names comprehended the rest, as the Romane Le­gions in the dayes of the Emperours, were growen into disordered numbers, so that one contained the quantitie of many, before ordained in the time of good Militarie discipline. Arts are of sundry kinds, some instrumentall, Grammer, Rhetoricke, Logick, but these three are speciall, the generall bee Historie and Poesie, the others bee principall, and they are ei­ther Contemplatiue or Practicke. The former is diuided into Metaphysickes, Physickes, and Mathe­matickes, vnder the last whereof, are comprehen­ded Arithmeticke, Musicke, Geometrie, Astrono­mie: The latter be parted into actiue and factiue, Ac­tiue be Ethicke, Oeconomicke, Politicke vnder which is the Ciuill Law and Art of war. The Factiue, are all mechanicke Arts, as Medicine, Husbandry, Cooke­rie, Building, Armorie, Cloathing, Shipping: Now to tell the false names of these, would require a tenth [Page 83] Muse or an other Scaliger. In whom Salust said, wasDubartus. the Babylon of learning: First Grammer hath got a new name of Critickes, who haue found out the blessed Arte of changing words, when they vnder­stand them not, to whom may agree the censure gi­uen of Erasmus by Lipsius, Magnus Erasmus fuit, See Sauils Notes vpon a place of Polibius, in the end of his Notes of Tacitus Hi­storie. maior fuisset, si minor esse voluisset, And I thinke the Authour of this censure, if hee dissembled not in his Notes vpon Tacitus, as he did in his Booke De Con­stantia, was not a little sorie of his time torne in these toyes. For that which the famous Geographer ofCamden in his Britanie. England said of Norfolke-men, that they striue a­bout tittles in Law when Titles faile: May as truely agree to these Crickets, I should say Critickes, who fill their Bookes with Variae lectiones, and tell you a long storie where they borrowed this Manuscript, where they saw that Monument, how this coniect­ure may be good, those commaes may be turned in­to colons, and colons into periods, but I am wearie with speaking of them.

SECTION. II.

RHetoricke now banisht out of Turkie, as it was out of Sparta, hath alwayes claimed the name of Patronage, whereupon some imagine our Law­yers to haue bene successors of the ancient Orators. True it is, that many Pleaes are found in Tacitus a­gainst Senators that gained by pleading, but there also they are refuted. Neither can I but agree to [Page 84] that saying of Littleton, that good pleading is a thing most honourable, rayling and delayes haue beene the staines of this profession, some haue beene accu­sed for falsification, some for Ambo-dexters: But we may not blame the vse of the calling, for the abuse of the men. The Diuel was an Angel, Balaam a Pro­phet, and Iudas an Apostle. Though some Law­yers haue beene thought to haue beene lyers, yet Fitz-harbert, Ployden, Bracton and Stamford, cannotJuris prudentes vocantur iure prudentes. without great malice and parcialitie, receiue these imputations, and certainely in the Apologie of Rhetorician Lawyers, it may bee said: First, that if they should not vse much volubilitie of tongue, the multitude would not admire, and so not reuerence them. Secondly, where the sound of Warre is not, there of necessitie must bee either mutinies, or Law. Thirdly, if Law were not costly and tedious, and like the vpper Mil-stone, as Vsurie is compared to the neather, the vulgar sort which are as malicious as Witches, would vse Lawes frequently, as foote­ball play, or dauncing about a May-pole, and there­fore this may bee as good an instruction to them, as that which a merrie man said, hearing there were many things to bee decreed in Parliament against Ale-houses: I warrant you quoth hee, it was at the motion of some Lawyer, for a dozzen of Ale would end more Suites at one sitting, then would bee spun ouer in three Tearmes. Fourthly, the multiplicitie of Cases, doth of necessitie imply many querkes, and therefore the Rabbins haue found many quiddities in Moses law vpon the like occasion: Nay, suppose the [Page 85] Alcheron it selfe, were it not ruled by barbarous se­ueritie, would admit endlesse scruples. Lastly, if the Law were not full of ambiguities, witte, experience, eloquence, should haue no place: onely it were to be wished, that the Orphane, the Widdow, and the needy, should not by delayes & dimurrurs be delu­ded. I should speake of Logicke and Poetrie, but vpon other occasions I haue before treated of them, onely this I will adde, I doe heartily wish that some great Mecaenas would maintaine perpetuall profes­sors of those two Arts, as also of Rhetoricke, and Mathematickes in the Academies, for then wee should not be scorned in foraine Vniuersities.

SECTION. III.

HIstory the witnesse of time, and the memory of truth, hath also receiued much obscurity, first, by the neglect of Chronologie, which among the Grecians is obserued onely by Diodorus Siculus, for Thucidides writes but of a small time, so doth Xeno­phon that supplyed him. Polybius is almost all lost: againe, many fables haue beene inserted, as appeares not onely in Herodotus, but euen in Plutarch and in Liuie; yea our Ecclesiasticall story hath beene found full of lying Legends, besides this the, desire of Fa­ction greatly Eclipsed the light of story, of which our moderne Chronicles are sufficient testimonies, also the study of inserting too many orations, things indeed reproued by Diodorus, Iustine, Herodian, haue [Page 86] hindered Authors from inquiring into more matter, and so haue starued the studious Reader, the igno­rance of Geographie hath beene no lesse impeach­ment to the glory of History: there bee also acci­dentall miseries much to be deplored, as first the cru­elty of vnlearned Tyrants, which haue sacrificed to Vulean so many labours of Minerua, as also that Readers and professors of this Arte, haue not beene dreampt of in our Vniuersities, much lesse maintai­ned and honoured: for he that will bee a good Hi­storian, must let all other ploughes stand still whilest he liues.

SECTION. IIII.

THe science Metaphysicall is like a man, that hath a Spanish gesture, an Italian eye, a Dutch swal­low, an Indian breath, a Negroes Venerie, and a French suite, for it hath borrowed some plumes from Logicke, some from Diuinity, some from Phy­sick, the lands are not out of finall recouerie, therfore may be sued for: in a word, this science is non ens, a vacuity without a body, a name without nature.

SECTION. V.

NAturall Philosophy, were indeede a thing, and not a name onely, if men spent not their time, al in the Generals of Aristotle, neuer descending to the [Page 87] particulars in Gesner, and to the practise in Galen, for certaine it is that Physickes without Physicke are clouds without water, and Physicke it selfe without knowledge of birdes, beastes, fishes, and creeping things is lame and barren: here also the want of Readers in perpetuity, were to bee renued, if eyther liberall men were learned, or vnlearned men would belieue the skilfull; but alas, there is a frost of cha­rity, and the yce of Auarice hath so couered ouer the water of Liberality, that the fishes in the riuer Helicon, are in as bad a taking, as those in the great frost, when the verse of Virgil was verified.

SECTION. VI.

THe Mathematicall Arts, were it not for Me­lancholy and want of maintenance, would not be naked names, but things of ease and vse: of Mu­sicke I spake before, Arithmeticke is no more inqui­red into, then that it may be a band to couetousnes: Geometrie with the Optickes, and Astronomy are too laborious and costly for our idle and needy age, so that mad men and Mathematitians, Alminacke­makers and lyers are almost confounded.

SECTION. VII.

EThickes and Politickes haue beene handled be­fore, the Arte Oeconomicke is partly swallow­ed [Page 88] vp in Diuinity, partly couered vnder the winges of Auarice, but with the pretence of frugality: the true practise thereof in Education of children is lit­tle knowne, lesse regarded, for the rich will not, the poore cannot bring vpp their Children, as they should, so that our present lazinesse and ignorance, are truer then Prognostications of our barbarisme, Atheisme, and ruine.

SECTION. VIII.

ARtes Mechanicke or Factiue, are slubbered o­uer with many neglects or curiosities, tillage by the couetousnesse of a few is made a trade of beggerie, Cookery by the daintinesse of some, is become a Stewes of Luxurie; the Art of Physicke otherwise most honourable, profitable, pleasura­ble, by the vnlearned, idle, hasty, cruell, couetous dispositions of many, is abased among the multi­tude, as if it were a trade of Butchers or murtherers: Architecture with Geometrie is decayed, Armorie by too much peace is growne rustie: of Vestiture, we spake before: Shipping onely and Marchandise now remaine in better case then other trades, for in­deede one Mechanicke Arte hath deuoured all the li­berall,Aenei. lib. 3. as the Harpies did AEneas supper.

SECTION. I.

WHen all Creatures had beene fram'de—

So all Arts being handled, sacred Diuini­ty remayneth, which as it is most pure and Angeli­call, so being corrupted becomes most diuelish: the maine corruption thereof is called false Religion: and of this kind, the first was Paganisme, Hel enisme,Helleni sme be­longing to the Greekes, that worship many Gods. Aeneid. 8. or Polutheisme, for which Egypt was infamous, as the Poet saith;

The greatest cousenage in this kind, was of Ora­cles, as that of Dodona, where Iupiter answered, striking the Caldrons with a siluer wand: that of Iupiter Hammon▪ in the confines of Aegypt, that of the Trees of the Sunne and Moone, speaking partlyCurtius in the life of Alexan­der. Greeke, partly Indian: that of Delphos, where a woman of fifty yeare olde answered, sitting vpon a brasen three-footed stoole, in Greeke verse: that of Latona in Butus a City of Egypt: that of Amphia­raus in Trophonius denne: and of late dayes the O­racle that answered Mottenzuma a King in America: for although at the death of Christ, Oracles did ge­nerally cease, as appeares by Plutarch, yet it is plaine [Page 90] by the storie of Iulian, as also by Dioclesian, and o­thers, [...] in his booke of Eps [...]lo [...] & I [...]ta. See Tacitus hi­s [...]my. lib. 4. that sundry particular Oracles did remaine: the Collusions herein were manifold: first the Priests often answere in steade of the Oracle, and so spake feelingly as men of good gifts. Secondly, the Diuell perswaded the people, that hee was a God, and so commaunded many both cruell Sacrifices, as the offering of men in Scythia, & obscene customes, as of Ceres in Eleusis, Isis in Egypt, Bona Dea inToby Mathewes Sermon on good Friday. Rome: Thirdly, it was pretended that things fu­ture were told, when indeed the predictions were doubtfull, that might strike sayle according to the winde, or were drawne from Nature, as from Phy­sicke and Astrologie, wherein the Diuell is not a little seene, as being a spirit, and of long experi­ence, or were taken from the Scripture, as answeres giuen to Alexander concerning his victories, were taken out of the eight of Daniel; or lastly were knowne by some commission: thus Sathan might easily haue told the destruction of Ahab, which hee was enioyned to procure.

SECTION. II.

THe second illusion in Paganisme was vsed by Law-giuers, thus Minos pretended that he had conference with Iupiter about his Lawes, Solon, Ly­curgus and Charondas with Apollo, Phalcas with Sa­turne, Numa Pompilius with the Nimph Aegeria, Diodorus, and Pliny also would haue vs beleeue that [Page 91] Moses vsed the like art in promulgating his lawes, but we haue learned better things: The ground of this fallacy was, that man by nature acknowledging a Deity, is by no obligation so firmely bound, as by some Religion true or false.

SECTION. III.

A Deceit like the former, was much vsed in mat­ter of warre, when was deuised that Verse of Thucidides: Thucid. lib. 2.

Or in Greeke thus:

Some read Limos, that is famine and not plague, but the truth is, it was deuised after the euent, as such thinges are accustomed to be done: so Codrus king of Athens being slaine, the Lacedemonians left the warre of Attica, being deceiued by an answer, wher­in they were forbidden to kill the King of Athens: which thing, as I suppose, was craftily broac'ht by Codrus himselfe, meaning to die for his Countrie; for the rumour being diuulged abroad, that if the King died, the Lacedemonians should depart with­out victory: the King in the habite of a Faggot-car­rier entring into the hoast, and brawling with a Souldier, was by him slaine, who stripping him, and finding that he was the King, filled the Armie with a vaine superstition, whereupon the warre ended. The like is to be found in Scipio the elder, at the siege [Page 92] of new Carthage in Spaine, who hauing learned by certaine of the Country, that the Riuer had a hig [...] water about noone, tolde his Souldiers in the morning, that in his dreame he had seene Neptune standing vpon the water, and promising him that he would make it encrease about noone, so that the boates approaching to the City, they might scale and winne it: the Souldiers at noone seeing the Riuer to rise, some subtile persons also giuing it out, that they saw Neptune with his three forked mace vpon the Riuer, flew vpon the walles, and tooke the chiefe Citty of Spaine the first day of the siege. The most excellent in this Kind were Sertorius, and Eunes a bondman: the former kept a tame white Doe, which he made his Souldiers beleeue was Diana; by occa­sion whereof he wonne many victories, against his Countrey-men the Romanes in Spaine; the other perswading diuers, that hee had spoken with the Goddesse of Siria, holding in his mouth certaineThese last stories are in Justin, Liuie, Florus. little Walnut-shels with Aqua-vitae in them, did seeme to spit fire as he spake, and so wan that credite with many, that he stirred vp that great seruile war against the Romanes. In a word, the greatest Stra­tagem of warre, in those dayes, was some supersti­tious opinion bred in the hearts of fooles, and main­tainde by the tongue of the wiser:

SECTION. IIII.

A Fourth cousenage in Paganisme, was in Ima­ges, which they made the people beleeue, could [Page 93] turne their eyes, sweate, and shew many like prodi­gies; the ground was, they thought they could doe miracles, the greatest part herein was iugling, and deuises by hidden Instruments; besides, it is certaine that the Diuell can doe wonders, though not truely miraculous: yea will some say, but he brought a foure-folde winde vpon the house where Iobs chil­dren feasted: We might answere, that there is a winde called E [...]n [...]phias, wherein three winds con­curr, which a spirit might turne about and make it seeme foure; but we answere, that indeede it stroke the foure corners of the house, though it were but one winde, which action though it exceede the na­ture of the winde, yet it well agreeth to the naturall force of the Diuel: they adde further that the plague in Egypt came with sending of euill Angels; somePsal. 78. 49. say, tis meant thus, Messengers of euill, meaning Mo­ses and Aaron, but taking it to be meant of Diuels, as it is intimated in the 17. of Wisd. we say, that they may adde terrour, and hast to the pestilence, but can not send it in an instant: what thinke you then (say some) of men turned into wolues, as Nabucadonoser was into a beast, and the daughters of King Praetus into Kine? we say it was a kind of melancholy, wher­in men thinke themselues to be beasts: Againe, we thinke that plague was inflicted vpon Nabucodonoser by God, not by the Diuell. Further they alledgeMatth. 12. 27. the casting out of Diuels by euill men, but we say, eyther they cast them out by consent, not by mira­cle, or that wicked men may doe miracles, but the Diuell being actualy damned, cannot: lastly, they [Page 94] adde the things done by the Magitians of Egypt, or to be done by the Beast, but these are apparitionsApoc. 13. 13. and not reall.

SECTION. I.

BEsides Paganisme there are two other false Religions out of the Church: First a great and generall Apostacy, then Iudaysme: the Apostacie was begunne by Mahomet one of the fi­nest Iuglers since the creation, he was a Mungrell, borne of an Ismaelite, and a Iewish mother: he pre­tended the study of coniuring tenne yeares, and ha­uing maried his Mistresse, which was very wealthy, by drunkennesse (as it is thought) falling into the fal­ling-sickenes, when she rebuked him, as if he were a drunken beggar, he meaning that she should pub­lish what he sayed, intreated her to conceale it: for as a Riuer stopped, growes higher aboue the bankes, so there is a generation called Women, which being desired to be silent, will tell it more liberally; he told her then to this effect: Haue you not read that Da­niel was sicke when he saw the Angel? It is the An­gel Gabriel which appearing to me, thus astonisheth my senses; she promised silence with her tongue, [Page 95] but not for her tongue with her heart: At the next Gossips meeting, she told them her husband was a Prophet, and so from women it went to men: in the meane while Mahomet had taught a Doue to picke corne out of his eare, which he said, was the Holy Ghost in the likenesse of a Doue. About the necke of this Fowle, he put a plate with golden let­ters, to this sense; Let Mahomet be King: the simple Arabians which had lately reuolted from Heraclius the Emperour of Greece, because his Muster-Ma­ster being demaunded paye, had rudely answered them, saying, we haue not enough for our Greekes and Romanes, and shall these dogges craue their hyre, immediately elected Mahomet their king, who thereupon crauing, as it were from heauen, that he might haue some excellent lawes to rule them by, commaunded them to goe into the Wildernesse, where suddenly a Bull, or (as some thinke) an Asse came out of a Denne▪ with a booke of lawes tyed a­bout his necke: This beast hee had taught to take bread from his owne hand, and these Lawes him­selfeAn Hereticke denying the God­head of Christ. Smithes boooke called Gods ar­row against A­theists. had framed, with the ayde of one Iohn a Monk, and Sergius a Nestorian: this booke at this day is called the Alcheron. His other prankes I will not recite, as being at large repeated by Fox, Smith, and others.

SECTION. II.

ANd as this Sect was bred by fraud, so it was fed by deceite, as it may appeare by the poysoned [Page 96] doctrine, vomited out in the Alcheron: First, they teach that a man doing good workes, may goe to heauen, of what Religion so euer he bee, but euery man must destroy the aduerse Sect with fire and sword to increase his owne. The first clause is the true effect of Atheisme, the latter doth make them affect all their bloody conquests, and therefore at their death they giue Legacies and stipends to Soul­diers, for the inlarging of the Sect of Mahomet: Next they teach, that they pray to Mahomet, to commend their Prayers to God, and so say they, you should do to Christ, as being but a holy man, and not God, as was Mahomet: this was the deuise of Sergius, who was a Nestorian as was said▪ Besides they teach Po­lygamie to bee lawfull, and punish Adulterie with death. I know not whether they doe better in the latter, or worse in the former, but sure it agrees with reason. If a man haue fower wiues, and as many concubines as he can keepe, for so much is allowed by that law, if yet hee will commit Adulterie, hee is not worthy to liue. Furthermore, they abhorre Swines flesh and Bels, the one to please the Iewes, the other to displease the Christians: They allow al­so Circumcision, but in the eight yeere, not on the eight day. Lastly, Friday is their Sabbaoth, that they might differ both from Iewes and Christians. Thus from a mungrell Mahomet, came a mungrell Religion, compil'de of Names, shadowes and im­postures.

SECTION. III.

IVdaisme also is tainted with the like errour of Names, for in three things they differ from vs. First, they haue feined such a Messias as is beyond all Poetrie, of whom this is the description. Enoch and Elias shall come againe, and prepare for his com­ming, he shall be a man onely, not God, at his com­ming hee shall deliuer the Iewes from the power of all Nations, and shall bring them to Ierusalem, which hee shall repaire with Salomons Temple, and there offer sacrifice, and restore all the ceremonies of Moses. Likewise, all the fathers shall then rise from the dead, and liue with the Messias, who shall make a feast with the flesh of Leuiathan, which is a kind of great fish, wherof onely two were created at the be­ginning,See Iob. 40. 41. Chap. And the Iewes vpon them. one presently killed and salted against this feast, the other to be eaten fresh. This Messias shall die, after a while the last resurrection shalbe, if you ask them of the weekes of Daniel, they will agree like the Chaldrons in Dodona, like the Bricklayers of Baby­lon, or like our common makers of Almanackes, tis no maruaile though it be said, that a Vaile is drawne ouer their heart, otherwise it were not possible for a man to dote vpon such olde sicke mens waking dreames: next, they differ in their practise of vsu­rie, by which, they thinke they may vse vs, as the A­thenians [...] 3. lib. [...]. did the Aegenets, whose right thumbs they cut off, that they might be vnfit to sayle: they thinke it lawfull for them to take any forfeyture, be it neuer [Page 98] so vnequall, any morgage, any pawne, they are not afraid of that wenn which we call [...], that is vsury vpon vsury, no they dread not to take ten in the hundreth for a weeke: their pretence is, because wee are strangers, as if wee were all Cananites, or some of the seauen Nations, which were as well to be opprest by vsury, as to bee rooted out by Iosuah: and marke this in them, that whereas in ancient time Publicans and Sinners were counted as all one a­mongst them, now themselues are the Publicans or Tole-gatherers of the great Turke: Lastly, they al­low Polygamie aswell as the Turkes, but are cir­cumcised vpon the eight day.

SECTION. IIII.

THeir practises are no lesse entangled with error then their doctrine, for, first they deuised cer­taineEt quicquid Graecia men­da [...] a [...]det in historij [...]. Iuuenal Sat. 6. books of Tradition, called the Talmud and the Chabala, wherein are more lies then in Lucians true story, more then euer the Grecians deuised, and yet these are so obstinately maintained, that if any of their Children shall but incline to heare our reasons and bookes, they will not sticke to hurle them into hote furnaces: Againe, they haue such an inuete­rate hatred against Christ, that in contempt of him they will crucifie Children vpon Good-friday: be­sides if the husband or wife turne Christian, the Iu­daysing party maryeth another. Lastly, their won­drous skill in wresting places from vs by false in­terpretation, [Page 99] as it can bee ascribed to no other thing then their endlesse diligence (for they haue set downe how many letters and points there bee in the Bible, and how oft each is repeated, yea, many of them can recite the whole context without booke▪) so it is a great cause of their obstinacy, which is also confir­med partly by our ignorance, partly by our diuisi­ons.

SECTION. V.

NEyther may wee thinke, that onely circumcised persons are Turkes and Iewes, many with vs baptized maintaine both Sects in their liues. The Turkes thinke a man may bee saued in any Religion with good workes, and haue not wee men at their death that are to chuse their Religion? Doe not ma­ny thinke they may be saued, though they liue as ill as hee, that determines neuer to repent till hee die, though they eate as if they should die to morrow, and build as if they should liue for euer? The Turkes denie the three persons, and we beleeue them not, because we know them not: they hold Polygamie, but punish Adulterie, we the contrarie. The Iewish vsu­rie, malice, and lying, iam gentilitate sunt donata, they are become Gentlemen, O vngentle gentiles. Is not this to harden the Iewe, and to▪ awake the drowsie trumpe of the Turke? either liue according to your Baptisme, or else be Circumcised: If you would but keepe your words as well as they, wee would not [Page 100] complaine of your deedes, but were Iustice as spee­die with you as with them, wee would say, redeunt Saturnia saecla.

SECTION. I.

GReece the Epitome of the World, A­thens of Greece, so it was in ancient time, but now it is the slaue of slaues. The wild Boare hath entred into her Vine­yard. The Turke in the great Temple of Constan­tinople, tyes Lyons and Beares, and other wilde beasts, which he feedes with the flesh of the Greekes and other Christians. Their children are Tithed to bee his Vassals and Ianizaries, which afterwards proue the most sauage enemies to their Countrey, the rest are forbidden to learne liberall Arts and Sci­ences, as Iulian also forbad the Christians. Their daughters are taken to be Concubines to the Turke, all ancient Lawes, diuine and humane, are now brid­led by the will of a Barbarian: the most wise, wittie, actiue Nation in the world, is subiect to the most cruell, vnlearned, vntractable, and vnfatiable Go­uernement. Where be now the Oliues of Athens, the Swans of Thebes, the pleasures of double Sea'd [Page 101] Corinthus, the liberties of Laconia? Where be the houses of Elis, the horsemen of Thessalia, the foote­men of Macedon? Where be the Palmes of Epirus now cal'd Albania? My belly my belly, I am pained with griefe, the famous Nation, spectacle of all wis­dome, where were the seuen golden Candlesticks, to which Saint Iohn wrote, now is in the yron Fur­nace,Fellonia est quod sit animo fellio. Bracton. and serues in Bricke and Clay, vnder a farre more fierce, fell, and fellonious Pharaoh.

SECTION. II.

THe cause of this wofull miserie resteth to bee in­quired, some say it was because the Greeke Church brake downe Images, other because they could neuer indure the Popes supremacie: Others that because in the dayes of Gregorie the ninth, they reuolted from the Latine Church, but these opini­onsAccording to the prouerbe. [...]ater [...]m. [...]uas. smell too much of the Bab [...]lonish Brickes, which all the water in Tybris cannot make white and sweete: Some ascribe it to the iarres and broyles betwene the brethren, about the Empire of Greece: Some haue accused Constantine the Great, for re­moouing the Imperiall seate from Rome to Bizance now called Constantinople: As also for disfurnish­ing all Europe of their ordinarie Legions, by which each Border was kept from inuasion, these causes are true, but they are too low. Phisicke saith, that all rhume comes from the crowne of the head, so say we, all trouble in a Nation comes from some sicke­nesse [Page 102] in the head, this Church and people alwaye▪ Aus [...]n [...] ad Q [...]od [...] in [...] vpon [...] were full of fancies and heresies, within fower hun­dreth yeeres after Christ, there were noted eightie seuerall heresies in that Countrey, but euen at this day their Dreames are many, though their troubles be not Dreames; but their Dreames are these: First, they will not worship Images, least they should seeme to agree with the Romane Church, and yet they will adore Pictures: This is not vnlike certaineL [...]ro pr [...]o. pleasant men in Suetonius, who would seale bonds, thus, Caio Caesare & Iulio Caesare consulibus, whereas Ca [...]us Iulius Caesar was but one man. But Bibulus his fellow Consul was counted a gull, and a Cypher according to the Verses.

So these men know no Idoll called an Image, butAn Epistle of Epiphanius translated by Jerom. yet they runne a whoring after idle Pictures: when Epiphanius rebuked the Vaile at Anablatha, because it had onely the figure of a man vpon it, thinke wee that Images and Pictures did not seeme equally idle Idols vnto him?

SECTION. III.

ANother dreame of the Grecians is, that they acknowledge the proceeding of the holy [Page 103] Ghost from the Father, but not from the Sonne: their Bulwarke is a Bul-rush, their staffe is a staffe ofreede, which who so leaneth on shall fall, and the Cane shall runne into his ha [...]d: but what thinkeIf Pl [...]nie fa­ble not in h [...]s seuenth bo [...]ke of naturall historie. you is their defence? trickes of Philosophy, which are like the lances of the Pigmies: ti's saide that Empe­docles was burnt in Aetna, whilest he curiously inqui­red into the mysteries thereof. Oh, but this is a grea­ter mountaine of fire, this is higher then the high­est Alpes, then Caucasus, then Paropanisus; high­er then Mount Picus, nay higher then the heauen of heauens: this mountaine burneth more then Aetna, then Vesuuius, then Hybla, nay then Hell it selfe; if men dare so presumptuously looke aga [...]nst the Sunne, that are no Eagles: it is saide when Au­gustine was writing of the Trinitie, he saw by the sea side a Childe digging a little hole in the ground, and taking water with a spoone out of the sea, to poure into this hole, the childe being demaunded why he so did, answered he would lade the whole sea into it; hee replyed, the sea is too great, the hole, the spoon, and thou too little; to whome the childe answered, so art thou vnable to write of the Trinity, and so va­nisht: but I feare my waxen winges will burne, if I flie too neare this glorious Sunne, and therefore I leaue the Grecians to their Phaulosophie.Eui [...]l wisedome

SECTION. IIII.

A Third Greekish dreame which keepes them still in their Lethargie, as if they slept vpon a bed [Page 104] of Mandrakes, or had eaten the graines of Requies sancti Nicholai, which Saint the Greekes so muchEspecially in Russia. worshippe: this dreame I say is, that they read their Liturgies [...]: strange tongues to diuers of their Churches: In Russia at this day they read the Bible in Slauonian, which the common people vnderstand not: so the Iewes reade in Hebrew, whereof many thousands of that Nation know not a word, what is this but to plucke out Sampsons [...]ies, & to make him grinde and play vpon a Harpe: we haue a fable that the Dragon fighting with the Ele­phant, pluckes out his eyes, and so seazeth vpon him: the eye of the people is Gods word, which if it bee read in a strange tongue, is like the eye of Pentheus when hee was mad, who thought as Virgill sayth,

Et geminum Solem, & duplices se ostendere Thebas:

This is a famine like that of Tantalus, Semper eget li­quidis, Metamor. lib. 3. semper abundat aquis, or like that of Narcissus, Exigua prohibemur aqua: for this people dayly hand­leth the Bible, and yet knoweth it not, and are like those men which were with Paul, who saw the light, and heard the sound, but neither saw the person, nor vnderstood the voyce, or like the thirsty glutton in Hell, who saw Lazarus in Abrahams bosome: these politicke Churchmen are like Vespasian, who inua­ding the Empire, first made sure of Alexandria, where were all the Garners of Rome, that he might make the Romanes yeeld for feare of famine: these men forestall the bread of God from the people, butPro. 11. 26. the people shall curse them.

SECTION. V.

HEre I may take vp the complaint, which Scan­derbeg the King of Albania did vse in his life time, which was that Kings of Europe did not agree to that ouerthrow of the Turks, which agreement howsoeuer it sound ill in the eares of Polititians, who remember the saying of Scipio Nasica, that if Carthage were destroyed, the Romanes should haue ciuill warres, the verity of which speech was confirmed by Scylla, Marius, and other firebrands of the State, yet without question, it is not alone to be imputed, to these and other such deuises of men, but partly to our iniquities, which make vs partly vn­worthy to so noble an enterprise, as killing the Eri­manthean Boare by Hercules, Calidonian by Mele­ager, the Tarentine by Pisistratus; partly to these do­ting dreames of the Grecians themselues, out of which they cannot yet be awaked by the shrill trum­pets of wofull warre, and the yron whippes of long and loathsome seruitude, but still they sleepe on both eares, as if they had taken Ladanum Paracelsi, to be made Eunuches before they wake; well, proxi­mus ardet Eucalegon, our wall is the next, and it is to bee feared, that Greekish lying errors, drunkennesse, inconstancie grow both rife among vs, and the bet­ter nourished, by how much wee exceede them in wealth, peace and liberty: the Iewes that were Gods people, are now runnagates for all their boasts of re­ligion, and the Greekes that haue beene Conque­rours [Page 106] are now bond-men, for all their boasts of lear­ning: these patternes are pensiled out to vs, not that we should insult ouer their present, but consult a­gainst our owne suture miserie, and learne by their dreadfull and cruell yoake, to beware of the lees of lazinesse, and the lyes of heresies, and not to suffer Cadmus or Iason to sowe the Dragons teeth in our land: that is, the subtile seedes of endlesse enuie and restlesse contention.

SECTION. I.

ROmulus and Remus as the Fable goes,Dlutarch in Ro­mulo. [...] Dion [...]sius Halicarnasseus. V [...]rgil in the and of the 8. booke of his A [...]neid. were nourisht by a shee Wolfe, indeede by Laurentia the wife of Faustulus, which woman obtainde this worthy Title for her vnchaste and cruell behauiour: certes, what she was I know not, but this I am sure of, that her elder nursling Romulus, could howle as well as any Wolfe in Arcadia: yea and both robbe and kill, as appeares by the murthering of his brother Remus and king Tatius, by the erecting the Asilum and Sanctuary for all that were in debt, in bondage, or in want, though they were as badde as he, of whom it Iuuenal. Sat. 4. is said Monstrum nulla virtute redemptum—A vitijs: [Page 107] as also by the stealing of the Sabine women, for which, and other like Woluish deedes he was car­ried away in a tempest by the King of Lycaonia, IVVo [...]fe [...]and. Dan [...]us [...]n his booke de Sort [...] ­arys. meane the Prince of darkenesse, for so Danaeus pro­ueth; howsoeuer Proculus sware that he saw him like a God. But to leaue him tormented where hee is, howsoeuer we praise him, where he is not, the Ro­manes his successors, would neuer leaue his Wol­uish nature: the Kings, Consuls, Emperours, did howle and prey so well, that no Princes in the earth which are called [...] shepheards of the people could saue their fleecie flockes from their all-deuou­ring teeth, but after Constantine went to Byzance, Syl­uester and his successors, Boniface the third and the eight, Zacharie, Alexander, Gregorie the seuenth and ninth, with others, did finde such meanes, that they made Charlemaine Emperour, ouercame the Lom­bards, got Rauenna from the Emperour of Greece, after changed the Empire to Otho the great, and in conclusion, trodde vpon the necke of Frederick the first, and gotte the Emperour to be chosen by the seuen Electors, thus set downe in these verses:

Since which time the Turke hath alwaies incroach­edV [...]sleg [...]nd in h [...]s Antiquili [...] into Europe, like the Sea, that plucked Pharos from Egypt, Sicily from Italy, England from Fraunce.

SECTION. II.

BEsides these Woluish deuises, all sealed with the Fishers Ring, they haue found Lime-twigges to catch men, specially if they be pursie and fatte, to reckon all were endlesse, I will name some few, that you may know the birds by their neasts: first, they haue set vp a great Kitchin, full of Grydirons and Caldrons to broyle and boile soules in, out of which none can escape, except he pay to the Master-Cooke great store of Vnguentum Album, that they may say a Requiem for his soule: this Kitchin is like an Iron-Mill, which consumes all the wood in the Countrey, or like the table of Vitellius, or Heliogaba­lus: in this they burne all the Straw and Hay, for so they call their veniall sinnes, for which they get sil­uer, gold, and pretious stones: If a man should aske them how they know it, if you be an ignorant man, it may be they will trouble you with a Scripture or 1. Cor. 3. 12. two, otherwise they will bring an olde mooth­eaten booke out of a darke corner, called Traditions and another out of a darker then that, called the Le­gends and visions of Saints; and with these Fables, worse then Esops or Ouids, they make the people be­leeue those things, which themselues deride.

SECTION. III.

AVricular confession is another Lime-twigge, or rather a hooke euen to catch Leuiathan him­selfe, [Page 109] for by this tricke they haue searched out, the se­crets of all Princes and States, and few forts of Virgi­nity haue beene found stronge enough to keepe out these bold and cunning Scalers. Hanibal was com­mended much, because he knew the secrets of his e­nemies, but had he had a fewe Counceilers of this packe, he would haue found himselfe to haue beene but a nouice. It was said of Iulius Caesar, that he was Omnium faeminarum vir, omnium virorum faemina: Suetonius in Julio. which speach, though it be literally true of too ma­ny of them, yet it may be another way interpreted of them in this manner; that of all persons that seeme to be weake as women, they are most manly and potent by the meanes of this confession, and yet of all that pretend secresie like men, they are the most open tongued (I had almost said womanish) that may be; for by this deuise there is no Mars but they will take him in a net, no Pharaohs chamber in which they will not croke like the Frogges of Egypt: And to conclude, they are as skilfull in the planet of Ve­nus as Ptolomie or Alfragan, but in a worse sense.

SECTION. IIII.

A Third deuise is in their Images, Pilgrimages and Saints: this fetch doth get as much as Bells I­mage did eate, and of affinitie to these are their Iube­lies, which they like good Cronologers, Meton, Calippus and others, haue varied in diuers periods, drawing it [Page 110] from the hundreth to the fiftieth, I to the fiue andRead S [...]al [...]ger d [...]em [...] temporam and vpon E [...]s [...]bius. twentieth yeare, not vnlike Claudius Caesar, who set out the playes called Saeculares, which by custome were kept euery hundreth yeare, when as many, that were not fiftie yeare old, had seene the former playes in Augustus time; so that the Cryer could not pub­lish his Proclamation almost for laughter. Not all the Nauigations into West India, were euer so pro­fitable to Spaine, as these pollicies haue beene to the keeper of Tybris Bridge: whence his name Pontifex in part is drawne. The ground of all these is in Par­dons, Bulles, Indulgences, things more attractiue of golde, then the load-stone of Iron, then Amber or Iette of straw; to these we may adde the Cruciats, whereby pardon is promised them, that will fight for the recouerie of the holy land, by these hee hath drawne many Emperours and Princes out of Eu­rope, which otherwise should haue had both time and power to haue bridled him: he hath also found meanes in their absence, that their Countries should be inuaded, and he receiue the gaine of the warre. By these and the like StratagemsPope John. Iohn the three and twentieth left behinde him fiue and twenty mil­lions of Duckets, and Boneface the eight had as much treasure taken from him by a French Captaine, as would satisfie all the Princes of Europe for their ex­penses a whole yeare: what shall I say of the fortie thousand pounds, for the tolleration of stewes year­lyJn his booke iayned to that de Heresibus. taken? He that will know more, may reade Cu­raeus.

SECTION. V.

ANother Arttificiall fire, is the name of Cler­gie, which hatcheth forth so many orders, that they seeme to swarme like Locusts, of all which the latest set vp by Ignatius Laiola, who turned Christi­ans into Iesuites, and as one said Iesuitas in Suitas hathA [...] [...]. See [...] Idololat [...]ra. surpast all the rest, not onely in strictnesse of vowes, namely single life, wilfull pouertie, regular obedi­ence, but especially in diligence, and that of diuers sorts: first Arts and tongues, heretofore buried in the graue of idlenesse, now by industry they are re­uiued, neyther haue they neglected Historie, or o­ther humanity, next they haue beene diligent in ca­techising, a thing before Luther vnknowne in that Church. Besides, they haue refined all their opini­ons, so that they were almost filed away: the newest Poperie then is scarce so olde as the comming in of Beere. Furthermore, these diligent blood-hounds, by their endlesse intelligences, which they haue in each Countrey, by their Artes of setling and obser­uation, as they call them, by their Inquisition procee­ding from a hot burning zeale, haue wondrously la­boured to repaire their ruines, so long foretolde and now begunne, they see what Countries haue reuol­ted from them, all Great Britane, with Ireland, Den­marke, Swethland, and Norway, great part of France with both Germanies, Bohemia, Poland, Hungary, nay they see themselues bearded in Italy, not only by the Venetians that euer suspected them, but euen by [Page 112] their best friends Millan and Naples. We say that wild beasts when they are ready to die, bite most fiercely: So doe these Wolues, seeing this great Earthquake in their estate, among other things, theyApoc. 11. 13. haue locked vp the Bible in a strange tongue from the people, herein surpassing the Iewes and Russi­ans, for they reade the Scriptures onely in a strange dialect, but these in a language that hath no affinitie to the mother tongue. To conclude,

SECTION. VI.

THe last, but no wayes the least Policie, is a ficti­on, farre beyond Heliodore, Apollodore, or Sir Philips Musidore, it is the description of Antichrist, the maner whereof is this in effect. There shall a­rise a man, begot by the Diuell of a woman, which shall be of the Tribe of Dan, but this man shall pre­tend that he is a Iewe and the Iewes Messias, he shall reigne three yeeres and a halfe, hee shall fight with Gog and Magog, hee shall bring downe fire from heauen, he shall put downe Masse and openly bee of no Religion, but secretly worship the Diuell called Mauzzim, he shall kill Enoch and Elias which shall come out of Paradise to fight against him, whose bodies shall be left vnburied three dayes and a halfe: He shall reigne in Ierusalem, and fortie fiue dayes af­ter his death, the day of iudgement shall be. This is their Antichrist, a thing stranger then the Crocodils [Page 113] of Nilus, then all the rare things of Arenoque or Guianoque, riuers in America: But because I can­not in prose expresse it, you shall heare the tenth Muse her selfe, vtter it in her owne language thus,

This Antichrist is most poetically figured also by the famous heire Apparant to Homer and Virgil, in his Faiery Queene vnder the names of Archimagus, Duessa, Argoglio the Soldane and others, through­outSaunders eight Booke de visibili Monarchia. Bellarmine 3. booke, De summo P [...]atifice. the first and fift Legends. If any man doubt whether this fiction of Antichrist be general among them, let him consult with the principall Wolues, who haue howled lowdest in this matter.

SECTION. I.

THe resurrection, as other mysteries of the Gospel, was heard of among the Heathens by a kind of tradition: But as Fame and waters, the further they goe, the more they are corrupted: So [Page 114] these traditions issuing from [...]he true fountaine of trueth, when they came into the Copper-mines and muddy channels of the Heathens, were made bitter and vnpure. Among the rest, the Egyptians, Pytha­goras Herodotus in E [...]terpe. For Pythagoras, see Ar [...]stotle. Lucian. O [...]d. and Herod in the Gospel, did dreame of a pas­sing of Soules from body to body, which wee call [...], by which as many thinke, the Resurrec­tion was darkely and corruptly intimated. Wee reade in the Scriptures, that Iohn came in the spirit of Elias, and so I thinke by the contrary, many perni­cious Heretickes of our time, are led with the same spirit of the Diuel, which was in Simon Magus, Cerin­thus, Ebion, Arius, Samosatenus, so that it may seeme, that as Protesilaus obtained leaue of Pluto to see Lao­dimia: Claudian de raptu Proser. So these men for a time haue got licence to reuisite the earth. Tis said in Claudian when Pluto married Proserpina, Ixion, Sisiphus, Tantalus, Tyti­us and the Belides made holy day, and the like Tale is told of our Lady comming to Purgatorie: for there is but a Wanscot betweene it and Hell, and the fire in them both, is all of one substance, onely the oneArius, a Priest in the Church of Alexandria, Anno 320. is temporall, the other euerlasting: But howsoeuer these Tales be, both the Germaine and Transiluania can tell you truely, that they haue many that follow that doctrine of Arius, denying Christs diuinitie: and if you tell them that hee voided his bowels, as hee should haue done his excrements, and that thisCaluin in his In­stitutions. befell him at the Prayer of Athanasius, they will not sticke to deride you, and call Athanasius heretick, yea, and to condemne the whole Church. Seruetus oneBellarmine in his booke De Trinitate. of this crew was not afraid to cal the Trinitie a three headed Cerberus.

SECTION. II.

THe cause and remedy of these prodigies is harde to find, as it was saide of the Allobrogians, t'was harder to finde them out, then to ouercome them: the cause therefore, or rather the occasion was this, men desiring to reforme the Romish Synagogue in all points, thought with the Hermites friend to cast away the whole apple, because part of it was rotten: so these men seeing other points to be doubtfully, or dangerously set downe, suspected also the doctrine of the Trinity.

The remedy is a generall Councell, which now may not be hoped for, the Churches of Greece cannot come, as being opprest by the Turke, they of Italie and Spaine will not come, knowing they cannot be parties, except they be Iudges: they that are in France Germany, England dare not come, remembring the infidelity at the Councell of Constance, where Iohn Hus, and Ierome of Prage were burned, notwithstan­ding the Emperours safe conduct, as also their insuf­ficientReade Gentilet about this mat­ter. dealing at the Councell of Trent. To this may be added, that these Heretikes themselues doe reiect also Councels, Fathers, Antiquity, wherein they show themselues to be more wilfull, then the olde Arrians, who neither at, nor after the Coun­cell of Arimine, refused any such triall. Lastly, the sluggishnesse of Magistrates, a maine remedie for [Page 116] this malady, is much to bee complayned of, for these men will not compel the guests to come to the feast, these follow neither the example of the Iewish Kings, as Ezekiah and Iosias, nor of the heathenish Nabuchodonozer and Darius, the Mede nor of Chri­stians, Theodosius and others, who compelled the he­retikes to renounce their blasphemies.

SECTION. III.

AN other maine cherishing cause of these here­sies, is our ignorance and contradiction in ourSee Zanchiuz contra quendam Arianum. Parsons in his booke of Equi­uocation. interpretation of places concerning the Trinity, this appeareth by the obiections, wherwith they choake vs out of our owne Writers, the tree in Aesope was most sorry, because it was torne with wedges made out of her owne body; so wee are most wounded with our owne weapons; many of our Authors writing rather to confute others, then to confesseSee Remists vpon Ioh. 1. and Bellarmine in the beginning of the booke De Trinitate, and Danaeus vpon him. the truth, and yet the slaunders of diuers men are intollerable: the effect of these errors is most tra­gicall, for the Turkes whose maine heresie is Aria­nisme, are hereby made most obstinate, not onely in their barbarous opinions, but euen in their warres, who in their sauage manner of proceeding doe ex­ceede the Gothes, Hunnes, Vandals, and Lumbards.

SECTION. I.

GEryon for his three bodies, Chimaera for her three faces, Cerberus for his three, and Hydra for her fifty heades, are most fa­mous in Poets: but this age hath brought forth a Monster, which for number of heades, sting, & poyson, hath been most miraculous, their names are more then the names of Diuelles in Agrippa, names that would haue posed Cyrus, Simonides, Cy­neas and Themistocles, to haue remembred: the gene­rall name is Anabaptists, wee call them the Familie of Loue, in the Law Countries there bee two and thirty sects of them, which like Sampsons Foxes are tyed by the tayles, but differ in their heads and opi­nions, they all agree in this, to fire the Church, and yet each man contends for his owne Sect: Like as men that fight at sea with fire and sword, wasting each other, till at the length a storme ariseth which casteth away both sides.

SECTION. II.

TO name their opinions were to desire the life of Methusalath, for a man may be thirty yeares of [Page 118] their sect, and yet not know the Tyth of their doctrine, yet the maine pointes are these; first, they be­lieue no story of the Bible, if you take it literally; for they take the Serpent to be nothing but mans con­cupiscence, Eue the affection, Adam reason assen­ting to it: the Virgine Marie they interprete righ­teousnesse, and euery man perfectly regenerated, is a very Christ: nay, they are notable Critickes, for they teach their Nouices the Etimologies of all names in the Bible, for example, thus, Caine slew A­bel, that is, Possession slew Vanity: And many Alle­gories they frame hence, like the webs of Spiders, insomuch as they say, there shall be no resurrection of the body, but only a rising from sinne, there is no holy Ghost but onely good thoughtes: this coineActs. 23. 8 they borrowed from the Saduces: againe, they de­ny Magistrates, and warre, and going to law, all ta­king of oathes, all property of goodes or wiues, therein going beyond Plato, who held all thinges should be common, but wiues; who therein (as one said) was contrary to many Cities, where nothing is common but women: also they rebaptize men bap­tized by Heretickes, and they dreame that men Dei-fide, and Elders illuminated as they terme them, must be taught by Reuelation not by Scriptures: from the former opinion they are called Anabap­tists,Reade of these matters in Prateolus. Knox. Knewstubs, Bateman his booke of the leaden Gods. from the latter, Enthusiasts: and to conclude this, they imagine all nations shall one day bee of their sect: thinke you that Endimion did euer dreame such dreames, or the seauen sleepers that slept from the times of Decius to the dayes of Theodosius, but [Page 119] what will not Noueltie and Singularity bring foorth?

SECTION. III.

THere is yet a peculiar faction of this litter, the most deformed and prodigious that euer was heard of: It is the faction of the Libertines, set vp by Coppin and Quintan, two base persons in the Low-Countries, whose story you may read in Bellarmine: Bellarm. lib. 2. de peccato. the summe of their opinion is, That sinne is nothing but scruple of conscience, for euery man (say they) may liue as the spirit moues him, and regeneration with them is nothing but a minde freed from feare of sinning: I thinke a great cause of these errours, hath beene the supposition, that heauen is nothing but a good conscience, and hell a badde. Now a good conscience they expound to be, a minde voide of care, a badde the contrary: doe we dreame or are we awake? is it possible that men should thus plaie with edge tooles? there were among▪ Philosophers two hundreth eightie eight sects de Summo bono, but these men are worse then those that built Babel, they haue not found out newe tongues but new Dialects, or rather the sordid language of Can­ters and Cheaters.

SECTION. IIII.

NEyther hath our own Countrie been free from this vermin, there was one Hacket executed for this sect, who gaue it out publiquely, that he was Christ, he had two fore-runners, the one of iudge­ment, the other of mercy, Coppinger and Ardenton: twas thought hee dealt by Sorcery: sure I am, hee dealt by the enemie of mankind, hee himselfe died blasphemously: Coppinger hearing of his death, knockt out his owne braines, as it is said, for griefe, that he had beene so bewitched by him. We reade of a bond-man, that pretended he was Agrippa the nephew of Augustus, and being brought to Tyberius, and demanded how he came to be Agrippa, answe­red as thou camest to be Tyberius: the like impuden­cy we reade of Perkin Warebeck here in England. But with what brasse (do you thinke) was his fore-headHacke. armde, that in this light of knowledge in the mother Citty of this land, in the most open place thereof, durstpublish himselfe to be Christ? To end this argu­ment, I take it we are to be taught hereby, that wee neuer can be secure, if we trust in our owne strength: this man had all the priuiledges from falling that might be, and yet when the raine, the winde, the floods came, it appeared hee was built vpon Sand, wherefore let vs not so much contemne his iniqui­ty, as condemne our owne imbecility.

SECTION. I.

THere is a Fable that the yong Vipers eate out the sides of their damme, this to bee a fable, Gesner sheweth, proouing the Vi­per to bee nothing else but the English Adder. But whatsoeuer become of this fable, sure it is, that we haue store of Scismatickes, which doe truely eate out the sides of the Church their mother: and first for their name, there is some doubt, where­fore as Ouid sayes of one:

So the mother of these, namely madam Pride we know, but Browne of whom they were first called Brownists, as himselfe refuseth the Name, so is hee by them reiected: Some therefore father it vpon him, that was wont to spit at the name of an Arch­bishop, as people were wont to doe when they na­medBarrowe. the foule thiefe, and others commend him that said, what thou dost, doe quickly: And thereupon bei [...]g demaunded, why hee compared himselfe to Christ, he answered, not my selfe to Christ, but youGreen [...]wood. to Iudas. Some of these charitable spirited fathers, may iustly haue this Bastard imputed to them, and I [Page 122] know not whether some that haue reuolted from them, may not still bee charged with keeping of the child. For one of them being being demanded, why hee kept a Liuing in our Church, answered, hee wisht that he had a hundred, for the Israelites might robbe the Egyptians. This charitie was as hotte as Hell fire, and therefore he that had it, may be iustly Arch­bishop among them, if hee will not spit at this name aswell as his fellow.

SECTION. II.

THeir opinions are like the Element of fire,Aslacus de tri­plicicaelo. which is excessus feruoris. But as Aslacus intends to proue this fire to bee no Element, so I thinke this feruor may be proued to be no Religion, proceeding neither from Prudence, Charitie, nor veritie: They thinke first Bishops to bee Antichristian with all ad­herent Officers: Secondly, Ministers by them elect­ed, to be Apostaticall not Apostolicall: Thirdly, the Church, because it is compounded of so many open euill liuers to be an Adultresse. Fourthly, set Prayer to bee Swines flesh, yea though we say the Lords Prayer, for as they fancie, this is a paterne of Prayer, not a Prayer, and so Greenewoode answereth to thatNumb. 6. 23. place in Numbers. Fiftly, they call singing of Psalmes in the Church, howling of Wolues, croking of Ra­uens: And sixtly, they will neither bee iudged by a Bishoppe nor by Elders, but by popular suffrages and voices, hating Monarchy as Tyranny, for which [Page 123] they call our Church no Church, and Aristocracie asSee the Epistles of Junius to them of Am­ste [...]dam. Oligarchy, for which reason they terme the refor­med Churches bad Churches, they leane rather to a forme of Democracie or Ochlocracie, wherin the head­lesse and heedlesse multitude Steeres the Helme, I thinke as wisely as Palinurus when hee was sleepie. Seuenthly, they hold that Vniuersities and Degrees should be abolisht, and no maruaile, for they desire the Study of Arts, and tongues were cast away.

SECTION. III.

THeir disordered practise is little wondered at by wisemen, because they see it doeth necessarily flow from their Lunaticke opinions, yet it is pitied by good men, derided by bad. Why? will you say, may not a man laugh at these follies compounded of pride, ignorance, and contention, as the man at Venice said: Gunpowder was made of Salt-peter, Brimstone and Cole. I answere, were not the Ca­nanite in the Land, this contention might be borne with, or derided: But while these men play the Di­uels on the Stage, many times there comes a Diuell more then tale. Publike enemies come in, whilest we regard not ciuill mutinies: therefore Heraclitus teares, are here farre more seemely then Democritus laughter. To returne to their practise, it is a maner of Prophesie as they terme it, wherein diuers of the ancient priuate men doe publikely expound Scrip­ture. The Pastor himselfe concluding the exercise, [Page 124] this was also practised in the reformed Churches some few yeares agoe, but now they relinquish it, sinding it to bee obnoxius to error, and alteration: but these men obstinately retaine it, and indeed their franticke opinions were more tollerable▪ were it not for their contumacy and vncharitable censures, wherwith they rend vs as with horses and thornes, [...] ▪ [...] his first [...]. as it was said of Metius Suffetius: is it not strange that a brother should excommunicate a brother, that a man should cast his owne Father out of the church? wee reade that Marcion the Heretique was excom­municated by his owne Father, but a like madnesse to this we neuer read; also their rebaptizing of their Sectaries, and the approbation of new mariages, the former wiues being yet aliue, doe spring from one bitter roote.

SECTION. I.

DOnatus a Sectarie first, after fell into grie­uous Heresies, him the Brownists haue re­uiued [...]4 Num [...]dian [...] be affirmed [...] Church with­out him, [...]nd h [...]s Sect [...]ries to be C [...]r [...]stians. in full force, but they haue many other fautors and abettors that craftily fa­uour the Schisme, of the fire whereof they smell very strong, the mantell of holinesse couers all their [Page 125] designes, so that few of them are found which wish not to seeme eyther better, or other men then they bee: When Hercules had lost his Oxen, and hadBat [...]man in [...] [...] Gods. long time sought them in vaine, they were at last discouered by their bellowing to be in Cacus denne: now Cacos in Greeke signifieth euill, whi [...]h draweth men backwards by the tailes as Cacus did the Oxen. For these men looke one way and goe another, like men that row on the water, or like Crabs on the land: Wee should walke as our head Christ doth: but these men like the disseuered partes of a S [...]ake, [...]nne seuerall wayes. There was a man that brin­ging his Mare to drinke, thought that hee saw the Moone drunke vp by his Mare, which indeed was onely hid and obscured in a cloud; the next day con­sulting with his neighbours of Gotham, after much [...]aying of their cods heads together, it was concluded that they should rip the mare & let out the Moone: Euer since these Gothes or Goates haue thought all the world beholding to them for the recouery of the Moone: So in like manner, these Catharists thinkePuritans. all purity to haue beene borne, and shall die with them, and therefore say to euery man that will not spit iust as they doe, Touch mee not, I am holyer then thou. Stage-keepers in Cambridge with their visards on, doe so long driue away euery man that they like not, till at the length they fill the Ha [...]l so full, that fuller it could not haue beene, if they had called all commers: so with their seemely visards of imagined seuerity, they doe so driue away bad men from their company, till at length they haue filled [Page 126] the scaffolds with hypocrites, & the prophane with­out breake the Chappell windowes, nay sometimes breake downe both Chappell and Colledge, for when men see these leane prayers make such fat fasts, they condemne first the professors, and then the pro­fession: T'is said that in the Temple of Ianus there was the Image of Mars, of which I thinke these men are the Priests; for without they haue the double face of Ianus, and within nothing but Mars and conten­tion.

SECTION. II.

AN other meanes whereby these men inlarge their kingdome of Crickets, is Martinisme or Libelling against iust authority: It is said that Iulius Caesar did euer answere Libels with Libels, neuer proceeded any farther, but as Dion sheweth, hee ne­uer forgaue a man but in shew: this seeming neg­lect is much imitated in Rome at this day, and Vespa­sian a military man is much commended for it, but Augustus a wise, and Tiberius a crafty Ptince, as li­uing in times more peaceable, and their state being somewhat litigious, did vse more corrasiues to heale this ytching humor of Writing, not Satyrs or Epi­grams, but these lawlesse Libels that are written in bloud like Dracoes Lawes. Manlius that defendedCicero pro Sex. Rosci. Amerin. the Capitoll, was after by publike sentence throwne downe from that hill, for that he had spread certaine slaunders, which did touch the famous Camillus: if [Page 127] many of these were so serued, or had their leggs bro­ken, as had the dogges, that did not onely barke, but bite them that came to the Temple; wee should neuer haue heard of Martin Senior and Martin Iu­nior with all that rimelesse and reasonlesse rabble of rayling Rabshekes. To conclude, I would neuer haue this packe punished, but eyther with silence, orCamerina A loathsome fence in Sicilie. with exemplarie iustice, if they be found out: for as I take it, all answere to them is impertinent, and doth but moue Camerina, which is against the Oracle: [...]

Ne moueas Camerinam, immotam sistere praestat. And against those two verses, vsde among vs for a by-word; Seu vineo, aut vincor, the rest is too well knowne; for as Socrates said, if an Asse kicke thee, wilt thou kicke him againe? I am perswaded, nothing hath so much made them presse themselues to death, and stand so often in white sheetes, as for that they see learned men vouchsafing them an answere.

SECTION. III.

THe third disease of these men, is the greedy Worme, otherwise called couetousnesse, some call it the Dropsie, which if a man haue, hee will drinke of a cuppe as bigge as a Church; for these Cormorants vnder pretence of abolishing supersti­tion, haue deuoured vpp Church-liuings, whereby they make their Natiuity Pies the fatter; for cer­taine it is, they would haue the Bishops hyde (to vse their owne wordes,) cut into many thongs, yea as [Page 128] many as Dido cut the Buls hyde into, when sheA [...]n [...]id. 1. bought the ground of Iarbas, whereupon shee built Byrsa; again these men would haue all Tythes re­duced [...] was [...] Edo [...]. S [...]a [...] [...]po [...] V [...]us. to stipends and almes: thus would they serue the Church with base money, as wee did them in Ireland at the rebellion of Tyrone: a pleasant man said, that in their Church there was sometimes con­scientia, but as the first letter of Caesars name, being stricken of with thunder; there was left aesar, which signifieth a God in the Hetruscan tongue, de­notingOr Hetrurian. that hee should die, and bee Deified: so the first sillable con being cut of, there was left scientia, making men like Heathenish Gods, knowing good and doing euill; at length comes the barbarous Barber and powles of sci, (as the Amonitish King cutte the garments of Dauids Ambassadors by the middle) and there was left entia; that is wealth and large maintenance; now these men, as if they threw the cast, called loose all, for the Church, would sweepe away entia without all conscience, which I belieue will one day trouble them, as ill as [...]ycoph [...]on in Cassandra. Hercules did the Whale, when he was in the bellie of it: some haue wisht the Sexton had beene in the Belfrey, when they drunke vp the Church, that so they might be neuer free from the belly ach, like the Melancholy man at Argos, that thought he alwaies heard Musicke: others haue wondered, that they are not molested with the stone, hauing deuoured so many stones, as if they had the teeth of Saturne the God of Time, who eate a stone in steade of Iupiter, Athenaeus Dyp­nosoph [...]sta. some suspect that they haue a leather case for their [Page 129] tongues, because they suppe vp such hote broth, and haue no hurt, so that they may seeme to be chimnies not men, and if you will haue them liuing Crea­tures, then are they Camels, which eate when theyApoc. 19. 17 sleepe: these are the birds of pray, which deuoure the flesh of the Whore, that is, Abbies, Nunneries, and by consequent, Colledges and Churches, as if they were Popish also: not vnlike one that said, wee must eate no flesh in Lent, because the earth was ac­curst, of which it comes: as for bread and wine they come from the sea, not from the earth, and had hee dwelt at Venice where nothing growes, he had spo­ken truely, thus these men call the long eares of the Hare hornes, that is they tearme Tythes, Iewish and Popish rytes, being somewhat of kinne to Dio­nisius the Elder, who tooke away Aesculapius gol­den beard, saying it was vnfit, Apollo the Fa [...]her should be beardelesse, and Aesculapius his sonne should haue a beard; also that Apollos golden coate was too heauy in Summer, too colde in Winter.

SECTION. IIII.

BEsides their practises, their opinions all bewray of what house they come; the name of Bishoppe like learned Criticks, they turne into bite-sheepe: the Litourgie into a Lethargie: the seruice they call the Starue vs, drawing here in the yoake with Barrow, forThe Romish Bee- [...]ue. in Vlisses Plough, were Asses aswell as Horses: here is all the difference, the Catharist like a Protestant, [Page 130] skarde out of his wittes, stares as wildly vpon the Church as Agane did vppon her Sonne Pentheus when shee tooke him for a Bore: Ille mihi ferien­dus Metamor 3. Aper, &c. But the Brownist hath a full frenzie, like the daughters of Praetus, that tooke themselues for kine, and rageth like Hercules and Aiax in the Tragedie, the former grants these opinions to bee true, but will not leape out of the Arke of Noah in­to the water: the other like the Rauen flies at large, and will not returne with the Doue: the one staies in the house with as perfidious a mind as Ziba, the o­ther flatly runnes away like Agar, or the two ser­uants of Shemei: but to proceede to their proper o­pinions, they will haue Lay-Elders in the church, and widdowes, whereof the former implies a con­tradiction according to their owne doctrine, for be­sides, that no lay man can bee Ecclesiastical, as they say, tis many times seene in the reformed Churches that a Ciuill Magistrate is one of the Lay-Elders, be­sides how vnreasonable is it, that he that neuer knew any difference, saue between Cow and Cow, shouldLucian in iudicio Deorum. for a yeare or two come to iudge of those things, which a Synode or Councell could hardly deter­mine: but to amend the matter, they would haue all Councels and lawes aswell Ciuill, as Canon, to be abrogated; to which desire we answere, is Pa­cuuius did at Capua, who when the people would haue had their Magistrates killed, desired then first to agree vpon the election of new Officers, the peo­ple nominated diuers, but could agree of none, whereupon the Massacre was delaide, afte [...] forgot: [Page 131] so say I, let these men make vs new lawes in stead of the olde, else wee shall haue deformity in stead of vniformity. Oh what a stir haue they made about possession and obsession, questions of as little neces­sity as of great trouble, what is this, but to bring vp Guelphes and Gibelines againe, the Frigosi and theSee the Floren­tine story. Adorni, nay indeed the Guysiard and the Condy.

SECTION. V.

ALl these tumults in religion come by imposture of names: the Pagan takes Diuels for gods, therefore in America they worship the Diuell, least he should hurt them: the Turke dreames of Maho­met as of a Prophet, not as a Cousener: as an igno­rant husband oftentimes entertaines the Adulterer, that pretends kindred, in stead of kindnesse inten­ded to his wife: the Iew fancies a Messias, in the letter for one in the spirite, like him that saide, Pi­late was a Saint, because he was put in the Creed: The Greeke will haue pictures instead of Images, not vnlike our men that would not haue it called the Absolution but the Remission, in the booke of common Prayer, which desire one compared to that of the men of Bengala, which are so afraide of Tygers, that they dare not call them by that name,Doctor Boys in his notes vpon the Letany. but by some more gentle, least otherwise happily they might bee tor [...]e in peeces by them. The Ro­mane Wolfe talkes of Religion, meanes policie, like Vespasian that put out an Edict, wherein he signified, [Page 132] that the Temples of the Gods, & the Palaces of the Prince, were defiled by the common vse of Vrine: therefore he appointed certaine places of marble, where this should bee done, and that the fuller should receiue the liquor, and pay tribute to the Em­perour for his charges herein. Yong Titus said it was sordid, but the olde man wilde him to smell of the money, which he tolde him after came as tribute. The Arrian thinkes the three persons in the Trinity are but three names, not vnlike the Poets that make Thebes in Aegypt with a hundreth gates; and Thebes in Greece with seauen gates to be all one, or like the old Chorographers that made Spaine a City, and the Ocean a riuer; so would these men circum­scribe God within their shallow braines. The A­nabaptist thinkes all thinges should bee common, and therefore wiues, like the Fox, who hauing lost her tayle, would haue had all the Foxes to cut off theirs, that by the publique calamity, shee might helpe her priuate shame; like bad Parliament men, who make motions for lawes in shew, but indeed for priuate gaine or grudge: so the men of this genera­tionHerodotus in Clio. hauing cast of the vaile of their owne shame, like the wife of Candaules, moue other men to doe the same. The Barrowist like a drunken man calles his mother harlot, and will not dwell with her, if shee marry a new husband: nay, if shee will not sweepe her house with the broome of Discipline, which hee will make or buy. The Catharists like a wilde Asse snuffes the wind in his nostrils, as heeLycophron in Cassandra. runnes, and like Proteus King of Egypt, will neither [Page 133] goe by land nor sea, but diggs a new way vnder the earth like a Mole; he likes nothing but that which is new, as our Dames doe with Cheries; or as the Romanes that would eat no fish, except they saw it swimme in the water and in the sawce, the selfe same day. Tell them of ancient Fathers, and they will stoppe their nose, and it may be their eares, as Vli­sses did against the Syrens; but shew them a new Writer, though he were as factious as Cateline, and you shall please them aswell as a Beare with hony. This is my Dreame and now I am awaked.