Character 17. Of a modern Casuist.

HE is your onely Conscience-monger, and frames it wide or strait, as he lists himself▪ he leaves no Vsury, whilst he makes all Vsur•rs; and takes away the sins of the world, but makes more sinners then there were before. He has his several wards for several sins, as Equivocation against lying, and secret recompensation against theft, so rectifying the Conscience, as he can set it right agen at any time: He can make any thing good with a distinction, and marre it again with another; especially, he has particular cases for Princes, in confidence of which shud they offer to go to Heaven, St. Peter 'tis thought wod hardly allow of thêm, (as Scholastical Querks invent∣ed since his time.) Amongst the rest, he is so partial to his own Countrey Vices, as Drun∣kennes with the Dutch is almost no vice at all, nor Fornication with the Spaniard; mean time the ignorance of what he writes makes people more vertuous then the reading it; Page  27 his Writings being nothing else but a Rap∣sody of all Vices in general, whence, conse∣quently by reading them particular person• must needs know more vices then they did be∣fore; and for him himself, for all his nice di∣stinctions, woe be to him, if when he comes to dye, he meets with some such ignorant De∣vil as that Lawyer did, who c'ud not make him understand him for his heart, but he wod needs carry him away to Hell whether he would or no.