A Minister to keep close to his Text. [ 1517]
THe Poet was witty,* 1.1 who made this fiction; A Client having fee'd his Lawyer, to plead for the recovery of his two Hogs: His Counsellour tels him, it should be his first motion, and so steps to the bar, and there makes a long Oration so far from the matter, that the poor Client thinking he had been upon another businesse, pulls him by the sleeve, saying; Domine jam age de Por∣cis, Sir, now plead for my Hogs: This is a great fault in Lawyers▪ that many times in their Pleadings they are so far from the matter, that neither Judge nor Ju∣ry can well tell what to make of it; But the like may be said of some bold Ig∣naroe's, such as in the Pulpit after they have repeated the Text, shake hands with it, and so part, never coming at it again, In ventum verba proferunt, their discourse i•• like wind.* 1.2 And yet the people are much taken with these Euro∣clydons, Men of more tongue then Judgment; O, sayes one, He is a very rea∣dy Man, he was never out, and that's true, For he was never in; O sayes ano∣ther, He never looked on his book; And that's as true; His Tutor (if he had one) could never get him look upon any; It were therefore to be wish∣ed, that as the Lawyer was advised to come to the point; so he, to keep close to his Text.