A forme of Christian pollicie drawne out of French by Geffray Fenton. A worke very necessary to al sorts of people generally, as wherein is contayned doctrine, both vniuersall, and special touching the institution of al Christian profession: and also conuenient perticularly for all magistrates and gouernours of common weales, for their more happy regiment according to God.

¶ The thirde Booke. (Book 3)

❧ Enumeration of sinnes wherof men make no conscience, and are oftentimes in the con∣dicion of greeuous sinnes: their qualetye and grauetye doo varye according to the matters and ob∣iectes, as lying dissembling, scoffes, flatteries. &c. ❧ The .1. Chapter.

MAny men for the most part, make no conscience of ray∣lings, Scoffes, Iestes, Dan∣ces, wanton Musicke, and dissolute Songes, nor of di∣uerse other kindes of Idle∣nesse, Pastimes, and special∣lye of the vaine losse of their tyme: Many also holde no reckoning of deceytes, Lyes, diuerse Ipocrisies, Flat∣teryes, with other lyke vices, which according to theyr diuerse vse (or rather abuse) are forbidden by sundry commaundementes of God: As if flatterye (for ex∣amples sake) bée practised, to this ende to drawe the goodes of any one,* 1.1 it apertaines to the defence of that cō∣maundement wherin wée are forbidden to steale: If it leade you to the acte of any dishonest pleasures, or pro∣cure it in others,* 1.2 it is within the cōpasse of this cōmaun∣dement, Thou shalt commit no whordom: If the flatte∣rer pretende, to stryke or cause to bée stroken any man, he shal find that forbidden in the precept which warnes vs to do no murder. And so of others, and many together maye bée forbidden by diuerse commaundementes, not

speaking heare of lying, which ordinarilye is accompa∣nyed with peruersitye of the minde and will.

But sith flatterie is first brought into example, wée can not tearme it more properly then a pleasant deceite,* 1.3 a swéete lye, a mortal poyson, and a sinne aboue al other most pernicious, cloaked with inuented speache, whiche as the wise man sayth, is the deceyte of fooles, A swéete and delitefull venim to the glorious, a destruction of Yong men, a consumer of the Ritche and noble rase, the abusor of great Princes, and absolute ruine of great houses:* 1.4 That was it that made Salomon saye, it were better to bée wel scooled and disciplined of wise men, then deceiued with the flattery of Fooles, who with publike signes wil not sticke to Iest at those whom they flatter, and speake as much euill behinde theyr backes, as theyr wordes bée pleasaunt afore their faces.* 1.5 For this cause Dauid sayeth, that their wordes were as swéete as the Oyle of Odour or smelling oyntment, and yet (being sharpe as dartes) they were notwithstanding very tray∣tours, who as Iudas betrayed Christ with a kisse, so doo they abuse the foolishe. Right Architophels and De∣chistes, wicked counsellours, and cariers of vntrue re∣portes, from whome, warres, controuersies, grudges, and murders doo flowe, yea, oftentimes they sowe grée∣uous diuorces betwéene deare friendes.

They are transformed into this trade, chiefly for coue∣tousnes, for seldome doo they flatter but with an entent to enritche them selues, folowing for the most suche as bée wealthye, and are disposed into bellichéere and pro∣digall expenses: I wishe that to these filthes, all men would doo as Dauid did to a flatterer, who, to obtaine the grace of Dauid, and bring great benefite to him selfe, brought to him the Diademe of Saul and his braflettes, saying, he had killed him, and was come with great dili∣gence to bring him those good newes, to whom, for recō∣pense of his dissembled tr••th, Dauid gaue present exe∣cution

of death.* 1.6 Dauid prophesied no lesse of the mise∣rable ende of Doech the flatterer of Saul, and wicked re∣porter of that which Dauid had done to Achimelech the great Priest, whiche was, that Dauid tooke Armes in the Tabernacle when hee fledde, and that Achimelech suffered him so to doo, and gaue him vittails to goo his waye, whereof grewe great murders: Architophel by the iust iudgement of God, hanged him selfe for that hée came not to the ende of his counsailes and flatteries, by the whiche hée had abused poore Absalon, indusing him to leauye warre against his Father.

Séeing also it is written that the detractour,* 1.7 and hée which (as the Cameleon) wil turne his tongue into ma∣ny Languages, sometimes saying one thing, sometimes holding another (as doe flatterers) bée cursed, for they trouble many people which haue peace togeather. And séeing withall, that they are so expreslye forbidden in the Scripture to bée such, the Magistrate hath no reason to geue sufferaunce, and much lesse grace of par∣don to people so abhominable to God, and hurtful to theyr countrey. Yea, and as gouernours them selues haue néede to take héede that they be not the first taken and enchaunted with these hurtful Serenes, so let them not suffer that the youth of theyr Citye bée seduced by such spiders, whose custome is to sucke the blood of great flies. Let them rather with the example of the good Heardsman, who pursueth the Rauens that folowe the weakest Beastes to picke out theyr eyes, and so kill them, to the ende they may féede vpon the Carkasse.

Let I saye, our polletike Pastors ouer kingdoms and common weales, thonder exemplary iustice vpon these deuouring Rauens, whose custome (as the Philosopher sayth) is to hunt after weake braines, and giue them so many pouders of glory, that at the last picking out their eyes, they make them so blinde, that by the perswasions of these wretches, they sée them selues to bée no more

men, but rather halfe Gods, when in déede, these mistes make theyr miserye the greater.

* 1.8The next waye not to bee beguiled with flatterers, is to geue them no eare: to him that knoweth them not, when they beginne to make way into his fauour by ex∣tolling his vertues, let him acknowledge al vertues to bée of God, and that for one vertue hée is infected with ten vices, and therefore hath more cause to humble him selfe, as in déede a man can not haue vertue, if with hu∣militye he bée not a condemnour of him selfe: Besides there is no iuste man, which oftentimes falles not into sinne, and hee that standes nowe vpright, maye stumble and fall in a moment,* 1.9 as was the case of Salomon: For which cause the wise man sayth: wée ought not to praise man in life, for that hée beareth on his backe a subiection to chaunge: If it bée forbidden to praise a man, it is no lesse defended to a man to heare his owne commenda∣tion: When the flatterer therefore goeth about to extol him, let him saye that as hée is forbidden to demaunde glory for his good déedes, so hath hée no power to geue it: but that it is his part to ascribe all glorye to God, who is the onelye aucthour of al good: And if hée magnify him in that which hée hath not, let him franklye saye that hée brookes no praise in Lyes: Hée can not beguile a wise man for that his conscience (which is the true witnes and iudge of all our doinges) impugneth the prayses of the flatterer. And so, who wil not bée abused by the flatterer, let him geue him no audience, and if hée wyll eschew the Poyson of his practise, let him stop his eares from the Charme of his wordes: Howe many flatte∣rers haue accesse to a mans person, euen so many spyes and enemyes doo enuyron his estate and life.

The Fowler counterfetteth the laye of the Birde, but it is to bring her to his Net: the Scorpion smiles with his countenaunce, but it is to strike with his Taile: The Panther sheweth her Beautye to the pleasure of

foolishe Beastes and scattereth a swéete Odour, but it is with this purpose to entrap and rauishe them: when the Crokodile puttes on a countenaunce of compassion to the poore wayfairing men, it is then shée prepareth her selfe to deuoure them: The glorious webbe of the Spider is stretched out to none other ende but to take the foolishe flye.

Let vs neuer thincke but that in the inuention of wordes, disguising of Tongues, artificiall strayning of speaches, with such like pleasant snares, is disgested eue∣rye sutteltye of a Foxe, with all other partes that may bée in a sophisticall poyson.

The trueth néedes no disguised speache, nor is decked with any goodlye apparaunce outwardly to please men, and much lesse is it set out with Flowres whose smell geues Poyson to the senses of men, as this deceytefull flatterye doeth: trueth cares not for the outward bew∣tye, being fraught within with incomparable or∣namentes and Ritches: It is a goodly treasure hidde, and couered without, with a vile stone or vncleane earth: Where the other is as a painted Se∣pulcher without, and con∣taines within nothing but stincke and vncleannes.

¶ Heare flatterye is declared verye hurtfull to common weales and families: It makes yong People ryse into great Pride, to furnishe the vvhich they fall into fonde and vvastfull expenses: VVhat is to bee done for the remedye of the same.

❧ The .2. Chapter.

AND because flatterie carieth this nature, to raise light spi∣rites into vaine glory, whose swéetenes giues norriture to theyr delightes, not thinking it to bée a sinne of that gra∣uitye and importaunce it is: we wil adde to that wée haue already sayd, that as glory of Ritches, Noblenes, or of any other excellency aboue the rest is condemned of great contempt & ignominy in the Scripture, so there is no sort of people more miserable then such as vaunt vpon the quantety and value of theyr Ritches: If I should alleadge the direct texts & examples of theyr condemnation, it were to stand vpon infinites, and encomber the exercise of the Reader: onely they are warned of theyr presumptuous follie in this passage of the wise man: Let not the wise man (sayth hée) glorify him selfe in his wisedome, nor the strong man in his force, nor the Ritche man in his wealth.

But he that wil glorifie him selfe, let him doo it in God, who knoweth him, for according to Saint Paul, al the good that they haue is of God. Touching Ritches, (Salo∣mon sayth) that the blessing of the Lord makes men Ritche, and that it is hée which distributes glory, Lord∣ship, power, and kingdoms, to such as it pleaseth him: It is hée that geues wisdome and science: yea, all that is, is the gift of God,* 1.10 geuen to men of his pure liberalitye, to the ende hée onely may bée honoured for it: What wrong then doo wée vnto God, to attribute to our selues that which is the Lordes, and vsurpe the glorye which belonges to him? wée which haue no power, not so much as ouer the least haire of our head, as neyther to

turne it from white to blacke, and much lesse,* 1.11 to make it grow: yea euen we in whom is no power but to sinne, and heape to our selues proper damnation.* 1.12 That is the cause why S. Paul saith, That who glorifieth him selfe, ought to do it in the Lorde,* 1.13 to whom onely belonges all honour and glory.

That we liue, mooue, and are,* 1.14 procéedes of his grace and vertue. In him we are as we are,* 1.15 and out of him we are but sinne and damnation.

The Bishop of Laodice, thinking him selfe in his iudgement riche, wealthy, and happy, hearde the voyce of God, saying, Thou art a caytife, miserable, poore, blinde, and naked. The onely poore man, and he that beares with patience his pouertie and miserie of the worlde, yea also the riche man in goodes, but truely poore and humble in heart, geuing no estimacion to richesse, but disperseth them to those that haue néede: they onely are they who onely may glorifie them selues in their simple pouertie,* 1.16 from whence they shalbe raised into great wealth and glorie.

But let the riche man feare and humble him selfe for the miseries which are prepared for him: And let the great man thinke, that according to his greatnesse, hée shalbe seuerely punished.* 1.17 Let therfore the Magistrate pollitike, vnderstande Gods indignation against flatte∣rers, who lift vp light spirites into wéening, & boasters into vayne glory. Let them I say punishe the one, and humble the other, according to the rule and wyll of God expressed in many examples in the Scriptures: God embased so much the state of Nabuchodoniser, King of Babylon, that of a mighty King, he made him a poore in∣sensate creature, yea geuing him a condicion to eate Grasse with the terrible beastes of the fielde. And as he neuer suffered to prosper any long time, either king∣domes, regions, Cities, or priuate houses of the proude and hauty: so therefore let him stande in example afore

our Magistrate, to constraine such people to humilitye, and taking lowe courses, not to hoise vp Golden sailes, eyther in apparel, Iewels, Houses, or other pompes and vaine expenses. But rather according to theyr grosse reuenues, let them make a méere liberall reléefe to the poore, and cuttyng of their superfluous spending. Let them trauayle to deserue well of their common weale:

Here they can not say that they haue power to dispose their richesse as they thinke best, for séeing they are members of one common wealth, they must be gouer∣ned by the iudgement of the chiefest: wherein like as the members of one body, the more force they haue, the more seruice do they to it, aswell in generall, as to euery particuler member: euen so by all right of God, & na∣ture, it belonges to the most mighty in goodes & estates, to apply their wealth to the helpe of their Citie: which if they wyll not do liberally, they are subiect to constraint, as are also for their partes, the wisest, the noblest, & all other of better ability and meanes to reléeue their coun∣trey, who much more then the riche sort, ought to be pro∣strate in humility, because God hath indued them with more great & honourable graces, then are common and temporall riches. And because we haue touched in pas∣sing the pompe of apparell, we can say no lesse (with the opinion of the scripture) thē that in the vse of them now a dayes, is a true representacion & figure of sinne, being farre from the attyre of Adam & Eue, who ware onely a couer ouer their natures made of Figge leaues, deuised necessarily to shrowde the filthinesse of the body: God gaue them at last Skinnes of Beastes, teaching them therby (omitting here the opinion of the morall doctrine of mortification signified by the Skinne) how thei ought to vse garmentes, for necessity against the colde & iniury of the weather, and to couer the vilenesse of nature.

Who therfore vseth them for other purpose then these two respectes, (if the state and custome of the countrey

dispence not therewith) doth abuse the vse of garments.

So was the wicked riche man, beyng through pride and glory, clad euery day in Purple, partlie condemned for that excesse. The Iewe vsed an habite proper or sin∣guler, by the which he was discerned from other Nati∣ons, and so the Samarytane knewe Iesus Christ to bée a Iewe. And the prophete rebuked the Iewe that vsed a straunge attyre, as newe and to sumptuous, but (aboue other Nations) the Venetians haue neuer chan∣ged their fashion of garmentes, whose constancie that way remaynes to their perpetuall prayse.

❧ Let none glorifie him selfe, but in his pouerty, necessitie, and affliction: such as glorfie them selues in goodes, scienses, &c. are vaine: but much more do they offende vvho vaunt of their euyll doing: the euyls that come by intemperance: what great faults are cōmitted by glut∣tons, and people geuē to delicacy. ¶ Chap. 3.

IT is declared before, that man ought not to glory in his riches, in his power, nor in his wisedome, but rather in affliction, & as S. Paul saith,* 1.18 vnder the Crosse of Iesus Christ: taking specially his glory in god, in that he know∣eth him, feareth him, and lo∣ueth him: for all other things are to the fleshly man ra∣ther occasion of perdicion then saluatiō, and are the very stipends, rewardes, & effect of the reprobate: We haue now somewhat to vnfolde the vices in intemperaunce & excesse of eating and drinking: in this many do lay vp their glory, and sometimes in thinges more wretched (béeing one of the sinnes of Sodome and Gomorrhe, as Esay saieth) Wherein they commit sinne of his owne nature irremisible,* 1.19 for that it procéedes of

a sence reprobate, neither séeing nor feelyng his proper euyll, to the ende to searche for cure, euen as doth the Letargie in his mortall sléepe, out of the which much lesse, that he wyll be awaked, but hateth and striketh him that goeth about to helpe him. And as when medi∣cine is refused to be geuē to a sicke man, and Phisitions turne him ouer to his owne desires, it is a signe that hée is abandoned, and his life in extreme peryll: So when God puts into the hande of man, the Bridle & libertie of his owne pleasures, & suffreth him to prosper in worldly delytes, it is then he hath least care of him, expressing by that a daungerous signe of his saluation. I meane not here intemperaunce by gluttony onely (the very Nurse of whoredome) where is excesse of meate and Wine, which the Lorde warneth vs to take béede of,* 1.20 lest we be taken in his iudgement (as in déede we haue perfection neither of reason nor sence to consider of our conscience if we be guilty in any sinne) And of this gluttony spea∣keth Ezechiel, Beholde O Ierusalem saith he, the iniqui∣tie of thy sister Sodome, the pride, the fulnesse of bread, and victuels, and abundaunce of idlenesse: but I com∣prehend also all epicurity of belly cheare, where mē fol∣lowe the affection of their delytes, and wallowe in the contentment of the flesh: Of which intemperaunce Sa∣lomon noteth the great Lordes and riche men of the worlde when he saith, that region is miserable, whose King is a childe,* 1.21 not so much for yeres as for sence, and whose principall states and Magistrates, eate early in the morning, that is to say, according to the exposition of Esay, wretchednesse wyll alwayes hang ouer that king∣dome, whose gouernours rise early in the morning to drinke and be dronke, taking so great pleasure in ban∣quets, meates, & dilicious Wines, that laying vp there all their humaine felicitie, they make their God of their bellyes: They are like to those wretches that say, there is no life but to make good cheare, against whom Amos

cryeth out,* 1.22 Wretchednesse vpon you O riche men in Syon, who sléepe in beds of Iuory, and take your plea∣sures therein: who eate the best Muttons of the flocke, and deuour the fat Veales, who sing to the voyce of the Psalter, or haue Musitions at your Tables, drincke swéete Wines in gorgeous Cuppes, and annoynt your selues with precious oyntments, as if he had sayd, You that surfet of your owne pleasures and delytes, & féele no compassion of the sorowe & misery of Ioseph repre∣senting the state of the poore sort.* 1.23 Esay rebuketh them for that they regarde not the worke of God, and seeke out howe he ioynes his wyll and commaundement to our duety: So that this intemperaunce is not the glut∣tony of villaynes, (whose maner is to engorge them selues like Woolues, & be dronke as beastes, yea euen as Swine that are soyled in the filthyest myre) but in this is expressed the epicuritie of the most delicate, such as are more skilfull in delicious fare, and swéete wines, then in vertue and learning: such as corrupting iustice, haue also no care of it, for that they are altogether par∣tiall to their bellyes, without all regarde to God, yea the time which they shoulde apply to the cause and com∣passion of the poore, and such as liue in teares, sorrowe, and want, they abuse in dissolute Musicke, & Masques, making cheare to Curtysanes, A common vice of our time, & famylyar euen with the greatest, who notwith∣standing, do take more glory therin, then in actes of Chy∣ualrie. Is it not a great offence to eate & drinke, more for pleasure, thē for necessitie, not to restore the strength of the body, but by abundaunce & variety of meates and Wines, to procure debility? to abuse the Creature, a∣gainst the wyll & honour of the Creator? Lastly, by that excesse, to bring diuers diseases to the body, wherby men are made vnprofitable to their common weale, & often times passe by vntimely death. He wylleth vs to do all thinges to his honour, that he may be glorified therein:

But in this intemperaunce, much lesse that men haue remembraunce of him, séeing of the contrary there is no exercise but of scoffing, railing, speache of the throte and belly in al vnchastnes, setting the tongue at liberty to al sclaunder, blasphemy, & impudency: what glory doth this behauiour to God, whose benefite is so abused, contrary to his wyll and commaundement?

We eate, we drinke at his charges, we liue by his benefites, and we sit at his Table, and yet we are not ashamed to offend him vnreuerentlye: He commaun∣deth vs to liue soberly, to pray vnto him, to praise him, to breake our bread to the hungrye,* 1.24 and to call the poore to our eatinges and drinkinges: but what care is re∣reserued to this cōmaundement, when the rich wil close their gates against the cryes of the poore, and they them selues wallow in the excesse of eating?* 1.25 much lesse is he honored of such people, whē he is disobeyed in this com∣maundement, to haue compassion on the afflicted, & that we shoulde wéepe with them that wéepe.

Many are the poore about them, to whose teares they ioyne no compassion.

Many are the widdowes that sigh, Orphants that la∣ment, with others whom they sée to languishe in their miseries: whose estate by how much they know to bée harde and sorowfull, by so much are they slowe in pittie, but as men resolued whollye in forgetfulnesse of GOD, they reioyce, they laugh, they sing at their Tables, and passe their time in enterchaunge of wan∣ton companies.

If this abuse be reprooued vnto them, they aunswere, Malencollye is hurtfull to their health, not remem∣bring the warning of Iesus Christe against them:

* 1.26O wretchednesse (saith he) vppon you that laugh, for you shall wéepe and lamente: And miserye also vpon you O ye riche men, which take your pleasures here, and haue your consolations:

And no lesse vnhappye are all your others, which fyll your bellyes, for you shall endure eternall hun∣ger. In this are most to be reprehended, Magistrates and gouernours, to whose prouidence are committed so many poore people in their common weale, that haue so manye desolate soules to comfort, kepe so many sorowfull persons in delay of iustice, and yet wil geue them neither hope in their causes, nor helpe in their necessities. And as they stande guiltye in the same vice with those intemperate sort, if they cor∣rect not their conuersation with fines & paynes, and pu∣nish their bodyes, to whom the Scripture pronounceth malediction: Euen so, they stande subiect to fall with them (but much more gréeuouslye) if they vse not dili∣gence to take away the cause of this wretchednesse.

At Rome in the time of the Pagans there was a Law coherciue against excessiue and extraordinary expenses, Much more then, in the common wealth of Christen∣dome, should there be Statutes and seuere cohercions, against superfluities and damnable delytes. Let those epicures and belly gods of this worlde, looke vp to the warning of Iesus Christ,* 1.27 and prediction of Iob. They leade (saith he) their liues in good cheare and pleasures, and vpon the point of death they fall into hell.

The riche man in the Gospell is not punished, but because he helde sumptuous feastes,* 1.28 put on gorgeous attire, and despised the poore: And when in hell he cryeth to refresh his tongue with one drop of water, Abraham aunswered him, My sonne, thou hast receiued in thy lyfe thy benefites, meanyng, thou hast had richesse, thou hast taken thy pleasures, and made great cheare: and this Lazarus felt nothing but miseries: therfore con∣tent thy selfe, thou canst not haue thy felicities twise, neither he his perplexities againe.

Who in life tastes of pleasure, after death shall be recompensed with displeasure, as of the contrarye,

for him that suffreth euil for the honor of God, is laid vp in heauen euerlasting good. Other gluttons & dronkards in general haue their sentence to be shut out of the king∣dome of God: (wherein to auoide tediousnes) I will not nowe medle with the examples of miseries hapned to glottons, as to the Sodomites, Israelites, & Holofernes, to al which the sinne of epicurity, brought miserable death. Heare may bée resolued the question of some, whether it bée lawfull to make banquets, and whether they may be made to Ritche men: wheren, is to be considered, that if the ende bée good, and grounded vppon some office of Ciuill honestye, they are not reproued.

Abraham made a godly banquet the same day his sōne was wained or taken from the nourse, but it was an in∣vitement to thanke God with his houshold & friends for geuing him a sonne in his olde age: Lot banqueted An∣gels, whome hée tooke to bée certaine poore passangers. Isaac banqueted with Abimilech for confederation of a∣mity: Ioseph congratulated the cōming of his Brethren with a sumptuous feast, expressing only his feruent and natural loue to them.

The scripture geues much mention of Banquets, Ma∣riages, and feastes of Kings, & such as were made on the solempne daies of sacrifices to God, into the which were receiued the poore Leuites or ministers of the Temple & other needy people, as also in the new Testament speci∣allye on those daies when the communion was mini∣stred, the poore, with the rest, for the societye of christian Loue, being made partakers of the Banquet, whereof it tooke the name Agape, that is, charitye.

Christ him selfe was often at Banquets & Mariages: But whosoeuer made banquets to maintaine gluttony, for which S. Iames reproues the Ritchmen of his time, or for vaine glorye, they haue theyr share, with the wic∣ked Ritche man in the Gospell, in the tormentes of hell.

Touching mockers and scoffers, let them thinke they

are in the warning of Salomon: That as their sinne is gréeuous, so the iudgementes of God are prepared for them: For séeing they ought to loue theyr neighbour as them selues, they ought not onelye to bée sorye for the faulte which they reprehend and scoffe at in another, but to haue compassion of it, to correct it, and to pray to God for him that hath the errour: Repulse them farre from you sayeth the wise man, for in them is nourished the causes of many contencions, and therfore, besides their condemnacion, they shalbe sure to be scoffed of o∣thers, for that Gods iustice keepes his course.

❧ Scoffers and men of pleasaunt conceyte pretending none other ende but to encrease pleasure, are rebukeable: But more if their I esting turne to the reproche of any: so do they offend God: Hovve vvee are bounde to employe our time: It is not forbidden for all that, to recreate our selues for honest purposes, nor to vse our pastime and pleasure. ❧ The .4. Chapter.

LET Scoffers, and the vaine conceyted sort (commonlye called pleasaunt men) practi∣sing to make others laugh & liue in pleasure, not thinke they are without rebuke: In whom albeit séemes no pur∣pose of hurt to any, yet the ende tending to the scorne of another, can not bée without sinne, and therefore suche pastime cannot auoide the due blame of vice.* 1.29 Saint Paul reproueth them, when hée willeth that there bée no for∣nication, nor vncleannes, nor couetousnesse named a∣mongst them, as is conuenient & beséeming to holines?

And much lesse that there bée villany cloaked with fond speache, or slenting contrarye to ciuill modestye, which ought to be farre remoued from christians, whose exer∣cise standes in geuing thankes to God, praising him, and speaking of him,* 1.30 employing the time also in discourse of thinges profitable, good, honest, and tending to edifye the company. Iesus Christ calleth this scoffing, meaning idle wordes, whereof there is reckoning to bée geuen in the iudgement of God, speache vnprofitable & time lost. And as by S. Paul wée are warned to vse no talke but suche as maye serue and apply to edifye our neighbour:* 1.31 So, our tongue was consecrated of god by baptisme, not to be emploied to other vses, then to forme deuout spea∣ches, the handes to minister holy workes, & all the other members to be disposed to actes of goodnes acccording to theyr office: for being dedicated to God, to prophane thē in thinges, worldlye, vile, filthy, and vicious, were as a detestable sacrileage & impiety, farre more greater, then the prophanation which Balthasar vsed of the vessels of the temple of Salomon, wherwith he banqueted his Cō∣cubines, féeling therfore a sodaine & terrible iudgement of God the night folowing. And séeing man is the holye temple of God, wherein the holy ghost dwelleth, and the bodies also, the holy members of Iesus christ who being holy hath incorporated them in him: Is not he then truly holy: where the Chalice or Cup, a thing insensible, is not but for the vse of a holy thing, consecrated & made holye. What sinne therfore is it to conuert the vse of this mē∣ber the tongue into vaine & fonde speach, & which worse is, to speake vnchastly, to pronounce euill of another, to sweare, to blaspheme, which be thinges not onely pro∣phane, but damnable & reprobate, and restraine it from exercise of holye discourse, for which ende it was crea∣ted of God, and reformed by Iesus Christ, as of purpose to praye and prayse God, to teache and instruct.

And as to suche as speake vanelye, the soddaine iudge∣ment

of God is pronounced, so, let the scoffer and idle inuentour of Pastime, looke for theyr share in the same iustice. Saint Paul commaundes vs to redéeme or buye againe our time, whiche hée sayeth is done in speaking and perpetual well doing of thinges, holy and edifying, restoring in that sort the season which wée had lost in actes of vice and vanitye, afore wée knewe God, which is a satisfaction of dutye which hée requires of vs, when hée sayeth, Doo penaunce: for with repen∣taunce and mutacion of will, which is the first act of pe∣naunce, the change also of the fact or worke is requisit, geuing recompense to our power to the iniuries and wrongs which we had done to others: If we haue abu∣sed our time in vaine & idle talke, or employed it in vn∣lawful things: what better recompense can wée aforde, then to vse holy speaches of God, and dispose our handes to actes of compassion and charitye. Plynie being an Infidel. but an excellent Historian, was so gréedye of time, that hée made Conscience to employe a moment otherwaies then to benefite. Theophrastus, sayd time was deare, and an expence very precious, meaning, that it ought not to be spent vainelye: what then ought to bée the consideration of the Christian? who knoweth that as well of the meanest moment of his doinges, as of the least minute of his time and wordes, he is to yéelde rea∣son to God.

Therefore let Magistrates, whose doinges ought to holde conformetye with the iudgement of God, and are heare (as the scripture sayth) to make him obeyed in his commaundementes and statutes, vse prouidence in a cause of so greate importaunce, and dispose theyr office by such wisedome, as time (a gift so precious) maye not bée turned to the abuse and dishonour of God.

I condemne not heare myrth in things indifferent, ad∣mistred to a good ende, as eyther to refreshe the minde, or recreate the Sycke, the same being as a medicine,

to a spirite troubled, and is then best approued, when it tendes to edification, as was that of Helias to the sacri∣ficatours of Baal, Crie lowder sayeth hée, for perhappes your God is at rest in his Inne, or vpon the way, or els he sléepes: crye therfore alowde that he may awake: As much may be sayd of honest profit, or necessary pastime, such as Isaac tooke with his wife by familiar recreation:* 1.32 and as Susanna did, when shée walked in her Garden, & washed her selfe, where shée was inuaded by the twoo corrupt Iudges of Israel: and as also is written of S. Iohn, who sometimes would hathe him selfe with his Disciples, but would not enter into the bathe wherein Cherinthus an Heretike had bathed him selfe, fearing, least for the wretchednes of y^e Heretike, the bath should fall? In these, and such like things, which of nature are neither good nor euil, the consideratiō of the ende and in∣tent, measureth alwaies the praise or dispraise: wherin let vs obserue the saying of Iesus Christ, If the eye bee simple, al the body is illuminate: as who say, if in séeking thy profite, or prouiding for thy health, thy ende bée good, and that the thing which thou doest meane, bée pleasing to God, thy worke is good: for so did christ suffer him selfe to bée annointed on his head & féete by Mary Magdalen, the ende & entent being commendable: where if shée had employed lo long time and trauaile about another for delite onely and pleasure, it had béen an act of vice: euen so iesting pronounced of a wicked wyll, or to dishonour or scorne any man, can not bée but mortal sinne, by rea∣son of the ende, and corrupt intent: And these scoffers, Parasites, and table minstrelles, who no lesse vaine in heart, then vicious in affection, practise an estate of squirilitye, with an entent to deuoure other mens goodes, maye sée howe farre they offende God, and howe iustlye they stand subiect to seuere correction.

¶ Plaies which of them selues beare no vice, are not disalowable, in respect of their endes and lavvfull causes: Vnlavvfull games at Dice, are causes of muche euill. ❧ The .5. Chapter.

GAmes which of them selues beare no vice, as suche as are deuised to recreate the minde, or restore the vertues or na∣tural faculties of the vnder∣standing, trauailed in Spiri∣tuall actions, are not (by the same reasons we gaue to ho∣nest Pastimes) not to bée re∣proued, no more then we may reprehend sléepe after la∣bour of the body and the minde. To refreshe the minde, it is good to exercise the body with games of labour, the better to entertaine strength and health: as also, sportes prepared to the exercise of an act necessary to a common weale, as the practise of warre is verye profitable, to which sports were trained by y^e institucion of Romulus the youth of Rome of fiftene & twenty yéeres, to rise by that meanes to a further habilitye to Armes. And albeit they are rather painefull exercises, whose ende is profi∣table instruction, then simple games, which bring intent of recreation: yet, they beare but the name of sports, be∣cause there is no serious grauetie in their actes, being as then ordained not to strike and kil, but to prepare youth to a more agilitye in warre afterwardes: In such like sportes, men of warre should passe their time in truse & peace, to the end they fal not into delicate idlenes. These sportes as they maye bée resembled with the exercise of students in the Retrician scooles, touching declamati∣ons to forme speaches in Courtes: so, of simple sportes

(whose mater & ende are not euil) men may make theyr exercise, as of medicine for cure of diseases: not making marchandise or traffike of it for gaine: For so it could not be properly called sport or playe, but matter of good earnest, for that sport ought to be referred to som honest ende: Otherwaies, who excedeth the ende of sport, ought to suffer gréeuous punishment, not only as vnprofitable but as sclaunderous to the common wealth: For play is occasion of infinit euils, as is expressed commonly vpon the experience of yong men now a daies, without recko∣ning the losse of their time, where Salomon commandes vs to trauaile withal our power without intermission: al that the hand may worke, do it sayth hée continually, for after death thou shalt haue no more worke to dooe: meaning, whilest thou liuest, doo as muche good as thou canst,* 1.33 for after death, thou hast no more time to trauaile: Play is also occasion of theft, companion to gluttony, a baite to whoredom, & a mouer of quarels and murders.

It is written in the story of y^e Corinthians, that plaies were causes of their ruine, for this reason: Chilon a phi∣losopher being sent in embassage frō y^e Atheniens to Co∣rinthe to treate of peace (for there were warres betwéen those .ii. tounes) & finding the Corinthians vpon a Festi∣uall daye so generally set at playe, that not one of them, would vouchsafe to enquire what was the ambassador, and much lesse the cause of his comming. And when he sawe, that aswell the counsellors, and chiefest, as the rest were so caryed awaye with the delites of theyr playes, that hee could not haue worthy audience: hée returned at the instant, iudging it to great indignitie that the ma∣gistrates and Senate should ioyne them selues with the folly of the popular sort. And iudging that y^e best meane to reduce such incenset people, were to assaile them by Armes, perswaded the Atheniens therunto, who after∣ward would neuer graunt them peace.

Playing at tables & such like sléeping games, are called

of Aristotle the sportes of women, for that to men those sportes are proper, wherin is exercise of the body. Tou∣ching playes at hazard, wée finde them vncomely for all men, but specially indecent for the christian profession: For as the plaiers are led more by fortune & chaunse (as they terme it) thē by wisedom or ability of y^e mind, which is contrary to the nature of sports, wherin is sought re∣creatiō by some industry of labor, or dexterity of y^e spirit in which the praise is alwayes geuen to the vanquisher. So, in that play, is no glory at all, and much lesse duty of praise to the player, because he doth no acte to deserue it. The minde loaseth his practise, reason hath no place, the iudgement is confounded, and the body hath no exercise, the same being the cause why, by the iust iudgement of God, that kinde of playe neuer contenteth the player, for that the more hée playeth, the more ryseth hée in desire, being prickt foreward with hope of profit, & abandoned to couetousnes, wherby it hapneth that the gaine rising by that playe turneth seldome to profit, being rather of a nature so wicked, y^t it drawes men into disorder, makes thē poore euen to nakednes: & retaines them in that base∣nes of minde, that euen in the hardest winter, they sit & suffer as slaues y^e rigour of many cold nights, with their féete benōmed vnder a cold table, wherof are bred, gouts reumes, litargies, & appoplexies: and yet these miserable plaiers, haue no féeling of their wretchednes, so swéetly are they lulled in the delites of this playe by the wicked spirite, the very author therof. For these & such like rea∣sons there was neuer christian, who estéemed not playe vnlawful: wherof a womā pronounsing her selfe a pro∣phetis, for holding opinion of certaine heresies, was cō∣uinced by an Auncient, and learned Bishop, who iudged her not to be such one as she made her selfe estéemed, for many reasons, wherof one was, for that shée was séene to playe at cardes and Dice at hazarde: A pastime which neuer any of our religion was séene to vse.

The Philosophers estéemed them vnlawfull, for that they haue no similitude with vertue, delude reason, and delite not so much the mind as they trouble it: For as to the noble spirite nothing is more pleasaunt, then when he may winne glory by the show of some excellency: so, nothing can be more contrary to his nature, then eyther by sleight or fortune, to bée vanquished by his inferior, ouer whom by dexterity of nature & actes of vertue, hée is superiour: Plato, likewise, would not geue sufferance to those plaies amongst his Disciples, to whome, when they excused them selues that they did no great faulte, hée said, this litle vice draweth to a greater offence: meaning that from litle faults (not thinking theron) we slide into higher abuses, if y^e humor of the first vice bee not restrai∣ned. What then shal our christian gouernors, say to our ordinary gamesters, but euen, séeing they abuse so many sportes, and practise the plaies of Infidels, contrarye to christian profession, to forbid some, & moderate others aswel by measure and limitacion of time, as by rate of money to loase at play, the same being a necessary bridle to the affection of plaiers, who séeme not to bée maisters of them selues, the winners so gréedy of gaine, and the losers of perplexed hope and desire to recouer theyr losses, for which cause if they seldom geue ouer when al is lost, at least recouering a new supply, they ronne to a new reuenge, & so finde no ende in their playes, turning theyr time into vnlawful acts, and so, from quarrels, in∣iuries, othes, renounsing of God, yong men fal into in∣uentions of theft and robberye, with other practises of more wickednes.

Some haue placed Hunting, amongst the sportes and pastimes of noble wittes, wherunto Zenophon séemes to allure Princes & great estates, as to an exercise wor∣thy of them: hée sayth, there is nothing aspireth so neare∣lye to the fierce fight with the enemye, as to pursue the wilde Beast, against whom must bée vsed art, industrie,

labor, and watching, and sometimes, suttletie and force to withstande daunger: onely it behooueth the noble man so to choose his time for this exercise, that he bring no incom∣modity to the countrey by reason of their corne & Grasse: Much lesse ought he to preferre his delyte to any pastime, when his office is to consult in necessary matters, abstay∣ning from all vpon the Sabboth day.

And as hunting to the ecclesiasticall sort, is an exercise most indecent, so there is no lesse cause of restraint to meane people, who haue to follow any faculty or arte pro∣fitable to the common wealth, and necessary to the releefe of their priuate life.

Daunces with their wanton songes at this day are vaine and vnchaste: Musicke, of an Arte li∣berall, is conuerted to an vnvvorthy vanity: vvhat Daunces shoulde be lavvfull: vvhat Daunces, Musicke, and Songes vve ought to vse a examples of holy men, vvho neuer vvould be seene in Daunces. ❧ The .6. Chapter.

DAunces and Roundes no lesse then wanton Musicke nowe a dayes, are more dissolute then in times past, yea resembling the vnchaste customes of the Pagans without faith, and igno∣raunt of God, the same béeing a manifest token of the general corruption & vanity of the pre∣sent age: And Musicke, which according to the auncients was an Arte liberall, in the which men praysed God, song exaltacions to the noble actes of the elders, recreated mindes heauyly loden with passions, and reléeued bodies wéeryed with actions of tra∣uayle,

is now become an arte of al vanity and filthynesse, helping to the seruice of Sathan, the delite of the worlde, and pleasures of the fleshe.

I deny not but Daunces were in vse in Israel amongst maydes and women, specially when there was question to glorifie God for any victory, for the which they offered to God, songes of triumphe in thankes geuing and perpe∣tuall memorie.

In this sort the women of Israel daunsed to the Tabour and voyce, after they had made their wonderfull passage through the red Sea, where Pharao & his Egyptians were drowned: amongst whom Mary the sister of Moyses led the daunse, and geuyng the first voyce to the song, the rest toke it at recorde, and sounded vpon the Tabour.

Daunses are approued also in the booke of the Kinges, the maydes of the countrey singing and daunsing, when Dauid had ouercome Gholias,* 1.34 and Saul ouerthrowen a thousande enemies, and Dauid ten thousande. Dauid him selfe daunsed & played before the Arke of Allyance, when it was caryed to Ierusalem, when Mychol his wife scor∣ning him for his mirth being so dispoyled, was punished of God to remaine barreyne: And as in many of his Psal∣mes he allureth men to the spirituall daunses, I meane such wherein God is praysed: so we sée in S. Luke that at the returne of the childe of conuersion, the father caused instrumentes to be sounded, & daunses to begyn, expres∣sing the great ioy he tooke in the restitution of his sonne: In example of whiche spirituall reioysing, the Christians being victorious ouer the Gentiles, (I meane, when their idols were pulled downe to the grounde, at the conuersion of the Emperour Constantine, and other good Princes succéeding) daunsed neare to the Temples vpon festiuall dayes, singing prayses to God in exaltations and spiritu∣all ioy, which daunses were afterwardes abolished for their abuses: But in all the time of antiquity we finde not that men and women daunsed together, because they woulde geue no suspition, nor practise affection of fleshly

lust: onely we finde that the Israelite idolatours, with their wiues and daughters, hande ouer head as the saying is, daunsed about their Calfe of God: And the Sichimites afore the Temple of their idoll, which prooues that such daunses came from idolaters and Pagans, in whom was no other pretence but to followe vaine pastime, and do honour to their idols, which I feare may be noted in ma∣nye of our daunsers of this time, who with the custome of Bacchus Knights, making feast to their idol Bacchus, sticke not in their dronkennes to offer sacrifice to Venus, hauing their eares corrupt with the noyse of dissolute Musicke, their mouthes infected with vnchaste discourse, and their geuen ouer to all dishonest thoughtes and enterprises.

To these are much helping the eyes led with the gaze of impudent iesture, with many other like substitutes of filthinesse.

For these abuses, and many other reasons, expressing the generall corruption of the present season, it is requisit to the officers and directers of the pollecie, to restraine such daunses, specially being reprooued in the scripture in this text: They haue well eaten and dronke, and then they rise to playe and daunse, whiche some interprete to idolatry: But who did euer sée a man of sobriety to be a daunser saith Tully, who speaking in the defense of a Ro∣maine, whom Cato accused of daunsing, (which was an acte of infamie) cleared him from the imputation of that vice by the modestie of his countenaunce and sober con∣uersation of life, alluding to daunsers, iestures of in∣temperauncie, not much vnlike the behauiour of dron∣kardes: Let therefore the Magistrate reforme the vice, and cull the abuses out of the vertue: And if they wyll eftsoones restore the first and auncient daunses: Let them be ioyned to such modesty, honesty, & simplicity, that they holde nothing of the impudencie of the Gentiles: Let them forbeare to sing vaine and filthye songes, for it is writ∣ten, That euyll speache corrupteth good maners,* 1.35 not onely in common talke, but more rather in wanton songes:

A thing very daungerous, but specially to young men and maydes, afore whom Plato & Aristotle in their pollitikes, would not geue sufferaunce to any dishonest speache, nor to haue read any wanton Poetry, specially if it conteyned impiety to the Gods. And much lesse woulde they suffer their youth to beholde any painting or purtreit of villany, thereby not to corrupt their tender senses, apt in that age to receiue vile impressions. Let Daunces then expresse modestie, both in their singing, Hermonies, and gestures, being onely practised in honourable assemblies and ma∣riages: But in other banquets and méetings, as in Ta∣uernes & brother hoodes of epicurity, Let all Daunsing be reputed as custome of the Pagans, and worthy of sentence: I wish that in place of Daunses at mariage, the time were supplied with some Comical or historical show of the aun∣cient Mariages of Abraham and Sara, of Isaac & Rebecca, and of the twoo Tobies, and theyr Wiues, matters honest and tending muche to edifye the assistauntes.

But for resolution of all sortes of playes, vaine, worldly, and dissolute, as all men haue a notable example in the life of Ieremie,* 1.36 who sayde hée was neuer in the Assemblye of players: So let maydes take for theyr example, Sara wife of Tobias, who before shée was maryed with him, and de∣maunding of God to be deliuered of the perplexitie wherin shée was, put him in remembrance of the contempt of all vaine thinges: Thou knowest O Lord sayeth shée, that I neuer kept custome with plaiers nor daunsers, and much lesse had conuersation with suche as walke in lightnes, to whom vanitye is as easye, as a strawe to bée tossed in the winde: Sure it is not méete to sing the Psalmes of Dauid in daunses, as they doo in Almaines, the matter being to holy to be so prophanely vsed, requiring rather a prostrate humility vpon our knées, and in zeale of inuocation, to bée whollye rauished in God. Touching Roundes or Base daunses, it is wel knowen what preiudice they brought to Saint Iohn Baptist, wherein the Daughter of Herodias brought such delite to Herode, that taking away his iudge∣ment

shée procured him not onely to make her an offer of halfe his kingdom, but also recompensed her daūsing with the head of S. Iohn. To this may bée ioyned the warning of Ecclesiastes, not to beare nor kéepe cōpany with any wo∣man daunser, for the peryll of her vaine & fleshly allure∣ments. With these plaies and daunses, may wel be cou∣pled the daunse of Masques, being all the proper inuenti∣ons of Pagans and the Deuil, with a publike licence to cō∣tract reprobate actes, so muche more damnable, by howe muche gouernours are guiltye to the offence by suffering the parties: For as it may be iudged, theyr vse implieth no other thing but practise of deceite, and not to be knowen in vnlawful actes: So, the best argument to proue the disho∣nesty of theyr ententes, is their shame to declare afore the worlde the state & maner of theyr doinges, which resolues in good conclusion, that as the good acte séekes no cloake or shadow: so, whispering vnder their visors, they practise in workes of darknes: being lighted by y^e candle of the deuill. If the face was ordained of God to shew it selfe manifest∣lye, and the tongue to speake publikelye, what other thing is it to put on a visor, and resolue the speach to whispering, but to deface the deuine ordinaunce, & do contrary to God? If it bée so seriously forbidden by the law, that men should not bée disguised in other kinde then they are, much more iust and necessary is this restraint, not to take an habit by the whiche the face is deformed and séemes monstrous: And séeing the most fayre and noble part whiche God na∣turally hath geuen to man or woman, is the face: can there be a greater vice, then by counterfeit visors, to disfashion it contrary to the aucthor of nature? If Saint Ciprian hold painting so wicked, which by so much is a great offence to nature, by howe much they séeke not onely to correct na∣ture, But also God the aucthour, pretending also by theyr painting some vaine glory, or to entice men to wickednes. What may bée sayd of the Maske, which bréeding suspitiō vnder the visor, bringes forth oftentimes effectes of much mischiefe: Here if any man saye there is no thought of

euil, they may be aunswered, that which is wicked of it selfe, is inexcusable.

Touching Musicke, séeing it is a science liberall, it is then necessarily the gift of God, working oftentimes holy effectes, as the sounde of the Harpe, tuned to Psalmes and deuout songes by Dauid, chased away the deuyll from the spirite of Saul. And so without speaking of the Musicall instruments in the olde Testament, we reade in the Apo∣calips,* 1.37 howe S. Iohn in an Allegory approoueth the Har∣monie of the Harpe: And the Lacedemonians vsed com∣monly in the beginning of their assaultes, Musicall instru∣mentes, to moderate their furious courages.

❧ Minstrels are vnworthy of the state and felowship of Townes men, as also Puppet Play∣ers, and such as are called shovves and sightes. VVhat Har∣monie ought to be vsed: Players vvere cast out of the Church, tyl they had done penaunce: such people corrupt good moralities by vvanton shevves and Playes: they ought not to be suffred to prophane the Sabboth day in such sportes, and much lesse to lose time on the dayes of trauayle: All dissolute playes ought to be forbidden: All comicall and Tragicall shovves of schollers in Morall doctrines, and declamations in causes made to reprooue and accuse vice, and extoll vertue, are very profitable. ❧ The .7. Chapter.

MYnstrels, or common Players of Instrumentes, being men vnprofitable to a cōmon weale, were neuer in olde time paste holden worthy of Priuiledge, or place of Townes men, but with Puppet players, and En∣terluders, were reputed infa∣mous, because they are Mini∣sters

of vaine pleasures, enchaunting mens eares with poysoned songes, and with idle and effeminate pastimes, corrupt noble wittes: For which cause, as they are called of Aristotle the suppostes of Bacchus, whose dronkennesse making them the slaues of their bellyes, restraines them from all ability and capacity of good doctrines: So it be∣longes néedefully to the gouernours pollitike, to drawe them into rule, not suffering the youth of their Citie, to be eftsoones corrupted with the soft and delicate Musicke of Lydia: but rather to accustome their eares with graue Musicke, sturryng to vertue: or such as was in vse with the Lacedemonians and Phrygians, to moderate the furie of their affections: Or like to that of the Pythagorians, wherewith at their going to bed, they put in rest all the passions of their mindes: But that sounde aboue the rest, is best, which was familer to Dauid,* 1.38 singing holy and spi∣rituall songes, when he chassed away, or at least restray∣ned the inuasions of the wicked spirite in Saul, (wherein in déede, the holy Ghost by an inwarde vertue sturred vp by the faith and feruent prayer of Dauid, did worke more then the Harmonie of the Musicall Instrument:) But because our common Minstrels, by their Arte, can not be members profitable to a common weale: It were good they learned some necessary science, wherein according to good example, they might by compulsion be employed, not so much to gaine the reléefe of their priuate life, as to cut of y^e example of their abuses to others by a quality vn∣profitable, where they are bounde to an office of honest and paynefull trauayle according to Gods ordinaunce:

All Stage Playes, and Enterluders, Puppet shewes, and carelesse Boyes (as wée call them) with all other sortes of people, whose principall ende is in féedyng the worlde with sightes and fonde pastimes, and Iug∣gling in good earnest the money out of other mennes purses into their owne hande, haue béen alwayes noted of infamie, euen in Rome, where yet was libertie enogh to take pleasure in publike sportes.

In the primitiue Church they were cast out from the com∣munion of Christians, and neuer remitted vntyll they had performed publike penaunce. And therfore S. Ciprian in an Epistle counselleth a Bishop not to receiue a Player or Minstrell into the pension of the Church (by which the poore were noryshed) tyl there was expresse act of penance, with protestation to renounce a science so sclanderous. Be it that by such people somtimes, may be expressed mat∣ter morrall, and Christian doctrine: yet their good instruc∣tion is so corrupted with Iestures of scurilitie, enterla∣ced with vncleane and Whorelike speache, that it is not possible to drawe any profite out of the Doctrine of their Spirituall moralities. For that as they ex••hibite vnder laughing, that which ought to bée taught & receyued seri∣ouslye: so, of many that goo to assist them, though some are made merye in minde, yet none come awaye reformed in maners: being also an order indecent and intollerable, to suffer holy thinges to be handled by men so prophane, and defiled by interposition of dissolute wordes: which is, as if you should suffer fayre and precious Iewels to bée set in quagmiers or fowle soyles: For my part I doubt not but it is a sinne against the first table, as well for that there is contempt of that that is good, as also in place to honor God, his name is taken in vaine, & many holye wordes recited without thought to dispose them once to edify: Great then is the errour of the magistrate to geue sufferance to these Players, whether they bée Minstrels, or Enterludours, who, on a scaffold, Babling vaine newes to the sclander of the world, put there in scoffing the vertues of honest men, as at Athens, Aristophenes did by Socrates whom he cal∣led a worshipper of the Clowdes, because oftentimes in contemplation of God & celestiall causes, hée raysed vp his eyes towardes Heauen: there often times are blowen a∣broade the Publike and secréete vices of men, sometimes shrowded vnder honourable Personage, with infinite o∣ther offences.

What impietye can bée greater then thus to prophane

the Sabboth daye which being dedicated to God, ought to bée employed in holye vses, And what worse example in a common weale then to turne other daies of honest trauel, into exercises wherin is learned nothing but abuses: yea, what sumptuous preparation apeareth in those playes to doo honour to Satan, what vaine expenses, prodigally and wickedlye employed, where woulde not bée séene the hun∣dreth part of such prouidence if there were question to re∣leeue the extreeme necessitye of the poore: How many yong men returne from thence enflamed to whoredome? howe many Maides, cōming thither with chast hearts, are séene to returne with corrupt wil, euen ready to put it to effect, if the occasiō offered? what man hath béen euer so much profi∣ted by them, who, (in his conscience) returned not in worse estate then when hée went? To be short, how often is the Maiestie of God offended in those twoo or thrée howres that those Playes endure, both by wicked wordes, and blasphemye, impudent Iestures, doubtfull sclaunders, vnchaste songes, and also by corruption of the willes of the Players, and the assistauntes.

Let no man obiect heare that by these publike Plaies, ma∣ny forbeare to doo euill, for feare to bee publikely reprehē∣ded, for whiche cause it is sayde, they were tollerated in Rome, where euen the Emperours were touched, though they were there in presence: For it maye bée aunswered first, that in such disguised Plaiers geuen ouer to all sortes of dissolucion, is not found a wil to do good, séeing they care for nothing lesse then vertue: Secondlye that is not the meane to correct sinne: for that if it be secréete, it ought not to bee reuealed, but reformed by suche meanes as Iesus Christ alloweth in his Gospell: and if it be publike, why is it not punished by the Magistrate, why doth not the Bi∣shop rebuke it publikely, and excommunicate the partye, if hee protest not open penaunce: wherein. (in defaulte of the Bishoppe) or if the offence bée Ciuill, the officers of the Prince ought to pursue the correction, being for suche purposes speciallye instituted: where suche as are

reprooued vpon the Stage, much lesse that they are made better, but of the contrarye, with theyr custome and styll continuaunce in vices, they ryse into perpetual grudge a∣gainst the aucthors of theyr sclaunders, ceassing not to fol∣lowe vice for al theyr crying vpon the scaffolde, no more then the Wolues leaue to rauishe the Shéepe, notwith∣standing the hewe and crye of the shéepheard: If they haue habilitye to bée reuenged, they will omitte no oportunitye wherein occasion maye bée geuen: Yea, sometimes they ioyne them selues to the report of the Players, vaunting with shameles impudencye that they would al others to bee as they are: which is truely witnessed in the examples of Nero, Domitian, Heliogobalus, and others, who by so much more increased in wickednes, by how much they vn∣derstoode theyr vices were spoken of, & séeking to geue to theyr vices, the estimation of great vertues, they raised to great dignityes, such as would follow and applaude theyr euil doinges. But according to Christianity, we ought not to scoffe at the vices of another, but to shewe compassion & praye to God for him that erreth, applying correction by such meanes as wée may: which if it bring forth no fruite to his amendment, at the least let vs with Samuel weepe for the vices of Saul, and pray to God for pardon for him. Charitye (sayth the Scripture) couereth faultes, & neither reuealeth nor reioyseth in them, no more then the natural amitie of the humane bodye suffreth that one member put out to publike showe an apostume which is in any part of the rest of the body: & if it bée already in the outward parts, shée couereth it by such meanes as shée can, that it appeare not ignominiouslye. If Libels of diffamation bée puni∣shed with rigorous paine, why should publike sclanders on scaffoldes escape the sentence, where euery eare is open, & frée liberty of iudgement? Heare I reprooue not the Plaies of scollers in actions of comedies & tragedies, cōmon and Christian, wherein is exercise of morral doctrines, & much lesse of the historye of the Bible, exhibited for good instruc∣tions & exhortacions to vertue, and by the which they are

prepared to a boldnes of speache in all honorable assem∣blies, enhabling their tongues to readye and wel disposed eloquence. Such plaies are farre from merit of blame spe∣cially, if they hold no comixture with the superstitions of the Gentiles, nor othes by y^e Gods & Goddesses, which oftē times is performed in the name of Iupiter, & pertake no∣thing with the lasciuious iestures & mirth of the Pagans. More praise worthy are the Plaies of scollers, if in theyr declamations, they ascribe rebuke to vice, & geue praise to vertue, contending alwaies in the cōtrouersy of learning, as by disputacion & compositiō: I speake not heare perticu∣larly of the Players commonly called Legerdemeners, and Sticke & List, for that I haue comprehēded them amongst the Iuglers. But if they vse the art Magick & Diabolical, as many do, illuding the sence whilest they play: aswel they as their assistaunts deserue correction as Infidels because they take pleasure in that which comes from the inuentiō and art of Satan. Let them remember that S. Paul in Corinth,* 1.39 burned y^e bookes of such as had written of things curious, vaine, and tending to actes of Pastime, who, if he made great flames of fire of their Magicke bookes where y^e Deuil is presēt to do maruailous actes: what is to be ascri∣bed to such nowe a dayes, by whom they are put in vse and practised to y^e furtherāce of hurtful purposes? And as he cal¦led the Magicien barn, an enemy of iustice, vessel of deceit, & sonne of the Deuil: So, by his example, let our polletike Magistrates roote vp such cōmon enemies, least the licour of theyr vessel, being confected by Satan, ronne thorowe their Citie to the poyson of theyr simple communaltie.

❧ Idlenes is a vice most common, bringing with it most other offences, and yet no conscience made of it: An ausvvere to suche as saye they haue inoughe, and haue no neede to trauaile. A declaration to the Ma∣gistrates and Churchmen, shovving hovve aboue all o∣thers they ought to bee more vigilaunt and paine∣full in their vocations.

❧ The .8. Chapter.

ONE of the most common vices, & from whom most other euils & errors are deriued, is idlenes, a vice general folowing Plaies, Pastimes, riotes, and vnprofi∣table ease: of which, as the most sort make small conscience: so, with some, it séemes no vice at al, as being so popular and plau∣sible, that many trauaile to settle theyr estate, and laye vp theyr life in that ease or rather perpetuall Idlenes, ascri∣bing happines to those that can enioy it to their delite and pleasure. That it is a great vice, it is certaine by the text of Ezechiel, who calles it iniquity, the cause properly of the ruine of Sodom and Gomorre, & scourge of the Israelites. It is iniquitye, because it is against the Lawe & deuine or∣dinaunce, by the which it is sayde to man: Thou shalt eate thy bread with the sweate of thy browes:* 1.40 As who saye, so muche shalt thou trauaile al the daies of thy life in the labours of thy profession, or arte that thou shalt take in hand, as thou shalt sweate to gaine thy liuing, wherein as by this law al men are condemned for sinne: so it behoueth euerye one, howe Ritche so euer he bée, or what power or principalitye so euer he possesse, to obeye the lawe and this ordinaunce, otherwaies he is a transgressour of the lawe, and punishable as an offendur: it is therfore that S. Paul teacheth, that all men ought to trauaile, condemning the loyterour not to bée worthy to liue: and with all excōmu∣nicates al idle people, calling them disordered, because they are not in the order polletike, where all the worlde accor∣ding to theyr perticular vocation, doth trauaile, and none is founde vnprofitable: euen as in the natural body, which suffereth no part or member to be Idle, but all seruing an vse in their body, do trauaile in their humane functions.

If no man bée excommunicated but for some great crime,

séeing Saint Paul excommunicated Idle people, they can not be but very criminal: God hath ordained labour as a penaunce to man, and to be to him as a remembraunce of the wretchednes which sinne bringeth, an exercise to kéepe him in vertue, and a meane to traine him to humility and dutye, according to the arte whereunto hée is called, by the which his spirite is drawn from wicked thoughts, corrupt affections, and reprobate desires, wherwith the Idle man is continuallye vexed. For this cause S. Ierome biddes vs bée doing alwaies some worke,* 1.41 to the ende the Deuil may finde vs occupied. Besides this, moderate labour is very profitable to the health of the body, without the which by crudity and indigestion of humours & retaining the ex∣crements, many diseases may bréede. And therfore, who wil not bende his body to labour, should in the considera∣tion of these reasons, commit great faultes against God, against him selfe, & against his common weale, wherunto hée is bound with al his meane and power. For as (accor∣ding to the resemblance before) there is no member in the humane bodye, which trauailes not according to the facul∣tye of his nature and office, to geue ayde to the general bo∣dye and euery member in perticular, which otherwayes would fal into infirmitye: yea, if it should perseuere with∣out geuing succors, and bréede hurt by contagion, it should bée cut of from the body, not onely as vnprofitable, but as a corruptor of the other members: so, what lesse office be∣longes to the member of this body polletike? Deserueth hée not that which S. Paul geues to the idle Thessalonians, to bée cut of and excluded from Christian society? And if Iesus Christ condemne an idle worde (that is bringing no profite to our neighbour) to the iudgement of God, what sentence may bée geuen of suche, as not onelye liue in idle wordes, but loase theyr precious time, and omitting innu∣merable good déedes, stand idle & vnprofitable euen in their proper vocation? If any wil saye, that in this idlenes men offende not, for that they doo but walke, talke, sléepe, make méerye, & passe the time without doing euil to any, hauing

withall whereupon to liue without trauaile: it maye bée denyed for the first part of the aunswere, that they can∣not but doo euill, for that as suche lyfe and Pastimes are reprooued, and that in all times, and for all our workes and wordes, wée are bounde to geue accoumpt to God.

So, it is not inough to abstaine from doing euill, but wée must also without ceassing bée exercised in doing good ac∣cording to the Scripture. So that the Ritche man must not say, I haue inough and néede not take paine: Nor the Gentleman must not vaunte of his great reuenues, & say hée hath no further care but to passe his time in hunting and other delites: Nor let the Bishop and Churchman ex∣cuse him selfe of trauaile, for that his liuing is plentifull and prepared to his handes: For euery man is bounde to followe his vocation, and walke (as Saint Paul sayth) ac∣cording to the same: Hée must not sléepe then in that voca∣tion, if his office bée to trauaile, and that with as great diligence as he maye, euen no lesse then belonges to him that hath vndertaken for some necessary affaires, to make some painefull iourney.

Let suche people (whome God hath blessed with suche wealthe, as to maintaine theyr life, there is no necessitye of labour,) consider why they were raysed to such Ritch e∣states: who, the more they haue, y^e greater reckoning haue they to make to God, & are subiect to more déedes of chari∣tye then others. In this I bind not al sorts of men to a du∣tye of trauaile with the hand in workes of labour: But as there be diuerse sorts of trauailes, some of the minde, and some of the body: So, to some kindes of labor is required, sometimes the strayning of the bodye, and sometime the exercise of the minde.

The Ritch man hath his part of trauaile to direct his af∣faires, & kéepe his seruantes in office, wherin, let him with Abraham seeke out in the high wayes poore passangers, & about his house his néedy neighbors, imparting vnto them of his goodes geuen him by God for that ende.

The Gentleman hath inough to prouide for the quiet of

his Tenauntes, that they consume not one another with sutes, and to defend them from the oppression of the théefe or enemye: hée ought to bée to them as a shéephearde to his flocke, whose office is not onelye to defend them from the Iawes of the Wolfe, but also so to leade them as they doo no hurt to the seuerall Féeldes of another:

But in warre the Gentleman is bounde, for the publike defence of his Countrey, to commit his person to hazarde: So that, whether in peace or in warre, the Gentleman hauing due regarde to the discharge of his office and estate, hath no leasure to leade or loase his time in Idlenes: What belongeth then to the Magistrate Polletike, who likewise is a pastour of his people, to guide them ciuilly by counsell, to kéepe them according to the Lawe, to defende them with his aucthoritye, and vse such prouidence as they bée not molested? But much more, yea most of all, it be∣longeth to the spirituall pastour of Soules, the churchman of what order soeuer he bée, to bée vigelaunt in his estate, as hauing in charge farre more precious thinges then the others, & of a greater perrill if he loase them: for in loosing one Soule (being so deare to Christ as he gaue his life for it) he loseth also his owne and can not bée saued,* 1.42 if onelye one bée spilt thorow his default: Right straitely therefore is he bound to pray incessauntly, to preache diligently, and to show holy conuersation in his office: who, if he lose ma∣ny soules eyther by his example, or through his false Doc∣trine, or by negligence in his duty, incurreth horrible dam∣tion, for that in losing a Soule, hée suffereth to bée lost and spilt the blood of Iesus Christ.

Thus as there is no man, who, notwithstanding his suf∣ficiencye of wealthe, hath not occasion to trauaile more then others, whome necessitye enforceth to paynes for theyr reléefe: so, the more hée is bounde to God for his wealthe, by so muche more is hée strayned to geue recko∣ning to God of the distribution of it. And therefore if any saye vnto you, you haue inough to lyue vppon without trauaile, tell him he is eyther a flatterer, or verye

ignoraunt, not knowing that God by his intollerable or∣dinaunce hath bounde vs al to trauaile without excepting any, creating and apointing vs to labour, as hée hath made the birdes to flye sayth Iob:* 1.43 And if Adam, afore sinne was put in the Terrestrial Paradise, to trauaile there as the scripture sayth: much more is man bound thereunto after sinne.

¶ The Ritche sort haue more to tra∣uaile then the poore, and in what: Such as labour in mind, trauaile more then the painefull labourer. A proofe hovve idle∣nes is the cause of other euilles: Idle men are malice dreamers: Exhortacion not to follovve idlenes: Exhortacion to trauaile by apte comparisions, vvherein idle Beastes are expulsed from the societye of others that trauaile. The .9. Chapter.

GReat trauaile belongeth to the Ritch man, who, (more then a∣ny other) hath (as it were) his worke cut out, if (as hee ought) hée discharge the dutye of his e∣state towardes God: For howe many sicke and néedly people be in his toune, so much the more is his trauaile to visite them, to distribute amongst them of his owne proper welth, and to procure contribucion of the other sort, to whom in cōmon belongeth that charge ouer the poore:* 1.44 If according to saint Paul, the poore artison bée bounde to trauaile with his handes, not onelye for his owne reliefe, but also to haue meane with the gaine aboue his owne necessitye, to geue ayde to the wantes of others: how much more is the ritch∣man strained to the distribution out of whose abundance maye bée spared without hurt, a compotent portion to su∣staine many.

Such as are to trauayle in minde, as the pollitike and ecclesiastical Pastors, haue a burden of labour farre more heauy, gréeuous, & painefull then the others: For by how much the spirite is more noble & excellent thē the body, by so much is his labour more vehement & painefull, consu∣ming all the vertue and force of the body: Wherof it hap∣neth that in such people as in their estates are vsed in the trauayle of their mindes, are for the most part founde in∣firmities and weakenesse of body, subiect to diseases, drye, leane, and thinne, rather the images of dead men then of bodyes bearyng life: And where we sayde, that from idle∣nesse deriued all other vices & euyls, we may well call it the very sincke & spring of all corruption of maners: from thence comes whoredome,* 1.45 as is expressed by Ezechiel in the example of Sodome & Gomorrhe: and appeareth also in Dauid, who walking in his Gallerye, & beholding a farre of Barsabe bathing in her Garden, entred into lust & com∣mitted adultery with her: Where if his minde had not béen in that leasure and abstinence of businesse, or if (as be confesseth in his Psalmes) he had then (as at other times) thought on Gods Lawe, prayed, or béen occupied in great affaires as belonged to so great a Lorde: he had not fallen into so wicked an acte.

Was not the idlenesse of Eue the cause of her destructi∣on and our death? If she had been busily employed to labor in the earthly Garden where God put her with Adam she had not wandred to beholde curiously the fruite that was defended her, nor had spared her eare to the tempting of the Serpent: no, the Serpent woulde not haue come to haue entised her to an acte so miserable. Idlenesse makes men théeues, gluttons, and disposed to all wickednes: and therfore the ecclesiastick saith, That it teacheth men much malice: Therefore is it sayde and seene in experience, that people of Cities be more subtile, deceitfull, and malicious, then those of the countrey, because to their ease in the citie is ioyned time and leasure to dreame & thinke vppon ma∣lice (a naturall inclination of Adams séede) whereto the

vplandishe sort, being still followed with labor, there is no respite of tyme nor dispensation of trauell:* 1.46 Salomon re∣peteth in many places, that néede and pouerty be the two ordinary handemaydes of negligence and idlenesse, cal∣ling them most foolish that follow idlenesse, séeing he that trauayleth hath wherevpon to liue: in an other place hée sayth, that the slow hand opneth pouertie, but the hande of great workers,* 1.47 bringeth richesse: he exhorteth the slothful to trauell by the example of the Ant, who appliyng dili∣gence to oportunity, laieth vp his releefe & liueth in plenty: The Pismyre spareth not in the sommer, to heape vppe little graynes to féede him in the winter, wherevnto he is not taught by any schoolemaster: the like industry is in the Honny bées, yea in thinges profitable, good and necessary to our lyfe: their trauell, their industrye, their art, their paine, and the profit that our liues receyue by them, is ynough to moue shame to ydle men, and bring them into a trayne of trauayle for profit: the Oxe, the Horsses and the Asses do trauell: then man, who hath so manye doc∣trines and commaundementes to draw him to labor, can he deserue lesse then publike confusion and punishment, and in the ende to dye of hunger in his extreeme age? ther∣fore sayth the wise man, who trauayls not shall fall into such necessitie that he shall begge,* 1.48 yea God will punishe him on such fashion, that he shall finde no man that will giue vnto him: Let the fable of the Pismyre which tra∣uelled alwayes, and of the Crycket which spent the Som∣mer in singing, bring him to beholde the truthe: The Crycket after Sommer is spent, hauing not to liue vpon, but begging for his sustenaunce, asketh almes of the Pis∣myre, who demaunding what he did in the sommer, aun∣swered that he song, then daunce now if thou wilt, sayth the Pysmyre for me, my store serues mine owne turne and I haue néede of it: Great is also the example of proui∣dence in the Bées, who (with an industry aboue the Ant) make profitable, good, and artificiall workes, all being re∣solued in trauell, some in the feeldes, and others in their

Hiues, not one of them losing the opportunitie of the wea∣ther: and if there be any dranes amongst them, who being eyther vnprofitable or ydle, seeke to deuour the common store of hony, and liue of the labors of others, the whole companies driue them out of their commonweale, as vn∣worthy of the socyety of y^e true laboring Bées: In their or∣der, pollicy, and trauelsome lyfe, is expressed good example of order in commonweales polleticke, wherein as there ought to be no tolleration to anye ydle bodye, but all the world driuen to follow some vocation: so where is a loy∣terer, let him with the vnprofitable dranes, be expulsed & punished according to his merite: and if the silly Bées al∣so trauell in common, and ayde one another, not sufficing to gather only for themselues, but also for vs: what iust shame and condemnation may be ascribed to Christians, who ought by nature, and are by grace all members con∣ioyned and vnited in one boddy polliticke by Iesus Christ and in him also made one body, and one spirite, if they be surmounted by these little beastes in society, in vnity, and perfect amity? Their King and mayster Bée that puttes them in order, and by his humming voyce calles them to trauayle, is so obeyed, honored, and loued of the rest, that if he go out of the Hiue they all follow him, & when he can no more flie, they beare him, which may stād as instructi∣on to gouernors what they ought to be, & to inferios for the office of their seruice, obeing, honoring, & seruing their magistrates with redy humility, affection, will & seruice.

❧ Gouernors ought not to suffer any ydle men in their commonweales, vvho as they be vn∣profitable, and a charge to the vvorlde, so in the ende they bring ruine to their commonvveales: therefore it is necessary that fa∣thers put their children to some trade, and masters their ser∣uants, and so all others. The magistrat and Churchman ought to shevv example of trauell to others, according to their profession.

❧ The .10. Chapter.

SIth idlenesse (as hath been pro∣ued) is not onely a vice horrible of it selfe, but the seminary and bréeder of many other sinnes & miseries: it belongs to the Ma∣gistrate, according to all Lawe, both natural and deuine, & com∣mon reason, to geue no more sufferaunce to slouthfull and idle people in their common weales, then the good father of a family wyll endure in his priuate house, either to son or seruaunt, or other hande of ability to worke, without doing something. The good Husbandman wyll not suffer Rats and Wesels to eate his Corne in the Garners, nor Moathes to deuour his Garments, Caterpyllers to spoyle his Trées, the Foxe to eate his Pultry, the Woolfe to pray vpon his Shéepe, nor the Théefe to steale Corne out of his Barne: much lesse ought to be suffred in a common weale, idle and slouthfull people, whose example deuouring first the maners & qualities of the multitude, wyll at last en∣daunger the state of the whole, euen as the other vermine by continuaunce bring to destruction the profite of a pri∣uate house: Let therefore the Magistrates suffer none in their common weale, without arte, without occupacion, or some honest or profitable meane to liue by, erectyng Lawes to compell fathers to prouide good instructions for their children, specially in the doctrine and feare of God: and if any cary inclination & will to searche out learning, let him according to his power geue encouragement to so good a desire: And so apply euery one of the rest to the Art whereunto he findes nature to geue her redyest consent.

Let there be neuer a Maister, who kepes not his ser∣uaunt in seruice, and restraining all libertie to vaine idle∣nesse, let him ioyne compulsion to his negligence, & force him to such Arte or faculty as his capacity wyll best agrée

withall: yea such ought to be the diligence & prouidence of the magistrates that there be not séene in y^e time of worke, any man or woman, which doth not his duety according to his profession. In the Bible, the woman as well as the man, hath her labour prescribed,* 1.49 specially in the last chap∣ter of Salomons Prouerbs: much lesse then the man ought she to be séene idle, for by her idlenesse (as hath béen sayd) the first woman marred all: her office shalbe more amply set out in the sixt booke: S. Paul woulde not that wid∣dowes runne or gad from house to house, as idle babbling gossops, & either learners or caryers of newes: And much lesse is it tollerable, that men of estate replenish y^e stréetes, I meane, walking vp and down for their pastime, vnlesse they bée called by occasion of businesse: There ought the Magistrate to be often, scommyng as did Epaminondas, & searching the stréetes, to sée how euery one followe their estate, and so reforme the disordred, and heare the com∣plaintes of such as haue suffred wrong: & in their absence to apply their deputies and Sergeantes to this charge, by which prouidence they shall kéepe all their Citie in dutie.

Touching straungers passengers soiourning in their Towne, it is very necessary to vnderstande what maner people they are, specially the suspition and daunger of the season requiring: If they remaine there aboue one night, it ministreth matter of inquiry, and therfore let the hoast infourme the gouernours: If they be men of occupation, let them search worke, and auoyde idlenesse: And if they be people of estate, the regarde to their calling geues them such knowledge and care of their duetie, that they wyl not loose time in vnprofitable rest.* 1.50 The Burgesses of a Citie ought not to come in the rebuke of the Athenians, whose maner was to kepe the stréetes & publike places for vaine pleasure, and to heare newes. Aboue all other, it is farre from the office of Churchmen to be séene in stréetes or shoppes, or before the Churches to gaze on passengers, and much lesse to walke vp and downe in Churches,* 1.51 contrary to the commaundement of God, whose house is a house of

prayer: wherein as many haue a fonde custome, eyther to spend the time in mumbling their darck Pater nosters as olde Priestes were wont to doe, or else to chatte with such as they méete, whom they ought to instruct and re∣forme: So being in the church, it belongeth to them to ex∣presse an example of good ministers, as eyther to mount into the pulpet and preache, or withdraw into some secret place, where they maye pray in truth, without fiction and hipocrisie, and in great reuerence vpon their knées medi∣tate in spirituall contemplation that which belongs vnto them both to thinke and doe, aswell for themselues, as for the people, for whome they ought to be intercessours to God: assoone as they haue perfourmed their dutie in the Church, let them withdraw themselues to their priuate studies of the scripturs: if after their studie they will prac∣tise any facultie secretly, eyther to auoyde ydlenesse, or to giue sustenance to their poore estate,* 1.52 y^e custome is tollera∣ble, and agréeing with the auncient fathers: wherin as S Paul stands an example, who trauelled with his hands, to auoyd slaunder to the Gospel, & not to be chargful to any.

* 1.53So Iesus Christ, before he preached (as Saint Marke writeth) was called Myller and Carpenter, as one that wrought at those sciences with Ioseph, asmuch to reléeue the necessities of his lyfe, as to obey y^e cōmaundements of god, who made all men subiect to labor: But after he tooke vpon him the state of preaching, he coulde not trauayle in those scienses more, neyther ought he to doe so, for that he was come to doe all spirituall dutie: & so was he occupied in continuall prayer, to teache, heale the sicke, & do the of∣fice of a sauiour:* 1.54 He spent sometimes thrée dayes in in∣structing and healing the sicke, for which two causes (as S. Marke sayth) he had no leysure to refreshe his bodye with foode: and hauing no oportunitie on the dayes to pray, he oftentimes passed nightes in watching and pray∣er: By whose example suche as are called to the estate of Ministers in the Church, Byshops, and Pastors, ought to direct their behauiours, employing their times in spiritu∣all labours, being séene in no place but in excercise eyther

to teache the ignoraunt, comfort the afflicted, exhorte the negligent, confirme the weake, and reprooue the offendor, and expresse withall, alwayes some good doctrine, and con∣firme it by example of their good life: And so for the rest, I send them to y^e treatise of their institution, & resorting eft∣sones to the labor wherof we spake, ydlenesse whether in them or any other men of learning, is an vncomly staine.

Let them with all others of knowledge, but speciallye gouernors pollitick and spirituall, do as the naturall head of man, wherein as the spirite meditates, debates, and de∣uiseth that which is good and profitable to the body and e∣uery member: so by counsell of the same spirite, the heade prouides by pollicy, beholdes with the eyes, hearkeneth with the eares, and speaketh with the tongue, that which is necessary for the whole, studying altogither for the en∣tertainement of the body and al the members, whome he commaundes in perticuler to trauell with all their force & industry naturall: as the eye to looke euery where, where neede is, the eare to heare that which is good and profita∣ble to the body and all his members, the hande to worke in diuers sortes, the féete to marche and go &c. So that there is no member ouer whome he hath soueraintie, and which hath meane to obey his commandement, to whom he prescribes not what he ought to doe. And euen as the stomacke receyues the meate to decokt and disgest it, and afterwards to distribute it thorow the body, euen so ought the magistrates of the Churche to doe with the doctrine, which they haue learned out of the holy scryptures, com∣mending the same imitation also to y^e magistrats of iustice & lawyers, imparting the science of the laws which they haue learned in schools to the people, some to y^e instruction & health of soules, & other to direct the pollicy of their com∣monweals. The like also belongs to Phisitions, touching the disposing of their science for the cure of bodies: Other members haue their propper and outward labour, as the hand that worketh, and the féete that serue to marche and go. So Marchauntes, Labourers, and Artificers, haue the trauayles of the bodye for excercise, not onelye to the

particuler profite of them selues, but also to the behoofe of the whole: as others haue the labours of the spirite.

Here it is not impertinent to the matter to rehearse the Fable of Marcus Agrippa, Orator of Rome, pronounced to the people which were assembled to do violence against the Lordes of the Senate, whom they sayde kept them in too great subiection of labours, and contribucions of tributes, to entertayne their rest and tranquility: This Oratour, to apease this popular mutinie, and eftsones to reconcile them to the Senat, brought in this resemblance: the members of the body (sayeth he) murmured on a time against theyr stomacke and bellye, obiecting that they did nothing but toyle in perpetual trauell to norishe it, & yet it was neuer satisfied, and so being weary, forbare to labour any more to reléeue it: the hand would worke no more, the feete laye at rest & would go no further, the mouth refused to speake, the eye to sée, and al gaue ouer to prouide for the bellye. By which occasion within few dayes all the mem∣bers became feble & weake, yea without hability to moue, so that y^e man had no power to set one foote before another. And so foreseeing in what danger of death hée stode, for not ministring foode to his stomacke and bellye, perswaded al his members eftsones to recontinue their trauaile, geuing them to vnderstand that they were not fallen into that in∣firmity by any other meanes then because they disobeyed the stomacke, refraining frō trauaile to prouide him suste∣nance and norriture to the bellie: which being thus beaten into theyr knowledge, they tooke againe theyr first office, labour, and diligence, and so eftsones recouered theyr agi∣litye and force, & neuer afterwards mutined against their stomackes or belly. To this stomacke he resembled the Senat, & in the members were represented y^e people, ap∣plying so aptly this cōparison (which is as a natural lesson & visible doctrine) that he brought the people to returne to their citie, & yéeld theyr accustomed obedience to the Lords of the Senate: declaring by this peremtorye reason that it is not possible to the world to bée well gouerned, nor lyue

without counsel, iudgement, and prouidence of God, and graue gouernors: some prouiding for the safetye of soules, and others caring for the temporall affayres, the better to establishe a happye tranquilitye in a common wealth.

¶ In all creatures is seene a perpetual labour, whether in Heauen, in Earth, or in the Sea: The profite vvhich riseth in a Citie by the trauaile vvhereunto the idle sort are constrained. Exhortacion to the Magistrates to purge their common vveales of vnprofitable people, declaring the euill vvhich comes of them, and the authoritie vvhich they haue to doo it. The .11. Chapter.

THere is no naturall Common Weale, no not amongest the Beastes, which is not in conti∣nual and common labour, with∣out excepting any singular cre∣ature frō trauaile: In the Mo∣narchie of Bées, where the king commaundes, wée haue already proued that there is no Idlenes: Among the Antes, where the most auncient guide the rest, euerye one is busye to beare his burden, & builde his Garner: In the flocke of Cranes, where al be equal in auc∣thoritye, none is suffered to be idle: Nor of Grashoppers, when they flye in Troupe. There is no winged Birde, which flyeth not & geues to euery day some acte of trauaile according to his nature: No Fishe in the Sea, or other water, to whome with the vse of life, is not ioyned perpe∣tual trauaile: No Beast aboue, or vpon the earth, who af∣ter his natural rest, doth not employe him selfe according to his natural facultie: no, natural thing if it haue life and strength, is suffered of nature to bee idle.

The Sea alwaies bringeth forth Fishe, beareth great Shippes, and hath her other mouinges: and as the Riuers

fall into the Sea, so the fountaines slide into the Riuers. The Earth without ceassing, engendereth or preserueth Herbes, Séedes, Plantes, and the plantes neuer forbeare in theyr season to expresse their vertue and bring forth fruites, and are neuer vnprofitable: yea, if there bée any vnfruiteful, it is committed to the fire, as not worthy to bée susteyned with the fatnes of the earth without yéelding good fruite:* 1.55 Christ cursed the figge trée, because it brought forth leaues & yéelded no fruite, signifying to vs y^t it is not inough to trauaile, if our labours bring forth no profite to others: The fire continuallye burneth, The skye hath his perpetual mouing, carying about his planets and starres: The Sunne geueth light without intermission: And the starres in the night leade vs by infallible Lightes: Thus there is no creature which God hath made, séene idle, but man, who of a corrupt nature, paruerteth his order, where he is bound by most iust reasons, both for the mind & body, to trauaile, seeing that as labour is healthful and necessary to him, so hée onely aboue al other creatures of God, recei∣ueth the profite of the earth, and hath of God in the ende e∣ternal recompense: which proueth that trauaile, whether it bée to gaine and preserue goodes, or that it reléeue the ne∣cessitye of the bodye, or tende to the health of the soule, is most behoueful and necessarye to man.

It is great hurt to a common weale, to nourish mouthes that eate and labour not: Who besides theyr owne idle∣nes, are hurtful examples of disorder to others: For such people are not satisfied with the losse of theyr owne time, but sinisterlye seduce others to theyr faction, and ten of those are inough to corrupt fiftye, yea, a whole Towne: Therfore let the Magistrate purge his city of such dranes, table Iestours, Parasites, forgers of Newes, builders of scoffes to goo scotfrée them selues, & very natural pyllors of Tauerns: And with the same seuere diligence, let him cleanse his cōmon weale of al filthy quagmiers of ruffen∣rie, scurility, seruice of bawdes and bawdry: for if one out∣corner of his Toune bée infected with that pestilence, it is

inough to impoison the whole: yea euen as there is precise order to clense the stréetes & chanels of al filth & vncleanes, to kéepe the toune from corruption of aire: and as the head of mans body foreséeth that there remaine no impedimēt to any member, but the eye lokes about the body that it be kept cleane, & if there bée any offence, there is a plaister ap∣plied to cure & cleanse it: euen so, al such as the magistrate shal see through idlenes, or vaine, or vnlawful arte, to pre∣pare to corrupt them selues, & infect others, Let him either by iustice or discipline reforme them, or by good pollecye a∣uoide them from the society of others. If there be any fa∣thers through whose negligence, or other default, theyr children of good houses become customarye to idlenesse, sinne, and other vices: Let the Magistrate punish by heauy fines, such fathers for bringing into theyr common weale such pernicious education, and (for example sake) compell their children to ciuilitye by publike discipline: It belon∣geth no lesse to the office of the gouernor to correct the pro∣digalities of such whose parentes diceassed, and they left to theyr owne election of libertye and life with full Coffers, waste their wealth in plaies, glottonies, pompes, & taking vpon them the title of Gentlemen, & attyre of yong Prin∣ces, make loue to Ladies, they which are the Sonnes of Marchantes, who, to get the name of nobilitye, sell theyr shoppes, holding it a staine to theyr reputacion to continue the trade of theyr fathers: And so in continuaunce by much spending, and neuer winning, theyr prodigalitye leades them at last to sel euen theyr houses and implements, litle knowing theyr value at the first, and lesse considering to what vses God had ordained them: Sure, such ought to bée bridled by Publike aucthorytye, and restrayned to rule and measure, liuing according to the rate of other wise Burgesses: And if they are vnapt to continue theyr Shops, there may bée constraint to frame them to other trade, bothe to theyr proper commoditye, example of the Citye, and to kéepe them from extreame pouertye, whereunto there Idlenesse will bring them.

Heare let no man say, haue not I onely propertye in mine owne? may not I doo with my goodes what I list? yea, who can let me to sell it, sith euery man is maister of his owne? suche speaches please well the humour of the speaker, but agree not with the statutes of a common weale wel direc∣ted, and much lesse haue conformetye with cōmon reason, because a perticular, is but a member of the bodye polle∣tike, who ought to bee gouerned by his head, and geue all the ayde hee can to his body. Horace sayeth, wée owe our selues and al that wee haue to our common weale, as who saye, wée are not for our selues, neyther is our goodes our owne, but all ought to bee employed to Publike behoofe (but more to God of whome wee haue al) so that if our countrey haue neede of our goodes or our life, we ought to refuse nothing: ought not the Arme to suffer to lose his sleeue, yea, and the ioynt, to keepe his bodye? were it not better the hand were cut of, then to loase both the leggs, or the whole bodye? But a man to hurt him selfe is another matter, for he should not onely do iniurye to him selfe, but wrong to others: For that cause wée say, that if a man set fire in his owne house, he ought to bée hanged, for the act bearing common interest to the citye, makes the man re∣puted as a publike iniuror of the state: bée it that the house was his, and builded by him, yet to propertyes is anexed this condicion, to vse them well to the behofe of al, and not abuse them to the offence of any. So, goodes are a mans owne for his necessarye vse, but if he abuse them, they are none of his, but the common weale ought to resume thē as a good mother, and kéepe them for the after necessity of her child: If hée that cuttes his Arme for the nonse, deserue the punishmēt of a murderer, no lesse merite of paine belongs to him who doeth wrong to his common weale to, whome hée oweth that arme for the seruice of the rest.

For that cause euen amongst the Pagans, hée which killed him selfe, was led to the scaffolde and hanged as an offen∣dour, because hée had in that sort cutte him selfe of from his bodye polletike, to whose seruice hée ought him selfe

and al that was his. The prodigal and vnthrifty man ha∣uing turned his great wealth into a mountaine of smoke, by his disorder leaues this charge to the Citye, to kéepe his wife, and to prouide for the sustenaunce and education of his children, who, being accustomed with theyr Father, to epicuritie and deliteful pleasures, can not but smel of their first corruption, and be hardly kept from intemperance, & without a harde hand, wil not bée restrayned from the life of theyr dissolute Father. And therefore as wel to preuent this publike charge to the Citye, as to reduce to modestye Impes of suche disordered stockes, it is good to shake the rodde of discipline, to kéepe such Youth from corruption, not suffering any to liue in Idlenes, least their example infect others.

❧ There bee diuerse sortes of Idle pople, some worcke certaine howres onelye, and they bee certaine Artificers: Some as vacabondes vvill neuer doo any thing, vvho bringing vp theyr children in the same trade, traine them to the vvallet betime: Discourse of poore Beggers vvandring in Countreyes, and of the euill that they doo. ❧ The .12. Chapter.

BVT because this Idlenes hath so large a sircuite throughe all the world, and is more generall in most sortes of people, then a∣ny other vice, and aboue al the rest most hurtfull to common weales: It is necessary we pur∣sue it euen til we bring it to the last confusiō: some there be that worcke by fittes, and as it were obeye theyr howres and seasons, and in some wée sée a perpetuall Idlenes, not fo∣lowing any art or labour.

There bée some Artificers and handycraftesmen, who when they put them selues in negligence & disorder, haue no power to geue ouer, tyll hunger constraine them to re∣continue their worke: Theyr speciall time which they re∣serue for these disorders, are the Holye dayes, whiche as Beastes they abuse in gluttony and dronkennesse, and by their behauiour become beggarly Varlettes: If they finde no worke, of necessity they must begge, or become théeues: and if they fall sicke, they die of hunger, & theyr familye are left to the reléefe of the common almes. But much more euill do those which are poore wantonlye, or counterfeite poore, who as stout beggarly varlettes, hauing once layde the Wallet on their shoulders, are not afterwarde made tractable to any occupation: truly natural & liuely roages, whose bringing vp is in begging, to the ende they may be∣come miserable betimes, by whome the world is so reple∣nished with suche vermine for want of good pollecie.

The best reméedy for our first halfe workemen and halfe idle men, standing vpon the brotherhood of Loyterours & suche as are sone cloyed with worke, I meane also such as for an howre of labour, wil plaie and haunte the Tauerne a whole daye: The best meane to reduce such, were to geue order that no Tauerne, nor Inne, either in the Towne or Subberbes, should receiue any inhabitaunt vpon a great paine, and that the workemaisters of such Iourneymen, distribute no wages, but at the wéekes end, or els to theyr wiues, if there bée necessitie to nourishe theyr familie, dri∣uing them by this meanes when they are disposed to re∣creation, to doo it modestly at hoame, and not to ronne into insolencies abroade: wée haue declared elswhere, when & what recreation of the mind and rest of the body we ought to take after labour, but neyther to vse it, but as wée vse Phisicke, which is by necessitye: nor to acquainte it com∣monly, for feare of bréeding a custome wherein is no lesse daunger, then when a whole bodye will proue Phisicke, which onely is due to the diseased.

Touching the children of the Poore, wée will speake of

them heareafter: But to the other Loytering & Idle poore, begging for the nonse, or by malicious sleight, they can not bée persecuted with too seuere correction, as either with the sentence of y^e Gibbet, or at least condemnation to the Gal∣leys. For some of them bée expert Théeues & Robbbers in the ende, as bée these countrey runners & stoute beggars, a people drawen togeather from many places, bearing the name of Gipsies, or Bohemiens, who, much lesse that they euer sawe Egipt, but knowe not where it standeth. These with their wiues, being sorcerors & interpretors of Satā, abuse the simple, & vnhappye, casting a powder into their purses whose vertue is to bring away al y^e money: others there be called poore beggars, no more tollerable then they: they are varlettes all of a route and race, and for the most part great Cossinges to Ragot, who, in a language or Gib∣berishe onely vnderstande of them selues, geue great esti∣mation to their trade by pitiful voyces, & counterfeit sick∣nesses, groaning & sighing in apparance, & inwardly mery minded, picking in this sort y^e purses of many poore wiues in the countrey: who, if they geue them not a good deuotion (for they make no reckoning of bread) they wil threten thē to burne their barnes, & in the nights to cut their throtes: If the théefe receyue the gibbet for his hyre, what sentence can bée lesse against those, who making an acte to beguile and abuse the worlde, are worse then Théeues, for that they take awaye the sustenaunce from such as are in déede poore: they will saye, it is better to aske, then to take a∣waye: what more sutteltye is there in robberye, or what greater deceyte and abuse then this? yea, if they founde the doores open, and houses without garde: I doubte not but they woulde enter, and take what they found without as∣king: If Ipocrites bée accursed, if Théeues bée hanged,* 1.56 if lyers bée so much hated of God: if the idle sort deserue ex∣communication,* 1.57 and are condempned by the Scripture to dye of Hungar: what grace then can these deserue? yea, being no lesse hurtfull then all the rest, why shoulde they bée more fauoured then any other?

But nowe to a pleasaunt and true Historye of certaine poore Beggers counterfeyting sick men: In the time of the good King Lois the twelfth, a very father of the people and most pitifull to the poore, as it was a custome of this good Prince to goo euery daye from his Pallace, to a Chapel for deuotion sake: so, one daye al the Beggars there aboutes were drawne togeather afore the sayd Chappel, prepared to play their partes in hope to bée well paide of the King, to whose nature nothing was more familiar then pitye & mercye: when they sawe him comming, they scriked & fell down to the earth beating them selues, & foaming at the mouth by a quantety of Soape, which they had sutlye con∣ueied vnder their tongues, the better to set out their deceit, and draw this simple King to a large Almes. A Gentlemā spying the Prince to fal into moodes of pitye, and at point to shew large compassion, besought him to stay a litle, pro∣mising to shew him a fayre miracle: The Gentleman cau∣sed to bring him a great Carters whip, wherewith, ente∣ring into the first parte of his miracle, hée lashed with all his force these stoute Beggars, who, with strugling with them selues were become more then halfe naked. By that tyme the Oyle of his whyp had suppled theyr bare fleshe, and drawne the blood to trikle downe, féeling styl the rage of the whipping placester to redouble in sharpenes, these traunsed men recouered theyr Legges & ranne faster then those that folowed them, and forgetting theyr late frensie, and foaming in the mouth, & euerye other fit of a counter∣feyte, they cryed for compassion, and cursed the whip & the arme by the which the miracle and mistery was so sharply pursued. This proueth that there is no better meane to cure saith Epilepsia (commonly called S. Iohns disease) nor other counterfeyte diseases in such deceytful beggars, but eyther to whip or to hang them, without which reméedye, theyr disease wilbe incurable: we sée in our cōmon weale many that haue such infirmitye or defect of members ey∣ther by nature or accident, as they haue no hability to tra∣uaile (the onely excuse for idlenes and begging) and yet are

hardly drawne to receyue cure, the same agréeing with the time of s, Martin in the example of the lame man, who vnderstāding that in the sayd Byshop was power to heale the lame and malady of the palsey, and that he should passe thorow the village where he was, caused him self to be ca∣ried to an other place to auoyde the restitutiō of his lims.

❧ Loyterers accustomed to beg, vvill be applyed to no other trade: The poore religious beggers ought to be entertayned by them in vvhose seruice they trauell, as Byshops and Pastors: Hermittes ought to trauell according to their fyrst institution: the Hermites of The∣baides in Aegypt of their trauels nourished the poore the vvell reformed religion trauell certaine hovvers of the day. ❧The .13. Chapter.

THus we sée many desire not to be made hole & disposed of their members, because they would not be employed in trauelles necessarye to liue (so swéete is this vice of begging to y^e mise∣rable sorte): which sure is an apparant wretchednesse to man to encline so to ydlenesse, and séeke to lyue at the charges of an other: séeing the greatest benefit that God hath besto∣wed on manne after he had transgressed the lawe, was to giue him habilitie to labor, the better to kéepe him from infinite euils which ydlenesse bringeth: whereof one is to beholden vile, contemnible, shamefull and miserable: The poore (sayth Salomon) hath spoken,* 1.58 and none made reckning of him: all his frindes forsooke him, and mockt him at last, as is séene in the history of Iob, wherein is not ment that we shoulde blame pouertie or begging, sent of

God to the weake, which for many causes is most pitifull and merites support: but that it is an errour and fault to take pleasure in that which is wicked, or which was sent vpon men for paine of the curse of sin, and to delight in that which of his proper nature as it is shamefull, so it was a reason to S. Paule not to giue foode to them, but to bid that the begger shoulde be shut out of christian compa∣ny: and therfore he commaundeth all that haue habilitye to trauel,* 1.59 not to spare labor, saying, worke, that you haue no neede of any other: as who say, trauell with such dilli∣gence for the reliefe of your lyfe, that your wantes come not to be rated by the fauour of an other, nor the restitu∣tion of your loanes compelled: muche lesse then giues he liberty to go from doore to doore to proue mens compassiō: Here if any obiect that the religious beggers (commonlye called Mendians) are within the compasse of this correcti∣on, as hauing made vowes to begge: it may be aunswe∣red, that in their vowes is nothing lesse included then pro∣mise to begge from doore to doore (for so shoulde they all go to it necessarily) but they haue taken vppon them simply a profession of pouerty, which is not to care or stu∣dy for richesse, which they abandoned both in will and fact, and gaue all that they had to the poore, to go the more fréely thorow the worlde to preache: neyther did their vowe stretch, to take nothing for their sermons, and other spi∣rituall actions, to the which, by the scripture is due honest recompence sufficient to entertaine them: And therefore because suche religious fathers haue bequeathed them∣selues to preache, and supply the defaultes of pastors, for which labor at the least, they deserue to be nourished and entertayned: we saye, that in this act they ought not to be called beggers, for as the pastors are bound to recōpence their labours, so haue they iuste occasion to demaund their byer, without néede to aske it at their gates: S. Paule al∣so to the Corinthians declareth that such as preache haue good right and auctoritie to demaunde their iust payment: Others there be (appertayning to this profession) which

do nothing in a couent, neither studying to preach, & much lesse preaching actually, nor serue in any vse to prechers: there is nothing in them to deserue to be norished in vn∣profitable ydlenes: If they say they pray for their benefac∣tors, let them resort to s. Agustine, who will satisfie them in that point: He reformed certaine Monkes or hermits of his time, who because they woulde doe nothing but praye, were called prayers or praying men, wresting this text of the Gospell, pray without ceasing, and a place in s. Paule,* 1.60 Praying vvithout intermission: These were therefore founde alwayes mumbling in the fieldes, stréetes, at the doores where they begged meate, yea, they mumbled prayers euen whilst they did eate: But S. Augustine told them lernedly that all thinges had their time, as in déede, he prayeth without ceasing, which prayeth in opportunity, hauing his heart, and affection alwayes raysed to God: he tolde them farther,* 1.61 that he that had willed them to praye without ceasing, had tolde them also before by his irreuo∣cable sentēce, that thei must eate their bread by the sweat of their bodies, saying by his holy spirite, thou shalt eate the labors of thy handes, and shalt be happy, and good shall come to thée thereof: He resisteth besides,* 1.62 that much lesse that the Monkes of Egypt went a begging, but they tra∣uelled with their handes to nourish their liues,* 1.63 according to gods ordinaunce, and distributed the rest of their labors to the poore in suche sort, that in a dearth in Affrike, they sent from Egypt whole ships charged with corne, to suc∣cor the necessities of the poore of Affrick, which the sayde holye doctor affirmeth was done in his time, to the great glory of god, who by the poore did (as it were miraculously) nourish the poore, and sterue the riche, by the generall fa∣mine of that coūtry: If those poore Hermits, and other re∣ligious soules, nourished with the sweate of their bodies, so many numbers of pouertie through the worlde, howe much more are bound to this dutie the riche Churchmen of this time, whose reuenues are dedicated to their necessi∣ties, and to sustaine the poore: much more ought they to

distribute the superfluity of their reuenues, séeing they are bounde certayne howers to ayde with their labours the poore according to the meaning of S. Paule, who willeth them to trauell not only to lyue,* 1.64 as doth the poore, but al∣so with the profits of their labor, to bring succour and no∣rit••re to the néedy, whose handes suffice not to sustayne their lyfe, but specially in tyme of famine, or to bestowe reléefe vpon them, whose infirmities of body denye them all power to succour themselues: And as wise and holye men vnderstande so well by the scrypture, that labour is the expresse commaundement of God, and that they re∣proue ydlenesse, euen in the religions most strayght, al∣though there be sufficiency with fulnesse: So also in religi∣ons well instituted and reformed (notwithstanding their compotency of reuenue) are continued certayne howres in labor in some arte or honest exercise of the hand, selling their workes to the ende to make almes to the poore: whose example I beséech God may chance others to the ende that in their sinfull ydlenesse be found no more cause of their damnation, nor to the worlde occasion of slaun∣der to their holye profession.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prou. 7.
• * 1.2

  Mat. 22.
• * 1.3

  Prou. 7.
• * 1.4

  Eccle. 7.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 54.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 51.
• * 1.7

  Eccle. 28.
• * 1.8

  Luk 17.
• * 1.9

  Eccle. 2.
• * 1.10

  Daniel. 4. Prou. 2. 1. Cor. 4.
• * 1.11

  Matth. 5.
• * 1.12

  1. Cor. 1.
• * 1.13

  2. Cor. 1.
• * 1.14

  Actes. 17.
• * 1.15

  Apocal. 3.
• * 1.16

  Iames. 1.
• * 1.17

  Iames. 5.
• * 1.18

  2. Cor. 11. Galath. 6. Iere. 9.
• * 1.19

  Luk. 16.
• * 1.20

  Luk. 21.
• * 1.21

  Eccle. 10. Esai. 5.
• * 1.22

  Amos. 6.
• * 1.23

  Esai. 5.
• * 1.24

  Esai. 58.
• * 1.25

  Rom. 12.
• * 1.26

  Luk. 6.
• * 1.27

  Iob. 2••.
• * 1.28

  Luk. 16.
• * 1.29

  Ephe. 5.
• * 1.30

  Mat. 12.
• * 1.31

  Ephe. 4. Collos. 3.
• * 1.32

  Dani. 13.
• * 1.33

  Eccle. 9.
• * 1.34

  Exod. 5. 2. King. 6.
• * 1.35

  1. Cor. 15.
• * 1.36

  Iere. 15.
• * 1.37

  Apoc. 14.15.
• * 1.38

  1. King 16.
• * 1.39

  Actes. 19.
• * 1.40

  Gen. 2.
• * 1.41

  Pro. 2.
• * 1.42

  Ezech. 3.34.
• * 1.43

  Iob. 5. Gen. 2.
• * 1.44

  Ephess. 4.
• * 1.45

  Ezeci. 18. 2. King. 1.
• * 1.46

  Prouer. 12 Prouer. 1
• * 1.47

  ••roue•• 6
• * 1.48

  Prouer. 1
• * 1.49

  Pro. 31.
• * 1.50

  Acte. 17.
• * 1.51

  Esai. 56.
• * 1.52

  Actes. 2. 2. Cor. 11. 1. Thesse.
• * 1.53

  Mark. 6
• * 1.54

  Mark 6
• * 1.55

  Mat. 21.
• * 1.56

  Mat 23.
• * 1.57

  Psal. 5. 2. Thess. 3. 1. Thess. 4.
• * 1.58

  Prouer. 1•• 18. & 22.
• * 1.59

  1. Thess. 4
• * 1.60

  Luk. 18. 1. Thess. 5.
• * 1.61

  Eccles. 3.
• * 1.62

  Gene. 3
• * 1.63

  Psal. 127.
• * 1.64

  Ephes. 4