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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19460	A iust and temperate defence of the fiue books of ecclesiastical policie: written by M. Richard Hooker against an vncharitable letter of certain English Protestants (as they tearme themselues) crauing resolution, in some matters of doctrine, which seeme to ouerthrow the foundation of religion, and the Church amongst vs. Written by William Covel Doctor in Diuinitie, and published by authority. The contents whereof are in the page following.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1603 (1603)	STC 5881; ESTC S120909	118,392	162

flattery to acquite them frō al imperfections in that kind euen vpon the religiō it self which had no more affinity with the faults that were in them then they had with the framing of that religion which proceeded first from no weaker author then God himselfe The last is y e wrong which our church hath euen frō those who vndoubtedly would seem in their zealous affection exceedingly to fauour both The ground of which wrong proceedeth only from hence that those persons y ● gouernment which place time and other necessities caused them to frame ought without exception to be an absolute patterne to al the Churches that were round about them In so much that that gouerment which was at the first so weake that without the staffe of their approbation who were not subiect vnto it themselues it had not brought others vnder subiection began now to challenge an vniuersal obedience and enter into open conflict with the most Churches of Europe but especially with those which in desperate extremity had bin releiuers of it Thus because some few who neither in quality nor place were much distant from Geneua in opinion of Maister Caluin were content to follow their forme of gouernment others not weighing the riches of that mercy which had made their own Church too great and honorable to be framed to so narrow poore ascantling began stormingly to repine that presently al things were not so bared to y e patterne of those Churches which in their opinions were most reformed So that whatsoeuer any man spake or wrote in disallowance of that to be our modell to beframed by or truly to the laying open of those conflictes conquered with great policy which Maister Caluin had in the first establishing of that gouernment all sounded harshly in the eares of these men and was plainly construed to be a direct disgracing of Maister Caluin which could be nothing else as you say but a discouery of a popish and vnsound affection Where before I answere to this I must first tell them that if they should with the like importunity seek to frame vs to the exāple of the primitiue church in respect of gouernment we should tell them that Israel are not bound to the same things in Canaan that they were in the desert nor that those reuerend Fathers 〈◊〉 Bishops who succeed in that apostolick charg are not for their maintenance and state though the authority be all one to be framed to that pouerty which was the portion of those who planted and gouerned the first Churches This being then no such necessity but that the Church may lawfully vse euen those benefits wherwith God hath blessed her setting her feete in a large roume why should men without cause recall her back againe to her daies of mourning or feeding her with the bread of teares coupe her vp in those narrow limites of subiection and want seeing God in his mercy hath prouided for her now the same gouerment to be administred in a richer manner Now how far all men are bounde to speake of those whom they reuerence and loue and yet in some cases do thinke not safe to follow this is that error that hath deceiued many For from hence the priuate ouersights of those who how famous and excellent soeuer were but men haue growne by the violence of some of their followers to be stifly maintained as vndoubted truthes as though there were no difference betwixt being a man not alwaies erring and not erring at all The one is a worthy happines graunted to some few the other a speciall priuiledge not permitted to any meerely man no not to Maister Caluin himselfe This serueth to teach vs that for those things which we doe and beleeue wee haue better warrant then mans inuention and that no man how excellent soeuer except Christ may or ought precisely to be followed in all that he doth For thus while we ad vnto men that honor a great part whereof peraduenture they deserue we detract frō that truth which we make no where to be found but in those who inseparably are followers of their steps That Maister Caluin who is made by you the vnpleasing subiect of this article was as Maister Hooker termeth him the wisest man incomparably that euer the French Church did inioy since the hower it inioyed him I thinke there is no man of any reading that much doubteth and surely for learning and vnwearied paines in his calling men of best iudgement and vnderstanding would be ready enough to giue him that which belonged vnto him if some priuate men out of their loue and zeale did not too greatly ouerlode him with it For doubtlesse we should be iniurious to vertue it selfe if we did derogate from them whom their industry hath made great Two things there are of principall moment which haue deseruedly procured him honor throughout all the world the one his exceeding paines in composing the Institution of Christian religion from which most haue gleaned that haue written since the other his no lesse industrious trauailes in the exposition of holy scripture in which two things whosoeuer they were that after him bestowed their labour he gained the aduantage of preiudice against them if they gainsaide and of glory aboue them if they consented Now out of this so hardly are we taught to keepe a meane proceeded this intollerable fault that many were desirous in an opinion of his worth that all Churches together with his learning shoulde swallow vp without making choice whatsoeuer other imperfections remained in him So that of what account Peter Lumbard was in the church of Rome whom for singular reuerence they called the Maister of the Sentences of the same and more amongst the Preachers of reformed Churches Maister Caluin was And they onely were iudged the perfectest diuines which were skilfullest in Caluins writings His bookes almost were reputed the very Canon for controuersies to be iudged by To this extremity and far greater the partiall affection of loue caried a number of wise men who from approbation growing to strong praises frō praises to admiration frō admiration to a tyrannous opinion that it was wholy vnlawfull in any thing to dissent from him So that now it was almost as necessarie to dispraise him as to commend him because what with discretion the Church before might haue vsed with much profit she scarce now could admit without a generall suspition thorough all Christendome that we durst not in any thing dissent from him And doubtlesse in some weake minds that which at first was but praise in the end was not many steps short of idolatrie So that the practise of Ezechias in breaking to peeces that serpent of brasse wherunto the children of Israel had burnt incense was not altogether vnfit to bee vsed in this case For in kingdomes it is high time either to cut off or disgrace those whom the multitude are willing to puffe vp when neglecting their owne ruine they are content to burie

Salust others Caesar a third Seneca a fourth Tacitus in one word euery man according to his owne fancy This as it is in stiles so it is in the seuerall actions of men where they are no sooner borne into the world but Censure as a gossip names them A thing I confesse needfull and vnfit to be prohibited seeing we reape oftentimes more benefit by our enemies then our friends yet this sheweth that the world is vnhappy where the best offices are performed by our worst acquaintance If we come to Authours some dislike Plato as Athenaeus did calling him confused others say I only esteem Plato who doth so cunningly weaue knowledge and vertue together as if he said he were content to giue you knowledge vpon condition that you should be honest Some compared Aristotle to that fish whose humour is like inke Liui● he likes not Trogus nor Tully Demosthenes Lenaeus a seruant of Pompeies mislikes Salust Asenius calleth him an affecter Quintilian calleth Seneca chalke without sand Galigula dispraised Liuie as ful of words and yet negligent in suppressing the triumphes of Romulus gotten by the victorie of the Tuscans Thus Varro without question a mā most learned euen in the opinion of S. Austin by one Quintus Rhemius Pal●●on was called a hog Surely emulation of learning and difference either of opinion or maners breedes a dislike in schollers This hath bin is and shall be that euill whereunto learned men must be subiect in the variety of other mens censures nay euen those bookes which wee translate because they are excellent others wish because they are excellent not to be translated Surely it is much easier saith Dio Cassius to reprehend others then to moderate our selues Some are of so feeble and weake stomackes that they loath bread nay some are of that inconstant humour that what they commēd now they dispraise the next day and what yesterday they dispraisd they commend to day For in the beginning of your Letter you cal it a sweet sound of M. Hookers melodious stile and in another place you confesse that his bookes are very excellently and learnedly penned and yet in this Article your last scruple is because his bookes are so long and tedious in a stile not vsuall and as you thinke the like hard to bee found Where it seemes you are desirous to reprehend if you could but resolue of the maner how I dare not take vpon mee to censure those whom you say he is vnlike Cranmer Ridley Latimer Iewel Whitgift Foxe Fulke but I perswade my selfe that whatsoeuer their other vertues were wherein peraduenture they were more eminent yet doubtlesse the best of them that now liueth will acknowledge M. Hookers stile to be very excellent And although it is vnmeet I should compare him with others whose labours haue beene profitable in another kind yet I hope I may say without offence that as profoundly to iudge with sound variety of al learning was cōmon to him with diuers others so to expresse what he conceiued in the eloquence of a most pure stile was the felicitie almost of himself alone That honorable Knight S. Philip Sidney gaue a taste in an argument of recreation how well that stile would befit an argument of a grauer subiect which it may be is more vnpleasing in the taste of some because the maner is learned the subiect is not agreeing to their humour Doubtlesse the perfecting of a stile and especially of our English stile which in my opinion refuseth not the purest ornaments of any language hath many mo helps then those honorable places of learning the Vniuersities can affoord And therfore in those things which they conceiue and some of them conceiue much there are found in the Princes court diuers most purely eloquent whom euen the best in the Vniuersities may despaire to imitate And if I may speake without offence I am fully perswaded that M. Hookers stile if he had had lesse learning a strange fault for the weight of his learning made it too heauy had bin incomparably the best that euer was written in our Church If our English story had been borne to that happinesse euer to haue beene attired in such rich ornaments she might worthily haue beene entertained in the best courts that the world hath but all Countries know our actions haue beene better done then they haue beene ●old Of things affected we may giue a reason but to aske as you do a reason of M. Hooker for his stile it is all one as if you asked him why he knew so much For doubtlesse out of iudgement he made this choise in my weake opinion or strong fancie simply the best and without comparison imitable to few Therefore your comparison of the bramble was vnfit which by a shew deceiued you a farre off for there is much more by a narrow view to bee discerned in him then hee seemeth to promise at the first sight Three things you desire with all instancie First to shew what arguments he hath alleaged which are not to be found in the answer of that reuerend Father vnto M. Cartwright To satisfie you in this demaund if there were no difference yet the consent of their arguments were reason enough for you to allow M. Hooker seeing you haue giuen your approbatiō of the works of that most reuerēd Father whose worthines no doubt can receiue litle honor from your praise yet you know that the whole subiect of M. Hookers first foure books is an argument as ful of learning so directly heretofore not handled by any that I know Secondly you desire that if he set forth his other books which are promised that he would be more plaine and sensible Concerning those three bookes of his which from his own mouth I am informed that they were finis●● I know not in whose hands they are nor whether y e church shall euer be bettered by so excellent a worke for as the Church might haue been happie if he had liued to haue written more so she were not altogether so much harmed if she might but inioy what he hath written But for you to prescribe him a stile as it is an authority vnfit to assume vnto your selfe so it were a request if he liued vnpossible to obtaine For as once the greatest of place for iudgement of law in our land answeared a client of his in my hearing who was desirous to haue him take information of his cause from another lawyer that seemed more fully acquainted with it he wil speake saith he wel himselfe by his own direction but if I should speake by his information I should speake but like a foole so I am sure howsoeuer you your selfe may write following your owne stile yet Maister Hooker by your direction could hardly attaine the commendations that himselfe had already gaind Lastly you wish him to be carefull not to corrupt the English creed by philosophie or vaine decei● of Schoolemens new borne diuinity giue me le●ue to