of one master and Pastour ¶ For there is none ende in making of bookes HEre he toucheth the infelicitie of mās nature seeming to imitate and followe these good men and wryters but full vntowardly vnhandsomely This he meaneth Thou hast to doe in the world where thou shalt happē on innumerable bookes set out to edifie the people but abyde thou within a certen numbre of thē prescribed And hold thy selfe vpon the scripture Much study and reading is a wearines of the fleshe THis he saith not of the wearynes of the person that wryteth but of his disciples or hearers as if he would saye These men with their many wrytinges and bookes doe nothing but cause men to weary themselues whō yet they would séeme to benefit alwayes learning and neuer attayning vnto the truth This I say is the fruite of these bookes ▪ to trouble mens consciences and to weary that people Therefore we must persist and abyde in the opinion of one Teacher We must cleaue either to one or to a fewe which haue the trewe forme of doctrine Other we must beware of which go about onely to séeme to bring some newe deuyse and to séeme better learned then others as nowe many Sectaryes and their likes doo Well therefore doth S. Iames saye Be ye not many maisters Let vs heare the ende of all feare God and keepe his commaundementes THat is this is the sūme of all feare God and worshipp him and set hym alwayes before thine eyes and so shalt thou perfourme all I haue written in this booke For vnlesse a man feare God he can accomplishe none of these thinges He hath set forth the examples of them which haue lyued wisely and notablye without feare who when aduersitie and distresse commeth waxe insolent and trouble themselues But they that feare the Lorde can contemne and set light all aduersityes troubles when they come giue God thankes whē they come not ¶ For this is the dutie of all men THat is belongeth to all men and is profitable for all mē By other trades and kindes of lyfe men seeke for gayne by this for godlynesse The same Paule affirmeth in this wise These thinges be proffitable for men As for vaine talke auoyde For God wil bring euery worke vnto iudgement with euery secreat thing whether it be good or euell THat is all thinges at length shall come vnto iudgement Be they good or be they euil vaine talkers backbiters fooles at length shall be confounded and their opinions shall no lenger endure Thus zoilus at length was throwen downe aliue from the topp of a mountaine But Homer abydeth the Prince of all Poetes still in despight of all the zoili or of whosoeuer is more wicked then they Thus all other good authors especially of the sacred Scriptures by Gods power and appoyntment are likewyse hetherto preserued ¶ With euery secret thinge THat is to saye hypocrisie Because these Apes counterfet a shewe of lyfe and good doctrine So in the 25. Psalme also it is sayd I will not keepe companye with dissemblers that is such as Christ calleth hipocrites Paule sayth They haue a shewe of Godlines Therefore God shall Iudge euery worke that that may remayne and abyde that is perfect and sincere all coulor fainednes being taken away wherewith they hid and cloked their workes He speaketh not of the latter iudgment but after the maner of the Scripture in generall of all iudgments eyther such as heretikes be iudged and put to death by or what so euer sorte of wicked persons All these thinges haue their iudgment and time appointed them of God which they must abyde Thus the Pope euen at this day is brought to iudgement is almost condēned Thus was Arius and diuerse other heretikes brought to this iudgment and the Lorde reueled their shamefullnes as Peter saith In the time of his visitation and inquirie FINIS Psal. 119. Nun. Iames. 1. Iames. 1. He blameth the abusing of this booke The errour of the Schoolemē in this booke The doctrine of doubtyng tooke begynnyng of this booke The errour of holy fathers in misunderstādyng of this booke The begynnyng of Monkishe lyfe Errour of the interpretours The title of this booke He meaneth Plato The obscuritie or hardnes of this booke Two causes why it is so obscure The vse of this booke The Argumēt and intent of this booke The errour of them cōfuted which condemne Gods creatures The creatures of God are good The abuse of Gods creatures naughty affections of men are condemned in this booke The errour of them that vnderstand not this booke What thyngs Salomon condemneth in this booke What the matter and content of this booke is What the affectiōs of man are The doctrine of this booke is to vse our goods with thankes geuyng S. Augustines saying The corruption of mās nature and miserie of mans affections What thinges are reprehended in this booke The title of the booke Why this booke is called the Preacher Salomons phrase and speach The cause why one worde is doubled The theame and argumēt of this booke Mens deuises and enterprises are vaine Of whose labour and trauel Salomō speaketh He speaketh of mēs enterprises not of Gods workes Gods creatures are firme and stable but men are caryed and vexed with diuerse desires False interpretatiō blamed Gods creatures abyde within theyr bondes but men stray out of theirs The sunne rayseth the wyndes with hys mouyng The cause of sprynges and fountaines All thinges are led with their own course and order What the meaning of this comparison is The errour of Sophisters vpon this place The vanitie of man greater thē can be expressed with wordes The insatiable gulfe of mans hart Alexander Magnus Mans mynde is vnsatiable Vanitie of mans hart In man there is no new thyng but concupiscence naughty inclamtiōs dwell in all men God worketh newe thinges in some men Men are not mooued with the examples of their predecessours He begynneth hys doctrine 〈◊〉 the exāple of himselfe which hee setteth out to all men to folow Of his owne example by an argument a maiore He speaketh of hys owne workes enterprises Mē troubled wyth their owne wisdome The care of man to his vocation ruled by the worde of God good and necessary Mās coūsels not ruled by gods word are deceaued We must abstayne not trust to our owne counsels but to gods word onely Where the greatest wisdome of man is without the feare of God there is most foolishnes Vnhappy is the good intention that is not ruled by the worde of God and fayth The cause why all thynges cā not be ruled by our counsell All thinges must be cōmitted to God and he desired to order our deuises and to geeue them good successe The wisedome of kyng Salomon What knowledge i◠What wisdome is The continuation of the former chapiter with this present Mourning companion vnto pleasure Loue is bitter We must vse Gods giftes with the acknowledgyng
that the one sayd of him selfe O I that was neuer wise and sometyme iudged in vayne to be that I was not O Citizēs how much hath your opiniō of me deceaued you c. The other broken and worne with age and trauell sayd that he wished death rather then to bee combred agayne with charge of publike affaires him selfe hauing well tried that matters goe not according to the good counsels of the wise Cōtrariwise Iulius and Octauius Caesars not alway followyng wise but bold counsels were much more fortunate Philip kyng of Macedonia procéeded against Demosthenes deuises beyng him selfe also more fortunate then wyse Surely their deuises and counsels were good but so to vrge thē to appointe so certeine a successe of thē was a vaine deuise For matters will not be taken in hand by mans deuise To be brief matters goe not according to the counsell of the wise nor according heddynes of fooles that the counsels of the wise might bée prooued foolish that we should not glory in our selues Thus in warre straitway the victory is not gotten albeit the army be neuer so well appointed all thinges most wisely forecast and deuised As not many yeares ago the Frēch kyng thought to haue had a great victory agaynst the Emperour but it fell out contrary This hee saith therefore Thou séest that matters succéede aswel with fooles as with wise men so that it might appeare there were no difference betweene a foole and a wiseman as touching successe yea that it might seeme there were no God that suffreth matters so vnaduisedly to passe But Salomon aunswereth no but that wisedome farre passeth foolishnesse True it is that mans wisedome bryngeth not thinges to passe but God doth it God by his wisedome can bring to passe what he will but man can not For God hath not onely wisedome but also a power to doe it so that the thing which hee commaundeth must néedes succéede This man can not doe To conclude Gods counsell is not deceaued but mens coūsels how wise soeuer they be are deceaued Therfore he sayth very well And I saw that wisedome excelleth foolishnesse as farre as light doth darkenes WIsdome is very good but because it lacketh power and strength it can not bring thinges about nor rule the successe of them A wyse man hath his eyes in hys head but the foole c. I Sée verely that the lyke happeneth to them both Our wisedome deceaueth vs our foolishnes deceaueth vs yet wisdome passeth foolishnes To haue the eyes in the head is an Hebrew phrase which wee commonly doe vse to expresse thus Hee that will playe at cheastes must not hyde his eyes in his purse Wherby we signifie that he must not onely be skilful in that play but also haue a diligent eye and care to his play So he sayth here A wise man hath his eyes in his head THat is they are not onely wise handlers of their matters but also circumspect and carefull about them and sée in déede how thinges should be ordred but can not perfourme and accomplishe the effect The foole hath not his eyes in hys forehead because he procéedeth rashely and at all auentures Howbeit in déede on both sides the matter goeth by fortune and chaunce that is God ruleth the successe not according to our circumspection or negligence Sometimes they fall both sometyme they prosper both But God will not that wee shall make any certayne rule thereof For the creatures are not in our power but in Gods who graunteth vs the vse of them and by our meanes doth what pleaseth hym That we of our selues adde hereto in going about to rule the vse of them by our counsels and enterprises is vayne He schooleth vs therfore not to trust in our owne wysdome and counsels but to doe as occasion serueth and if it succéede not to commit it vnto God. For what man is able to imitate the kyng that made him before c. HEre by a goodly and apt paraphrasis he describeth god as if he should say God is our king he hath not onely made vs but also continually gouerneth vs so that all thinges happen to vs according to his will. He alone reacheth from the beginning to the end neyther can any man hinder or stoppe his will counsell For this cause thought Salomon to call him a king rather then god Some men haue wisdome some foolishnes but no man can imitate his king nor do that he doth For what he appointeth commeth to passe his will and counsell taketh effecte And made vs before to say that we were THe like phrase hath S. Paule Who first gaue vnto him and he shal be recompenced Euen therfore as thys kyng ruleth and gouerneth all thynges fall out Hereby therfore he sheweth that our deuises are of no value because we be made and be not the kyng God will not haue vs and his creatures to be ruled by our selues but contrariwise or els we should be kynges and rulers ouer god Nothing succéedeth after our wisdome or foolishnes but many incurre displeasure by foolishnes and more by wisdome as euen the wysest of all other men Dion Cicero Brutus Demosthenes c. Because God doth frustrate and delude mans counsels and deuises to prouoke vs by all meanes to feare him and to learne to let him alone with the gouernaunce of all thinges and in nothing to prescribe hym And I saw that the successe of both these men were alike THat is I sawe they had both lyke fortune that as little preuayled the wyse man as the foole That thinges are gouerned neither by wisedome nor foolishnes although God suffer thinges to be done by them both but no rule must be made thereof For if our coūsell were of force then should it alway prosper If foolishnes did hurt alwayes then should it neuer prosper Marius Antonius diuers other preuayled more by their temeritie and rashnes then Cicero dyd with his wisdome And a man shall no where finde more examples of mans foolishnes and wisdome then among the Romaines and Gentiles For among the Iewes warres were taken in hand for the most part according as the prophets appointed and God commaunded Then sayd I in my mynde if it happen vnto the foole as it doth vnto me what neede I labour then any more for wisdome So I sayde in myne hart that this also was but vanitie ANd these wordes tende to this ende that we should absteine from affiaūce in our owne deuises I saith Salomon gouerned my kingdome most wisely I had a Lieftenant or president which gouerned not so prudently as I and yet had he good successe Since therfore I sée fooles haue as good successe or better then I why trust I to myne owne counsell and wisdome encreasing but my labour and sorrow So I sayd in mine hart this also was but vanitie I Founde by experience that neither wisdome nor rashenes was to be trusted For before it was declared that
as the prouerbe sayth knowen mischiefes are best We must not therefore so flye and abhorre aduersities considering we know that the ende of all mē is to haue enuye flaunder myseryes and death Therefore if thou wilt wade through them all thou must learne these things by continuall vse Such griefes come vpon fooles vnlooked for but to the Godly by reason of long vse they séeme light as vnto whom this worlde is counted but as donge and death séemeth pleasaunt And in that they lyue they lyue onely for gods sake which will haue them so to lyue And the liuing shal lay it to his hart THe lyuing is he that liueth in wealth and pleasure The naturall lyfe the Hebrewes cōmonly call the soule and the vsuall and pleasaunt lyfe they call to liue He truely expresseth what the experience of aduersitie doth namely that he that lyueth in pleasure layeth it to his hart that is that he is compelled in mynde or harte to learne by such aduersities And he that wil not suffer aduersitie learneth nothing and so remayneth still a foole Anger is better then laughter for by a sad looke the harte is made better THis is all one saying with that afore But how agreeth this with that he sayd afore We must not be angry but reioyce in all our labor And here he saith anger is better then laughter I aunswere He speaketh rather of sadnes then anger not that foolish sadnes which men counterfet But euen as he speaketh of the house of mourning so he speaketh of anger so that anger is a kinde of sadnes or gréefe that causeth a kinde of heauynes as when it was tolde Dauid that all the kinges children were slayne he fell sadd There is the same worde that is in this place which surely can not there signifie anger but heauynes so that it is all one with that we say in the Dutch tounge He was abashed and much troubled Aduersities dusken the countenance and make it heuye So he that is in office publicke or pryuate Such a one can leaue his laughing so that he be a good man and will doo his duetye truely there shall he finde such gréefe that he shall be compelled to saye The deuyll be a burrow master or gouernour for there is nothing but more sorow trouble in it Such sorowes cause sadnes in the countenaunce of those men as wish all thinges well in so much that they thus reason and thinke cease of geue ouer thou nothing preuailest but gettest thy selfe griefe and enuie Here Salomon withstandeth these thinges counselleth and warneth thée saying yelde not but goe thorough with it For it is better thou take indignatiō be sad that thou must bite away the same laughing that thou shewe heauines in thy countenaunce and behauiour and that thou be compelled to shewe it namely by reasō of griefe then to laugh The reason is Because thorough a sadde countenaunce the hart is made better THis may be vnderstāded two wayes first through a sad countenaunce the hart to say of others is amended So Paule in a Byshop requireth grauitie in manners and cōuersation that he offend not men by reason of lightnes c. So Salomon would haue him that is in auctoritie to reioyce in hart but to shew himselfe graue outwardly that other might thereby be amended For if a mā behaue himself in such wise that his hart be meary and his countenaunce graue so that he shew no lightnes in his apparell and gesture him will other feare and reuerēce and his familie will be of no dissolute demeanour Secondly it may thus be expounded In an heauy countenaunce the hart goeth well that is there is no cause but the hart may be meary although the countenaunce outwardly be heauy so that the meaning may be thus It is better to leade a graue and seuere lyfe thē a lyght and dissolute The Hebrewes call laughing such a kynde of lyfe as our Papistes lead which liue most dissolutely contemning and deriding all thinges And thys meaning pleaseth me better then that whereby it is thought that the hart of a foole or godles body can be corrected by any mās sadnes or grauitie It may séeme that a wicked body feareth the grauitie of an other but his hart is all one still I take this saying therfore to be vnderstanded of thine owne hart that in the middle of troubles it may be good It is an Hebrew phrase a good hart for a pleasaunt and meary hart And Salomon speaketh after this sort to dyrect his hearer to the marke of his meaning that is to teach them to be meary howsoeuer the world goeth But where before he sayd It is good to reioyce c. here he séemeth to affirme a contrary Sadnes is better then laughter Surely these two séeme not to agrée but godly matters are alwayes difficulte they are alwayes wrested to a contrary sence If we teach that nothing iustifieth but onely faith then the wicked neglecte all good works Againe if we teach that faith must be declared by workes then they attribute iustification to workes A foole alway swerueth too much on one side So hard a thyng it is to kéepe the highe way So here Salomon requireth neither sadnes alone nor mirth alone but will haue a meane kept betwéene them bothe The mynde must be meary at libertie settled bearing it selfe euen in worldly matters betyde whatsoeuer aduersitie or prosperitie In the sadnes of the countenaunce c. AS if he should say I distinguishe betwéene sadnes of countenaunce and sadnes of hart I will haue all mē meary in hart inwardly for it can not be but outwardly some sadnes will happen As the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 6. As sad and alwayes meary c. so that the one must be referred to the outward sadnes the other to inward The hart of the wise is in the house of mourning but the hart of fooles is in the house of myrth ALl these things seeme cōtrary to that he hath sayd before except we make a difference betwene these two the inward myrth and the outward and inward sadnes and outward He contynueth on in cōforting exhorting saying follow not those fooles which chaunge their mindes with euery chaunge of thinges in hart cleaue to them they be meary in prosperitie but when aduersitie commeth they mourne and are sad In the house of mourning THe Hebrewes call a house not that building onely which is made of tymber and stone but what place so euer any thing is donne in So with their Grammariās euery letter is a house of words that beginneth with the same letter But why is the hart of the wise in the house of mourning Because wise men are not ouercomed of aduersitie neither chaunge with euery alteratiō Fooles follow outward myrth and flye aduersytie a most troublesome kinde of men taking many things in hande with great rashenes and feruencie and when neuer so lytle trouble appeareth
their harts all the dayes of their lyfe THis is againe a copiousnes of Salomon as though he should saye The worlde is all together vnquyet and vnkinde there is as small remembraunce of good men as of euell This is to be vnderstanded on the worldes behalfe not on Gods. The righteous men that lyue are conteyned of the world and in the world But with God they stand in good case as he sayd before He that feareth the Lord it shall goe well with him The worlde rewardeth the good and the bad alyke This is the woorst of all things that are donne vnder the Sunne THat is mans hart is to weake to heare this peruersenes They that haue not the feare of God can not patiētly suffer this ingratitude and that there should be no difference betwéene good mē and euill but that it should happen to both alyke This is the cause therefore that mēs hartes are fylled with wyckednes THat is to say with indignation Intollerable sorow Because they haue not vnderstanding nor can not frame them selues to doe as God doth which sendeth rayne to the good and euyll alyke I suppose that the Philosophers Monkes are here quipped which because they could not beare with these thinges forsooke the worlde They would not serue in such an vnkinde worlde But Salomon will haue vs to be busyed in the worlde and to know the worlde and not to be feared with the ingratitude thereof from doing but to follow our heauenly father which letteh his sunne to arise vppon the good and euill Math. v. And foolishnes remayneth in their hartes vntill they dye THat is they die without hauing done any worke euen as though they had neuer lyued They are lyke a shadow in this lyfe profitable to no body None enioyeth any part of their seruice or goodnes And that they hope after is preuented by death So their ende is nothing but death they leaue no goodnes for posteritie But doe thou so order thy lyfe that thou séeke to be meary and to doe good vnto others For among all men lyuing hope is chosen for a lyuing dogge is better then a dead Lyon. BY this place Salomon prepareth an exhortation for vs to doe good whyle we are able that we be nothing mooued with the ingratitude of the worlde but that we holde on in doing our dutye and haue a good hope and trust Because there is hope in all men as long as they lyue as if he should say Doe not so contemne or despise this lyfe that thou eyther despayre or forsake the felloship of men for hope or trust is the best thing that is among men For as long as men are lyuing there is hope Therfore we must doe as much as we are able For because of the remnaunt we must serue the whole Thus a good minister of the worde of God for the good Citizēs sake preacheth the worde of God although many blame the same So if a good schoolemaster haue two good schollers he must take paynes for their sakes although he haue twenty other naughty disposed and hopeloftes Thus must ech magistrate also doe if he can not bring the whole City to doe their dutie yet he shal perhaps finde some one or two whom he shall bring to good passe c. This is it therefore that Salomon sayth Let vs not be discouraged through dispayre nor yet presume or take so much vpon vs For we must not so despayre of the lyuing as we doe of the dead of whome there is no hope We must beare with the importunities of men and not despayre of all men although many be wicked and vngratious For a lyuing dogge is better then a dead Lyon. HE enter laceth a prouerbe meanyng thus It suffiseth to correcte redresse something in the worlde as a lyue dog although he be a beast of no great accompt yet is he better then the great carcasse of the strōgest Lyon. This we speakē and vtter in this wyse Better is a Sparrow sure in hand then a Crane in doubt Againe in the Dutch toung The childe must not be poured out with the water that it hath beene bathed in For the lyuing know that they shall die but the dead know nothing at all neyther haue they any more a rewarde for their remembraunce is forgotten Also their loue and their hatred and their enuy is now perished and they haue no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the Sunne THe lyuing sayth he know they shal die therfore in their life they haue this hope Let them not therefore put of frō day to day to worke and to doe well lyke fooles maycockes which alwayes looke on other mens examples and wyll neuer geue any onset by themselues before they see other beginne to doe well The dead know nothing at all neither are they rewarded any more SAint Hierome wrested this place foolishly to the rewarde of the dead which were in purgatory For Salomō séemeth to thinke that the deap are without all manner of féeling And I thinke there is not a place in the scripture of more force for the dead that are fallen in sléepe vnderstanding naught of our state and condition against the inuocation of Saintes and fiction of Purgatory It is an Hebrew phrase They haue no more any rewarde WHich we thus expresse in the Dutch speach It is all in vaine with thē that be dead All they can doe is of no auayle they now can doe nothing that may profite them lyke as is sayd other wheres thy worke shall be rewarded And as Paule sayth your trauell shall not be in vayne ¶ Their loue their hatred c. VNderstand all these thinges actiuely as before that is to say the benefits they did by louing by obeying c. are forgotten And where as Saint Hierome caueleth that although they know not what is donne in the worlde yet they know the thinges that are donne in heauen it is an error and a folly ¶ Moreouer they haue no parte or portion in this worde THat is they haue nothing to doe with vs He describeth the dead as lyke to sensles Carkasses He will therfore haue vs vse this lyfe while we may and to labour all that we are able We are compelled to leaue the greater parte of the world vnto Satan we can scarce bring the thousandth parte vnto god Therefore if the Lyon dye kyll not the Dogg also Goe therefore and eate thy breade with ioy and drinke thy wine wyth a cherefull hart For now thy works please God. AS Salomon is wont after a rehersal of vanitie in this worlde to ioyne immediately some comfort and exhortation for vs to be meary and of good cheere euē so doth he in this place as though he should say Seing we are constrayned to lyue in this peruersitie it shall be best for vs to be meary and quyet For we can not chaunge these thinges neyther shall we
captayne preuayleth among fooles and a foolishe prince heareth a foolishe Counsellers words because he speaketh that which pleaseth him Thys I say that thou must consider as is sayd in the prouerbes The foole wyll not heare vnles thou speake that he phāsieth in his harte because affections rule all in the fooles hart therefore he regardeth not what thou sayest vnles thou say that he desireth For they which thus are led with their owne affections wysdome will heare nothing els Therefore thou shalt not preuaile thou shalt not be heard where myndes are not quyeted that is to say blinded with affections So now a dayes it is in vayne to write agaynst the Sectaries and heretikes for thou shalt doe no good Which thing Paule affirmeth also A man that is an heretike after once or twise warnyng auoyde c. And it falleth not thus out in matters of religion onely but also in ciuile affayres Thus it fareth in worldly affayres if thou geue good counsell thou shalt not preuayle nor be heard but with Neutrals whose myndes are setled and will take parte wyth none But setled myndes at quyet can truely iudge that the crying of a Captayne is but foolishe We must abyde therfore till the affections be appeased for then shall he heare Euen as troubled-water is not cleare but if thou wilt sée the bottome thou must tarry till the water be setteled so all men that haue conceaued any perswasion in their mynde will not be disswaded agayne vnles that conceit of theirs wherwith they be as it were bewitched be put away This Salomon in an other place expresseth in thys wyse It is better to meete a Beare or a Lyon robbed of her whelpes then a man trusting in his owne foolyshenes Better is wisdome then weapons of warre but one sinner destroyeth much good THis sentence he hath proued with the ensample gone before And at thys day all that follow warres prooue the same namely that warlyke engines are naught worth without wisdome counsell and that wysedome is of more force and auayle in warre then is strength For there are many suddaine and diuers chaunces and awaytes c. Thus the Romanes boast that they ouercame the world not by strength but by wysdome Wisedome therfore beareth the stroke in thys worlde but shée is not heard or cōsidered For one Synner destroyeth much good FOr both in peace and warre there are such vnthriftes and naughty persons as disturbe all thinges There is a counseller stādeth vp and speaketh for peace straight way a thrasonicall mate lubber dasheth all whom thou shalt resiste but in vayne because men are led wyth their owne affections and will geue no eare to such as geue contrary aduise so that as Homere sayth the greater parts most tyme preuaileth agaynst the better Dead flyes cause the most precious oyntment to stinke THis is a prouerbiall sentence against fooles howbeit Salomon hath very hard translations The translatiō would haue béene more comely if he had added according to the prouerbe It is as men say The prouerbe is taken from things in vse among this people which accompt and estéeme oyntmentes among their most precious thinges It séemeth to vs the similitude is the more vnpleasaunt and straunge because we haue litle vse of such thinges as that nation had Lyke therfore as flyes destroy a most precious oyntment so some vnthrift and naughtipacke destroyeth the best counsell in a common weale in the Parliamēt chamber and in warre Therefore as we are constrayned to beare with such noysome flyes so are we compelled to beare with such pestilent counsellers Therefore a lytle folly sometyme is better then wisdome and glory THis is a consolatiō against such chaūses and naughtye Counsellers He calleth it lytle folly besause of the litle tyme it endureth as the Poetes vse to say To seeme foolish in place where is holden for high wisedome Therefore when thou séest a naughty man preuaile in the Counsell or in the Parlament house c. let thy counsell geue place and leaue of thy wisedome because thou séest it is not lyked and vexe not thy selfe It is better thou séeme a foole for a season and let them go on in their foolishnes because they wil giue no eare to thée For by force thou canst not preuaile For a foole will be led by no counsell vnlesse thou speake according to his mynde Therefore thou must let them alone whē thou hast shewwed thy counsell and donne what thou cāst For if thou wilte goe through wyth thy purpose thou shalt wrath these waspes and méete with an angry Beare and endaūger thy self without necessitie These counsels be very good for vs which dwell in this ingratefull worlde which harkeneth not to our good counsell whatsoeuer we saye or threaten Glory signifieth not onely fame but pompe ornamentes riches which are cause of fame So Math. 6. God so clotheth the lylyes of the feelde that Salomon in all his glory that is to say in all his ryches and pompe was not so arayed ¶ The harte of a wise man is as his right hande but the hart of a foole is at his left THis also is a kinde of Prouerbe that is a wise man hath his harte in hys owne rule and power If he perceaueth that they are foolish and wil geue no eare vnto him he can for a tyme holde his peace He cā vse his wisedome according to the place and persons and as he shall perceaue his counsell is lyke well or euil to succéede But a foole is not master of his owne hart but according to his affection will runne through with them It is a great matter to rule and moderate the harte which no man doth or can doe but he that is wel acquainted with the world and hath an eye to Gods iudgementes A foole walking in the way and being him selfe neuer so much a foole thynketh yet that all other are fooles THat is he is not content that himselfe preuaileth with his naughty counsel so that thou must yelde to him but also thou shalt be cōpelled to beare with him in being glorifyed for his foolishnes and naughty counsell and in shaming the wisedome of other men For if thou geue good counsell he will straight way be vpon thy back and reprooue thy wise saying and counselling But aūswere thou thus I haue shewed my counsell I compell no man but haue said that I thinke good First therefore a foole will not heare thée nexte he will throng with his owne imagination and last of all whatsoeuer thou sayst to the contrary as thou art bound but not to follow it if thou thinke it will not preuaile he will deride it reproche it as foolishe and wicked This we sée in our dayes and finde true by our selues Therefore if the spirit of thy superiour haue his purpose against thy mynde be not thou discontented for to giue place pacifieth great euill THis we thus expresse in