refuse not misery purchased by mine owne merite Hard I must needes saye although till now I neuer thought I should haue had cause to saye is the destinie of womankinde the tryall of whose vertue must stande vpon the louing of them that employe all theyr industrie not to be beloued If Zelmanes young yeares had not had so much grauitie hidden vnder a youthfull face as your graye heares haue bene but the visar of vnfitting youthfulnes your vicious minde had brought some fruites of repentance and Gynaecia might then haue bene with much more right so basely despised Basilius that was more ashamed to see himselfe so ouertaken then Vulcan was when with much cunning hee proued himselfe a Cuckolde beganne to make certayne extrauagant excuses but the matter in it selfe hardly brooking any purgacion with the suddainnes of the time which barred any good conioyned inuention made him sometimes alledge one thing to which by and by he would bring in a contrarye one time with flat denyall another time with mitigating the fault now braue then humble vse such a stammering defensiue that Gynaecia the violence of whose sore in deede ranne another waye was content thus to fasten vp the last stitch of her anger Well well my Lorde sayde she it shall well become you so to gouerne your selfe as you may be fit rather to direct me then to be iudged of me and rather to be a wise maister of me then an vnskilfull pleader before me Remember the wrong you haue done is not onely to me but to your children whome you had of mee to your countrey when they shall finde they are commaunded by him that can not commaund his owne vndecent appetites lastly to your selfe since with these paynes you do but build vp a house of shame to dwell in if from those moueable goods of nature wherewith in my fyrst youth my royall parents bestowed me vppon you bearing you children and encrease of yeares haue withdrawen me consider I pray you that as you are cause of the one so in the other time hath not left to worke his neuer-fayling effectes in you Truly truly Sir very vntimely are these fyres in you it is time for vs both to let reason enioye his due soueraigntie Let vs not plant anewe those weedes which by natures course are content to fade Basilius that would rather then his life the matter had bene ended the best rethorike he had was flat demanding pardon of her swearing it was the very force of Apollos destenye which had caryed him thus from his owne bias but that nowe like as farre trauellers were taught to loue their owne countrie he had such a lesson without booke of affection vnto her as he would repay the debt of this error with the interest of a great deale more true honour then euer before he had done her neyther am I to geue pardon to you my Lord sayd she nor you to beare honour to me I haue taken this boldnes for the vnfayned loue I owe vnto you to deliuer my sorrowe vnto you much more for the care I haue of your well doing then for any other selfe fancie For well I knowe that by your good estate my life is mayntayned neyther if I would can I separate my selfe from your fortune For my parte therefore I clayme nothing but that which may be safest for your selfe my life will honor and what soeuer else shall be but a shadow of that bodie How much Basilius owne shame had found him culpable and had alreadie euen in soule read his owne condemnacion so much did this vnexpected mildnes of Gynaecia captiue his harte vnto her which otherwise perchaunce would haue growne to a desperat carelesnes Therefore embracing her and confessing that her vertue shined in his vice he did euen with a true resolued minde vowe vnto her that as long as he vnworthie of her did liue she should be the furthest and onlie limit of his affection He thanked the destenies that had wrought her honour out of his shame and that had made his owne striuing to goe amisse to be the best meane euer after to hold him in the right pathe Thus reconciled to Basilius great contentacion who began something to marke himselfe in his owne doings his hard hap guided his eye to the cuppe of golde wherein Gynaecia had put the lickourment for Zelmane and hauing fayled of that guest was now carrying it home agayne But he whome perchaunce sorrowe perchaunce some long disaccustomed paynes had made extremely thirstie tooke it out of her handes although she directly tolde him both of whome she had it what the effect of it was and the little proofe she had seene thereof hiding nothing from him but that she ment to minister it to another pacient But the Duke whose belly had no eares and much drouthe kept from the desiring a taster finding it not vnpleasant to his pallate dranke it almost off leauing very little to couer the cuppes bottome But within a while that from his stomacke the drincke had deliuered to his principall vaynes his noysome vapours first with a painefull stretching and forced yawning then with a darke yellownes dyeng his skinne and a colde deadlie sweate principally about his temples his bodie by naturall course longing to deliuer his heauie burden to his earthly damme wanting force in his knees which vtterly abandoned him with heauie fall gaue some proofe whether the operation of that vnknowne potion tended For with pang-like grones and gastly turning of his eyes immediatlie all his limmes stiffened and his eyes fixed he hauing had time to declare his case only in these wordes O Gynaecia I dye Haue care of what or how much further he would haue spoken no man can tell For Gynaecia hauing well perceyued the changing of his cullour and those other euill signes yet had not looked for such a sodaine ouerthrowe but rather had bethought her selfe what was best for him when she sodainely sawe the matter come to that periode comming to him and neyther with any cryes getting a worde of him nor with any other possible meanes able to bring any liuing action from him the height of all ouglie sorrowes did so horrible appeare before her amazed minde that at the first it did not only distract all power of speech from her but almost wit to consider remayning as it were quicke buried in a graue of miseries Her paynefull memorie had streight filled her with the true shapes of all the fore-past mischiefes her reason began to crye out against the filthye rebellion of sinfull sense and to teare it selfe with anguish for hauing made so weake resistance her conscience a terrible witnes of the inwarde wickednes still nourishing this debatefull fyre her complaynte nowe not hauing an ende to be directed vnto something to disburden sorrowe but a necessary downefall of inwarde wretchednes She sawe the rigour of the lawes was like to lay a shamefull death vpon her which being for that action vndeserued made it the more
of shamefastnes and wanton languishing borrowed of her eyes the down-castlooke of modestie But we in the mean time farre from louing her and often assuring her that we would not so recompence her husbandes sauing of our liues to such a ridiculous degree of trusting her she had brought him that she caused him send vs worde that vpon our liues we should doo whatsoeuer she commaunded vs good man not knowing any other but that all her pleasures were directed to the preseruation of his estate But when that made vs rather pittie then obey his folly then fell she to seruile entreating vs as though force could haue bene the schoole of Loue or that an honest courage would not rather striue against then yeeld to iniurie All which yet could not make vs accuse her though it made vs almost pine away for spight to loose any of our time in so troublesome an idlenesse But while we were thus full of wearinesse of what was past and doubt of what was to follow Loue that I thinke in the course of my life hath a spot sometimes to poyson me with roses sometimes to heale me with wormewood brought forth a remedy vnto vs which though it helped me out of that distres alas the cōclusion was such as I must euer while I liue think it worse then a wracke so to haue bene preserued This King by this Queene had a sonne of tender age but of great expectation brought vp in the hope of themselues and already acceptation of the inconstant people as successour of his fathers crowne wherof he was as worthy considering his partes as vnworthie in respect of the wrong was thereby done against the most noble Plangus whose great desertes now either forgotten or vngratefully remembred all men set their sayles with the fauourable winde which blewe on the fortune of this young Prince perchaunce not in their harts but surely not in their mouths now giuing Plangus who some yeares before was their only champion the poore comfort of calamitie pittie This youth therefore accounted Prince of that region by name Palladius did with vehement affection loue a yong Ladye brought vp in his fathers court called Zelmane daughter to that mischieuouslie vnhappie Prince Plexirtus of whom already I haue and sometimes must make but neuer honorable mention left there by her father because of the intricate changeablenes of his estate he by the motherside being halfe brother to this Queene Andromana and therefore the willinger committing her to her care But as Loue alas doth not alwaies reflect it selfe so fell it out that this Zelmane though truely reason there was enough to loue Palladius yet could not euer perswade her harte to yeelde thereunto with that paine to Palladius as they feele that feele an vnloued loue Yet louing indeed and therefore constant hee vsed still the intercession of diligence and faith euer hoping because he would not put him selfe into that hell to be hopelesse vntill the time of our being come and captiued there brought foorth this ende which truely deserues of me a further degree of sorrow then teares Such was therein my ill destinie that this young Ladye Zelmane like some vnwisely liberall that more delight to giue presentes then pay debtes she chose alas for the pittie rather to bestowe her loue so much vndeserued as not desired vpon me then to recompence him whose loue besides many other thinges might seeme euen in the court of Honour iustly to claime it of her But so it was alas that so it was whereby it came to passe that as nothing doth more naturally follow his cause then care to preserue and benefite doth follow vnfained affection she felt with me what I felt of my captiuitie and streight laboured to redresse my paine which was her paine which she could do by no better meanes then by vsing the helpe therein of Palladius who true Louer considering what and not why in all her commaundements and indeed she concealing from him her affection which shee intituled compassion immediatly obeyed to imploye his vttermost credite to relieue vs which though has great as a beloued son with a mother faultye otherwise but not hard-harted toward him yet it could not preuaile to procure vs libertie Wherefore he sought to haue that by practise which he could not by praier And so being allowed often to visite vs for indeede our restraints were more or lesse according as the ague of her passion was either in the fit or intermission he vsed the opportunitie of a fit time thus to deliuer vs. The time of the marrying that Queene was euery year by the extreme loue of her husband and the seruiceable loue of the Courtiers made notable by some publike honours which did as it were proclaime to the worlde how deare shee was to that people Among other none was either more grateful to the beholders or more noble in it selfe then iusts both with sword launce mainteined for a seuen-night together wherein that Nation doth so excel both for comelines and hablenes that from neighbour-countries they ordinarilye come some to striue some to learne some to behold This day it happened that diuers famous Knights came thither from the Court of Helen Queene of Corinth a Lady whome fame at that time was so desirous to honor that she borrowed all mens mouthes to ioyne with the sounde of her Trumpet For as her beautie hath wonne the prize from all women that stande in degree of comparison for as for the two sisters of Arcadia they are far beyond all conceipte of comparison so hath her gouernment bene such as hath bene no lesse beautifull to mens iudgementes then her beautie to the eiesight For being brought by right of birth a woman a yong woman a faire woman to gouern a people in nature mutinously proud and alwaies before so vsed to hard gouernours as they knew not how to obey without the sworde were drawne Yet could she for some yeares so carry her selfe among them that they found cause in the delicacie of her sex of admiration not of contempt which was notable euen in the time that many countries about her were full of wars which for old grudges to Corinth were thought stil would conclude there yet so handled she the matter that the threatens euer smarted in the threatners she vsing so strange and yet so well-succeding a temper that she made her people by peace warlike her courtiers by sports learned her Ladies by Loue chast For by cōtinuall martiall exercises without bloud she made them perfect in that bloudy art Her sportes were such as carried riches of Knowledge vpon the stream of Delight and such the behauiour both of her selfe and her Ladies as builded their chastitie not vpon waiwardnes but choice of worthines So as it seemed that court to haue bene the mariage place of Loue Vertue and that herself was a Diana apparrelled in the garmēts of Venus And this which Fame only deliuered vnto me for yet I haue neuer
gouernement as to lay before your eyes the picture of his proceedings But in such sorte hee flourished in the sweete comforte of dooing much good when by an accasion of leauing his Countrie he was forced to bring foorth his vertue of magnanimitie as before hee had done of iustice He had onely one sister a Ladie lest I should too easilie fall to partiall prayses of her of whom it may be iustly saide that she was no vnfit branch to the noble stock whereof she was come Her he had giuen in mariage to Dorilaus Prince of Thessalia not so much to make a frendship as to confirm the frendship betweene their posteritie which betweene them by the likenes of vertue had beene long before made for certainly Dorilaus could neede no amplifiers mouth for the highest point of praise Who hath not heard said Pamela of the valiant wise and iust Dorilaus whose vnripe death doth yet so many yeares since draw teares from vertuous eyes And indeede my father is wont to speake of nothing with greater admiration then of the notable friâ—ndship a rare thing in Princes more rare betweene Princes that so holily was obserued to the last of those two excellent men But said she go on I pray you Dorilaus said he hauing married his sister had his marriage in short time blest for so are folke woont to say how vnhappie soeuer the children after grow with a sonne whom they named Musidorus of whom I must needes first speake before I come to Pyrocles because as he was borne first so vpon his occasion grew as I may say accidentally the others birth For scarcely was Musidorus made partaker of this oft-blinding light when there were found numbers of Southsayers who affirmed strange and incredible thinges should be performed by that childe whether the heauens at that time listed to play with ignorant mankinde or that flatterie be so presumptuous as euen at times to borrow the face of Diuinitie But certainly so did the boldnesse of their affirmation accompanie the greatnesse of what they did affirm euen descending to particularities what kingdoms he should ouercome that the king of Phrygia who ouer-superstitiously thought himselfe touched in the matter sought by force to destroy the infant to preuent his after-expectations because a skilfull man hauing compared his natiuity with the child so told him Foolish man either vainly fearing what was not to be feared or not considering that if it were a worke of the superiour powers the heauens at length are neuer children But so he did and by the aid of the Kings of Lydia and Crete ioining together their armies inuaded Thessalia and brought Dorilaus to some behind-hand of fortune when his faithfull friend and brother Euarchus came so mightily to his succour that with some enterchanging changes of fortune they begat of a iust war the best child peace In which time Euarchus made a crosse mariage also with Dorilaus his sister and shortly left her with child of the famous Pyrocles driuen to returne to the defence of his owne countrie which in his absence helped with some of the ill contented nobilitie the mighty King of Thrace and his brother King of Pannonia had inuaded The successe of those warres was too notable to be vnknowne to your eares to which it seemes all worthy fame hath glory to come vnto But there was Dorilaus valiantly requiting his friends helpe in a great battaile depriued of life his obsequies being no more solemnised by the teares of his partakers then the bloud of his enimies with so pearcing a sorrow to the constant hart of Euarchus that the newes of his sons birth could lighten his countenance with no shew of comfort although all the comfort that might be in a child truth it selfe in him forthwith deliuered For what fortune onely southsayers foretold of Musidorus that all men might see prognosticated in Pyrocles both Heauens and Earth giuing tokens of the comming forth of an Heroicall vertue The senate house of the planets was at no time so set for the decreeing of perfection in a man as at that time all folkes skilfull therein did acknowledge onely loue was threatned and promised to him and so to his cousin as both the tempest and hauen of their best yeares But as death may haue preuented Pyrocles so vnworthinesse must be the death of Musidorus But the mother of Pyrocles shortly after her childe-birth dying was cause that Euarchus recommended the care of his only sonne to his sister doing it the rather because the warre continued in cruell heat betwixt him and those euill neighbours of his In which meane time those young Princes the only comforters of that vertuous widow grewe on so that Pyrocles taught admiration to the hardest conceats Musidorus perchaunce because among his subiects exceedingly beloued and by the good order of Euarchus well perfourmed by his sister they were so brought vp that all the sparkes of vertue which nature had kindled in them were so blowne to giue forth their vttermost heate that iustly it may be affirmed they enflamed the affections of all that knew them For almost before they could perfectly speake they began to receaue conceits not vnworthy of the best speakers excellent deuises being vsed to make euen their sports profitable images of battailes and fortifications being then deliuered to their memory which after their stronger iudgements might dispense the delight of tales being conuerted to the knowledge of all the stories of worthy Princes both to moue them to do nobly and teach them how to do nobly the beautie of vertue still being set before their eyes and that taught them with far more diligent care then Grammaticall rules their bodies exercised in all abilities both of doing and suffring and their mindes acquainted by degrees with daungers and in sum all bent to the making vp of princely mindes no seruile feare vsed towards them nor any other violent restraint but still as to Princes so that a habite of commaunding was naturalized in them and therefore the farther from Tyrannie Nature hauing done so much for them in nothing as that it made them Lords of truth whereon all the other goods were builded Among which nothing I so much delight to recount as the memorable friendship that grew betwixt the two Princes such as made them more like then the likenesse of all other vertues and made them more neere one to the other then the neerenes of their bloud could aspire vnto which I think grew the faster and the faster was tied betweene them by reason that Musidorus being elder by three or foure yeares it was neither so great a difference in age as did take away the delight in societie and yet by the difference there was taken away the occasion of childish contentions till they had both past ouer the humour of such contentions For Pyrocles bare reuerence full of loue to Musidorus and Musidorus had a delight full of loue in Pyrocles Musidorus what he had learned either for body or minde
humble gesture beare false witnesse for his true meaning that he found not onely souldiery but people weary of his gouernment and all their affections bent vpon Plangus Both he and the Queene concurring in strange dreames and each thing else that in a minde already perplexed might breed astonishment so that within a while all Plangus actions began to be translated into the language of suspition Which though Plâ—ngus found yet could he not auoid euen contraries being driuen to draw one yoke of argument if he were magnificent he spent much with an aspiring intent if he spared hee heaped much with an aspiring intent if hee spake curteously he angled the peoples harts if he were silent he mused vpon some daungerous plot In summe if hee could haue turned himselfe to as many formes as Proteus euery forme should haue bene made hideous But so it fell out that a meere trifle gaue them occasion of further proceeding The King one morning going to a vineyard that lay a long the hill where vpon his castle stood he saw a vine-labourer that finding a bowe broken tooke a branch of the same bowe for want of another thing and tied it about the place broken The King asking the fellow what he did Marry said he I make the sonne binde the father This word finding the King alredy supersticious through suspition amazed him streight as a presage of his owne fortune so that returning and breaking with his wife how much he misdoubted his estate she made such gaine-saying answeres as while they straue straue to be ouercome But euen while the doubtes most boiled she thus nourished them She vnder-hand dealt with the principall men of that country that at the great Parliament which was then to bee held they should in the name of all the estates perswade the King being now stept deeply into old age to make Plangus his associate in gouernment with him assuring them that not onely she would ioine with them but that the father himfelfe would take it kindly charging them not to acquaint Plangus withall for that perhaps it might be harmefull vnto him if the King should finde that he were a party They who thought they might do it not onely willingly because they loued him and truely because such indeed was the mind of the people but safely because she who ruled the King was agreed thereto accomplished her counsell she indeed keeping promise of vehement perswading the same which the more she and they did the more shee knew her husband woulde feare and hate the cause of his feare Plangus found this and humbly protested against such desire or will to accept But the more hee protested the more his father thought he dissembled accounting his integrity to be but a cuÌ„ning face of falshood and therefore delaying the desire of his subiects attended some fit occasion to lay hands vpon his sonne which his wife thus brought to passe She caused that same minister of hers to go vnto Plangus and enabling his words with great shew of faith and endearing them with desire of secresie to tell him that he found his ruine conspired by his stepmother with certaine of the noble men of that country the King himselfe giuing his consent and that few daies shoulde passe before the putting it in practize with all discouering the very truth indeede with what cunning his stepmother had proceeded This agreing with Plangus his owne opinion made him giue him the better credit yet not so far as to flie out of his country according to the naughty fellowes persuasion but to attend and to see further Whereupon the fellow by the direction of his mistresse told him one day that the same night about one of the clocke the King had appointed to haue his wife and those noble men together to deliberate of their manner of proceeding against Plangus and therefore offered him that if himselfe would agree hee woulde bring him into a place where hee should heare all that passed and so haue the more reason both to himselfe and to the world to seeke his safetie The poore Plangus being subiect to that onely disaduantage of honest harts credulitie was perswaded by him and arming himselfe because of his late going was closely conueied into the place appointed In the meane time his stepmother making al her gestures cuÌ„ningly counterfait a miserable affliction she lay almost groueling on the flower of her chaÌ„ber not suffering any body to comfort her vntill they calling for her husband and he held of with long enquiry at length she tolde him euen almost crying out euery word that she was wery of her life since shee was brought to that plunge either to conceale her husbands murther or accuse her sonne who had euer beene more deare then a sonne vnto her Then with many interruptions and exclamations she tolde him that her sonne Plangus solliciting her in the olde affection betweene them had besought her to put her helping hand to the death of the King assuring her that though all the lawes in the world were against it he would marrie her when he were King She had not fully said thus much with many pitifull digressioÌ„s when in comes the same fellow that brought PlaÌ„gus ruÌ„ning himself out of breath fell at the Kings feet beseeching him to saue himself for that there was a man with a sword drawen in the next roome The King affrighted weÌ„t out called his gard who entring the place fouÌ„d indeed Plangus with his sword in his hand but not naked but standing suspiciously inough to one already suspicious The King thinking hee had put vp his sworde because of the noise neuer tooke leasure to heare his answer but made him prisoner meaning the next morning to put him to death in the market place But the day had no sooner opened the eies eares of his friends followers but that there was a little army of them who came by force deliuered him although numbers on the other side abused with the fine framing of their report took armes for the King But Plangus though he might haue vsed the force of his friends to reuenge his wrong and get the crowne yet the naturall loue of his father and hate to make their suspition seeme iust caused him rather to choose a voluntarie exile then to make his fathers death the purchase of his life and therefore went he to Tiridates whose mother was his fathers sister liuing in his Court eleuen or twelue yeares euer hoping by his intercession and his owne desert to recouer his fathers grace At the end of which time the warre of Erona happened which my sister with the cause thereof discoursed vnto you But his father had so deeply engraued the suspition in his hart that he thought his flight rather to proceed of a fearefull guiltines then of an humble faithfulnes and therefore continued his hate with such vehemencie that he did euen hate his Nephew Tiridates and afterwardes his neece Artaxia because in their Court
owne nature sauing onely Man who while by the pregnancie of his imagination he striues to things supernaturall meane-while hee looseth his owne naturall felicitie Be wise and that wisedome shal be a God vnto thee be contented and that is thy heauen for els to thinke that those powers if there bee any such aboue are moued either by the eloquence of our prayers or in a chafe at the folly of our actions caries asmuch reason as if flies should thinke that men take great care which of them hums sweetest and which of them flies nimblest She woulde haue spoken further to haue enlarged and confirmed her discourse when Pamela whose cheeks were died in the beautifullest graine of vertuous anger with eies which glistered foorth beames of disdaine thus interrupted her Peace wicked womā peace vnworthy to breath that doest not acknowledge the breath-giuer most vnworthy to haue a tongue which speakest against him through whom thou speakest keepe your affection to your selfe which like a bemired dog would defile with fauning You say yesterday was as to day O foolish woman and most miserablely foolish since wit makes you foolish What dooth that argue but that there is a constancie in the euerlasting gouernour Woulde you haue an inconstant God since wee count a man foolish that is inconstant He is not seene you say and woulde you thinke him a God who might bee seene by so wicked eyes as yours which yet might see enough if they were not like such who for sport-sake willingly hood-winke themselues to receaue blowes the easier But though I speake to you without any hope of fruite in so rotten a harte and there bee no bodie else here to iudge of my speeches yet be thou my witnesse O captiuitie that my yeares shal not be willingly guiltie of my Creators blasphemie You saie because we know not the causes of things therfore feare was the mother of superstitiō nay because we know that each effect hath a cause that hath engendred a true liuely deuotion For this goodly work of which we are in which we liue hath not his being by Chaūce on which opiniō it is beyōd meruaile by what chaūce any braine could stumble For if it be eternall as you would seeme to conceiue of it Eternity and Chaunce are things vnsufferable together For that is chaunceable which happeneth and if it happen there was a time before it happned when it might haue not happened or els it did not happen and so if chaunceable not eternall And as absurd it is to thinke that if it had a beginning his beginning was deriued from Chaunce for Chaunce could neuer make all things of nothing and if there were substaunces before which by chaunce shoulde meete to make vp this worke thereon followes another bottomlesse pitt of absurdities For then those substaunces must needs haue bene from euer and so eternall and that eternall causes should bring forth chaunceable effectes is as sensible as that the Sunne shoulde bee the author of darkenesse Againe if it were chaunceable then was it not necessarie whereby you take away all consequents But we see in all thinges in some respect or other necessitie of consequence therefore in reason we must needs know that the causes were necessarie Lastly Chaunce is variable or els it is not to be called Chaunce but wee see this worke is steady and permanent If nothing but Chaunce had glewed those pieces of this All the heauie partes would haue gone infinitely downward the light infinitely vpwarde and so neuer haue mett to haue made vp his goodly bodie For before there was a heauen or a earth there was neyther a heauen to stay the height of the rising nor an earth which in respect of the round walles of heauen should become a centre Lastly perfect order perfect beautie perfect constancie if these be the children of Chaunce let wisedome be counted the roote of wickednesse But you will say it is so by nature as much as if you saide it is so because it is so if you meane of many natures conspiring together as in a popular gouernemēt to establish this faire estate as if the Elementishe and ethereall partes shoulde in their towne-house set downe the bounds of each ones office then consider what followes that there must needes haue bene a wisedome which made them concurre for their natures beyng absolute contrarie in nature rather would haue sought each others ruine then haue serued as well consorted partes to such an vnexpressable harmonie For that contrary things should meete to make vp a perfection without a force and Wisedome aboue their powers is absolutely impossible vnles you will flie to that hissed-out opinion of Chaunce againe But you may perhaps affirme that one vniuersal Nature which hath ben for euer is the knitting together of these many partes to such an excellent vnitie If you meane a Nature of wisdome goodnes prouidence which knowes what it doth then say you that which I seeke of you and cannot conclude those blasphemies whith which you defiled your mouth mine eares But if you meane a Nature as we speake of the fire which goeth vpward it knowes not why and of the nature of the Sea which in ebbing and flowing semes to obserue so iust a daunce and yet vnderstands no musicke it is but still the same absurditie superscribed with another title For this worde one being attributed to that which is All is but one mingling of many and many ones as in a lesse matter when we say one kingdome which conteines many citties or one cittie which conteines many persons wherein the vnder ones if there be not a superiour power and wisedome cannot by nature regarde to any preseruation but of themselues no more wee see they doo since the water willingly quenches the fire and drownes the earth so farre are they from a conspired vnitie but that a right heauenly Nature indeed as it were vnnaturinge them doth so bridle them Againe it is as absurde in nature that from an vnitie many contraries should proceede still kept in a vnitie as that from the number of contrarieties an vnitie should arise I say still if you banish both a singularitie and pluralitie of iudgement from among them then if so earthly a minde can lift it selfe vp so hie doo but conceaue how a thing whereto you giue the highest and most excellent kind of being which is eternitie can be of a base vilest degree of being and next to a not-being which is so to be as not to enioy his owne being I will not here call all your senses to witnes which can heare nor see nothing which yeeldes not most euident euidence of of the vnspeakeablenesse of that Wisedome each thinge being directed to an ende and an ende of preseruation so proper effects of iudgement as speaking and laughing are of mankind But what madd furie can euer so enueagle any conceipte as to see our mortal and corruptible selues to haue a reason and that this