this sepulcher of the sonne of God is also conteined the mistery of the coniunction which we haue with him by death the graue the end of the death burying of Iesus christ tending to this that we die be buried with him For as the bands and forces of our death were broken by the vertue of the death of him that killed death euen so by our death must be vanquishe the stinges prickes of that death that the merite of our sinnes made due to vs This is the same which the holy Ghost speaketh by the mouth of the Apostle We are buried wyth Christ in his death to the end we participate wyth his life béeing impossible we should communicate wyth his lyfe if first we haue no action or societie wyth his death for that wée can not haue parte in the one vnlesse wée accompanie him in the other And so the last degrée conteynes as hath béene alredie declared that he discended into Hell committed the Deuill to spoyle and brake his Prysones for euer Wherein according to the text of the Apostle his victorie encreased and became great euen by the same measure that he embased and humbled himselfe Thus much for the first part of our Article and so let vs discend to the second part wherein we confesse that the sonne of God roase againe from death and the third day retorned really and truly into life Touching the resurrection of Christ LIke as the foure Euangelistes haue vsed great diligence to perticulate the outrages condemnation and death of the sonne of God euen so they haue bene no lesse carefull to set out poynt by poynt his restoring and resurrection According to the computation of the time vsed in the gospel he died the Friday at ix a clocke in the euening roase againe the Sunday following in the morning ioyntly whervnto we agrée that he remayned thrée dayes thrée nights in the graue taking part of the Friday which was the daye of the death for the whole day and the residue of the Sunday being his resurrection for an other whole daye All which do serue manifestly to the proofe truth of his death and restoring to life being al foreordained and established in the counsell of God. Joseph demaunded of Pilate his body to burie it but Pilate desirous to know whether he were dead in déede sent for the same purpose a Centenier to discouer a truth and then condiscended to Josephes request yea when they came to take downe the dead bodies from the crosse because they should not remaine there the next day being the great feast of their Sabboth they found the two théeues on liue and our Lord dead All which with many other approbations which may be alledged together with some perticulers which we meane to ioyne to the sequele of these are sufficient proues of his resurrection Our Lorde béeing thus put into the graue and embawmed Soldiours were set to garde the Sepulcher And in the meane whyle his Disciples remayned sorrowfull and heauie hauing very little hope of his Resurreciton and small knowledge of the scriptures to the vnderstanding of this misterie They beleued that their maister had preached the trueth and that he was most iust in his workes and that God had sent him But touching the matter of resurrection they were very blind and doubtfull After there was time enough perfourmed for the proofe fayth and testimonie of his paineful death and to establish the accomplishement of the misteries and prophesies The Sunday morning bringing wyth him the triumphes of hell and death he Roase againe and returned to lyfe and to such a lyfe that after that death had no more power ouer it béeing defaced deuested of all meanes eftsoones to exercise his iurisdiction Imediatly after he was risen agayne he appeared to his Disciples to assure them of the consolations giuen vnto them before he dyed and wythal to accomplishe the words spoken and promised by him That he would rise againe the third day The first person to whom he reuealed himselfe after his resurrection was the virgin Mary his Moother as who aboue all others liued in most expectation for him and he lykewise bare vnto her a most deare affection For if we consider her by her fayth she had it more great then al the rest And if wée haue regarde to Seruices she merited wyth the best hauing nourished him followed him wyth no small care pouertie and perplexitie thirtie thrée yeares In her is expressed a good Testimonie of his death for that standing at the foote of the Crosse where she felt the accomplishment of the prophesie of Simeon that the sword of sorrow should pearce thorow her intralles she was chosen of the Father to serue in an estate of great excelencie euen so was she accomplished wyth thoughtes and actions méeke for the seruice of such a function And albeit both by her perseuerance béeing greater then the rest that followed the Lord and that the trauelles of his Death were of more Passion to her then to others hauing more interest first of that holy companie to whome he disclosed his Resurrection Yet the Euangelistes ascrybing nothing to the singularitie of persones leaue all that aparte and recyte to whome he appeared wyth all such circumstances and proofes as serue for Testimonie agaynst the People of the Jewes He appeared to Mary Mardaline in forme of a Gardiner in the selfe same Gardeyne where he hadde béene Buried He appeared to his Disciples the selfe same daye in the place where they were drawne together for feare of the Iewes He appeared to two Disciples which went to Emaus At the ende of Eyght dayes he appeared once againe to his disciples S. Thomas being then present who was absent the first time Lastly he was séene of his Disciples neare the Sea of Gallile there being yet besides these so many other testimonies to confirme this trueth that it were but superfluous to ad more to the authorite of these Thus much for the narration of the History And lyke as the Resurrection of that Messias was of great importance so also was it prefigured and foreshewed by the prophets that went afore For Jonas was throwen into the Sea and swalowed of a Whale and yet by the mercie of God after he had remained thrée dayes and thrée nights in the bellie of the Fish he came out safe and sound to accomplishe the commaundement of god In this Jonas the Seruaunt of the almightie was a figure of our sauiour For as he was cast into the Sea to saue from wracke all the others that were in the shippe and that by the consent and determination of the Mariners Euen so our Lorde was past to condemnation by the councell and resolution of men and for their safetie throwne into the Sea of persecution of death in such sort that the earth receiued him as it doth other dead bodies reteining him thrée days thrée nights as a body deiected without life yet in the
dignitie of his person to declare him such one as he is By which he hath shewed that he came to vanquishe and surmount sinne and death and to pronounce that as who so euer would followe him should liue eternally so to such was reserued euerlastinge death as would not obey his woorde and doctrine For in him saith he is conteined resurrection and lyfe yea and the Saluation of those that beléeue in him To that to proue those thinges and to assure consolation to all such as should giue faith to his woordes it was requisite that he should not only manifest himselfe the author of lyfe in raising others but that also he should expresse it in his proper person giuing this testimony of himselfe that albeit he was dead yet he had more power then death for that he was able to returne to lyfe By this it appeares that the resurrection of Christe is a trew proofe of his greatnesse and a declaration that he is the Sonne of GOD hath surmounted all trauels and perplexities hath domination ouer death and ouercome hell sinne and the deuill séeinge hée hath disfurnished them of their principall weapons wherewith they did tirrannise ouer the Linage of man which is death that followeisd It also a proofe that as wée honour serue and beléeue in a man dead and crucified so also we must obey followe and serue in faith a man that hathe foretolde his Resurrection and which is risen againe from the dead séeing that one of the reasons why he dyed was the more to declare his power and manifest further his force and excellencie of life together with his power against the kingdome of sathan In the Seconde consideration is inclosed a wonderfull secret greatly auailing the estate of mankinde it is deuyded into two partes according to the testimony of the Scripture whereof the one consistes in his death and the other in his resurrection Touching his death wee haue alreadie debated that in it was comprehended the death of our trauelles the death of our death the mortification of our olde Adam and the spoile of the forces of the wicked roote of sinne which raigned ouer vs And in his resurrection we say now is comprehended the reestablishment of our lyfe the newnes of our iustice the vertue and spirituall generation of the new Adam in vs the woorkes of this newe lyfe the hope that this newe people of GOD hath to returne to Heauen and finally the thoughtes and operations agreable to the maiestie of god Christe was not sacrificed only for himselfe but for vs he is not risen againe onely to declare what hee was but wyth all to make himselfe suche a one to vs as his Father mighte receiue vs He is dead for our sinnes risen againe for our iustificaiton His death made to dye all wicked thinges but in his resurrection were reuiued al good thinges In effect we haue to consider touching the vertue of the misterie of the resurrection that he is also so risen againe in vs Spirituallie that if it be not long of our obstinacie and Rebellion we shall féele the force of his Resurrection in vs that is he will engender in vs a power and will to doe the workes worthie of a newe lyfe and will make vs to rise agayne to a newnesse of lyfe by the which we shal be founde agréeable before the face of God And béeing risen wyth him we shall vanquishe death and sinne and be made frée from the seruitude of Sathan being affected to the commaundementes of God louers of his iustice and zealous of his glory to perticipate in the ende wyth the heauenly lyfe by the communion which we haue wyth the lyfe of Iesus Christ in thoughts and workes So that let all Christians vnderstande that if in humilitie they search a remedie for their sinnes opening wyth all the gate of their harte they shall finde wyth in Iesus Christ raysed agayne And that being in the companie of so great a Lorde liuing who hath vanquished death they can not haue in them any deade thing For they shall also rise againe spiritually wyth the Lorde into that newnes of lyfe whereof we haue spoken Let vs therefore take héede to refuse the mortification of our wicked workes of our disordered appetites and our wicked affections For if we bowe or bende our selues we shall wythout doubt apperteyne to the other parte of this misterie and rise againe wyth Iesus Christ In this sort is to be vnderstanded the saying of the Apostle That we are buried wyth Christ by Baptisme and dead to our sinnes and to our olde Adam For that as Iesus Christ is risen agayne from the deade for the glory of the Father So we must enter into a newnes of lyfe béeing assured to keepe him companie in the Resurrection if we accompanie him in his death he dyed to make dye our sinnes and liued agaiâ—e to giue life to our iustice and therefore if behooues vs to dye as touching our sinnes and to be diligent to do good workes whervnto let euerye good Christian referre all his care and study and raise al his thoughts demaunding al those things in his prayers and searching them neither more nor lesse then he would do a precious treasure wherin lyeth hidde al his felicitie The victory is already gained and the faithfull are assured of their forces for that the sonne of God soliciteth for them and holdes al these benefites in his disposing In him we may be bolde to repose our sewertye séeing he hath so much suffred for vs and to make vs communicate with these graces his mercy will neuer faile vs séeing he hath not denied it vs to get them Sure in respect they haue cost him so deare and that the paiment is already made it will not be hard to giue them vnto vs. In the third consideratcon of this article the good christian hath to vnderstand that in the resurrection of the lord we get not only spiritual resurrection as hath ben saied but also we haue assurance of the resurrection of our bodies So that considering that Iesus Christ is risen from the dead for our welth and profit we may be assured that he is risen both in body and soul that our resurrection is no lesse certain then his rising againe being the assurance and gage of our resurrection and he being in all things our first borne captain he marched before vs and we must follow him All the wretchednes that the deuill had caused were repaired by the son of God for as the deuill threw spirituall death vppon mankind so in the vertue of our sauiour that death is destroyed vanquished and a life spiritual giuen vnto men The deuil procured corporal death to mans race for death was brought into the world by sinne but the sonne of God hath ioyned to vs a corporall resurection For as death was introduced by a man so by a man came restitution resurrection we were all dead in Adam euen so
notwythstanding with so great Warre that on the one syde he leuyed those Prisoners that were kept restrayned and on the other his vertue so weakened their infernall forces that they remeyned euer since vanquished It was then that they sawe and knew that their Hell whither they thought to haue reduced all mankinde was forced and dissolued And that sinne which they had introduced into the worlde and death that ensued it were deade and vanquished by the conquest of this newe and inuincible Prince That was it which the Apostle spake of that the sonne of God hath defaced and sacked the powers of Hell the worlde am putting them to publyke confusion and Triumphing ouer them in his proper person So that the enterprises of our Sauiour in this comparison represent vnto vs the forme and actions of a valiant Capteyne marching before men before Aungelles and before the face of the Father wyth a great troupe of enemies vanquished bounde and spoyled of their forces In the beginning of this Article wée touched that our Lorde made his discending by certeyne degrées yea euen to a Wonderfull embasement of himselfe and knowne onely to the diuine wisedome This embasement hath ben Prophecied vnder the signe of discending from Heauen vnto the the Bottomes of the Earth But now we say that of all those degrées by the which he discended and of al other things which in the wisedome of the world made him séeme so embased vanquished he caried a wonderfull victory which encreased alwais more more In the first degrée he was made man that was the true and eternall sonne of god This step and wonderfull humilitie albeit it is great yet he neuer abandoned his diuinitie no he could not loase it and much lesse diminishe it by it his humanitie was greatly exalted being by the same meane so connexed with the diuinitie that one selfe person was GOD and man ▪ if it were possible that God might gaine in any thing it might be sayd that he gained in this but hauing want of nothing he gaines not as a néedie man For he hath no necessitie of any thing and much lesse can there be added to his greatnesse But because the gaine of men is great in this receiuing a benefite which was neuer Communicated with Angelles for God neuer tooke aliance nor séede of Aungelles but chused the Linage of Abraham we say also that there was a gaine and profite to God béeing a true declaration of his riches and of his workes which are comformable to him together wyth a playne manifestation of his mercie This victorie against sinne and the deuill is truly worthie of the person of the Sonne of God Séeing that mankinde which was put to perdition by the suttletie of the Serpent is redéemed and redeliuered from the seruitude of the Deuill and restored to an estate of habilitie to be the Children of God by the meane of this sauiour The seconde degrée of this discending of the Lord was in that he was condemned publykly as a malefactor In this descending there is a great want and yet by it he recouered a wonderfull victorie For béeing our brother he deliuereth vs from the eternall condemnation so that all our libertie and absolution depende vppon his Condemnation he hath payde the debtes which he made not euen so those shall be discharged which ought them He was Condemned by the Sentence of men and wée absolued in the iudgement of God hauing deliuered vs from the cursse of the law which had condemned vs The thirde degrée was when he was iudged to the Death of the Crosse For by his death he brake the forces of Death dispoyling him of his weapons wherewyth he had made so great and vniuersall slaughters For which cause the Apostle demaundes of death where was his victorie and where were become the meanes by the which he determined so many men By the fourth steppe or degrée he was put into the Sepulcher but the better to comprehend the true sense of this passage it is méete we make some iudgment and construction of thinges The storye of the Gospell declareth that our Lorde being dead Joseph demaunded of Pylate to take his bodie from the crosse and burie it which Pylate suffered by the ordinance of god And hauing taken it from the crosse they wrapped it in a newe Linnen cloath and layde it in a Sepulcher where no man had yet lyen Lastly hauing embawmed him wyth the oyntmentes which Nicodemus brought they left the body in the graue roulling to the mouth therof a great stoan Mary Nagdalin and the other Mary considering well in their vnderstanding the sayd sepulcher All this serueth to two effectes the first is to render testimony of the truth of the death of Iesus Christ shewing also a great misterie comprehended vnder the graue but the Church comprehendes both the one and the other in one worde his Sepulcher and that he remayned there thrée dayes expresseth the truth of his death making by that meane his resurrection more euident In this Article the imbasement and humilitie of the sonne of God encreaseth more and more as also his spirite and victorie which he hath obteined for vs For it is sayd first of al that he suffered the condemnation of Pilate and was executed and so being dead his body was buried It séemes that all these bring encrease to the victory of the deuill the world and death But of the contrarie it is our victory that is enlarged For by how much nere doth approch and is manifested the death of our Lorde by so much more is at hand the end and ruine of our death Death is dead and vanquished in such sort that he hath no power agaynst vs and for such one we put him into the graue Esay hath Prophesied that the Lord should destroy death eternally and drye vp the teares of his people and take away the dishonor of the earth in which words may be discerned the full victory against death which hath no power to cōfoūd nor make sorowful the true Christian It is not sayd by this that we shall not die and not féele death which is naturall but by this is expounded that the pricks and sorrows of death are vanquished haue no authority against a Christian séeing that for the exchange of this temporall lyfe he goeth to the eternall life accompanied with the fayth that he hath had that Christ is his redemption his life In this is performed the Prophecie of Ose speaking in the name of the Lord Oh death J will be thy death the same agréeing with the Apostle who assureth vs that our death is vanquished by the passion of Iesus christ our sepulcher buried in his yea our death hath lost his forces which made him reigne ouer vs and our graue hath lost his power and possibilitie to reteine vs stil seing it cannot now any more hold vs in propertie or perpetuitie but as it were by deputation and for a time In
the punishmeÌ„t of some notable offence he hath done in the church being in the fauor of God we are come into the Church and being in his disgrace we are discontent disdained in the same wherupon it foloweth that the minister well instructed liueth alwaies content where such as are dissolute trauell for the most part in sedition and Emotion And therefore to those may we refer the malediction of Cayne who wandering prophanly from place to place séeke out new companioÌ„s and conuersation to entertaine the time with idle and dissolute exercise and turne their function into a forme of euill life and example vpon him doth fall the malediction of Cayne in whom remaines a mind wauering and inconstant séeking change of church and cure without occasion and desireth to liue vnder new Bishops and ordinaries not with intention to amend his lyfe but to séeke out where he may liue in greatest liberty Yea such one findes no time nor place better agréeing to him then where he may liue out of subiection of superiors vpon that man is thundred the malediction to whom it is troublesome to pray greeuous to study and hatefull to instruct and preach but rather as a man repenting his vocation wandreth vp and downe ill contented shewing wycked example by his complayntes And lastly to that man is referred the malediction who is factious in his ministery at contention wyth his bishop and séekes occasions to retourne eftsoones to the worlde procuring businesse to solicyte and being denyed licence to follow his worldely causes hee is full of murmure and obteyning leaue he runnes headlong to his owne distruction The ende of this discourse rebuking such ministers as are wanderers MAny be the meanes which the Minister wythin his Church hath to serue God wythall For if the humor of Pryde reigne in him if enuie disquiet him if Gluttony tempt him if Ire prouoke him or the lusts of the flesh pricke him vices albeit hable to moue him yet of no power to make him fall neyther can he so easily resist them hauing conuersation in the world séeing he is no sooner tempted then subiect to fall The building without his couering shrinketh easily the Marrow without the bone is soone dryed vp the trée without his barke is subiect to renting and the man of the Church leauing the Church runnes easily to destruction If Dina daughter to the Patriarke Jacob had not gone from the place where her Father bestowed her neyther had Emor ben killed nor she defamed If wretched Judas had not swarued from the colleadg of Christ nor deuided himselfe from the company of the Apostles he had neuer done the sin whose vilenes caried him to a desperate death By which notable examples all men of the Churche ought to bée warned not to leaue the profession whereunto God hath called them nor to be deuided from the Companye of whom he hath made them members For that much will be to his profite the good examples which he shall take of some and of no lesse auaile the wholesome counsels which he shall giue to others By meane whereof the man of the Church deliting to wander vp and downe the world if he consider vprightly of thinges shall find that for the most part he retorneth to his ministerie more enuious more ambicious more moued more pensife and lesse deuout then when he went out and so shal he alwayes féele within his sorowfull hart great occasions of remorse and no lesse cause of complaint against himselfe Beware therefore you men of the church of the illusions of the Deuill and that he entise you not out of your ministeries vnder cooller to do some good Séeing if he once preuayle so farre as to seperate you from the fellowship of good men he will by litle and litle infect you and make you of the nomber of the wicked For the shepe that straieth from his flocke the Wolfe deuoureth him the Pigeon that flieth farre from her houfe is a pray to the Faulcon the trauailer that goeth alone is subiect to robbing the riuers that come out of the sea to the fieldes do hurt and the Minister that is deuided from his congregation beares perill of destruction Peccatum peccauit Hierusalem propterea instabilis facta est the wretched Citie of Jerusalem heaped sinne vppon sinne sayth the Prophet whereby God enioyned her to penance to be alwayes errant and a vagabond euen so then doth the Minister commit sinne vppon sinne when he forgets the profession hée hath made Retorning eftsones to the dangers of this miserable world the affliction of such men is that they liue alwayes in perplexitie neuer contented with themselues So that the seruant of God professing Religion ought withall to make this promise neuer to change it till he exchange his life neither abandoning the estate he hath taken in hand nor forgetting whereunto he is bound Assuring himselfe that where in his Ministerie he shall find tranquillitie and small occasions to sinne the world will giue him nothing but disquietnesse wyth great liberty to offende and little helpe to amende his lyfe S. John Baptist was commended of God particulerly for his perseuerance in straytnesse of lyfe and the great courage he shewed in Preaching according to this question he made to the Hebrues what are you come sayth he to see in the Desart doe you thinke that the sonne of Zachary is a willow leafe mouing with euery winde Christ commended not Saint John onely for that he went barefoot liued solytary fedde vppon Locustes ware nothing but Cammelles skinne and slept vppon thornes But he allowed his constancie for that he would neuer goe out of the Desart entring therein euen in his youth In which respect we haue to belieue that in so many yeares and in such sharpe desertes Saint John endured great hunger extreame cold many temptations gréeuous sicknesses and infinit cares Of all which afflictions Christ makes not such expresse mencioÌ„ as of his vnfayned constancie many sayth the Apostle issue out of the lystes to iust and many gee to runne the caryar but in the ende he that goeth best caryeth away the pryce and who aryueth soonest gayneth the wager Euenso you ministers of the Church forget not so to runne the cariar of this mortall lyfe that you aryue in time to winne the rewarde This councell which the Apostles giueth is not of will but of necessity For that better should it be to the man of the Church neuer to haue entered religion nor taken the habyte if he perseuere not in that he hath begene and is carelesse to kéepe that hee hath promised In the last supper that Christ made wyth his Disciples after he had sayde vnto them Vos isti qui per man sistis mecum in temptationibus meis gaue them then his comfort Et ego dâ—spono vobis regnum Séeing you and no other haue continued wyth mée in my trauelles and troubles following mée also in my greatest daungers Bée you assured that your place
fruit more liked by how much it is incorporate in the vertues and name of an excellent patron In which respect knowing that there shines in your Ladiship a vertue of learning and iudgement as doth the pearle in the gold that your mind is diuinely enclined to the coÌ„templation of vertuous studies I beseech you let this be admitted amongest the publike monumeÌ„ts of your vertue though farre vnworthy of your noble desire yet beeing couered with the winges of your authoritie and name it may bee holden so much the more perfect and plawsible by how much it is an imp grafted in the soyle of your greatnes and enritched with the golde of your name and vertues Referring the faultes rather to the infirmitie of my skil and knowledge then to my desire and will which is wholly dedicated to the seruice of your right honorable Father and his house At my chamber in the Blacke Friers in London the fourth of February 1575. Your honours humbly to dispose and commaund Geffray Fenton The contents of euery perticuler Chapter TO the gouernour Angulo doclaring many good doctrines with other consolations to such as are widowers fol. 1 To Sir Peter Giron banished into Oran comforting such as liue in exile 4 To Don Frederique of Porting all Archbishop of Saragoce and Viceroy of Catholiogne wherein the author commends to him a letter of the Emperour M. Aurelius 11 To the Duke of Alua contayning an exposition of a text of the Apostle with other antiquities 14 To Don Fardinando do Toledo to whom are expounded two authorities of Scripture and the custome of the Egiptians in the death of their friends 17 A discourse before the Emperour Charles the fifth wherein is handled the pardon that Christ demaunded of his father for his enemies 19 To what purpose or ententions tended all the speeches of Iesus Christ 20 That when Christ gaue pardon he left nothing to forgeue 22 That God was wont to be called the God of vengeance and now is he named the father of mercy 24 A discourse afore the Emperour wherein is touched the conuersion of the good theefe 27 The good theefe hauing no other thing to offer to god offred him his hart and his tongue 32 How wickedly the euill theefe spake hanging on the crosse 35 The good theefe rebuked his fellow hanging on the crosse 37 A discourse expounding this text of the Psalme Irascimini nolite peccare 42 For such as enter into religion 47 An other discourse tending to religion 49 Instructions still tending to men entred religion 52 This discourse was vttered in the presence of a noble Lady at her churching 53 A discourse in the presence of a great assembly of noble Ladies of the good and euill that the tongue doth 55 A letter to a great learned maÌ„ answering to certaine demaunds 62 Demaundes and aunsweres 62 Touching the warre which a man makes against himselfe 65 Plutarch to the Emperour Traian a letter tending to instruct Princes newly raysed to principalities 68 The Emperour Traian writeth to his teacher Plutarch debating that albeit a good man may be banished yet he is not for that dishonored 70 The Emperour Traian writing to the Senate of Rome discloseth the trauels of Princes in their gouernements 71 The Senate of Rome writeth to Traian their Emperour partly to aunswere to some particulers of his former letters and with all expressing documeÌ„ts necessary to the instructioÌ„ of a Prince 75 Of the great reuerence giuen in times past to auncient men with certaine priuileges appertaining to old age 77 To a noble personage touching the difference betwene the friendship of men and loue of God. 79 In this letter is debated the difference betwene a seruaunt and a friend 81 A letter to a noble personage wherein is debated why God afflicts good men 83 The author vnder termes to reproue his friend that had charged him to haue taken out of his chamber a Pomander speaketh iustly against such persons as delite to be perfumed 85 A letter to a perticuler friend rebuking all such as offer outrage or iniurie to any that are new by conuerted to the faith of Christ calling them infidels or miscreants or by any other name of reproch 88 A letter to a nobleman touching familiarly how inconuenient it is for a man maried to haue a womaÌ„ friend besides his wife 90 A treatise of the resurrection of Iesus Christ together with an exposition of the fifth article of the Creede that he discended into hell and rose againe the third day 93 Touching the resurrection of Christ 101 Certaine meditations and considerations vppon the resurrection of Iesus Christ 103 Certaine testimonies of Pagan authors seruing to approue christian religion written in forme of a letter to a noble man. 107 The Originall of tiranny and Idolatrie together with the punishments of tirants and Idolators how Abraham was chosen chief of the Hebrewes 112 The author aunswereth a congratulation sent to him vppon the gift of a Bishopricke 117 There are no greater riches then honour nor pouertie more intollerable then infamie 120 The author modestly reprehendeth his friend for not yeelding to his request 124 A letter aduertising Parents not to be carelesse in the education of their children and that a man of honestie and vertue ought not to suffer ill resort or leude demeanor in his house 126 The author writeth to his sister seruing in the Court partly hee instructeth her how to liue in Court and partly satisfieth her request vnder a short discription of loue 127 To a noble man in consolation for the death of his daughter in law 130 A discourse written to a great Princesse of the vertues and life of the noble Queene of Zenobia 133 Touching diseases and the discommodities which old age bringeth 135 One friend writeth to another of the rage of enuie and the nature thereof 138 One friend rebuketh another for that of a gentlemaÌ„ he is become a marchant this letter tendeth to the rebuke of couetousnes 141 A letter in consolation declaring the discommodities of Anger the benefites of pacience 145 A discourse of the ages of mans life 150 A continuing of the discourse begon wherein is brought in an other opinion 153 VVhich of the opinions is most worthy 154 The conclusion of this discourse wherein the author is resolued that there be but three ages 156 Considerations for Iudges criminall expressed in a familiar letter from one friend to another wherein is vsed a necessarie authoritie of a Philosopher 167 A discourse of the antiquities of Corinth with an exposition of the prouerbe Non cuiuis contigit adire Corinthum 160 That we ought rather to present before God the loue which wee beare him then the seruices we do to him 162 A short letter partly in rebuke and partly in persuasion 165 A letter to a daintie Lady faâ—â—e sicke for the death of hir little Dogge 657 To an old gentleman enamored of a young Lady this letter toucheth the perplexities which
the Prophet was culpable for vsing scilence and Cayn condemned because he spake by which we may gather the great necessitie we haue of wisdome to vse time to speake and time to suffer scilence For as the trée is known by his fruite the vertue of a man discerned by his workes so in his wordes and spéeche are disclosed the qualitie of his wisedome or simplicitie And as Iesus Christ in all his actions was no lesse pacient to heare then moderate in speaking so we finde not in scripture that he euer deliuered worde in vaine nor neuer helde his peace but for feare of slaunder And although it be a miserable compulsion to vse scilēce in things which we haue desire to disclose yet considering scilence bringes sewerty and conteines in it selfe many other goodly thinges let vs stand restrained to the two seasons which Socrates aloweth without reprehension the one is when we speake of that which we manifestly know and the other when we haue in hande thinges necessary In which two times onely as speache is better then Scilence so in all other Seasons experience approueth that we ought to preferre scilence afor speaking To what purpose or intentions tended all the speaches of Iesus Christ THe wordes of our Sauiour tended eyther to the prayse of his Father as when he humbled himselfe in this speach Confiteor tibi pater or to teach men what they ought to do when he sayd Beati mites or else to reprehend wickednesse and sinne when he cried vae vobis legis peritis So that when he was not occupied to giue prayse and glorie to his Father nor to preach doctrine nor to rebuke vices it was then he was setled in a deuout and holy scilence The Hebrewes led him to their consistories a fore thrée iudges that is to say they brought him to the Palaice before Herod to the Bishops house before Annas to the trée of the crosse before his Father at which place only he spake and in the others he vsed scilence and therefore afore the two first tribunals he was accused of crime because he held his peace standing as aduocate afore the thirde he spake And albeit right great infinit were the works which our Redéemer did from the time he was taken till he was crucified yet his wordes were fewe and his spéeches in very small number the better to teach vs that in time of tribulation and aduersitie we ought more to séeke our consolation in a holy and deuout patience then to preferre or expresse great eloquence Christ then being vpon the hill of Caluary not onely condemned to death but very nere the passion of the same hauing his flesh pearced with nayles his hart burning in zeale and loue cryed to his father Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt as if he had sayd Oh eternall father in recompence that I am come into the worlde and in consideration of the preaching that I haue made of thy name In satisfaction of the paynes and crucifying that I endure and in respect that I haue reconciled the world to thée I require no other reward but that it may be thy good pleasure to pardon these mine enemies who haue sinned to the end I should dye and I suffer death because they may liue Forgeue them since thou knowest and all the world séeth that in my bloud is payde and satisfied their crime with my charitie I haue raysed and put them in my glory so that let my death be sufficient to the end that no other death haue more place in the world Pardon them since thou knowest that the death which triumphed in the crosse and by the which I am nailed to the same is crucified heare in this trée by meanes wherof oh euerlasting Father I beséech thée estéeme more the charity wherein I dye for them then the malice by the which they prosecute my death Forgeue them Oh heauenly Father since if thou considerest these my enemies in the nature and merite of their sinnes there will not be founde in the furies of Hell tormentes worthye enough to punishe them Then better is it Oh gracious Father that thou Pardon them since that as there was neuer the lyke faulte committed so shalt thou neuer haue occasion to vse the like mercie And séeing my death is sufficient to saue all such as are borne or to bée borne those that are absent present deade and on liue It is no reason that these heare should be shutte out from that benefite being a thing of most equitie iustice and right that as my bloud is not spilt but with thy consent so also by thy hands it should be well employd In this we haue to note that Christ sayd not Lorde pardon them but he sayde Father forgeue them as discribing this difference betwéene those two estates that to a Lorde belonges properly to haue Bondemen Subiectes and Vassalls and the name of a Father presupposeth to haue children so that he required his Father not to iudge them as Lorde but besought him to pardon them as a Father Christ also sayde not condicionally Father if it be thy pleasure forgeue them but he prayed absolutely after himselfe had forgeuen them that his Father would Pardon them by which example we are put in remembraunce that the reconcilement which we make with our Enemies ought to be pure absolute and without affection Besides our Redéemer sayd not singulerlie Father Pardon him but he spake plurally by which we may be informed that as he prayed not particularly for any one in priuate but generally for all so his blood dispersed on the crosse was not only sufficiēt to redéem one onely Worlde but to satisfie the Raunsome of a Million of Worldes And out of this misterie may be drawne this construction that our Sauiour praying generally for all expresseth himselfe so liberall to geue and so mercifull to pardon that when he forgeues a sinner any offence he pardoneth with all his other crimes It is not also without misterie that Christ sayd not I forgeue them but besought his Father to Pardon them For that if the Sonne onely had pardoned them after his death the Father might haue demaunded the iniurie because that if the Sonne had forgeuen them he had done it as a man where the execution of the iustice remayned in God but as the deuine worde yea the liuing Lorde hath perfourmed this pardon with so true a hart so hath he not suffered that there remaine in it any scrupule And therefore he besought his Father to pardon them to the end that by the humanitie which he endured and diuinitie which suffered it his enemies might be at the instant absolued and we others haue hope to obteine remission ¶ That when CHRIST our Lord gaue pardon he left nothing to forgeue IN lyke sort we haue to note that Iesus Christ required not his Fathere to pardon them after his death but besought him to forgeue them at the instant
in the Companie of Robbers dyd suffer a slaunderous Death yet it was not for the he had any communitie with the offences of the théeues and much lesse suffered for his proper crimes but for the Sinnes of the Worlde Quae non rapui tunc exsoluebam I make sayth Christ by the Prophete satisfaction for the faltes done by others others haue eaten the Apple and yet I paye the price of it Though I haue committed no Crime yet mine innocencie is put to punishement Yea where others haue troubled the commonweale I am committed to iustice and hauing no nature or effect of offence in me yet I passe vnto death for the sinnes of the whole Worlde Right iust was the occasion of our Sauiour to holde such argument For that if they crucifyed him vnder a most smarting and infamous death it was not for that he had deserued it but to the ende that by it mankinde should be redéemed This théefe sayd not with sewertie that he was Christ and therefore by making wicked doubt question whether he were the sonne of God or not he deserued not with his companion to be made a Christian But the good théefe making no doubt of his omnipotencie sayde absolutly Lorde haue remembrance of me and therefore was not onely adopted to Christianitie but also there was ioyned to his fayth recompence of eternall saluation In the same maner S. Peter said not if thou be Christ I wil beleue in thée but he protested in bolde fayth and cryed J beleue that thou art the Sonne of the euerliuing God For who will receaue the grace and blessing of God his fayth ought to be without scrupull or doubt he that wil obteine any thing of god saith the Apostle it apperteines to him to aske it with a faith that is not doubtful for if God giue vs not forthwith that which we demaunde of him it is more for that we know not how to aske him then that he is harde to grauÌ„t our requests Let it then be farre from vs to say with the wicked théefe If thou be Chrict saue thy selfe and vs also but let vs rather with the Blinde man of Hierico say Oh sonne of Dauid haue pitie vpon vs For so shall we be made to sée with the blinde man and not caried into damnation wyth the Théefe Who in saying to Christ Salua te met ipsum et nos thought to perswade him to leaue the Passions of the Crosse and put himselfe in libertie and deliuer him from death For this was the opinion of this wicked théefe that euen as Pilate put on him the senteÌ„ce of death for his thefts and roberies euen so also there was no lesse guiltinesse in Christ as béeing vntruely holden a Seducer of the People and a man contrarie to the common Weale And therefore he thought that as the Terrors of Death made him vnwilling to dye so also there remayned in Christ a desire to lyue longer Wherein his error was so much the greater by how much he considered not that ther was necessitie of Christs death for the redemtioÌ„ of the world for which cause though he wished to liue loÌ„ger yet our sauiour desired the present stroke of death according to his owne words to his disciples Desiderio desideraui hoc pasâ—ha manducare vobiscuÌ„ at other times sayth he I haue celebrated with you this feast the which at this preseÌ„t I esteme to be truly passeouer in holy scripture The doubling and reiteration of a worde is a signe of vehement and great desire the which was wel expressed in the zeale of our sauiour who by this phrase Desiderio desideraui published manifestly that he had no lesse desire to dye for vs then most desirous to redéeme vs For of that nature was his thirst and desire to ouercome our perpetuall death that he expected nothing more then the houre wherein he might employ for vs his most holy and vndefiled lyfe There was great similitude and likenes betwéene the blasphemie of this wicked théefe and the request of the Jewes who willed him to descend from the crosse and they would all beléeue in him wherevnto if our sauiour had condiscended and abandoned the agonies of the crosse al the world had stand crucified with death sinne and the perpetuall perplexities of Hell Oh wicked théefe Oh people hardened and obstinate if Christ had come down from the crosse according to your requestes or if he had deuided himselfe from the paines of death following the blasphemous motion of the condemned théefe much lesse that it had bene happie with any sort of people but of the contrary Hell had bene alwayes open for you and the gates of Paradise perpetually closed agaynst our posterities For the Lorde came not to descende but to mount and ascende not to eschew the crosse but to dye vpon it Cum exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum sayth our Lorde Iesus Christ Because now I goe Preaching from one countrey to an other and that I haue my ryches dispersed you cannot haue knowledge of my might nor of the vertue and benefites that are in my power But when you sée me elected and chosen to the crosse euen in the same place shall be my treasure This spéech truely is of great admiration for the good sort and leaues no little feare to the wicked Omnia traham ad me ipsum by the which we are instructed that who will obteine any thing of Iesus Christ ought to aske it vpon the crosse For neuer was the Lorde so liberall as when he was Crucifyed at no time so rych as when he was Naked nor at any time so mighty as when he was condemned to death All these treasures did Christ bring with him from heauen to earth and from the earth he recaryed them with him to the trée of his suffering and being there he dispersed them through out the worlde so that he that is found most neare the crosse of our sauiour on him is bestowed the most plentifull rewarde it was on the crosse that he recomded his soule to his Father his Church to S. Peter to Nicodemus his body and to the good théefe the ioyes of Paradise it was on the crosse where he commaunded the Sunne to hyde his lyght the stoanes to breake the vayle of the Temple to rent the graues to open and the dead to ryse agayne which carieth an assured Testimonie that in his death was wrought the effect of our lyfe it was on the crosse that he spake to his Father gaue comfort to his mother had remembrance of his Disciple pardoned the beléeuing théefe and illumined the centurion to the end he might know Iesus christ to be the redéemer and confesse himselfe a sinner it was on the crosse where his side was opened his bloud shed where he shewed most plentifully his charitie expressed most myldly his patience and vsed greatest clemencie Yea it was the place where his death tooke ende and our redemption receaued beginning Lastly
make great accompt either to be called to the Religion by the will of God or to come to it by any necessitie or misaduenture For the Seruaunt of God which trauelleth towardes his saluation in a religious lyfe ought not to remember so much how God called him as to consider wherefore God called him There be many religious men in Monasteries and elsewhere who atribute much to themselues for that they entred religion in infancie others chalenge more for that they tooke the habite in the heate of their youth Some there are that ascribe to their aduauntag for that they professe an order very strayt and reformed and others for being the followers and Disciples of men of holy lyfe And many there be with whome it is no small reputation to haue continued in Religion thirty forty or fiftie yeares and they in respect of their prescription holde all others but Nouices Yea most of them sticke not to referre all their perfection to the long time they haue dwelt in Monasteries hauing no regarde to the little they haue profited in them But to enter Religion in infancie in youth or in olde age to the man of God ought to minister no occasion of aduantage or estimation ouer others but rather let him as a good steward make a good accompt of his time and trauell more in the studie and seruice of God then to kéepe reckoning of the yeares of his continuance For what estimation can prescription bring to any man when he can shew no fruite of his time séeing that much more doth the religious man deserue for his knowledge and humilitie then for his olde age or continuance Judas remayned thrée yeares in the Apostleship of Christ and thrée houres and no more dyd the good théefe hang by our sauiour on the crosse and yet by faith we are assured that more did profit the théefe those thrée hours in torments then the thrée years did good vnto Iudas being a folower of Christ In the parable of the vineyard in the gospel was no more hire geuen to him that wrought from morning till night then to those that entred the vineyard at the last houre whereby we are instructed that our merit or not merit standes not in the seruices which we doe to God nor in the little or great charitie which we expresse but chiefely as it please his goodnes to accept or reiect vs All the Apostles were called by Christ before his death sauing S. Paule yet who doubtes though he was the last in vocation but that he was euen the first and chiefest in perfection because he laboured more then all the rest So that albeit to enter religion in infancie in youth or to remaine there long time can not be but commendable yet vnder this condition that it be not to this ende to haue a greater portion in the profites but to be more humble in their profession Beware therefore you that he Auncientes in houses of Religion that you fall not into the deceits and circumuentions of the deuill who in recompence of the great nomber of yeares that you haue dwelt in religion the many temptatiōs that you haue endured there will perhappes go about to pay you with the best chamber in the Dorter make you proude with the first voyce in the chapter Which you must eschew for that how much lesse comfort and cherishing you haue in the estate of religion so much more is your perfection and reuerence In like sort in the good religious man ought to appeare no vain glory for the he professeth the habit of a strait order or a vocation of liberty or whether he be obseruāt or cloisterer for the perfectiō of the Gospell consistes not in the monasterye wherein we enter but in the good and holy lyfe we lead The children of Jsraell worshiped one onely God in Egypt and being come into the lande of Promise they reuolted and misknewe him So that in what place so euer we are let our vertues geue dignitie to the house and not the place seduce or alter our deuotion Albeit Joseph dwelt amongst the Egiptians Abraham amongst the Chaldees Tobias amongst the Assirians and Daniel was cruelly handled amongst them of Babylon yet were they alwayes holy and happie And by them we are taught that to the perfect man the whole worlde is his Monasterie as of the contrarie the prophane and wicked man of his Monastarie makes a worlde The same appearing in many wanderers delighting in change and to raunge from one house to an other vnder couller of perfectiō which more properly may be called temptation they are not without their excuses and haue ready tongues to blame their gouernours for that their Monestaries are not reformed complayning perhaps more by opinion then that there lackes perfection For there is no place in the world so prophane where a man may not labour to be good if he will or which to the man of God helpes not to the seruice of his perfection Let not the seruant of God also be glorious for that in his order he was estéemed of holy lyfe For great is his shame to be taught by a good May ster forget to follow his vertues farre greater is his abuse if he be renoumed for holinesse and be founde an Hypocrite Dathan and Abiram had Moyses to their maister Achab had Helias Ananias had S. Peter and Judas had Jesus Chrict who albeit they heard their wordes and Preachinges yet dyd they little profite by their Doctrines And as in workes made by mans hande we haue a custome first to prayse the worke and then the workeman that made it so touching a lyfe religious it is to small purpose for a disciple to beare prayse by his mayster The good Religious man ought not to vaūt if the Lord cal him more to one religion then to an other for after that a man be baptized there is no estate in all the Church of God wherein the good man may not be saued and the wicked condemned And therfore to take rather the habite of S. Benet then of the Augustines to professe more the Dominicanes then the Franciscanes and to follow the Charterers rather then the Trinitaries or Mercenaries or to be affected more singulerly to one order then to another I hold it of smal difference since the albeit they are al habits aūciētly instituted by holy parsonages yet in truth they are but traditional subiect to alteratiō chang wher Christs religiō is of it selfe pure firme simple hath no affinitie with outward obseruations ceremonies So that as God doth more consider the hart of him that serues him then the habite which he beareth So I thinke that any man that is a good Christian delites in the true swéetnesse of the gospell may enter into what religion he will haue libertie to beare such habite as best sets forth his grauitie For for men to chuse the habit of one religion more then of another ought to
yea the souereigne delight of mortal folks is the solace of their lyfe and the greatest terror they suffer is the opinion and conceit of death Beastes exercize generation fruites returne séedes to their planter corne yéeldes his graine of increase and birds leaue egges in their nestes And all for no other reason then that knowing they can not alwayes liue they leaue others to liuein their place yea for no other purpose doe men beasts eate drinke sléepe and execute their other naturall actions then therby the more to preserue and pamper lyfe and with more securitie to prolong and shyft of death And for that in generall experience nature loues her conuersation and abhorreth all thinges hurtfull to her increase we sée there is nothing more comforts the man that is sicke then when he is tolde that he may eate of what his appetite lykes best euen so there is no worde that doth more amaze or mortifye him then when he is put in remembrance of his mortalitie and to prepare his conscience for with one woorde he hath sewertie of lyfe and wyth an other he heareth his sentence of death Whereof was verifyed a right true experience in the good king Ezechiell to whom in one houre in one house and to one person euen to himselfe was pronounced by the Prophete Esay that he was condemned to death and that GOD had eftsoones giuen him Pardon So that hauing deserued by the grauitie of his sinnes that GOD should take his lyfe from him God afterwardes through the fulnes of his mercie and consideration of his teares and repentance found occasion to pardon his death how incensat and rude soeuer any creature is yet we sée he hath iudgment to eschew the fire that burnes him to auoyd the Laborinth made to his distruction not to clime with desperate perill those high rockes from whose tops is present effect of death whereunto by what other reason is he induced then to preserue life which he holdeth deare flée death which nature teacheth him to feare The brute beast fléeth death and yet he is of a condition not to iudge of the worthines solace of life but to man nothing is more deare then life of al other thinges he holdeth death in most terror for that liuing he knoweth what he is being dead he cannot tel what shal become of him since after death there is no restitution no more then a trée once hewen downe can be eftsoons replanted Frendship the office of societie require that we wish to our frends much habilitie might power but with a greater affection we wish them long life yea this stands in common regard with vs all rather to séeke to prolong our lyfe thē encrease our welth not to make a greater care to augment our treasor then to continue our dayes which being true what a wonderfull prouidence of God nature is this that the confidence of life death consistes only in the tong who hath the same office in the administration of the life of man which is incidēt to the portall or wyket of a great palaice thorow the which do enter al things that we eat vse by the other do issue all that we thinke and speake So that it holdes good conformatie with the saying of the Wiseman that lyfe and death are in the power of the tongue since lyfe is at the portall of our Palaice readie to depart when death striking on the hamor of our conscience séekes to enter yea there is no part of our bodie wherein we stande more subiect to daunger of lyfe and death then in our mouth and tongue for that they being the open gates of the tower and truncke of the bodie lyfe may go out without speaking and death hath libertie to enter without knocking Habemus thesaurum in vasis fictilibus sayth S. Paule as if he had sayde Oh what payne haue Christians to beare in féeble and frayle vessels such precious treasures as fayth in the vnderstanding charitie in the will pietie in the handes loue in the hart chastetie in the bodie and lyfe and death in the tongue Yea they are vertues infused into vessels corrupt and appoynted to consociate members putrifyed who being so daungerous to be managed and most easie to be broken what suretie or gard is there to the lyfe when in the mouth is found no gouernement and to the tongue is denied the gyfte of secrecie For hauing no boanes to controule it nor senewes to restrains it what science or meane hath it to doe that we commaunde it or how can it reteine and kéepe secret thinges which are referred to his trust and confidence Therefore to the man that feareth death and desireth long lyfe it is necessarie he minister gouernement to his tongue lest he know not how to prolong his lyfe and much lesse finde out where vpon his death may come Salomon then sayde wisely that death and lyfe were in the power of the Tongue Meaning that as to some men the tongue hath saued their lyfe so in others wicked speach hath wrought the occasion of their death For that to a Noble minde an iniurious worde doth more hurt then a great cutte or wounde of a swoorde on the bodie of a barbarous or rude man And to proue by many examples and figures in the Scripture the operation of the tongue in the action of lyfe and death we reade that Cayn béeing asked of God why he had slaine his Brother Abell In place to repent him of the fact and aske Pardon of God he sayde that his fault was greater then that Gods mercie could forgeue it against whom S. Augustine cryeth vehemently that much lesse that the mercie of the Lord could be inferior to the fault of Cayn séeing that to pardon and forgeue is a thing proper to God and to reuenge and punishe is farre estranged from his nature So that there is no doubt but greater was the offence of Cayn in the wordes he sayd then in the Murder he did since if with the stroake of the swoorde he tooke away the lyfe of his Brother by the Blasphemie of his tongue he gaue death to his soule To kil his Brother was euil done but to dispaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the deuill for that more doe we offende God to estéeme him without mercie then in any other sinne we commit against his maiestie Some of the Jewes Crucified Iesus with torments and some with their tongues in whom I thinke was déeper effect of sinne then in the rest that pearced his bodie with nayles For that they layd their handes on him by ignorance but the other fylled their tongues with false testimonie Blasphemed Crucifyed him by malice It is written in the Prophete Esay discoursing vppon the fall of Lucipher Quia dicebat in corde suo in coelum conscendam et super astra dei c. Because thou hast sayd Oh Lucipher that thou
shall bée prepared at my table and I will béestow you in the height of my glory to the ende you may there haue the fruition of my Diuinitie This truly is a most highe and great mistery for the Apostles to follow Iesus Christ hauing abandoned parentes and friendes countrey and goods yea renounced their proper willes God thought them not worthie of recompence so much for that as for that they perseuered till the ende he sayth not to his Disciples you are onely they that are tempted but you haue remayned wyth me in my temptations Wherin he giues vs to know that in the other worlde none shall haue place at the table of God but such as perseuere in him to the end One of the priueleadges which God giues to his friendes sayth Dauid is that no temptation shall haue power to chaunge their mindes nor any aduersitie be hable to make them giue ouer the good they haue béeginne vntill the ende For that the gyft of constancie is of many desired and of few obteyned And therefore to béeginne a good worke is the custome of good men to pursue and follow it is the office of the vertuous But to leade it to his ende and effect is a pryuileadge mearly appertayning to those that be holy and Religious And to speake the truth wyth what industry so euer we enforce our selues and vnder what wéening so euer we presume yet to resist an ill we are to tender of harte and farre to moueable of condition So that right happy is it with those that shall heare Christ say You are they that haue perseuered wyth mee and therefore you are regenerate and shall enioy wyth mee for euer the perfect ioy and felicity A resolution of certayne famyliar and naturall questions wyth apparant coniectures and tokens of death I Would your importunities were as iust as my excuses are reasonable so should the contencion be easely resolued whether be greater my faultes or your complaints In him that makes request it is easie to find wordes to speake for that he speakes in desire but to whom the sute is made belongs great discretion for that all denials are hatefull not so much by the merit and consideration of the cause as for that the affection of the sutor may be corrupt Which I do not alledge here to the proofe of your fault for that in our friendship should remaine no faction nor yet to iustifie my excuses if they beare not both reason and innocencie Assuring you that séeing it pleaseth you to make a triall of my wit more for exercise then possibilitie of knowledge I wil ioyne my self to your fancie not so much for necessitie as to kéepe vse of my imperfection You aske me wherefore men containe greater corpolencie and substance of body then women I say it procedes of the heate which is more aboundant in the one then in the other For heate being of a nature td encrease and swell giues vnto men a greater perfection in stature and nature then to women whose humors being tempered with cold makes their bodies lesse substantiall and of more infirmities You would know how it hapneth that of foure Elements the fire and the aire are incorruptible and of the contrary the earth and the water are subiect to corruption To this I sayd it is of necessitie that all thinges intangled with corruption are first made colde but the fire cannot suffer cold for that it is an enemie to cold and the aire albeit sometimes bring forth cold yet it is alwayes full of fire Where the earth and water hauing their temperature of cold and heate are subiect to corruption by the nature and qualitie of their composition You aske whereuppon it commeth that oftentimes we shrinke and enter into a cold after we be deliuered of our vrine The reason is this so long as the vrine being hot remayneth yet in the bladder neither the bladder nor the partes about it can féele any cold but the bladder béeing discharged all the sayd partes are eftsones filled with an aire more colde then was the vrine for there is nothing voide in nature And that aire occupying the place of the vrine causeth naturally the shiuering and cold that wée feele You would know how it hapneth that when we fare very cold cōming hastily to the fire to séeke warmth we feele a griefe or ache in our finger endes and warming vs by leasure we haue no mocion of paine This may be aunswered by experience that when we passe out of one countrary into an other mutation is great as may be séene in trées who being plied bowed by litle and litle breake not but strayning them by force they rent in two euen so the heate that is within holdeth the cold out repulsing withall the moysture and so one contrary is resisted by an other The same béeing the cause that receiuing warmth by litle and litle the heat within comes out is not hindred by the cold which causeth the lesse sence or féeling of paine But in receiuing suddenly the warmth of the fire we do by violence draw out a great heat and by the repugnancie that it findes with the cold not fully gone bringes no small paine to the partie You aske me by what reason most women the first and second month that they are with child haue that disordered appetite to eate coales and other strange thinges The reason of that appetite is that nature hath drawne downe all the bloud of the woman to helpe to forme the fruite in her wombe Which bloud being corrupted makes also the stomacke pertaker of his vice and corruption By which occasion the stomacke being pressed with such matter so corrupt requireth all meats that are vaine lothsome ta +king his lust desire to many things according to the qualety or impression of the matter wherewith he is charged For if it abounde with an humor malancholike which is blacke it formeth an appetite to coales such like things if it suffer aboundance of sharpe fleame it bréeds a lust to thinges sharpe and eger the lyke iudgement being proper for all other humors To your demand why women and Eunukes haue their voice so small and shirle I say it procéedes of the quill or pype of their wesand which being strait cannot be enlarged by reason of the humor whereof it is full and heate onely hath power to make it wyder For as we sée out of little and small phyfes come a voice cleare shirle And out of smal trunks the lowdest sownd Euen so is it of the pype of the wesand which by reson of his subtlety is called lowd or shirle You aske me why such as conteine but meane stature are for the most parte more wise then those that haue great bodies That may be by this reason that in a little body the senses spirits are always better vnited cōpact then in a great where in a greater by reason they