the other As for Honesty or Piety here the bodies of Oppressor and Oppressed Builder and Seller of Churches Blasphemer and him that feares an Oath rest alike and sleep as sound the one as the other And what is the Result of all this experiment of Death and its Review back on life but that of David Psal 39. 5. 6. that Man even in his best Condition is altogether vanity But to proceed to the Discoveries of this Experiment as to the present or future which is now all one as being unalterable and for those that dye interested in the Conquest over Death they now Experiment it to be to their Bodyes a welcome Quietus est or sleep to their Soules a ravishing waking into cleare Dispellings of all Doubts a joyfull Release into most welcome Liberty and an Admission into unchangeable Possession of all Desirables 1. It is a sleep binding up like the lesser snatches of Rest and Drowsings in Life all sense of Molestation from any thing without and of those dead in the Lord Revel 14. 13. is that of Ambrose concerning the grave true in quo mollius ille dormit quisquis durius in vita se gesserit It is a Bed so the Welsh call the Grave wherein he rests that was before acquainted rather with a wearinesse than a life but if you will sublime the Speculation with Picus Mirandula it is a Rest from the Spirituall Drudgery of Sin for so he welcomed Death not as an end of Trouble but Sin nay it is a pleasanter sleep than all the dreames of life it being in deed 2. The truest waking of the Soule no such opening of our eyes as this closing them by Deatâ—h Mysteries will then appeare as cleare as Demonstrations that Grave dust is excellent Eye-powder take a Seraphicall Fancies word shewing us then the Trinity shall be as visible there as the Incarnation was on Earth and that was visible for the very Divels saw the Son of God through that case of Humanity Our Authors words are these Thou hast but 2. rare Cabinets of Treasure The Trinity and Incarnation Thou hast unlockt them both And made them Jewels to betroath The Work of thy Creation Vnto thy selfe in everlasting Pleasure The statelier Cabinet is the Trinitie Whose sparkling light Accesse denies Therefore thou dost not shew This fully to us till Death blow The dust into our Eyes For by that Powder thou wilt make us see We shall then more wonder at our Doubtings having such a sure word of Prophesie than we now do at the Mysteries when the most intricate and ridling Articles of our Creed shall shine in glorious and undoubted satisfactions Now truly begins the Soule to feele what before she believed and that she hath not believed in vain but that he was faithfull that promised What Joyes must they be when what the Soule then feeles shall for intension be Raptures and for extension Eternall If you would read Conjectures of them almost Ecstatically pend peruse Sir Kenhelm Digby's Rapture in his Treatise of the Immortality of the Soule examine the Truth and what is the life of a Christian but his Exile from his Country at best a Wardship thy last day is the first the Soule comes of Age and dyeth into Possession of thy long lookt for Inheritance What gladsome Experiments will this Change bring from a life of vaine Pleasures false Honours bootless Hopes unsatisfying Riches stormy Contentments Surfets of Excess pinching Necessities Comforts carefully procured of fleeting abode and sad Departure to Pleasures that no more know Definition or Description than Termination being as unexpressable as endless Honours above Blazon Possessions of no lesse than of that All that is all in all God himselfe and of them a Lease during the Eternalls life Indeed to the Righteous death shall prove but an Anagram of vexing Thornes for triumphant Thrones But that these are not brags let Testimonies of dying Saints confirm and no lesse illustrate what kindes of Experiments we may expect in this Change of Changes Some of them I shall borrow from Mr. Wards life of faith in death and we may call them Intelligence from the Spies of Eternity seeing and tasting the Grapes of that Canaan and that in Janua Ditis in the Porch of Death or Suburbs of Heaven differing much from the vaine glorious Ignorance of some resolute Heathen that have met Death with a Rashnesse blindly rushing on the sad Changes that troop after this Pale Horse or from some stupid blockishnesse incident to many even among Christians venturing on it as Children or Mad-men on Dangers without feare or wit for these sure Adventurers have on more mature deliberation encountred this Terror of Terrors and with undaunted Courage have forgot the tendernesse of Age or Sex so that as among Histories humane Lives of all other are accounted of singular use So in Christian History the Deaths of good men cannot but be the most usefull discoveries of this Experiment of dying beyond all the wrangling Conjectures Disputes and Subtleties of School-men or Doctors of Theorys and beyond all the Discoveries in the Duncery of Life Begin we with Simeon and you heare him experimenting it a long'd for departure implying his life to have been a kind of unwilling stay had it not been sweetned with hopes of having Heaven in his armes below before he was taken up to it Cyprian praiseth God at his death for his approaching Goale-delivery Jubentius and Maximinus Martyrs call'd it the laying off their last Garment the Flesh but a kind of undressing themselves for sleep Marcus of Arethuse hung up annointed with Honey and in a Basket exposed to the stinging of Wasps and Bees calleth it an Advancement saying to his persecutors How am I advanced despising you below by these three Experiments this terrible of all terribles as Aristotle calleth it hath more of Invitation in it than affrightment of the Banished to a home the sleepy and weary Traveller to his Bed nay of the Ambitious Soule to Advancements That the Epicure may not feare death nay love it let him get that Martyrs Pallat as it is storied of Mr. John Bradford that embracing the Faggots said to his fellow Martyrs be of good cheer Brethren for this night we shall have a merry Supper with the Lord. Of Death the lazy need not be afraid for no bed of Down or Roses so pleasant if you will believe Paynams dying Testimony the time when Incredulity it selfe will scarce deny men credit I feele no more pain saith he in the middest of the fire then if I were in a bed of Down it is as sweet to me as a bed of Roses Would the Chymist be glad to have his Coales turned to Pearles if his aimes faile of turning his Brâ—ssâ— to Gold This great Operatour Death can do it if you will believe Noyes kissing the Stake and saying blessed be the time that ever I was born for this day and saying to his fellow Martyrs we shall not lose our lives
Law and History are not wanting to answer or confute opposers and some of them to say truth have not undertook the Cause effeminatly Plutarch counted it worth his paines to bestow A whole Booke de virtutibus Mulierum of the vertues of women and I cannot conceive a better way to rectifie the conceits of Men concerning Them or their owne concerning themselves than to let them see what the wiser part of the World have Thought they were or should be and out of both History and Precept Example and Rule no doubt we shall digge a Touchstone to try this Load stone by that is to try who they be deserve truly the Title of Magnetick Lady whether the Herauld call her Madam or no begin we with some few Intimations from History For the Female-policy of the Trojan women Plutarch fronts his examples with who can but acknowledge its double Wit cunning in the Designe and Subt-lety in the Excuses when being Sea-sick after their Romings from fired Troy and how ever wandering-sick set their shipps on fire where their Husbands Landed there Resolving to fix their aboad as burning up likewise all hopes of Returne but look on their Wisdome in quenching the other Fire they had kindled in their Husbands passions and justly by unwonted Embraceings and never till then used Kissing Them on their Return from their discovering the Land The first Kissing as my Author saith had it seemeth honest Plot in it it is by many suspected to have Designe in it still both good and bad viz. Endearings minted currant according to the lawfullnesse or unlawfullnesse of the Love they would procure Here was an Act at first out-witting men and then seconding it with an over-winning them to Pacification and having nothing so ready besides offered their Lips to the Goddesse Viriplica or Appease-Husband which the Roman Dames sacrificed to upon any domestick Differences between them and their Husbands and to their offended Husbands with wished Successe For Fortitude in Women which the Male Braggadocios think entailed to the Breeches the same author brings those Women of Argos who on Instigation of a valiant Shee wit and Poet Telesilla took up Armes maintain'd the Wallâ— and repell'd the Enemy with losse Was not here both Mercury and Mars Wit and Valour Poetry and Fortitude and all in Long Coats And it is observable what Solemnity they kept in Memory of it even those Hybristica Sacra in English their upbraiding Festivalls wherein the Women wore the Breeches and the men their Wives Apparrel Wil you have them preaching and that to some purpose otherwise than our Shee expositours in these Dayes peruse a following story of those Persian Dames that seeing their Army give ground with that known circumstance asked them whether they would returne into their Wombs againe with wâ—ch short Lecture they shamed them to a Rally and Victory both in honour of which Cyrus when he after obtained the Towne ordained the King should never enter the Town but should give each Woman in it a Crowne which Alexander twice performed Will you have them Counsellours our Authour sheweth they stood not out at that too The Celtae falling into Civill broyles were when no other means could by their Wives Arbitration reconciled on which that compact was made with Hanniball if the Celtae had any thing to say against the Carthaginians they should appeare before their Judges and Officers of the Army but if the Carthaginians had ought against the Celtae the matter should be debated before the Celtun women That they can command as well as counsell We may heare crowde in an Example to be found in the same Book of Justin that our last Story of the Persian women was in it was Tomyris that defeated that great Conquerour Cyrus giving after it his headfull when cut off of blood with that known Saying Satia te sanguine quem sitisti take now thy fill of blood thou Blood-thirsty man For Modesty to go on with Plutarch what men ever parallel'd that of the Melesian Virgins that through some strange Morbificall Distemper of the Aire and so of their Braines as was conjectured or some Discontent of Minde did make away themselves in Numbers notwithstanding the Entreaties of Friends till at last a law was politickly made that they that made away themselves should be carried naked about the Market-place Haec lex sancita non inhibuit modò sed abolevit omnino illam quâ virgines laborabant Mortis Cupiditatem We would wonder saith Plutarch how suddenly this Law did not onely abate but abolish this Frenzy in the Virgins so much did they feare shame before a life bitterer to them then Death and as it appeared more dreadfull But into those Historicall Evidences take some out of Valerius Maximus who abounds with exemplary Conjugall Virtues in Women of which take a Tast How affectionately did Portia take the Newes of her Husbands Death when wanting other Instruments of Death by burning Coales swallowed down she put out that Lampe that Griefe alone could not quench that novum Sacramentum Pereundi as Quintilian that new way of dying was counted among Conjugall Virtues where its Scene lay She was indeed a truer Mourner than the Widdow in Petronius Arbiter that notwithstanding that obstinacy in griefe begun for sometime continued and for longer resolved drank Consolation and new Nuptiall Heates out of the Souldiers Bottle of Wine Hipsicratea presents her selfe next a rare Example of Matrimoniall Association in bad as well as good Fortunes trooping with her Husband Mithridates in mans Apparell ruffling her incomparable Beauty with Hardships of Weather venturing her life and â—endernesse through Perills that might daunt even Masculine Courage A Comfort saith my Author to her Husband when beat out of his Kingdome Cum Domo enim Penatibus vagari se credidit Vxore simul exulante Thinking himselfe at home as long as she sweetned his Exile with her Company A Parallell to this Camerarius affords in his Historicall Meditations of one Bona that first served the Eminent Commander Brunor whom I onely name because her Name mâ—y serve for all such Wives for such her faithfull Services preferr'd her to at last that at first served him in the Wars upon a liking he took to her Spiritednesse the Story more at large see in that Author But the example of the Myniae in Valerius Maximus presents us as some former Examples in Plutarch with Virtuous women by whole Sale especially in that Conjugall Affection who when their Husbands were condemned and they went under pretence of taking leave of them changed Apparell whereby their Husbands escaped leaving their Wives to abide what ever might follow To which Story Camerarius likewise hath a Parallell above Parallell At that Siege wherein Guelphus was hemm'd in by Conrad the Emperour and at last driven to miserable Conditions viz. That none should passe out of the Town but some Women and that with no more than they could carry whereupon the Dutches
which the Criticall Agony of Nature in acute Diseases doth somewhat resemble and let them judge whether they would take her for a skilfull Mid-wife should lay her Woman to sleep or give her things to check her Throwes because they were painfull Such Physitians are our shee Doctors that some times preposterously administer Coolers in Feavers It were endlesse and bootlesse to Reason them out of their Crosse-grained Methods to whom Sense is a Riddle and Reason Paradox Only this must necessarily follow Hit or misse must be the only Dance of these Shee Practitioners and suspicious the successe where blind is their administration of Remedies because to an unknowne Disease and especially which is another grand miscarriage where one Remedy shall serve not only the severall Times of the same Distemper but severall Diseases and distempers scarce agreeing in appearance how ever differing in Causes and Subjects wherein they are Sexe Age Constitution c. maketh no matter with them Their Receipt-Book is as universally indifferent as A Church-Booke with this difference in the one you may read Peoples beginnings but in the other their Endings are virtually contain'd as effects in their Causes If Diascordium faile them have at Mithridate if that faile them then Enter my Lady Kents Powder If that faile toll the Bell these must be given to all sorts at any time for any distemper with this Apology they are safe they can do no hurt if they do no good A Character I could wish true of either the Physitian or Physick although apparent Mischiefe is done in letting slip the Opportunities of more proper courses by Evacuations or proper Antidotes which are thus spent in doing often contrary seldome good and most commonly nothing by their delayes dallying with violent Diseases whose Assaults are Batteries and stormings that admit not of Parlies In more milde Diseases that have more Deliberation than these Physitians their course doth as litle regard Indications or Instructions from the Disease Causes Patient or Symptomes What worke will they make with a Sore eye proceed it from hot or cold Cause they have an Eye water and that in the singular number that shall make them like the deceitfull promises for Bats bloud see as well by night as Day till the Patient can see nothing but that his Physitian was a Foole. To conclude this Onenesse of a Remedy to speake in the Language of as arrant Ignoramuses as themselves causeth singular Mischiefe in mens Bodies while like the Asse or Mule in the Embleme they strive to lighten Nature of her Burden all one way be her burden Salt or Wooll The Emblem is Camerarius his in his second Century Embl. 74. out of Plutarchs solâ—rtia Animal Tom. 3. p. 67. The Mule laden with Salt accidentally touching the water with his Burden was presently eased of it the Salt melting away making his observations like these Shee Empyricks thought to do so when laden with Wooll but to his heavinesse found it otherwise the wet encreasing the weight of his Load and after would suffer no Burthen to touch the water Whether the Asses folly or these Empyricks skill be the Emblem of the other is hard to say The Folly of that Asse was by one experiment corrected but the folly of these is daily repeated notwithstanding the Knells of the Dead and Reasons of the Living clamour their Conviction and their pertinacious Ignorance Malè cadentia iterum tentare libet to use Senecas Phrase will put again to Sea after many Shipwracks I could wish they would therefore at Length learne the Distick annexed to the Emblem in Camerarius Lana Sali haud eadem est neque Spongâ—a mersa sub undis Discernit sapiens Res quas confundit Asellus In wetting Salt and Wooll there 's difference found The Wise distinguish what the Fooles confound Well in the discerning part and prescribing their skill hath been a litle enquired too for an exact survey would swell into a Volume too vaste Would you 〈◊〉 what 's their care for Diet on which â—â—â— pocrates hath bestowed so many Aphâ—â—â—â— mes they either think not of it 〈◊〉 their one Aphorisme for all 〈…〉 what his Stomack servath him 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—lessenesse that bringeth Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to some as the carelesnesse of the first â—â—man in her Diet did to us all it was at first the sinne and now it is part of the punishment for it increaseth the Sicknesse and beckens Death to mend his Pace but I hasten mine to examine the second Article of Peoples Creed concerning our Petticoat Practitioners that is their Good will It is generally believed they do use their little or no skill in meere Charity and for the good of such as will not or cannot go to these Chargeable Doctors and Apothecaries Whereas on stricter Scrutiny this Benevolent Practise will appeare to be begun in vain glory and to end in injuriousnesse and that to more than the Patient 1. How discernable is it to be an Itch to be Counted somebody how amply do they think themselves rewarded to have it said such a good Woman Gentlewoman or Lady gave mee that did mee good when it had cost mee I will not say what on Doctors and Apothecaries what it costeth their Husbands in a yeare in Glasses Stills Herbes Coales c. to cure I cannot say but cherish this Itch their Purses can best answer but no means can claw it off while Pride sticketh to them as close as their skinnes Were it meerely to do good on that Principle they might set themselves on more proper works as making Shirts and Smocks for the Poore and such like Managery of their Needle or Wheele Employments commendably within their owne Sphear for the good of the needy I much doubt they that will send sometimes of their Syrup and Waters will scarce afford the Electuary of Beefe or the Cordiall Julep of a messe of Broth to the empty Belly I could allow them the cure of the Collick and Winde comming from emptinesse in the almost starved Guts of the Poore Nay if a Begger would perhaps beg something for the Ach of his Teeth he shall have it but nothing to set them a going The fame of Curing them is greater then of Comforting them with Food and that is the very principle of their Charity of these liberall Shee-Doctors The Physick of Almes I allow them but am out of charity with their Almes of Physick by their owne hands with the former they may feed Christians but with the latter they too often with Christians feed the Wormes Or if they would be charitable in this way let them pay for the Physick of the poor the noblest way of giving Physick and will have its Fee from Heaven Thus a Founder of an Hospitall giveth more Physick then any Physitian in the World Thus doth Queene Elizabeth to this houre give Physick in Saint Thomas Hospitall in this way I wish the number of Shee or Hee Physitians increased But let these other kind of Plentymongers that
obey their Message and the Messenger shall be discharged Sometimes they come to fetch away some Sin let them have their Errand with them and they are gone Only when they come as Refiners of thy Drosse or gilders setters off of thy Graces wish not their Removeall for it would be the greatest Crosse to be without one The do Little worth Little A Do yra el Beuey que no ara Whither goeth the Oxe that will not plow The Spanish Proverb knocketh that Oxe on the Head that will not plow Doubtlesse the willfully Vselesse Man is better in the Earth than on the Earth Lazy unprofitablenesse must look for its Slaughter-house in the other World if it take not a New-Gate in the way here if necessity betrayit not to such self-punishing courses yet Idlenesse beckeneth to sinnes of a worse Nature Upon the Couch of Idlenesse expect the Sinnes of Sodome It was never a good world since Employment was counted mechanick and Idlenesse Gentility Since Gentleman and Labourer took their Leaves The ingenious Germane in this shameth the most of his Neighbour-hood in Christendome counting the Idle man no Edleman no Gentleman and therefore instruct their noblest borne in some Art if not labour it not being indeed Disparagement for the best bloud to be acquainted with Sweat out of a hot house or without the help of a Diet Drink The sad Descant DEsque naci llove y cada Dia nace porque When first brought forth we cry Each Day brings forth its why History affordeth examples of Soules Prophetick at and before their Death but by this Spanish Proverb Every one calculateth his Nativity truer than Astrologers and sentenceth his own future fate by crying at his Birth not comming only from the Bodies Monopathy or sole suffering by change of i'ts warme Quarters but according to some from Sympathy with the divining Soule that knoweth it selfe for a Time banished from the Father of Spirits the God that gave it into a World elemented with Sinne and misery the following Dayes being but Division and Descant on this plaine Song Lachrymae teeming with Causes of sorrow if not for punishment yet for Sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If one Day prove a Mother the other is a Step-Mother dying daily into the succession of each other Mirth endeth in Dulnesse if not Sadnesse Griefe againe hath its intervalls the saddest notes their Pauses and Rests The Sisters Web of our lives is checkered with Vicissitude The whole peece proving but a medley of Light Shadow The one of these Mothers is welcome the other we must not strike nor by Impatience provoke With thy good Dayes be chearfull in thy bad Dayes be Serious not sad nothing we can suffer from without being worth one minutes Disquiet of so noble a Thing as the Soule which then commeth neerest its Originall the nearer it commeth to Immutability Let not therefore Sun-shine Dayes betray thee to naked Security or wanton forgetfullness of change nor blustring ones so muffle thee up in a Mourning Cloak as if thou wert following the Funerall of hope Sperat infestis metuit Secundis Alteram sortem bene praeparatum Pectus informes Hyemes reducit Jupiter idem Summovet How doth Horace his Harpe and Davids agree the one telleth us the same Power bringeth the Joyes of the Spring that sent the unwelcome hardships of Winter the other assureth us our sad Vespers are succeeded with the Comfort of Festivalls If griefe lodge with us over night Joy shall be our Day Guest Well since I must quarter the forces of two Garrisons it will be prudence to dissemble the unwelcome of the one and silently to welcome the other not knowing which may at last get me into a sole subjection to them He that will not be injured by either must provide for both The thrivâ—ng Craft THat golden-mouthed Father was a rare Spokes-man for the Almighty's Box such are the poore when he said Nescis quod non tam propter Pauperes quam impendentes Deus instituit Eleemosynas that God commanded Almes not so much for the Poores sake as the good of the Rich which with a slender Descant will appeare The Poore man getteth a corporall Refreshment Rayment or Food The Rich if he keep his left Hand in Ignorance and his right Hand in Actions of Liberality receiveth Interest not only exceeding but excelling the Principall Thy Lone or rather Restitution what is it but Coloured Earth and Drosse and thy Reward O Mercy rewarding its owne Gifts viz. The Almes and the Minde to give beareth no imaginable Proportion for a Cup of Cold Water Waters of everlasting Life For thy cast Clothes the Robes of Christs Righteousnesse for thy Scraps the Bread of Life and that in fullnesse of Joy for ever more Chrysostome might well call this Nobilem Prodigalitatem a Noble Prodigality as another calleth Almes Artem omnium Artium quaestuosissimam An Art the most thriving of all Arts. It is so gainfull it is very hard to be honest in the exercise of it that is sincere Sincerity being nothing but honesty towards God without regarding our owne Profit more than our Brothers Necessity or Gods Command Nay the Almighty often maketh present Payment knowing how hardly he can get credit from our Infidelity and even in temporalls Thy Bread cast upon the Waters maketh better than East India Voyages and returneth back to Thee Laden with Improvements Thy Corne given to them with whom all yeares are deare the Poore is more advantagious than Corne sold in the greatest Dearth even by a Monopolist Such is the Mystery of this â—raft where God is Debtour and Man Creditour that Present payment is the least and worst the Lender oweth more than the Receiver The Poor whose prayers are heard bestowing more than he receiveth and his Box is more the Rich mans treasury than his one wouldest thou have a Policy on Heaven of thy uncertaine Riches make the Poore thy Ensurers Parlour Divinity OUr Table is a Book on which is written Gods bounty our Frailty and our Hopes the first readeth Thankefullnesse the second humble sobriety the third Comfort As for our Frailty what rotten Tenements are our Bodies that need Reparation twice in twelve houres keep the wind from them and Childrens Houses of Cards will stand longer How do our Meales then upbraid our Designes we repast as if to live but to day every Meale being but the renewing of our Lease for twelve Houres longer and we build as if to live for ever but againe for our Hopes How is our living for ever assured by the severall Deaths of Creatures for thy use receiving a kind of Resurrection to life from their common Sepulchre thy stomack Look on thy full Table as a Mortuary of the dispeopled Elements where their slaine are hudled up and all to extract Reparations of Life for thee In their Progresse behold thine through Corruption to Resurrection and feare not Death that thus but dresseth Thee for Immortality Mercy 's Hyperbole
THe Reward of Afflictions is the Hyperbole of Mercy all wee can suffer here being not a moity of our deservings what infinite Mercy must that be that maketh even our Punishments meritorious for while Man suffereth for his sin if he suffer according to Gods wil his sins increase not his Punishments faster than these inhaunce his Glory hereafter Patient bearing the chastisement doth more please than the fault did displease Omnipotent Mercy that thus workest good out of evill Our Reward out of our punishment Our pleasure for ever hereafter out of thy Dis-pleasure by us here What is this but to bestow on the Offender a Dignity for his deserved whipping and to give the Theefe A Paradice for being crucified for his Robbery Of the 2 d. Decade Amigo di Bocca Non vale una Estoppa A Friend at the Bottle Not worth the Stople THe contract of Soules and Mindes by Friendship is not like Dutch Bargains made in Drink Hee whose Friendship reacheth no further than the Club will no more doe for thee than pay for thee How many Protestations of Love Swim in the Cups of Men that will suffer thee to sink under any Adversity Of all verities in Vino in Wine Veritas Amicitiâ—â— the truth of Friendship is not in it give me the Love that is contracted out of some likenesse of Mindes and conditions that unlikenesse of Fortunes cannot obliterate that owneth a Friend though his Cloaths be as old almost as his Friendship and his condition as low as even Enemies could wish that Friendship is worth little that continueth not to a discreetly chose object though now worth nothing as to the market of the World That Friendship only will have no End that in its first contracting had no by-End The best Revenge MAlice sleighted looseth as the Bee with its sting its life take notice of it and thou makest thy selfe thy Enemies inferiour Nemo enim non eo aquo contemptum se judicat minor est Confession of being hurt maketh thy Enemy know he is revenged on thee The Oracle of Policy Tacitus found a subtle Revenge Injuriae spretae exolescunt si irascaris agnitae videntur Slighted injuries dye whereas anger confesseth thy hurt and therefore must needs increase thy adversaries content A rule for politick Revenge â—o universall that it reacheth even to the silencing of Scolds there being questionlesse no better silencing of a Billinsgate noise then with a Drum Injurious spirits are oft galled with Arrows they shoot at others if they stick not in the mark they may recoyle upon the Archer Cum dolore caedentis solida feriuntur Senec. de Ira. 3. 5. Hee that striketh a Wall may hurt his Knuckles Christianity commandeth us to passe by injuries and policy to let them passe by us By the former we are lesson'd to take no notice of the injurious by the latter to take none of the injury both or either preserve us from injuring our selves by disquiet For would we revenge then true is that Embleme of the coursed Hare and Grey-hound with this Motto Agitas agitaris at ipse thou troublest me but art troubled thy selfe Thy minde it may be is troubled to vexe thy Enemy in Body Liberty or Estate c. If we take notice of injuries by complaints as we vexe our selves we rejoyce our Enemy our teares are his Wine our lamentation his song That Quicquid recipitur recipitur in modum recipientis things are as they are taken is here most true The weak minde being troubled at what the resolved one would slight with that of the Philosopher Deridet sed non derideor He derideth but I am not mockt Resentment is as it were the formality of an offence if thou doest good for evill thou makest a Bonefire on thy Adversaries head sadder then firing his House if thou takest no notice of the evill his vexation is increased and thy quiet not diminished He was the wisest doubtlesse that said Anger rested in the bosome of Fools for by this Maxime it is its owne Torment and the Offenders pleasure If not Christian love of our Enemies politick love of our selves will quiet Revengefull agitations Since it is a doubt whether Sheepish meeknesse or Womanish tendernesse in apprehension of Injuries do more double the assaults of Malice the noble scorne that intimateth a sense with contempt is that meane that placeth a man above Injuries In the serenity of that Superior pars mundi ordinatior ac propinqua sideribus quae nec in Nubem cogitur nec in tempestatem impellitur c. upper part of the World and orderly neerest the Stars it is neither cloudy nor tempestuous That knoweth no mutiny of the Elements They are lower-Region soules that admit of heats and colds at the cross occurrences of businesses or waywardnesse of Men it is a Magnifico gate of spirit as I may terme it not to mend or slack our pace for all the barking Currs great or small and was in King Antigonus who over-hearing the great Provocation slanderous rayling onely bade them speak further off least the King should heare them Another time lighting on free-tongued company and afterwards guiding them brought them into the Dirt but helped one out and bid him revile Antigonus that brought Him thither but love Antigonus that brought him out To conclude Seneca's Rule is good Aut Potentior aut imbecillior Te laesit si imbecillior parce illi si Potentior parce Tibi If the Injury be from Peeres or Inferiours spare them if from thy Superiours spare thy selfe so shalt thou reap in the one the Honour of a forgiving Spirit in the other besides the Noble and lawfull Revenge of scorne provide for thy calme security which thy Enemy would disuiet and for anger or thoughts of Revenge think on the Philosophers Dilemma Vtrum aliquando desines aut nunquam will thou leave them off at all or never if at all why not leave thy Anger as well as that leave Thee if never judge what an unquiet life thou hast sentenced thy selfe to Give therefore Injuries one of these Entertainments either as a Christian Conquer them by forgivenesse or as a Politician revenge them by contempt that is as I said passe by them or let Them passe by Thee Observ 10. of the 2 d. Decade IT is a Pride that hath the vexing Nemesis and Vengeance of discontent following it to think wish or expect Things to fall out according to our wills alone as if we were of that grand Concernment that it were some lapse in Providence not to choose us Natures Arbitratours or Sole Disposers of Events no it is an Oraculous Truth that of EPICTETVS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latine it if you will with Martials golden Rule Epigram lib. Quod sis esse velis nihilque malis Will Thy condition still Whether a good one or an ill Wish Events according to the Canon of Vicissitude or secret order of the grand Disposer and thou shalt alwayes have thy wish This is