all others both in the composition and application of his Druggs for as an Ignorant or Cheating Apothecarie may commit a great â—…rrour in the first Concoction so the attenders may be guilty of great mistakes in the application especialy in the matter of Catharties and Phlebotomy for I have known some weak Patients purged to Death by a double or triplâ—… Dose above that which should have been given as also some rash 〈◊〉 to send their patients out of the world by drawing too much of their blâ—…od in it for example in the beginning of an Hectick Feaver when the vigouâ—… of nature is no wayes decayed its fit to evacuat so much Blood as may sensibly abate their preter-natural Heat and Drought but if ane inconsiderable Surgeon draw no less than is usually due in a Pleurisy He will hurrie the Patient the more speedily to his Grave In fine since there be some specificks the due proportion thereof is confined to some few Graines let the Doctor trust no other hand with the Scales than his own for I knew an ignorant 〈◊〉 who gave such a prodigious quantity of Laâ—… to a poor frantick Woman as might have killed an Horse and would undoubtedly have caused â—…he Patient in lieu of 4 dayes to sleep to the sounding of the last Truâ—…pet unless that drugg had been found to be verie old and corrupt in the Apothecaries pot whereby it had lost much of the natural Vertue of a Paregoric FAB CCXI. Page 182. This Vultur is a lively Emblem of a Lyâ—… â—… 〈◊〉 a â—…olyphemus and of the old inhabitants of Tauriea Chersonesâ—…s all which were â—…o inhuman as to murder their guests a good man who is naturally apt to beleeve protestations semblable practices of kindness credâ—…lity bâ—…ing the great unperfection of honest hearts is no doubt brought into a great 〈◊〉 as our Author hath well observed when suspicions of the dishonesty of his friend are suggested to him Yet great soules have judged it inconsistent with true generosity to distrust their old friends and it framed well with some of them Thus Alexander the great as Quintus Curtius informes at large being advertised by his eldest captain Parmenio that His principall Physician had been bribed by Darius Codomannus with a verie great sum of money to poyson his royall Master the first time he gave him any Physicke yet Alexander took the medicinall potion with the one hand and gave his Physitian the said line with the other to read and in the mean time drunk the Potion to the bottom such was the confidence of this royall patient neither did his trustee disapoint him a parallel to this great confidence wee find long afterwards in the Emperour Trajan who being informed by some that his old friend a Roman senatour had a designe upon his life he went the next day to the senatours house privately without any of his Guards and told him that he was come to supp with him but before supper said the Emperour to his friend I must make use of your bath and of your barber and having come home verie late He called for those informers now said he you may perceive that you are all guilty of a caluminous accusation for if my old friend had any design upon my liâ—…e he had never a better opportunity than was afforded him this day for by his Slaves He might have smothered mee in the bath by his barber He might have cut my throat or by his Cook he might have poysoned me so that I having returned safe and sound ye may perceive the falshood of your information But the famous Dion who was the principall actor in drâ—…ving Dâ—…onysins the younger from his Tyrannical nest at Syracuse ruined himself with his too great confidence in Calippus the Athenian whom he trusted above all the world and being informed by his nearest relations and that again and again that Calippus had a design upon his liâ—…e yet he still answered them that he would rather choose to dye a thousand deaths than to distrust his old friends he was I confess the more inveigled by the manie tears and oaths of Calippus to persevere in his former trust and good opinion of his friend yet notwithstanding of these reiterated protestations that old treacherous villain when he found oportunity dispatched that brave and good man in hopes to obtain the Principality of Syracuse to himself but iâ—… this He was not only disappointed but shortly afterwards justly killed with that same dagger where with Dion had received his mortal wound as is reported by Plutarch in the Historie of His life FAB CCXIII. CCXIV. Page 184. The Crow thinks Her own Issue fairest is an old proverb which the Commentator doth well extend not only to the Fruit of the Body but also to the productions of the Brain it being verie observable that all the pretenders to those faculties which depend mostly on the imagination such as Poâ—…sy Musick and the Art of Limning or painting be they never so great Bunglers at them they imagine themselves to be excellent so did Dionysiâ—…s the old Tyrant of Syracuse as to Poesy tho' he was the worst at it that ever did it for who knowes not the bantering of that rigid Philosopher Carrie me back again to the Quarries how soon He heard Him read but a line or two of a new Poem he had made and beleeved it to be much better than the former which the Philosopher had derided and I dare say that pitifull Scots Rymer Mr. Zachary Boyd thought Himself as good at the Poetical Trade as ever his Countryman Buchanan was deemed to be tho' the one was as good as could be found in any nation if wee beleeve the famous Ios. Scaliger and without breach either of Truth or Charity it may be said that a worse could not be found any where than was the other For all Nero's divine voice as his parasites termed it with his incomparable dexterity in handling the Lute as his Sycophants also soothed Him and His Quantus Artifex pereâ—… which were the last words He spoke in this world yet if he Had been as poor as some Fidlers are I dare say He would have earned less dayly wages than some of them have done and it s verie possible that Vesâ—…asian afterwards Emperour would have heard them more placidly than He did His Lord and Master in the Amphitâ—…eatre at Rome for it had allmost cost Him His Life because that Divine Voice forsooth had not preserved Him from sleeping A Sâ—…ythian Prince was justly deemed a beastly Dunâ—… for preferring the Neigâ—…ing of his own Horse to the ravishing Music of the famous Musician â—…smenius but if Nero had been the Competitor it s verie probable He should neither have been termed a brute nor a blockhead Paulus Iovius tells us that it was one of the great Divertisements of Leo Xâ—… to call for the worst of Poets of Musicians and Painters that were to be found in all Italy and to make them believe
Valentinian II. Thus We find at last the Mysterie of the purple Dream unriddled and to conclude if Constantius had considered and believed that Maxime of an old Philosopher That it 's simply impossible for any Man to Kill his Successor He would not in all probability have endeavoured by such inhumane Means to interrupt the current of that stream which may easily over-flow the greatest but cannot be stopped by any FAB CX Page 103. Here He might have taken occasion to narrate that story of the Golden Tripos which some fishermen haled to land in their Net instead of a fish in the Time of the seven wise men of Greece which being successively refused by them all it was at last dedicated to the Priestess of Apollo at Delphi to be set upon that Chasma of the earth from whence they had their Oracular Evaporations FAB CXIII Page 106. It was an usual expression of Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Truth thereof is verified by the far greatest part of the World who are mightily afraid of Death especially voluptuous Persons who make their Bellies their Gods are most unwilling to have that sensual Idol torn from them when they are in full possession of all its endearing Circumstances O Death saith Syracides How bitter is thy Remembrance to him who is sitting at Ease in his own house and enjoyes the World at Will But it 's much more admirable to find a Man that 's surrounded with Misery to be unwilling to go to that Place where the weary be at Rest Yet I my self knew one who was as miserable as any man in this World can be supposed to be for he was in the further side of LXXX and besides the usual Infirmities of a decrepit Age He was most pitifully tormented with Nephritical pains yea with such frequent and violent Fits of the Gravel that He hath been heard crying at a great Distance as for his external Condition in the World He was a most indigent Beggar who would undoubtedly have starved many a Time if charitable Neighbours had not succoured Him I did visit Him on his Death-Bed and well knowing all his deplorable Circumstances I doubted not in the least but that He was very glad of the Approach of Death to rescue Him out of the Jaws of extreme misery and having demanded the same of him I heard Him with great Admiration say That if it were the Will of God he could be content to live yet a while longer for all his misery which I could not possibly impute to any other Principle than the Natural Horror of Death and that more Spiritual one of a bad Conscience Yet I judge the Conclusion of the Commentator too general as to all those who improve the lawfull means in order to their Recovery as if they were most unwilling to die who call for Physicians Apothecaries and Surgeons He fancies them to resemble for all the World Lewis XI of France who had such an infinit Dread of Death that if We believe Philip de Comines there was nothing that sounded so terribly to his evil Conscience as the very mention of that Fatal word But he should have considered that they Sin against Nature who spurn at the Means when they are in a Capacity to use them it being a true Maxime of the Casuists That the means are ours but the event is Gods for I have known some good Christians that were so weary of the Fable of this World as Epiphanius usually said and had so little Kindness for this natural Life yea were so desirous To be dissolved and to be with Christ that if their Consciences had not commanded them to use the Means they would have rather chosen to have dyed more than once if it had been possible than to have endured the Fatigue of medicinal Applications which minds Me of the famous Consul Marius who being both pained and deformed in his legs with that Distemper that Physicians term Varices He having to all outward Appearance suffered most patiently the Lanceing and Cutting of one of them when the Surgeon addressed to the other He told Him that these Incisions and Amputations were not worth the while and since Death was the worst of it He would choose rather to die than undergo so much Trouble again Yea more than so if all true Christians were not convinced that the Lord of Life hath fixed Us here away as a Sentinel at a post who must not remove without his Captains Order I am fully persuaded that some of them for any Dread they have of Death would not be shy to imitate that Roman Senator who being informed that the monster of Nature named Nero had determined to put Him to a tormenting death He resolved to anticipat the Tyrant's Malice by starving Himself to death and having intirely abstained from all Kind of Food the space of five or six Days one of his Friends came and told Him that he was misinformed For the Emperour had no bad Design upon Him therefore subjoined he all your Friends are resolved to come and sup with you this Night and we will make a merry Night of it for your escapeing so great a Misfortune He answered that his Friends should be allways welcome to him but when they were assembled all their Oratory could not persuade Him to take one Morsel of Bread nor one Dram of Wine tho' some of them urged him with that Aphorism of Hippocrates Famem Vini Potus solvit and for His Pertinacy he gave them this Reason That He was now within the Confines of Death and had already a full Vieu of that King of Terrors and since He knew infallibly that He behooved once to pay that last Debt to Nature He would not be at the pains again to begin his passage thro' that dark Trance of Death but hoped within 2 or 3 Days to grapple with his Adversary tho' He knew before hand what the Event would be even to be laid flat upon the Ground by his invincible Enemy FAB CXV Page 103. They who are curious may find many other pertinent little Stories to this purpose in Plutarch his Treatise of Brutes having some Use of Reason whose general Topic is very plausible it may appear says He to be the general Sentiment of Mankind in calling Dogs Horse c. mad which undoubtedly in Man imports the Privation of the Use of Reason FAB CXVI Page 108. In my weak Judgement this Fable militats as much if not more against the unhappiness of Successive as of Elective Kingdoms it being very rare to find Electors so infatuated as to make choise of an Infant of a Female of a deformed Creature of a mere Simpleton who is deform'd both in body and mind or of a notorious Coward or finaly of one that is odicus in the Eyes of the World for brutish Sensuality and Excess Germany once stumbled upon such a disastrous Election When Wenceslaus K. of Bohemia was chosen their Emperour to the mighty Prejudice of the Empire
the Case is that Sapiens nunquam est 〈◊〉 now GOD being infinitly wise He cannot possibly be idle for one minute of Time FAB CCCXXXII Page 289. There be some who judge it a point of policy to divert people from prying into their serious affairs by giving them occasion to talk of them for some acts of Levity as did Alcibiadâ—…s by cutting off close to the rump the Tailâ—… of his well known Dâ—… at Atâ—…ns but it s a most certain truth that they who lay up their contentment on other mâ—…ns Tongues build their Happiness upon a verie slipperie foundation What other men say of us said that 〈◊〉 Greek Father Gregorie Naziaâ—…en is nothing else but what other Mâ—…n dream of us if said a philosopher I had all mens â—…ongues in my possession they should say no more than I pleased but since God and nature have giveâ—… every man a tongue to talk at random let them say what they will I will do what I think just and fit it being simply unpossible to please all mâ—…n yeâ—… the almightie himself cannot doe it till first he make all men good and usualy he who endeavours to please the most displeaseth the best even GOD anâ—… his own conscience but if a man have these two great witnesses for him he may easily commence a Process of Exsculpation against all the world for which we have the sage councel of two heathen Poets Ne Te quaesiveris extra said one of Them and the Other Hic 〈◊〉 â—…eneus estâ—… Nil consâ—…ire tibi nulla pallesâ—… Culpâ—… It s as evident a matter of fact as Sacred and human Historie can make it that the best of Patriarchs and Kings the most 〈◊〉 Prophets and Apostles and the greatest Luminaries of the Primitve Church have had their good Names sullied with the rank Breaths of the wicked yet never anie of them broke their hearts for calumnie and reproach and good reason for their generous Patience for the servant is not greater than his Lord and I desire any to find in church Historie that such vile Aspersions were thrown upon Narcissus Eustathius Athanasius S. Basil Gregorie Nazianz. S. Cyprian S. Hierom or S. Augustine tho' all of them were most basely traduced as were â—…ast upon Innocencie it selfe so that the good Christian who is too much concerned for being tossed so frequently upon the raging billowes of slander hath this to solace him that he is embarqued on that tempestuous sea with verie good companie Yea it 's verie observable that the most stayed Pagan Princes judge it only fit for Plebeian Heads to notice the rumours of the Vulgar Thus Philip of Macedon being informed that the Lacedemonians spoke everie where ill of him notwithstanding he had done them manie good offices which rendered them the more criminal and inexcusable if said he to those who advised to punish them they speak ill of me when I do well what will they do when I do otherwise It was from the wise Augustus that his adopted Son Tiberius had that sentence frequently in his mouth In libera câ—…vitate linguam mentemque liberam esse debere And learned in the beginning of his Reign to inhibit the Roman Senat from searching after the authors of calumnies and Satyrs for said he if once you plunge your selfe into that Abyss you will hardly find leasure for any thing else The best confutation of calumnie being well doing and the most effectual suppression of it is to look down upon it with contempt The Cynick Philosopher haveing given a notable Advice to a man that is most unjustly traduced labour said he to be most eminent in the vertue which is most opposit to that vice wherewith you are taxed and this will make your calumnious Accuser be accounted a notorious Lyar by all the World But this crafts master in dissimulation spoke all this strong sense to the Senate in great hypocrisie which Tacitus that grave historian as also Suet onius make appear from manie instances besides that of Creumtius Cordus at least he was farr from the practice of it diverse years before he dyed but Titus Vespasian was more sincere when he said Bona agere et mala pati Regium est For he had his own ill willers who spoke evil of him tho' He was generally accounted the Darling of man-kind but the vileness of his unbrotherly successour heightned his Excellencie in the Judgements of all Men long after He was dead as the Poet said of a good man who was ill spoken of by some so long as he lived Extinctus amabitur Idem It 's worth the while to know before We put a Period to this Particular that some Greek Pholosophers fell upon a strange Expedient as a most effectual Amulet and Antidote against the Poyson of Columnie and that is to lay it down for an inviolable conclusion that to a truly vertuous man it ought to be more mortifying to be well spoken of by the vulgar than ill reported because that beast with many heads the Mobile is much more enclyned to ly than to speak Truth and more apt to magnify vice than vertue and that they are but at the least Species Virtutibus similes which merit their esteem as for true heroicall vertues as they are infinitly above the knowledge of the Mob so above their due valuation of them It was upon this account that Phovion the last of the Grecian worthies at Athens having one day made a solemn Oration that highly pleased the Athenian people which was far from being ordinary with him when he perceived this by their shouting applause he turned to some of his freinds and said what evil have I spoken that this foolish and ignorant people doeth seem to approve it FAB CCCXXXV Page 293. I doe not think that the impious advice which Iob's wife gave her husban imported a desyance of GOD but that the meaning is if he was so desirous of death and unwilling to become Felo de Se Let him only utter some blasphemous expression and the law of the land would put him to death but this fable minds me of a wonderfull act of divine Justice recorded by a late English traveller named Mr. Gage of a Spanish Lady in America who hearing that her Husband Governour of a province of that new found World with their only son were kill'd in a certain expedition they had made against the â—…multuating Natives she presumed to utter that blasphemous expression What worse can GOD do to Me than He hath done Whereupon there gushed instantly such a Torrent of Waters from the Side of an adjacent Hill that it not only overturned the House where that wicked Lady lived but also a great Village beside it where many Thousands were overflowed so that the accursed Place like another Sodom is become a Lake of stinking waters to this day FAB CCCXXXVII Page 294. This may bring to our Remembrance the storie of Timon of Athens generaly termed Misanthropos or the Man-Hater who was indeed
congratulate with Him as a Darling of Heaven he answered verie modestly Nescitis O Amici ad quae Fata Dij me reservarunt Neither was he disappointed of his feares for within few dayes he was tortured to death by his cruell Associats whose tyrannie he thought to have dissolved by restoring the antient liberty to his People but his good designe was thus disappointed providence having reserved that Glorious work for another patriot named Thrasybulus The next instance is more wonderfull both as to the preservation and destruction of the person concerned who could not be taxed with any Immorality because he was not come to the years of discretion and that was the grandchild of that famous Saracen Prince named Almansor whom not one that ever reigned in this world exceded for morality if we believe S. Walter Raleigh in the Historie of his life which that judicious Historian says that He compyled out of two verie antient Arabian Manuscripts This renowned grandfather recommended the infant successour to the Tuition of one that he judged a verie trusty friend and servant but the old villain having a designe upon that great Empire for himself thought to have dispatched His Pupill most subtily by a most gorgeous coat that he had tinctured inwardly with Poyson which had certainly taken effect had it not been for a dream of the mother of this young Prince who was so fond of that splendid Vesture that He was just ready to put it on when she made a shift to put it upon another by whose death the Treason was discovered but tho' the Prince was wonderfully preserved at this time Yet within few dayes the infant lying in his bed in good Health there descendeda Spider one morning from the Top of it and did bite his Lipp which so inflamed that it produced a Feaver and a speedy Death and with Him ended the Glorie of the Saracen Empire which was then at the Height By an exact Geographical Computation it will be found that there was never anie Monarchy in the World preferable to it for Vastness of Dominion no not the Roman in the days of Augustus For they had a considerable Interest in Europe beside the Continent of Spain a farr greater Portion of Africa than ever the Romans had and the whole Kingdom of Persia which the Romans never subdued The former Instance verifies that of the H. Scripture that GOD's Judgements are a very great Depth tho' always just but there is no man who hath the Use of Reason but will be ready to justifie the Judgement of God in the succeeding story which concerns a wicked Robber and Murderer in France This villanous 〈◊〉 having bereaved many Innocents of their Lives did fall asleep one Summers Night at the Foot of an old Wall when He dreamed that a reverend Old Man came to Him and bid Him instantly remove from the Place otherways the ruinous old wall would fall on Him which He had no sooner done than the wal did fall but the impious wretch was so far from making a good use of that wonderfull mercie that He did blasphemously imagine that the infinite Justice did approve his wicked Courses so that He went about His old Trade and the very next Night murdered a Man then falling asleep tho' not under a wall He dreamed again that his old Monitor came to him and said to him Ah you ingrate wicked Wretch is this the thank You give GOD Almighty for your late wonderful Deliverance to return again to that inhumane trade of murdering of men made after rhe Image of GOD But now know for your terrour that it was out of no kindness to You that I warned You of Your danger but that your preservation might be a reservation to a greater Judgment even an ignominious Death before the World which within few Hours wil be inflicted upon You This profligat Villain was scarce well awakned from this terrible Night-Vision when the Officers of Iustice seized upon Him so that the very next Day he was publickly broken upon the Row as he well deserved FAB CCCCI Page 375. The exactest Parallel I know to this Cobling Doctor with the discoverie of the cheat is that remarkable storie which fell out in this same age concerning a Iew named Sabbatai Sevi who became such a grand Impostor that I believe the like of him did not arise since the days of Mahomet that Prodigy of Impostors for He had so deluded that long obdured Nation with a pretence of Miracles and divine Revelation that they verily believed He was their promised MESSIAH whom they had so long expected so that the generality of the Iews became perfectly mad for they sold all their effects here and there at very easy rates and were all upon wing for Ierusalem in expectation of that universall monarchy but when the Grand Seignior Mahomet IV. was informed that Sabbatai gave out he would lead the great Turk in Chaines to Ierusalem and upon his ruins begin the erection of his new Empire he caused bring him chained to Adrianople and then told Him that He behooved to stand naked within a very smal distance from six of his guard who were to discharge their Harquebuzes upon him and if said the Grand Seignior You catch no harm I will then believe that you can work mirrcles otherwise you must instantly be circumcised and turned Mussleman for there is no other safety for you The poor fellowes faith failed so that he made as ingenious a confession as the Cobler did to the Governour and instantly became Turk and here is an end of that noysie pageantrie of which I have given but a verie brief extract but whoso desires to see it at large he will find it in a particular treatise made by Paul Ricaut for that effect or in the addition to Mr. Knall's Turks Historie composed by that same Authour FAB CCCCVIII Page 384. In the life of Thales Milesius one of the seven sages of Greece there is a true storie almost to the same purpose This Philosopher had an Ass which from a certain place used to carrie a load of Salt for the Masters behove now there being a river in the way she once stumbled and fell therein so that a large quantity of the salt was dissolved by the water she finding her burden to be thereby considerably lightned had so much of a bruâ—…ish sagacity as to commence a spontaneous falling more than once for her own ease but to her Masters disadvantage which being observed by that wise Philosopher He caused load her with a great pack of wool so that finding her burden once and again augmented by her plunging she was afterwards very carefull to keep her feet straight when she entered into the water And that there be some old resty Jades call it policy or what you will who counterfit the Spavin or Halting that the ryder may spare his spurs a litle is well known by the experience of the world FAB CCCCXIII Page 388. Here might have