into great trouble of minde yea he grew to such a degree of despaire as that he rejected all the comforts that many godly Ministers and other Christian friends endeavoured to apply to him nay he would not permit them to pray with him nor in his Family neither would he suffer either Reading Singing or praying to be used in his house for a long time though formerly he had both liked and used all such Christian exercises and that which is most strange he sent to all the godly Ministers and Christians that dwelt neare him to desire them for Gods sake that they would not pray for him saying that it would but increase his torments in Hell in this sad condition he continued a long time till walking one day in his chamber alone he hapned unawares to sing a line or two of a Psalme to himselfe at which instant he began to feele some inward refreshing in his spirit and by little and little he grew abundantly filled with heavenly comforts in such a measure as he told all that came to him that it was impossible for any tongue to utter or heart to imagine that did not feele them Thus he continued about three quarters of a yeare injoying heaven upon earth and then he dyed in the armes of Jesus Christ Vertue and valour is the best nobility One Verdugo a Spanish Commander in Frizeland of very meane birth but an excellent Souldier being at a great Feast with certaine of the Spanish Nobility and sitting uppermost at Table as it belonged to him there being Governour of that Country some of them began to murmure that he tooke the place before them to which he thus replyed Gentlemen quoth he question not my birth nor who my father was I am the Son of my own desert and fortune if any man dares doe as much as I have done let him come and take the Tables end with all my heart Want of learning in Noble-men to be lamâ—nted Sigismond King of the Romans greatly complained at the Counsell of Constance of his Princes and Nobility that there was not one of them that could answer an Embassadour who made a speech in Latine whereat Lodowick the Elector Palatine tooke such a deep disdaine in himselfe that with teares he lamented his want of learning and presently returning home began though very old to learne his Latine tongue The meanes Julian used to destroy Christian Religion The Apoâ—â—ate Julian who made it his businesse to destroy Christian Religion betooke himselfe to the use of two principall meanes the one whereof was obstructing the wayes of liberall Education by putting down Schools of Learning that Christians being kept in ignorance might sooner be cheated of their Faith and lesse able to resist the Heathens Sophistry The other was Indulgence to all kinde of Sects and Heresies in hope by countenancing them to create such a distraction amongst Christians as should bring speedy destruction not only upon the Orthodox party but upon the very profession of Christianity Christ only inlightens the soule Were it not for the Sunne it would be perpetuall night in the world notwithstanding all the Torches that could be lighted yea notwithstanding all the light of the Moone and Stars it is neither the Torch-light of Naturall parts and Creature comforts nor the Star-light of civill honesty and common gifts nor the Moon-light of temporary faith and formall profession that can make it day in the soule till the Sun of righteousnesse arise and shine there In warre policy is better then valour The Oracle of Apollo at Delphos being demanded the reason why Jupiter should be the chiefe of gods sith Mars was the best Souldier made this answer Mars indeed is the most valiant amongst the gods but Iupiter is the most wise concluding by this answer That policy is of more force in Military affaires then valour Parui sunt arma for is nisi sit consilium domi The qualities of a good Servant The first duty of a Servant is willingnesse to learne whatsoever is necessary the second faithfulnesse in performing truly whatsoever belongs to his duty the third carefulnesse in seeking all honest meanes to profit his Master the fourth silence in tongue in not replying to his Masters speeches Men are easily drawne to vice but hardly to vertue Calistes the Harlot said she excelled Socrates because when she was disposed she could draw away his Auditors from him no marvell saith Socrates for thou allurest them to dishonesty to which the way is ready but I doe exhort them to vertue whose way is hard to finde The wonderfull power of Prayer even in our dayes At the beginning of our New-England Plantation our Country-men were driven into great streights and one time especially above the rest for the wind held so contrary that the long expected Ships which should bring them necessaries out of Old England could not come to them whereby they were brought almost to extremity And besides it had not rained by the space of eleven weeks which made them despaire of receiving any reliefe from the seed that they had sowen In this sad condition they kept a day of seeking the Lord by Prayer and of solemne humbling of themselves before him Now marke the event before they had fully ended the businesse of the day it pleased God to send them a gracious raine which so refreshed the parched earth that they had a plentifull crop from it and the next morning three English Ships came into the Bay which abundantly supplyed their wants Christ is All and in All We have all things in Christ and Christ is all things to a Christian If we be sick he is a Physician If we thirst he is a Fountaine If our sins trouble us he is Righteousnesse if we stand in need of help he is mighty to save if we feare death he is Life if we be in darknesse he is Light if we desire Heaven he is the Way if we hunger he is Bread Queene Elizabeths godly answer about Tollerating of Popery The Emperour and almost all the Popish Princes of Christendome interceding with Queene Elizabeth in the beginning of her reigne to Tollerate the Popish Religion in her Dominions and that she would suffer the Papists to have Churches in Townes by the Protestants she answered That to let them have Churches by the others she could not with the safety of the Common-wealth and without wounding of her honour and conscience neither had she reason to doe it seeing that England imbraced no new Religion nor any other then that which Jesus Christ hath commanded that the Primitive and Catholick Church hath exercised and the ancient Fathers have alwaies with one voyce and one minde approved And to allow them to have divers Churches and divers manners of service besides that it is directly oppugnant to the Lawes established by the authority of the Parliament it were to breed one religion out of another and draw the spirits of honest people into varieties to nourish the designes
GLEANINGS OR A Collection of some Memorable passages BOTH Antient and Moderne Many in relation to the late WARRE Varietas delectat LONDON Printed by R I. and to bee sold by William Raybould at the Unicorn in Pauls Church-yard neer the little North Doore 1651. To the Reader Reader THe Heart of man is unconfined in all its sublunary objects and it is like to His Vnderstanding which cannot be satisfied The more the Heart possesseth the more by Nature it desireth And the more we understand the greater is our indeavour to increase that Vnderstanding That which only gives most satisfaction either to the Heart or to the Vnderstanding is Variety The variety of Objects doth delight the Eye and the variety of Knowledge doth transport the Mind and in the contemplation of it doth nobly affect it though it can no way absolutely content it I have therefore indeavoured in this Book to give thee abundance of Delight by giving thee abundance of Variety Thou shalt find in one peice a Collection of the most acute sayings of all variety of men from the Scepter to the spade And that not taken from the repeated Traditions of outworn Antiquity but the greatest part collected from several passages even in our Age and Memory where thou shalt find many of them to be Divine many Morall some Satyricall but all Remarkable Witty and Profitable and which is presumed will give thee far better satisfaction both in the Novelty and the choycenesse of it then any Book which in this nature hath hitherto been extant Robert Groves GLEANINGS OR A Collection of some memorable passages Neither prosperity nor adversity should make us to deny CHRIST THeodoret reports of one Hormisda a Noble man in the King of Persia's Court who because hee would not deny Christ he was put into ragged clothes deprived of his honours and set to keep the Camels After a long time the King seeing him in that base condition and remembring his former fortunes hee pityed him and caused him to be brought into the Palace and to be cloathed againe like a Nobleman and then perswades him to deny Christ whereupon the Christian presently rends his silken clothes and sayes If for these you think to have mee deny my faith take them againe and so hee was cast out with scorne Death to be much remembred The Egyptians in the middest of their Feasts used to have the Anatomy of a dead man set before them as a memorandum to the guests of their mortality And therefore are Church-yards and places of buriall adjoyned to Churches and the most publike places that men women and children by the continuall beholding of skuls bones graves and burialls might be put in mind of their end A brave act of Clemency Augustus Caesar understanding of a conspiracy that L. Cinna plotted against him which was to murder him as he was at Sacrifice Augustus sent for him and before all his friends expostulated the matter with him but Cinna having nothing to say for himselfe the Emperour said thus to him That life which once I gave thee as an Enemy I now give thee as a Traytor and Parricide let true friendship from this day be between us and let us strive which of us two have the better faith and whether I have given thee life or thou received it with greater confidence A good Law against Projectors The Thurians had a Law That whosoever went about to abolish an old Law or establish a new should present himselfe with a rope about his neck before the people that if his invention were not approved he might presently be strangled The glory of the World a meer Fable When Augustus Caesar who had been Emperour fifty yeeres and lived in much pompe and glory was to dye he saw all that he had enjoyed to be but a meer Fable for thus hee said to them that were about him Have not I seemed to have acted my part sufficiently in this Fable of the World Annon personam meam in hoc mundi Fabula satis commode egisse videor valete ergo plaudite Justice how to be qualified The Graecians placed Justice betwixt Leo and Libra to signifie That as there must be indifferency in determining so there ought to be courage in executing And the Aegyptians resembled Justice to a blind man without hands blind that he might not respect the person of any man and without hands that he should not receive bribes An example of excellent Justice A Citizen of Comun in the Dukedome of Farrara being cast into prison upon suspition of Murder his wife could get no promise of his deliverance unlesse shee would give the Captaine whose prisoner hee was 200. Ducats and yeeld her body to his pleasure which with the consent of her husband she did but after the Captain had his desire he notwithstanding put him to death The Duke Gonzala hearing of it commanded the Captaine to restore the 200. Ducats to the Widow with an addition of 700 Crownes then he enjoyned him to marry her presently And lastly before hee could enjoy his new wife the Duke caused him to be hang'd for his Treachery The rare piety of the young L. Harington It is recorded of that young but truly Noble Lord Harington that he prayed not onely twice a day in secret but twice with his servants likewise in his chamber besides the joyning at the appointed times of Prayer in the Family hee meditated every day upon such Sermons as he had lateliest heard every Lords day morning he would repeat the Sermons that he had heard the Sabbath before and at night those he heard that day Two learned Fryers Two Fryers disputing how many Worlds God made One of them affirmed that there were ten worlds quoting that Text in Luke Annon decem facti sunt mundi The other looking into the Text replyed Sed ubi sunt novem The Devill rebukes sinne Seneca in his Writings inveighs very bitterly against covetous desires and worldly-mindednesse and yet in the space of foure yeers hee gathered together so many millions of Sesterces that they amounted to the sum of 2343750. 1. of our money as Mr. Brierwood hath cast it up But three Kings in Christendome Maximilian the Emperour was wont to say that there were but three Kings in his time first the King of Spaine who was a King of men because he used his Subjects as men not like beasts Secondly the King of France who was King of Asses for the immoderate exactions hee took of them And thirdly himselfe who was a King of Kings because his people would doe what they listed Basils brave resolution When Valens the Emperour sent his Officer to Basilius seeking to turne him from the Faith he first offered him great preferments but Basil rejected them with scorne Offer these things saies he to children Then hee falls to grievous threatnings Threaten saies he your purple Gallants that give themselves to their pleasures False worke false wages The Emperour Charles the Fourth
in the Market a pretty while till at length a Country-man came to her and askt if she were not Master such a ones maide who answered she was I pray then said he commend me to your Master and give him this small testimony of my love which was twenty shillings and let him send some body to fetch two bushels of Wheat which I have set up at such a shop for him and I pray tell your Master that though he knowes me not yet I have cause to blesse God for the good I have received by his Ministery so the maid bought such provision as she was wont to doe and carried home the rest of the mony to her Master and Mistris and acquainted them with this strange providence and seasonable mercy Between greene heads and grey haires truth suffers much Inter juvenils judicium senile prejudieium veritas corrumpiter What for herbs in Summer and tosts in Winter a man cannot come by what he should have Vpon a Bishop of Elies Translation to Canterbury Laetentur Caeli transfertur ad Kentum ab Eli Cujus in adventum flent in Kent millia centum Rich Parsons need not preach A Gentleman meeting with a Ministers man of his acquaintance asked him how his Master did Very well Sir said the man But Thomas said the gentleman does thy Master preach still as lustily as he was wont to doe yes Sir replyed Thomas he preaches now and then though God be thanked he need not why need he not Thomas quoth the gentleman marry Sir said Thomas he is rich enough now and may give over preaching an 't please him A Prayer against the Grace of God In Edward the Sixt's time there happened a sweating Sicknesse in England whereof multitudes dyed in a short time the Scots that traded into the Northerne parts of this Kingdome demanded what disease it was that so many English-men dyed of the Country people that had never knowne any such sicknesse before knew not by what name to call it but as 't is usuall in strange accidents said 't was by the grace of God this was presently carried into Scotland that the English dyed of a new disease called The Grace of God whereupon the Clergy assembled together and composed a Collect or Prayer against the Grace of God which was ordered to be us'd on Sundaies and Holy-dayes in all the Churches of that Kingdome 't was in Latine thus Deus Sanctus Kintagernus Sanctus Romanus Sanctus Andreas libero nos hodie a Gratia Dei a faeda morte qua Angli moriuntur and in English it was thus God and Saint Mango St. Roman and St. Andrew shield us this day from God his Grace and from the foule death that the English-men dyed upon Foure blessings came into England together Greek Herefie Turkey-cocks and Beere Came into England all in one yeare Many cannot minde heaven they are so taken up with the earth King Henry the fourth asked the Duke of Alva if he had observed the great Eclips of the Sun which had lately hapned no said the Duke I have so much to doe on earth that I have no leisure to look up to heaven Nothing got by neglecting opportunities One that had gathered together many of the Sybils Books brought them to a King of the Romans to sell but demanding too much for them as the King thought they could not agree whereupon the man burnt the one halfe of his bookes and demanded double the price hee askt at first for the remainder which the King refusing to give he burnt halfe of the remaining part and doubled the price of all againe and then the King considering the value of them gave him the price I am afraid if we forbeare to give the prayers that God askes for the peace of Jerusalem the time may come that wee may be content to give blood and our estates too and yet not do one half quarter so much good as we may now by prayer This was spoken in a Sermon by an eminent Minister of London not long before our unhappy troubles Prayer more prevalent then an Army of men Mary Queen of Scots that was Mother to King James was wont to say That she feared Mr. Knockes Prayers more then an Army of ten thousand men A good tryall of bad servants Constantius the father of Constantine the great when he was advanced to honour he had about him of his servants some that were Pagans and some that were Christians he to discover who were Christians and who were not made an Edict That all those that were Christians and would not worship the Heathen Gods should immediately depart from the Court upon this all the Pagans flockt about him And many false-hearted Christians also presented their service to him To whom he made this answer nay sayes hee If you will be false to your Gods I will never trust you to be servants to me Embassadours whether sent from Kings or from God must not be abused It is reported that Rome was once destroyed to the ground for some abuses that were offered to an Embassadour that was sent unto it And David we know never played any such harsh play in all his life as he did to the Ammonites that despightfully used his Embassadours which he sent unto them when they shaved their beards and cut their coats 'T is no lesse dangerous for any to abuse the Ministers of Jesus Christ for they are Gods Embassadours An ignorant Bishop When Popery was profest in Scotland complaint was made to the Bishop of Dankelden of one called Deane Thomas That he preached too often whereupon the Bishop sent for him and charged him with what hee had heard The Deane answered that he preached but once upon the Sunday why man quoth the Bishop if thou that hast but a smal living preach once a Sunday what will the people say of me that have a great living and preach not once a yeare But prethee Deane Thomas tell me what thou preachest so often upon My Lord said hee I preach sometimes upon the Epistle and sometimes upon the Gospel appointed for the day as it hits Tush man said the Bishop thou art a foole I le tell thee what thou shalt doe when thou meetest with a good Pistle or a good Ghospel which makes for the priviledge of holy Kirk preach that and let the rest be My Lord said the Deane I have read both the old Law and the new and I can find none but good Pistles and Gospels in the Book of God if you can shew me any that are bad I will let them bee Now fie upon thee Deane Thomas replyed the Bishop what doest thou meane to trouble thy selfe so with the Scriptures And clapping himselfe upon his breast hee swore that for his part hee never knew Old Law nor New whereupon it grew into a Proverbe in Scotland when they would expresse a very ignorant man you are like the Bishop of Dunkelden that knew neither old Law nor
knew if it were worth a halfe penny his Lordship would not part with it Remarkable Circumstances about the Kings death King Charles was beheaded in that very place where the first blood was shed in the beginning of our late troubles for a company of Citizens returning from Westminster where they had been quietly petitioning for Justice were set upon by some of the Court as they past by White-Hall in which tumult divers were hurt and one or more slaine just by the Banqueting-house in the place where the Scaffold stood on which he suffered 'T is further remarkable that he should end his dayes in a Tragedie at the Banqueting-house where he had seene and caused many a Comedy to be acted upon the Lords Day Men of publike spirits would not out-live their Countries prosperity When Titus had taken and sacked Jerusalem the Priests came to him and begged their Lives that mercifull Prince and darling of Mankinde caused them to be slaine as degewretches that would desire to out-live their Temple and Religion One good turne requires another Augustus Caesar being requested by an old Souldier of his to be present at the hearing of a cause he had Augustus answered That he would send one in his roome the Souldier replyed O Emperour I sent no Deputy to fight in thy quarrell at Philippi but went my selfe whereat Augustus blushing yeelded to his request The lively picture of our times When God raised up Luther Melancthon Zwinglius and divers other Worthies to be the Reformers of his Church At the same time the enemy of Mankinde raised up the Anabaptists to be the disturbers of his Church And the more active Luther and the rest were in labouring a Reformation according to the Gospel the more violent were Thomas Muntzer Storch Knipper Dolling and the rest of that Phanicall frenzie crue in raysing tumults and confusions and disgraceing those worthy instruments of God rayling upon them and upon whatsoever they did towards the worke of Reformation crying out that Luther was worse then the Pope and that he and his Party savoured nothing but the flesh and because these mad-headed Anabaptists could finde nothing in the written Word to defend their Errours and the tumults which they raised they fly to Revelations and Inspirations hereupon every Fish-monger begins to boast of the Spirit feigne revelations after the example of Storch and Muntzer and the Pulpit is open to every Cobler and Tinker they scoffed at the publick Sermons of the reformed inveighed against the Lutheran Faith as being voyd of good workes Muntzer the chiefe trumpet of these uproares proclaimes openly that he was raised up by the command of God for the punishment of wicked Princes and altering of politick Government his usuall subscriptions to his Letters was Thomas Muntzer the Servant of God against the ungodly Nine Pillars for the supporting of Faith David hath couched nine severall Arguments in one Verse for the strengthening of his faith in God as we may see Psal. 18. 2. 1 Jehovah 2 My Rock 3 My Fortresse 4 My Deliverer 5 My God 6 My strength 7 My Buckler 8 The Horne of my salvation 9 My high Towre The undaunted spirit of Ignatius Ignatius when he was in his enemies hands and ready to suffer Martyrdome he used this notable speech I care sayes he for nothing visible or invisible so I may get Christ let fire the Crosse the letting out of wilde beasts upon me breaking of my bones the tearing of my members the grinding of my whole body and the torments of the Devill come â—pon me so be it I may get Christ More Devils in the Country then in the City A Holy man travelling to a great and populous Towne spyed a great company of Devils in every field and about every house in the Country as he went but comming to the City he found only one Devill there who sate on the pinacle of the highest Church this Holy man conjuring him downe demanded of him the reason why there were so many Devils in the Country and but one in the City He answered That one was enough in the City because there was so much wickednesse in it that they were all his owne already and he only kept watch least there should be any alteration amongst them but in the Country the people were so poore industrious and honest that they were enforced to imploy their greatest numbers and paines to gaine them Confesse and be saved The Duke of Roan visiting his Common Goale demands of the first Prisoner he saw wherefore he lay there he answered for no offence that ever he had committed but upon malice the like answer made the second and the third and so all the rest but comming to the last he answered That he lay there for his offences of Felony and Murder expecting death as he had deserved The Duke liking his humble confession bade the Goaler take away that wicked fellow from those holy and innocent men saying He was enough to infect them all by which meanes he only escaped No matter by whom so Gods work be done Matthew Langi Arch-Bishop of Salzburg said 'T was true that many things were greatly amisse in the Church of Rome and that the whole Clergy stood in need of Reformation but that such a Rascally Monk as Martin Luther should be the Author of such a work was intollerable A good use of a wooden god Diagoras having something to boyle and wanting other fuell he tooke his wooden god Hercules saying It is now the time of Hercules that as thou hast served Euristheus in twelve Labours so thou shouldest serve me in the thirteenth and so threw him into the fire as a peece of wood Three good questions for every man to aske himselfe every night Seneca reports of one Sexius who every night when he should take his rest would ask himselfe three questions 1 What evill hast thou healed this day 2 What vice hast thou stood against 3 In what part art thou bettered 'T is not Blood but Faith that makes men noble Romanus the Martyr who was borne of Noble Parentage intreated his Persecutors that they would not favour him for his Nobility for it is not said he the blood of my Ancestors but my Christian Faith that makes me noble An EPITAPH upon Duke Hamilton HE that three Kingdoms made one flame Blasted their beauty burnt the frame Himselfe now here in ashes lyes A part of this great Sacrifice Here all of Hamilton remaines Save what the other world containes But Reader it is hard to tell VVhether that world be Heaven or Hell A Scotch-man enters Hell at 's birth And scapes it when he goes to earth Assur'd no worse a Hell can come Then that which he enjoy'd at home How did the Royall work-man botch This Duke halfe English and halfe Scotch A Scot an English Earldome fits As purple doth your Marmuzets Yet might he thus disguis'd no lesse Have slipt to Heaven in 's English dresse But that he in hope of
would become of the Bishop I feare me he would to Hell too at which the Bishop being confounded went his way Bishop Wrens unsufferable insolency When Wren was Bishop of Norwich and had put downe all after-noone Sermons on Lords dayes in his Diocesse it hapned that the Earles of Bedford and Doncaster with three or foure Lords more were invited to the Baptizing of the Lord Brooks Childe at Dallam in Suffolke which was to be in the after-noone on the Lords day the Noble-men earnestly desired Master Ash Houshold Chaplaine to the Lord Brcoks to preach which through great importunity he did this presently comming to the Bishops eares he sends his Apparitor with a Citation for Master Ash to appeare before him with whom the Lord Brooks went along to the Bishop whom they found sitting in state like a great Lord or Demy Pope they desired to know his Lordships pleasure to which the Bishop answered That his Chaplaine had openly affronted him in his Diocesse in daring to preach therein without his speciall License and that on the Lords day after-noone when he had expresly prohibited all Sermons within his Jurisdiction telling Master Ash that he would make him an example to all others my Lord Brooks told the Bishop That it was by the earnest intreaty of those Lords and his owne command that his Chaplaine then preached and that he hoped there was no cause of offence in the matter to which the Bishop replyed That my Lord Brook did very ill to offer to maintaine his Chaplaine in this saying that no Lord in England should affront him in his Diocesse in such a manner if he did his Majesty should know of it and that he would make his Chaplaine an example Hereupon he presently proceedeth against Master Ash in his owne Court with all violence no mediation of Lords oâ— friends could pacifie him till at last the Earle of Donâ—aster told him That he would complaine of him to the King if he would not cease prosecuting Master Ash since he preached by the Lord Brooks command and at his and othâ—r Lords intreaty hereupon the Bishop leaving the Chaplain falls upon the Church-wardens fines them forty shillings a man injoynes them publick Pennance in the Church to aske God and the Bishop forgivenesse and to confesse that their pennance was just O pride O tyranny The Doctor could not pray without bâ—oke When the Religious Lord Vere was suddenly struck with deaths arrow at Sir Henry Vanes Table at White-Hall as he sate at Dinnâ—r and carried from thence into a Withdrawing Chamber where he dyed a Grand Doctor of Divinity one of the Kings Chaplaines being there present was upon this unexpected occasion desired to kneele downe and pray with the Company the Doctor hereupon calls for a Common-prayer Booke and answer being made that there was none present he replyed that he could not pray without a Book whereupon a Knight there present tooke him by the Gowne and forced him to kneele downe telling him that my Lord was dying and he must needs say some Prayer or other upon this he begins Our Father which art in heaven for other prayer could he say none which the Knight hearing bade him hold his peace for my Lord was dead and he was but a dead Divine who knew not how to pray He that stopt other mens mouthes had at last his own â—â—…pt with a vengeance Thomas Arundell Arch-Bishop of Canterbury a grievous persecutor of Gods people and a great suspender and silencer of his Ministers who occupying his tongue braines and Episcopall power to stop the mouthes and tye up the tongues of Gods Ministers and hinder the preaching and course of Gods Word was by Gods just Judgement so sâ—â—icken in his tongue that it swelled so bigge he could neither swallow nor speake for some dayes before his death and so he was starved choked and killed by this strange tumour of his tongue A true Slave There was not long since in the Towne of Ipswich an old man who was so extreamly base and miserable that he lived in a most sordid manner not allowing himselfe convenient necessaries either for back or belly but would walke Horses at Innes begge his victuals up and downe the Towne and weare such old rotten Canvase Jackets and Breeches as the Sea-men threw away when this wretch was dead his two Sonnes who were newly come from Sea knowing that their Father had money though he would never part with a farthing to them fell a ransaking the house and at last they found what they lookt for though the quantity farre exceeded their expectation the neighbours that came into the house with them stood amazed to see so much money in such a mans house the two Sons leapt up and downe for joy and one clapping the other on the back said Faith sirrah was not this a true Slave Cardinall Pools answer to a Figure-fâ—inger One that pretended skill in judiciall Astrologie came to Cardinall Poole telling him that he had been calculating of his Nativity the Cardinall askt him What he meant by his nativity The Astrologer answered his Birth under what Planet he was borne and what Fortunes would befall him which he said he had gathered from the Starres and Coelestiall houses Tush replyed the Cardinall I have been borne againe since then How to deale with crafty sinners The Lot when it was directed against Achan first it fell upon the Tribe secondly it fell upon the Family Thirdly upon the Houshold and lastly upon the person of Achan he hid his sinne ever till it lighted upon him So the crafty sinner is not moved when the threatning is given out generally against the Nation neither when it is given out against the City where he dwels nor when it comes to his Family till in particular it come to his Person and till it be said to him Thou art the man Sin is a shamelesse thing yee may spit seven times in the face of it before it blush A covetous man is like a Christmas Box The covetous man is like a Christmas Box whatsoever is put into it cannot be taken out till it be broken he soaketh up the waters of riches like a Spunge and till death doth come and squeeze him with his Iron graspe he will not yeeld one drop of that which he hath received 'T is hard to know a mans disposition till he be out of check 'T is said of Tiberius that whilst Augustâ—â— rul'd he was no wayes tainted in his reputation and that whiles Drusus and Germanicus were alive he feigned those vertues which he had not to maintaine a good opinion of himselfe in the hearts of the people but after he had got himselfe out of the reach of contradiction and controulment there was no fact in which he was not faulty no crime to which he was not accessary Love me a little and love me long 'T was a witty reason of Diogenes why he askt a half penny of the thrifty man and a pound of the
prodigall the first he said might give him often but the other ere long would have none to give Curst Cowes have short hornes Foelix Earle of Wartemberg sitting at supper with many of his friends it hapned that some at the Table fell into discourse of Luther and the peoples generall receiving of his Doctrine upon which the Earle swore a great Oath that ere he dyed he would ride up to the spurs in the bloud of the Lutherans but the very same night God stretched out his hand so against him that he was choaked with his owne blood Martin Luther the famous Instrument of Gods glory liv'd and dyed a very poore man Luther being very sick and expecting death though it pleased God he recovered that fit he made his Will concerning his Wife and Children after this manner Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldest have me live a poore and indigent person upon earth I have neither house nor lands nor possessions nor mony to leave thou hast given me Wife and Children them I give back unto thee nourish teach and keep them O thou the Father of Orphants and Judge of the Widow as thou hast done unto me so doe unto them Rulers should ever be at leasure to doe Justice An old Woman complaining to Adrian the Emperour of some wrongs done to her the Emperour answered he was not at leasure to heare her to whom she replyed That then he ought not to be at leasure to be Emperour where-with Adrian was so affected that he not only righted her wrongs presently but also ever after was more diligent to heare his subjects Causes Luthers Epitaph by Theodorus Beza Rome tam'd the world the Pope tam'd Rome so great Rome rul'd by power the Pope by deep deceit But how more large than Theirs was Luthers fame Who with one pen both Pope and Rome did tame Goe fixious Greece goe tell Alcides then His Club is nothing to great Luthers Pâ—n A Prophesie accomplished most exactly forty yeares after it was attered Spotswood Arch-Bishop of Glasgow having procured the imprisonment and coâ—demnation of one Mr. Welsch and other godly Ministers in Scotland Anno 16â—5 Master Welsch writes out of prison a Letter to the Lord Levinston of Kilsyth wherein he Prophesieth not only the utter abolishing of Episcopacy but the down-fall and ruine of that great Prelate and his Family in these words Sir I am farre from bitternesse but here I denounce the wrath of an everlasting God against him meaning Spotswood which assuredly shall fall except it be prevented Sir Dagon shall not stand before the Arke of the Lord and those names of Blasphemy that he weares of Lord-Bishop and Arch-Bishop will have a fearefull end Not one word of this is fallen to the ground for Episcopacy is now abolished there as all men know and for that part of the Prophesie which concernes Spotswood himselfe even in the top of all his honours when he had come up to be Arch-Bishop of St. Andrewes and Chancellor of the Kingdome he was cast out of Scotland and dyed a poore miserable man at London having not a six-pence of his owne to buy bread while he liv'd nor to bury him when he was dead but as it was begg'd at Court The evident hand of God lighted on his Posterity his Lands of Darfie all the conquesse he was able to make to his eldest Son Sir John Spotswood is ready to be sold and that branch of his posterity to goe a beging his second Son Sir Robert Spotswood President of the Colledge of Justice for his Treason against Scotland did dye miserably upon a Scaffold at St. Andrewes an obdurate impenitent man his Brother the Bishop of Clogher was cast out of his great estates in Ireland and in his extreame old age forced to teach Children in Scotland for his bread but being unfit for that imployment he went to London where he was long a Suitor for the meanest place in the Ministry that he might be kept from starving but could not obtaine it Learning is to be preferred before Honour The Emperour Sigismond having Knighted a Doctor of the Civill Law this new Knight presently leaves the society of his old fellow Doctors and keeps company altogether with the Knights which the Emperour observing called him foole for preferring Knight-hood before Learning saying That he could make a thousand Knights in one day but not a Doctor in a thousand yeares The ingenuity of a Scotch Colonell A Scotch-man newly come over to Utrecht and presenting himselfe to Colonell Edmunds his Country-man told him That my Lord his Father and such such Knights and Gentlemen his Cousens were all in good health the Colonell turning to the Gentlemen that were in company with him at that time said Gentlemen beleeve not one word he saith my Father is but a poore Baker of Edenborough and workes hard for his living whom this Knave would make a Lord to curry favour with me and make you beleeve I am a great man borne Truth Error elegantly compared to Tamars two twins Gen. 38. in a Sermon before the Parliament The different judgements of Professors throughout the Land shew that our Church hath Twins in her wombe so much of Truth as hath been already owned by the Parliament Zarah-like hath put forth the hand none can say but this came out first for you have marked it with the scarlet thred of a Civill Sanction yet is there a Pharez a Division or Separation as the word properly signifies whose breakings out are notoriously knowne as also his challenge of Primogenâ—ture Our hopes are that Zarah will in due time be fully borne notwithstanding this interposition and that you will say to the Party that separates in Doctrinall Principles by maintaining opinions that are destructive and prey upon the vitall spirits of Religion as the Mid-wise then did to Pharez upon thee be this breach and not upon us may it never come to be upon you may you never come to be partakers of other mens sins in so high a degree Hitherto the damnable Heâ—esies and daring Blasphemies which have been vented every where may be thought to stand on the private account of such as â—ent them but if representative England which God forbid should espouse their Crimes by over-much connivence at them the guilt would then become Nationall and too heavie for us to beare A comfort for poore faithfull Ministers As Christ and all his Apostles were poore in respect of worldly goods so for the most part the most eminent Ministers of the Gospel have been men of meane conditions as to worldly estates Martin Luther had neither lands nor houses nor mony to leave his Wife and Children when he dyed Calvins Inventory Library and all came not to six score pound Mr. Perkins dyed a very poore man Mr. Ainsworth even while he wrote his excellent commentary upon the Pentateuch had but nine-pence a week to live on Mr. Samuel Herne when he dyed left a Wife and many small Children without