Devotion lineally obliged R I BRATHWAIT THE ENGLISH GENTLEMAN Youth Argument The dangers that attend on Youth The vanitie of Youth display'd in foure distinct Subjects Three violent passions incident to Youth Physicke prescribed and receits applied to cure these Maladies in Youth Youth HOwsoever some more curiously than needfully may seeme to reason that there be diverse Climactericall or dangerous yeeres in mans time sure I am that in mans age there is a dangerous time in respect of those Sinne-spreading Sores which soile and blemish the glorious image of the Soule And this time is Youth an affecter of all licentious liberty a Comicke introducer of all vanitie and the onely 〈◊〉 apparent to carnall securitie This it was which moved that princely Prophet to pray Lord forgive me the sinnes of my youth Sinnes indeed because the youthfull sinner is ever committing but never repenting usually provoking God but rarely invoking God This is he who Snuffeth the wind with the wild Asse in the desart being like the Horse or Mule which hath no understanding by giving Sense preeminence above Reason and walking in the fatnesse of his heart as one wholly forgetfull of God He may say with the Psalmist though in another sense Vt jumentum factus sum apud te upon exposition of which sentence it is laudable saith Euthymius that in the sight of God we take our selves as Beasts to shew our humility but not to resemble beasts in ignorance or brutish sensuality Many are the dangerous shelfes which menace ruine and shipwrack to the inconsiderate and improvident Soule during her sojourning here in this Tabernacle of clay but no time more perilous than the heat of Youth or more apt to give fuell to the fire of all inordinate desires being as ready to consent as the Devill is to tempt and most willing to enter parley with her spirituall enemy upon the least assault It is reported by Eusebius that S. Iohn meeting a strong young-man of good stature amiable feature sweet countenance and great spirit straightway looking upon the Bishop of that place he said thus unto him Christ being witnesse and before the Church I commend unto thee and thy care this young man to be especially regarded and educated in all spirituall discipline Whom when the Bishop had received into his tuition and promised that he would performe whatsoever he ought Saint Iohn againe and againe gives his charge and contesteth his fidelity and afterwards he returnes to Ephesus The Bishop takes the young man home brings him up as his owne sonne keepes him within the limits of his duty intreats him gently and at last baptizeth him and confirmes him Afterwards upon remitting something of his care and giving freer reines to his liberty the young man takes occasion to shake off the yoke of tuition and fals into bad company who corrupt him diverting his course from the path of vertue by these meanes First they invite him to banquets then they carry him abroad in the Night afterward to maintaine their profuser expence they draw him to theevery and so by degrees to greater wickednesse being now made Captaine in this theevish company At last Saint Iohn returnes and saith Goe to Bishop give me my depositum which I and Christ committed unto thee in the Church which thou gouernest This Bishop was astonied thinking that he had deceitfully demanded some money which he never received and yet durst scarce distrust the Apostle But as soone as Saint Iohn said I demand the young man and soule of my brother the old man hanging downe his head sighing and weeping said Ille mortuus est he is dead How and with what kind of death said Iohn Deo mortuus est he is dead unto God answered the Bishop Nam nequam perditus uno verbo Latro evasit for he is wicked and lost and in a word a Theefe Much matter might be collected from this Story to inlarge the ground of our Proposition to wit what imminent dangers are ever attending on Youth and how easie it is by the painted flag of vanity and sensuall pleasure to draw him to ruine For doubtlesse many excellent rules of instruction had this grave Bishop delivered and imparted to his young Pupill many devout taskes and holy exercises had he commended to his practice many prayers full of fervent zeale had he offered for his conversion many sighes had he sent many teares had he shed to reclaime him from his former conversation Yet see how soone this youthfull Libertine forgets those instructions which he had taught him those holy taskes which were injoyned him those zealous prayers which were offered for him those unfained sighes and teares which were shed for him He leaves this aged Father to become a Robber he flâ—es from the Temple to the mountaine he puts off the robe of truth and disguiseth himselfe with the vizard of theft And no small theefe but a Leader Rachel was a theefe for shee stole idols from her father Iosuah was a theefe seeing he stole grapes from Canaan David was a theefe seeing he stole the bottle of water from Saul Ionathan was a theefe since he stole hony from the hive Iosaba was a theefe since he stole the infant Ioash But here was a theefe of another nature one whose vocation was injury profession theevery and practice cruelty one whose ingratitude towards his reverend Foster-father merited sharpest censure for Bysias the Grecian Osiges the Lacedemonian Bracaras the Theban and Scipio the Roman esteemed it lesse punishment to bee exiled than to remaine at home with those that were ungratefull for their service So as it is not only griefe but also a perillous thing to have to doe with ungratefull men And wherein might ingratitude bee more fully exemplified than in this Young-man whose disobedience to his Tutor sleighting his advice that had fostered him deserved severest chastisement But to observe the cause of his fall wee shall finde how soone those good impressions which he had formerly received were quite razed and defaced in him by reason of depraved company whence we may gather that Youth being indeed the Philosophers rasa tabula is apt to receive any good impressure but spotted with the pitch of vice it hardly ever regaines her former puritie Whence we are taught not to touch pitch lest we â—e defilâ—dâ— for as that divine Father saith Occasiones faciunt Latrones Truth is the sweetest Apples are the soonest corrupted and the best natures quickliest depraved How necessary therefore the care and respect Youth ought to have in the choyce and election of his Company may appeare by this one example which sheweth that Society is of such power as by it Saints are turned into Serpents Doves into Devils for with the wise we shall learne wisedome and with the foole we shall learne foolishnesse Dangerous therefore it is to leave illimited Youth to it selfe yea to suffer Youth so much as to converse with it selfe
or conversation then where ill ones are affected and frequented MAny and singular were the commendations attributed to Augustus amongst which none more absolute then this As none was more slow in entertaining so none more firme or constant in reteining which agrees well with that of the Sonne of Sirach If thou gettest a friend prove him first and be not hasty to credit him But having found him we are to value him above great treasures the reason is annexed A faithfull friend is a strong defence and hee that findeth such a one findeth a treasure This adviseth every one to be no lesse wary in his choice then constant in the approvement of his choice so as it rests now that wee presie this point by Reasons and Authorities illustrating by the one and confirming by the other how consequent a thing it is to shew our selves constant in the choice of our Acquaintance There is no one thing more dangerous to the state of man or more infallibly proving fatall then lightnesse in entertaining many friends and no lesse lightly cashiering those who are entertained Which error I have observed to have borne principall sway in our new-advanced Heires whose onely ambition it is to be seene numerously attended phantastically attired and in the height of their absurdities humoured These are they who make choice of Acquaintance onely by outward habit or which is worse by roisting or ruffian behaviour with whom that false Armory of yellow Bands nittie Locks and braving Mouchato's have ever had choice acceptance And herein observe the misery of these depraved ones who having made choice of these mis-spenders of time and abusers of good gifts they will more constantly adhere to them then with better affected Consorts Oh that young Gentlemen would but take heed of falling unwarily upon these shelves who make shipwrack of their fortunes the remaines of their fathers providence yea not onely of their outward state which were well to be prevented lest misery or basenesse over-take them but even of their good names those precious odours which sweeten and relish the Pilgrimage of man For what more hatefull then to consort with these companions of death whose honour consists meerely in protests of Reputation and whose onely military garbe is to tosse a Pipe in stead of a Pike and to fly to the Tinderbox to give charge to their smoakie Ordnance to blow up the shallow-laid foundation of that shaken fortresse of their decayed braine these hot liver'd Salamanders are not for your company Gentlemen nor worthy your Acquaintance for of all companions those are the worthiest acceptance who are so humble-minded and well affected as they consort with others purposely to be bettered by them or being knowing men by their instructions to better them That course which the ancient Vestals observed such usefull Companions as these have ever seconded They first learned what to doe secondly they did what they had learned thirdly they instructed others to doe as they had learned Such as these were good Companions to Pray with to Play with to Converse or Commerce with First they are good to Pray with for such as these only were they who assembled together in one place imploying their time religiously in prayers supplications and giving of thankes and honouring him whom all Powers and Principalities doe honour with divine Melodie which was expressed not so much with the noise of the mouth as with the joyfull note of the heart nor with the sound of the lips as with the soule-solacing motion of the spirit nor with the consonance of the voice as with the concordance of the will For as the precious stone Diacletes though it have many rare and excellent soveraignties in it yet it loseth them all if it be put in a dead-mans mouth so Prayer which is the onely pearle and jewell of a Christian though it have many rare and exquisite vertues in it yet it loseth them every one if it be put into a dead-mans mouth or into a mans heart either that is dead in sinne and doth not knocke with a pure hand So many rare presidents have former times afforded all most inimitable in this kind as to make repetition of them would crave an ample volume wee will therefore onely touch some speciall ones whose devotion hath deserved a reverence in us towards them and an imitation in us after them Nazianzin in his Epitaph for his sister Gorgonia writeth that she was so given to Prayer that her knees seemed to cleave to the earth and to grow to the very ground by reason of incessancie or continuance in Prayer so wholly was this Saint of God dedicated to devotion Gregory in his Dialogues writeth that his Aunt Trasilla being dead was found to have her elbowes as hard as horne which hardnesse she got by leaning to a deske at which shee used to pray so continued was the devotion of a zealous professor Eusebius in his History writeth that Iames the brother of our Lord had knees as hard as Camels knees benummed and bereaved of all sense and feeling by reason of continuall kneeling in Prayer so sweet was this Taske undertaken for Gods honour where practice made that an exercise or solace which the sensuall man maketh a toyle or anguish Hierome in the life of Paul the Eremite writeth that hee was found dead kneeling upon his knees holding up his hands lifting up his eyes so that the very dead corps seemed yet to live and by a kind of zealous and religious gesture to pray still unto God So transported or rather intraunced was the spirit of this lovely Dove as even in death hee expressed the practice of his life These followed Augustines rule in their forme of Prayer seeke saith he what you seeke but seeke not where you seeke Seeke Christ that 's a good what Seeke what you seeke but seeke him not in bed that is an ill where But seeke not where you seeke Moses found Christ not in a soft bed but in a bramble bush For as wee cannot goe to heaven on beds of down no more can these devotions pierce heaven which are made on beds of down Albeit every place is good for as no place is freed from occcasion of sinne so no place should be free from Prayer which breaketh downe the Partition wall of our sinne But certainely those downie Prayers taste too much of the flesh to relish well of the spirit for as he is a delicate Master who when his belly is full disputeth of fasting so hee is a sensuall Prayer who in his bed onely addresseth himselfe to devotion Neither are these onely good companions to pray with but also to play with I meane to recreate and refresh our minds with when at any time pressed or surcharged either with cares of this world or in our discontinuance from more worthy and glorious Meditations of the world to come for as in the former wee are usually plunged so by the latter wee are commonly
of the earth and the ministry of all creatures successively in their seasons ministring to us to allay our loathing and beget in us towards our Maker an incessant longing and all this for an ignoble and corruptible body what how great and innumerable shall those good things be which hee hath prepared for them that love him in that heavenly Countrey where we shall see him face to face If hee doe such things for us in this prison what will hee doe for us in that Palace Great and innumerable are thy workes O Lord King of heaven For seeing all these are very good and delectable which hee hath equally bestowed upon both good and evill how great shall those bee which hee hath laid up onely for the good If so divers and innumerable be the gifts which hee bestoweth both upon friends and foes how sweet and delectable shall those be which hee will onely bestow upon his friends If such comforts in this day of teares and anguish what will hee conferre on us in that day of Nuptiall solace If a prison containe such delights what I pray you shall our Countrey containe No eye O Lord without thee hath seene those things which thou hast prepared for them that love thee for according to the great multitude of thy magnificence there is also a multitude of thy sweetnesse which thou hast hid for them that feare thee for great thou art O Lord our God and unmeasurable neither is there end of thy greatnesse nor number of thy wisedome nor measure of thy mercy neither is there end nor number nor measure of thy bounty but as thou art great so be thy gifts great because thou thy selfe art the reward and gift of thy faithfull warriours Thus is the spiritually Contemplative man ever employed thus are his affections planted thus his desires seated caring so little for earth as hee is dead to earth long before hee returne to earth drawing daily neerer heaven having his desire onely there long before hee come there Now to instance some whose profession was meerely contemplative having retired or sequestred themselves from the society of this world wee might illustrate this subject with many excellent Patternes in this kind as those especially who strictly professed a monasticke life becomming severe Enemies to their owne flesh and estranging themselves from conversing with man Which kind of discipline as it was in respect of humanity too unsociable so in respect of themselves doubtlesse sweet and delightfull being so intranced with divine contemplation as they forgot earth and all earthly affections Of this sort you shall reade sundry examples whereof one more memorable then the rest might bee instanced in him who reading that sentence of holy Scripture Goe and sell all that thou hast presently imagining it to bee meant by him did so The like contempt towards the world might bee instanced in holy Ierome Paulinus that good Bishop of Nola and many others upon which I would bee loath to insist for brevity sake Neither certainely can they whose thoughts are erected above the center of earth having their Hearts planted where their treasure is placed deigne to fix their eye upon ought in the world because they see nothing worthy affecting in the World for they thinke godlinesse is a great gaine if a man bee content with that hee hath They doe good being rich in good workes and ready to distribute and communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may obtaine eternall life Yea they have not only learned in whatsoever state they are therewith to be content but wholly to relinquish both selfe and state to advance the glory of God But it may be now well objected that these men whereof we now treat are fitter for a Cell then a Court and therefore too regular masters to have young Gentlemen for their Schollers for how should these whose education hath beene liberty conversation publike society and who hold good fellowship an appendice to Gentry betake themselves to such strictnesse as to be deprived of common aire live remote from all company passing the remainder of their dayes in a wildernesse as if they had committed some egregious fact that deserved such severe Pennance mistake me not my meaning is much otherwise for as I would not have Gentlemen Libertines so I would not have them Hermits for the first as they are too prodigally secular so the latter are too severely regular Neither am I ignorant how a Cloyster may bee no lesse shelter unto errour then a more publike place of delight or pleasure But my discourse touching this Contemplative Perfection was purposely to draw the Curtaine from before the Picture and to shew to their eye that faire Idaea or feature which hath beene so long shadowed I meane the faire and beautifull structure of the inward man which so long as it is darkened with these bleere-eyed Leahs these objects of vanity cannot enjoy it selfe but peece-meale as it were divided from it selfe seemes wholly deprived of life for a Heart divided cannot live And what are these objects of vanity whereon the eye of your Contemplation is usually fixed but those soule-soiling sores of this Land Pride and Voluptuousnesse With what greedinessâ— will a young Gallants eye gaze upon some new or phantasticke fashion wishing O vaine wish that hee had but the braines to have invented such a fashion whereby hee might have given occasion to others of imitation and admiration With what insatiablenesse will hee fix his eye upon some light affected Curtezan whose raiment is her onely ornament and whose chiefeâ—t glory is to set at sale her adulterate beauty No street no corner but gives him objects which drawes his eye from that choicest object whereon his whole delight should bee seated No place so obscure wherein his contemplative part is not on the view of forbidden objects greedily fixed How requisite then were it for you young Gentlemen whose aymes are more noble then to subject them to these unworthy ends to take a view sometimes of such absolute Patterns of Contemplative Perfection as have excelled in this kind But because a three-fold cord is hardly broken I will recommend unto your consideration a three-fold Meditation the daily use and exercise whereof may bring you to a more serious view of your owne particular estate First is the worthinesse of the soule secondly the unworthinesse of earth thirdly thankefulnesse unto GOD who made man the worthiest creature upon the earth For the first What is shee and in glory how surpassing is she to use the selfe-same words which an holy Father useth being so strong so weake so small so great searching the secrets of God and contemplating those things which are of GOD and with her piercing wit is knowne to have attained the skill of many Arts for humane profit and advantage What is shee I say who knoweth so much in other things and to what end they were made yet is
Puppets drawn by an enforced motion How phantastically those as if their walke were a theatrall action These unstaid dimensions argue unsetled dispositions All is not well with them For if one of the Spartan Ephori was to lose his place because hee observ'd no Decency in his pace how may wee bee opinion'd of such Women whose yeeres exact of them stayednesse whose places reteine in them more peculiar reverence and whose descents injoyne them to a state-reservance when they to gaine observance admit of any new but undecent posture Deserve these approvement No discretion cannot prize them nor judgement praise them Vulgar opinion whose applause never receives life from desert may admire what is new but discretion that onely which is neat It is one thing to walke honestly as on the day another thing to walke uncivilly as on the night Decency becomes the one Deformity the other Neither onely are modest women to bee cautelous how they walke but where they walke Some places there bee whereto if they repaire walke they never so Civilly they cannot walke honestly Those who value reputation will not bee seene there for Honour is too deare a purchase to bee set at sale Such as frequent these places have exposed themselves to shame and made an irrevocable Contract with sinne They make choyce of the Twy-light lest their paths should be discovered and shrowd their distained actions with the sable Curtaine of night lest they should bee displayed These howsoever their feet walke softly their hearts poste on swiftly to seize on the voluptuous prey of folly Farre bee these wayes from your walkes vertuous Ladies whose modesty makes you honoured of your Sexe Though your feet bee here below let your faith bee above Let no path of pleasure draw you from those joyes which last for ever Though the world bee your walke while you sojourne here heaven should bee your ayme that you may repose eternally there Live devoutly walke demurely professe constantly that devotion may instruct you your wayes direct you your profession conduct you to your heavenly Countrey It is a probable argument that such an one hates her Countrey where onely shee is to become Citizen who thinkes it to bee well with her here where shee is a Pilgrim Walke in this maze of your Pilgrimage that after death you may enjoy a lasting heritage So shall you praise God in the gate and after your Christian race finished receive a Crowne IT is most true that a wanton Eye is the truest evidence of a wandring and distracted minde The Arabians proverbe is elegant Shut the windowes that the house may give light It is death that enters in by the windowes The House may bee secured if these bee closed Whence it was that princely Prophet praid so earnestly Lord turne away mine eyes from vanity And hence appeares mans misery That those Eyes which should bee the Cesternes of sorrow Limbeckes of contrition should become the lodges of lust and portals of our perdition That those which were given us for assistants and associates should become our assassinatâ— Our Eye is made the sense of sorrow because the sense of sinne yet more apt is shee to give way to sinne then to finde one teare to rinse her sinne An uncleane eye is the messenger of an uncleane heart confine the one and it will bee a means to rectifie the other Many dangerous objects will a wandring eye finde whereon to vent the disposition of her corrupt heart No place is exempted no subject freed The ambitious eye makes honour her object wherewith shee afflicts her selfe both in aspiring to what shee cannot enjoy as likewise in seeing another enjoy that whereto her selfe did aspire The Covetous makes wealth her object which shee obtaines with toile enjoyes with feare forgoes with griefe for being got they load her lov'd they soile her lost they gall her The Envious makes her Neighbours flourishing field or fruitfull harvest her object shee cannot but looke on it looking pine and repine at it and repining justly consume her spirit with envying it The Lascivious makes beauty her object and with a leering looke while shee throweth out her lure to catch others shee becomes catcht herselfe This object because it reflects most on your sexe let it bee thus disposed that the inward eye of your soules may bee on a superiour beauty fixed Doe ye admire the comelinesse of any creature remove your eye from that object and bestow it on the contemplation of your Creator Wormes and flyes that have layen dead all winter by reflexe of the Sunne beames are revived so these flesh-flyes who have beene long time buried in these sensuall Objects of earth no sooner reflect on the Sunne of righteousnesse than they become enlivened and enlightened Those filmes which darkened the eye of their mindes are removed those thicke Cataracts of earthly vanities are dispersed and dispelled and a new light into a new heart infused I know well Gentlewomen that your resort to places of eminent resort cannot but minister to you variety of Objects Yea even where nothing but chaste thoughts staid lookes and zealous desires should harbour are now and then loose thoughts light lookes and licentious desires in especiall honour The meanes to prevent this malady which like a spreading ulcer disperseth it selfe in every society is neither willingly to take nor bee taken Dinah may bee a proper Embleme for the eye shee seldome strayes abroad but shee is in danger of ravishing Now to preserve purity of heart you must observe a vigilant discipline over every sense Where if the eye which is the light of the body bee not well disposed the rest of the senses cannot choose but bee much darkned Wee say that the want of one peculiar sense supplies that defect with an higher degree of perfection in the rest Sure I am there is no one sense that more distempers the harmony of the mind nor prospect of the Soule then this window of the body It opens ever to the Raven but seldome to the Dove Raving affections it easily conveyes to the heart but Dove-like innocence it rarely reteines in the brest As it is a member of the flesh so becomes it a servant of the flesh apprehending with greedinesse whatsoever may minister fuell to carnall concupiscence This you shall easily correct by fixing her on that pure and absolute object for which shee was made It is observed by profest Oculists an observation right worthy a Christians serious consideration that whereas all creatures have but foure Muscles to turn their eyes round about man hath a fift to pull his eyes up to heaven Doe not then depresse your eyes as if they were fixed on earth nor turne them round by gazing on the fruitlesse vanities of earth but on heaven your haven after earth In the Philosophers scale the soule of a flye is of more excellence then the Sunne in a Christian scale the soule of man is infinitely more precious then all creatures under the Sun
hearts like musty vessells not throughly seasoned with vertue send forth no other smell than what is most distastefull to a pure and well-disposed minde Now there bee many who make an outward semblance of conscience and promise to the world apparant arguments of their uprightnesse whose inward Cells like corrupt Charnell-houses afford nothing but filthinesse Yea these to make the world more confident of their sanctity will not sticke to condemne themselves dis-value their owne worth and rank them amongst the unworthiest that breath on earth Yet though they disprayse themselves before others they cannot endure to bee dispraysed by others Whereof wee read one excellent example to this purpose There was a certaine woman who had taken her selfe to a Cloyster-life and seemed very devoâ—t so as shee usually said to her Confessor who came often unto her to heare her Confession and partake of her Devotion Good father pray unto the Lord for mee for I am a woman so evill yea even so utterly naught as I much feare lest the Lord punish others for my sinnes Vpon this the Priest out of a discreet zeale desired to try whether there were in her the foundation of true humility or no. Next time therefore that shee uttered the like words unto him saying That shee was the very worst of all women the Priest forwith answered I have often times at many bands heard thus much of thee before this Whereat shee being presently incensed replyed You lye in your throat And whosoever hath told you or reporteth such things of mee are all lyers To attemper which immoderate passion the Priest humbly returned her this answer Now I perceive thy pride and hypocrisie for as much as thou speakest that of thy selfe which thou disdainest any other should speake of thee And this is no signe of true humility but of inward pride and grosse hypocrisy These dissembled bee they never so assiduate semblances are no colours for Vertues crest They must bee dyed in graine or they will not hold These who expresse modesty in their outward carriage are good examples to those that consort with them yet if their private Parler bee a witnesse of their dishonor they deface the figure of goodnesse in themselves Vertue consists not in seeming but performing nor piety in appearing but practising What is it to bee outwardly retyred from the world and inwardly affianced to the world How are those women in Turkie affected that most part of the yeare come not abroad Those Italian and Spanish Dames that are mewed up like Hawks and lockt up by their jealous husbands This is such an enforced restraint as it many times begets loose desires in the restrained It is the prevention of occasion that crownes us More prayse-worthy were those women of Sio could they confine their actions within the bounds of modesty than these restrained Libertines For those Iland Women as they are the beautifull'st Dames of all the Greekes so have they more liberty granted by their avaricious husbands than all the Dames in Greece For their wives prostitution is their promotion So as when they see any stranger or promising factor arrive they will presently demand if hee would have a Mistris which for want of better supply they mercenarily tender him in the person of their owne wives so willing are they to weare the lasting Badge of infamy for base lucre or commodity It is not then an enforced moderation of our affections that deserves the stile of goodnesse Wee are to enjoy freedome in our desires and over those a noble Conquest if wee merit the name of vertuous Come then Gentlewomen you see what Coat will honour your House most Other Coats may bee blanched by corruption of blood or blemished by some other occurrent but this is so pure as it will admit of no staine Fantasticall and false prophecies may bee ominously advanced published and dispersed upon Arms Fields Beasts or Badges against which our Lawes have ordained necessary provisions But no Augur Seer or Southsayer can by any such groundless Divination detract from the constant beauty or splendor of his Coat Soveraignizing Saladine after hee had made himselfe a terrour to many potent Princes by making them his Subjects who never till then knew what subjection meant after hee had atchieved so many prosperous victories taken in so many flourishing Provinces and attained the highest degree of an imperiall greatnesse being surprized by so mortall and fatall a malady as hee despaired of recovery called his Chiefetaine or Generall before him and bad him haste away to the great City Damascus and there in the midst of that populous City to fixe his shrouding-sheete upon a Speare and display it like a banner with these words This is all that Souldan Saladine hath left of all his Ensignes This the remainder of all his victories How happy had that Emperour beene if after so many memorable exploits done by him living so many imperiall trophies of his dispersed victories erected by him breathing hee had reserved this Coat to have memoriz'd him dying Dorcas Coats were brought forth and shown after shee departed So live that your best Coats which are your vertues may give testimony of you when Earth shall receive you Let not your Gentility become blasted with infamy nor your Noble families labour of that scarcity as not to give vertue all hospitality Divinely sung our Moderne Poet To bee of gen'rous blood and Parents borne And have no gen'rous vertues is a scorne Let it bee your highest scorne to stoupe to any base thought It is not priority nor precedency of place but propriety and proficiency in grace that makes an honourable Soule That Cloath is of most worth that weares best and that fashion of most esteeme that holds longest in request Vertue is right Sempiternam for weare and of that complete fashion as with Christian women it growes never out of date Make choyce of this stuffe then to suite you of this Coat to gentilize you All others are but conterseits in comparison of her whose property it is to honour those that serve her harbour those that flye for refuge to her and to reward those who constantly stand in defence of her honour There is nothing can wound you being thus armed nothing ill-beseeme you being thus adorned nothing disparage you being thus honoured Heraldry findes a Coat for your house but Vertue findes honour to grace your person Reteine those divine impressions of goodnesse in you that may truly ennoble you display your gentility by such a Coat as may best distinguish your family so shall you live and dye with honour and survive their fame whose onely glory it was to enjoy fortunes favour PAinters are curious in the choyce of their colours lest their Art become blemished through those decayed colours wherewith their Pictures are pourtrayed Some are opinion that the receit of Painting or Colouring the substance of glasse through is utterly lost neither that these late succeeding times can regaine as yet that