THE ARRAIGNMENT OF SLANDER PERIVRY Blasphemy and other malicious Sinnes shewing sundry examples of Gods Iudgements against the Ofenders Aswell by the Testimony of the Scriptures and of the Fathers of the primatiue Church as likewise out of the reportes of Sir Edward Dier Sir Edward Cooke and other famous Lawiers of this King dome Published by Sir William Vaughan Knight LONDON Printed for Francis Constable and are to be sold in Pauls Church yeard at the signe of the Crane 1630. TO THE LORDS OF HIS MAIESTIES most Honourable Priuie Counsell INImitation of that Burgundian Booâ—c that saluted the French King with a present of Radish rootes and also of the Persians who by reason of their countrey-custome durst not Ire salutatum Satrapes sine munerâ— magnos Greet their great Lords without some gratefull gift Right prudent â—â—dprâ—â—â—dent Lords I present a meane obiect to your indicious sights A meane obiect indeed if yee regard the worth of the person that presents it or the person whom it concernes being the spitefull Spirit of Detraction yet tollerable perhaps if yee receiue the presentours readie will with the reflection of your comfortable countenance but most noble and worthy to be ennobled with your patronage if yee respect the meanes and Circles as I know you doe whereby this Spirit is Coniured and Conuicted euen by the sword of Angels the mysticall sword the word of God and also by the sword of man Alexanders sword the decider of our Gordian doubts VVith the former sword Michea confuted the false Prophets of Samaria Michael coÌ„founded the detracting Dragon and Michaels followers here on earth the false Prophet of our Christian Church that dâ—ceiuer that deprauer of the holy Ghost and of his pretious properties With the latter sword men punish men malicious men With this sword a King plagued Midas for his doltish DetractioÌ„ a Queene plagued Niobe for her courtizan comparison VVhether these obiects be noble tollerable meane or as waste leaues good for nothing saue for Apothecaries to wrap about their drugs I submit them and compromit them together with my selfe to your Honors graue arbitrement in hope that yee will ascribe all imperfections to my want of perfections to the breuitie of time and to the sodainnesse of the accident For the worlds great Thunderer hauing lately taken vnto him my deare wife by a sulphureous dampe of lightning and shaken some part of my house with a thunder-clap hath likewise strooke me with such an amazement in mine vnderstanding with beholding out of my tabernacle of flesh and bloud the glorious gleames of his power that truly I must needs confesse my selfe to be somewhat backward in penning and painting out this handy-worke of his almost as ominous to me as his hand writing was to Balthasar in Babylon To this I may adioyne multitudes of impediments as well of publike causes and suites abroad as also of mine owne priuate affaires at home All which concurring vpon me in confused heapes some by importunitie of office some of necessitie and some by Sathans suggestion commmonly euery day since that fatall blast caused such vnpolished points as in the reading may occurre to your learned view And yet for all this Right honourable I had not so abruptly at this time hastened on mine abortiue worke to your presence were it not because I would stay betimes the forward steps of Sathan and also because I would stop the vnpure mouthes of pratling Momes and tatling Niobes who inter Bacchanalia amidst their pots of drinke their pipes of Tobacco and idle fits of iollity establishing the shallow foundation of their reports vpon the flying and lying rumours of licentious libellers doe blasphemously blaze abroad to the derogation and preiudice of the powerfull Lord of lightnings that the Diuell our spirituall Tempter acted this terrible tragedie Some other times they giue out that the same Diuell coniured vp at mortall mens commaunds tooke her away bodie and all or at leastwise some principall part of her bodie VVhich sacrilegious imputation as I know Gods elect do alreadie both loath and laugh to scorne so I doubt not but all others shall by this present Treatise learne to leaue it off as a poisoned paradoxe Againe there is not wanting a sort of suspicious Critickes who arrogating to themselues the gift of Prophesie or reuelation from aboue doe make a taunting table-talke of this heauenly visitation in lieu of a grace or salt to season their meates withall by attributing this vnexpected chance to some secret sinnes of hers VVhich Scrthian censure all her acquaintance will contradict and condemne of calumniation All her familiar acquaintance wil consent with one voyce with one mind in the scrutinie of her triall that she liued as innocently as industriously as honestly as humbly towards God and man as any whatsoeuer in all her country without deceit without Detraction And if this be a Demonstration infallible that out of sure premisses we inferre a sure conclusion that none dieth ill who hath liued well for a good tree euer beares good fruit and that we must iudge men by their liues and not by their deathes then dare I assuredly assume that she died as guiltlesse as those on whom the Tower of Siloc fell By the stayres of hell she swiftly climed aboue the starres of heauen By lightning flames as Elias in fiâ—ry Chariots her soule soared vp aloft into the Region of eternall light Othersome in mine owne countrey more passionate because I reforme disorders and would redresse certaine misdemeanures whereof they claime prescription as an hereditarie or necessarie euill doe euaporate these vncharitable speeches touching my proceedings that God sent these prodigious euents as prodromes and forerunners of his indignation conceiued against me for my seuerity of iustice Summum ius summa iniuria Extreme iustice extreme iniurie Which Detraction of theirs I will only countermine with that graue authoritie interpreting old Augustines honest minde Rash iudgement hurts not the person that is iudged but rather him that so rashly iudgeth Quia cuâ—nvolumus aliena per iram coercere grauiora committimus by reason that when we would correct the faults of other men in passion our selues commit more grieuous faults Another kind of Detractours measuring our actions by the ell of their owne guiltie consciences and vsurping the Popish partes of Ghostly Confessors doe parley in priuate among themselues that our iust Iehouah darted this lamentâ—ole mishap as a mysticall scourge for some silent sinnes of mine At which accusation I will â—â—t equiuocate nor endeuour to acquite my selfe â—hereof with the presumptuous Pharisee for I frankly acknowledge as one of Adams progeny that I am throughly tainted with the leprosie of sinne whereof I expect no deliuerance at all by any earthly Aesculaptus saue onely by the fiery Serpent which healed the Israelites I am carnall as S. Paul said and sold vnder sinne Yet notwithstanding if sinne present doe not please me I know that sinnes past shall neuer harme me But
lucre sake or of set purpose to please the kings humour And the word of the Lord came to Ieremy the Prophet who thus said vnto him Heare now Hananiah the Lord hath not sent thee but thou makest this people to trust in a lie Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold I will cast thee from off the earth This yeare thou shalt die because thou hast spoken rebelliously against the Lord. So Hananiah died the same yeare in the seuenth moneth Holophernes offended with Achior because he said that the Lord of heauen had no more power then his king Nabuchodonozor blasphemously detracted his eternall Maiesty Who is God quoth he but Nabuchodonozor he will send his power and will destroy them from the face of the earth and their God shall not deliuer them Within a while after he was slaine by a woman and his army discomfited Elymas the Sorcerer withstood Barnabas and Paul and sought to turne away the deputy from the Christian faith Then Paul being full of the holy Ghost set his eyes on him and said O man full of all subtiltie and all mischiefe the child of the Diuell and enemie to all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to peruert the straight waies of the Lord Now therfore behold the hand of the Lord is vpon thee and thou shalt be blind and not see the Sunne for a season Our Sauiour Christ through the Spirit of God through profound arguments confounded the Pharisees that detracted his glorious miracles alledging that he did cast out spirits no otherwise then through Baalzebub Prince of Diuels His arguments were these Euerie kingdome saith he diuided against it selfe shall be brought to nought and euery Citie or house diuided against it selfe shall not stand So if Sathan cast out Sathan he is diuided against himselfe How then shall his kingdome endure Whereby we may gather that the chiefest fight against the Spirit of Detraction is the irrefragable word of God seeing that our Master Christ himselfe vsed this kinde of armour Herod made an eloquent Oration to them of Tyre and Sidon so that the people shouted saying It is the voyce of God and not of man But because he arrogated the same to his owne worth and gaue not glory vnto God the Angell of the Lord smote him that he was caten of wormes Saint Paul the Apostle imputes mens mentall punishments infectious sicknesses with these pestilent sinnes to our ingratitude and negligence in glorifying and seruing God When they knew God saith he they glorified him not as God neithet were thankfull but became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknesse When they professed themselues to be wise they became fooles for they turned the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man of birds of foure footed beasts and of creeping things Wherefore God gaue them vp to their hearts lustes vnto vncleannesse They turned the truth into a lie they serued worshipped the creature forsaking the Creator for which cause God gaue them vp vnto vile affections The same Apostle in shewing the cause of the ruine of the Iewes and the calling of the Gentiles ascribes the same vnto their Detractions for they going about to establish their owne righteousnesse submitted not themselues to the righteousnesse of God THE SIXT CIRCLE OF THE SPIRIT OF DETRACTION CONIVRED AND CONVICTED LINEAMENT I. 1 The spirit of Detractions pleas and allegations on the behalfe of his humouring and soothing men in their vanities 2 The said spirit sharpely rebuked for his Equiuocation and dissimulation 3 The Authours purpose in this subsequent Circle HEe is no Politician quoth Peter please-man that will not pledge the world in the cup of Detraction chiefly in these vntoward times when men shall sit by themselues as forsaken and forlorne vnlesse they iumpe one with another in the selfe same veine of discourse whether it be in derogating from Gods omnipotence or in diminishing of their neighbours fame How shall men otherwise consume away their times Reading occasioneth bloudshot eyes and moyst migrims silence ingendreth melancholy and sleepe obstupefieth the lodge of imagination But speeches be they merry or malicious iesting or gibing doe extend the windpipes enlarge the heartstrings exhilarate the soules faculties and enduce all companies to admire a mans fluent tongue and to extoll his filed voice Wilt thou be enrolled in Gentlemens bookes for one of their principall fauorites straine thy selfe to humour them scoffe when they scoffe bite when they bite and like Hippocrates twinnes laugh and weepe together If thou hearest them blaspheme or blazing outnouelties indeuor thou to verifie the same or to requite their familiar conference with some additions of thine owne inuention By this meanes thou shalt make thy company precious vnto them also prie like an insinuating intelligencer into the inward state of all thy countrey By this means thou shalt learne their seuerall and secret inclinations who be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupt Magistrates who be carousers fornicators or who haue encurred the danger of any penall statute An Romule coeâ—es Art thou a Brittaine a Christian and dost thou faune and wag thy taile like a spaniell Dost thou preach the doctrine of Diuels Doest thou teach men to equiuocate to dissemble to detract and to lash out lies O sonne of Belial thou art in the gall of hell and hast no portion with vs in our Christian busines How canst thou loue God whom thou neuer sawest seeing thou canst not loue thy brother in Christ whom thouseâ—st daily And how canst thou loue thy Sauiour Christ when thou shamefully sharest his seamclefie coate with Sathans soldiours or when thou tearest his members name fame with thy taunting tongue Words wound a man worse then swords No deadly drugs of Arsenicke or aconite are comparable to lying lips no spirit more dangerous then the spirit of Detraction Let a man obserue silence and he shal neuer obtaine harme let him when he speaks speake soberly and all men will loue him or if that Ismaels seede doe taunt him Isaacs seede will tender him If the vngodly contemne him the godly will comfort him And will not the comfortable loue of one godly man counterpoise the contempt of many vngodly Let him seldome speake or not before a question be asked him and he shall neuer be indemnified Let him follow the French mans counsell Parler beaucoup on ne peut sans mensonge Ou pour le moins sans quelque vanite Le parler briefe convient à verite Et l' autre est propre à la fable et au songe To prattle much one cannot without lies Or at the least without some vanitie It well agrees with dreames and fooleries But pithie words belong to veritie For this purpose that the talkatiue may be ashamed of their tatling tongues for the publike good and for my modest memoriall towards her that rests with the Lord of rest haue I
magnatum being as it were naturalis feritatis mastix the scourge of sauage nature had straightly bridled their lauish tongues within the precincts of their teeth and lips Vos O Patricius sanguis queis viuere fas est Occipiti coeco posticae occurrite sannae TO THE CVRIOVS PAINTERS OF CIRCLES IF these lines or leaues of my Circles drawne from the Center to the circumference be not all equall or if the points and prickes of euery line answere not the Mathematicall proportion of the Circle thou knowest that Veritas non quaerit angulos truth respects not angles triangles quadrangles nor artificiall curiosity I care not for the enticing words of worldlings wisedome but I couet the Spirit of euidence and power I couet matter more then method And yet I labour so to linke them that the line of nature may stand coupled with the points of Art that both from the Center of truth be caried to a Christian circumference for eueÌ„ as the gifts of the holy Ghost be distributed diuersly and in diuerse measures to Gods children some hauing but one grain of faith being conuerted in the euening of their liues and yet by grace adopted adiudged worthy to receiue the like equal crown of glory the like equall wages as those which laboured longer in the Lords haruest so to coÌ„pare little things with great let thy Grace Ingenuous Reader or gracious construction counteruail the vnequal lines of my Circles Where they exceed in their dimensiue quantity there oppose their distributiue quality for a counter-ballance Et sic omnes lineae ductae à centro ad circumferentiam sunt aequales THE FIRST CIRCLE OF THE SPIRIT OF DETRACTION CONIVRED AND CONVICTED Diâ—ided into Lineaments LINEAMENT I. 1 To whose capacity the description of Spirits is difficult and to whose it is easie 2 The Authors inuocation to the Godhead through whose only operation the spirit of Detraction is to be coniured and conuicted THAT which is inuisible transcendent and not to be vnderstood in the land of mortall creatures such as is the description of Spirits cannot distinctly be disposed according to the prescription of curious Artists by reason that our knowledge here on earth is subiect to mutations vanity of vanities varnished only to the outward man and quickly vanished either through distemperature of the braine olde age or death and also by reason that a spirit in substance subsistence is supernaturally whole without Multiplication Diuersity or Part somewhat prodigious vnto Natures view Yet notwithstanding these infirmities we may conferre about the metaphysicall mysterie of Spirits contesting with the sword of the Spirit the word of God not for haughty ostentation but for humble edification comparing spirituall things with spirituall things The naturall man perceiues not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neyther can he know them because they are spiritually discerned but he that is spirituall discerneth all things He that submits his knowledge to the touch-stone of knowledge to the highest power scorning all Peacocke-plumes of Apocryâ—hall tradition and of old Adams impurities discerneth all things The Clerkes of China say that themselues do see with two eyes the Europeans with one eye and that all the rest of the world are starke blinde not hauing any eyes at all Euen so the soules of the supernall China the Church truely triumphant by looking on him which ouerlooketh all things doe spiritually discerne all things and do know as they are knowne The regenerated Christian discerneth though glimmering wise or winking through a darke glasse with one eye many things apperteyning to the lowly workes and louely fruits of the new man which is renewed into knowledge after the Image of him that made him But the naturall man confined within natures compasse can neuer discourse no nor dreame once of Diuine affaires While the flesh preuailes against the Spirit our knowledge is as it were stifled with a deadly earthly dampe and cannot appeare in that conspicuous maner as when our Epicurean natures become curb'd or crucified There is such iustling and bustling such strining strugling betwixt the flesh and the soule that Gods peace is oftentimes to both their miseries infringed The Mistresse therefore must straightly correct her seruant and that betimes before she attaine vnto her stubborn age left then she chuse rather to breake then to bow vnto her wholesome will The austere consideration of this our humane fragility caused the Apostle to write after this manner I tame my body and bring it into subiection lest while I preach to others I my selfe become a cast-away For the soule that walloweth in sensuality in fat blood and grosse humors can neuer enter into the speculation of spirituall comfort The smokie vapours which breathe from thence into the braine doe interpose a darksome mist of blockishnes before her eyes of vnderstanding whereof let a fat paunch beare me instance How cau'st thou saith the Satyrist meditate on any thing praise-worthy which hast such a large Ewer hanging forth a foote and a halfe from thy body Cum tibi Calue Pinguis aqualiculus propenso sesquipede extat Like as a Candle put in an earthen pot enlightneth onely the pot but being therhence remoued into a Lanthorne illuminates the whole roome with a farre greater splendor then before so the vnderstanding spirit of man eclipsed with the foggie interposition of sensuall pleasures lies infatuated and besotted like an Abbey-lubber not once able to crie out Abba Father but thence recalled by the holy Spirit of God and refined with competent fasting at due times with contrite humility and conuenient meditations it forgets the vanities of this cloudy world and frames it selfe wholly to spirituall contemplation And finally separated and singled out from the bodies prison it shines brighter then any starre Then Reason shines without eclipse of errour Wisdome without ignorance and Memory without obliuion Then shall we be able to contemplate with the eye of Faith the awefull Maiesty of the mighty Trinity the in effable and inestimable felicity of our fellows Saints Then shall we comprehend the mystical messages of the heauenly Spirits ascending and descending in Chariots of sacred fire to the behoofe of our Christian brethren and inuisibly instructing the Church on earth like as themselues are both instructed and inspired of their Prince of zeale But what am I that presume to weaue a worke of such wonderfull forms in such a base and broken loome How dare I with King Vzziah burn incense vnto the Lord that am not sanctified nor of the tribe of Leui how dare I that am in his presence more mean then the meanest moth or Atome more abiect then any Ant how dare I being so mean an abiect aspire to set forth the obiects of his wonderous workes Retire O my soule to the Soule of thy soule the Life of thy life the Lord of life as to the celestiall center of all perfections The Sun-shine of
resolued once to translate the Papacy to Auinion in France if that a certaine Cardinall wiser then himselfe had not disswaded him The originall cause of all this hatred is iealousie together with a false perswading humor that our Church vsurps his holy power which somtimes he pretends from the Emperour Constantine and some other times from S. Peter Whether this exercising of another mans authority be legitimate or spurious let them who thinke themselues iniured redreste the iniury how they can In the meane time we perceiue the minde of man impatient of vsurpers and Detractors to boile for reuenge as if an euerflaming Torch were set vnder it No maruell then if Princes punish forgery and other detracting crimes He that detracts his Kings Prerogatiue with a malicious purpose to attribute the same to himselfe is Laesae Maiestatis râ—â—s guilty for wounding the Royall Maiesty and to be attainted of high treason Will King IAMES our dread Soueraigne suffer any subiect of his to weare a crowne of golde to deâ— act his royall authority to leuie armes at pleasure to encampe himselfe to hang a man without due course of law or to coine golde No it is against his prerogatiue against his Iurisdiction The world abides not two Sunnes No more can the vnited Empire of great Britaine endure but one supreme Monarch He that sueth into the Court of Rome detracts from the Kingly glory and therefore encuires the danger of Premunire Euen so if a subiect of this Realme bring in a Bull of Excommunication from Rome against another subiect it is by the auncient common law high treason against the King his crowne and dignity as hath beene adiudged in the Raigne of Edward the first For the King of England is the Vicar of the â—â—ghest King In a Constable or any other it is forgery and detraction to write a warrant in a Iustice of Peace his name without his consent Yea and a Justice himselfe was fined in the Star-chamber circa 30. Elizab. Reg. for sending his warrant vpon suspition of felony with a blanke or window to put in ones name which he knew not at his friends request without certainly acquainting him with the matter before What a tedious quarrell continued with vnsheathed swords betweene the Turkish Ottoman and the Persian Sophy about the very colour of the Turbant which both were bound by their ceremonious law to weare Such another friuolous iatre hapned among the Friers touching the colour of their frizen weedes One stood vpon blacke betokening mourning another vpon white the displayed ensigne of innocency This busie body claimed it to be gray that their weeds being like vnto ashes might moue them to repentance That hare-brain'd Scholer proued out of Schoolemen and profound Dunces that all the rest of the Disputants were arrand Heretickes for their sinnes being as redde as Scarlet or as purple they ought not to hold with any other colour Many brawles many factions yea and bloud-sheds arose about these Idly vsurped colours till after diuers commotions decrees and orders on all sides infringed a finall end with much adoe was established by the generall Councell of Christendome There was a dangerous tumult in France very like to chance betwixt a famous Auncestour of mine out of Wales and the Lord Norris concerning their armes Both gaue the Rauen both challenged it from the same house from one Vrian Prince of Rheged otherwise called Carict in Scotland who eyther by conquest or marriage seated himselfe in our countrey of West-Wales My said Auncestour as our Walsh nature relies ouermuch vpon Genealogies and Heraldry and his Walsh company being no lesse then fifteene hundred horsemen and footemen could by no meanes be disswaded from the quarrel vntill the Duke of Norsâ—lke whose daughter sithence Countesse of Bridgewater was married vnto his heire sollicited King Henry the eight then in camp to take vp the Controuersie and order the Lord Norris to giue it flying and the others as he did before If mens mortall feuds conceiued against their emulous concurrents for light occasions and as the Prouerbe termes them for a Goats haire be so heynous hereditary so frequent so customary in all Countreyes why doe we tempt the Lord our God and doubt that his eternall Maiesty in whom there is not the least spot of sinfull perturbation hates Detractours of his euer-shining glory and also them which attribute his miraculous deedes to his creatures or enemies I say why doe we doubt that he detesteth them in a faire higher degree then if they were profested Atheists blinded with ignorance Hee that knowes his Masters will and doth it not is worthy of many stripes Wherefore I constantly auerre that the Lord hateth Antichristians Euchanters Coniurers and Witches for their detractions forgeries delusions and false miracles worse then the Heathen with all their Idolatries To this end that auncient Father affirmeth If any that went afore vs eyther of ignorance or simplicity hath not obserued that which the Lord commanded his simplicity through the Lords indulgence may be pardoned but we whom the Lord hath taught and instructed cannot be pardoned Where the Spirituall Steward lends one talent there he looketh the interest of one againe but where he exposeth out twenty talents there he iustly expecteth the encrease of twenty againe Like as a simple seruant sent out in a darkesome night and misseth his way deserues his pardon more freely then he which purposely gaddes and goes out of his way in the cleare day light preferring his own wanton pleasures before his Masters profite so the ignorant Christian sinning of meere simplicity is farre more tolerable then the enlightned Gospeller which afterwards dissembles and detracts vpon a greedy or gaudic hope of golden mountaines LINEAMENT XII 1 Wherefore God diuerteth his naturall creatures against mankinde 2 That all crosses and misfortunes proceede onely from God 3 That in any wise we must not delay repentance 4 An obiection against sudden death by the spirit of Detraction out of the Letany with a consutation thereof THus the starres haue their ordinary motions the Elements their courses and the Metcors their voluble dispositions except otherwhiles it please their Arch-mouer to diuert some of them as terrible alarums for our admonishment Then euery thing fights against vs Our natiue ayre strangles our wearied winde-pipes Our nourishment through gluttony works our latter end Fire water conspire against vs One dieth by fire another by water Thus armes he nature against nature creature against creature and man against man eyther for his glorie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that mortall men may know his strength and acknowledge their owne weakenesse or for mens tryall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to trie their integrity to mollifie their stony hearts and to shape their inward man to regeneration Others he smites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 33 vessels of wrath to perpetuall punishment though commonly he lets them flourish in this world like Palme trees reseruing them to damnation
hath a summe of money due vnto him by Obligation the Partie indebted not able to spare it by reason of his ouer-lauâ—sh expenses in apparrell wenches and such inordinate vanities and seeing no shift at the Common law to auoid the payment confederates with two or three of the Diuels consort bare legged vagrants those whom Homer termed houselesse and Tribelesse and vseth the forfeit of their soules for his temporall aduantage and for the hindrance of his Creditours in his Maiesties Court of Chauncerie Doth a Landlord demand the occupation of his owne and natiue free-hold requiring the Tenant either to compound for a longer terme or to leaue it vnto his dispose Presently these wrangling wretches with bread and cheese in their scrips runne headlong to the Counsell of the Marches where vpon affidauit of their three yeares possession and afterwards vpon proofe by some of these damned crew that they contracted with their Landlord for a lease paroll though such an Act was neuer done or perhaps done for some other consideration of import they procure either orders to continue their possessions for the said supposed deposed terme or vntill they be expulsed by vertue of verdict at the Common law where also by reason of these vilipendious varlets testimonies they win the garland of their forged suits O the perfidiousnesse of false faithlesse hearts that thus rashly runne into the lake of fire and brimstone These inconueniences happen daily to the impairing and impeaching of our temporall fortunes Yea and which is most detestable among Christians these treacherous Iudasses and impious Impes of Sathan combine together against our credites which some of vs value beyond Craessus his treasurie and some other times against our liues which as Tenants in capite we hold from the King of Kings These abhominations of my natiue Country here I submit before your eyes of Iustice that the same may serue as additions of examples vnto your manifold experience whereby your Honours may conceiue or rather recall to memorie what terrible tempests doe daily encounter your inferiour Ministers and others his Maiesties vvell disposed subiects notwithstanding that you know alreadie better then a thousand such as I am that there is no signe more certaine that men are vertuous then to see them hated of the vicious for imminent enuie euer persecutes eminent vertue Good my Lords employ your vttermost endeauours for the extirping of these accursed actions The more paines yee take in this waightie businesse the more conspicuous crowne of Honour shall you weare in the Heauenly Citie euen by His appointment who though inuisible to the eyes of flesh and bloud stands in the assembly of the Gods and iudgeth among the Gods that is in the midst of you O earthly Iudges which likewise that Holy man protested saying that his eyes are with Kings and Princes in the throne And another confirmeth the same vvith a reason for yee execute not the iudgements of man but of God To this end that the lawes of this land may not further be iniured by the Spirit of Detraction let his counterfaite Castor and Pollux be crushed in the egge his rancour repelled and his rage repressed in the beginning of his raigne for if Sathans surmised suites vvere blasted in the blossome the rest of his snakie Spirits would presently sneake away into their bottomlesse home If the lippes of our Satyrciall Semeies vvere seared as a subiects lips in France vvere seared vvith a hot Iron for his petulant speaches vvhen they transgresse and transcend the bounds of obedience then surely vvould they yeeld their hearts vvith greater awe and ciuilitie to the Ballance and Sword of Iustice. If their tongues vvere tempered towards your subordinate Ministers they vvould vvith greater reuerence respect your higher authorities as the resemblance of his Maiesties person yea of God himselfe But some will say that these sons of Detraction cannot so soon cashiere ther blasphemies periuries slanderous suggestions by reason of a continuall cankred custome which they deriue into their wils euer from their cradle in their education conuersation For confirmation of this fallacie they insist on the Locrensian law on the state of our bodies which may not brook innouation nor breach of custome the same being as Physicians hold another nature With the sophistrie of this vntempered morter Right prudent Lords our Momists vse to daube ouer their grosse errors as though the conuersion of a corrupted custome were the peruersion of an authenticke Law The alteration of our customarie diet I confesse seemes raw and rough at first vnto our crabbed natures but within a while after it turnes to the benefit of the Patient where the custome is refined or reduced into a better for what is Custome without Truth none other then as meate without salt an old wiues fable and an old doating sinne Whatsoeuer sauours not of Faith is sinne The word of God admits not of wrangling policie neyther may vve wrest it according to our vvorldly deuises It is primitiue and contemnes mixture it is pure and hates hypocrisie The Lord hath spoken and his speaches shall stand for euer Heauen and Earth shall passe away but the vvord of God shall neuer passe Yea one day tels another one night certifieth another that his spotlesse Spirit abhorres those refractaryes which blaspheme his hallowed Name which beare false testimonies against their neighbours But vvhat am I that thus audaciously goe about to confront your experience vvhose bookes of Iudgements I am not worthy to open What am I that seeme as sus Mineruam to instruct Nathans in Iustice Nestors in Counsels Pardon my trespasse vertuous Iudges as the Highest Iudge hath pardoned yours As many peeces of flesh I speake it vnder your accustomed patience do better the pottage so these aduisoes of mine though ambitiously elated I know cannot hinder your graue proceedings Let them go then as little looking glasses for Abcedarie nouices vvhose abilitie perhaps in wit or purse will not serue to get them mirroirs of a firmer substance LINEAMENT II. 1 That after Controulement Instruction is necessary for them that be possessed with the Spirit of Detraction 2 That Taciturnitie and Patience doe coniure him downe into hell FOrasmuch as the Detracting Spirit and his false feathered Eagles are vnmasked and discouered through the vvinde of Gods Word which before in this age of ours was like an infortunate Planet predominant ouer the Horoscope of our natiuities it is high time that I minister an Antidote or preseruatiue against the precedent mischiefes and after controulement that I adioyne instruction seeing both together are as necessarie for the variable will of man as Phlebotomy for a Pleurisie or Calenture Euery euill at the first budding is quickly extirped but being suffered for a while to runne a lawlesse race vncurbed or vncorrected it becommeth past cure Euen as wilde-fire or lightning hauing receiued nourishment or matter to worke vpon by candle-light tallow or oylie substances