should giue me a Iuell and I go picke his locke or his pocket for it Would this bee well taken Haue I not lost a friend by it This kind of presumption is towards God as vngodly as the other to man most vnmannerly And I shall wish you to take heed and enquire of it further for it will stand yee much vpon And yet to giue you this also and to free you from an audacious presumption which I can by no meanes doe yet I may not allowe this tryall to be a tryall indifferent and reasonable but false vncertaine and deceiuable as I prooue to ye thus There is no man can make a tryall certen whose issue is chance But the issue of combate is chance therefore the tryall vnreasonable That the issue is chance it appeares by the many casualties that combate is subiect vnto if his foote slippe or sword breake the sunne wind or dust in his eies or if his breath faile him hee is gone Neither is a man alwaies in best practise for his defence King Porus looked aside a little hearing his men in tumult behinde him and Alexander tooke aduantage of it and ouerthrew him And to goe no further then my former examples Liuius ib. 7 Valerius tooke like aduantage of a Rauen that flittered in the french mans face and ouerthrewe him by it And yet these vncertaineties our Duellours make no reckoning of weighing their honour in their humour at no more in a manner then a throweat crosse and pile or a caste at mum-chance The insufficiency of this tryall is also seen by the little esteeme is made of it by the whole body of iustice King Councell Iudges Magistrates and all the graue heads that are in the world All that ye haue yee holde by their wisedomes and iudgements the cloake on your backe and your sword in your hand Yet they holde such conquests of yours as nothing They will not condemne the conquered for the worser man or commend the conquerour for the better man or that he who hath the day hath alwayes right on his side as commonly he hath in iust warres and so is noted by Pomponius Laetus In compendio lib. 28. Liuie 7. But in single fight it is often contrary As we may see in Corbis and Oswaes case two principall men of Spaine while Scipio lay there who would haue vmpered the matter betweene them for the principality of Ibes But they were both resolued no tryall but combate either take all or loose all The apparant right was in Oswa who stood vpon his spirit and flourishing youth The other was both older and stronger and stood vpon his skill Much preparation was on both sides and great concurse of people and friendes But the stronger obtained the victory and the younger paide deere for his leuity Like case wee finde in king Henry the sixts time of England how William Cartur was trayterously appeached for a traytour by his own seruant and in combate was slaine by him in Smithfielde the seruant carrying away the victory and the Master the honesty as it was deemed and pittied by all that knew him And it was not long that the seruant could escape the iudgement of God for it being hanged soone after for another fault Neither will such conquests be so much as an euidence in any court of audience As for example one cals me theefe or baseborne I challenge him the fielde and am ouercome and he goes away with my sword After this I bring my action of slaunder Hee pleades conquest by battell and shewes my sword for a testimony with other witnesse besides Yet all is nothing I shall haue dammages against him notwithstanding But I leaue these matters vnto yee to bee better considered of as also the humours of men from whence this vnciuill businesse proceedes Greene heads commonly without ripenesse courage without knowledge good mettall ill applyed good signes till impolyed and to put all in a word the greatest aduenture that is for so small a prize as appeares by the fruites of it which are two First a cruell repentance if euer wee come to repent vs but especially if death followed Wee must remember one day or at sometime or other when wee set alone and thinke of things past that hee was our brother whom we maliced or supplanted so Hee was partaker of one Christendome with vs Like flesh one countrey the same language with vs. Perhappes hee was our friend and louer in his heart howsoeuer he might be ledde by humane errour and peraduenture our kinse-man or allie for any thing we know or care for in our passion If euer we come to remēber our selues we shall rue it most pittifully and with the bowels of extreamest compassion Alasse for pitty that we cannot take warning one by another yea that euer we should weare a sword and vse it no better How many bee there that perish thus of cold iron in this iron age how wanton be they with their weapons after they get a little fence and are not at quiet till they haue sheathed it in their brothers bosome or lye breathlesse and speechlesse vnder the surgeons hands They passe a tryall indeede but whereof Truely in my opinion of the greatest misery and most comfortlesse desolation that may bee Victus perijt luget victor As the olde Oracle went neither of them honourable by it both of them miserable and who can tell which more Whether he that is by this time God knowes where or he that suruiues and though he bee in his right minde yet cannot make amends or bemoane it sufficiently The second fruite if we may call it so is an abhominable blindnesse of heart which they bee growne vnto Let vs speake but of one or two of their lawes that they liue by and dye by Our young Solons and Lycurgusses what bring they Or from whence Not from the Athenians or Egyptians not from the Romanes or Lacedemonians and much lesse from good Christians Their first law is good and is but for a shewe to colour the rest And that is this ye must doe wrong to no creature liuing But they keepe it ill For if they carry a spleene against one they will giue him a iustle or a scorne or somewhat else that the other will not take and raise a brawle presently The second is if yee happen to wrong one or that the other take it for a wrong it is base to cry him mercy for it or yee must doe it coldely or rather stand to it and iustifie it and adde wrong to wrong and word vpon word to the defiance No place left for curtesie but a curteous scoffe A third is if one throwe duste or salt in your face or disgrace you in any sort if yee be not a cowe ye are bound to challenge him A fourth is that if a man doe not answere his challenge the other may stabbe him or pistoll him for it wheresoeuer he meetes him Lesse then his life cannot satisfie the disgrace
and left themselues little else but what they wore on therr belts and buckles and rings on their fingers An other time they of Marseiles did the like vnasked Iust 43. to aide the Romanes at a need and left not themselues a peece of golde either in publike or priuate Neither is it fit for vs to iudge the State at our pleasure when matter of burthen is propounded our Soueraigne being wise and bearing conscience towards vs. They sitte neere the Sunne and know what must bee better then wee They are wise and more experienced then wee and their part is in the burthen as well as ours It belongs to vs to listen willingly and performe gladly 2. Cor. 9. Hilarem datorem diligit deus God loues a cheerefull giuer and blesses him no doubt accordingly And the reason why our ancestours thriued better then wee and liued more plentifully Saint Augustine imputeth to this Quia deo decimas Hom. 48. de Sanctis regi censum dabant Because tithes they paid to God and tribute to the king Others pay also at this day but they doe it not willingly and God regards more what the heart doth then what the hand doth And therefore whosoeuer bee Iustices or Assessours on the bench our loue and conscience must bee of the quorum Let mutiny and turbulency finde no place with ingenuous spirits Christ himvelfe made meanes to contribute to superiours for our example hauing himselfe neither lands nor goods And so would wee if we had but loue in vs. A dead horse is no horse no more is dead loue any loue And where should wee shewe it more then to our Prince in whom all causes of loue concurre together most commonly Some weare their kings in their hat some in a iewell about their necke and wee set vp his picture in our eye where we eate and drinke we praise him and set out his vertues and run out to see him and bidde God saue him as if wee had neuer seene him before Wee pray for him in priuate and publike and hee is all our glory till wee come to part with any thing and then the king knowes not mê say they I shall neuer haue thankes of him I haue children and charge the king had more neede giue mee Some say it some thinke it and wee see not who lookes on the whilest Euen he that iudgeth both subiect and Soueraigne and will not suffer his annointed vnreuenged of any indignity But I will goe forward I come now to your Superfluum I spake of A thing that is not ill in it selfe if men doe not loue it too much and seeke it not so eagerly as they doe I will tell you in a word what your Pastours thinke of it and then conclude The scripture bids you Tobit 4. If ye haue much giue much Abundanter tribue If yee haue little giue little but let it bee volenter willingly Christ saith Mat. 25. we shall be damned for not doing some things Which all the fathers vnderstand to be the workes of mercy both spirituall and temporall The spirituall are comprehended in these verses Aduize reprooue good comfort giue Beare with him pray for him and forgiue All which sixe as well temporall persons as spirituail are bound to doe especially the second which is brotherly correction No man may forbeare to admonish his neighbour of his offence if yee bee not more likely to doe hurt by it or bee likely enough to doe him good and no body else will Which rule alone I must tell you when I well considered it made mee the bolder to aduenture on this daies charge though better becomming other manner of persons then my selfe if they were at hand But beeing so that my happe aboue others hath beene heere to speake about such businesse although I haue no cause to admonish or touch in particular any one for the enormities aforesaide yet by the way of praemonition I giue a brotherly warning to all as by this rule I thinke my selfe bound that they fall not into the same For according to this rule I finde it written in another place vnicuique mandauit Deus de proximo suo Eccl. 17. euery man hath charge in charity ouer his neighbour That is to say either by preuenting euill before it come as I doe now or by correcting euill if it bee past which I haue no cause in any of you And this I holde to bee the chiefe or onely spirituall worke that all persons alike are bound vnto But as for temporall workes which was the other part of my diuision wee are bound to more And therefore for our better memory they are put into verse thus Feede visit sicke redeeme out of thrall cloath harbour harbourlesse giue buriall All set downe by our Sauiour himselfe but the last Mat. 25. which is buriall and all these or most of them wee must doe vpon paine of hell fire Ite in ignem eternum saith hee Goe yee into euerlasting fire For yee visited me not ye cloathed me not c. Of spirituall workes more then I haue said I say nothing they belong to Diuines and Preachers who are the best instruments with learning and spirit to mannage our soules Of corporall workes also I haue not much to say more then of the instrument and meanes for them which is gold and siluer and which we either haue or lay for more then they and therefore are bound to doe them more then they For there is not a corporall worke except that of visiting but requireth some charge and outward ability Euery body cannot redeeme prisoners yea who make prisoners but rich folke An hundred dye in a yeare sometimes out of one prison as many ready to starue without shirt to their backe or bread to eate Many are ashamed to begge or to complaine and bring in their winding sheet when they come in vnable to buy necessaries and much lesse to pay debts But this is their manner of redeeming prisoners to lay them faster if they can or to abridge them any comfort that a prison may affoord Let rich men and prison-keeprs take heede of this if euer they looke to prosper with that they haue For if any should perish thus through their wilfullnesse it is murther before God and if they want maintenance they are bound by this precept to maintaine them The rich men I say for deteining the vnable if they think them so Prison keepers for looking no better to their hospitalls for euery Iaile is an hospitall as well as a prison And if begging will not serue they must finde them bread and drinke at least or giue vp their office God will charge vs one day that wee did not some of these things which wee were able to doe and had good meanes for Vnicuique mandauit Deus as I said before And mandauit implies a duty It is not as we will but wee are bound to it as it appeares by the penaltie which is laid vpon it
knowes not his owne way or worke so well as an other or as himselfe either if his fitte would giue leaue Which yet because it will not he can hardly iudge right but partially without a good friend to helpe him And this is Plutarkes rule not mine That when wee are doubtfull whether wee doe well or ill and whether we mend or impaire Deira cohib and we cannot goe out of our selues as Paynters doe from their worke a while to iudge the better of a fault when they come to it againe heere saith he wee had need conuent our selues before some friends or friend and aske their opinions what is amisse and would be amended in vs. A golden rule and more worthy a Christian then a heathen And if we follow it we could neuer erre Neither can any man want such a friend if he be humble or as curious for his soules health as he is for baser things But what is he that knowes not his owne store and expences or how few there be that fare the better by him Let him thinke with himselfe whether he would not spend lesse if he could with honesty Let him call to mind how many mens lands and inheritances he holds whereof euery one fedde many and hee feedes not one the more Can hee see this and know this and thinke hee hath nor Superfluum Or if he neuer were purchaser yet hee cannot but know how much comes in to him more then he spendes welfare all good tokens His bagges make mention if hee haue eyes to see them Hee is well ynough sighted to iudge of his neighbours what euery one is worth And can he not see himselfe much better He will say such a one is but a poore man or not the man he is takē for Such a one is well to liue and before hand Such a one is a neere man and hath thousands or a thousand to spare and yet doth not know what himselfe hath to spare His cost vpon iron chests and double dores and lockes most curious doe not all these point him to his Superfluum his feare of robbing his heart now and then misgiuing or his minde still running on it with a perpetuall audit in his braine doe not all these vsher him daily to the mint of his treasure and can hee not yet see or thinke that he hath Superfluum There is none so blind but may see it if he will though many bee so selfe-louing that they list not to heede it And of this my comming is to heede you and to aduise you my deere louers and friends that when yee come to haue more store of Gods blessings ye may make a blessing of it and not abuse your selues abuse God abuse his holy word as all that be couetous doe who haue nothing so frequent in their heart and soule and it is all the Scripture they practise Noli esse iustus multum Be not ouer iust and Omnia traham ad me ipsum I will draw all to my selfe Ecclesiastes 7.17 Ioh. 12. and my fellowes shall haue none As who should say all were borne beggars to make him great all mens fortunes ordained to raise his fortunes And it is not out of time that I aduise you thus It may be no time fitter then euen now that the world goes diminishing euery day from God and all goodnesse and stands a great deale more vpon will and pride then it hath done eschewing counsell As euery man thinkes it aduantageable for him so goes right and wrong with him and hee will bee his owne iudge Time hath beene that these cloaked and coloured sinnes haue not beene so common as now they are Either people haue beene more single-hearted or easier to be instructed then they be now and had more care of the world to come and how to gette thither then to sit deuising with themselues how to make themselues great here and let heauenly things come after at leisure But let vs leaue the reason to God Once we finde his word to be true Diminutae sunt veritates a filijs hominum Truthes are clipt and diminish't from the sons of men Psal 11. and the sons of God if we bee so must restore them againe If we will aske we may finde And wee haue the same oracles we had the same spirit to teach vs and to set on foot again that primitiue iustice if we wil imbrace it Couetousnesse is a most venemous thing contagious and vnneighbourly fedde onely with selfe-loue a most base and vnworthy loue and I haue giuen you rules against it Prodigality also and Riot are naught and I haue told you what a sinne it is to waste ones estate wilfully and how ye may auoide it with frugality Both sorts are very sinnefull For the couetous body perswades himselfe that all the Superfluum hee hath is no more but needefull The prodigall makes no more of his needfull then if it were superfluum and so poures it out wastfully without wit The sweet mean is betweene both which there is no difficulty to practise with the helpe of God and your cheerefull indeauour To which end I haue told you many things which a couetous eare would be loath to heare at the first vntill he do deepely consider what will become of things at last And yet if I haue any thing said more then your learned wil approoue let it be as vnsaid I haue laid before you but their conclusions which if ye shall doubt of your pious scrupulositie for better resolution knowes whether to repaire Out of my loue I would haue you iustly informed and as it were catechised in matters of iustice as ye are wont to be in your points of faith For which cause I haue spent some time with you but I desire no more credite then what your learned will affirme I told you there must be equality wheresoeuer there is good gouernment euen betweene king and subiect respectiuely and betweene rich and poore Yea there can be no stable gouernment where this is not well lookt into as it hath beene in the beginning of all common-wealths To some belongs more to some lesse euery one must haue necessaries to their estat which if they haue not they ought to be supplied And the supply makes as iust an equality as if al had alike If one haue mony and another haue wares they are equall If one be poore and another supply they are equall If one haue substance and another desire it not they are equall Epist 120. it is all one to haue saith Seneca and not to desire to haue For equality consisteth not in hauing alike but not wanting alike If wants bee supplyed all is equall if not supplyed there is a fault that must bee amended Yea where knowne want is and no supply some mans pinching will smart for it in the world to come and none haue cause to feare it so much as they that haue Superfluum No law to pull it from them but the law of