and some blossoming as many as were before This hapned in a time of great scarcity A pertinent Answer to an impertinent Question Euclides the Philosopher being demanded by one what kinde of things the Gods were And what manner of works they most delighted themselves in Made him this answer That hee was not very familiar with their persons nor much acquainted with their purposes onely so much he understood from them That above all things they hated such polypragmaticall Inquisitors This is not much unlike St. Austins answer to one that would needs know what God did before the World was made Who was answered That hee was preparing Hell for such busie Questionists Of one that would not repent in the beginning of his sicknesse lest he should recover Beda tells a story of a certaine great man that was admonished in his sicknesse to Repent who answered That he would not Repent yet for if he should recover his Companions would laugh at him but growing sicker and sicker his friends pressed him againe to Repent but then hee told them it was too late Quia jam judicatus sum condemnatus for now said he I am judged and condemned Ridley blames himself for drinking there where the Gospel was refused Doctor Ridley comming to the Lady Mary who was afterward Queen and offering himselfe to preach was refused being gone out of her presence one of her servants intreated him to drink which he accepted but being inwardly checkt for so doing he cryed I have done amisse to drink in that place where Gods Word being offered hath beene refused whereas if I had remembred my duty I ought to have departed immediately and have shaken the dust off my shooes for a testimony against this house Vpon Canterbury's great Bell. OLd Canterbury's great Cathedrall Bell Never rings out but gives a fatall knell Hes loud unpleasant and harsh jarring sound The noyse of all our well-tun'd Bells bath drown'd She rung so lately out in June some doubt She shook great Tom of Lincoln's clapper out It is reported by the men of Kent She sounds such discord she gives no content But that she 's ponderous and so great the People Would gladly have her quite out of the Steeple She makes such hideous noyse with her doome doome As did the Popish Bulls that came from Rome But since she 's made of nought but Popish drosse She 'l serve to ring Romes Catholikes to Masse Injustice will be repayed at one time or another Richard the second when he was deposed and shortly after wounded to death said My great Grandfather Edward the second was in this manner Deposed imprisoned and murthered by which meanes my Grandfather Edward the third obtained the Crowne and now is the punishment of that injury poured upon me his next Successor well this is right for me to suffer The Ministery is no idle Calling If a Minister had as many eyes as Argus to watch as many heads as Typheus to dispose and as many hands as Briareus to labour hee might finde employment enough for them all Peter and Paul pictured blushing A Painter who being blamed by a Cardinall for putting too much red upon the visages of Peter and Paul tartly replyed That hee painted them so as blushing at the lives of those men who stiled themselves their Successours Seldome comes the better There were three Dionysians that succeeded one another and each exceeded his predecessour in Tyranny and wickednesse insomuch that they were continually execrated of all men onely one old woman prayed for the life of the last because shee thought the Divell himselfe would come next Mistris Hutchinson of New-England delivered of a strange Monster Mistris Hutchinson of Boston in New-England a woman of eminent parts and seeming piety falling into many strange and dangerous opinions which she pertinaciously held and had drawne many others to imbrace them when the Churches of God there notwithstanding all their endeavours could not convince nor reclaime her but still she persisted in those desperate Errors it pleased God to give a token from Heaven of his manifest displeasure against her and her opinions and a warning to all those that did adhere to her in them The matter was thus Mistris Hutchinson being big with child and drawing neere her time of labour was at once delivered of thirty Monstrous Births or thereabouts some of them bigger some lesser some of one shape some of another few of any perfect shape none at all of them of humane shape wherein the wisdome of God mightily appeared in fitting this judgement to her sinne every way for as she had vented mis-shapen opinions so she brings forth deformed Monsters Secondly as her errours were about thirty in number so she brought forth about thirty Mis-shapen Births And as her Errours were publike and spread abroad in that and other Countries so this Monster of hers is famously known in al the New-England Churches and in many other parts of the world Though this visible hand from Heaven wrought upon many that had been seduced by her yet she her selfe continued still obstinate in her way and leaving that part of the Plantation went to live with her Family neer a place which Seamen and our Maps call Hell-gate where the Indians fell upon them and slew her and all her family her daughter and her daughters husband with all their children save onely one that escaped Mistris Dyers fearfull Monster To the foresaid Relation I may adde another as strange and remarkable hapning in the same place about the same time and to a woman of the same way with Mris. Hutchinson The Story is thus At Boston in New-England upon the 17. of October 1637. the wife of one William Dyer sometime a Citizen and Millener of London a very proper and comely young woman was delivered of a large woman child still borne about two months before her time the childe having life a few houres before the delivery but so monstrous and mis-shapen as the like hath not been heard of it had no head but a face which stood so low upon the brest as the eares which were like an Apes grew upon the shoulders the eyes stood farre out so did the mouth the nose was hooking upward the brest and back was full of sharp prickles like a Thorn-back the navell and all the belly with the distinction of the Sex were where the lower part of the back and hips should have been and those back parts were on the side the face stood the armes and hands with the thighs and leggs were as other childrens but instead of toes it had upon each foot three clawes with talons like a young Fowle upon the back above the belly it had two great holes like mouthes and in each of them stuck a peece of flesh it had no fore-head but in the place thereof above the eyes four hornes whereof two were above an inch long hard and sharp the other two were somewhat shorter the father and mother of this
gloriously into the City Now was a time for Eustochius to enjoy the Emperours favour and what he could desire but at this time this very day refusing to sacrifice with the Emperour to Apollo hee suffers the Martyrdome of himself his wife and his children even now denyes all his present pomp and glory for Christ Awitty Answer of Aquinas to the Pope Thomas Aquinas comming before Pope Innocent the third in whose presence a great quantity of gold was telling The Pope said to him Thou seest Thomas the Church cannot say now as at the beginning Silver and Gold have I none To which Aquinas replyed True Holy Father nor can the Church say now as it did then to the Cripple Rise up and walke The world will be sure to keepe Christ poore enough The Church of Canterbury before the dissolution of Abbies had three severall Shrines or Altars one dedicated to Christ another to the Virgin Mary and a third to Thomas a Becket when these things were abolished there was found in the Leger book of that Church the yearly oblations made to those severall Shrines As thus Item the Oblations offered to the Virgin this yeare 63. l. 5. s. 6. d. Item to the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket 832. 12. 3. ob Item to our Saviours Shrine the same year 3. 2. 2. o. Item the next year to the blessed Virgin 4. 1. 8. q. Item the same yeare to Saint Thomas 954. 6. 3. o. Item to our Saviour pro hoc anno o. o. o. So that if that world had continued but a little longer St. Thomas a Becket would have undone both Mother and Sonne They that sleight Christ ought to be lightly esteemed Amphilochius a Bishop comming into the presence of the Emperour Archadius and his son who was then partner with his father in the Empire saluted the father with all reverence but sleighted the son whereat the father taking great displeasure demanded the reason why he so sleighted his sonne The Bishop answered because he hath neglected the eternall Sonne of God he being at that time a professed Arrian whereupon the Emperour received the Bishop againe into favour and banished all Arrians out of his Dominions Policy safer then flattery and plain-dealing The Lyon being charged with a stinking breath and meeting with an Asse would know his opinion who plainly told him that it stunck abominably whereupon the Lyon teares him in pieces for being so bold next he meets with a Spaniell of whom hee demands the like who said he never smelt a sweeter breath in all his life the Lyon presently teares him in pieces for his flattery Lastly he meets with a Fox whose opinion being likewise demanded hee said that hee had got such a cold that he could not smell and so Reynold scap't Great men seldome like plaine-dealing and wise men never love flattery The best Sacrifice When the Athenians would know of the Oracle the cause of their often unprosperous successes in Battaile against the Lacedemonians seeing they offered the choysest things they could get in Sacrifice to the Gods which their enemies did not the Oracle gave them this answer That the Gods were better pleased with their inward Supplication without ambition then with all their outward pomp in costly Sacrifices Cardinall Woolseys Father was a Butcher of Ipswich Will Summers that was first Cardinall Woolseys foole hearing that his Master was like to be Pope came running to the Cardinall and with great expressions of joy told him what he had heard Why art thou so over-joy'd at this newes said Woolsey to his Foole Marry quoth Will because I hope that when you are Pope you will doe as St. Peter did when hee was Pope what was that said the Cardinall why St. Peter when he was Pope he brought in Lent and all the Fasting dayes because his father and brothers were Fisher-men and I hope when you are Pope you wil put them all downe because your father and brothers were Butchers Some can better rule then be ruled Complaint being made to Henry the 8. of the Earle of Kildare that he was so troublesome that all Ireland could not rule him No said the King then shall hee rule all Ireland and so made him L. Deputy of that Kingdom The Church stood in need of a Luther Charles the Emperor was wont to say That if the Popes Priests were such as they ought to have been they had not stood in need of a Luther Three dogs to be kept out of the Pulpit Luther was wont to say that a Preacher should beware of bringing three dogs into the Pulpit with him Pride Covetousnesse and Envy Luther would not be satisfied with a temporall reward Luther being at one time in some wants it hapned that a good sum of money was unexpectedly sent him by a Noble man of Germany at which being something amazed hee said I feare that God will give me my reward here but I protest that I will not be so satisfied Mutability of Fortune Sesostris having taken many of his neighbor Kings prisoners made them to draw his Chariot by turnes it hapned that one of these Royall Slaves as he was drawing in the Chariot had his eye almost continually fixt on the wheeles which Sesostris observing askt him why hee lookt so seriously upon the wheeles Hee answered that the falling of that spoke lowest which was even now highest put him in mind of the instability of Fortune Sesostris duly weighing the Parable would never be drawne so againe An Indian would not goe to Heaven because he heard that the Spaniards went thither An Indian Prince being perswaded by the Spanish Fryers to be baptized and become a Christian demanded first what place was appointed after this life for such as were baptized They told him Heaven Then he askt them whither such went that were not baptized They answered him to Hell Then he would know to which of these places the Spaniards went when they dyed They said to Heaven Then said the Indian let me goe to Hell if the Spaniards goe to Heaven for I desire not to come where such cruell people be And indeed the Spaniards cruelty towards the poor Indians was most intollerable Continuall happinesse is the greatest unhappinesse Nihil eo in faelicius cui nihil infoelix contigit to be alwayes in felicity is the greatest infelicity for besides that continuall pleasures glut the sences hee wanteth many improvements of his wisdome many tryalls of his faith many exercises of his patience many incentives of his zeale many preservatives against sinne and many arguments of Gods love Christ weeping over Jerusalem Christ wept over Ierusalem so did Titus and so did Marcellus over Syracuse so also did Scipio over Carthage But they shed teares for them whose blood they were to shed but Christ for them who were to shed his blood Magistrates and Physicians must not kill too many Seneca adviseth Magistrates to let the clap fright all but the Thunderbolt to strike but a few for said he it
Pollio was walking up and downe the roome before his friends came considering his fine Glasses he began to thinke what a feare his Servants lived in by reason of those Glasses saying to himselfe that they were but brittle toyes and if any of them hapned to be broken it would disquiet him more then they were all worth saying further that if he brake them himself it would both prevent his being angry with his Servants and free them from a great deale of feare hereupon he gives the Cup boardâ—loath a twitch downe came all the â—â—lasses and were shattered to peeces This Story was related in a Sermon before King James by Doctor Burges of Ipswich and thus applyed Sir speaking to the King the Ceremonies of the Church of England are pretty specious things but very brittle and subject to breaking and your Majesty hath given strict charge to your Servants with severe threatnings that they break none of them your Subjects live in great feare of incurring your displeasure if by chance they should breake any of them and 't is likely you will be very angry if any of them be broken I most humbly beseech your Highnesse in the behalfe of your good Servants who feare to displease you that you would play the part of wise Pollio and breake these Glasses your selfe abolish these brittle Ceremonies your selfe that so your faithfull subjects may be freed from their continuall feare and the occasion of your Majesties displeasure removed King Iames was much taken with this handsome passage countenanc'd the Doctor and seemed inclinable to the motion till the Bishops about him had changed his minde which they did by buzzing into his head their old principle of no Ceremony no Bishop no Bishop no King and so cunningly did they play their Game that they had suddenly incensed the Kings minde so against him for that audacious passage in his Sermon as they termed it that the Doctor was clapt up in the Tower whence he could not be delivered till he past his promise to leave the Kingdome which accordingly he did and went over into Holland where he remained for many yeares preacher at the Hague The Churches security That Ship cannot be cast away wherein Christ is the Pilot the Scripture the Card his Crosse the maine Mast his Promises the Anchors his Spirit the Winde Jâ—ctatur nunquam mergitur ista ratis it may be â—ost but never shipwrack't No Jesuites in Hell A Jesuite preaching at the great Church in Padua towards the end of his Sermon he fell into a large commendation of the Order of the Jesuits exâ—olling it above all the Religious Orders that then were or ever had been in the world giving God thankes that he had the happinesse to be of that Order and in the close of his Discourse he told his Auditory that he would acquaint them with a Vision which he had lately seene The other night said he I dreamed that I was in Hel where me thought I saw Popes Emperours Kings Queens Cardinals Bishops Abbots Monks Fryers and some of all sorts of men both Ecclesiasticall and Secular but not one Jesuite amongst them all which made me to blesse God that ever I was borne to be of so blessed a Society which though it had sent so many thousands of that holy Order to the Grave yet never any of them went to Hell and so he concluded his Sermon with a fresh encomium of the Society of Jesuites The next Sunday after a Dominican Fryar preached in the same Church and he also towards the end of his Sermon fell upon the high praises of the Order of the Jesuits repeating much of the Jesuits Sermon the day before and bewayling himselfe that it was not his fortune to be of that holy Order whereof none ever went to Hell as the reverend Father had told them the day before at last he told the people that he also had seene a Vision and dreamed likewise one night that he was in Hell where he saw Popes Emperours Kings Cardinals and all sorts of Orders as the Jesuite had notably shewed them the day before but not a Jesuite said the Fryar could be seen amongst them all then thought I to â—y selfe O what a blessed Order is this O that I had been a Jesuite and not a Dominican and still I cast my eyes all over He but could not finde so much as a peece of a Jesuite there but store of all other religious Orders yea even of Dominicans my owne Order I saw great store at last me thought I beckned a little Devill to me and askt softly in his care whether there were any Jesuites in that place or no he answered That there were none there but that they were kept in a Hell by themselves which is a great roome under this where said the little Devill there be abundance of them and they come hither so fast that my master Lucifer scarce knowes where to bestow them and besides they are so unruly that if they were not kept by themselves every body would be soone weary of this place He further told me me thoughts that his master durst not let them have any Gunpowder for feare lest they should blow up this place A worthy example of gratitude Thomas Cromwell who was borne of meane Parentage became Earle of Essex and Lord Chancellour of England when he was a young man he had a desire to see the world his first adventure was into France whether he went as a Page to a Souldier to carry his Knap-sack but that Army being over-throwne Cromwell wandered up and downe till he came to Florence where his necessities made him beg up and downe the streets it hapned that one Francis Frescobald a Merchant of that City and one that had traded much in England meeting with this young tatter'd stripling and finding him to be an English youth he carried him home to his house and there bestowed a new suit of apparrell upon him entertaining him with all courtesie till he was minded to returne home into his Country when Frescobald perceived Cromwels desire to be going homewards he provided him a Horse which he bestowed upon him and sixteene Ducats of Gold in his purse Now it pleased God after a long time that as Cromwell was advanced to high preferment so Frescobald was brought low in his estate through many misfortunes and losses insomuch that he was forced to come over into England to get up some monies which some Merchants of this Nation were indebted to him being here and following his businesse in London it hapned that Cromwell who was then Lord Chancellor as he was riding in the street towards Court espied this Italian and guessing who he was by his habit he called him to him asking his name who answered that his name was Francis Frescobald Cromwell expressing much gladnesse to see him caused one of his Servants to carry him home to his house there to stay till his returne Frescobald all this while knowing not what this meant