new A Knight that durst appeare for a persecuted Truth and man One Dowglas a Scottish Knight having heard Master Wiseheart preach some things contrary to the corrupt Doctrine of those times said I know the Governour and Cardinall shall heare of it But say unto them said the Knight I will avow it and not onely maintaine the Doctrine but also the person of the Teacher to the uttermost of my power Christians must learn self-denyall Antoninus Pius when he undertook the Title of Emperour said he did then forgoe the property and interest of a private person so when wee take upon us the Name of CHRIST we should forgoe all selfish and private respects A covetous King and an ingratefull Guest Our Henry the seventh with his whole Retinue were Royally entertained by the Earle of Oxford for three dayes together at Henningham Castle in Essex when the King was to depart the Earle had caused three hundred of his Servants Retayners and Tenants to stand in ranckes on either side the long Cawsey from the Castle when the King came to the end of the ranckes and had taken notice of so many proper men all in one Livery he turned to the Earle and askt him if all those men were his houshold servants No Sir answered the Earle 't is not for my ease to keep so many in my house saying That most of them were Reteyners Well my Lord quoth the King I thank you for my good entertainment but I must not see my Lawes broken before my face my Atturney must speake with you about this businesse The King was as good as his word for it cost the Earle of Oxford 14000. Markes for his Composition upon the penall Statute of Reteyners Who is the most Foole A Cardinall that had a very fine staffe his fool was importunate that he would bestow it upon him which the Cardinall did upon condition that hee should not part with it but to one that was more foole then himselfe The Foole layes up his staffe very carefully till one day the Cardinal being sick and like to dye the Foole came to him askt him if he were willing to dye O no said the Cardinall I am afraid to dye because I doe not know whether I shal go to Heaven or to Hel The Foole hearing his Master say so runs presently and fetcheth the Staffe and gives it to the Cardinall again saying he had met with one now that was more foole then himselfe For sayes the foole you have spent your time so much in pompe and luxury neglecting the good of your soul that now you are afraid to dye Take your staffe againe for I know none that deserves it better 'T is enough to repent the day before ones death A Jewish Rabby pressing the practise of repentance upon his Disciples exhorted them to be sure to repent the day before they dyed one of them replyed that the day of any mans death was very uncertaine Repent therfore every day said the Rabbin and then you shall bee sure to Repent the day before you dye Meane Parentage no disparagement to vertuous men Seneca writing to a Knight of Rome who was preferred for his valour but yet of meane parentage for which he seemed to be troubled Seneca cites him this notable saying of Plato That there is no King but is raised from those which were servants and that there is no servant but had some of his Ancestors Kings Though gold comes from the earth none despiseth it and although drosse comes from the gold none regards it A vertuous man comming from meane Parentage is truely honourable and a vicious man comming from Noble parentage is justly contemptible Loving Wives Conradus the third Emperour of that name having besieged Guelph Duke of Bavaria would yeeld to no other condition but onely to suffer such Gentlewoman as were in the City to come out of the Towne on foot with such things as they could carry about them The Ladies and Gentlewomen resolved neglecting all other Riches to carry their husbands children and the Duke himselfe on their backs The Emperour perceiving the quaintnesse of their device took such pleasure at it as weeping for joy presently turned his former inexorable rage and hatred to the Duke into speciall love and favour Some sorrows are not to be exprest Psamneticus King of Aegypt being prisoner to Cambyses King of Persia seeing his owne daughter passing before him in base array being sent to draw water at which sight his friends about him wept but himselfe could not be moved to utter one word presently after his sonne was carried to execution before his face neither did this move him to shew any passion but afterwards when a friend of his was to suffer then hee tare his haire and shewed great sorrow being demanded the reason of this his carriage he answered That the losse of a Friend might bee exprest but not the griefe for the losse of a childe Ingentes stupent A Painter being to represent the griefe of the standers by at the Sacrifice of Iphigenia according to the interest and affection every one did beare to so faire so young and so innocent a Lady when hee came to her Father as if no countenance were able to expresfe his sorrow hee drew him with a veyle over his face Cure leves loquuntur ingentes stupent Hence comes the Fiction of Niobe who having lost seven sons and seven daughters is feigned to be turned into a stone Valour scornes any kinde of base tricks Alexander being perswaded to make use of an advantage which the darknesse of the night afforded him to fall upon Darius No no said he it pleaseth me not to hunt after night stolne Victories Malo me fortunae poeniieat quam Victoriae pudeat I had rather repent of my bad fortune then be ashamed of an ill gotten Victory Christian Fortitude The Tripartite History tels us of one Same 's a Noble man who had and maintained a thousand servants of his owne yet was deprived of all his estate by the King of Persia and was compelled to serve one of the most abject and basest of his owne servants to whom the King also gave his wife that by this meanes he might cause him to deny his faith But he not at all moved kept his Faith intire willingly suffering all this wrong and indignity for Christ Tyrants requests are commands A poore man of Sevill in Spaine having a faire and fruitfull Peare-Tree one of the Fathers of the Inquisition desired some of the Fruit thereof The poore man not out of gladnesse to gratifie but feare to offend as if it were a sin for him to have better fruit then his betters suspecting that on his denyall the Tree might be made his own Rod if not his Gallowes plucked up the Tree roots and all and gave it to the Inquisitor A piece of Policy A stranger gave out that hee could teach Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse a way to discover any plot or practise that
would become of the Bishop I feare me he would to Hell too at which the Bishop being confounded went his way Bishop Wrens unsufferable insolency When Wren was Bishop of Norwich and had put downe all after-noone Sermons on Lords dayes in his Diocesse it hapned that the Earles of Bedford and Doncaster with three or foure Lords more were invited to the Baptizing of the Lord Brooks Childe at Dallam in Suffolke which was to be in the after-noone on the Lords day the Noble-men earnestly desired Master Ash Houshold Chaplaine to the Lord Brcoks to preach which through great importunity he did this presently comming to the Bishops eares he sends his Apparitor with a Citation for Master Ash to appeare before him with whom the Lord Brooks went along to the Bishop whom they found sitting in state like a great Lord or Demy Pope they desired to know his Lordships pleasure to which the Bishop answered That his Chaplaine had openly affronted him in his Diocesse in daring to preach therein without his speciall License and that on the Lords day after-noone when he had expresly prohibited all Sermons within his Jurisdiction telling Master Ash that he would make him an example to all others my Lord Brooks told the Bishop That it was by the earnest intreaty of those Lords and his owne command that his Chaplaine then preached and that he hoped there was no cause of offence in the matter to which the Bishop replyed That my Lord Brook did very ill to offer to maintaine his Chaplaine in this saying that no Lord in England should affront him in his Diocesse in such a manner if he did his Majesty should know of it and that he would make his Chaplaine an example Hereupon he presently proceedeth against Master Ash in his owne Court with all violence no mediation of Lords oâ— friends could pacifie him till at last the Earle of Donâ—aster told him That he would complaine of him to the King if he would not cease prosecuting Master Ash since he preached by the Lord Brooks command and at his and othâ—r Lords intreaty hereupon the Bishop leaving the Chaplain falls upon the Church-wardens fines them forty shillings a man injoynes them publick Pennance in the Church to aske God and the Bishop forgivenesse and to confesse that their pennance was just O pride O tyranny The Doctor could not pray without bâ—oke When the Religious Lord Vere was suddenly struck with deaths arrow at Sir Henry Vanes Table at White-Hall as he sate at Dinnâ—r and carried from thence into a Withdrawing Chamber where he dyed a Grand Doctor of Divinity one of the Kings Chaplaines being there present was upon this unexpected occasion desired to kneele downe and pray with the Company the Doctor hereupon calls for a Common-prayer Booke and answer being made that there was none present he replyed that he could not pray without a Book whereupon a Knight there present tooke him by the Gowne and forced him to kneele downe telling him that my Lord was dying and he must needs say some Prayer or other upon this he begins Our Father which art in heaven for other prayer could he say none which the Knight hearing bade him hold his peace for my Lord was dead and he was but a dead Divine who knew not how to pray He that stopt other mens mouthes had at last his own â—â—…pt with a vengeance Thomas Arundell Arch-Bishop of Canterbury a grievous persecutor of Gods people and a great suspender and silencer of his Ministers who occupying his tongue braines and Episcopall power to stop the mouthes and tye up the tongues of Gods Ministers and hinder the preaching and course of Gods Word was by Gods just Judgement so sâ—â—icken in his tongue that it swelled so bigge he could neither swallow nor speake for some dayes before his death and so he was starved choked and killed by this strange tumour of his tongue A true Slave There was not long since in the Towne of Ipswich an old man who was so extreamly base and miserable that he lived in a most sordid manner not allowing himselfe convenient necessaries either for back or belly but would walke Horses at Innes begge his victuals up and downe the Towne and weare such old rotten Canvase Jackets and Breeches as the Sea-men threw away when this wretch was dead his two Sonnes who were newly come from Sea knowing that their Father had money though he would never part with a farthing to them fell a ransaking the house and at last they found what they lookt for though the quantity farre exceeded their expectation the neighbours that came into the house with them stood amazed to see so much money in such a mans house the two Sons leapt up and downe for joy and one clapping the other on the back said Faith sirrah was not this a true Slave Cardinall Pools answer to a Figure-fâ—inger One that pretended skill in judiciall Astrologie came to Cardinall Poole telling him that he had been calculating of his Nativity the Cardinall askt him What he meant by his nativity The Astrologer answered his Birth under what Planet he was borne and what Fortunes would befall him which he said he had gathered from the Starres and Coelestiall houses Tush replyed the Cardinall I have been borne againe since then How to deale with crafty sinners The Lot when it was directed against Achan first it fell upon the Tribe secondly it fell upon the Family Thirdly upon the Houshold and lastly upon the person of Achan he hid his sinne ever till it lighted upon him So the crafty sinner is not moved when the threatning is given out generally against the Nation neither when it is given out against the City where he dwels nor when it comes to his Family till in particular it come to his Person and till it be said to him Thou art the man Sin is a shamelesse thing yee may spit seven times in the face of it before it blush A covetous man is like a Christmas Box The covetous man is like a Christmas Box whatsoever is put into it cannot be taken out till it be broken he soaketh up the waters of riches like a Spunge and till death doth come and squeeze him with his Iron graspe he will not yeeld one drop of that which he hath received 'T is hard to know a mans disposition till he be out of check 'T is said of Tiberius that whilst Augustâ—â— rul'd he was no wayes tainted in his reputation and that whiles Drusus and Germanicus were alive he feigned those vertues which he had not to maintaine a good opinion of himselfe in the hearts of the people but after he had got himselfe out of the reach of contradiction and controulment there was no fact in which he was not faulty no crime to which he was not accessary Love me a little and love me long 'T was a witty reason of Diogenes why he askt a half penny of the thrifty man and a pound of the
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