their own. For, by this manner of life and conversation, they cannot be perceived what they are; whereas the prophet saith, they have a heart and a heart, yea a double heart, to make outward semblance of one thing, and to mean another; whenas they, for fear, wish well, or rather, seem to be favourers of the present state, not making any shew of dislike of it at all. But such may know that, sperantes vel unto die consenescunt; and, although they stand still gazing for some change and alteration, long may they so continue: and altho' they be not unlike that countryman which Horace speaketh of, when he saith, Rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis, at ille yet they must assure themselves, that God, who ruleth above, sitteth and seeth all their plots laid by them, and their policies, and will, most assuredly, disappoint them of their purpose; and altho' they go on from one evil unto another, yet shall they not escape the hands of the Lord, neither can they so cover themselves, as that, by the mighty Jehovah, they cannot be discerned. Yea, and although the pope doth continually what he can to take away life from our sovereign, in sending traitor after traitor, and always canonising them, and would make this work of theirs meritorious; yet God, who hath heretofore disappointed them of their purpose, sitteth still in heaven, and laugheth them to scorn. And altho', with the cruel emperor, they could wish, O si caput unum haberet, that at once they might have their will, yet God will not suffer their wicked treacheries to take effect. In the old law was set down unto us, how that an ox and an ass ought not to be coupled together, and a garment of linsey-wolsey ought not to be worn; whereby we may learn, not to make a shew of honest and plain-dealing, and be dissemblers, full of guile and hypocrisy. For they are not fit couples to be joined together, nor garments which will agree upon our backs at once. And from hence proceedeth all evil-speaking, as backbiting, slandering, railing, and the like. reason may be hereof, Tulit nos ætas iniquiores: We daily wax worse and worse. For none will now spare to revile, and that in a shameful manner, if any hope of advantage can be found. And, although we can have no just and true occasion to defame any, yet, audacter calumniando, we will proceed against such as we would hate; and, altho' we know no such slander can be truly raised, yet we assure ourselves that the scar will still remain, some judging badly of them, because of the rumour. If any fault can be found out in any one whom we would malign, then are we still like flies, lighting always upon the bare and sore place; if we can find out any imperfection, there will we be, and shew it unto the world; but, as for virtuce the slanderous person letteth them pass, and will not so much as once look upon them. In Leviticus, we read how that kites were forbidden to be caten, because they did feed upon living beasts, and so became unclean; even so in slanderers and evil-speakers, no clean thing can be found; for the heart, the mouth, the hands, and every part of them is unclean; so that they cannot offer up sacrifices unto God. They are more savage than the beasts, for they do not feed upon one of the same kind; but man Α devoureth man, yea, killeth him with his tongue and slanderous reportsWe ought to remember, that as windows are narrow on the outside, and larger within; so should we, out of our own houses, and, in other men's affairs, see less than in our own. We mut not be like that woman of whom Plutarch giveth this report, that when she went abroad would put her eyes into her head, but when she came home would take them out, and would not, in her own house, see any longer by them: But we must, in some sort, do the contrary; we must, in our own houses, that is, in our private actions, have more circumspect eyes than in other men's. And, finally, we must take heed, that we have not that the subject of our talk which may malign others, and that our actions deserve not to be evil-spoken of by others. CHAP. IX. OF BENEFITING AND UNTHANKFULNESS. FORASMUCH as justice and honesty require this, that we should give thanks unto them which have bestowed benefits upon us; nature followeth this order, that we should convert the effects into their causes: forasmuch as they have their conservation and increase from whence they spring. The degrees of benefits are four: 1. First, Thou seest some, that, when they bestow benefits, they have only a respect to themselves. So do shepherds and swineherds, when they provide pasture for their cattle, whereof they have charge, since, therein only, they seek for their own gain and commodity, otherwise they have no love to sheep, and swine, &c. 2. There are others, which, in doing of good, have regard both unto themselves, and also unto them whom they do help. For the poor do serve rich men and princes, partly, because they love them, and partly, to get some commodity at their hands. 3. In the third degree are those placed, which do in such sort bestow a benefit upon any man, as they look for no recompence of him. It oftentimes happens, that, when we see one in misery, we are touched with mercy, and we help him; which, without doubt, proceedeth of humanity: forsomuch as we are men, we think that nothing belonging to a man, but it appertaineth unto us. 4. They are counted in the last and chiefest place, which benefit others, even with their own grief, hurt, and loss. After this manner Christ dealt towards us; he redeemed mankind with the loss of his own life: Whom Jephtha, after a sort, resembleth, who delivered the Israelites unto liberty, and that to his great danger, which he declared by this form of speaking: I have put my life in my hands', Judges xii. 3. that is, I have not refused to endanger my life, wherefore the Ephraimites were most ungrateful for so great a benefit. The degrees of ungrateful men are likewise four: The first sort of ungrateful men is, when they require not good to those that deserve it at their hands. The second is, when they praise not, nor allow well of those things which good men bestow upon them. The third is of them which forget the benefits they have received. The fourth and worst of all is, when, for benefits, injury and hurt is recompensed. After this manner, the Ephraimites behaved themselves towards Jephtha; who, because he had gotten the victory, would have burned him and all his. What else is this, than to contemn both the benefits, and him that bestoweth them? But this is most of all the point of unthankful men, when neither men, nor other creatures, are despised in their so doing, but God himself contemned. For, whatsoever benefits we receive of men, we have them of God, who useth the help of men to relieve the miserable and afflicted. Wherefore they, which are ungrateful, are void of charity, as well towards God, as towards men. But thou wilt say, when men, that bestow benefits, do sometimes light upon ungrateful persons, what ought they to do? shall they straightway withdraw their well-doing from them? Undoubtedly, they deserve this. Howbeit, we must not forthwith do it, because men (by reason that nature is corrupted) are slow, neither are they easily moved to do their duty; therefore we must go forward in well-doing, for he, who is not moved to be thankful by the first benefit, will, peradventure, be stirred by the second, third, fourth, or fifth: But if he altogether continue in his ingratitude, we may justly withdraw from him our benefits; not moved thereunto by hatred or desire of revenge, but that he may be corrected, and that he do not continually disdain the benefits, which are the gifts of God. Kings do not make every citizen a ruler, a president, or other officer belonging to a magistrate, but them only that are just and wise: which, if they do not, they execute not their office. But when they give unto their people liberal gifts, or a banquet, or distribute corn, because, without great labour and pain, they cannot separate the good citizens from the bad, therefore they bestow such things as are of this kind, upon all men, one with another; and chuse rather to deserve well of evil citizens, than to defraud the good of their liberality, for whose sake they are chiefly moved to be bountiful towards the people. Let us also imitate this, that when we bestow private things, although we light upon one that is ungrateful, let not us straightway withdraw from him our liberality, but let us behave ourselves in such manner, as we have before declared; that if he stubbornly proceed to be ungrateful, let us, at length, for his correction sake, cease to bestow any benefit upon him. But such benefits as are common or publick, let us continually bestow them, yea, even upon the ungrateful, as we are of God commanded. And let us rather chuse to have our good things distributed to godly and holy men, than to cease off from doing good, because the wicked should not be partakers of them, СНАР. Х, OF GENTLENESS AND AFFABILITY, THE virtue, which followeth things delightful in sports, is surparenia, to wit, gentleness and affability in speech. It is otherwise a necessary thing, for as the body hath need of rest, so the mind to be refreshed with some pleasure: Yet must we beware that we be not too forward in those things, lest we hurt, and lest that we speak any unclean thing. Moreover, we must observe these circumstances, to wit, when, with whom, and how, and that it be done with such words and actions, as are convenient. The excess is Baμoraxía, to wit, when men use reproachful kind of scoffing, when they speak those things that are filthy, and hurt others, and have no consideration of time, manner, or persons. Boués signifieth an altar, and, in old time, about altars, there was meat; and then there sat jesters about the altars, that they, by their much babbling (which oftentimes was very uncivil) might make men merry: These are said to be rude and rustical fellows; or else, as they which are pleasant may be called civil, so these other may be called uncivil. THE CONCLUSION. YOU have heard (Philosarchus) the treatises of those things which you desired, and my judgment upon them likewise; which request of yours I refused not to perform, in regard that I thought the probabilities of them would be special motives to abandon, and sequester far from you, that carnal and voluptuous manner of living; which, if they shall, then I shall think myself well contented, and my labours sufficiently discharged: If otherwise, yet I shall seem to have performed the duty of a loving and faithful friend. BUT KING JAMES'S SPEECH ΤΟ HIS FIRST PARLIAMENT, Monday, the Nineteenth of March, 1609. UT of one thing I would have the papists of this land to be admonished, that they presume not so much upon my lenity, because I would be loth to be thought a persecutor, as thereupon to think it lawful for them daily to increase their number and strength in this kingdom; whereby, if not in my time, at least in the time of my posterity, they might be in hope to erect their religion again. No, let them assure themselves, that, as I am a friend to their persons, if they be good subjects, so am I an avowed enemy, and do denounce mortal war to their errors; and that, as I would be sorry to be driven, by their ill behaviour, from the protection, and conservation of their bodies and lives, so will I never cease, as far as I can, to tread down their errors and wrong opinions, for I could not permit the increase and growing of their religion, without first betraying of myself, and mine own conscience. Secondly, This whole isle, as well the part THE JOURNEY OF THE EARLE OF NOTTINGHAM. 535 I am come from, as the part I remain in, in betraying their liberties, and reducing them to the former slavish yoke, which both had cast off before I came amongst them. And Thirdly, The liberty of the crown in my posterity, which I should leave again under a new slavery, having found it left free to me by my predecessors; and therefore would I wish all good subjects, that are deceived with that corruption, first, if they find any beginning of instinction in themselves of knowledge, and love to the truth, to foster the same by all lawful means, and to beware of quenching the spirit that worketh within them; and, if they can find as yet no motion tending that way, to be studious to read and confer with learned men, and to use all such means as may further their resolution; assuring themselves, that, as long as they are disconformable in religion from us, they cannot be but half my subjects, be able to do but half service, and I to want the best half of them, which is their souls. A RELATION Of such Things as were observed to happen in the Journey of THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES, EARL OF NOTTINGHAM, Lord High Admiral of England, His Highness's Ambassador to the King of Spain: Being sent thither to take the Oath of the said King, for the Maintenance of Peace between the two famous Kings of Great-Britain and Spain, according to the several Articles formerly concluded on by the Constable of Castile in England in the Month of August, 1604. Set forth by Authority. By Rob. Treswell, Esq. Somerset-Herald. London, printed by Melchisedeck Bradwood for Gregory Seaton, and are to be sold at his Shop under Aldersgate, 1605. Quarto, containing forty six Pages, including the Preface. This curious piece, which stands in the seventeenth place of the catalogue of our pamphlets, was written by one of the Earl's retinue, Robert Treswell, Esq. Somerset-Herald, and is recommended for publication by a gentleman at Oxford, who, in his letter to the printer, says, that, It is not to be met with, except in the Bodleian Library, Oxon, and in that of the Earl of Oxford, which is here exhibited; and that, as it will illustrate, as well as correct the historians in the reign of King James the First, he desires it to be reprinted as a real curiosity.' And we believe it will be acceptable to all our subscribers, as it gives a better idea of the court of Madrid, as well as of the general disposition of the Spaniards, and of some of the customs peculiar to them at that time, than can be met with in any other English writer: Besides, it must be allowed to be a most agreeable and entertaining relation; for, among other varieties, the reader is here presented with an account of the famous procession of Corpus Christi, and of a Bull Feast and Spanish Tournament, and other kind of diversions, such as masquerades, &c, |