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Show ThePreface. The Preface. nottrouble ourfelues with fame: bee itneuerfo illic is tobe defpifed fo hath a P peculiar iudzement,by valuechit felf. z rs) Eads J which it both cenfureeh othera men,ex 2 : And therefore vnto meit will notfeemestrangethough Ifinde thefe my worthleffe papers torne with Rats:/eeing theflochfull Cenfurers ofall ages baue notfpared to we deférue well... For myfelfe;ifThane in any thingfernedmmy (ountry, andprized st before my priuate:thegenerall acceptation canyeeld meno otherprofit at this time than doth afairefunfhine day toa Sea-man afterfhipwrack, ex the contrary no other harm, than an outragious tempeft after the Port attained. I know that Iloft the loueof manyfor my fidelity towards Her, whom Imuft till honour' in the duft ; though further than the defence of ber excellent perfon, Inener perfecuted any man, Of thofethat did it, andby what denice they didit, He that is the Supreame Iudge of all the world, hath taken the accompt: fo as for this kinde of fuffering, I atfay with Seneca,Mala opinio,beneparta,delectar. Asforother men if there be any that hane made themfelues Fathers of that famewhich bath been begotten for them : Icanneyther enuy atfuch theirpurchaSedglory, nor much lament mine owne mifhap in that kind ; but content myfelfeto Say with Virgil, Sic vos non vobis, in many particulars. To labour otherfatiffattion, were an effect of phrenzy, not ofhope :feeing itis not Truth,but Opinion that can trauell the World without a afs-port. For wereit otherwife -and eee there not as many internalformes of the minde 5 w there are externallfigures of men; there were then{ome po/Sibility to perfwade by the mouth ofone CMivocate enen Equity alone. . But{uch is the mulciplying ex extenfine vertue ofdead Earth,em ofthat breathiningwece oa hath caft vponflime eo duft.as that among thofe that were,of d and heave, (among thofe that arewhom wefee > conuerfe with ; enery one hath received afeuerallpicture offace, eo eneryone a diners picture of minde;enery one aforme aparteuery one afancy es cietbcsion diffsiinge'there be. ms nothing wherin Naturefo much triumpheth asin difSimilitude. From whence at commeth that there isfound fogreatd iner{ity ofopinions. fotrong contrari made wretched,both tbe one and the other.Andtt is not the leaft debt which we owe vs wherof to che Pe were of og befSatt }pe re/t.Nayit very neere thelifes did not craftim many, wrought in our blind andftupified mindes,as tomake ys remember, That the infi- p feare in the moft and the worlds louein all, teach enery ca acity according to the ? compaffe it hath, to qualifie and maske ouer their inward defor mities for atime. Thoagh ite alfo true;Nemo poteft diu perf onamferre ftam:cito. ram faa faam relid i unt;quibus i veri ertas non > mNgEAT many thoufands of:yeares Cr giuen fofaire CH piercingeres to our minde.that wee plainly beboldlintng now (as ifwe had lined then) thatgreat world, Magni Det fapiens opus,the wife work(/aith Hermesofa great G O Das it wasthen, whenbut new to itfelfe.By it(LfayJit is,chat we line in the very time when it was created: we bebold how it wasgouerned: howit was couered with waters, and a= gainerepeopled: Flow Kings and Kingdomes haueflourifhed and fallen, andfor what vertue and piety God made progperous,andfor what vice and deformity he vato History, that it hath made vs acquainted with our dead Aunceftors;andout ofthe depth and darkneffe of the earth,deliuered ys their memory and fame. In 4 word, wee maygather out ofHiftory apolicy no leffe wife than eternall. by the comparifon and applicationofother mensfore-paffed miferies with our owne like errours (> ill deferuings.Butit is neither of Examples the moft liuely inftru€tion, nor the words ofthe wife/t men,nor the terroroffuture torments ; that hathyetfo not bardto expreffe theoneby the he vies in natu- fibeft, Ne man can long éontinue masked in a counterfeit behauiour:th e thingsth e hatatarare e for orced fore a pret ences hauing nd ground ndio ) f: ite their ownnatures:Ne ther a anymin (faithPac t rt: =eee fometimes feene at bis tongues end ea ne Inthis great difcerd and _- ob difSimilitude ofre . . : 7 afonable Creatures, if we dite nis honeftze rei: malus index eft vulgus': our common rises are euill Iud ‘The ges ofhoneft things. andyv Jelues tothe MulticudeO Hh Tomeit belongsin the fir/tpart ofthisPreface,following the common ¢ appro- ued cuftome of thofe,who haueleft the memories of time paft to after ages; to gine, asneare as {can,the fameright to Fii/tory which they have done. Yet feeing therein Ifould but borrow other mens words;I wil not trouble the Reader withthe repetition.Trueit is that among many otber benefits for which it bath bin honoured; in this one it trinmphethover all humane knowledge, Thatit hath ginen vs lifein our ynderftanding,fince the world itfelfe had life ex beginning, exen to this day : yea,it hath triumphed ouer timewhich befides it nothing but eternity hath triums phed ouer:for it hath carried our knowledge ouerthevaft and deuouring {pace of. ofinclinations./o many natural vanatural.wife foolifh Hsan = MabBe. éions and pafSionsimmortall men. ‘For itisnot the vifible faltion aii plants, and ofreafonable Creatures, that makes the difference of worki i ie .ie one, wt -$ee inthe other;but theforme internal, Set o bleafle be i bingelf . Megvtoh - toveferne the Art of ;reading mens thoughts to wi "Jeb aS tHe frutt tels the namevf the Tree:fodo the outward wark ifmen (fofaras their covitatiasare abtedgine aaa taxe the Renerend Fathers ofthe (burch,with Ambitio,thefenereft mento them- Selueswith Fypocrifie;thegreateft loners of lufticewith Popularity; andthofe of the trueft valour andfortitudewith vaine-glory.But ofthefe natures which lie in wit to finde fault,and to turne good into euill,feeing Salomon. complained long Bec fince: @ thatthe very age ofthe world rendersit euery day after other more mali- gvan, cious; Imu(t leaue the profeffors to their eafie waies of reprehenfion, than which tahun. ; i, Sih) there is nothing ofmorefacility. (faith Bccésia(tesVisto be delpitedsif tot hofe Wifedome he betterfort, enery wnilerftanding hath nite eye and wifedomeofGad doth pierce throughall our pretences ; as to make vs remember,That theiuftice of God doth require none otber accufer, than our owne confciences:which neither the falfe beauty of our apparent a€zions, nor allthe for. mality, which (topacifie the opinions ofmen) we put on ;caninany., oF the least kind;coner frombis knowledge. And fo much did that heathen wifedome confeffe, 10 way asyet qualified bythe knowledgeof-a true God. If any(faith Euripides)haev in his life committed wickednefle; thinke hee canhide it from the euerlafting gods,he thinkes not well. in Torepeat GOD Siudgements inparticular ; vpon thofe of all degrees, which Sea of ex~ haue plaied with bis mercies : would require a volume apart for the their bodies with are n, prinateme on markes,fet amples bath no bottome. The caft into the earth and their fortanes , written onely in the memories of thofe that lined with them : fo.as they whofucceedand haue notfeene thefall goth AZ 0€ |