same ends: Injuries doe not extinguish courtesies: they only Injuria. suffer them not to appeare faire. For a man that doth me an injury after a courtesie, takes not away the courtesie, but defaces it: As he that writes other verses upon my verses, takes not away the first Letters, but hides them. Nothing is a courtesie, unlesse it be meant us; and Beneficia. that friendly, and lovingly. Wee owe no thankes to Rivers, that they carry our boats; or Winds, that they be favouring, and fill our sayles; or meats, that they be nourishing. For these are, what they are necessarily. Horses carry us, Trees shade us; but they know it not. It is true, some man may receive a Courtesie, and not know it; but never any man received it from him, that knew it not. Many men have beene cur'd of diseases by Accidents; but they were not Remedies. I my selfe have knowne one help'd of an Ague, by falling into a water; another whip'd out of a Fever: but no man would ever use these for med'cines. It is the mind, and not the event, that distinguisheth the courtesie from wrong.! My Adversary may offend the Judge with his pride, and impertinences, and I win my cause: but he Valor Rerum. Memoria. meant it not me, as a Courtesie. I scap'd Pyrats, by being ship-wrack'd, was the wrack a benefit therefore? No: The doing of Courtesies aright, is the mixing of the respects for his owne sake, and for mine. He that doth them meerly for his owne sake, is like one that feeds his Cattell to sell them: he hath his Horse well drest for Smithfield. (94) The price of many things is farre above, what they are bought and sold for. Life, and Health, which are both inestimable, we have of the Physician: As Learning, and Knowledge, the true tillage of the mind, from our Schoole-masters. But the fees of the one, or the salary of the other, never answer the value of what we received; but serv'd to gratifie their labours. Memory of all the powers of the mind, is the most delicate, and fraile: it is the first of our faculties, that Age invades. Seneca, the father, the Rhetorician, confesseth of himselfe, hee had a miraculous one; not only to receive, but to hold. I my selfe could in my youth, have repeated all, that ever I had made; and so continued, till I was past fortie: Since, it is much decay'd in me. Yet I can repeate whole books that I have read, and Poems, of some selected friends, which I have lik'd to charge my memory with. It was wont to be faithfull to me, but shaken with now, and sloath (which weakens the strongest abilities) it may performe somewhat, but cannot promise much. By exercise it is to be made better, and serviceable. Whatsoever I pawn'd with it, while I was young, and a boy, it offers me readily, and without stops: but what I trust to it now, or have age done of later yeares, it layes up more negligently, and often times loses; so that I receive mine owne (though frequently call'd for) as if it were new, and borrow'd. Nor doe I alwayes find presently from it, what I doe seek; but while I am doing another thing, that I labour'd for, will come: And what I sought with trouble, will offer it selfe, when I am quiet. Now in some men I have found it as happy as nature, who, whatsoever they reade, or pen, they can say without booke presently; as if they did then write in their mind. And it is more a wonder in such, as have a swift stile; for their memories are commonly slowest; such as torture their writings, and go into councell for every word, must needs fixe somewhat, and make it their owne at last, though but through their owne vexation. Suf Suffrages in Parliament are numbred, not weigh'd: Comit. nor can it bee otherwise in those publike Councels, fragia. where nothing is so unequall, as the equality: for there, how odde soever mens braines, or wisdomes are, their power is alwayes even, and the same. Some Actions be they never so beautifull, and Stare à generous, are often obscur'd by base, and vile mis- partibus. constructions; either out of envy, or ill nature, that judgeth of others, as of it selfe. Nay, the times are so wholly growne, to be either partiall, or malitious; that, if hee be a friend, all sits well about him; his very vices shall be vertues: if an enemy, or of the contrary faction; nothing is good, or tolerable in him: insomuch, that wee care not to discredit, and shame our judgements, to sooth our passions. Deus in creaturis. Veritas hominis. Man is read in his face: God in his creatures; but not as the Philosopher, the creature of glory reads him: But, as the Divine, the servant of humility: yet even hee must take care, not to be too curious. For to utter Truth of God (but as hee thinkes onely) may be dangerous; who is best knowne, by our not knowing. Some things of him, so much as hee hath revealed, or commanded, it is not only lawfull, but necessary for us to know: for therein our ignorance was the first cause of our wickednesse. Truth is mans proper good; and the onely improprium mortall thing, was given to our mortality to use. No good Christian, or Ethnick, if he be honest, (95) can misse it: no States-man, or Patriot should. For without truth all the Actions of man-kind, are craft, malice, or what you will, rather then Wisdome. Homer sayes, hee hates him worse then hell-mouth, that utters one thing with his tongue, and keepes another in his brest. Which high expression was grounded on divine Reason. For a lying mouth is a stinking pit, and murthers with the contagion it venteth. Beside, nothing is lasting that is fain'd; it will have another face then it had, ere long: As Euripides saith, No lye ever growes old. Nullum vitium sine patro cinio. It is strange, there should be no vice without his patronage, that (when wee have no other excuse) wee will say, wee love it; wee cannot forsake it: as if that made it not more a fault. Wee cannot, because wee thinke wee cannot: and wee love it, because wee will defend it. Wee will rather excuse it, then be rid of it. That wee cannot, is pretended; but that wee will not, is the true reason. How many have I knowne, that would not have their vices hid? Nay, and to beet noted, live like Antipodes, to others in the same Citie; never see the Sunne rise, or set, in so many yeares; but be as they were watching a Corps by Torchlight; would not sinne the common way; but held that a kind of Rusticity; they would doe it new, or contrary, for the infamy? They were ambitious of living backward; and at last arrived at that, as they would love nothing but the vices; not the vitious customes. It was impossible to reforme these natures; they were dry'd, and hardned in their ill. They may say, they desir'd to leave it; but doe not trust them: and they may thinke they desir'd it, but they may lye for all that; they are a little angry with their follies, now and then; marry they come into grace with them againe quickly. They will confesse, they are offended with their manner of living: like enough, who is not? When they can put me in security, that they are more then offended; that they hate it: then Ile hearken to them; and, perhaps, beleeve them: But many now a dayes, love and hate their ill together. I doe heare them say often: Some men are not De verè witty; because they are not every where witty; then Argutis. which nothing is more foolish. If an eye or a nose bee an excellent part in the face, therefore be all eye or nose? I thinke the eye-brow, the fore-head, the cheeke, chyn, lip, or any part else, are as necessary, and naturall in the place. But now nothing is good that is naturall: Right and naturall language seeme C |