The Pope knows he can catch no fish if the waters are clear.

The Cardinals' eyes in the court of Rome were old and dim; and therefore the glass, wherein they see any thing, must be well silvered.

Many wish that the tree may be felled, who hope to gather chips by the fall.

The Holy Ghost came down, not in the shape of a vulture, but in the form of a dove.

THE SKELETON.

A naked cage of bone, From whence the winged soul long since is flown.

WISDOM IN ITS OWN CONCEIT.

HUMILITY is every where preached, and pride practised; they persuade others to labour for heaven, and fall out about earth themselves; their lives are contrary to their doctrines, and their doctrines one to another.

THE RELIGION OF MAHOMET.

Ir may justly seem admirable how that senseless religion should gain so much ground on Christianity; especially having neither real substance in her doctrine, nor winning behaviour in her ceremonies to allure professors. For what is it but the scum of Judaism and Paganism sod to

gether, and here and there strewed over with a spice of Christianity? As Mahomet's tomb, so many sentences in his Alcoran seem to hang by some secret loadstone, which draweth together their gaping independencies with a mystical coherence, or otherwise they are flat nonsense. Yet this wonder of the spreading of this leprosy is lessened, if we consider that besides the general causes of the growing of all errors (namely the gangrene-like nature of evil, and the justice of God to deliver them over to believe lies who will not obey the truth) Mahometanism hath raised itself to this height by some peculiar advantages; first, by permitting much carnal liberty to the professors (as having many wives) and no wonder if they get fish enough that use that bait; secondly, by promising a paradise of sensual pleasure hereafter, wherewith flesh and blood is more affected (as falling under her experience) than with hope of any spiritual delights; thirdly, by prohibiting of disputes, and suppressing of all learning; and thus Mahomet made his shop dark on purpose, that he might vend any wares: lastly, this religion had never made her own passage so fast and so far, if the sword had not cut the way before her, as commonly the conquered follow for the most part the religion of the conquerors. By this means that cursed doctrine hath so improved itself, that it may outvie with professors the church of Rome, which boasteth so much of her latitude and extent; though from thence to infer that her

faith is the best, is falsely to conclude the fineness of the cloth from the largeness of the measure.*

DESTRUCTION OF THE CRUSADERS.

EGYPT is a low, level country, except some few advantages which the Egyptians had fortified for themselves. Through the midst of the land ran the river Nilus; whose stream they had so bridled with banks and sluices, that they could keep it to be their own servant, and make it their enemies' master at pleasure. The Christians confidently marched on; and the Turks, perceiving the game was come within the toil, pierced their banks, and unmuzzling the river, let it run open mouth upon them; yet so, that at first they drowned them up but to the middle, reserving their lives for a further purpose, thereby in exchange to recover Damiata and their country's liberty. See here the land of Egypt turned in an instant into the Egyptian sea! see an army of sixty thousand, as the neck of one man, stretched on the block, and waiting the fatal stroke!

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.+

HITHERTO [A. D. 1428] the corpse of John Wickliffe had quietly slept in his grave about forty one years after his death, till his body was

* Holy War.

+ From the Church History.

reduced to bones, and his bones almost to dust. For though the earth in the chancel of Lutterworth, in Leicestershire, where he was interred, hath not so quick a digestion with the earth of Aceldama, to consume flesh in twenty-four hours, yet such the appetite thereof, and all other English graves, to leave small reversions of a body after so many years. But now such the spleen of the council of Constance, as they not only cursed his memory as dying an obstinate heretic, but ordered that his bones (with this charitable caution,-if it may be discerned from the bodies of other faithful people) be taken out of the ground, and thrown far off from any christian burial. In obedience hereunto, Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln, Diocesan of Lutterworth, sent his officers (vultures with a quick sight scent, at a dead carcass) to ungrave him. Accordingly to Lutterworth they come; Summer, Commissary, Official, Chancellor, Proctors, Doctors, and their servants (so that the remnant of the body would not hold out a bone amongst so many hands), take what was left out of the grave, and burnt them to ashes, and cast them into Swift, a neighbouring brook, running hard by. Thus this brook hath conveyed his ashes into Avon, Avon into Severn, Severn into the narrow seas, they into the main ocean; and thus the ashes of Wickliffe are the emblem of his doctrine, which now is dispersed all the world

over.

3

THE GOOD WIFE.*

SHE commandeth her husband, in any equal matter, by constant obeying him.

She never crosseth her husband in the springtide of his anger, but stays till it be ebbingwater. Surely men, contrary to iron, are worst to be wrought upon when they are hot.

Her clothes are rather comely than costly, and she makes plain cloth to be velvet by her handsome wearing it.

Her husband's secrets she will not divulge: especially she is careful to conceal his infirmities.

In her husband's absence she is wife and deputy husband, which makes her double the files of her diligence. At his return he finds all things so well, that he wonders to see himself at home when he was abroad.+

Her children, though many in number, are none in noise, steering them with a look whither she listeth.

* From the Holy State.

+ In Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy there are twelve reasons in favour of marriage, of which the six first are as follows:

1. Hast thou means? Thou hast one to keep and increase it. 2. Hast none? Thou hast one to help to get it.

3. Art in prosperity? Thine happiness is doubled.

4. Art in adversity? She'll comfort, assist, bear a part of thy burden, to make it more tolerable.

5. Art at home? She'll drive away melancholy.

6. Art abroad? She looks after thee, going from home, wishes for thee in thine absence, and joyfully welcomes thy return.

R