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and Italy are like a die which hath no points between cinque and ace,1 nobility and peasantry. Their walls, though high, must needs be hollow, wanting filling-stones. Indeed, Germany hath her boors, like our yeomen; but by a tyrannical appropriation of nobility to some few ancient families, their yeomen are excluded from ever rising higher to clarify their bloods. In England, the temple of honour is bolted against none who have passed through the temple of virtue; nor is a capacity to be genteel denied to our yeoman who thus behaves himself. He wears russet clothes, but makes golden payment, having tin in his buttons and silver in his pocket. If he chance to appear in clothes above his rank, it is to grace some great man with his service, and then he blusheth at his own bravery. Otherwise, he is the surest landmark where foreigners may take aim of the ancient English customs; the gentry more floating after foreign fashions. In his house he is bountiful both to strangers and poor people. Some hold, when hospitality died in England, she gave her last groan amongst the yeomen of Kent. And still, at our yeoman's table, you shall have as many joints as dishes; no meat disguised with strange sauces; no straggling joint of a sheep in the midst of a pasture of grass, beset with salads on every side, but solid, substantial food. No servitors (more nimble with their hands than the guests with their teeth) take away meat before stomachs are taken away. Here you have that which in itself is good, made better by the store of it, and best by the welcome to it. He improveth his land to a double value by his good husbandry. Some grounds that wept with water, or frowned with thorns, by draining the one and clearing the other, he makes both to laugh and sing with corn. By marl and limestones burnt he bettereth his ground, and his industry worketh miracles, by turning stones into bread.

2. THE FAITHFUL MINISTER.—(“HOLY STATE,” BOOK II., CAP. IX.)

He endeavours to get the general love and good will of his parish. This he doth, not so much to make a benefit of them as a benefit for them, that his ministry may be more effectual, otherwise he may preach his own heart out before he preacheth anything into theirs. The good conceit of the physician is half a cure, and his practice will scarce be happy where his person is hated. Yet he humours them not in his doctrine to get their love, for such a spaniel is worse than a dumb dog. He shall sooner get their good-will by walking uprightly, than by crouching and creeping. If pious living, and painful labouring in his calling, will not win their affections, he counts it gain to lose them. As for those who causelessly hate him, he pities and prays for them, and such there will be. I should suspect his preaching had no salt in it, if no galled horse did wince. He is strict in ordering his conversation; as for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it the worse. It was said of

1 ie., like a die which has no intermediate points between the highest number and the lowest.

THE FAITHFUL MINISTER.

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one who preached very well, and lived very ill, "that when he was cut of the pulpit it was pity he should ever go into it; and when he was in the pulpit, it was pity he should ever come out of it." But our minister lives sermons; and yet I deny not but dissolute men, like unskilful horsemen who open a gate on the wrong side, may, by the virtue of their office, open heaven for others and shut themselves out. He will not offer to God of that which costs him nothing, but takes pains aforehand for his sermons. Demosthenes never made any oration on the sudden; yea, being called upon, he never rose up to speak, except he had well sudied the matter; and he was wont to say, that he showed how he reverenced and honoured the people of Athens, because he was careful what he spake unto them. Indeed if our minister be surprised with a sudden occasion, he counts himself rather to be excused than commended if, premeditating only the bones of his sermon, he clothes it with flesh extempore. Having brought his sermon into his head, he labours to bring it into his heart before he preaches it to his people. Surely that preaching which comes from the soul most works on the soul Some have questioned ventriloquy (when men strangely speak out of their bellies), whether it can be done lawfully or no; might I coin the word cordiloquy, when men draw the doctrines out of their hearts; sure, all would count this lawful and commendable. His similes and illustrations are always familiar, never contemptible. Indeed, reasons are the pillars of the fabric of a sermon; but similitudes are the windows which give the best lights. He avoids such stories whose mention may suggest bad thoughts to the auditors, and will not use a light comparison to make thereof a grave application, for fear lest his poison go farther than his antidote. He provideth not only wholesome, but plentiful food for his people. Almost incredible was the painfulness of Baronius, the compiler of the voluminous "Annals of the Church," who, for thirty years together, preached three or four times a-week to the people. As for our minister, he preferreth rather to entertain his people with wholesome cold meat which was on the table before, than that which is hot from the spit, raw and half-roasted. Yet, in repetition of the same sermon, every edition hath a new addition, if not of new matter, of new affections. He makes not that wearisome which should ever be welcome, wherefore his sermons are of an ordinary length, except on an extraordinary occasion. What a gift had John Halsebach, professor at Vienna, in tediousness, who being to expound the prophet Isaiah to his auditors, read twenty-one years on the first chapter, and yet finished it not. He is careful in the discreet ordering of his own family. A good minister, and a good father, may well agree together. When a certain Frenchman came to visit Melancthon, he found him in his stove, with one hand dandling his child in the swaddling-clouts, and in the other hand holding a book and reading it. Our minister, also, is as hospitable as his estate will permit, and makes every alms two by his cheerful giving it. Lying on his death-bed, he bequeaths to each of his parishioners his pre

cepts and example for a legacy, and they in requital erect every one a monument for him in their hearts. He is so far from that base jealousy that his memory should be outshined by a brighter successor, and from that wicked desire that his people may find his worth by the worthlessness of him that succeeds, that he doth heartily pray to God to provide them a better pastor after his decease. As for outward estate, he commonly lives in too bare pasture to grow fat. It is well if he hath gathered any flesh, being more in blessing than bulk.

3. OF BOOKS. (“HOLY STATE,” BOOK III., CHAP. XVIII.)

Solomon saith truly, "Of making many books there is no end," so insatiable is the thirst of men therein as also endless is the desire of many in reading them. But we come to our rules.

1. It is a vanity to persuade the world one hath much learning by getting a great library. As soon shall I believe every one is valiant that hath a well-furnished armoury. I guess good housekeeping by the smoking, not the number of the tunnels, as knowing that many of them, built merely for uniformity, are without chimneys, and more without fires. Once a dunce, void of learning, but full of books, flouted a libraryless scholar with these words, "Hail, doctor without books!" But the next day, the scholar coming into the jeerer's study crowded with books, "Hail books," said he, "without a doctor!"

2. Few books, well selected, are best.-Yet as a certain fool bought all the pictures that came out, because he might have his choice, such is the vain humour of many men in gathering of books. Yet, when they have done all, they miss their end; it being in the editions of authors as in the fashions of clothes,—when a man thinks he has gotten the latest and newest, presently another newer comes

out.

3. Some books are only cursorily to be tasted of.-Namely, first, voluminous books, the task of a man's life to read them over; secondly, auxiliary books, only to be repaired to on occasions; thirdly, such as are mere pieces of formality, so that if you look on them, you look through them; and he that peeps through the casement of the index, sees as much as if he were in the house. But the laziness of those cannot be excused who perfunctorily pass over authors of consequence, and only trade in their tables and contents. These, like city-cheaters, having gotten the names of all country gentlemen, make silly people believe they have long lived in those places where they never were, and flourish with skill in those authors they never seriously studied.

4. The genius of the author is commonly discovered in the dedicatory epistle. Many place the purest grain in the mouth of the sack, for chapmen to handle or buy; and from the dedication one may probably guess at the work, saving some rare and peculiar exceptions. Thus, when once a gentleman admired how so pithy,

LIFE OF ADOLPHUS GUSTAVUS, KING OF SWEDEN.

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learned, and witty a dedication was matched to a flat, dull, foolish book: "in truth," said another, "they may be well matched together, for I profess they be nothing akin."

5. Proportion an hour's meditation to an hour's reading of a staple author. This makes a man master of his learning, and disspirits the book into the scholar.

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Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, born A.D. 1594, had princely education both for arts and arms. In Italy he learnt the mathematics; and in the other places abroad, the French, Italian, and German tongues; and after he was king, he travelled under the name of Mr Gars, being the four initial letters of his name and title.3 He was but seventeen years old at his father's death, being left not only a young king, but also in a young kingdom; for his title to the crown of Sweden was but five years old, to wit, since the beginning of his father's reign. All his bordering princes (on the north, nothing but the north bordered on him) were his enemies. Yet was he too great for them in his minority, both defending his own, and gaining on them. "Woe be to the kingdom whose king is a child;" yet blessed is that kingdom whose king, though a child in age, is a man in worth. These his first actions had much of glory, and yet somewhat of possibility and credit in them. But chronicle and belief must strain hard to make his German conquest probable with posterity; coming in with eleven thousand men, having no certain confederates, but some of his alliance whom the emperor had outed of all their estates; and yet, in two years and four months, he left the emperor in as bad a case almost as he found those princes in.

He was a strict observer of martial discipline, the life of war, without which an army is but a crowd (not to say herd) of people. He would march all day in complete armour, which was by custom no more burden to him than his arms; and to carry his helmet no more trouble than his head; whilst his example made the same easy to his soldiers. He was very merciful to any that would submit ; and as the iron gate miraculously opened to St Peter of its own accord, so his mercy wrought miracles, making many city-gates open to him of themselves, before he ever knocked at them to demand entrance, the inhabitants desiring to shroud themselves under his protection. Yea, he was merciful to those places which he took by assault; the very Jesuits themselves tasted of his courtesy, though merrily he laid it to their charge, that they would neither preach faith to, nor keep faith with others.

1 i.e., takes the spirit out of the book and puts it into the scholar.

2 Fuller's biographies have always been much admired.

3 Viz., Gustavus Adolphus Rex Suedorum.

He had the true art (almost lost) of encamping, where he would lie in his trenches in despite of all enemies, keeping the clock of his own time, and would fight for no man's pleasure but his own. Νο seeming flight or disorder of his enemies should cozen him into a battle, nor their daring bravadoes anger him into it, nor any violence force him to fight till he thought fitting himself; counting it good manners in war, to take all, but give no advantages.

It was said of his armies that they used to rise when the swallows went to bed, when winter began, his forces most consisting of northern nations; and a Swede fights best when he can see his own breath. He always kept a long vacation in the dog-days, being only a saver in the summer, and a gainer all the year besides. His best harvest was in the snow; and his soldiers had most life in the dead of winter.

He made but a short cut in taking of cities, many of whose fortifications were a wonder to behold; but what were they then to assault and conquer? At scaling of walls he was excellent for contriving as his soldiers in executing; it seeming a wonder that their bodies should be made of air so light to climb, whose arms were of iron so heavy to strike. Such cities as would not presently open unto him, he shut them up; and having business of more importance than to imprison himself about one strength, he would consign the besieging thereof to some other captain. And, indeed, he wanted not his Joabs, who, when they had reduced cities to terms of yielding, knew, with as much wisdom as loyalty, to entitle their Ďavid to the whole honour of the action.

He was highly beloved of his soldiers, of whose deserts he kept a faithful chronicle in his heart, and advanced them accordingly.

To come to his death, wherein his reputation suffers, in the judgments of some, for too much hazarding of his own person in the battle. But surely some conceived necessity thereof urged him thereunto. For this his third grand set battle in Germany was the third and last asking of his banns to the imperial crown; and had they not been forbidden by his death, his marriage in all probability had instantly followed. His death is still left in uncertainty, whether the valour of open enemies, or treachery of false friends caused it. His side won the day, and yet lost the sun that made it. The Jesuits made him to be the Antichrist, and allowed him three years and a half of reign and conquest. But had he lived the full term out, the true Antichrist might have heard further from him, and Rome's tragedy might have had an end, whose fifth and last act is still behind. Yet one Jesuit, more ingenuous than the rest, gives him this testimony, that save the badness of his cause and religion, he had nothing defective in him which belonged to an excellent king and a good captain.

Thus let our poor description of this king serve, like a flat gravestone or plain pavement, for the present, till the richer pen of some

1 The battle of Lutzen.

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