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arms against the prince, in case he break his covenant? Answ. Though there be no written law for it, yet there is custom, which is the best law of the kingdom; for in England they have always done it. There is nothing expressed between the king of England and the king of France, that if either invades the other's territory, the other shall take up arms against him; and yet they do it upon such an occasion.

7. It is all one to be plundered by a troop of horse, or to have a man's goods taken from him by an order from the council-table. To him that dies, it is all one whether it be by a penny halter, or a silk garter; yet I confess the silk garter pleases more; and like trouts we love to be tickled to death.

8. The soldiers say they fight for honour; when the truth is, they have their honour in their pocket. And they mean the same thing that pretend to fight for religion. Just as a parson goes to law with his parishioners; he says, for the good of his successors, that the church may not lose its right; when the meaning is, to get the tithes into his own pocket.

9. We govern this war as an unskilful man does a casting-net; if he has not the right

trick to cast the net off his shoulder, the leads will pull him into the river. I am afraid we shall pull ourselves into destruction.

10. We look after the particulars of a battle, because we live in the very time of war; where, as of battles past, we hear nothing but the number slain. Just as for the death of a man, when he is sick, we talk how he slept this night, and that night; what he eat, and what he drank. But when he is dead, we only say, he died of a fever, or name his disease; and there is an end.

11. Boccaline has this passage of soldiers : They came to Apollo to have their profession made the eighth liberal science; which he granted. As soon as it was noised up and down, it came to the butchers, and they desired their profession might be made the ninth: For, say they, the soldiers have this honour for the killing of men; now we kill as well as they; but we kill beasts for the preserving of men, and why should not we have honour likewise done to us? Apollo could not answer their reasons, so he revers'd his sentence, and made the soldier's trade a mystery, as the butcher's is.

WITCHES.

THE law against witches does not prove there be any; but it punishes the malice of those people, that use such means, to take away men's lives. If one should profess that by turning his hat thrice, and crying buz, he could take away a man's life, though in truth he could do no such thing; yet this were a just law made by the state, that whosoever should turn his hat thrice, and cry buz, with an intention to take away a man's life, shall be put to death.

WIFE.

1. HE that hath a handsome wife, by other men is thought happy; it is a pleasure to look upon her, and be in her company; but the husband is cloyed with her. We are never content with what we have.

2. You shall see a monkey sometimes, that has been playing up and down the garden, at length leap up to the top of the wall, but his clog hangs a great way below on this side. The bishop's wife is like that monkey's clog; himself is got up very high, takes place of the temporal barons, but his wife comes a great way behind.

3. It is reason a man that will have a wife should be at the charge of her trinkets, and pay all the scores she sets on him. He that will keep a monkey, it is fit he should pay for the glasses he breaks.

WISDOM.

1. A WISE man should never resolve upon any thing, at least never let the world know his resolution; for if he cannot arrive at that, he is ashamed. How many things did the king resolve in his declaration concerning Scotland, never to do, and yet did them all? A man must do according to accidents and emergencies.

2. Never tell your resolution beforehand; but when the cast is thrown, play it as well as you can to win the game you are at. It is but folly to study, how to play size-ace, when you know not whether you shall throw it or

no.

3. Wise men say nothing in dangerous times. The lion, you know, called the sheep, to ask her if his breath smelled: she said, Aye; he bit off her head for a fool. He called the wolf and asked him: he said, No; he tore him in pieces for a flatterer. At last

he called the fox and asked him: truly, he had got a cold, and could not smell. King James was pictured, &c.

WIT.

1. WIT and wisdom differ; wit is upon the sudden turn, wisdom is in bringing about ends.

2. Nature must be the groundwork of wit and art; otherwise whatever is done will prove but Jack-pudding's work.

3. Wit must grow like fingers; if it be taken from others, it is like plums stuck upon black thorns; there they are for a while, but they come to nothing.

4. He that will give himself to all manner of ways to get money, may be rich; so he that lets fly all he knows or thinks, may by chance be satirically witty. Honesty sometimes keeps a man from growing rich, and civility from being witty.

5. Women ought not to know their own wit, because they will still be showing it, and so spoil it; like a child that will continually be showing its fine new coat, till at length it all bedawbs it with its pah-hands.

6. Fine wits destroy themselves with their

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