what is said of the famous lawyer, Andreas Tiraquillus,* Singulis annis singulos libros et liberos reipublicæ dedit. + My father hath told me, that he [Dr. Whitaker] often wished that he might lose so much learning as he had gotten in aftersupper studies, on condition he might gain so much strength as he had lost thereby. Indeed, his body was strongly built for the natural temper, and well repaired by his temperate diet and recreations; but, first, he foundered the foundation of this house by immoderate study, and at last the roof was set on fire by a hot disease. The unhappy controversy was then started,-whether justifying faith may be lost. And this thorny question would not suffer our nightingale to sleep. He was sent for up by archbishop Whitgift to the Conference at Lambeth; after which, returning home, unseasonable riding, late studying, and nightwatching, brought him to a burning fever, to which his body was naturally disposed, as appeared by the mastery of redness in his complexion. Thus lost he the health of his body, in maintaining that the health of the soul could not be lost! All agreed that he should be let blood; which might then easily have been done, but was deferred, by the fault of some about him, till it was too late. Thus, when God intends to cut a man's life off, his dearest friends, by dangerous involuntary mistakes, shall bring the knife. He died in the forty-seventh year of his age, anno Domini 1595; and in St. John's College (whereof he was Master) was solemnly interred, with the grief of the University and whole church of God. THUANUS, Obit. Doctorum Virorum, anno 1558. "Every year he presented the commonwealth both with a book and with a child."-EDIT. CHAPTER VI. THE TRUE CHURCH ANTIQUARY. He is a traveller into former times, whence he hath learnt their language and fashions. If he meets with an old manuscript, which hath the mark worn out of its mouth, and hath lost the date, yet he can tell the age thereof either by the phrase or character. ΜΑΧΙΜ Ι, He baits at middle antiquity, but lodges not till he comes at that which is ancient indeed.-Some scour off the rust of old inscriptions into their own souls, cankering themselves with superstition, having read so often, Orate pro animâ,* that at last they fall a-praying for the departed; and they more lament the ruin of monasteries, than the decay and ruin of monks' lives, degenerating from their ancient piety and painfulness. Indeed, a little skill in antiquity inclines a man to Popery; but depth in that study brings him about again to our religion.† A nobleman who had heard of the extreme age of one dwelling not far off, made a journey to visit him; and finding an aged person sitting in the chimney-corner, addressed himself unto him with admiration of his age, till his mistake was rectified: for, "O sir!" said the young-old man, "I am not he whom you seek for, but his son; my father is farther off in the field." The same error is daily committed by the Romish church, adoring the reverend brow and grey hairs of some ancient ceremonies, perchance but of some seven or eight hundred years' standing in the church; and [they] mistake these for their fathers, of far greater age in the primitive times. "Pray for his soul."-EDIT. Who will be hardy enough to assert, that ALEXANDER POPE had never perused this passage? especially when he recollects these celebrated lines in the "Essay on Criticism: "A little learning is a dangerous thing: II. He desires to imitate the ancient Fathers, as well in their piety, as in their postures.-Not only conforming his hands and knees, but chiefly his heart, to their pattern. O the holiness of their living, and painfulness of their preaching! How full were they of mortified thoughts and heavenly meditations! Let us not make the ceremonial part of their lives only canonical, and the moral part thereof altogether apocryphal, imitating their devotion not in the fineness of the stuff, but only in the fashion of the making. III. He carefully marks the declination of the church from the primitive purity.—Observing how, sometimes, humble devotion was contented to lie down, whilst proud superstition got on her back. Yea, not only Frederic the emperor, but many a godly Father some hundreds of years before, held the Pope's stirrup; and, by their well-meaning simplicity, gave occasion to his future greatness. He takes notice how their rhetorical hyperboles were afterwards accounted the just measure of dogmatical truths; how plain people took them at their word, in their funeral apostrophes to the dead; how praying for the departed brought the fuel, under which after-ages kindled the fire of purgatory; how one ceremony begat another, there being no bounds in will-worship, wherewith one may sooner be wearied than satisfied; the inventors of new ceremonies endeavouring to supply in number what their conceits want in solidity; how men's souls, being in the full speed and career of the historical use of pictures, could not stop short, but must lash out into superstitions; how the Fathers, vailing their bonnets to Rome in civil courtesy, when making honourable mention thereof, are interpreted by modern Papists to have done it in adoration of the idol of the Pope's infallibility. All these things he ponders in his heart, observing both the times and places, when and where they happened. IV. He is not zealous for the introducing of old, useless ceremonies. -The mischief is, some that are most violent to bring such in, are most negligent to preach the cautions in using them; and simple people, like children in eating of fish, swallow bones and all, to their danger of choking. Besides, what is observed of horse-hairs, that, lying nine days in water, they turn to snakes; so some ceremonies, though dead at first, in continuance of time F quicken, get stings, and may do much mischief, especially if in such an age wherein the meddlings of some have justly awaked the jealousy of all. When many Popish tricks are abroad in the country, if then men meet with a ceremony which is a stranger, especially if it can give but a bad account of itself, no wonder if the watch take it up, for one on suspicion. V. He is not peremptory, but conjectural, in doubtful matters.Not forcing others to his own opinion, but leaving them to their own liberty; not filling up all with his own conjectures, to leave no room for other men; nor tramples he on their credits, if in them he finds slips and mistakes. For here our souls have but one eye; (the apostle saith, "We know but in part;") be not proud, if that chance to come athwart thy seeing side which meets with the blind side of another. VI. He thankfully acknowledgeth those by whom he hath profited.— Base-natured they, who, when they have quenched their own thirst, stop up, at least muddy, the fountain. But our antiquary, if he be not the first founder of a commendable conceit, contents himself to be a benefactor to it in clearing and adorning it. VII. He affects not fanciful singularity in his behaviour.-Nor cares to have a proper mark, in writing of words, to disguise some peculiar letter from the ordinary character. Others, for fear travellers should take no notice that skill in antiquity dwells in such an head, hang out an antique hat for the sign, or use some obsolete garb in their garments, gestures, or discourse. VIII. He doth not so adore the ancients as to despise the moderns.— Grant them but dwarfs, yet stand they on giants' shoulders, and may see the further. Sure, as stout champions of truth follow in the rear, as ever marched in the front. Besides, as one excellently observes, Antiquitas sæculi juventus mundi. "These times are the ancient times, when the world is ancient;' and not those which we count ancient ordine retrogrado, by a computation backwards from ourselves.""* SIR FRANCIS BACON's "Advancement of Learning," p. 46. CHAPTER VII. THE GENERAL ARTIST. I KNOW the general cavil against general learning is this: that aliquis in omnibus est nullus in singulis. "He that sips of many arts, drinks of none." However, we must know, that all learning, which is but one grand science, hath so homogeneal a body, that the parts thereof do, with a mutual service, relate to, and communicate strength and lustre each to other. Our artist, knowing language to be the key of learning, thus begins : MAXIM I. His tongue, being but one by nature, he gets cloven by art and industry.-Before the confusion of Babel, all the world was one continent in language; since divided into several tongues, as several islands. Grammar is the ship by benefit whereof we pass from one to another, in the learned languages generally spoken in no country. His mother-tongue was like the dull music of a monochord, which, by study, he turns into the harmony of several instruments. II. He first gaineth skill in the Latin and Greek tongues.-On the credit of the former alone, he may trade in discourse over all Christendom. But the Greek, though not so generally spoken, is known with no less profit, and more pleasure. The joints of her compounded words are so naturally oiled, that they run nimbly on the tongue; which makes them, though long, never tedious, because significant. Besides, it is full and stately in sound only it pities our artist to see the vowels therein racked in pronouncing them, hanging oftentimes one way by their native force, and haled another by their accents which countermand them. III. Hence he proceeds to the Hebrew, the mother-tongue of the world.-More pains than quickness of wit is required to get it, and with daily exercise he continues it. Apostasy herein is usual, to fall totally from the language, by a little neglect. As |