When there was a speach concerning a peace to be made with Spayne, a lusty cauallier at an ordinary swore he would be hangd yf there were a peace with Spaine, for which words he was sent for to the Court, and chargd as a busie medler, and a seditious fellowe; he aunswered, he meant noe such matter as they imagined; but he ment plainely that because himselfe was a man of armes, yf wee should haue a peace he should want employment, and then must take a purse, and soe he was sure he should be hanged yf there were a peace with Spaine. (Mr. Gorson.)

One said the Recorder was the mouth of the Cytie; then the City hath a black mouth, said Harwell, for he is a verry blacke man.

fo. 54^b.October 31. At Paules

Dr. Dene [?] made a Sermon against the excessiue pride and vanitie of women in apparraile, &c., which vice he said was in their husbands power to correct. This man the last tyme he was in this place taught that a man could not be divorced from his wife, though she should commit adultery.

He reprehended Mr. Egerton, and such an other popular preacher, that their auditory, being most of women, abounded in that superfluous vanity of appa[raile].

At the Temple Church

One Mr. Irland, whoe about some three yeares since was a student of the Middle Temple, preached upon this text: "Thy fayth hath saued the, goe thy waye in peace."

The Persians had a lawe, that when any nobleman offended, himselfe was neuer punished, but they tooke his clothes, and when they had beaten them they gave them vnto him againe; soe when mans soule had synned, Christ took our flesh upon him, which is as it were the apparaile of the soule, and when it had been beaten he gave it us againe.

In the afternoone Mr. Marbury of the Temple, text xxi. Isay. 5 v. &c. But I may not write what he said, for I could not heare him, he pronunces in manner of a common discourse. Wee may streatche our eares to catch a word nowe and then, but he will not be at the paynes to strayne his voyce, that wee might gaine one sentence.

fo. 55.
Octob. 1602.I love not to heare the sound of the sermon, except the preacher will tell me what he says. I thinke many of those which are fayne to stand without dores at the sermon of a preacher whom the multitude throng after may come with as greate a deuotion as some that are nearer, yet I beleeve the most come away as I did from this, scarse one word the wiser.

fol. 55^b.
1 Nov. 1602.A preacher in Cambridge said that manie in their universitie had long beards and short wittes, were of greate standing and small vnderstandinge; the world sayth Bonum est nobis esse hic, and Soluite asinum, for the Lorde hath neede of him; the good schollers are kept downe in the vniuersitie, while the dunces are preferred. (Cosen Willis narr.)

One Clapham, a preacher in London, said the diuell was like a fidler, that comes betymes in the morning to a mans windowe to call him vp before he hath any mynde to rise, and there standes scraping a long tyme, till the window opens, and he gets a peece of syluer, and then he turnes his backe, puts up his pipe and away; soe the diuel waites in Gods presence till he hath gotten some imployment, which he lookt for, and then he goes from the face of God.

2.Suspicion is noe proofe, nor jealousy an equall judge.

1.Dr. Withers, a black man, preached in Paules this day, his text Mark ix. 2, &c.

Of the transfiguracion of Christ: whereby, first, we learne to contemne earth and the pleasure thereof, in regard of the heauenly glory wee shall receiue. 2ndly. by the hope of this glorie the paynes of this lyfe are eased. 3dly. by this transfiguracion of Christ wee are taught that he suffered the indignitie of the Crosse not by imposed necessitie, but of his owne good will and pleasure.

In that he tooke but three disciples it may be collected that all thinges are not at the first to be published to all men, but first to some fewe and after to others.

He tooke them vp into a mountaine, to shewe their thoughtes and hopes must be higher then the earth; lifted vp to the heauens like a cloud. The mountaine was high and alone. Two principall points of regard in a fortificacion; that it be difficult of accesse, and far from an other that may annoy it. The glory of Christ's kingdome is hard to be attayned, the way is steepe and high, facilis descensus Averni, sed revocare gradum superasque euadere ad auras, hic labor, hoc opus est, and it can not be equalled by anie.

The lyfe of a Christian is like Moses serpent, which was terrible to looke vpon in the forepart, but take it by the tayle and it became a rodd to slay him; soe yf we consider onely the present miseries of this lyfe, which usually accompanied a true Christian, it would terrifie a man from the profession; but take it by the tayle, looke to the ende and glory that wee hope for, and it is lyfe incomparably most to be desyred.

Paule sayth our body shall rise a spirituall body, not a body that shalbe a spirit, for spirits are noe bodies: but a body glorious, nimble, incorruptible as a spirit.

"At that day," sayth the Prophet, "the moone shall shine as the sunne, and the sunne shall be seven times as bright;" the unconstant condicion of man is compared to the moone, and Christ is the sunn of righteousnes, &c.

Christ carried them into a mountayne apart, for commonly the multitude is like a banquet whether every one brings his part of wickednes and vice, and soe by contagion infect one an other.

It was a wonder howe the glorious diuinity could dwell in flesh, and not showe his brightnes; but it was the pleasure of the Almightie to eclipse the splendor with the vayle of our body, but here like the sunne out [of] a cloud he breaketh forth, and his glory appeareth.

fo. 57.
4 Nov.Barker told certaine gent. in the buttry that one of the benchers had sometime come downe for a lesse noyse: "Soe he may nowe too, I think," said Whitlocke, "for I thinke he may finde a lesse noyse anie where in the house then here is."

5.Mrs. Gibbes seing a straunger's horse in their yard, asked a thrasher, "Whose horse?" He told hir. "Wherefore comes he?" "Wherefore should he come," said he, "but to buy witt?" (viz. a clyent to the counsellor.) (Mr. Gibbes.)

*   *   *   *   *

Mr. Curle told me he heard of certaine that Mr. Cartwright113 comming to a certaine goodfellowe that was chosen to be Maior of [a] towne, told him soe plainely, and with such a spirit, of his dissolute and drunken life, howe vnfit for the office to governe others when he could not rule himselfe, &c. that the man fell presently into a swound, and within thre dayes dyed. Whether Cartwrightes vehemency, the manes conceit, or both wrought in him, it was verry straunge. Happened in Warwickshire.

fo. 57^b.
4 Nov. 1602.Mr. Hadsor114 told Mr. Curle and me that he heard lately forth of Irland, that whereas on Burke, whoe followes the Lord Deputy, had obteyned the graunt of a country in Irland in consideracion of his good seruice, and this by meanes of Sir Robert Cecile, vpon Sir Robert Gardneres certificat vnder his hand, and all this after passed and perfected according to the course in the courts in Irland. Nowe of late an other Burke, one of greate commaund and a dangerous person yf he should breake out, hearing of this graunt, envyed, grudged, and vpbrayded his owne deserts, intimating as much as yf others of meaner worth were soe well regarded and himselfe neglected, he ment perhaps to give the slip and try his fortune on the other party. The Lord Deputy having intelligence hereof, and foreseeing the perilous consequence yf he should breake out, sent for the otheres patent, as desyrous to peruse the forme of the graunt, but when he had it he kept it; and, upon aduise with the Counsaile, cancelled both the patent and the whole record, to preuent the rebellion like to ensue upon the graunt. A strange president.

Sir Robert commends none but will be sure to haue the same under the hand of some other, on whome, yf it fall out otherwise. then was suggested or expected, the blame may be translated. (Idem.)

He told further that Mr. Plowden115 had such a checke as he neuer chancd [?] of, for saying to a circumuenting justice of peace, upon demand made what were to be done in such a case, that by the lawe neither a justice nor the counsell could committ anie to prison without a cause, vpon their pleasure.

fo. 58.
3 Nov. 1602.Mr. Gardner of Furnivales Inne told howe that Mr. King, preacher at St. Androes in Holborne, beinge earnestly intreated to make a sermon at the funerals of [a] gent, of their house, because the gent. desyred he should be requested, made noe better nor other aunswer, but told them plainely he was not beholding to that house nor anie of the Innes of Chauncery, and therefore would not. He is greived it seemes because the gents. of the Innes come and take up roomes in his churche, and pay not as other his parishioners doe. He is soe highly esteemed of his auditors, that when he went to Oxeford116 they made a purse for his charges, and at his return rode forth to meete him, and brought him into towne with ringing, etc.

6.6. I heard that the Earl of Northumberland liues apart againe from his lady nowe shee hath brought him an heire, which he sayd was the soder of their reconcilement; he liues at Sion house with the child, and plays with it, being otherwise of a verry melancholy spirit.117

A gentlewoman which had bin to see a child that was sayd to be possessed with the diuel, told howe she had lost hir purse while they were at prayer. "Oh," said a gent. "not vnlikely, for you forgott halfe your lesson; Christ bad you watch and pray, and you prayed onely; but, had you watched as you prayed, you might have kept your purse still." (W. Scott nar.)

5."I was muzeled in my pleading," said Mr. Martin, when he was out, and could not well open.

"He will clogg a man with a jeast, he will neuer leaue you till he hath told it." (Of Mr. L.)

fo. 58^b.
November 6.Mr. Overbury, telling howe a knave had stolne his cloke out of his chamber, said the villeine had gotten a cloke for his knavery.

One said of a foule face, it needes noe maske, it is a maske it selfe. "Nay," said another, "it hath neede of a maske to hide the deformitie."

I heard that Dr. Redman, Bishop of Norwiche,118 Dr. Juel, professor at . . . . . 119 in the Low Cuntryes, and Mr. Perkins of Cambridge,120 all men of note, are dead of late.

The preacher at the Temple said, that he which offereth himselfe to God, that is, which mortifieth and leaueth his pleasures and affection to serue God, doth more then Abraham did when he offered to sacrifice his sonne, for there is none but loues himself more dearly then his owne children.

10.The embasing of the coyne for Irland hath brought them almost to a famine, for the Queen hath received backe as muche as shee coyned; they haue none other left, and for that none will bring anie victuall vnto them. (Mr. Curle nar.)

I heard that the French King hath reteined the Sythers [Switzers?] for 8,000l. present and 3,000l. annuall, [and] hath sold divers townes to the Duke of Bulloine, whoe means to be on the part of the Archduke for them.

"I was brought up as my frends were able; when manners were in the hall I was in the stable," quoth my laundres, when I told hir of hir saucy boldnes.

fo. 59.
10 November.Mr. Curle demaunded of Wake a marke which he layd out for him when they rede with the reader; his aunswere was he lived upon exhibicion, he could not tell whether his friends would allowe him soe much for that purpose. (Sordide.)

Soe soone as they began to rate the charges at St. Albans awaye startes hee. "He did justly, a dog would not tarry when you rate him," said L.

Mr. Blunt, a great gamester, marvellous franke, and a blunt cauelier.

*   *   *   *   *

Mr. Bacon, in giving evidence in the Lord Morleys case for the forrest of Hatfield, said it had alwayes flowne an high pitche; i. e. hath bin allwayes in the hands of greate men.

The first Lord Riche was Lord Chauncellor of England in Edward VI.'s tyme121 (Bacon.)

*   *   *   *   *

In the Starr Chamber, when Mr. Moore urged in defense of attournies that followed suites out of their proper courts, that it was usuall and common; the Lord Keeper said, "Multitudo peccantium pudorem tollit, non peccatum."

"Ha! the divel goe with the," said the Bishop of L. to his boule when himselfe ran after it. (Mr. Cu.)

fo. 59^b.
November, 1602."Size ace will not, deux ace cannot, quater tree must," quothe Blackborne, when he sent for wine; a common phrase of subsidies and such taxes, the greate ones will not, the little ones cannot, the meane men must pay for all.

The old Lord Treasurers witt was as it seemes of Borrowe Englishe tenure, for it descended to his younger sonne, Sir Robert.

A nobleman on horsebacke with a rable of footmen about him is but like a huntsman with a kennell of houndes after him.

*   *   *   *   *

The Dutch which lately stormed the galleys which our ships had first battered, deserve noe more credit then a lackey for pillaging of that dead body which his maister had slayne. (Sir Robert Mansell.)

Sequitur sua pœna nocentem.

Bacon said that the generall rules of the lawe were like cometes, and wandring stars. Mr. Attorney [Coke] said rather they were like the sunne; they have light in themselves, and give light to others, whereas the starrs are but corpora opaca.

The Attorney said he could make a lamentable argument for him in the remainder that is prejudiced by the act of the particular tenant; but it would be said of him as of Cassandra, when he had spoken much he should not be believed.

A difference without a diuersitie, a curiosity.

Vennar, a gent. of Lincolnes, who had lately playd a notable cunnicatching tricke, and gulled many under couller of a play to be of gent. and reuerens, comming to the court since in a blacke suit, bootes and golden spurres without a rapier, one told him he was not well suited; the golden spurres and his brazen face uns[uited?]

fo. 60.
November, 1602.A vehement suspicion may not be a judicial condemnacion: the Lord Keeper said he would dimisse one as a partie vehemently suspected, then judicially condemned [sic].

The callender of women saynts was full long agoe.

*   *   *   *   *

14.An hypocrite or puritan is like a globe, that hath all in conuexo, nihil in concauo, all without painted, nothing within included. (Mr. Curle.)

About some three yeares since there were certayne rogues in Barkeshire which usually frequented certaine shipcoates every night. A justice having intelligence of their rablement, purposing to apprehend them, went strong, and about midnight found them in the shipcoate, some six couple men and women dauncing naked, the rest lying by them; divers of them taken and committed to prison. (Mr. Pigott.)

Posies for a jet ring lined with sylver.

"One two:" soe written as you may begin with either word.

"This one ring is two," or both sylver and jet make but one ring; the body and soule one man; twoe frends one mynde.

"Candida mens est," the sylver resembling the soule, being the inner part.

"Bell' ame bell' amy," a fayre soule is a fayre frend, &c.

"Yet fayre within."

"The firmer the better;" the sylver the stronger and the better.

Mille modis læti miseros mors una fatigat.

*  *  *  *  *  122

Yf foure or five assist one which kills another, the lawe sayth they shall all be hanged, because they have deprivd the Queene of a subject; but is this a way to preserve the Queens subjects, when there is one slayne already, to hang up four or five more out of the way? Is this to punishe the fact or the State? (Benn.)