then I will warrant you they will quietly take it. A gentleman having been rambling two or three days, at length came home, and being in bed with his wife, would fain have been at something, that she was unwilling to, and instead of complying, fell to chiding him for his being abroad so long. Well, says he, if you will not, call up Sue (his wife's chambermaid); upon that she yielded presently.

9. Now oaths are so frequent, they should be taken like pills, swallowed whole; if you chew them, you will find them bitter; if you think what you swear, it will hardly go down.

ORACLES.

ORACLES ceased presently after Christ, as soon as nobody believed them. Just as we

have no fortune-tellers, nor wise men, when nobody cares for them. Sometimes you have a season for them, when people believe them; and neither of these, I conceive, wrought by the devil.

OPINION.

1. OPINION and affection extremely differ; I may affect a woman best, but it does not follow I must think her the handsomest woman

in the world. I love apples best of any fruit, but it does not follow, I must think apples to be the best fruit. Opinion is something wherein I go about to give reason why all the world should think as I think. Affection is a thing wherein I look after the pleasing of myself.

2. It was a good fancy of an old Platonic, The gods which are above men, had something whereof man did partake (an intellect knowledge); and the gods kept on their course quietly. The beasts, which are below man, had something whereof man did partake (sense and growth), and the beasts lived quietly in their way. But man had something in him, whereof neither gods nor beasts did partake, which gave him all the trouble, and made all the confusion in the world, and that is opinion.

3. It is a foolish thing for me to be brought off from an opinion in a thing neither of us know, but are led only by some cobweb-stuff, as in such a case as this, utrum angeli in vicem colloquantur? If I forsake my side in such a case, I show myself wonderful light, or infinitely complying, or flattering the other party. But if I be in a business of nature, and hold an opinion one way, and some man's experience has found out the contrary, I may with a safe reputation give up my side.

4. It is a vain thing to talk of an heretic, for a man for his heart can think no otherwise than he does think. In the primitive times there were many opinions, nothing scarce but some or other held: one of these opinions being embraced by some prince, and received into his kingdom, the rest were condemned as heresies; and his religion, which was but one of the several opinions, first is said to be orthodox, and so have continued ever since the apostles.

PARITY.

THIS is the juggling trick of the parity, they would have nobody above them, but they do not tell you they would have nobody under them.

PARLIAMENT.

1. ALL are involved in a parliament. There was a time when all men had their voice in choosing knights. About Henry the Sixth's time they found the inconvenience; so one parliament made a law, that only he that had forty shillings per annum should give his voice, they under should be excluded. They made the law who had the voice of all, as well under forty shillings as above; and thus

it continues at this day. All consent civilly in a parliament; women are involved in the men, children in those of perfect age; those that are under forty shillings a year, in those that have forty shillings a year; those of forty shillings, in the knights.

2. All things are brought to the parliament, little to the courts of justice; just as in a room where there is a banquet presented, if there be persons of quality there, the people must expect, and stay till the great ones have done.

3. The parliament flying upon several men, and then letting them alone, does as a hawk that flies a covey of partridges, and when she has flown them a great way, grows weary, and takes a tree; then the falconer lures her down, and takes her to his fist: on they go again, hei rett, up springs another covey, away goes the hawk, and as she did before, takes another tree, &c.

4. Dissenters in parliament may at length come to a good end, though first there be a great deal of do, and a great deal of noise, which mad wild folks make; just as in brewing of wrest-beer, there is a great deal of business in grinding the malt, and that spoils any man's clothes that comes near it; then it must be mashed; then comes a fellow in and

L

drinks of the wort, and he is drunk; then they keep a huge quarter when they carry it into the cellar; and a twelvemonth after it is delicate fine beer.

be

5. It must necessarily be that our distempers are worse than they were in the beginning of the parliament. If a physician comes to a sick man, he lets him blood, it may scarifies him, cups him, puts him into a great disorder, before he makes him well; and if he be sent for to cure an ague, and he finds his patient hath many diseases, a dropsy, and a palsy, he applies remedies to them all, which makes the cure the longer and the dearer this is the case.

6. The parliament men are as great princes as any in the world, when whatsoever they please is privilege of parliament; no man must know the number of their privileges, and whatsoever they dislike is breach of privilege. The duke of Venice is no more than speaker of the house of commons; but the senate at Venice, are not so much as our parliament men; nor have they that power over the people, who yet exercise the greatest tyranny that is any where. In plain truth, breach of privilege is only the actual taking away of a member of the house, the rest are