first statute against it was in Queen Elizabeth's time. Since the reformation simony has been frequent: one reason why it was not practised in time of popery, was the pope's provisions: no man was sure to bestow his own benefice. CXXX. STATE. IN a troubled state save as much of your own as you can. A dog had been at market to buy a shoulder of mutton; coming home, he met two dogs by the way, that 10 quarrelled with him; he laid down his shoulder of mutton, and fell to fighting with one of them; in the meantime the other dog fell to eating his mutton; he seeing that, left the dog he was fighting with, and fell upon him that was eating; then the other dog fell to eat; when he perceived there was no remedy, but which of them soever he was fighting withal, his mutton was in danger, he thought he would save as much of it as he could; and thereupon gave over fighting, and fell to eating himself. 1. 1. the first statute against it &c.] This was 31 Elizabeth, ch. 6, secs. 4 and 5, which declares void all simoniacal presentations to benefices and enacts, further, that in case of simony, the presentation devolves to the crown, and that both parties to the transaction incur a fine of double the yearly value of the benefice. 1. 2. one reason why &c.] That the Pope used to present to benefices in this country appears by, e. g., the Statutes passed to forbid it. The Statute of Provisors, 25 Edward III, enacts that if the Pope tries to appoint, the King shall present, and counterclaimants to the King's presentment are made liable to fine and imprisonment. So in 16 Richard II, the Pope is said to have proposed inter alia to translate prelates out of the realm, or from one living to another. All procuring such translations are put out of the King's protection, forfeit lands and goods, and are brought to answer for it under former statutes. CXXXI. SUBSIDIES. 1. HERETOFORE the parliament was wary what subsidies they gave to the king, because they had no accounts; but now they care not how much they give of the subjects' money, because they give it with one hand and receive it with the other; and so upon the matter give it themselves. In the meantime what a case the subjects of England are in! If the men they have sent to the parliament misbehave themselves, they cannot help it, because the parliament is eternal. 2. A subsidy was counted the fifth part of a man's estate, and so fifty subsidies is five and forty times more than a man is worth. ΙΟ CXXXII. SUPERSTITION. 1. THEY that are against superstition, oftentimes run 1.3. but now they care not &c.] This change was one of the first acts of the second Parliament of 1640. When they raised money they did not follow what had been the usual way, of giving it immediately to the King, to be paid into the exchequer, but provided for its payment into the hands of members of the House, named by them, who were to take care to discharge all public engagements. The King allowed the first money bill to pass with the names of Commissioners inserted in it, who were to receive and dispense the money; and from that time there was no bill passed for the raising of money, but it was disposed of in like manner, so that none of it could be applied to the King's use, or by his direction. Clarendon, Hist. vol. i. pp. 321-2 and 678. 1.6. upon the matter] i. e. in strict fact: really. See 'Philosophy' and note. Kent did not take the title upon them; yet all that while they were really earls; and afterwards a great prince declared them to be earls of Kent, as he that made the other family an earl. 10. Disputes in religion will never be ended, because there wants a measure by which the business should be decided. The Puritan would be judged by the word of God: if he would speak clearly, he means himself, but that he is ashamed to say so; and he would have me believe 10 him before a whole church, that have read the word of God as well as he. One says one thing, and another another; and there is, I say, no measure to end the controversy. 'Tis just as if two men were at bowls, and both judged by the eye: one says 'tis his cast, the other says 'tis my cast; and having no measure, the difference is eternal. Ben Jonson satirically expressed the vain disputes of divines by Rabbi Busy disputing with a puppet in his Bartholomew 1. 2. a great prince] so in MSS. and early editions. Some later editions read 'as great a prince.' 1. 17. Rabbi Busy disputing &c.] The dispute referred to is between Rabbi Busy and a puppet belonging to Lanthorn Leatherhead, see Barthol. Fair, Act v. sc. 3. There are various readings of the text of the Table Talk. The Harleian MS. 690, gives-'Inigo Lanthorne disputing with a puppet in Bartholomew Fair.' The Sloane MS. 2513 reads, 'in his Bartholomew Fair,' but otherwise agrees with Harleian 690. The early printed editions read-'Inigo Lanthorne disputing with his puppet in a Bartholomew Fair.' The reading which I have followed-that of Harleian MS. 1315-is the only one which is not obviously incorrect. I am inclined to think that the original reading may have been 'Rabbi Busy disputing with Inigo Lanthorne his puppet, in his (sc. Ben Jonson's) Bartholomew Fair,' and that this has been cut down and changed into the various forms given above. Inigo Lanthorne is of course a half-way name between Lanthorne Leatherhead and Inigo Jones, who is assumed to have been satirized by Jonson under the name of Lanthorne Leatherhead. Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones were for many years fellow-workers for the stage, Jonson contributing the words of the masque or play, and Jones undertaking the scenery and stage-properties. This unequal partnership lasted for more than ten years after Bartholomew Fair was brought out (1614). How sharply they quarrelled afterwards, fair. It is so it is not so: it is so: it is not so; crying thus one to another a quarter of an hour together. II. In matters of religion, to be ruled by one that writes against his adversary, and throws all the dirt he can in his face, is, as if in point of good manners a man should be governed by one whom he sees at cuffs with another, and thereupon thinks himself bound to give the next man he meets a box on the ear. 12. It is to no purpose to labour to reconcile religions, when the interest of princes will not suffer it. 'Tis well if 10 they would be reconciled so far, that they should not cut one another's throats. 13. There is all the reason in the world divines should not be suffered to go a hair's breadth beyond their bounds, for fear of breeding confusion, since there now be so many religions on foot. The matter was not so narrowly to be looked after when there was but one religion in Christendom; the rest would cry him down for an heretic, and there was nobody to side with him. 14. We look after religion, as the butcher did after his 20 knife, when he had it in his mouth. 15. Religion is made a juggler's paper; now 'tis a horse, now 'tis a lanthorn, now 'tis a boat, now 'tis a man. To serve ends, religion is turned into all shapes. 16. Some men's pretending religion, is like the roaring boys' way of challenges: (their reputation is dear, it cannot and what a mean opinion Ben Jonson had of his old partner, may be seen from inter alia his 'Expostulation with Inigo Jones' and his verses 'To Inigo Marquis-would-be,' in which Inigo Jones is held up to ridicule as a mere stage-property-man and puppet-play presenter and would-be poet, very much as Lanthorn Leatherhead is shown in Bartholomew Fair. The resemblance between the two, as Ben Jonson has drawn them, is certain; their intended identification is almost certain. Selden knew Ben Jonson intimately, and if the words 'Inigo Lanthorne' ever came from Selden's mouth, the proof may be regarded as complete. 1. 25. like the roaring boys &c.] In Overbury's Characters, 'A roaring into it on the wrong side. If I will wear all colours but black, then am I superstitious in not wearing black. 2. They pretend not to abide the cross, because 'tis superstitious; for my part I will believe them, when I see them throw away their money out of their pockets, and not till then. 3. If there be any superstition truly and properly so called, 'tis their observing the sabbath after the Jewish I. WE have had no national synod since the kingdom hath been settled, as now it is, only provincial; and there 1. 4. when I see them throw away their money &c.] 'The Parliament's gold coins are just like their silver ones, viz. on one side two shields with the cross and harp.' Abp. Sharpe, Dissertation on the Golden Coins of England, sec. 6. The cross was a common impress on earlier English coins. 1. II. We have had no national synod &c.] The London ministers, in their petitions in 1641, prayed the Houses of Parliament to be mediators to his Majesty for a free Synod. Neal, Hist. of Puritans, iii. 43. The Commons accordingly included this among the requests in the grand Remonstrance of December 1, 1641 :-'We desire that there may be a general synod of the most grave, pious, learned, and judicious divines of this island, assisted with some from foreign parts professing the same religion with us, who may consider of all things necessary for the peace and good government of the church.' Rushworth, iv. 450. Selden's objections to the calling so many divines together, and to the forming of a Synod to do work which could be done by the existing Convocation, seem to have been directed against this request. It was not granted by the King; but the Commons finally took the matter into their own hands, and summoned, in 1643, the Westminster Assembly of Divines to advise with Parliament on the points for which a general Synod had been prayed for. But it was not sum |