THE

TABLE-TALK

OF

John Selden, Efq.

I.

Abbies, Priories, &c.

T

HE unwillingness of the Monks to part with their Land, will fall out to be juft nothing, because they were yielded up to the King by a fupreme Hand, (viz.) a Parliament. If a King conquer another Country, the People are loath to lofe their Lands, yet no Divine will deny, but the King may give them to whom he please. If a Parliament make a law concerning Leather, or any other commodity, you and A

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I for Example are Parliament-men, perhaps in respect to our own private Intereft, we are against it, yet the major Part conclude it, we are then involv'd, and the Law is good.

2. When the Founder of Abbies laid a Curfe upon thofe that fhould take away thofe Lands, I would fain know what Power they had to curfe me; 'Tis not the Curfes that come from the Poor, or from any Body, that hurt me, because they come from them, but because I do fomething ill against them that deferves God fhould curfe me for it. On the other fide, 'tis not a Man's bleffing me that makes me blesfed, he only declares me to be fo, and if I do well I fhall be bleffed, whether any bless me or not.

3. At the time of Diffolution, they were tender in taking from the Abbots and Priors their Lands and their Houfes, till they furrendered them (as most of them did) indeed the Prior of St. John's, Sir Richard Wefton, being a flout Man, got into France, and flood out a whole Year, at laft fubmitted, and the King took in that Priory alfo, to which the Temple belonged, and many other Houfes in England; they did not then cry no Abbots, no Priors, as we do now no Bishops, no Bifhops.

4. Henry the Fifth put away the Friers, Aliens, and feized to himself 100000l. a Year, and therefore they were not the Proteftants only that took away Church Lands.

5. In Queen Elizabeth's time, when all the Abbies were pulled down, and all good Works defaced, then the Preachers must cry up Juftification by Faith, not by good Works.

Ar

1.

TH

Articles.

HE nine and thirty Articles are much another thing in Latin, (in which Tongue they were made) than they are translated into English; they were made at three feveral Convocations, and confirmed by Act of Parliament fix or feven Times after. There is a Secret concerning them: Of late Minifters have fubfcribed to all of them, but by A&t of Parliament that confirm'd them, they ought only to fubfcribe to thofe Articles which contain matter of Faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments, as appears by the firft Subscriptions. But Bishop Bancroft (in the Convocation held in King James's days) he began it, that Ministers should subscribe to three Things, to the King's Supremacy, to the Common-Prayer, and to the Thirty-nine Articles; though many of them do not contain matter of Faith. Is it matter of Faith how the Church fhould be govern'd? Whether Infants fhould be baptized? Whether we have any Property in our Goods? &c.

1.

TW

Baptifm.

WAS a good way to perfuade Men to be chriftened, to tell them that they had a Foulnefs about them, viz. Original Sin, that could not be wafhed away but by Baptifm.

2. The Baptifing of Children with us, does only prepare a Child against he comes to be a Man, to understand what Chriftianity means. In the Church of Rome, it has this Effect; it frees Children - from Hell. They fay they go into Limbus Infantum. It fucceeds Circumcifion, and we are fure the Child underflood nothing of that at eight Days old; why then

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may

may not we as reasonably baptife a Child at that Age? In England, of late Years, I ever thought the Parfon baptiz'd his own Fingers rather than the Child.

3. In the Primitive Times they had God-fathers to fee the Children brought up in the Chriftian Religion, because many times, when the Father was a Chriftian, the Mother was not; and fometimes, when the Mother was a Chriflian, the Father was not; and therefore they made choice of two or more that were Chriftians, to fee their Children brought up in that Faith.

Baftard.

1. IS faid, the 23d of Deuteron. 2. [A Baftard

Tall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord,

even to the tenth Generation.] Non ingredietur in Ecclefam Domini, he fhall not enter into the Church. The meaning of the Phrafe is, he fhall not marry a Jewish Woman. But upon this, grofly mistaken; a Bastard at this Day in the Church of Rome, without a Difpenfation, cannot take Orders; the thing haply well enough where 'tis fo fettled; but 'tis upon a Mistake, (the Place having no reference to the Church) appears plainly by what follows at the third Verfe [An Ammonite or Moabite fhall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth Generation.] Now you know with the Jews an Ammonite or a Moabite could never be a Prieft; because their Priefts were born fo, not made.

1.

'TIS

Bible, Scripture.

IS a great Queftion how we know Scripture to be Scripture, whether by the Church, or by Man's private Spirit: Let me afk you, how I know

any

any thing? how I know this Carpet to be green? First, because fomebody told me it was green; that you call the Church in your Way. Then after I have been told it is green, when I fee that Colour again, I know it to be green, my own Eyes tell me it is green, that you call the private Spirit.

2. The English Tranflation of the Bible is the best Tranflation in the World, and renders the Senfe of the Original beft, taking in for the English Tranflation, the Bishop's Bible as well as King James's. The Tranflation in King James's time took an excellent way. That Part of the Bible was given to him who was moft excellent in fuch a Tongue (as the Apocrypha to Andrew Downs) and then they met together, and one read the Tranflation, the reft holding in their Hands fome Bible, either of the Learned Tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, &c. if they found any Fault, they spoke; if not, he read on.

3. There is no Book fo tranflated as the Bible for the purpose. If I tranflate a French Book into English, I turn it into English Phrafe, not into French English. [Il fait froid] I fay 'tis cold, not, it makes cold; but the Bible is rather tranflated into English Words than into English Phrafe. The Hebraisms are kept, and the Phrafe of that Language is kept: As for example, [He uncover'd her Shame] which is well enough, fo long as Scholars have to do with it; but when it comes among the Common People, Lord, what Jeer do they make of it!

4. Scrutamini Scripturas. These two Words have undone the World; becaufe Chrift fpake it to his Difciples; therefore we must all, Men, Women and Children, read and inrerpret the Scripture.

5. Henry the Eight made a Law, that all Men might read the Scripture, except Servants; but no Women, except Ladies and Gentlewomen, who had Leifure and

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might