2.

Perogative.

"Patio, not fomething that has no Name. Juft

Rerogative is fomething that can be told what

as you fee the Archbishop has his Prerogative Court, but we know what is done in that Court. So the King's Prerogative is not his will, or what Divines make it a power to do what he lifts.

2. The King's Prerogative, that is, the King's Law. For example, if you ask whether a Patron may prefent to a Living after fix Months by Law? I answer no. If you ask whether the King may? I answer he may by his Prerogative, that is, by the Law that concerns him in that cafe.

Presbytery.

HEY that would bring in a new Government,

"I would very fain perfwade us, they meet it in

Antiquity Thus they interpret Presbyters, when they meet the word in the Fathers: Other Profeffions likewife pretend to Antiquity. The Alchymift will find his Art in Virgil's Aureus ramus, and he that delights in Opticks will find them in Tacitus. When Cefar came into England, they would perfwade us, they had Perfpective-Glaffes, by which he could discover what they were doing upon the Land, because it is faid, Pofitis Speculis; the meaning is, his Watch, or his Sentinel, discover'd this, and this, unto him.

2. Presbyters have the greatest power of any Clergy in the World, and gull the Laity most: For Example; admit there be twelve Laymen to fix Presbyters, the

fix fhall govern the reft as they please. First because they are constant, and the others come in like ChurchWardens in their turns, which is an huge Advantage. Men will give way to them who have been in place before them. Next the Laymen have other profeffions to follow; the Presbyters make it their fole Bufinefs; and befides too, they learn and study the Art of perfwading; fome of Geneva have confefs'd as much.

3. The Presbyter, with his Elders about him, is like a young Tree fenc'd about with two, or three, or four Stakes; the Stakes defend it, and hold it up; but the Tree only prospers and flourishes; it may be fome Willow Stake may bear a Leaf or two, but it comes to nothing. Lay Elders are Stakes, the Presbyters the Tree that flourishes.

4. When the Queries were fent to the Affembly concerning the Jus Divinum of Presbytery, their asking time to answer them, was a Satyr upon themselves: For if it were to be feen in the Text, they might quickly turn to the place, and fhew us it. Their delaying to answer makes us think there's no fuch thing there. They do just as you may have seen a fellow do at a Tavern Reckoning, when he should come to pay his Reckoning, he puts his Hands into his Pockets, and keeps a grabling and a fumbling, and shaking, at laft tells you he has left his Money at home; when all the Company knew at first, he had no Money there; for every Man can quickly find his own Money.

Priests

"TH

Priests of Home.

HE Reafon of the Statute against Priefts, was this: In the beginning of Queen Elizabeth there was a Statute made, that he that drew Men from their civil Obedience was a Traitor. It happen'd this was done in privacies and confeffions, when there could be no proof; therefore they made another A&t, that for a Prieft to be in England was Treafon, because they prefum'd that was his bufinefs to fetch Men off from their Obedience.

2. When Queen Elizabeth dy'd, and King James came in, an Irish Priest does thus exprefs it: Elizabetha in orcum detrufa, fucceffit Jacobus alter Hæreticus. You will ask why they did ufe fuch Language in their Church? Aufw. Why does the Nurfe tell the Child of raw Head and bloody Bones, to keep it in awe?

3. The Queen Mother and Count Roffet, are to the Priests and Jefuits like the Honey Pot to the Flies.

4. The Priests of Rome aim but at two Things; to get Power from the King, and Money from the Subject.

5. When the Priests come into a Family, they do as a Man that would fet fire on a Houfe; he does not put fire to the Brick-Wall, but thrufts it into the Thatch. They work upon the Women, and let the Men alone.

6. For a Priest to turn a Man when he lies a dying > is just like one that hath a long time folicited a Woman, and cannot obtain his end; at length makes her drunk, and fo lies with her.

"D

Prophecies.

REAMS and Prophecies do thus much good; they make a Man go on with boldness and courage, upon a Danger or a Mistress; if he obtains, he attributes much to them; if he miscarries, he thinks no more of them, or is no more thought of himself.

Proverbs.

HE Proverbs of feveral Nations were much

"Tudied by Ween on

gave was, because by them he knew the Minds of feveral Nations, which is a brave thing; as we count him a vife Man, that knows the minds and infides of Men, which is done by knowing what is habitual to them. Proverbs are habitual to a Nation, being transmitted from Father to Son.

I.

Question.

WHEN a doubt is propounded, you muft

learn to distinguish, and show wherein a thing holds, and wherein it doth not hold: Ay, or no, never anfwer'd any Queftion. The not distinguishing where things should be distinguish'd, and the not confounding, where things fhould be confounded, is the caufe of all the Mistakes in the World.

Reason,

Heafon.

'N giving Reasons, Men commonly do with us

אזי

as the Woman does with her Child; when the goes to Market about her Business, fhe tells it fhe goes to buy it a fine Thing, to buy it a Cake or fome Plums. They give us fuch Reafons as they think we will be 'catched withal, but never let us know the Truth.

2. When the School-Men talk of Recta Ratie in Morals, either they understand Reafon as it is govern'd by a Command from above; or else they fay no more than a Woman, when the fays a thing is fo, because it is fo; that is, her Reafon perfwades her 'tis fo. The other Acception has Senfe in it. As take a Law of the Land, I must not depopulate, my Reafon tells me fo. Why? Becaufe if I do, I incurr the detri

ment.

3. The Reafon of a Thing is not to be enquired after, till you are fure the Thing it felf be fo. We commonly are at [What's the Reafon of it?] before we are fure of the Thing. 'Twas an excellent Question of my Lady Cotten, when Sir Robert Cotten was magnifying of a Shooe, which was Mofes's or Noah's, and wond'ring at the strange Shape and Fashion of it: But Mr. Cotten, fays the, are you fure it is a Shooe?