Part 77

18 in MS. (25 in Bliss). "Spend next day." "If you speake to him as a Schooler, he telleth you you mistake him he is a gentleman and loath to marre his stile with that title. Sometime upon intreaty he vouchsafeth to be a Batchelour, and thinks he hath done the degree great grace in taking it." "His companion, etc." Above this, and after the word "misplacing." "He comes often to his bookes but seldome to his study, unless he be taken with Stepheus or Paris printe, which endeares the booke unto him. Yet sometimes he will...."

{ VICCARS (MS.) { SINGING MEN.

6 in MS. (47 in Bliss). "To sing catches." "In their election of a brother they are respectfull of his gifts, that is, of his bottles of sacke, and he that is most liberall to them heere makes them sure. If they get a church their faces are the richer, and they are men of more reckoning at the bush or read lattice." "Long lived, etc."

A SHOP-KEEPER.

39 in MS. (48 in Bliss). "He examines the necessity of passengers, and beggs in the phrase of the giver 'with what do you lacke?'" "... abuse his brother. His prizes are like new playes, very dear at first view, but after you goe over them they still fall lower, and he is one who of all men you shoulde not take of his worde." "He is your slave, etc."

A BOWL ALLEY.

38 in MS. (30 in Bliss). "Say nothing." "It is their as it is at skirmishes the first man doth much, and no victory without a good leader." "It is, etc." After the first sentence comes in MS. "fortune is never pox't louder nor the Deuill oftener sent about errands; he is the companion that goes with every bowle, and with him the bowlers."

A SHE PRECISE HYPOCRITE.

(The Shee Puritane in the MS.)

36 in MS. (34 in Bliss). "Owne Parish." "And if her husband be so profaine that he will not carrie her on horsebacke to heare another preach shee will goe as far on foote to heare her selfe pray." "She doubts, etc." "Scruples." "Shee dareth not give a penny to a beggar for feare he be a reprobate, but shee thinkes usury lawfull upon strangers that be not her brethren." "Shee is more fierce, etc." "Shee is discovered though shee weare a vaile," after "Geneva Print." "Reads that shee hath noted, and applauds herselfe for a noble woman of Berea," after "comes home." After "gossippings," "unlesse to exercises." After "sampler," "save that once a year she workes a black-wrought night-cap for some reverend good man to weare, because it is against the cannon, and then she thinkes him a bishop's fellow." After "weapons" (weapon), "is the Practice of Piety, or else shee is armed with the sixt to the Ephesians." For "the Brownist" read "thinks that Amsterdam is erroneous."

THE WEAK MAN.

In the Bright MS. there are some important additions and variations in "The Weak Man." After the words "his brain stays behind," it goes on "He is for wit as your young travellers for languages, as much as will call for necessities and hardly that. He is not crafty enough to be a knave, nor wise enough to be honest, but the midway betwixt; a kind of harmless man. His whole vice is his indiscretion, and yet this makes him seem guilty of all." After the word "reserved" in Bliss, the MS. goes on: "He will part with anything in a humour, but in a good cause with nothing, and you may better entice him than persuade him. He is often perverse, never resolute and inexorable to nothing so much as reason. He loves wits and scholars to his cost, for he never has their company but invited. His friendships commonly are begun in a supper and lost in lending money. The way to gain his regard is to neglect him, for if he once be in good estimation, he grows proud upon it and contemns you." After the words "laid to his charge." "He puts in his verdict at all discourses, and whatsoever reason you urge, he holds his conclusion." Again, after the words "breaks forth with all." "His fear is his most violent persuader, which makes him do more upon the authority of one he hates, than the suit of his friend. He is one not to live in this world, for each man is his ambush, and his friend to abuse him. He has been long in contempt, and at last out of money, and then men cry 'alas!' and forget him."

A SCEPTICK IN RELIGION.

P. 99. This Character also is so varied from the printed copies in the Bright MS. that it is given from the latter entire. "He is defined by a genus without a difference; for he is a Christian at large, and no more. He uses the land's religion because it is next him; yet he sees not why he may not take the other yet he chooses this not as better, but because there is not a pin to choose. He is wondrous loth to hazard his credulity, and whilst he fears to believe amiss, believes nothing. The opinion of an over judgment wrongs him, which makes him too wise for the truth. He finds doubts and scruples better than resolves them, and has always some argument to nonplus himself. The least religion is enough to perplex him, and the best will not satisfy him. He hammers too much in general upon our opinion's incertainty, and the possibility of erring makes him not venture on what is true. He cannot drive into his fancy the circumscription of religion into our corner, and yet, the absurdity of Popery staggers him again. He could like the Protestant better were it not for the puritan, and the papist but for the Jesuit. He thinks we are more rational, and likes the life of the other. He thinks so many wise men would not believe but on good ground, and so many honest men cannot be on the wrong side; yet he sees not their reason notwithstanding, nor assents to their honesty without it. He is taken with their miracles yet doubts an imposture; he conceives of our doctrine better, yet it seems too empty and naked. He prefers their charity, and commends our zeal, yet suspects that for blindness, and this but humour. He sees rather what to fly than to follow, and wishes there were no sides that he might take one. He will sometimes propend to us upon the reading a good writer, and at Bellarmine recoils as far back again; and the fathers justle him from one side to another. His conscience interposes itself betwixt two duellers, and whilst it would part both, is by both wounded. He hates authority as the tyrant of reason, and you cannot anger him worse than with a Luther or Calvin's dixit, yet that wise men are not persuaded with reason, shall authorize his doubt. In sum, his whole life is a question, and his salvation a greater, wherein he is so long a disputing, till death make the conclusion, and then he is resolved."

A GALLANT.

P. 57. (In the Bodleian, 2699, E. 21.) [This version is almost identical with that in the Durham MS. till the last few sentences.] The variations between the printed copy and Dr. Bright's MS. are so considerable, that the latter text is here given entire. "A Gallant is a heavy loader of himself, for he lays more upon his back than it is able to bear, and so at last breaks it. His first care is his clothes, and the next his body, and in the uniting of these two lyes his judgment. He is no singular man, for he is altogether in the fashion, and his very look and beard are squared to a figure conformable. His face and his boot are ruffled much alike, and he takes great delight in his walk to hear his spurs gingle. Though his life pass somewhat slidingly, yet he seems very carefull of the tyme, for he is always drawing his watch out of his pocket, and spends part of his hours in numbering them. His chiefest toil is how to spin out the day, and get a match for cards or the bowl alley, and his worst companion is himself, for then he is desperate and knows not what to do. The labour of doing nothing had made him long since weary of his life, if tobacco and drink did not out of charity employ him. He is furnished with jests, as some wanderer with sermons, some three for all companies, and when these are expired, his discourse survives in oaths and laughter. He addresses himself to ladies with the wagging of his lock, and complements like Euphues or the knights of the Sun; yet his phrase is the worst apparalled thing about him, for it is plain fustian. His thigh is always well apointed with a rapier, yet peaceable enough, and makes a wound in nothing but the scabard, yet rather than point the field, hee'l pull it out in the street. He is weaponed rather in the street, than the highway, for he fears not a thief, but a serjeant. His clothes and himself grow stale together, and the last act of his life is invisible, for he is buried commonly before he dies, in the jail or the country."

The following Character may serve as an illustrative commentary on part of Earle's character of an Attorney.

THE CHARACTER OF AN ATTORNEY.

P. 211. (From a MS. in the Bodleian, Sheldon Papers), circa 1642. An MS. Notebook of Bliss's in my possession, containing some 50 pages filled with the titles of books of characters, has this one among them, in 17th century hand-writing (pasted on to the page). When this was acquired he does not say. "An Atturney is a Broker at Law for hee sels wordes and counsell at the second hand, studies but one language that hee may not bee thought double tonged, and when vpon necessitie hee reades Latin, 'tis with a quaking hast soe feare fully you wold thinke him a fellon at his miserere. Hee speakes nothing but reports, statutes and obligations, and 'tis to bee thought wooes soe too; Lady I hold of you in capite and was by the fates enacted yours in decimo of the Ringe; his prayers are soloecismes for peace, and yet for contention; hee beleeues in Littleton or the present Cheefe-Justice and against this fayth hee thinkes the Chancery Hoeerticall, especially if he speake in a Rocket; his degrees are to proceed either a Court-keeper or an Under-shrieue and then a Judges nod qualifies him; hee may hold two or three Clyents the more; to conclude hee is a very noune adiectiue whom noe man dares trust to stand by himselfe, but requires a Counsellour to bee ioyned with him."--DEANE.

TWO LETTERS OF EARLE'S.

Saru[(m] Sept. 25. 1662.

"MY LORD

"I recyvd your Lordshipp's letter this day from my Lord of Sarum and give you my most humble and harty thankes for the great favour you intended me, as likewise for your good opinion of me! as well as your affection, that you thinke me capable of such a place in the Church. But my Lord I that understand my self better, though all things els worse, then any other frend, find those causes within me why I should not accept this offer, that I can no way answer, but must absolutely decline it. Your Lordshipp may remember when you were pleas'd to propose it to me before the last Bishop had it, what I said to you then, how unfitted I was for it in many respects. The same reasons hold good still and the rather, as I am now both elder and infirmer, and I am afraid more desperately so, then I beleevd my self to be at that time. When I come to London, as I hope to doe with in little more then a fortnight, I shall satisfy you more particularly, as I conceyve I have done already my Lord of Saru[(m], whose judgement as I should submitt to assoone as any mans, and sooner then my owne if it were different from mine. So I am more confirm'd in my owne opinion, when I find it conformable to his, being satisfyed with these reasons I had to refuse it. Seriously if I thought I could doe that service to the Church, which many hundreds could not doe better, I would preferre the doing it with trouble before any ease or convenience of my owne but in the condition that I am, and the many imperfections upon me, I do not speak it modestly, I cannot have such a thought. I am hartily sorry for the death of that Bishop, he was a man of excellent parts and though there was something to be desired in him, yett take him alltogether he was both able and likely to good service in that place which I pray God may loose nothing by his successor!

My Lord I beseech your Lordship to present my most humble duty and thankes to my gracious Master, the thinking me worthy of such a preferment, and that frankness and kindness which you speak of in his expressing it, was worth to me a great deale more then any thing els he could give me. I pray for him daylie, and most hartily, as I doe likewise for your Lordship to whom I am a moste affectionate servant

My Lord JO: EARLES."

FOOTNOTES:

It is curious to find this Character in the Durham MS. Bliss, in his account of the editions, speaks of the 6th edition (1633) as having two additional Characters, one of them being "The Herald." The edition of 1630, also called "the 6th edition augmented," I possess. It contains seventy-six characters (numbered as seventy-seven by mistake), but neither of the two "additional ones." Bliss's knowledge of editions, as well as his acquisition of them was increased largely in the years that followed the publication of his book. When he had acquired the 1st edition he wrote pathetically in his annotated copy, "I have been more than fifty years looking for this book!" By that time too he knew that what he here calls the 2nd edition of 1629 was really the fifth. (See Arber's Reprint, where a table of the editions is given.)

"Fields."--Bright MS.