Apollo to have their profession made the eighth1 liberal science, which he granted. As soon as it was noised up and down, in came the butchers, and they desired their profession might be made the ninth: for, say they, the soldiers have this honour for killing of men; now we kill as well as they; but we kill beasts for the preserving of men, and why should not we have honour likewise done us? Apollo could not answer their reasons, so he reversed his sentence, and made the soldier's trade a mystery, as the butcher's is. 1 The eighth] the eigth, H. and H. 2. The passage is as follows:-'The precedency between Arms and Learning is still obstinately disputed on both sides, between the Literati and Military men in Parnassus. And it was resolved in the last Ruota that the question should be argued if at least the name of Science and Discipline might be attributed to the exercise of war. . . . The business was very subtilly canvassed and argued, and the Court seemed wholly to incline to the Literati; but the Princes used such forcible arguments, as it was resolved that military men in their exercise of war might use the honourable names of science and discipline. The Literati were much displeased at this decision when unexpectedly all the Butchers of the world were seen to appear in Parnassus; . . . all besmeared with blood, with hatchets and long knives in their hands.... Apollo, that he might know what they meant, sent some Deputies to them. To whom those butchers stoutly said, that hearing that the Court had decided that the art of sacking and firing of cities, of cutting their inhabitants in pieces...and of calling with sword in hand, mine thine, should be termed a science and discipline, they also, who did not profess the killing of men . . . but the killing of calves and muttons to feed men withal, demanded that their art might be honoured by the same illustrious names. The same Signori Auditori di ruota, when they saw the butchers appear in the Palace, and heard their demand, they were aware of the injustice which but a little before they had done to all the Virtuosi by their decision; wherefore they again propounded the same question, and unanimously agreed, that the mysterie of War, though it were sometimes necessary, was notwithstanding so cruel and so inhumane, as it was impossible to honest it with civil terms.' Boccalini, Advertisements from Parnassus, Century 1. Advert. 75. Trans. by Henry, Earl of Monmouth, p. 143. .. ... ΙΟ CXLVIII. WIFE. I. HE that has a handsome wife, by other men is thought happy; 'tis a pleasure to look upon her, and be in her company; but the husband is cloyed with her. We are never content with what we have. 2. You shall see a monkey sometime that has been playing up and down the garden, at length leap up to the top of the wall, but his clog hangs a great way below on this side: the bishop's wife is like that monkey's clog; 10 himself is got up very high, takes place of temporal barons; but his wife comes a great way behind. 3. 'Tis reason a man that will have a wife should be at the charge of all her trinkets, and pay all the scores she sets on him. He that will keep a monkey, 'tis fit he should pay for the glasses she breaks. CXLIX. WISDOM. 1. A WISE man should never resolve upon anything, at least never let the world know his resolution; for if he cannot arrive at that, he is shamed. How many things did 20 the king resolve in his declaration concerning Scotland, never to do, and yet did them all? A man must do according to accidents and emergences. 2. Never tell your resolution before-hand; but when the cast is thrown, play it as well as you can to win the game you are at. Tis but folly to study how to play size-ace, when you know not whether you shall throw it or no. 3. Wise men say nothing in dangerous times. The lion, you know, called the sheep, to ask her if his breath smelt; she said, Aye1; he bit off her head for a fool. He called the wolf, and asked him; he said, No; he tore him in pieces for a flatterer. At last he called the fox, and asked him; Truly he had got a cold, and could not smell.XKing James was pictured, &c. CL. WITCHES. THE law against witches does not prove that there be any; but it punishes the malice of those people that use such means to take away men's lives. If one should pro- 10 fess that by turning his hat thrice, and crying buz, he could take away a man's life (though in truth he could do nothing), yet this were a just law made by the state, that whosoever should turn his hat thrice, and cry buz, with an intention to take away a man's life, shall be put to death. CLI. WIT. \\\ 1. WIT and wisdom differ; wit is upon the sudden turn, wisdom is in bringing about ends. 2. Nature must be the ground-work of wit and art; otherwise whatever is done will prove but jack-pudding's 20 work. 3. Wit must grow like fingers; if it be taken from others, 'tis like plums stuck upon blackthorn; there they are for awhile, but they come to nothing. 4. He that will give himself to all manner of ways to get 1 Aye] I, MSS. ΙΟ money may be rich; so he that will let fly all he knows or thinks, may by chance be sarcastically witty. Honesty sometimes keeps a man from being rich; and civility from being witty. 5. Women ought not to know their own wit, because then they will still be shewing it, and so spoil it; like a child that will be continually shewing its fine new coat, till at length it all bedaubs it with its pah hands. 6. Fine wits destroy themselves with their own plots, in meddling with great affairs of state. They commonly do as the ape that saw the gunner put bullets in the cannon, and was pleased with it, and he would be doing so too; at last he puts himself into the piece, and so both ape and bullet were shot away together. CLII. WOMEN. 1. Let the woman1 have power on her head, because of the angels. The reason of the words, because of the angels, is this; the Greek Church held an opinion that the angels fell in love with women; an opinion grounded upon that 20 in Genesis vi, The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair. This fancy St. Paul discreetly catches, and uses it as an argument to persuade them to modesty. 2. The grant of a place is not good by the canon law before a man be dead; upon this ground, that some mischief might be plotted against him in present possession, by poisoning or some other way. Upon the same reason a contract made with a woman during her husband's life, was not valid. 1 Let the woman, H. 2 and S.] Let the women, H. 3. Men are not troubled to hear a man dispraised, because they know, though he be naught, there's worth in others. But women are mightily troubled to hear any of them spoken against, as if the sex itself were guilty of some unworthiness. 4. Women and princes must both trust somebody; and they are happy or unhappy, according to the desert of those under whose hands they fall. If a man knows how to manage the favour of a lady, her honour is safe; and so is a prince. CLIII. I. IT was the manner of the Jews (if the year did not fall out right, but that it was dirty for the people to come up to Jerusalem at the passover, or that their corn was not ripe for their first-fruits) to intercalate a month, and so to have, as it were, two Februaries; thrusting up the year still higher, March into April's place, April into May's place, &c. Whereupon it is impossible for us to know when our Saviour was born, or when he died. 1. 18. Whereupon it is impossible for us &c.] Selden, in his review of the 4th ch. of his book on Tithes, says :—'The learned know that until about cccc years after Christ... that day (sc. Dec. 25, as the day of the Nativity) was not settled, but variously observed in the Eastern Church.... And S. Chrysostom then learned the time of the 25th of December (which yet most think not to be the exact time) from the Western or Latin Church.' Works, iii. 1314. This passage gave great offence to King James; and Selden, after several interviews with the King, wrote at his command a further tract on the subject. In this, after discussing the authorities at length, he concludes on a balance of evidence, 'It rests that we resolve on it (sc. on the 25th of December being the correct day) upon as certain and clear a truth of tradition, as by rational inference, by express testimony of the ancients, by common and continual practice of IO |