The Incomparable Jewel, Title page – Dedication
THE INCOMPARABLE JEWELL. Shewed▪
In a Sermon, which was preached in the Church of B. in S. at the solemnization of a Marriage, had betweene W. B. and E. S. the Daughter of I. S. of London, Merchant.
WHEREIN▪ Is recommended to every good and well disposed minde the matchless worth of a vertuous Wife; and wherein also is discovered the hatefull company and hellish condition of a vitious—
EZRA. 9. 14. Should wee returne to breake thy Commandements, and to joyne in Marriage and affinitie with people of abominations?
LONDON, Printed by Robert Young, and are sold by G. Lathum. 1632.
TO THE VVORSHIPFULL his worthy Neighbours, ABRAHAM DAWES and WILLIAM WYMONDESOLD, Esquires, a paire of faithfull Friends, Patterns of godliness, Patrons of goodness, and Patriots of Worth; Holiness, health and happiness be continued, multiplied and perfected in Christ Jesus our Lord.
More than much beloved,
VVHatsover Antiquitie hath left in record touching the admired effects and fruits of true friendship betweene Patroclus and Achilles, Theseus and Pirithous, Nisus and Eurilaus, and others, seemeth all but fained and fancied in comparison of that paritie, puritie, and raritie of singular and endeered affection (which lately came to my view) betweene Nicholaus Barbadi… and Marcus Trivisanus, two true friends, Gentlemen and Patriots of the Republique of Venice. The historicall Narration calls for not onelyonly a Tullian Orator, but for a Tertullian, to shew it to life; and that requires a just volume too. For, if there be a Mercuriall Quilibet, who can in his Quodlibeticall Capacitie comprehend an immensitie, or in his sublimated braine define an infinity, or in his stupendious presumption dares take upon him to relate an infandum, (and of such an Vtopian Morus I utterly despaire) then may it be as well shewed how two minds may breathe in one breast, and one minde may live in two hearts.
True it is, that (Ubi amat anima, ibi animat) The soule lives where it loves; yet all is but strength of imagination I am not ignorant also, that the Starre-gazers fancie a Signe in the Zod…aque, and call it Gemini, one of the twelve Signes (in semblance Twins) but their Conceptions are as their Eccentriques and Epicicles, not Essences; phantasies, not sentences: but this paire of friends was a true, reall and actuall seale (Gemini) Twins on earth, like those of Hypocrates, both actively & passively, as if they had bin (iidem numero) numerically the same. The Astrologers Gemini were fancied fires and starres, these most honest, hearty, and faithfull loves in abstracto. The Sun, and Moone are the two greater lights among the Planets; these were as two resplendent Sunnes, gloriously shining, & graciously spreading their rayes among, and above all the Magnifico's in the firmament of Venice.
So strong marveils, and so strange Metamorphoses as their sincere friendship did produce and propose to the worlds view, seeme not to be the effects of the rare amitie and individuall love of Nicolaus Barbadicus, and Marcus Trivisanus, but of Nicolaus Trivisanus and Marcus Barbadicus. For assuredly their Natures being so heartily mutuall, their Names may be respectively communicable.
If any could set forth but in summe that their rare, admirable and matchlesse friendship, with the lightsome and delightsome rayes and effects of the same, it would put that piece of …ully concerning the friendship of Scipio and Laelius to a non-plus.
For there was in this rare paire of friends a great disparitie in some things, and a greater paritie in the most things; yet I say not one the greater for this, nor the other the better for that, but (iidem non iidem, ipsi nec ipsi) the same not the same, themselves not themselves.
Trivisanus succours and saves Barbadicus at the point to perish, Barbadicus redeemes Trivisanus from the very gulfe of sinking wherein hee was plunged; the one prodigall of his bloud for his friend, the other of his goods.
Trivisanus onelyonly sollicitous for Barbadicus, Barbadicus shaketh hands with all his own delights only to please and to pleasure Trivisanus. This love-strife, this friendship-fight, this mutuall ambition in this paire of friends to serve each other, Venice saw▪ the world is amazed at to read, and posteritie will be amused to heare. For two strive all in good for the good of each, and both are victorious. O rare trophee! By this Thesis (mine endeered friends) you may ghesse at the Hypothesis: if I should applie it, as I both can, and justly may; yet some spitefull hypocrite, and malevolent spirit would not stick to say I did flatter. But it is so well known, that in all my course of life, both in City, Court and Country; I have and do naturally hate adulation, and account it the slavery and baserie of baseness; and surely it dwels in none but in a poore, base, and ignoble breast; yea it is well knowne, that I never suffered more in all my life, than for my plainness and freedome of speech and spirit; for I am a right Macedonian, I must call a spade a spade (whatever come of it) and I cannot mince it, and say Sibboleth for my heart, but I must needs say heartily and with aspiration Shibboleth. Iudg. 12.
Therfore this is that I must say, for it is truth, and all that now I will say, that I may not displease you, That more sweet consent, better content, faster union of minds, firmer conjunction of concord, to love together, to live together, to doe all good offices each to other in your private, and all good that did occurre for the publique welfare of others in the place where you live, and elsewhere; I never met withall, or observed in any part of the world where I have lived. Doth any Malcus with his left eare itch to heare this? or doth any Momus with an envious eye blinke to read this? and so say a Mumpsimus to himselfe? assuredly did I know them, I should trench and trespasse somewhat deeper upon your patience and modestie, and especially shew that which might make their itching eares to tingle, and their envious eyes to water; yea and to heare and see yet more, and yet more, untill rumperentur ilia bonorum osoribus.
But the sincerity of my witnessing the truth, and the integritie of my cause staves off all black-mouthed curres, and for mine owne part I wave them as I doe the stinking and muddiewater in a common seure or sinke.
That which I lately delivered in a Sermon in the voice of a living man to a Christian auditorie, assembled at the solemnization of a mariage, I have in this Treatise laid it open to scanning and censure, and buried it in a dead letter of lesse efficacie, and made it yours: Not that you desired it; for you heard it not, neither did any of the Auditorie request it that I know, (as some men use to faine and apologise in their Dedications) but I have done this of mine own accord truly & sincerely, to expresse in part, what observation I have taken of you (for the space of seven years, seven moneths, and some dayes whiles I was your Pastour.) What joy I tooke to behold you and your whole people so fairely, so friendly, and so freely to live and cohabite together in such extraordinary Christian bearing and forbearing, as the Apostolique phrase is, And also I have done this to manifest my observance, respect, & thankfulness unto you for all your former favours, courtesies, and kindnesses shewed toward mee and mine, expressed in a generous▪ free, and noble manner.
I little respect or regard the conceits or censures of those, who fancie nothing but faction in Church and State; for their Chimeraes are likest Tobacco of any thing in the world: For, as that is quickly kindled, makes a stinking smoake, and quickly goes out, but leaves an inherent stinke in the nostrils and stomacks of the takers, not to be drawn out, but by putting in a worse savour, as of Onions and Garlick (according to the proverbe). The smell of Garlick takes away the stinke of dung-hils; so their choler is like Gun-powder, touch it with a sparke of fire, and it is in your face; their speeches, like offensive smoake, soone droven away with the winde, but their unsavouriness which they leave behinde them is like Mephitis, and the stinking Lacus Asphaltites; and for ought that I can perceive, the stinke they leave behinde them and their venome, cannot be countermanded but by the common seures and lay-stalls of the most beastly and most noysome dung-hils.
Yet, forsooth, these busi-bodies, born under Mercury, must be a reforming all the world: and how thinke you? by taxing it, as if they were Augusti Caesares, and perpetuall Dictators; but what would they reforme? all the world, (I say) as Augustus taxed it; And how far thinke you? surely so far as the Duke of Florence his foole pilled an Onion. This Duke caused an Onion to be given to his Cousin Naturall, and bad him pill it; hee puls off one skin, and then another, and so forth, at last comes to the Cloves of the Onion; he supposing these to be skins also, albeit somwhat thicker, off they goe, from one to another, and at last when the Duke calls for his pilled Onion, what was left thinke you? A thing called Nothing like an Onion; So these masters, if they were left to their follie and foolerie, in their fancied reformation, though they take much paines in the pilling and poling, that their eyes watered againe, yet so poore a pittance would remaine of their Platonian, Plutonian, Eutopian Church and Republique, that the ancient and graver sort might have just cause to weepe, waile, and lament, as the Israelites did, who had known the first Temple built by Salomon, when they beheld the second rebuilt in the time of Nehemiah: Oh quantum distabat ab illo! But what doe I blot paper with their fancies? I know you are no such Alchymists: The Church of England is your mother, and from her breasts you are perswaded that your selves and all yours with all others that live therein, may suck the syncere milke of the Word, and drinke the saving knowledge of the Cup of Salvation.
And when you doe receive and drinke of that Cup of Salvation, you doe it, kneeling with humiliation of body and humility of heart, as becommeth sober and moderate Christians; you are none of those who have Elephantine knees, that will not bow, fancying a cause-lesse feare of Bread-worship, as you know some stallions of late amongst us have endevoured. I know you hate the blasphemy of them, who stick not to say in plain termes (such high and hellish conceits have they of themselves) that they, forsooth, are fit companions for Christ Iesus. It matters not for them, hold you on your godly courses, and as God hath united your hearts, & the hearts of your children, to love and like one another in the state of marriage, Gods blessed Ordinance, so continue in your true and Christian fellowship, without which what is this world but a vast desert and wilde wildernesse? your true loving friendship shall multiplie your joyes & mitigate your griefes. Let others dissemble, they will finde it painfull, and full of travises, and they that imbrace such, shall finde them all for that which fooles call Fortune and not Nature; and such shall want true friends as a reward of their perfidious Natures. Let it be your glory to say, We are open-hearted the one to the other; wee have singled each other from the generality of those with whom wee live, and shall ever make one another the portion of our own wishes. Let others admire at an eclypse of the Sunne or Moone, and gaze at a blazing Starre; doe you regard and understand the sweet motions and wholsome exhalations of your owne affections, and temper and regulate them to Gods glory and the consolation of your own soules.
To which end, your poore Levite and votarie shall never cease (whiles wee live together in this vale of vanitie) earnestly and heartily to desire the Almighty God long to keep, preserve and continue you and all yours in holinesse, health, happiness, and prosperitie, to Gods glory, to your owne true comfort and consolation in this world, & to your everlasting salvation & glorification in the world to come, through the mercies of God, and the merits & saving grace and favour of Iesus, in whom, & for whom I am▪
Wandesworth, Aug. 13. 1632. Yours to be commanded, W. L.