The Isle of Man, Authors note – Errata
Theſe things are the ſubſtance of all this booke An anſwer to ſuch as cenſure this booke.couched within the allegoricall narration: which is no dreaming dotage, no fantaſticke toy, no ridiculous conception, no old wiues tale told; ſome hauehave an humour to delight in finding of faults; ſome are ſo enuious that they cannot looke vponupon any thing which is anothers, but they muſt needs diſgrace it: Perhaps ſome kicking lade in reading is galled, and therefore doth winſh. Some are ſo ridgedly graue that, forſooth, it is a miſſe to reade that, wherein they may hauehave occaſion offered any way to laugh or ſmile: when they may remember that euen Abraham, the gray headed, old aged, and graue father once laughed; as they themſelues will alſo, whoſoeuer they be, when the humour takes them.
If any diſlike this little booke for want of matter, let him be pleaſed to conſider No want of matter for religious vſes.theſe one and fortie particular inſtructions before ſet downe, with the naturall and moral Phyloſophie cōprehended therin, how alſo families may be well gouerned and alſo religiouſly; how louelove may bee preſerued among Neighbours, what euils are the diſturbance thereof, and what bee the baſe conditions of the Nigards and pinching worldlings, contrary to ſuch as be of a bountifull and liberall diſpoſition.
Beſides all theſe things let them bee pleaſed to attend to the ſcope of the Booke, wherin two things are principally aimed at.The ſcope of the booke.
1 To diſcouer to vsus our miſerable and wretched 1 To know our ſelues by nature.eſtate through corruption of nature. For the laying open hereof, there is a liuely deſcription of ſin, with the power, nature, fruites, and effects thereof; how it firſt came, how intertained, bred, and brought vp, by whom, and where, with the ſeuerall kinds of ſinne, and the differing conditions of ſinfull men, oppoſing vertuous courſes, and vnderunder what colour they ſo do, to their owne ruine at the length.
2 To ſhew how a man 2 How to boreformed.may come to a holy reformation, and ſo happily recouer himſelfe out of his naturall wretched eſtate. To worke this, here is deliuered how a man is to ſearch out ſinne, what neceſſarie graces are required thereto, with the helpes how to diſcouer ſinne, and to know ſinnes to bee ſins; what commonly bee the lets and hinderances in the diſcouery and ſearch of our ſinnes; what to do, hauing ſound out our ſinnes, and how to become humbled thereby, and how to ſit downe to iudge of our ſelues without all partiallitie. Moreouer here is manifeſt, what gifts and graces are requiſite to an holy life. Laſtly, how we may know ſinne to be ſubdued, and in whom it is truly ouercome.
Theſe things being the true ſcope and right vſe of this Book, and the matters therein contained ſo behoofefull and neceſſary to eueryevery true Chriſtian, I hope no ſober minded man can, much leſſe will find fault with it.
If the manner laying The manner is allegoricall.thoſe things downe in a continued allegorie, bee the offence to ſome, I doe ſuppoſe they know, that Nathan did teach a Dauid 2. Sam. 12. Ca. 5.by an allegorie: Eſay and Ezech. 17. 2. & 19.Ezechiel taught the Iewes ſo too, and that our Sauiour ſpake many parables to his hearers.
If any thinke it had binfit Obiection anſwered.for a yonger wit, then for one growne old and gray headed; ſurely Nathan, Eſat, & Ezechiel were not yong; neither did thoſe formes of ſpeaking derogate any thing from their holy aged grauities. And it may be thus to allegorize vponupon ſuch a ſubiect matter from all theſe paſſages, in politicke gouernment, required ſome more experience, then ſome perhaps, conceit, though the thing done to their hand may ſeeme now moſt eaſie.
But the fault, if a fault, peraduenture, is nor ſimply imputed for making an allegorie: but in following it ſo largely, and for inſerting (as it were interlude wiſe) ſome things, for the weightineſſe of the matter therein conteined, not ſeeming graue inough as the parables of Chriſt, & his Prophets were. For ſinne and ſinfull courſes of men ſhould be ſo deciphered, as the Readers might rather be moued to lantēt, then occaſioned to laugh.
Firſt for the largeneſſe, it is no more then the neceſſitie of the intended diſcourſe required, as the ſcope before mentioned may ſufficiently witneſſe. The parables of our Sauiour in S. Luke, and of Ezechiel, Ca 15. & 16. Ca. 17. & 19.were large, and they were proſecuted according to the nature of thoſe things from whence they were taken, to lay open fully thereby what they intended, and this is but ſo, and no more.
I confeſſe the matter of this allegoricall diſcourſe to be ſuch (as may appeare by the manifold leſſons before layed down, being the ſummarie Contents of the booke) as ought to worke in eueryevery Chriſtian Reader ſorrow of heart in the deep conſideration of his miſeries, till he be recouered out of his wretched eſtate: and withall to cauſe a diligent endeuour in ſober ſadnes to better his cō dition of liuing Chriſtianlike before God; neither of which is preuented by the manner of handling, if all would doe, as ſome hauehave done, firſt to reade it after the letter, and then attend piouſly to the ſpirituall ſence, they would attaine to that, which in ſo penning it, I aymed at. I knew the natures of men in the world; I perſuaded my ſelf that the allegorie would draw many to read, which might be as a bate to catch them, perhaps, at vnawares and to mooue them to fall into a meditation at the length of the ſpirituall vſe thereof: which I well hoped that others more religiouſly bent, would at the firſt diſcerne and make benefit of.
If two or three paſſages carrie not that grauitie in ſhew, as ſome, perhaps, could wiſh they did; Let theſe conſider therin thoſe places the enforced nature of the allegory. Then how that elſe wherin all the reſt of the book the cariage of the matter is very far from the nature of ſo odious & ſo baſe a cōpariſon, if it be in the hand of a piouſly affected & wel minded Reader. Laſtly, that euen thoſe few paſſages are ſharpe reproofes; & are no more an occaſion to guilty parties, with the conceits thereof to make themſelues merry, then that great Prophet Eliah his mocking (in a matter none more weightie) was to the Prieſts of Baal, when yet, perhaps, ſome ſtands by of the wiſer ſort, abhorring Baal, might ſmile ſecretly thereat.
There is a kinde of ſmiling and ioyfull laughter, for any thing I know, which may ſtand with ſober grauitie, and with the beſt mans pietie, iuſtly occaſioned from the right apprehenſion of things, elſe had not Abraham fallen into it, nor holy Iob, Gen. 17. 17. Ca. 29. 24. Pſal. 52. 6.nor the righteous in ſeeing (which is ſtrange) matter of feare. Well, I hauehave clothed this booke as it is: It may be ſome humor took me, as once it did old Iacob, who apparelled Ioſeph differently from all the reſt of his brethren in a partie coloured coat. It may alſo bee that I tooke (as Iacob did in his Ioſeph) more delight in this Lad, then in twentie other of his brethren borne before him, or in a younger Beniamin brought forth ſoone after him.
When I thus did apparell him, I intended to ſend him forth to his brethren, hoping hereby to procure him the more acceptance, where hee happily ſhould come: and my expectation hath not failed; deceiued altogether I am not, as was Iacob in ſending his Ioſeph among his enuious brethren. For not onelyonly hundreds, but ſome thouſands hauehave welcomed him to their houſes. They ſay they like his countenance, his habit and manner of ſpeaking well enough, though other too nice bee not ſo well pleaſed therewith.
But who can pleaſe all? or how can any one ſo write or ſpeake, as to content eueryevery man? If any miſtake me, and abuſe him in their too carnal apprehenſion, without the truly intended ſpirituall vſe, let them blame themſelues, & neither me nor him: for the fault is their owne, which I wiſh them to amend?
You that like him, I pray you ſtil accept of him for whoſe ſake, to further your ſpiritual meditation, I hauehave ſent him out with theſe Contents, and more marginall notes.
His habite is no whit altered which he is conſtrained by mee to weare, not onelyonly on working dayes, but euen vponupon holy daies and Sondayes too, if he go abroad. A fitter garment I hauehave not now for him: and if I ſhould ſend out the poore Lad naked; I know it would not pleaſe you.
This his coate, though not altered in the faſhion, yet is it made ſomewhat longer. For though from his firſt birth into the world it bee ſcarce halfe a yeare, yet he is growne a little bigger; but I thinke him to become to his full ſtature: ſo he wil be, but as a litle pigmie to be carried abroad in any mans poket.
I pray you now this fourth time accept him, & vſe him, as I hauehave intended him for you, and you ſhal reape the fruite, though I forbid you not to be Chriſtianly merry with him. So fare you well in all friendly wellwiſhes.
R. B. May 28. 1627.
FINIS.
Errata.
Good Reader I pray in page 137. for incircut reade nicer-cut.
End of the text · Richard Bernard, The Isle of Man (1627)