A Scourge for a Railer, Treatise · Part 8
The 8. imputation of arrogancie.
The accusation.
1. BEcause the Replyer sometime setteth downe Synopsis in the margin, referring the Reader to that booke for breuitie sake;8. Imputation. as treating how the article of the descension hath beene omitted in diuers auncient Creeds: he addeth,Synops. 1034. as elsewhere is shewed; he calleth it in solent vanitie, which I should wonder at, but that I knowe foreign is alwaies foreign. 2. b. p. 175.2. b. p. 175. and in another place, arrogant vanitie.
2. What arrogant presumption is this in a man of your profession, who should be an example of humilitie, thus imperiously, if not sawcily, to checke and controll all the learned of former ages, as if none of them knew the originall reading in this place, till you came this last day to teach them. 3. b. p. 114.3. b. p. 114.
3. It doth not become inferiour persons publikely to checke and controll their superiours for eueryevery priuate difference in opinion: such malepart sawcinesse I leaue to you, and such other whose common practise it is. 3. b. p. 101.3. b. p. 101.
4. Such is your ambitious humor, that all your geese must be swans, and eueryevery one a present for a prince; in so much that you pittifully complaine vntounto the Kings maiestie of the small reward that you, &c. hauehave receiued, &c. 2. b. p. 103.2. b. p. 103.
The iustification.
1. ANd is it such insolent vanity for a writer, for breuitie sake to hauehave reference to some of his former bookes; then he himselfe must goe for an insolent craker, that vsually blotteth his margen, with making mention of his first worthy treatise: as 3. b. p. 54. p. 55 p. 42. and in many places beside. Doth he thinke also Augustine an insolent man therein, who often hath relation to other of his workes?De baptism. l. 2. cap. 1. Noui quomodo soleat contristare lectorem, &c. I knowe how it vseth to grieue the Reader, when from the booke which he hath in his hand, when he falleth into any hard questiō, he is sēt to another, where he may finde the solution thereof. As for his insolent tearmes of foreign, and foreign, hee himselfe is both, and foreign, and foreign too, a louer of strife and contention. And yet it were better to be foreign, as the Replyer is not, then foreign, as the Confuter is. And for his obiection of foreign,Ad Rustic. selfe louelove, Hieromes portraiture doth shew his liuely image: Quidam, qui sibi videntur scioli, pomparum ferculis similes prodeunt in publicum, vt caninam exerceant facundiam: Some, which seeme vntounto themselues to know somewhat, doe come forth in publike, like messes of state, to exercise their doggish eloquence. There is no such signe of selfe louelove, as when one doth braue a bad cause with insolent words, and bendeth his tongue and penne wholly to the disgrace of others: for he which seeeth his owne faults, will hauehave no leisure to prie into an others.
2. The occasion, which this (brauing bragger) taketh, thus to set vp his bristles is, by reason of these wordes of the Replyer: how translatours doe interpret we are not so much to respect, as how the Originall readeth: therefore because in the originall Greeke there is no word to expresse [were] we are not bound to retaine it. Limbom. p. 38. Is this any imperiousnes or saucines to preferre the Originall before all other translations? And hauehave not Arias Montanus, who leaueth the verbe out altogether, and Beza, who translateth it in the present tense, according to the natiue sense of the participle of the present tense, which is to be supplied, and the Geneva translators also, followed that reading, which the Replyer preferreth? And are these also for so doing, saucie and imperious, as (this saucie fellow) seemeth to inferre: who is iustly to be taxed for this malapertnes,Philippic. 10. with those words of the Orator: Cur eos, quos omnes venerari debemus, solus oppugnas: why dare you onelyonly impugne those, whome we ought all to reuerence?
3. But who is he that checketh superiours for eueryevery priuate difference in opinion? not the Replyer, who thus writeth, that there are most reuerend learned men of both opinions. Limbom. p. 5. And how doth he checke the iudgement of superiours, in the exposition of that place of Peter, B. Bilson in his first booke.seeing a reuerend Prelate of our Church (as this arrogant Controller himselfe confesseth) did encline to that opinion of Noahs time: 3. b. p. 105.how doth he checke authoritie, that consenteth with men of authoritie? But he himselfe is the man, that controlleth superiours: who chargeth the great Bible set forth by the authoritie and consent of all the Bishops of the land,3. b. p. 49. with maintenance of blasphemie: as shall afterward be more fully shewed in the*Recrimin. 6. Recrimination. Indeede this fauning flatterer seemeth eueryevery where to insinuate himselfe to authoritie, thinking vnderunder that pretense, to finde passage for his errors: as I feare me some in these daies, speake in defence of the place of Bishops, that hate the persons of Bishops. But in true louelove and reuerence to that honourable calling, the Replyer thinketh great skorne to be compared with such a painted Parasite, (to returne his owne tearme.) He may be thought to be such a friend vntounto them,Dialog. 1. adv. Pelag. as Hierome speaketh of: Pulchre adulator apud philosophos definitur, blandus inimicus: A flatterer is well defined among the Philosophers to be a fauning enemie. And as he speaketh of an other: Verba ei de alieno stomacho fluunt: Hieron. ad Theophyl.His words are framed to please other mens humours: he speaketh not out of his owne heart.
4. As is the building, such are the props thereof: the accusation is here salse, and the grounds thereof are vntrue: for neither hath the Replyer dedicated all his books to the Prince, nor yet the third part of them: nor yet doth he in that place, which he misreciteth, complaine of his small reward for his bookes, but laieth open the generall complaint of students, and the common vilipending of bookes. And doth not he the same, complaining that bookes are in so small request with many, Pref. to the 1. booke. p. 5.that they esteeme them no otherwise, then gentlewomen doe their fancie flowers, which in the day time they carrie in their heads, and in the night cast at their heeles: doth he thinke himselfe also worthie to weare a goose feather for thus writing. But as for the Replyers geese (for so he disdainfully calleth some of his bookes) they shall be able to compare with his supposed swannes, which by the hissing may seeme at the first to be swannes birds, yet by the gagling, shew, they were but hatched in a goose nest: for he is like vntounto him, whom Hierom taxeth, Pisoniano vitio laborat, cum loqui nesciret tacere non potuit: he hath Piso his fault, he knoweth not how to speake, and yet he can not hold his peace. As the goose can not sing, and yet shee will alway be gagling. Erasmus spake it modestly of himselfe, but it may be truly said of this intempestiue writer:Ad Rustic. Multi hoc morbo laborant, mei similes, qui cum scribere nesciant, tamen à scribendo temperare non possunt: many hauehave my fault, who not knowing how to write, yet can not refraine from writing. When he hath cast all his cards, and taken his accounts, and seeth how little he hath gained by thus writing, he will beshrew himselfe, that he followed not Hieromes counsell: Ne ad scribendum cito prosilias, neque levi ducaris insania: Doe not hastily fall to writing, and be not caried away with cockbraine fittes.
The Recrimination.
But seeing he putteth the Replyer to it, to finde out the arrogant spirit indeede, who can not better cleare himselfe of this iniurious imputation, then in returning it thither, where it shall finde best entertainment: he shall be set forth in his owne colours, and by his owne words I wil sound the depth of his high and haughtie spirit.
1. I will ascend by degrees, and giuegive in the first place the least tast of his owne proud humour, how disdainfully he carieth himselfe toward the Replyer: he obiecteth vntounto him, want of learning and iudgement. 2. b. p. 46.2. b. p. 46. you vnlearnedly mistake. 2. b. p. 101.2. b. p. 101. you impertinently and vnlearnedly bring the example of Lazarus, &c. 2. b. p. 141.2. b. p. 141. how vnlearned and erroneous is it, to distinguish the person of Christ, and the Messias. 3. b. p. 7.3. b. p. 7. And I pray you, who doth so? he is more vnlearned, that so imagineth. Your examples are impertinently and ignorantly alleadged. 3. b. p. 67.3. b. p. 67. vnlearnedly translated by you, preacheth. 3. b. p. 107.3. b. p. 107. but himselfe wanteth learning herein, 5. Imput. of ignorance, iustificat. 3.as is shewed before. He taketh exception also to the Replyers person and degree: If you know no difference, &c. you are ill worthie of those schoole degrees, which you hauehave taken. 3. b. p. 161.3. b. p. 161. And to his bookes: one he calleth a base pamphlet, 2. b. p. 19.2. b. p. 19. I had for a good space cast it aside into a corner, beeing in truth the fittest place for it. pref. p. 4.
Such ignorance and want of learning it had beene enough for this (Paidomastix) to hauehave obiected to his schooleboyes. The Replyer, as he confesseth his knowledge not to be great, so he is sure, the others is lesse: it is a pitifull thing, as one saide, foreign: when one that is not wise, Critias.seemeth to be wise: and so it is, when one that is vnlearned, doth arrogate to himselfe the name of learning. Tullie spake sharply to Antonie, and yet but the truth:Philippic. 2. Implicata inscitia impudentia est, si nescit, quod augurem, nec facit, quod pudentem decet: his encumbred inscience will prooue but impudencie, if he neither know, what becommeth a diuine, nor doe what beseemeth a shamefast man. The Replyers Antonie may take this if he will, as spoken of himselfe.
Concerning his person and degree, as the Replyer doth modestly acknowledge himselfe vnmeete for the same, so he seeth no cause, why he may not be thought as worthie thereof, as this brauing Pedantius, of his mastership: and he may say vntounto him in Tullies words, without any great boasting: Non video, nec in vita, nec in gratia, nec in rebus gestis, nec in hac mediocritate ingenij, quid despicere posset Antonius: I see not, neither in life, nor in grace, nor in exploits, nor in this mediocritie of wit, what Antonie hath reason to despise.
As for the Replyers bookes, euen the most vile and base of them (hee doubteth not) but may compare with his most vaine-glorious writings: it had beene good indeede for him, if Limbomastix had beene laid aside, for then this Paidomastix had not shamed himselfe: and if a corner had beene the fittest place for that, I thinke his will prooue as a bundle of rotten stickes fit for the fire: there are some books, which though they availe not to vertue, yet otherwise doe bring some profit with them for knowledge; as Seneca saith,Senec. lib. de studiis liberal. ad alia multum conferunt, ad virtutem nihil: Some there are, which though they yielde no profit, yet shew arte and cunning in the framing of them; which may be likened to the Spiders webbes,foreign. Ariston. which are very artificiall, but nothing profitable. But this scholemasters scribling, in truth is of neither sort, the Reader shall finde it neither to edifie for the matter, and much to offend in the manner: vt onerent *Seneca hath discentem. de tranquillit. lib. 1.legentem magis, quam instruant: they will cumber the Reader rather, then any wise further him. But I wil proceed, and shew how by higher degrees his owne arrogancy riseth still, till it come to the height.
2. He chargeth Tremellius, that in his translation concerning the word sheol, he dealt neither so ingenuously, nor so religiously as he ought. 2. b. p. 130.2. b. p. 130. His translation, of graue for hell, Psal. 6. he calleth false and foolish. 3. b. p. 25.3. b. p. 25. Tremellius and Iunius reading, Psal. 139. 8. is called false and immodest. 3. b. p. 151.3. b. p. 151.
3. Pagnine, Arias, and Tremellius translation, hee calleth false; adding, that whose late error herein must not ouerrule the auncient truth. 2. b. p. 148.2. b. p. 148.
4. Beza, beside that eueryevery where reiecting his interpretation, he calleth him in scorne, your interpreter. 2. b. p. 171. and 3. b. p. 111. he further chargeth him, by his interpretation to confirme the heresie of the Arrians. 3. b. p. 15.3. b. p. 15.
5. It is no maruell that hee thus hardly censureth the priuate translations of some particular men, when he spareth not to condemne the publike translations of the Bible,The Confuters profane censure of the Geneua translation. which are vsed among vsus: as first, beside his light regard of the Geneua translation, calling them in scorne, your Genevian translators. 2. b. p. 131. and 3. b. p. 27. hee thus in most vile tearmes disgraceth them: For your Geneva Bibles, &c. it is to be wished, and I trust, God will worke it in his Maiesties most religious heart, that either they may be purged from those manifold errors, which are both in the Text, and Margent, or else vtterly prohibited. 3. b. p. 49.3. b. p. 49.
6. Neither doth he thus deale onelyonly with the Geneua translation, but euen the great English Bible also, authorized publikely to be read in the Church, cannot escape his virulent censure: as 2. b. p. 48.2. b. p. 48. thus he saith, I cannot conceale a foule & intollerable corruption, which is lately crept into a late edition of our Church Bibles. And further thus peremptorily he proceedeth in condemning the said translation together with the notes: for that diuerse of your Geneuian notes, especially such as tend to the maintenance of that blasphemie of hell torments in Christs soule, are foisted into the margent of the saidaThe great Bibles printed 1595, 1583, 1591 Bibles, and some other before them: which you vrge, as if they were the very word of God, making them the pestilent premises of your blasphemous conclusions. 3. b. p. 50.3. b. p. 50. he meaneth the annotation, Luk. 22. 24.The Church Bibles charged by the Confuter with blasphemy. he felt the horror of Gods wrath, and iudgement against sinne. and another, Heb. 5. 8. beeing in perplexity, and fearing the horrors of death. Who can endure such presumption, to heare our authorized Bibles charged with maintenance of blasphemie, and pestilent premises of blasphemous conclusions.
But he goeth on still in this his arrogant inuectiue, and taketh not onelyonly exception to the marginall notes, as 2. Cor. 13. 7. (wherein, though some ouersight might bee committed by the Compositor in transposing some notes, hee had no reason thus sawcily to checke and controll the translation it selfe) but further saith, neither is the text it selfe free from error in translation: and here hee noteth in the margin, 1. Co. 9. 21. where al the exceptiō he can take is to these words,The great English Bible defended against the cauillous obiections of the confused Confutor. when I am not without law, as pertaining to the law of God: whereas in the originall, it is onelyonly, not beeing without law vntounto God: the Geneua translation readeth, as pertaining vntounto God: where who seeth not, that in the one translation, these words, as pertaining to the Lawe, and in the other, as pertaining, are no part of the text, but inserted by way of explanation, and should bee written in other characters. But against that other place, Eph. 6. 12. I wonder with what honestie he can take exception, seeing it agreeth exactly with the originall, better then the vulgar latine, which is such a pearlesse translation in his eie: Wee wrestle not against blood and flesh, saith the English, as it is in the originall; against flesh and blood, saith the Latine: against Princes saith the Latine: against rules saith the English, not rulers, as some Bibles hauehave: for the words are foreign, against rules or principalities, not princes or rulers.
7. From finding fault with translations, he ascendeth to carpe at the originall, saying, whether the Greeke now extant be the true authentike originall or no, is the question: and he saith further, it is not free from corruptions in diuers places. 3. b. p. 14.3. b. p. 14.
8. He goeth on, and secretly taxeth the fathers; as first Augustine, for he counteth it a badge of presumptuous singularitie, and pernicious nouelty, to reiect the generall confession (he meaneth opinion, or exposition) of the fathers. 2. b. p. 131.2. p. p. 131. And yet Augustine hath a speciall interpretation of that place of Peter, contrary to the current interpretation of most of the fathers of those times; applying it to the times of Noah.
9. Hee meeteth also with Bernard, calling it absurd to apply descension to the graue. 2. b. p. 155.2. b. p. 155. whereas Bernard maketh direct mention of three descensions of Christ,Serm. part. 18. ad carnem, Limbom. p. 49.ad crucem, ad mortem, to the flesh, to the crosse, to death, which is to the graue: so that Bernard also must be content to weare his liuerie of absurditie.
10. Among these fathers may bee numbred the reuerend Prelates of the Church;B. Bilson. towards one of them yet liuing, a reuerend writer, and publike defender of religion, he thus vaunteth himselfe: That whereas he seemed in the first booke to incline to that opinion in Noahs time (in the exposition of that place of Peter) he is not so mislead with selfe-louelove and singularitie, as you and others are (though eueryevery way farre his inferiour) but hath much altered his former iudgement, moued as it may appeare, vponupon those reasons laid downe by me, and none but me, in the former booke. 3. b. p. 101.3. b. p. 101. wherein, how vnmannerly hee vseth so reuerend a man,B. Bilson put to schoole to learne of this ignorant Confuter. who seeth not? first, saying by way of comparison, that hee is not so mislead with singularitie, &c. as though he should be somewhat mislead that way, but not so much as others: secōdly, he thinketh he hath his schoolboyes in hand, and would put that deepe learned father to schoole, to learne his lesson of him: thirdly, his vanitie appeareth, that hee, and none but he, hath hit vponupon those reasons, which changed the Bishops minde; whereas in truth, he hath borrowed the most of his reasons and testimonies from the other, as may appeare by comparing their bookes together: fourthly, beside all this, it is vntrue which he saith, for that reuerend learned man is still of the same opinion, concerning that place of Peter; for these are his words:Suruey p. 676. I binde no man to my priuate exposition of the Scripture, but rather stand on those places, which hauehave the full consent of all antiquity to pertaine directly to this matter. And againe, I thought not fit to presse them, when Augustine had once resigned them.
11. But no maruell if particular fathers be thus taxed, when he spareth not whole Churches; as 2. b. p. 180.2. b. p. 180. in saying, The Orientall and Romane Church wanted this clause of Christs descension into hell, sheweth a defect in thē, no fault in the Apostles Creede: But the truth is, there was neither fault in the one, nor defect in the other, in the omission of that article then. Thus he prowdly maketh the whole Oriental and Romane Church defectiue, vnlesse he will giuegive Ruffinus the lie,Cyprian. vel Ruffin. in Symb. or Cyprian (for vnderunder both their names that treatise goeth) who so affirmeth, that the article of the descension was not added of olde, neither in the East, nor Romane Church.
12. He bringeth a scandall vponupon the whole Church of England, affirming, that in the same there is dissention about substantiall points of doctrine; for he misliketh and condemneth that defence of the Replyer against the obiection of the Romanists,A slaunder vponupon the whole Church of England. wherein he affirmeth, that in the Church of England there is no difference in any substantiall point of faith: and concerning the descending into hell, giuē in instance by the Iudasite, whom he confuteth, he answereth,Antilog. p. 15. that the difference is not concerning the truth or substance of the article, but the manner. This answer this (slie fellow) reiecteth,2. b. p. 89. and would needs hauehave protestants dissent in substantiall, points of faith: for (saith he) the right sense & meaning of the articles of faith, is of the substance: It is true that the substantiall sense of an article is of the substance, but the sense, which concerneth the manner is not of the substance: as the sense or beleife of the articles, that the world was created, that Christ was crucified, that the body shall rise againe, are of the substance: but how the world was created, and in what forme Christ was crucified, and how the resurrection shall be, belongeth to the manner; and is of curiositie rather to enquire, then of faith, And so likewise in the article of the desceusion, that Christ descended, no good Christian denieth, and that is of the substance; but how he descended is a question, as eueryevery boy Logician knoweth, that belongeth to the manner.
13. As he thus disgraceth the Church, so he handleth the whole state of the common wealth; thus vnreuerently and seditiously writing of the honourable assembly of the Parlament: speaking of Limbomastix he saith, published, as the onelyonly colourable meane, whereby to conuay an appeale from his Maiestie and the Clergie, vntounto the Parlament, in behalfe of himselfe and others: then it followeth, whereby such their Agents might worke, Epist. ded. p. 10.as hee well kn…we were busiest in hindring the vnitie of the Church: A slaunder of the Parlament house.epist. dedicat. p. 10. In the which words, beside diuers vntruths, as that the Replyer conuayeth an appeale from his Maiestie, whereas there is no appeale at all: and it was not fit in the dedication to ioyne his pearelesse Maiestie with his subiects: beside, from the Clergie there is no appeale, the spirituall Lords beeing directly mentioned in the inscription of the dedicatorie: neither doth the Replyer make any appeale for himselfe at all, hauing no agrieuance (he thanketh God.) Beside these manifest vntruths, he most sawcily, and malepartly (which are his owne tearmes) nay mutinously, maketh the honourable Senators of the Parlament house, busie bodies, & hindrers of the vnitie of the Church: which presumptuous speech, how that graue Senate will take, at such a light & base Cornercreepers hand, I referre to their godly graue wisdoms to consider.
Thus in some particular and speciall instances, we hauehave seene this vaine-glorious Thraso play his part vponupon the stage: hee spareth neither newe writers nor olde, in his prowd censures, neither fewe nor many, neither inferiours nor superiours, he giueth them all the checke mate: I may here vse Augustines words, Cernis quam tibi perniciosum fit crimen obijcere talibus, Lib. …. contra Iulian.& quā mihi gloriosum sit quodlibet crimen audire cum talibus: you see how pernicious a thing it is to obiect a crime vntounto such, and how glorious vntounto me, to heare of a crime with such. This sheweth nothing else but his owne arrogant spirit, thus to censure better men then himselfe: hee speaketh of one in his rude discourse, whose bookes (in his opinion) the Replyer should not be worthy to beare: but he himselfe hath trampled vponupon some with his fowle feete, whose shooes for learning and pietie,9. Imputation. hee is not worthy to wipe. Aristotle is said thus to hauehave taxed a prowd young man: O yong man, I would I were such an one, as thou seemest to thy selfe to be; but such an one as indeede thou art, I wish mine enemies were. Plutarch vseth this handsome and fit similitude, The husbandmen doe better accept, Lib. de profect. virtu. sentien.and more willingly behold those eares which hang downe their heads; those that stand vpright they hold to bee light and emptie: so humilitie is a signe of worth; but hautinesse and arrogancy bewraieth lightnesse and vanity. And so I ende this place with that wise saying of Euagrius: foreign: It is an vnworthy thing, that he which can performe little, should brag much. And as vnseemely a thing is it for this ambitious humorist, so to set others at light, that is so emptie himselfe.