A Scourge for a Railer, Treatise
A iust, true, and sober answer vntounto the slaunderous accusations, vntrue surmises, and vncharitable rayling of RICHARD PARKES, writing himselfe master of Artes of Brasen-nose Colledge in Oxford, which he hath of late with a more brasen and bold face, vented vntounto the world, against the author of Limbomastix. *⁎*
AGainst the vniust and false accusations of men, and their bitter and vnsauourie reuilings, the seruants of Christ are to oppose that heauenly encouragement of our blessed Sauiour: Math. 5. 11, 12.Blessed are ye when men reuile you, and persecute you, and speake all manner of euill against you for my sake, falsely: reioyce and be glad, for great is your reward in heauen.Lib. 1. offic. c. 5. Ambrose saith well, Ne quis aestimet plus ponderis esse in alieno convitio, quam in testimonio suo: let not any thinke, that there is more weight in an others obloquie, then in his owne testimonie. And, (as the same father well resembleth it) sicut milites Gedeon in hydrijs suis faces habentes non timuerunt hostes,lib. 1. de spir. c. 15. &c. Like as Gedeons souldiers hauing lampes burning in their pitchers feared not their enemies, so our bodies being as pitchers formed of clay, are void of feare, si gratia spirituali ignescant, if the grace of Gods spirit be kindled in them. Whereas then this rayling aduersarie hath raked together a dunghill of slaunderous vntruths, I will set against his calumniations, conscience; against his vaine surmises, truth; against his malice, charitie. I am before God and in my conscience cleare of these his malitious imputations, as shall appeare in this discouerie. Let him and others like minded, goe on if they will, in this their iniurious course, to their owne shame now, and griefe afterward, if they hauehave any grace: in the meane time the Replier will content himselfe, and resolue with Hierome,Hieron. ad Celantiam. Nos modo id agamus, vt male de nobis loqui sine mendacio nemo possit: let vsus indeauour that no man can speake euill of vsus, vnlesse he lie: for according to the wise saying of Plato, If a man hauehave done no such thing, for the which he is reuiled, foreign.let him take the reproach to be but as smoake; which will vanish away of it selfe.
Now at the first comming forth of this rayling Inuectiue, I somewhat paused with my selfe, as vncertaine, whether it were not better in silence altogether to passe ouer such friuolous and malitious cauills, which seemed to some not worthie of any answer: as Hierome staied a while from writing against Helvidius, vponupon the same reason: Non quia difficile erat eum convincere, Hier. adv. Helv.sed ne respondendo dignus fieret, qui vinceretur: Not because it was hard to conuince him, but least in answearing, he might seeme worthie to be ouercome. Beside, I considered, that in some mens opinion a rayler could not handsomely be answered, but in his owne kinde:Prov. 26. 4. but therein the wise man giueth counsell, not to answer such according to their foolishnes, least we should be like them: and Ambrose saith, Si referas contumeliam, dicetur, ambo convitiati sunt, vter que condemnatur, Lib. 1. offic. c. 5.nemo absolvitur: If thou returne (the like) contumelie, it will be said, they both hauehave (equally) reuiled: each is condemned, neither is cleared: yet seeing the wise man saith againe, Answer a foole according to his foolishnes, least he be wise in his owne eyes: Prov. 36. 5.if in silence all those disgraces and contumelies should be passed ouer, which hauehave fallen out of his blacke and filthie penne, it might be both an occasion of fleshing & heartning to the Rayler, and to those which applaud him, of insulting. The Preacher saith, there is a time to keepe silence, Ecclesiast. 3. 7.and a time to speake: vponupon the which words Ambrose well saith,1. Imputation. Si pro otioso verbo reddemus rationem, Offic. lib. 1 c. 3.videamus ne reddamus pro otioso silentio: if we shall render an account for an idle word, s…e if we shall not also for slouthfull silence: therefore as Hierome also saith, Huc vsque silentium modestiae fuit, non malae conscientiae: Advers. Ruffin.hitherto my silence hath beene of modestie, not of an euill conscience. But now I will giuegive the onset vponupon this raging, if not rauing Aduersarie.