The Holy Life and Happy Death of John Bruen, Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAPTER III.
ANd ſo indeed (or not much otherwiſe) it fared,His youth. and fell out with this Gentleman in his tender years, who for want of a Schoole-maſter at home, was ſent by his parents to his Vncle Dutton of Dutton, there to be taught and trained up under one James Roe, who kept Schoole there at that time, where he continued a Scholler and Tabler for the ſpace of three yeares. A great family and of great liberty: Something he got for Grammar learning, a little it may be for civill education, but nothing at all for nurture and information in true Religion.
There,His dancing. and then, by occaſion of Muſitians and a cheſt of Viols kept in the houſe, he was drawn by deſire and delight into the Dancing-ſchoole, where he profited ſo well in that kinde of youthfull activity, that he did not only pleaſe himſelfe too much, but his parents alſo much more than was meet, with thoſe tricks of vanity.Iſucrat. Oral. Areopag. Hieron. ad Laetam. So he termeth thoſe exerciſes himſelf, and yet (ſaith hee) they were held commendable in thoſe dayes of ignorance. Ʋenena non dantur, niſi melle circumlita, & vitia non decipiunt, niſi ſub ſpecie umbr áque virtutum, Poyſons are not given, but ſweetned with honey, and vices doe not deceive, but under the ſhew and ſhadow of vertue. Sober and ſingle dancing of men apart, and women apart, hath had his uſe, and praiſe alſo, not only among the Heathen, but amongſt the people of God, when by the nimble motions and geſtures of the body,Ambr. in Luc. lib. 6. cap. 7. Tertul de. Spectac. cap. 21. Origen. in cap. 14. Matth. & in cap. 12. ad Rom. Amb. in 1 Cor. cap. 10. & in Luc. lib. 6. cap. 7. & de Ʋirgin. lib. 3. they have expreſſed the great joyes of their hearts, for ſome good of their owne, or to ſet forth Gods glory. But mixt dancing of men and women, with light and laſcivious geſtures and actions, framed in number and meaſure to pleaſe a wanton eye, and provoke one anothers luſt, or to ſerve the humour of ſome wicked Herod, hath ever beene held, both of the ancient Fathers within the Church, and of the beſt Authors that ever wrote amongſt the Heathen without, to bee utterly unlawfull, ſinfull, ſhamefull, carnall, ſenſuall, and divelliſh, as hatefull unto God, as hurtfull unto men.
The greater was Gods mercy to preſerve this young Gentleman,Aug. de decem cho. cap. 3. & contra lit. Petil. cap. 6. Arnob. l. 7. Chryſ…hom. 48. in Gen. & in Mat. 14. inter tot illecebras peccandi a contagione peccati, amidſt ſo many allurements and provocations to wantonneſſe, from the ſtaine and pollution of groſſe uncleanneſſe: and that having now both feet (as it were) in the river of ſuch pleaſures already, he was not violently carried away in the current and ſtreame of them. And the greater is the miſery of many hundreds, young men and young women,Hieron. in Zach. 8. Pro. 14.13 Eccl. 2.12. Luc. 16.25. that run and ruſh into the danger of laſcivious and wanton dalliance and dancing, with ſuch as have their hearts ſet on fire with burning luſt, and never conſider that the beginning of ſuch mirth is fooliſhneſſe; the continuing, madneſſe; and the end, baſtardy and beggary: and (without repentance) the very curſe of God, which is the greateſt miſery.Prona poteſtas in vitium ferebatur, & more pecudum vaga ſeſelibidine polluebat. Ambr. de obitu Theod.
The principall occaſion of his parents errour, and his owne vanity, taking ſuch and ſo great pleaſure in theſe pleaſures of ſinne, was (as he himſelfe hath ſince obſerved and acknowledged under his hand) the popiſh and prophane eſtate and condition of the people and countrey round about them in thoſe dayes, for at that time (ſaith hee) The holy Sabbaths of the Lord were wholly ſpent, in all places about us, in May-poles and May-games, Pipings and Dancings, for it was a rare thing to heare of a Preacher, or to have one Sermon in a yeare, all living prophanely in ignorance and in errour. A lamentable time,Aſperam nobis & inſuavem virtutum viam, nimia facit vitiorum conſuetudo. Hier. ad Cleantiam. and a miſerable people of ſuch a time; when men being without Guide, or Governour, without Magiſtrate, or Miniſter, were left unto their owne luſts, to do what ſeemed good in their owne eyes. Such as were thoſe dayes of the children of Iſrael, when Micah may have his houſe of Gods, his Ephod and Teraphim, if he will be at the coſt of them, and may conſecrate a Prieſt alſo for his purpoſe, to maintaine all his idolatry, and vanity that he will ſet up: When the Levites wife may be abuſed as a whore,Iudg. 19.2 25. Iudg. 20. the men of Gibeah, the ſons of Belial (breaking out into outragious villanies) and the children of Benjamin ariſe to maintaine them all, in all their wickedneſſe, which they have committed.
Our eyes God be bleſſed have ſeene better dayes, becauſe of the day of Grace, and our eares have heard of better things by the Goſpel of Grace: And ſhall wee then that are called to bee children of the light,1 Theſ. 5.5. Epheſ. 5.8 11. Ioh. 3.19. Hoſ. 14.8. bee yet in league or fellowſhip with the unfruitfull workes of darkneſſe, as if wee ſtill did love darkneſſe more than light? God forbid. Let Ephraim now ſay, What have I to doe any more with idols, I have heard him and obſerved him: I am like a greene Firr-tree, from me is thy fruit found. And let us take up that of the Apoſtle alſo,Rom. 6.2. How ſhall we that are dead to ſuch ſins, live yet therein?
CHAPTER IV.
IN a common contagion, where every place is infected, and every perſon may bee indangered (if Pomanders and Preſervatives will not ſerve the turne) men are wont to provide for their health by removall from ſuch places, and betaking themſelvs to ſome better and freſher aire. If our Vineyards be overgrowne with Brambles and Bryars, though we cannot rid them out or remove them, yet will wee remove the beſt plants to ſome better ſoyle from them: So did the Lord put it into the heart of the Parents of this young Gentleman to deale with him: who having ſpent his childhood and ſome part of his youth, at, and about home, according to the cuſtome and courſe of the countrey; for his better preſervation from the ſins of the time, and his more Chriſtian education in the grounds of Learning and Religion,His going to Oxford about 1577. His fathers care and coſt like S. Auguſtines fathers for him. was thence removed and tranſplanted into Oxford (that Vineyard of the Lord, and famous Univerſity) where, ſo farre as I can finde, hee firſt received the love of the truth, with any knowledge and underſtanding. S. Augustine being ſixteene yeares old, was ſent unto Carthage by his father, whom he much commends for his care and coſt in ſending him ſo farre, and maintaining him there at his charge, Vltra vires rei familiaris ſuae, beyond and above the ability of his eſtate,Aug. confeſ. lib. 2. cap. 3 and all for the furtherance of his learning and ſtudies, and that becauſe there were many Citizens much wealthier than his father, that would not beſtow any ſuch labour,Hee went up about 17. yeares old. or coſt upon their children for that end. This Gentleman was much about the ſame age which Auguſtine, when his father ſent him, and his brother Thomas with him, to the Univerſity: who being of better meanes than Auguſtines father was, maintained them both for the ſpace of two yeares in Albane Hall, as Gentlemen Commoners, very orderly and ſufficiently. A thing as much to be commended in him,Few Gentlemen like minded. as in Augustines father; inaſmuch as very few Gentlemen then, and not many now (though of greater meanes by much than he) do take that care to bring up one, much leſſe will bee at the coſt to breed up two in the Univerſity, for any love of learning, or deſire of their childrens ingenuous and religious education.
A ſpeciall cauſe hereof I conceive to be this,The cauſe hereof. in many Gentlemen in theſe parts, becauſe being for Univerſity learning of the Arts and Tongues, Oratory and Hiſtory,Logick & Philoſophy. very ignorant themſelves, they cannot eſteem nor affect ſo much that which they know not, nor will ever bee induced to purchaſe that, at any great price, which they ſo much undervalue, and diſregard,Their own ignorance. by reaſon of the ignorande that is in them, concerning theſe things. And ſo it comes to paſſe, that they are well contented, that their children proove no wiſer nor better than themſelves, nor have any more tongues than their mothers taught them, nor any skill in any arts but of Gaming, and Gaying, Dicing and Carding, bowzing and drinking, renting and racking, and other ſuch faculties for pleaſure or profit,And Prophanneſſe. vaine applauſe, or worldly credit, which are held in theſe dayes to make an accompliſhed Gentleman: As if great men, did take great delight,Egregiè de Caeſare Tullius, Cum quoſdam, ait, ornare voluit, non illos honeſtavit, ſed ornamanta ipſa turpavit. Hieron. ad Pammachium. to make their children heires of their ignorance and propnaneneſſe, as well as of their houſes and families, lands and livings.
—Pudet haec opprobria nobis,
Et dici potuiſſe, & non potuiſſe reſelli.
We are aſham'd that ſo baſe things
may justly be imputed,
To Gentlemen, and cannot well
as juſtly be refuted.