Diary of John Manningham Part 14

A Puritan scholemaister that taught litle children in their horne bookes, would not have them say "Christ crosse A. &c." but "Black spott A." Another being to invit his frend, desyred him come and take part of a Nativity pie at Christ tyde with him.

When a Puritan that had lost his purse made great moane as desyrous to haue it againe, another minister (meaning to try his spirit) gaue forth that he was able to helpe him to it by figur-casting; whereupon the Puritan resorted vnto him; and the day appointed for the purpose, the other told him that when he caste a paper into the chaffing dishe of coales which he placed before them, he should looke in the gla.s.se to see the visage of him that had it; but the flame being too short for him to aduise well what face it was, he earnestly entreated to see it againe.

"Oh," said the other, "I perceue well the cause why you could not discerne it was that you trust to much in G.o.d." "Whoe, I," said the Puritan, "I trust noe more in G.o.d then the post doth. Lett me see it once againe." Such hyppocrytes are those professors. (_Ch. Dauers._)

[Sidenote: fo. 31^b.

May 4.]

Mr. Fleetwood, after he was gone from supper, remembred a case to the purpose he was talking of before he went, and came againe to tell vs of it, which Mr. Bramston said was as yf a reueller, when he had made a legg at the end of his galliard, should come againe to shewe a tricke which he had forgotten.

This day there was a strange confused pressing of souldiers, carrying soe to the ships, that they were thrust togither under hatches like calues in a stall.

[Sidenote: 6.]

When hir Majestic had giuen order that Spenser should haue a reward for his poems, but Spenser could haue nothing, he presented hir with these verses:

It pleased your Grace vpon a tyme To graunt me reason for my ryme, But from that tyme vntill this season I heard of neither ryme nor reason.

(_Touse._)

A gentleman whose father rose by the lawe, sitting at the benche while a lawyer was arguying in a case against the gentleman, touching land which his father purchased, the gentleman, more collerick then wise, sayd the lawyer would prate and lye, and speake anie thing for his fee: "Well,"

said the lawyer, "yf your father had not spoken for a fee, I should haue noe cause to speake in this cause to day." The posterity of lawyers hath more flourished then that either of the clergy or citisens.

[Sidenote: fo. 32.

August 1602.]

_Notes out of a copie of a letter written by way of dedicacion of_ CHARLES THE FIFTH HIS INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS SONNE PHILLIP: TRANSLATED OUT OF SPANISHE, _and sent to hir Majestie_ BY LORD H. HOWARD.[77]

[Footnote 77: Created Earl of Northampton in 1604-5, died 1614.]

Hir Majesties affections are not carued out of flint, but wrought out of virgin wax, and hir royall hart hath ever suted him in mercy, whom hir state doth represent in Maiesty.

If anie sentence were mistaken by equivocacion of wordes, or ambiguity in sence, I onely blame the stintles rage of destinie, which ever carryeth the best shaftes of my unluky quiuer to such endes as are most distant from the white I aymed at.

Since I began, each fruit hath answered his blossom, each grayne his seede, all eventes there hopes; my selfe onely, more vnfortunate then all the rest, have sowne with teares, but can reape with noe reuolucion.

I have presumed once againe (least the ground of my deuocion, by lying to long fallowe, might seeme either waxen wyld or ouergrowne with weedes,) to breake the barren soyle of myne vnfruitfull brayne, that prosperous successe may rather want at all tymes to myne endeuors, then endeuor to my loyall determinacion.

You are that sunne to me, whose going downe leaues nothing but a night of care.

The divel, like those painters which are skilfull in the art of perspectiue, taketh pleasure, by false colours and deceitfull shaddowes, to make those things seeme farthest of which are nerest hand (as death), and to abuse our nature with vayne hopes.

[Sidenote: fo. 32^b.

August, 1602.]

As the gla.s.se of tyme is turned euery hour vpside downe, soe is the course of our vncertaine lyfe; as that part which before was full is emptied, and that other which was emptied is replenished, soe fareth this world interchangeably.

As the highest region of the ayre is cleare and without stormes, soe hir minde free from all distemperes of affection.

Those that liue not in the safe arke of your gracious conceit, &c.

The sea can brooke noe carca.s.ses, nor hir Majesties thoughts admit of castaways.

The fig-tree never bare fruit after it was blasted by the breath of Christ; noe plant can prosper that never feeles the comfort of the same; soe, &c.

In this the difference, Adam dyed because he eat of it (_i. e._ the tree of lyfe), but I shall dye before I looke on it.

Manie find frends to couer faults; my cloke is innocency. An eye may be cleare enough yet not discerne without your light; a course may be direct yet endles without your clewe. My dealings may be free from base alloy, but yet not currant amongst honourable persons without the liuely print of your cherefull countenaunce. What dangerous diseases breed in bodyes naturall by putrefaction springing out of the sunnes eclipse, the same, or rather greater by proportion, must growe in well affected myndes by the darke vayle of your discouragement.

[Sidenote: fo. 33.

August, 1602.]

Patience like a pill by continuall vse looseth his virtue.

I wonder at your matchles worth as they that are borne vnder the North Pole doe at the sunne, whose comfort they feele not at all, or without anie great effect.

Praye that since there is but one period and bounder, one high water marke both of your happie life and our countryes good, the same may be inlarged aboue ordinary termines, defended by all extraordinary meanes, and augmented with all speciall fauour which either death possesseth or heaven promiseth. That ever in the zodiack, our princely virgin may a.s.send with a.s.sistance of all happie planets.

Such is my beliefe in your administracion of right, as with the faythfull daughter of Darius, while I live I will deeme _me captum esse quamdiu Regina vixerit_.

The world is governed by planets, not fixed starrs.

[Sidenote: fo. 33^b.

8 August, 1602.]

One Mr. Palmes told at supper that one Mr. Sapcotts, a Northamptonshire gentleman, married his owne b.a.s.t.a.r.d; had never anie issue by hir. After his death shee was with child, would not discover the father. Sapcotts left hir worth some 400_l._ yearely, yet none will marry hir.

[Sidenote: October 1602.]

Mr. Kempe in the King's Bench reported that in tymes past the counsellors wore gownes faced with satten, and some with yellowe cotten, and the benchers with jennet furre; nowe they are come to that pride and fa[n]tasticknes, that every one must[78] have a veluet face, and some soe tricked with lace that Justice Wray[79] in his tyme spake to such an odd counsellor in this manner: _Quomodo intrasti, domine, non habens vestem nuptialem_? Get you from the barre, or I will put you from the barr for your folish pride. (_Ch. Da: nar._)

[Footnote 78: much _in MS_.]

[Footnote 79: Sir Christopher Wray was a puisne Judge of the Queen's Bench from 1572 to 1574, and Lord Chief Justice of that court from that time to 1592. (Foss's Judges, v. 546.)]