Diary of John Manningham Part 4

Matt. 12.

Envie and mallice will barke though it be so musselled that it cannot bite.

[Sidenote: fo. 7.]

It is almost divine perfection to resist carnall affection.

When wee censure other men wee should imitate that good imitator of nature Apelles, whoe being to drawe a face of an great person[30] which wanted an eye, drewe that syde only which was perfect.

[Footnote 30: Originally written "Emperour" and afterwards "great person." When the word "Emperour" was altered, the writer omitted to correct the preceding article.]

The malicious man is like the vultur, which pa.s.seth ouer manie sweete gardens and never rests but vpon some carrion or garbage, soe he neuer takes notice of anie thing but vices.

Libellers are the divels herauldes.

_Invidus alienum bonum suum facit peccando malum._

Envy, though in all other respectes it be a thing most execrable, yet in this it is in some sort commendable, that it is a vexacion to it selfe.

It is like gunpowder, which consumes itselfe before it burnes the house.

Or the fly _pyrausta_, which would put out the candle, but burns itselfe.

Honor is like a buble, which is raysed with one winde and broken with an other.

MR. DOWNES.[31]

[Footnote 31: The celebrated Andrew Downes, appointed Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge in 1595. (Hardy's Le Neve, iii.

660.)]

The love of the world is the divels eldest sonne.

Honour, riches, and pleasure are the worldly mans trynitie, wherewith he committs spirituall idolatry.

Thankefullnes is like the reflex of the sunne beame from a bright bodie.

After a full tyde of prosperitie cometh a lowe ebbe of adversitie. After a day of pleasure a night of sorrowe.

[Sidenote: fo. 7^b.]

Honour is like a spiders webbe, long in doinge, but soone vndone, blowne downe with every blast. It is like a craggy steepe rocke, which a man is longe getting vpon, and being vp, yf his foote but slip, he breakes his necke. Soe the Jewes dealt with Christ; one day they would have him a king, an other day none; one day cryed Hosanna to him, an other nothing but crucifie him.

The world is like an host; when a man hath spent all, body, goodes, and soule with it, it will not vouchsafe to knowe him.

Laban chose rather to loose his daughters than his idols, and the riche man had rather forsake his soule then his riches.

If a citizen of Rome made him selfe a citizen of anie other place, he lost his priviledge at Rome; yf a man wilbe a citizen of this world, he cannot be a citizen of heaven.

Ambitious men are like little children which take great paynes in runninge vp and downe to catch b.u.t.terflyes, which are nothing but painted winges, and either perishe in takinge or fly away from them.

Covetous man like a child, which cryes more for the losse of a trifle then his inheritance; he laments more for losse of wealth then soule.

A covetous man proud of his riches is like a theife that is proud of his halter.

MR. PHILLIPS.

The proverbe is that building is a theife, because it makes us lay out more money then wee thought on; but pride is a theife and a wh.o.r.e too, for it robbes the maister of his wealth, and the mistress of her honesty.

[Sidenote: fo. 8.]

The drunkard makes his belly noe better then a bucking tubb, a vessell to poure into, and put out at.

_Bona opera habent mercedem, non ratione facti, sed ratione pacti._

_Non est refugium a Deo irato, nisi ad Deum placatum._

Synn is Adams legacy bequeathed to all his posteritie: nothing more common then to committ synn, and being committed to conceale it.

A concealed synn is _tanquam serpens in sinu, gladius in corde, venenum in stommacho_; it is like a soare of the body, the closer it is kept the more it festers.

_Scelera quandoque possunt esse secreta, nunquam secura._

Confession must be _festina, vera, et amara_.

Confession of synne onely at the hour of death, is like a theifes confession at the gallowes, or a traytors at the racke, when they cannot choose.

_Sine confessione justus est ingratus, et peccator mortuus._

The mercy of G.o.d is never to be despayred of, but still to be expected even _inter pontem et fontem, jugulum et gladium_.

Dissembled righteousnes is like smoake, which seemes to mount up to heaven, but never comes neare it.

Prayse is a kinde of paynt which makes every thing seeme better then it is. (_Cha. Dauers._)

To prayse an unworthy man is as bad as to paint the face of an old woman. (_Idem._)

Sorrowe is the punishment and remedy for synn; _sic Deus quod poenam dedit, medicinam fecit._ (_Augustine._)

[Sidenote: fo. 8^b.]

MR. MUNOES[32] OF PETERHOUSE IN CAMBRIDGE.

[Footnote 32: Monoux or Munoux?]

_Primum querite regnum Dei, et omnia adjicientur vobis._ Tullies brother, in a sort reprehending or discouraging his suit for the consulship, tells him that he must remember that he is _novus, consulatum pet.i.t_, and _Romae est_; the Devill, perhaps least any should attempt to put this precept in practise, will terrifie us by shewinge vs our weakenes, and that greatnes. _Terrae filius es; regnum quaeris?

Coelum est, &c._