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British Museum Copy.

58. Of Dicissitude of Things.

æt. 65.

ALOMON faith; There is no New Thing upon the Earth.a So that as Plato had an Imagination; That all Knowledge was but Re

membrance: So Salomon giueth his Sentence; That all Noueltie is but Obliuion. Whereby you may fee, that the Riuer of Lethe, runneth as well aboue Ground, as below. There is an abftrufe1 Aftrologer that faith; If it were not, for two things, that are Conftant; (The one is, that the Fixed Starres euer stand at like diftance, one from another, and neuer come nearer together, nor goe further afunder; The other, that the Diurnall Motion perpetually keepeth Time :2) No Indiuiduall would last one Moment. Certain it is, that the Matter, is in a Perpetuall Flux, and neuer at a Stay. The great Winding-sheets, that burie all Things in Obliuion, are two; Deluges, and Earth-quakes.

As

for Conflagrations, and great Droughts, they doe not meerely difpeople, and destroy.3 Phaetons Carre went but a day. And the Three yeares Drought, in the time of Elias, was but Particular, and left People5 Aliue. As for the great Burnings by Lightnings, which are often in the West Indies, they are but narrow. But in the other two Destructions, by Deluge, and Earth-quake, it is further to be noted, that the Remnant of People, which hap to be referued, are commonly Ignorant and Mountanous People, that can

a Eccles. i. 9.

Phædrus. 72 e. Menæ. 81 d.

1 Abstruse. Abstrusus, et parum notus, 'abstruse and little known.' 2 Perpetually keepeth Time. Non variet. 'does not vary.'

And destroy. Aut destruunt, or destroy.'

Phaetons Carre went but a day. Fabula Phaetontis, Brevitatem Conflagrationis, ad unius tantum Diei spatium, repræsentavit, the fable of Phaeton represented the shortness of a conflagration, lasting only for one day.' 5 People. Multos, ' many.'

Pestilentias etiam

After Narrow. Nec magna spatia occupant. prætereo, quia nec illæ totaliter absorbent, nor occupy a great space. Pestilences also I pass over, as they do not totally destroy.'

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giue no Account,7 of the Time paft: So that the Obliuion is all one, as if none had beene left. If you confider well, of the People of the West Indies, it is very probable, that they are a Newer, or a Younger People, then the People of the Old World. And it is much more likely, that the Destruction, that hath heretofore been there, was not by Earth-quakes, (As the Ægyp tian Prief told Solon, concerning the Island of Atlantis; That it was fwallowed by an Earth-quake;) But rather, that it was defolated,9 by a Particular Deluge. For Earth-quakes are feldome in those Parts. But on the other fide, they haue fuch Powring 10 Riuers, as the Riuers of Afia, and Affrick, and Europe, are but Brookes to them. Their Andes likewife, or Mountaines, are farre higher, then those with us; Whereby it feemes, that the Remnants of Generation of Men, were, in such a Particular Deluge, faued. As for the Obferuation, that Macciauel hath, that the Iealoufie 11 of Secls, doth much extinguish the Memory of Things; Traducing Gregory the Great, that he did, what in him lay, to extinguish all Heathen Antiquities; I doe not finde, that those Zeales, doe any great Effects, nor laft long: As it appeared in the Succeffion of Sabinian, who did reuiue the former Antiquities.12

The Vicifsitude or Mutations, in the Superiour Globe, are no fit Matter, for this present Argument. It may be, Plato's great Yeare, if the World should laft fo long, 13 would haue fome Effect; Not in renew

a Macchiavelli. Discorsi sopra la prima Deca di Tito Livio. ii. 5.

7 Giue no Account. Memoriam Posteris tradere, 'hand down the recollection to their deseendants."

Of the People of the West Indies. Indorum Occidentalium Cona. tionem, 'condition of the West Indians.'

9 Desolated. Omitted in the Latin.

10 Powring. Immania et vasta, 'strong and great."

11 Iealousie. Zelotypiam et Emulationem, jealousy and rivalry." 12 After Former Antiquities. Tum vero prohibita, licet Tenebris cooperta, obrepunt tamen, et suas nanciscuntur Periodos, then, indeed, what is forbidden, even if covered in darkness, creeps out and has its time.'

18 Last so long. Nisi Mundus ante Dissolutioni esset destinatus, unless the world is destined to dissolution before that.'

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ing the State of like Indiuiduals (for that is the Fume 14 of those, that conceiue the Celestiall Bodies, haue more accurate Influences, vpon these Things below, then indeed they haue) but in groffe.15 Comets, out of question, haue likewife Power and Effect,16 ouer the Groffe and Maffe of Things:17 But they are rather gazed vpon, and waited vpon in their Iourney, then wifely obferued in their Effects;18 Specially in their Refpectiue Effects; That is, what Kinde of Comet, for Magnitude, Colour,19 Verfion of the Beames, Placing in the Region of Heauen,20 or Lasting, produceth what Kinde of Effects.

There is a Toy, which I haue heard, and I would not haue it giuen ouer, but waited vpon a little. They say, it is obferued, in the Low Countries (I know not in what Part 21) that Euery Fiue and Thirtie years, The fame Kinde and Sute of Years and Weathers, comes about againe: As Great Frofts, Great Wet, Great Droughts, Warme Winters, Summers with little Heat, and the like: And they call it the Prime.22 It is a Thing, I doe the rather mention, because computing backwards, I haue found fome Concurrence.23

But to leaue these Points of Nature, and to come to Men. The greatest Vicifsitude of Things amongst

14 Fume. Fumus et Vanitas, 'fume and vanity.'

15 Grosse. Summis et Massis rerum, 'the sum and mass of things.' 16 Haue... Power and Effect. Aliquid operantur, 'work something.' 17 After Masse of Things. Verum Homines, ut nunc est, indiligentes, aut curiosi, circa eos sunt, but men at present are not careful or curious about them.'

18 But they are rather in their Effects. Eosque potius mirabundi spectant; Atque Itineraria eorundem conficiunt, quam Effectus eorum prudenter et sobrie notant, and they rather gaze at them with wonder and make records of their path, than wisely and soberly observe their effects.' 19 Colour. Coloris et Lucis, colour and light.'

20 After Heauen. Tempestatis Anni; Semitæ aut Cursus, 'the season of the year; the path or course.'

21 I know not in what Part. Omitted in the Latin.

22 It the Prime. Hujusmodi Circulum Annorum, Primam, 'this kind of circle of the years-the prime.'

23 Concurrence. Congruentiam; Haud exactam sane, sed non multum discrepantem, 'concurrence; not really exact, but not very different.'

Men, is the Vicifsitude of Sects, and Religions. For thofe Orbs rule in Mens Minds moft. The True Religion is built vpon a Rocke; The Rest are toft vpon the Waues of Time. To fpeake therefore, of the Caufes of New Sects; And to giue fome Counfell concerning them; As farre, as the Weaknesse of Humane Iudgement, can giue stay24 to so great Reuolutions.

When the Religion formerly 25 receiued, is rent by Difcords; And when the Holinesse of the Profeffours of Religion is decayed, and full of Scandall; And withall the Times be Stupid, Ignorant, and Barbarous; you may doubt 26 the Springing vp of a New Sect; If then alfo there should arife, any Extrauagant and Strange27 Spirit, to make himselfe Authour thereof.28 All which Points held, when Mahomet published his Law. If a New Sect29 haue not two Properties, feare it not: For it will not spread. The one is, the Supplanting, 30 or the oppofing, of Authority established: For Nothing is more Popular then that.31 The other is, the Giuing Licence32 to Pleasures, and a Voluptuous Life. For as for Speculatiue Herefies (fuch as were in Ancient Times the Arrians, and now the Arminians) though they worke mightily vpon Mens Wits, yet they doe not produce any great Alterations in States: except it be by the Helpe of Ciuill Occafions. There be three Manner of Plantations of New Sects. By the Power of Signes33 and Miracles: By the Eloquence and Wifedome of Speech and Perfwafion: 34 And by

24 Giue stay. Moras injicere, aut Remedia exhibere, ‘give stay or apply remedies.'

25 Formerly. Omitted in the Latin.

26 Doubt. Metuendum, 'fear.'

27 Strange. Paradoxa spirans, 'breathing paradoxes.'

28 To make himselfe Author thereof. Omitted in the Latin.

29 New Sect. Secta nova, licet pullulet, a new sect though it is pro

duced.'

30 Supplanting, Omitted in the Latin.

31 Then that. Quam Principatus, et Politias, convellere, 'than to attack Sovereignties and governments.'

32 Giuing Licence. Porta aperta, 'an open gate.'

33 Signes. Omitted in the Latin.

84 And Wisedome of Speech and Perswasion. Omitted in the Latin.

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the Sword. For Martyrdomes, I reckon them amongst Miracles; Because they seeme to exceed, the Strength of Human Nature: And I may doe the like of Superlatiue and Admirable Holineffe of Life. Surely, there is no better Way, to stop the Rising of New Sects, and Schifmes; then To reforme Abufes; To compound the smaller Differences; To proceed 35 mildly, and not with Sanguinary Perfecutions; And rather to take off 36 the Principall Authours, by Winning and Aduancing then, then to enrage them by Violence and Bitterneffe.

The Changes and Vifcifsitude in Warres are many: But chiefly in three Things; In the Seats or Stages of the Warre; In the Weapons; And in the Manner of the Conduct.38 Warres in ancient Time, seemed more to moue from East to West: For the Perfians, Afsyrians, Arabians, Tartars, (which were the Inuaders) were all Easterne People. It is true, the Gaules were Westerne But we reade but of two Incurfions of theirs; The one to Gallo-Grecia, the other to Rome. But East and West haue no certaine Points of Heauen: And no more haue the Warres, either from the East, or Weft, any Certainty of Obferuation. But North

and South are fixed:39 And it hath feldome or neuer been seene, that the farre Southern People haue inuaded the Northern, but contrariwife. Whereby it is manifeft, that the Northern Tract of the World, is in Nature the more Martiall Region: Be it, in respect of the Stars of that Hemisphere; Or of the great Continents that are vpon the North, whereas the South Part, for ought that is knowne, is almost all Sea; Or (which is most apparent) of the Cold of the Northern Parts, which is that, which without Aid of Discipline,40

35 Proceed. A principio procedere, 'proceed from the beginning.' 36 Take off. Mollire atque allicere, soothe and entice.'

37 Or Stages. Omitted in the Latin.

38 Manner of the Conduct. Disciplina Militari, 'military training' 39 Fixed. Natura fixi, 'fixed by nature.'

40 Without Aid of Discipline, Absque alia Caussa quacunque, 'without any other cause.'