truth of it but yet restrained he may (be) from blaspheming the truth, and from seducing any unto pernicious errors.

2. We answer, what princes profess or practice, is not a rule of conscience: they many times tolerate that in point of State policy, which cannot justly be tolerated in point of true Christianity.

Again, princes many times tolerate offenders out of very necessity, when the offenders are either too many, or too mighty for them to punish, in which respect David tolerated Joab and his murthers, but against his will.

3. We answer further, that for those three princes named by you, who tolerated religion, we can name you more and greater who have not tolerated Heretics and Schismatics, notwithstanding their pretence of conscience, and arrogating the crown of martyrdom to their sufferings.

Constantine the Great at the request of the general Council of Nice, banished Arius with some of his fellows. Sozom. lib. i. Eccles. Hist. cap. 19. 20. The same Constantine made a severe law against the Donatists. And the like proceedings against them were used by Valentinian, Gratian, and Theodosius, as Augustine reporteth in Epist. 166. Only Julian the Apostate granted liberty to Heretics as well as to Pagans, that he might by tolerating all weeds to grow, choke the vitals of Christianity, which was also the practice and sin of Valens the Arian.

Queen Elizabeth, as famous for her government as any of the former, it is well known what laws she made and executed against Papists. Yea and King James (one of your own witnesses) though he was slow in proceeding against Papists (as you say) for conscience sake, yet you are not ignorant how sharply and severely he punished those whom the malignant world calleth Puritans, men of more conscience and better faith than he tolerated.

I come now to your third and last argument, taken from the judgment of ancient and later writers, yea even of Papists themselves, who have condemned persecution for conscience sake.

You begin with Hilary, whose testimony we might admit without any prejudice to the truth for it is true, the Christian Church did not persecute, but is persecuted. But to excommunicate an Heretic, is not to persecute; that is, it is not to punish an innocent, but a

culpable and damnable person, and that not for conscience, but for persisting in error against light of conscience, whereof it hath been convinced.

It is true also what he saith, that neither the Apostles did, nor may we propagate (the) Christian Religion by the sword: but if Pagans cannot be won by the word, they are not to be compelled by the sword. Nevertheless, this hindreth not, but if they or any others should blaspheme the true God, and his true religion, they ought to be severely punished: and no less do they deserve, if they seduce from the truth to damnable heresies or idolatry.

ON MY REVEREND AND DEAR BROTHER, MR. THOMAS HOOKER, LATE PASTOR OF THE CHURCH AT HARTFORD ON CONNECTIQUOT

To see three things was holy Austin's wish,

Rome in her Flower, Christ Jesus in the Flesh,
And Paul i'th Pulpit; Lately men might see,
Two first, and more, in Hooker's Ministry.

Zion in Beauty, is a fairer sight,

Than Rome in Flower, with all her Glory dight:
Yet Zion's Beauty did most clearly shine,
In Hooker's Rule, and Doctrine; both Divine.

Christ in the Spirit, is more than Christ in Flesh,
Our Souls to quicken, and our States to bless :
Yet Christ in Spirit brake forth mightily,
In Faithful Hooker's searching Ministry.

Paul in the Pulpit, Hooker could not reach,
Yet did He Christ in Spirit so lively Preach :
That living Hearers thought He did inherit
A double Portion of Paul's lively spirit.

Prudent in Rule, in Argument quick, full:
Fervent in Prayer, in Preaching powerful:
That well did learned Ames record bear,
The like to Him He never wont to hear.

'Twas of Geneva's Worthies said, with wonder,

(Those Worthies Three :) Farell was wont to thunder;
Viret, like Rain, on tender grass to shower,
But Calvin, lively Oracles to pour.

All these in Hooker's spirit did remain :
A Son of Thunder, and a Shower of Rain,
A pourer forth of lively Oracles,

In saving souls, the sum of miracles.

Now blessed Hooker, thou art set on high,
Above the thankless world, and cloudy sky :
Do thou of all thy labor reap the Crown,
Whilst we here reap the seed, which thou hast sowen.

NATHANIEL WARD

[Born at Haverhill (?), England, about 1578; died in England about 1653]

WOMEN'S FASHIONS

FROM "THE SIMPLE COBLER OF AGGAWAM IN AMERICA"

Should I not keep promise in speaking a little to Women's fashions, they would take it unkindly. I was loath to pester better matter with such stuff; I rather thought it meet to let them stand by themselves, like the Quæ Genus in the grammar, being deficients, or redundants, not to be brought under any rule: I shall therefore make bold for this once, to borrow a little of their loose-tongued liberty, and misspend a word or two upon their longwaisted, but short-skirted patience: a little use of my stirrup will do no harm. . . .

It is known more than enough, that I am neither niggard, nor cynic, to the due bravery of the true gentry. I honor the woman that can honor herself with her attire; a good text always deserves a fair margent; I am not much offended if I see a trim far trimmer than she that wears it. In a word, whatever christianity or civility will allow, I can afford with London measure: but when I hear a nugiperous gentledame inquire what dress the queen is in this

week what the nudiustertian fashion of the court; I mean the very newest; with egg to be in it in all haste, whatever it be; I look at her as the very gizzard of a trifle, the product of a quarter of a cipher, the epitome of nothing, fitter to be kicked, if she were of a kickable substance, than either honored or humored.

To speak moderately, I truly confess it is beyond the ken of my understanding to conceive how those women should have any true grace, or valuable virtue, that have so little wit, as to disfigure themselves with such exotic garbs, as not only dismantles their native lovely lustre, but transclouts them into gant bargeese, illshapen-shotten shell-fish, Egyptian hieroglyphics, or at the best into French flurts of the pastery, which a proper English woman should scorn with her heels. It is no marvel they wear drails on the hinder part of their heads, having nothing as it seems in the forepart, but a few squirrels' brains to help them frisk from one ill-favored fashion to another.

These whim Crown'd shes, these fashion-fancying wits,

Are empty thin brain'd shells, and fiddling Kits.

The very troublers and impoverishers of mankind, I can hardly forbear to commend to the world a saying of a lady living some time with the Queen of Bohemia; I know not where she found it, but it is pity it should be lost.

The world is full of care, much like unto a bubble,

Women and care, and care and Women, and Women and care and trouble.

The verses are even enough for such odd pegma's. I can make myself sick at any time, with comparing the dazzling splendor wherewith our gentlewomen were embellished in some former habits, with the gut-foundered goosedom, wherewith they are now surcingled and debauched. We have about five or six of them in our colony if I see any of them accidentally, I cannot cleanse my fancy of them for a month after. I have been a solitary widower almost twelve years, purposed lately to make a step over to my native country for a yoke-fellow but when I consider how women there have tripe-wifed themselves with their cladments, I have no heart to the voyage, lest their nauseous shapes and the sea, should work too sorely upon my stomach. I speak sadly; methinks it

should break the hearts of English men, to see so many goodly English women imprisoned in French cages, peering out of their hood holes for some men of mercy to help them with a little wit, and nobody relieves them.

It is a more common than convenient saying, that nine tailors make a man: it were well if nineteen could make a woman to her mind. If tailors were men indeed, well furnished but with mere moral principles, they would disdain to be led about like apes, by such mimic marmosets. It is a most unworthy thing for men that have bones in them, to spend their lives in making fiddle-cases for futilous women's fancies; which are the very pettitoes of infirmity, the giblets of perquisquilian toys. I am so charitable to think, that most of that mystery would work the cheerfuller while they live, if they might be well discharged of the tiring slavery of mistiring women. It is no little labor to be continually putting up English women, into outlandish casks; who if they be not shifted anew, once in a few months, grow too sour for their husbands. What this trade will answer for themselves when God shall take measure of tailors' consciences is beyond my skill to imagine. There was a time when,

The joining of the Red Rose with the White,

Did set our State into a Damask plight.

But now our roses are turned to flore de lices, our carnations to tulips, our gillyflowers to daisies, our city dames, to an indenominable quæmalry of overturcased things. He that makes coats for the moon, had need take measures every noon: and he that makes for women, as often, to keep them from lunacy.

I have often heard divers ladies vent loud feminine complaints of the wearisome varieties and chargeable changes of fashions: I marvel themselves prefer not a bill of redress. I would Essex ladies. would lead the chore, for the honor of their county and persons; or rather the thrice honorable ladies of the court, whom it best. beseems who may well presume of a Le Roy le veult from our sober King, a Les Seigneurs ont assentus from our prudent peers, and the like Assentus, from our considerate, I dare not say wifeworn Commons; who I believe had much rather pass one such bill, than pay so many tailor's bills as they are forced to do.