which is well enough, so long as scholars have to do with it; but when it comes among the common people, Lord, what gear do they make of it!

4. Scrutamini Scripturas. These two words have undone the world: because Christ spake it to his disciples, therefore we must all, men, women and children, read and interpret the Scripture.

5. Henry the Eighth made a law, that all men might read the Scripture, except servants, but no woman, except ladies and gentlewomen, who had leisure, and might ask somebody the meaning. The law was repealed in Edward the Sixth's days.

6. Lay-men have best interpreted the hard places in the bible, such as Johannes Picus, Scaliger, Grotius, Salmasius, Heinsius, &c.

7. If you ask which of Erasmus, Beza, or Grotius, did best upon the New Testament, it is an idle question, for they all did well in their way. Erasmus broke down the first brick, Beza added many things, and Grotius added much to him, in whom we have either something new, or something heightened, that was said before, and so it was necessary to have them all three.

8. The text serves only to guess by: we

must satisfy ourselves fully out of the authors that lived about those times.

9. In interpreting the Scripture, many as if a man should see one have ten pounds, which he reckoned by one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten; meaning four, was but four units, and five, five units, &c. and that he had in all but ten pounds; the other that sees him, takes not the figures together as he doth, but picks here and there, and thereupon reports, that he hath five pounds in one bag, and six pounds in another bag, and nine pounds in another bag, &c. when as in truth he hath but ten pounds in all. So we pick out a text here and there, to make it serve our turn; whereas, if we take it all together, and considered what went before, and what followed after, we should find it meant no such thing.

10. Make no more allegories in scripture than needs must. The fathers were too frequent in them; they indeed, before they fully understood the literal sense, looked out for an allegory. The folly whereof you may conceive thus; here at the first sight appears to me in my window, a glass and a book; I take it for granted it is a glass and a book, thereupon I go about to tell you what they signify; after

wards, upon nearer view, they prove no such thing, one is a box made like a book, the other is a picture made like a glass; where is now my allegory?

11. When men meddle with the literal text, the question is, where they should stop? In this case a man must venture his discretion, and do his best to satisfy himself and others in those places where he doubts, for although we call the Scripture the word of God (as it is) yet it was writ by a man, a mercenary man, whose copy either might be false, or he might make it false for example, here were a thousand bibles printed in England with the text thus, Thou shalt commit adultery, the word not left out; might not this text be mended?

12. The Scripture may have more senses besides the literal, because God understands all things at once; but a man's writing has but one true sense, which is that which the author meant when he writ it.

13. When you meet with several readings of the text, take heed you admit nothing against the tenets of your church, but do as if you were going over a bridge; be sure you hold fast by the rail, and then you may dance here and there as you please; be sure you

keep to what is settled, and then you may flourish upon your various lections.

14. The Apocrypha is bound with the Bibles of all churches that have been hitherto. Why should we leave it out? the church of Rome has her Apocrypha, viz. Susanna, and Bell and the Dragon, which she does not esteem equally with the rest of those books that we call Apocrypha.

BISHOPS BEFORE THE PARLIAMENT.

1. A BISHOP as a bishop, had never any ecclesiastical jurisdiction; for as soon as he was electus confirmatus, that is, after the three proclamations in Bow-church, he might exercise jurisdiction before he was consecrated; not till then, he was no bishop, neither could he give orders. Besides, suffragans were bishops, and they never claimed any jurisdiction.

2. Anciently, the noblemen lay within the city for safety and security. The bishops houses were by the water-side, because they were held sacred persons which nobody would

hurt.

3. There was some sense for commendams

at first, when there was a living void, and never a clerk to serve it, the bishop was to keep it till they found a fit man, but now it is a trick for the bishop to keep it for himself,

4. For a bishop to preach, it is to do other folks office, as if the steward of the house should execute the porter's or the cook's place; it is his business to see that they and all other about the house perform their duties.

5. That which is thought to have done the bishops hurt, is their going about to bring men to a blind obedience, imposing things upon them, though perhaps small and well enough, without preparing them, and insinuating into their reasons and fancies. Every man loves to know his commander. I wear those gloves, but perhaps if an alderman should command me, I should think much to do it; what has he to do with me? Or if he has, peradventure I do not know it. This jumping upon things at first dash will destroy all; to keep up friendship, there must be little addresses and applications, whereas bluntness spoils it quickly: to keep up the hierarchy, there must be little applications made to men, they must be brought on by little and little: so in the primitive times the power was gained, and so it must be continued. Scaliger said of Erasmus :