teft, I shall yet continue to think that man full of other secret injustice, and deceitfull pride, who shall offer in public to affume the skill, though it bee but of a tongue which hee hath not, and would catch his readers to beleeve of his ability, that which is not in him. The Licencer indeed, as his autority now ftands, may licence much; but if these Greek Orthographies were of his licencing; the boyes at School might reck'n with him at his Grammar. Nor did I finde this his want of the pretended Languages alone, but accompanied with fuch a low and home-fpun expreffion of his Mother English all along, without joynt or frame, as made mee, ere I knew furder of him, often stop, and conclude, that this Author could for certain bee no other then fom mechanic. Nor was the ftile flat and rude, and the matter grave and folid, for then ther had bin pardon, but fo fhallow and fo unwary was that alfo, as gave fufficiently the character of a grofs and fluggish, yet a contentious and overweening pretender. For first, it behooving him to fhew, as hee promises, what divorce is, and what the true doctrine and Difcipline therof, and this beeing to doe by fuch principles and prooffs as are receav'd on both fides, hee performes neither of these; but fhews it first from the Judaical practice, which hee himself difallows, and next from the practice of Canon Law, which the Book hee would confute, utterly rejects, and all Laws depending theron; which this puny Clark calls The Laws of England, and yet pronounces them by an Ecclefiaftical judge: as if that were to be accounted the Law of England, which depended on the Popery of England; or if it were, this Parlament hee might know hath now damn'd that judicature. So that whether his meaning were to inform his own party, or to confute his adverfary, instead of fhewing us the true Doctrin and Discipline of Divorce, hee fhews

us nothing but his own contemptible ignorance. For what is the Mofaic Law to his opinion, and what is the Canon utterly now antiquated, either to that or to mine? Yee see already what a faithfull definer wee have him. From fuch a wind-egg of definition as this, they who expect any of his other arguments to bee well hatcht, let them enjoy the vertu of thir worthy Champion. But one thing more I obferv'd, a fingular note of his ftupidity, and that his Trade is not to meddle with Books, much lefs with Confutations. When as the Doctrin of Divorce had now a whole year bin publifht the fecond time, with many Arguments added, and the former ones better'd and confirm'd, this idle pamflet comes reeling forth against the first Edition only; as may appear to any by the pages quoted. Which put me in minde of what by chance I had notice of to this purpos the laft Summer, as nothing so serious, but happns oft times to bee attended with a ridiculous accident, it was then told mee that the Doctrin of divorce was answerd, and the answer half Printed against the first Edition; not by one, but by a pack of heads; of whom the cheif, by circumftance, was intimated to mee, and fince ratifi'd to bee no other, if any can hold laughter, and I am fure none will guess him lower, then an actual Serving-man. creature, for the Story muft on, (and what though hee bee the lowest person of an interlude, hee may deferv a canvafing,) tranfplanted himself, and to the improvment of his wages, and your better notice of his capacity, turn'd Solliciter. And having convers'd much with a stripling Divine or two of those newly fledge Probationers, that usually come scouting from the University, and ly heer no lame legers to pop into the Bethesda of fom Knights Chaplainship, where they bring grace to his good cheer, but no peace or benediction els to his house; these made the

This

Champarty, hee contributed the Law, and both joynd in the Divinity. Which made mee intend, following the advice alfo of freinds, to lay afide the thought of mif-fpending a Reply to the buzze of fuch a Drones neft. But finding that it lay, what ever was the matter, half a year after unfinisht in the press, and hearing for certain that a Divine of note, out of his good will to the opinion, had takn it into his revife, and fomthing had put out, fomthing put in, and ftuck it heer and there with a clove of his own Calligraphy, to keep it from tainting, and furder when I faw the stuff, though very cours and thredbare, garnifht and trimly fac't with the commendations of a Licencer, I refolv'd, fo foon as leisure granted mee the recreation, that my man of Law should not altogether loose his folliciting. Although I impute a share of the making to him whose name I find in the approbation, who may take, as his mind fervs him, this Reply. In the mean while it shall bee feen, I refufe no occafion, and avoid no adverfary, either to maintane what I have begun, or to give it up for better reason.

To begin then with the Licencer and his cenfure. For a Licencer is not contented now to give his fingle Imprimatur, but brings his chair into the Title leaf; there fits and judges up or judges down what book hee pleases; if this bee fuffer'd, what worthles Author, or what cunning Printer will not bee ambitious of such a Stale to put off the heaviest gear; which may in time bring in round fees to the Licencer, and wretched mif-leading to the People. But to the matter: he approves the publishing of this Book, to preferv the frength and honour of Mariage against thofe fad breaches and dangerous abufes of it. Belike then the wrongfull fuffering of all those fad breaches and abuses in Mariage to a remedilefs thraldom, is

the ftrength and honour of Mariage; a boisterous and bestial strength, a dif-honourable honour, an infatuated Doctrine, wors then the falvo jure of tyrannizing, which wee all fight againft. Next hee faith that common difcontents make thefe breaches in unftaid mindes, and men givn to change. His words may be apprehended, as if they difallow'd only to divorce for common difcontents in unftaid mindes, having no cause, but a defire of change, and then wee agree. But if hee take all discontents on this fide adultery, to bee common, that is to fay, not difficult to endure, and to affect only unftaid mindes, it might administer just cause to think him the unfittest man that could bee, to offer at a comment upon Job; as feeming by this to have no more true fenfe of a good man in his afflictions, then thofe Edomitish Freinds had, of whom Job complains, and against whom God teftifies his anger. Shall a man of your own coat, who hath efpous'd his flock; and reprefents Chrift more, in beeing the true husband of his Congregation, then an ordnary man doth in beeing the husband of his wife, and yet this reprefentment is thought a cheif cause why Mariage must bee infeparable, fhall this fpiritual man ordnarily for the increase of his maintenance, or any flight cause forfake that wedded cure of fouls, that should bee dearest to him, and marry another, and another, and shall not a perfon wrongfully afflicted, and perfecuted eevn to extremity, forfake an unfit, injurious, and peftilent mate, ty'd only by a civil and fleshly covnant? If you bee a man fo much hating change, hate that other change; if your felf bee not guilty, counsel your brethren to hate it; and leav to bee the fupercilious judge of other mens miferies and changes, that your own bee not judg'd. The reasons of your licen't pamflet, you fay are good; they must bee better then your own then. I fhall

wonder els how fuch a trivial fellow was accepted and commended, to bee the confuter of so dangerous an opinion as yee give out mine.

Now therfore to your Atturney, fince no worthier an adversary makes his appearance, nor this neither his appearance, but lurking under the fafety of his nameles obfcurity: fuch as yee turn him forth at the Postern, I must accept him; and in a better temper then Ajax, doe mean to fcourge this Ramme for yee, till I meet with his Ulyffes.

Hee begins with Law, and wee have it of him as good cheap, as any hucfter at Law, newly fet up, can poffibly afford, and as impertinent; but for that hee hath receiv'd his hanfel. Hee prefumes alfo to cite the Civil Law, which, I perceav by his citing never came within his dormitory, yet what hee cites makes but against himself.

His fecond thing therfore is to refute the advers pofition, and very methodically, three pages before hee sets it down; and fets his own in the place, that disagreement of minde or difpofition, though shewing it Jelf in much fharpnes is not by the Law of God, or man, a juft caufe of divorce.

To this pofition I answer, that it lays no battery against mine, no, nor fo much as faces it, but tacks about, long ere it come neer, like a harmles and refpectfull confutement. For I confess that disagreement of minde or difpofition, though in much sharpnes, is not alwaies a just cause of divorce; for much may bee endur'd. But what if the fharpnes bee much more then his much? To that point it is our mif-hap wee have not heer his grave decifion. Hee that will contradict the positive which I alleg'd, must hold that no difagreement of minde, or difpofition, can divorce, though shewn in most sharpnes; otherwife hee leaves a place for equity to appoint limits,