Subsect. 8. Æmulation, Hatred, Faction, Desire of revenge, Causes.

Out of this root of Envy, spring those ferall branches of faction, hatred, livor, emulation, which cause the like grievances, and are, serræ animæ, the sawes of the soul, consternationis pleni affectus, affections full of desperate amazement; or as Cyprian describes emulation, it is a moth of the soule, a consumption, to make another mans happiness his misery, to torture, crucifie and execute himself, to eate his owne heart. Meat and drink can do such men no good, they do alwayes grieve, sigh and groan, day and night without intermission, their brest is torne asunder:

and a little after, Whomsoever he is, whom thou dost emulate and envy, he may avoyd thee, but thou canst neither avoid him, nor thy self; wheresoever thou art, he is with thee, thine enemy is ever in thy brest, thy destruction is within thee, thou art a captive, bound hand and foot, as long as thou art malicious, and envious, and canst not be comforted. It was the devils overthrow; and whensoever thou art throughly affected with this passion, it will be thine. Yet no perturbation so frequent, no passion so common.

Καὶ κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει καὶ τέκτονι τέκτων, Καὶ πτωχὸς πτωχῷ φθονέει καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀοιδῷ. A Potter emulates a Potter, One Smith envies another: A begger emulates a begger, A singing man his brother.

Every society, corporation and private family is full of it, it takes hold almost of all sorts of men, from the Prince to the Ploughman, even amongst Gossips it is to be seen, scarce three in a company but there is siding, faction, emulation between two of them, some simultas, jarre, private grudge, heartburning in the midst of them.

Scarce two gentlemen dwell together in the Country, (if they be not near kin or linked in marriage) but there is emulation betwixt them and their servants, some quarrel or some grudge, betwixt their wives or children, friends and followers, some contention about wealth, gentry, precedency, &c. by meanes of which, like the Frog in Æsop, that would swell till she was as big as an Oxe, burst her self at last; they will stretch beyond their fortunes, callings, and strive so long that they consume their substance in Law-suits, or otherwise in hospitality, feasting, fine clothes, to get a few bumbast titles, for ambitiosâ paupertate laboramus omnes, to outbrave one another, they will tire their bodies, macerate their soules, and through contentions or mutual invitations begger themselves.

Scarce two great Scholars in an age, but with bitter invectives they fall foule one on the other, and their adherents; Scotists Thomists, Reals, Nominals, Plato and Aristotle, Galenists and Paracelsians, &c. it holds in all professions.

Honest emulation in studies, in all callings is not to be disliked, ’tis ingeniorum cos, as one cals it, the whetstone of wit, the nurse of wit and valor, and those noble Romans out of this spirit did brave exploits; There is a modest ambition; as Themistocles was roused up with the glory of Miltiades; Achilles trophies moved Alexander,

Ambire semper stulta confidentia est, Ambire nunquam deses arrogantia est,

’Tis a sluggish humor not to emulate or to sue at all, to withdraw himself, neglect, refrain from such places, honors, offices, through sloth, niggardliness, fear, bashfulness, or otherwise, to which by his birth, place, fortunes, education he is called, apt, fit, and well able to undergo; but when it is immoderate, it is a plague and a miserable pain.

What a deale of money did Henry the 8. & Francis the first King of France, spend at that famous interview? and how many vain Courtiers, seeking each to outbrave other, spent themselves, their lively-hood and fortunes, and dyed beggars? Adrian the Emperor, was so galled with it, that he killed all his equals; so did Nero. This passion made Dionysius the Tyrant banish Plato and Philoxenus the Poet, because they did excell, and eclips his glory, as he thought; The Romans exile Coriolanus, confine Camillus, murder Scipio; The Greeks by ostracisme to expel Aristides, Nicias, Alcibiades, imprison Theseus, make away Phocion, &c.

When Richard the first, and Philip of France, were fellow souldiers together, at the siege of Acon in the Holy land, and Richard had approved himself to be the more valiant man, in so much that all mens eys were upon him, it so gaulled Philip, Francum urebat Regis victoria, saith mine Author, tam ægre ferebat Richardi gloriam, ut carpere dicta, calumniari facta; that he cavilled at all his proceedings, and fell at length to open defiance; he could contain no longer, but hasting home, invaded his territories, and professed open war.

Hatred stirs up contention, Prov. 10.12. and they break out at last into immortal enmity, into virulency, and more than Vatinian hate and rage; they persecute each other, their friends, followers, and all their posterity with bitter taunts, hostile wars, scurril invectives, libels, calumnies, fire, sword, and the like, and will not be reconciled. Witness that Guelf and Gibelline faction in Italy; that of the Adurni and Fregosi in Genoa; that of Cneius Papirius, and Quintus Fabius in Rome: Cæsar and Pompey, Orleans and Burgundy in France; York and Lancaster in England:

Yea, this passion so rageth many times, that it subverts not men onely, and families, but even populous Cities, Carthage and Corinth can witness as much, nay flourishing Kingdoms are brought into a wilderness by it. This hatred, malice, faction, and desire of revenge, invented first all those racks, and wheels, strappadoes, brazen bulls, feral engines, prisons, inquisitions, severe laws to macerate and torment one another.

How happy might we be, and end our time with blessed days, and sweet content, if we could contain our selves, and as we ought to do, put up injuries, learn humility, meekness, patience, forget and forgive, as in Gods word we are injoyned, compose such final controversies amongst our selves, moderate our passions in this kinde, and think better of others, as Paul would have us, then of our selves: Be of like affection one towards another, and not avenge our selves, but have peace with all men. But being that we are so peevish and perverse, insolent and proud, so factious and seditious, so malicious and envious; we do invicem angariare, maul and vex one another, torture, disquiet, and precipitate our selves into that gulf of woes and cares, aggravate our misery, and melancholy, heap upon us hell and eternal damnation.