David a man after Gods own heart, confesseth as much of himself, Psal. 37. 21, 22. So foolish was I and ignorant, I was even as a beast before thee. And condemns all for fools, Ps. 93. & 32. 9. & 49. 20. He compares them to beasts, horses, and mules, in which there is no understanding. The Apostle Paul accuseth himself in like sort, 2 Cor. 11. 21. I would you would suffer a little my foolishness, I speak foolishly. The whole head is sick saith Esay, and the heart is heavy, Cap. 1. 5. And makes slighter of them then of Oxen and Asses, The ox knows his owner, &c. reade Deut. 32. 6. Jer. 4. Amos 3. 1. Ephes. 5. 6. Be not mad, be not deceived, foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you? How often are they branded with this Epithet of madnesse and folly? No word so frequent amongst the fathers of the Church and Divines; you may see what an opinion they had of the world, and how they valued mens actions.

I know that we think far otherwise, and hold them most part wise men that are in authority, princes, magistrates, rich men, they are wise men born, all Politicians and State-men must needs be so, for who dare speak against them? And on the other, so corrupt is our judgment, we esteem wise and honest men fools. Which Democritus wel signified in an Epistle of his to Hyppocrates: The Abderites account vertue madnesse, and so do most men living.

Shall I tell you the reason of it? Fortune and Vertue, Wisdom and Folly, their seconds, upon a time contended in the Olympicks; Every man thought that fortune and folly would have the worst, and pitied their cases. But it fell out otherwise. Fortune was blind and cared not where she stroke, nor whom, without laws, Andabatarum instar, &c. Folly rash and inconsiderate, esteemed as little what she said or did. Vertue and Wisdom gave place, were hissed out, and exploded by the common people: folly and fortune admired, and so are all their followers ever since: knaves and fools commonly fare and deserve best in worldlings eyes & opinions.

Many good men have no better fate in their ages: Achish, 1 Sam. 21. 14. held David for a mad-man. Elisha & the rest were no otherwise esteemed. David was derided of the common people, Ps. 9. 7. I am become a monster to many. And generally we are accounted fools for Christ, 1 Cor. 14. We fools thought his life madnesse, and his end without honour, Wisd. 5. 4. Christ and his Apostles were censured in like sort, John 10. Mark 3. Acts 26. And so were all christians in Pliny’s time, fuerunt & alii similis dementiæ, &c. And called not long after, Vesaniæ sectatores, eversores hominum, polluti novatores, fanatici, canes, malefici, venefici, Galilæi homunciones, &c.

Tis an ordinary thing with us, to account honest, devout, orthodox, divine, religious, plain-dealing men, idiots, asses, that cannot, or will not ly and dissemble, shift, flatter, accommodare se ad eum locum ubi nati sunt, make good bargains, supplant, thrive, patronis inservire; solennes ascendendi modos apprehendere, leges, mores, consuetudines recte observare, candide laudare, fortiter defendere, sententias amplecti, dubitare de nullis, credere omnia, accipere omnia, nihil reprehendere, cæteraque quæ promotionem ferunt & securitatem, quæ sine ambage fœlicem reddunt hominem, & vere sapientem apud nos; That cannot temporize as other men do, hand and take bribes, &c. but fear God, and make a conscience of their doings.

But the holy Ghost that knowes better how to judge, he cals them fools. The fool hath said in his heart, Psal. 53. 1. And their wayes utter their folly, Psal. 49. 14. For what can be more mad, than for a litle worldly pleasure to procure unto themselves eternall punishment? As Gregorie and others inculcate unto us.

Yea even all those great Philosophers, the world hath ever had in admiration, whose works we do so much esteem, that gave precepts of wisdom to others, inventers of Arts and Sciences, Socrates the wisest man of his time by the Oracle of Apollo, whom his two Scholars Plato and Xenophon so much extol and magnifie with those honourable titles best and wisest of all mortal men, the happiest, and most just; and as Alcibiades incomparably commends him; Achilles was a worthy man, but Brasides and others were as worthy as himself; Antenor and Nestor were as good as Pericles, and so of the rest, but none present, before, or after Socrates, nemo veterum neque eorum qui nunc sunt, were ever such, will match, or come neer him.

Those seven wise men of Greece, those Britain Druides, Indian Brachmanni, Æthiopian Gymnosophists, Magi of the Persians, Apollonius, of whom Philostratus, Non doctus sed natus sapiens, wise from his cradle, Epicurus so much admired by his Scholar Lucretius; Qui genus humanum ingenio superavit, & omnes Perstrinxit Stellas exortus ut ætherius Sol. Whose wit excel’d the wits of men as far, As the Sun rising doth obsure a Star. Or that so much renowned Empedocles, Ut vix humana videatur stirpe creatus.