If Democritus were alive now, and should but see the superstition of our age, our religious madnesse, as Meteran cals it, Religiosam insaniam, so many professed Christians, yet so few imitators of Christ, so much talk of religion, so much science, so little conscience, so much knowledge, so many preachers, so little practice; such variety of sects, such have and hold of all sides, ——obvia signis Signa, &c. such absurd and ridiculous traditions and ceremonies:

If he should meet a Capuchin, a Franciscan, a Pharisaical Jesuite, a man-serpent, a shave-crowned Monk in his robes, a begging Frier, or see their three crown’d Soveraign Lord the Pope, poor Peters successor, servus servorum Dei, to depose Kings with his foot, to tread on Emperors necks, make them stand bare foot and bare-legg’d at his gates, hold his bridle and stirrup, &c. (O that Peter and Paul were alive to see this!) If he should observe a Prince creep so devoutly to kiss his toe, and those Red-cap Cardinals, poor parish priests of old, now Princes companions; what would he say?

Had he met some of our devout pilgrims going barefoot to Jerusalem, our lady of Lauretto, Rome, S. Iago, S. Thomas Shrine, to creep to those counterfeit & Maggot-eaten Reliques. Had he been present at a Masse, and seen such kissing of Paxes, crucifixes, cringes, duckings, their several attires and ceremonies, pictures of saints, indulgences, pardons, vigils, fasting, feasts, crossing, knocking, kneeling at Ave-Maries, bels, with many such; ——jucunda rudi spectacula plebi, praying in Gibberish, and mumbling of beads. Had he heard an old woman say her prayers in latine, their sprinkling of holy water, and going a Procession, ——incedunt monachorum agmina mille; Quid memorem vexilla, cruces, idolaque culta, &c.

Their Breviaries, buls, hallowed beans, exorcisms, pictures, curious crosses, fables, and babies. Had he read the Golden Legend, the Turks Alcoran, or Jews Talmud, the Rabbins Comments, what would he have thought? How doest thou think he might have been affected?

Had he more particularly examined a Jesuits life amongst the rest, he should have seen an hypocrite professe povertie, and yet possess more goods & lands then many princes, to have infinite treasures and revenues; teach others to fast, and play the gluttons themselves; like watermen, that rowe one way, and look another. Vow virginity, talk of holinesse, and yet indeed a notorious Bawd, and famous fornicator, lascivum pecus, a very goat.

Monks by profession, such as give over the world, and the vanities of it, and yet a Machivilian rout interested in all maner of state: holy men, peace-makers, and yet composed of envy, lust, ambition, hatred and malice, fire-brands, adulta patriæ pestis, traitors, assassinats, hâc itur ad astra, and this is to supererogate, and merit heaven for themselvs and others.

Had he seen on the adverse side, some of our nice & curious schismaticks in another extream, abhor all ceremonies, and rather lose their lives and livings, then do or admit any thing Papists have formerly used, though in things indifferent (they alone are the true Church, sal terræ, cum sint omnium insulsissimi.) Formalists, out of fear and base flattery, like so many weather-cocks turn round, a rout of temporisers, ready to embrace and maintain all that is, or shall be proposed in hope of preferment: Another Epicurean company, lying at lurch as so many vultures, watching for a prey of Church goods, and ready to rise by the down fall of any: as Lucian said in like case, what dost thou think Democritus would have done, had he been spectator of these things?

Or had he but observed the common people follow like so many sheep one of their fellows drawn by the horns over a gap, some for zeal, some for fear, quò se cunque rapit tempestas, to credit all, examine nothing, and yet ready to dye before they will abjure any of those ceremonies, to which they have been accustomed; others out of hypocrisie frequent sermons, knock their brests, turn up their eyes, pretend zeal, desire reformation, and yet professed usurers, gripers, monsters of men, harpies, devils, in their lives to expresse nothing lesse.

What would he have said to see, hear, and reade so many bloudy battels, so many thousands slain at once, such streams of blood able to turn Mils: unius ob noxam furiasque, or to make sport for princes, without any just cause, for vain titles (saith Austin) precedency, some wench, or such like toy, or out of desire of domineering, vain-glory, malice, revenge, folly, madnesse, (goodly causes all, ob quas universus orbis bellis & cædibus misceatur) whilst Statesmen themselves in the mean time are secure at home, pampered with all delights & pleasures, take their ease, and follow their lusts, not considering what intolerable misery poor soldiers endure, their often wounds, hunger, thirst, &c. the lamentable cares, torments, calamities & oppressions that accompany such proceedings, they feel not, take no notice of it.

So wars are begun, by the perswasion of a few deboisthed, hair-brain, poor, dissolute, hungry captains, parasiticall fawners, unquiet hotspurs, restlesse innovators, green heads, to satisfie one mans private spleen, lust, ambition, avarice, &c. tales rapiunt scelerata in prælia causæ. Flos hominum, Proper men, well proportioned, carefully brought up, able both in body and minde, sound, led like so many beasts to the slaughter in the flower of their years, pride, and full strength, without all remorse and pity, sacrificed to Pluto, killed up as so many sheep, for devils food, 40000 at once. At once, said I, that were tollerable, but these wars last alwayes, and for many ages; nothing so familiar as this hacking and hewing, massacres, murders, desolations.