by the examination of the seventh house the Almutens, Lords and Planets there, a ☾ d & ☉ a &c. by particular Aphorismes, Si dominus 7mæ in 7m vel secunda nobilem decernit uxorem, servam aut ignobilem si duodecima. Si Venus in 12ma &c. With many such, too tedious to relate.

Yet let no man be troubled, or finde himself grieved with such Prædictions, as Hier. Wolfius well saith in his Astrologicall Dialogue, non sunt prætoriana decreta, they be but conjectures, the Stars incline, but not enforce,

Sydera corporibus præsunt cælestia nostris, Sunt ea de vili Condita namque luto: Cogere sed nequeunt animum ratione fruentem, Quippe sub imperio solius ipse dei est.

wisdom, diligence, discretion, may mitigate if not quite alter such decrees, Fortuna sua à cujusque fingitur moribus, Qui cauti, prudentes, voti compotes, &c. let no man then be terrified or molested with such Astrological Aphorisms, or be much moved, either to vain hope or fear, from such predictions, but let every man follow his own free will in this case, and do as he sees cause.

Better it is indeed to marry then burn, for their souls health, but for their present fortunes, by some other means to pacifie themselves, and divert the stream of this fiery torrent, to continue as they are, rest satisfied, lugentes virginitatis florem sic aruisse, deploring their misery with that Eunuch in Libanius, since there is no helpe or remedy, and with Jephthe’s daughter to bewaile their virginities.

Of like nature is superstition, those rash vowes of Monks and Friers, and such as live in religious Orders, but far more tyrannical and much worse. Nature, youth, and his furious passion forcibly inclines, and rageth on the one side: but their Order and Vow checks them on the other.

Votoque suo sua forma repugnat,

What Merits and Indulgences they heap unto themselves by it, what commodities, I know not, but I am sure, from such rash vowes, and inhumane manner of life proceed many inconveniences, many diseases, many vices, mastupration, satyriasis, priapismus, melancholy, madness, fornication, adultery, buggery, sodomy, theft, murther, and all manner of mischiefes:

read but Bales Catalogue of Sodomites, at the visitation of Abbies here in England, Henry Stephan his Apol. for Herodotus, that which Ulricus writes in one of his Epistles, in that Pope Gregory when he saw 600. skuls and bones of infants taken out of a fishpond near a Nunnery, thereupon retracted that decree of Priests marriages, which was the cause of such a slaughter; was much grieved at it, and purged himself by repentance.

Read many such, and then ask what is to be done, is this vow to be broke or not? No, saith Bellarmine, cap. 38. lib. de Monach. melius est scortari & uri quam de voto cælibatus ad nuptias transire, better burne or fly out, then to break thy vow.

And Coster in his Enchirid. de cælibat. sacerdotum, saith it is absolutely gravius peccatum, a greater sin for a Priest to marry, then to keep a concubine at home. Gregory de Valence, cap. 6. de cælibat. maintaines the same, as those Essei and Montanists of old.

Insomuch that many Votaries, out of a false perswasion of merit and holinesse in this kinde, will sooner dye then marry, though it be to the saving of their lives. Anno. 1419. Pius 2. Pope, James Rossa Nephew to the King of Portugal, and then elect Archbishop of Lisbone, being very sick at Florence, when his Physitians told him, that his disease was such, he must either lye with a wench, marry, or dye, cheerfully chose to dye; Now they commended him for it:

But S. Paul teacheth otherwise, Better marry then burne, and as S. Hierome gravely delivers it, Aliæ sunt leges Cæsarum, aliæ Christi, aliud Papinianus, aliud Paulus noster præcipit, there’s a difference betwixt Gods ordinances, and mens lawes:

and therefore Cyprian Epist. 8. boldly denounceth, impium est, adulterum est, sacrilegum est, quodcunque humano furore statuitur, ut dispositio divina violetur, it is abominable, impious, adulterous, and sacrilegious, what men make and ordaine after their own furies to cross Gods lawes.

Georgius Wicelius one of their own arch Divines (Inspect. eccles. pag. 18.) exclaimes against it, and all such rash monasticall vowes, and would have such persons seriously to consider what they do, whom they admit, ne in posterum querantur de inanibus stupris, lest they repent it at last.

For either as he follows it, you must allow them Concubines or suffer them to marry, for scarce shall you finde three Priests of three thousand, qui per ætatem non ament, that are but troubled with burning lust. Wherefore I conclude, It is an unnatural and impious thing to bar men of this Christian liberty, too severe and inhumane an edict.

The silly Wren, the Titmouse also, The little Redbrest have their election, They fly I saw and together gone, Whereas hem list, aboat environ As they of kinde have inclination, And as nature Impres and guide, Of every thing list to provide.

But man alone, alas the hard stond, Full cruelly by kinds ordinance Constrained is, and by statutes bound, And debarred from all such pleasance: What meaneth this, what is this pretence Of laws, I wis, against all right of kinde Without a cause, so narrow men to binde?

Many Lay-men repine still at Priests marriages above the rest, and not at Cleargy men only, but all of the meaner sort and condition, they would have none marry but such as are rich and able to maintain wives, because their parish belike shall be pestered with Orphanes, & the world full of beggers:

but these are hard-hearted, unnatural, monsters of men, shallow politicians, they do not consider that a great part of the world is not yet inhabited as it ought, how many Colonies into America, Terra Australis incognita, Africa, may be sent? Let them consult with Sʳ. William Alexanders book of Colonies, Orpheus Juniors Golden fleece, Captaine Whitburne, Mʳ. Hagthorp, &c. and they shall surely be otherwise informed.

Those politique Romans were of another minde, they thought their City and Country could never be too populous. Adrian the Emperour said he had rather have men then money, malle se hominum adjectione ampliare imperium, quam pecuniâ; Augustus Cæsar made an oration in Rome ad cælibes, to perswade them to marry,

some countries compelled them to marry of old, as Jews, Turks, Indians, Chinese, amongst the rest in these daies, who much wonder at our discipline to suffer so many idle persons to live in Monasteries and often marvel how they can live honest.

In the Isle of Maragnan, the Governour and petty King there did wonder at the Frenchmen, and admire how so many Friers, and the rest of their company could live without wives, they thought it a thing impossible, and would not believe it.

If these men should but survey our multitudes of religious houses, observe our numbers of Monasteries all over Europe, 18. Nunneries in Padua, in Venice 31 Cloisters of Monkes, 28. of Nunnes, &c. ex ungue leonem, ’tis to this proportion, in all other Provinces and Cities, what would they think, do they live honest? Let them dissemble as they will, I am of Tertullians minde, that few can containe but by compulsion.

O chastity (saith he) thou art a rare Goddess in the world, not so easily got, seldom continuate: Thou maist now and then be compeld either for defect of nature, or if discipline perswade, decrees enforce:

or for some such by-respects, sullennesse, discontent, they have lost their first loves, may not have whom they will themselves, want of meanes, rash vowes, &c. But can he willingly containe? I think not.

Therefore either out of commiseration of humane imbecillity, in policy, or to prevent a far worse inconvenience, for they hold it some of them as necessary as meat and drink, and because vigour of youth, the state and temper of most mens bodies do so furiously desire it, they have heretofore in some nations liberally admitted polygamy and stewes,