God had in most bountifull sort powred his bles|sings vpon this man, induing him with eloquence, wisedome and knowledge: but the grace of God withdrawne from him, he had the right vse of none, no not of reason as it should be rightlie vsed. God had extraordinarilie blessed his children, and namelie his thrée daughters, to whome he had giuen an admirable dexteritie in the science of toongs and arts, as Iohn Leland our reuerend antiquarie noteth in a proper and learned epigramme, saieng:
Desine facundas nimiùm laudare disertiNatas Hortensi maxima Roma tui [...] I. Lelandi M [...]ri|ades, siue Ch [...]i|taea coronaCandida tres Charites nam Mori cura politiObscurant multis nomina vestra modisNon illis studium Milesia vellera dextraCarpere, non facili ducere fila manu [...]Sed iuuat eloquij crebro monumenta LatiniVersare, & doctis pingere verba notis,Nec minùs authores Graecos euoluere HomerumEt quem dicendi gloria prima manetVt nec Aristotelis dicam quo pectore libr [...]Scrutentur, sophiae mystica dona deae.Turpe viris posthac erit ignorare MineruaeArtes, gre [...] adeò quas muli [...]bris amet.
And yet was not the will of God for the infusing of spirituall graces, so linked to that of temporall,Spirituall graces doo not necess [...]rilie concurr [...] a [...] depend vpon temporall. as because the one was granted, therefore the other must not be denied. For the blessings of God which be outward, are common to the wicked with the EEBO page image 939 good: the sun shinesh vpon all, the raine is kept from none: naie, God with a sparing hand reacheth out those things to the faithfull, which with full gripes he filleth out and powreth into the laps and bosoms of infidels and epicures: insomuch that the prophet Da|uid noting no lesse, with a kind of indignation ope|ned his mouth saieng; I was grieued at the wicked, I doo also see the vngodlie in such prosperitie, these flo|rish in the world, these haue riches in possession, and I said; Then haue I cleansed my heart in vaine, and washed my hands in innocencie: yea, and I had almost said euen as they; but lo, then should I haue condemned the generation of Gods children. But the end of these men, being set in slipperie places, are cast downe and destroied, yea suddenlie doo they con|sume and come to a fearefull end: euen like as a dreame when one awaketh, so dooth God make their image to vanish out of the citie.
Sir Thomas More in some cases com|m [...]nded.And albeit the fall of this sir Thomas More was reprochfull, issuing from a treasonable offense: yet as in pagans manie times there is somwhat which may teach christians lessons for their lerning to their shame: so in this papist was one praise-worthie pro|pertie among the rest most eminent, which I will note to the rebuke of protestants. ¶The reuerend fa|ther doctor Elmer bishop of London, Abr. Flem. [...] of a ser|mon made at Paules crosse by doctor El|mer bishop of London on the eightéenth of October 1584. in a sermon at Paules crosse by him made in a solemne audience assembled at the parlement time 1584, teaching diuerse points of doctrine, and the duties of sundrie degrées, said, that it was commendable for noble men and gentlemen, and a great furtherance to the loue of religion, to be deuout: he brought an ex|ample of sir Thomas More, a man for his zeale (saith the bishop) to be honored, but for his religion to be abhorred.