Gerson*, the Chancellor of Paris, gives to King Lewis the Saint, That he regarded not of how dainty composition his excrement were made, neither meant to be a cook for the worms.

Surely, that curiosity of mixture, whereby not the eye and the palate, but the scent also must be feasted, is more fit for Sybarites, than for Christians. Dissolved pearls are for the draught of Esop, the tragedian's son; or Antony's great mistress. Let a Vitellius or Heliogabalus hunt over seas and lands, for the dainty bit of this bird's tongue, that fish's roe, or that beast's sweet-bread; the oysters of this coast, the scollops of that other; this root, that fruit. What do Christians, with this vain Apician-like gluttony? It was a fit rule for that monster † of the gut, whom even the Roman luxury censured, That those dishes please best, which cost most.

I have both heard and read, that, when some of our English merchants in Germany entertained Martin Luther, with some other of his Dutch friends, at their table; when, amongst other liberal dishes, he saw a pasty, at the first cutting up, reeking upwards, and filling the room with a hot and spicy steam, instead of thanks, he frowned; and angrily said, "Now woe be to them, that bring these delicacies into our Germany."

It is not easy to set stints. to the quality or price of diets: for that, which to one nation or person may pass for mean and coarse, may to another be costly and delicious. If we may believe relations, in Angola dogs' flesh is held for the daintiest meat; insomuch as one mastiff hath been exchanged there for twenty slaves, the price of one hundred and twenty ducats. Our frogs, snails, mushrooms, would somewhere be accepted for a good service. And we know what the Tartars are wont to esteem of their Cosmo, while we make a face at the mention of it.

Laertius tells us, that when Plato, in a thrifty discourse with rich Aristippus, was saying, that a halfpenny was enough to furnish a temperate man's dinner; "Well then," said he, "and fifty drachmas are no more than so, to me."

Custom of the place, care of health, regard to our ability, are fit moderators of every man's palate: but the true Christian is governed by a higher law; giving only such way to his appetite, as may well consist with due mortification.

It was the rule, which Columbanus, of whom there are many monuments in these Western parts, gave to his followers; "Let the diet of Monks be coarse, and late; so as it may sustain, and not hurt §." We are no Rechabites, no votaries; free from all yokes, of this kind, save the Almighty's, which is no other than a holy temperance. He hath allowed us the finest of the wheat; and wine, that makes glad the heart: we are not tied to Prodicus's

* Gers. Scrm. de B. Ludovico.

Heliogab. Elius Lamprid.

Jo. Pory, Append. to Leo's Hist. of Africk.

§ Cibus sit vilis Monachorum, et vespertinus; ut sustineat, et non noceat. Reg. Columb. c. iii.

sauce, which is the fire; nor to Bernard's, which is salt and hun. ger: we may, with old Isaac, call for savoury meat, such as we love; Gen. xxvii. 4. Happy are we, if we know how to use our blessings; and have learned so to order our appetite, as that we make it neither a slave nor a wanton *.

[3.] For the Quantity.

(a.) Pleasure is honey: Eat not too much honey, saith Solomon: that is to be tasted on the top of the finger; not to be scooped up with the whole hand.

We may be too great niggards to ourselves, this way; denying those helps to nature, whereby it may be more cheerfully enabled unto good: Jonathan complained justly, that Saul's rash vow, of not tasting any food that day, had troubled the land: See, I pray you, how mine eyes are enlightened, because I tasted a little honey: how much more, if the people had eaten freely to day, had they prevailed? 1 Sam. xiv. 29, 30. It was a rule † of a great pattern of strict devotion, "If abstinence go beyond the bounds of a virtue, it turns vice:" and our Alensis well, "If our fast must be afflictive, yet with due moderation; neither is it required, that a man should fast his utmost, but so much as may well stand with the conservation of nature in her meet vigour.' Neither are we tied to the old man's diet in Suidas, salt, and two barley-corns §; or to the liberal allowance, which Francis of Assise made to his St. Clare, an ounce and half of bread in a day: neither need we be driven, as Socrates counselled poor Eschines, to borrow of ourselves .

But, on the other side, we may not let loose the reins of our appetite; and, as gluttons are wont to do, cram in so much to breakfast, that we have no stomach to supper: Not in surfeiting and drunkenness, saith the blessed Apostle. It seemed a strange thing to Anacharsis the Scythian, as Laertius observes, to see the Greeks drink in small cruses at the beginning of their feasts, and in large bowls at the latter end: an order ill imitated by the lavish Healthists of our time; as if they intended, not satisfaction and refreshing of nature, but wilful excess. If the bounty of God allow us to be sometimes merry, in our moderate feasts; yet never mad. He is so far from crowning any man for drinking, as it is said Alexander the Great did his Promachus, that he hath passed a woe unto them, that are mighty to drink wine; and men of strength, to mingle strong drink; Is. v. 22. Well may we say of our cups, as was wont to be said of the Ionians: They are good servants; ill free-men, and masters. Too much oil puts out the lamp: both reason and health are drowned in over-deep cups. Our body is as a well-set clock, which keeps good time: if it be too much or indiscreetly tampered with, the larum runs out before the hour.

(b.) The like care of avoiding extremity must be had in all other

* Patria est, non exilii, frequentia hæc gaudiorum, &c. Bern. Ep. 176. ↑ Qui carnem suam supra modum affligit, civem suum occidit: si plus quàm oportet alimentis reficit, hostem nutrit. Hugo. Instit. Monast. in reg. D. August. c. iii. Alens. To. 4. q. 28. mem. 6. Etsi jejunium, &c. § Εχων ἅλα καὶ δύο κρίμνα. || Παρ' ἑαυτῶ δανείζεσθαι. Suid.

delights. The very heathen orator could say, "He is not worthy of the name of a man, that would be a whole day in pleasure." Sleep and recreations are as necessary as meat; but both must know their stint. If a bear or a dormouse grow fat with sleep, I am sure the mind of man is thus affamished. Slothfulness, saith Solomon, casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger; Prov. xix. 15. It was a dead sleep, wherein Adam lost his rib; Gen. ii. 21 Ishbosheth, his life; 2 Sam. iv. 5: the Harlot, her son; 1 Kings iii. 20: the Foolish Virgins, their entrance; Matt. xxv. 5. How long, then, wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traraileth, and thy want as an armed man.

(c.) As for sports, when they take up so much time and labour as to turn trades, they have lost themselves, and perhaps marred their masters. It was a just exception, that Salustius took to Sempronia, not that she danced, but that she danced too well: and our story tells us, when rich Clisthenes would choose a fit match for his only daughter, and amongst other suitors the son of Terpander the Athenian was most likely to speed, the young man, to ingratiate himself the more, after dinner danced some attic jigs, with much cunning and activity. "Well, well," said Clisthenes; "Terpander's son, you have danced away your marriage." If the iron be blunt, the edge must be whetted, saith Solomon; but, if we shall wear away all the steel with too much whetting, the tool must needs be left unprofitable.

(d.) But the greatest danger of immoderation, is, in matter of Just an impetuous passion; and that, which commonly bears down reason before it; and too often even there, where the strongest resolutions and most religious vows have made head against it: insomuch as Alvarez Pelagius + sticks not to confess, that there was scarce any of the holy sisters in his time, sine devoto carnali; and Dominicus à Soto professes he cannot deny, that their clergy abounds with concubinaries and adulterers. What should I mention the toleration and yearly rent of public stews ? these known courtezans in Spain and Italy, pay to their great landlords for their Just whereas, amongst the Abassines §, wages are given them out of the common purse.

Yea, even those, who are allowed lawful remedies, shall find it task enough, so to order their desires, as they may not offend in their application. To deny the lawfulness of matrimonial benevolence, were to cast mire in the face of our Creator : yet there may be such deordination in the acts thereof, as may draw sin into the

* Quær. Si ex toto corde ridere non licet? Negatur. Reg. Basilii. c. xxxii. Vix aliqua sanctimonialium sine devolo carnali. Alv. Pel, de Planctu. l. ii. 73. Curent in unaquaque civitate locum meretricibus assignandum, ab hominum frequentiá, et à majoribus Ecclesiis, remotum. In Concil. Mediolan, 1. habito à Carolo Boromæo. § Jo. Pory: ut supra.

|| Tatianus: nihil differre à matrimonio Scortationem, sed idem esse. Epiph. Hæres. de Tatianis.

marriage-bed; insomuch as Gerson* can tell us, there is less difficulty in forbearing these desires, than in curbing and moderating them once admitted. For pleasure ever, as both St. Ambrose and Jerome have observed, draws on a strong appetite of itself: and, as Chrysologus well, is like a dog; beat him off, he flees away; make much of him, he follows us the more.

The Jews † note, that, in four places of the Law, they are admonished to encrease and multiply; and therefore hold, that, after twenty years of age, whoso finds the jezer in himself, is bound, under pain of sin, to marry somewhat of kin to the divinity of that old physician at Basil, of whom Erasmus ‡ speaks, who taught in his public lecture, that this Encrease and multiply was our Saviour's last legacy to the world; which we had thought had been, Pacem meam do vobis, My peace I give to you: and that it were pity, that any fruitful soul should lie fallow: positions, wildly licentious; and such, as leave no place for a gracious eunuchism for the kingdom of heaven.

Virginal chastity is a grace, worthy of our fervent prayers, worthy of our best endeavours. I hear the great Apostle of the Gentiles say, He, that gives his virgin in marriage, doth well; but he, that gives her not in marriage, doth better; 1 Cor. vii. 38. And why should not every one, where there is a difference of meliority, strive towards the best? All may strive; but all cannot attain. He, that is able to receive it, let him receive it; saith our Saviour.

But he, that cannot receive the blessing of single chastity, may receive the blessing of chaste marriage: an institution, which, if it had not been pure and innocent, had never been made in paradise, by the all-holy Maker of paradise, both in earth and heaven. In the managing and fruition whereof, we may not follow brutish appetite and lawless sensuality; but must be over-ruled with right reason, Christian modesty, and due respects to the ends of that blessed ordinance.

Our strictest casuists will grant, that, for the conservation of mankind, even a votary may, yea must marry; and we have, in our times, known those, who, for the continuation of a lineal succession of some great families, have been fetched from their cells to a bridechamber. As for the remedy of incontinency, our Apostle hath passed a plain cuvéexɛode, Come together again; 1 Cor.

vii. 5.

As for the pleasure of conjugal society, I do not find a more clear decision, than that of the voluminous Jesuit Salmeron §. "To a

* Facilior est sæpe, &c. sicut febris potu, et ignis flatu, et pruritus attactu tandem magis succenduntur. Gers. Reg. morales de Luxuriâ.

Munster. in Præcept. Mos. Erasm. Epist. Danieli Stibaro, Medicus senex Basilea, in publicâ professione docuit, &c.

om

§ Salmeron Tom. v. Tract. 9. de temporibus Luctûs. Fideli, cui Christus on nia mundavit, illa turpitudo et absorptio non est peccatum : nam, ut ait Apostolus, Omnia munda mundis; ut egregiè exponit. Clem. I. iii. Strom, in fine. Ad hac, voluptas aut delectatio que naturaliter consequitur opus generationis, quæ omni animanti ingenita est à Deo, nec propter se expetitur, peccatum ullum non

faithful man," saith he, "unto whom Christ hath made all things clean, that turpitude and absorption (of reason) which commonly attends the act of matrimonial knowledge is not a sin: for, as the Apostle teacheth, All things are clean unto the clean; as Clemens, in the third book of his Stromata, worthily expounds it. Moreover, that pleasure or delectation which doth naturally follow the act of generation, which is by God naturally inbred in every living creature, and is not desired merely for its own sake, is no sin at all: even as the delight, which accompanieth eating, and drinking, and sleeping, is not judged unlawful. So therefore it is not only to be granted that marriage is no sin; but he, that is at liberty and free from any vow, and hath not a will to contain himself, shall not acquit himself of a grievous sin, if he seek not a wife: for of such like St. Paul saith, If they do not contain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn: that is, as St. Ambrose interprets it, to be overcome of lust." Thus far Salmeron.

And to the same purpose the learned Chancellor of Paris determines, that, however those meetings, which have no other intention but mere pleasure, cannot be free from some venial offence; yet, that he, who comes to the marriage-bed,* not without a certain renitency and regret of mind, that he cannot live without the use of matrimony, offends not,

Shortly then, howsoever it be difficult, if not altogether impossible, to prescribe fixed limits to all ages and complexions; yet this we may undoubtedly resolve, that we must keep within the bounds of just sobriety, of the health and continued vigour of nature, of our aptitude to God's service, of our alacrity in our vocations; not making appetite our measure, but reason; hating that Messalinelike disposition, which may be wearied, not satisfied; affecting to quench, not to solicit lust; using our pleasure as the traveller doth water, not as the drunkard wine, whereby he is enflamed and enthirsted the more.

[4.] Thus much for the just quantity of our lawful delights: the Manner of our Using them remains.

Whether those of the board, or of the bed, or of the field, one universal rule serves for them all: We may not pursue them, either over-eagerly, or indiscreetly. If we may use them, we may not set our hearts upon them; and, if we give ourselves leave to enjoy them, yet we may not let ourselves loose to their fruition.

(a.) Carelessness is here our best posture: They, that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; they, that have wives, as if they had done; they, that buy, as if they possessed not; they, that use the world, as if they

est: quemadmodum et delectatio, que consequitur edentem, et bibentem, aut somnum capientem, non censetur illicita. Non solùm ergo nuptiæ non sunt peccatum; sed ille, qui esset solutus et liber à voto, nec vellet se continere, crimen non effugeret, si uxorem non quæreret, potiùs quàm uri, i. vinci à libidine, &c. * Non sine renitentia, et dolore quodam animi, quòd sine usu matrimonii vivere non possit, &c.