stories of them that fear the Lord, as it was for him to go to bed when a-weary. But we will at this time let these things pass. For as he was in these things bad enough, so he added to these many more the like.

He was an angry, wrathful, envious man, a man that knew not what meekness or gentleness meant; nor did he desire to learn. His natural temper was to be surly, huffy, and rugged, and worse; and he so gave way to his temper, as to this, that it brought him to be furious and outrageous in all things, especially against goodness itself, and against other things too, when he was displeased.

Atten. Solomon saith, "He is a fool that rageth."

Wise. He doth so; and says moreover, "that anger rests in the bosom of fools." And, truly, if it be a sign of a fool to have anger rest in his bosom, then was Mr Badman, notwithstanding the conceit that he had of his own abilities, a fool of no small size.

Atten. Fools are mostly most wise in their own eyes.

Wise. True; but I was a saying, that if it be a sign that a man is a fool, when anger rests in his bosom, then what is it a sign of, think you, when malice and envy rests there? for to my knowledge, Mr Badman was as malicious and as envious a man as commonly you can hear of.

Atten. Certainly malice and envy flow from pride and arrogancy, and they again from ignorance, and ignorance from the devil; and I thought, that since you spake of the pride of Mr Badman before, we should have something of these before we had done.

Wise. Envy flows from ignorance indeed; and this Mr Badman was so envious an one, where he set against, that he would swell with it as a toad, as we say, swells with poison. He whom he maligned, might at any time even read envy in his face, wherever he met with him, or in whatever he had to do with him.

His envy was so rank and strong, that if it at any time turned its head against a man, it would hardly ever be pulled in again: He would watch over that man to do him mischief, as the cat watches over the mouse to destroy it; yea, he would wait seven years, but he would have an opportunity to hurt him, and when he had it, he would make him feel the weight of his envy.

Envy is a devilish thing; the scripture intimates, that none can stand before it: "A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who can stand before envy?"

This envy, for the foulness of it, is reckoned among the foulest villainies that are, as adultery, murder, drunkenness, revellings, witchcrafts, heresies, seditions, &c. Yea, it

is so malignant a corruption, that it rots the very bones of him in whom it dwells; "A sound heart is life to the flesh; but envy the rottenness of the bones."

Atten. This envy is the very father and mother of a great many hideous and prodigious wickednesses; I say, it is the very father and mother of them; it both begets them, and also nourishes them up, till they come to their cursed maturity in the bosom of him that entertains them.

Wise. You have given it a very right description, in calling of it the father and mother of a great many other prodigious wickednesses; for it is so venemous and vile a thing, that it puts the whole course of nature out of order, and makes it fit for nothing but confusion, and a hold for every living thing: "For where envy and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." Wherefore, I say, you have rightly called it, the very father and mother of a great many other sins. And now for our further edification, I will reckon up of some of the births of

envy.

1. Envy, as I told you before, it rotteth the very bones of him that entertains it. And, 2. As you have also hinted, it is heavier than a stone, than sand; yea, and I will add, it falls like a mill-stone upon the head. Therefore,

3. It kills him that throws it, and him at whom it was thrown. "Envy slayeth the

silly one;" that is, him in whom it resides and him who is its object.

4. It was that also that slew Jesus Christ himself; for his adversaries persecuted him through their envy.

5. Envy was that by virtue of which Joseph was sold by his brethren into Egypt.

6. It is envy that hath the hand in making of variance among God's saints.

7. It is envy in the heart of sinners, that stirs them up to thrust God's ministers out of their coasts.

8. What shall I say? It is envy that is the very nursery of whisperings, debates, backbitings, slanders, reproaches, murders, &c.

It is not possible to repeat all the particular fruits of this sinful root. Therefore, it is no marvel that Mr Badman was such an illnatured man; for the great roots of all manner of wickednesses were in him, unmorti fied, unmaimed, untouched.

Atten. But it is a rare case, even this of Mr Badman, that he should never in all his life be touched with remorse for his ill-spent life.

Wise. Remorse! I cannot say he ever had, if by remorse you mean repentance for his evils. Yet twice I remember he was under some trouble of mind about his condition: Once when he broke his leg as he came home drunk from the ale-house; and another time when he fell sick, and thought he should die:

Besides these two times, I do not remembe

any more.

Atten. Did he break his leg then?

Wise. Yes; once as he came home drunk from the ale-house.

Atten. Pray how did he break it?

Wise. Why, upon a time he was at an alehouse, that wicked house about two or three miles from home, and having there drank hard the greatest part of the day, when night was come, he would stay no longer, but calls for his horse, gets up, and like a madman (as drunken persons usually ride) away he goes, as hard as his horse could lay legs to the ground. Thus he rid, till coming to a dirty place, where his horse flouncing in, fell, threw his master, and with his fall broke his leg; so there he lay, But you would not think how he swore at first. But after a while, he coming to himself, and feeling by his pain, and the uselessness of his leg, what case he was in, and also fearing that this bout might be his death; he began to cry out after the manner of such, Lord help me! Lord have mercy upon me! good God deliver me, and the like. So there he lay, till some came by, who took him up, carried him home, where he lay for some time, before he could go abroad again.

Atten And then you say he called upon God.

Wise. He cried out in his pain, and would say, O God! and, O Lord help me! Bug