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THE SECOND BOOKE 141
with a booke entituled Tkeologia naturalis; sive liber
creaturarum magistri Raimondi de Sebonde. And for
so much as the Italian and Spanish tongues were very
familiar unto him, and that the book was written in
a kinde of latinized Spanish, whereof divers words had
Latine terminations; he hoped that with little aid he
might reape no small profit by it, and commended the
same very much unto him, as a booke most profitable,
and fitting the dayes in which he gave it him. It was
even at what time the new fangles of Luther began
to creepe in favour, and in many places to shake the
foundation of our ancient beleefe. Wherein he seemed
to be well advised, as he who by discourse of reason
fore-saw that this budding disease would easily turne
to an execrable Atheisme: For the vulgar wanting
the faculty to judge of things by themselves, suffering
it selfe to be carried away by fortune and led on by
outward apparances, if once it be possessed with the
boldnesse to despise and malapertnesse to impugne
the opinions which tofore it held in awfull reverence
(as are those wherein consisteth their salvation) and
that some articles of their religion be made doubtfull
and questionable, they will soon and easily admit an
equal uncertainty in all other parts of their beleefe,
as they that had no other grounded authoritie or
foundation but such as are now shaken and weakned,
and immediately reject (as a tyrannical yoke) all impressions
they had in former times received by the
authoritie of Lawes, or reverence of ancient custome.
Nam cupidt conculcatur nimis ante metutum. 1
That which wo fear'd before too much,
We gladly scorne when tis not such.
Undertaking thenceforward to allow of nothing, except
they have first given their voice and particular consent
to the same. My father, a few daies before his death,
lighting by chance upon this booke, which before he
had neglected, amongst other writings commanded
¹ LUCR. 1. v. 1150.