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THE SECOND BOOKE 153
Si melius quid habes, accerse, vel imperium fer. 1
If you have any better, send for me,
Or else that I bid you, contented be.
Let them either abide the force of our proofes, or
shew us some others, upon some other subject, better
compact and more full. I have in a manner unawares
half engaged my selfe in the second objection, to which
I had purposed to frame an answer for Sebond. Some
say his arguments are weake and simple to verifie what
he would, and undertake to front him easily. Such
fellowes must somewhat more roughly be handled, for
they are more dangerous and more malicious than the
first. Man doth willingly apply other mens sayings
to the advantage of the opinions he hath fore-judged
in himselfe. To an Atheist all writings make for
Atheisme. Ho with his owne venome infecteth the
innocent matter. These have some preoccupation of
judgment that makes their taste wallowish and tastelesse,
to conceive the reasons of Sebond. As for the
rest, they thinke to have faire play offered them if they
have free liberty to combat our religion with meere
worldly weapons ; which they durst not charge, did
they behold her in her majesty, full of authority and
commandement. The meanes I use to suppresse this
frenzy, and which secmeth the fittest for my purpose,
is to crush and trample this humane pride and fiercenesse
under foot, to make them feele the emptinesse,
vacuitie, and no worth of man : and violently to pull
out of their hands the silly weapons of their reason ; to
make them stoope, and bite and snarle at the ground,
under the authority and reverence of God's Majesty.
Onely to her belongeth science and wisdome, it is she
alone can judge of her selfe; and from her we steale
whatsoever we repute, value, and count ourselves
to be.
Of greater, better, wiser minde than lie,
God can abide no mortall man should be.
1 HOR. 1. i. Epist. v. 6.
² Prov. iii. 14; James iv. 6; 1 Pet. v. 5.