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THE SECOND BOOKE 435
game as your fellow: provided you affront not the
apparant and plain principles. And therefore (according
to my humour) in publike affaires there is no course
so bad (so age and constancie be joyned urfto it) that is
not better then change and alteration. Our manners
are exceedingly corrupted, and with a marvellous inclination
bend towards worse and worse. Of our lawes and
customes many are barbarous, and divers monstrous;
notwithstanding, by reason of the difficultie to reduce
us to better estate, and of the danger of this subversion,
if I could fixe a pegge into our wheel and stay it where*
it now is, I would willingly doe it.
—— nunquam adeofcedis adeOque pudendis
Utimur cxcmplis, ut non pewra supei sint, 1
Examples of so filthy shamefull kinde
We never use, but worse remames behind.
Instabilitie is the worst I find in our state, and that our
lawes, no more than our garments, can take no setled
forme. It is an easie matter to accuse a state of imperfection,
since all mortall things are full of it. As easie
is it to beget in a people a contempt of his ancient
observances: No man ever undertooke it, but came to
an end: But to establish a better state in place of that
which is condemned and raced out, divers who have
attempted it have shronk under the burthen. Touching
my conduct, my wisdome hath small share therein.
I am very easily to be directed by the worlds publike
order. Oh happy people that doth what is commanded,
better then they which command, without vexing themselves
about causes; which suffer themselves gently to
be rowled on,, according to the heavens rowling. Obedience
is never pure and quiet in him who talketh,
pleadeth, and contendeth. In some (to returne to my
selfe) the only matter for which I make some accompt
of my selfe is that wherein never man did thinke himselfe
defective. My commendation is vulgar, common,
and popular; for who ever thought he wanted wit ? It
were a proposition which in it selfe would imply
1 Juv. Sat. viii. 183.