if he pronounce a speech, another Tully or Demosthenes; as of Herod in the Acts, “the voice of God and not of man:”  if he can make a verse, Homer, Virgil, &c., And then my silly weak patient takes all these eulogiums to himself; if he be a scholar so commended for his much reading, excellent style, method, &c., he will eviscerate himself like a spider, study to death, Laudatas ostendit avis Junonia pennas, peacock-like he will display all his feathers.  If he be a soldier, and so applauded, his valour extolled, though it be impar congressus, as that of Troilus and Achilles, Infelix puer, he will combat with a giant, run first upon a breach, as another [1951]Philippus, he will ride into the thickest of his enemies.  Commend his housekeeping, and he will beggar himself; commend his temperance, he will starve himself.

------“laudataque virtus
Crescit, et immensum gloria calcar habet."[1952]

he is mad, mad, mad, no woe with him:—­impatiens consortis erit, he will over the [1953]Alps to be talked of, or to maintain his credit.  Commend an ambitious man, some proud prince or potentate, si plus aequo laudetur (saith [1954]Erasmus) cristas erigit, exuit hominem, Deum se putat, he sets up his crest, and will be no longer a man but a God.

[1955]  ------“nihil est quod credere de se
Non audet quum laudatur diis aequa potestas."[1956]

How did this work with Alexander, that would needs be Jupiter’s son, and go like Hercules in a lion’s skin?  Domitian a god, [1957](Dominus Deus noster sic fieri jubet,) like the [1958]Persian kings, whose image was adored by all that came into the city of Babylon.  Commodus the emperor was so gulled by his flattering parasites, that he must be called Hercules. [1959]Antonius the Roman would be crowned with ivy, carried in a chariot, and adored for Bacchus.  Cotys, king of Thrace, was married to [1960] Minerva, and sent three several messengers one after another, to see if she were come to his bedchamber.  Such a one was [1961]Jupiter Menecrates, Maximinus, Jovianus, Dioclesianus Herculeus, Sapor the Persian king, brother of the sun and moon, and our modern Turks, that will be gods on earth, kings of kings, God’s shadow, commanders of all that may be commanded, our kings of China and Tartary in this present age.  Such a one was Xerxes, that would whip the sea, fetter Neptune, stulta jactantia, and send a challenge to Mount Athos; and such are many sottish princes, brought into a fool’s paradise by their parasites, ’tis a common humour, incident to all men, when they are in great places, or come to the solstice of honour, have done, or deserved well, to applaud and flatter themselves. Stultitiam suam produnt, &c., (saith [1962]Platerus) your very tradesmen if they be excellent, will crack and brag, and show their folly in excess.  They have good parts, and they know it, you need not tell them of it; out of a conceit of their worth, they go smiling