him:  he hated his labour, all, as [183]he concludes, is “sorrow, grief, vanity, vexation of spirit.”  And though he were the wisest man in the world, sanctuarium sapientiae, and had wisdom in abundance, he will not vindicate himself, or justify his own actions.  “Surely I am more foolish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man in me,” Prov. xxx. 2.  Be they Solomon’s words, or the words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, they are canonical.  David, a man after God’s own heart, confesseth as much of himself, Psal. xxxvii. 21, 22.  “So foolish was I and ignorant, I was even as a beast before thee.”  And condemns all for fools, Psal. xciii.; xxxii. 9; xlix. 20.  He compares them to “beasts, horses, and mules, in which there is no understanding.”  The apostle Paul accuseth himself in like sort, 2 Cor. ix. 21.  “I would you would suffer a little my foolishness, I speak foolishly.”  “The whole head is sick,” saith Esay, “and the heart is heavy,” cap. i. 5.  And makes lighter of them than of oxen and asses, “the ox knows his owner,” &c.:  read Deut. xxxii. 6; Jer. iv.; Amos, iii. 1; Ephes. v. 6.  “Be not mad, be not deceived, foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” How often are they branded with this epithet of madness and folly?  No word so frequent amongst the fathers of the Church and divines; you may see what an opinion they had of the world, and how they valued men’s actions.

I know that we think far otherwise, and hold them most part wise men that are in authority, princes, magistrates, [184]rich men, they are wise men born, all politicians and statesmen must needs be so, for who dare speak against them?  And on the other, so corrupt is our judgment, we esteem wise and honest men fools.  Which Democritus well signified in an epistle of his to Hippocrates:  [185]the “Abderites account virtue madness,” and so do most men living.  Shall I tell you the reason of it? [186]Fortune and Virtue, Wisdom and Folly, their seconds, upon a time contended in the Olympics; every man thought that Fortune and Folly would have the worst, and pitied their cases; but it fell out otherwise.  Fortune was blind and cared not where she stroke, nor whom, without laws, Audabatarum instar, &c.  Folly, rash and inconsiderate, esteemed as little what she said or did.  Virtue and Wisdom gave [187]place, were hissed out, and exploded by the common people; Folly and Fortune admired, and so are all their followers ever since:  knaves and fools commonly fare and deserve best in worldlings’ eyes and opinions.  Many good men have no better fate in their ages:  Achish, 1 Sam. xxi. 14, held David for a madman. [188]Elisha and the rest were no otherwise esteemed.  David was derided of the common people, Ps. ix. 7, “I am become a monster to many.”  And generally we are accounted fools for Christ, 1 Cor. xiv.  “We fools thought his life madness, and his end without honour,” Wisd. v. 4.  Christ and his Apostles were censured in like sort, John x.; Mark iii.; Acts xxvi.  And so were all Christians