John Manningham

“ At night there were bonfires and ringing of bells, but "no tumult, no contradiction, no disorder in the city; every man went about his business as readily, as peaceably, as securely, as though there had been no change nor any news of competitors." The quickness and unanimity of the council, combined with the popular feeling in favour of King James, fixed him at once in the new dignity. ”

“ The anticipations which the people framed for themselves from the change of sex in their new governor, from the change of age, and from the ambition which they imagined would be developed in him by his transference from a small rough unsettled country to one which by forty years of steady government had acquired a unity, a solidity, a definite and noble position among the nations of the world, of which all true Englishmen were proud, have no where been brought so clearly before us, as in the pages of our Diarist. ”

“ Good things which were current in the classical period are here re-invented, or warmed up, for the amusement of the contemporaries of King James. And the same thing occurs over and over again, from generation to generation. ”

“ The Camden Council have lost a distinguished member, and many persons a singularly warm-hearted and unselfish friend. He was indeed one of those attractive characters who carry into old age the fervour and generosity of early life. ”

“ Murder an auncient synn, the first open offence after the fall that was committed in the world. Here a notable pollicy of the diuel to have dammed up Gods glory and mans relligion, both at once.
Noe murderer at this day but is guilty of this murder of Kain, and all since, since iniquity is sayd to be a measure which every synner in his kinde by adding his synne striues to make full, and soe assents to all before acted, like a conjuror that subscribes with his bloud. ”

“ The proverbe is that building is a theife, because it makes us lay out more money then wee thought on; but pride is a theife and a whore too, for it robbes the maister of his wealth, and the mistress of her honesty. ”

“ Notices of personal peculiarities are so singularly evanescent, they live so entirely in the observation and memory of contemporaries, that it is a biographical gain to have them recorded in any shape. ”

“ The people is full of expectation, and great with hope of our new King's worthiness, of our nation's future greatness; every one promises himself a share in some famous action to be hereafter [Pg xv] performed for his prince or country. ”

“ But in this age lett a preacher be as aunciently discended and of as good a parentage, bee as well qualified, as soundly learned, of as comely personage, as sweete a conversation, have a mother witt, and perhaps a fathers blessing to, lett him be equall in all the giftes and ornamentes of nature, art, and fortune to a man of an other profession, yet he shall be scorned, derided, and pointed at like a bird of diuers strange colours, and all because he beares the name of a preacher. ”

“ The sea can brooke noe carcasses, nor hir Majesties thoughts admit of castaways.
The fig-tree never bare fruit after it was blasted by the breath of Christ; noe plant can prosper that never feeles the comfort of the same; soe, &c.
In this the difference, Adam dyed because he eat of it (i. e. the tree of lyfe) , but I shall dye before I looke on it.
Manie find frends to couer faults; my cloke is innocency. An eye may be cleare enough yet not discerne without your light; a course may be direct yet endles without your clewe. ”

“ Our happiness is to be reunited to God, from whom we were fallen by our first fathers synn; for as it is the perfection of a branche that is broken of to be ingrafted againe that it may growe with the body, soe is it the felicitie of man to be vnited to his Creator. And in this vnion, as well as God must be partaker of man, soe must man be made partaker of God, otherwise there can arise noe vnion: the former was effected by Christ's incarnacion, and the second is perfected by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, whoe is as it were the connexion and loue knot of the deitie. ”

“ That paynting is lawefull. Fowlenes is loathesome; can it be soe that helpes it? What thou lovest most in hir face is colour, and this painting gives that; but thou hatest it, not because it is, but because thou knowest it is. Foole, whom ignorance only maketh happie. Love hir whoe shewes greate love to the by taking this paynes to seeme lovely to thee.
Hee that weepeth is most wise. Wee come first unwitting, weeping and crying, into a world of woe, and shall wee not weepe and cry when wee knowe it? ”

“ There never lived a man in whose heart of hearts there dwelt a deeper scorn of everything untruthful, disingenuous, or mean, or who was more distinguished by a total abandonment of all selfish interests. ”

“ Among the younger men we may notice Sir Benjamin Rudyerd, the future Lord Chief Justice Bramston, and the man who in the coming stormy times was for a period more prominent than them all, the statesman Pym. It will be seen in a note at p. 104, that the publication of this volume has given an opportunity for the settlement of the question, whether Pym had what may be termed a regular legal education, which his biographers have left in doubt. The Middle Temple has clearly the high honour of reckoning him upon their roll. ”

“ The word signified a kinde of force, as though he had pulled him out; here is Lottes commendacion that he liued amongst the wicked, and was not infected with them; bonum esse cum bonis non admodum laudabile; nihil est in Asia non fuisse, sed in Asia continenter vixisse, eximium. Soe was Abraham in Chaldea, Moses in the Court of Pharao, and yet noe partakers of the synnes of those places, "vexed with the uncleane conversacion." Non veniat anima mea in consilium eorum! The justice of Lott was professed enmity with the wicked. ”

“ Peccare non potest nisi superbus, nec penitere nisi humilis. He first dilated of three meanes to knowe God; by his greatnes, by the prophets in the old, by his sonne in the newe Testament. Against pride in beauty; the diuel playes the sophister whiles he perswades women to paint that they may seeme fayrer than they are; which painting being discovered, makes them to be thought fouler than they are. ”

“ The applicacion of our syn to him is but a mere imputacion, but his merits, beside an imputacion, worke in us alsoe an inherent righteousnes. For applicacion; the commaundments are given in the second person; and the bible written in fashion of a story, not precepts and rules, because it is more for practise then speculacion, and God would have us rather good Christians then good schollers. Without particular applicacion all is nothinge but like the rude chaos, for before the incubacion of the Spirit of God, there was noe separacion, noe vilificacion, noe animacion. ”

“ When man had entered into covenant with God, and by breaking of it became soe farre his debtor that he had forfayted body and soule for his synn, God dealt mercifully with him, and tooke a sacrifice of some living beast as a bond which deferred, not satisfied, the debt, and this to continue till Christs comming, whose death should be a discharge of that obligacion, and the whole debt alsoe for soe manie as could obtaine Christs favour. ”

“ Relligion is one, though questions be infinit, fo. 104b.yet all must be determined per unum verbum domini scriptum. Verbum indicabit, all must be resolved per primam veritatem. Our soule can never be quiet till it be resolved by the word of God. Neither can wee have any perfection till wee have a seed of God.
Some have gone about to shewe the truth of relligion by casting out divels. David must come out with his two stones, the Old and the Newe Testament, before Goliah can be slayne.
He would not speake against the good use of riches. ”

“ I take noe care to gett, my wealth was left me,
I reape the harvest of what'ere I sowe,
I stur not muche abroade, home best befits me,
I ne're received wronge, nor none I owe.
I travaile not in publique busines,
Nor ought's within my charge but myne owne soule,
My body's healthfull, fitt for exercise,
Myselfe enioys myselfe without controule.
I have a harmeles thought, an æqual friend,
My clothes are easy, and my face wants art,
I greive not when I rest, nor doe I spend
More tyme in sleepe then nature can impart. ”

“ Ego reficiam. "Come unto me;" God thy father hath given all power in heaven and earth unto Christ; therefore in our prayers to obtaine any thing wee must goe unto him, and in him wee may be sure to obteine: for this is hee in whom the father is well pleased. He consider [ed] the subject, "All yee," &c. the invitacion "Come unto me," and the promise, "I will ease you." "All yee" is heere specially limited to those that labour and are laden, which are [have?] greate synnes and feele the waight of them. Noe synn soe dangerous to men, soe odious in the sight of God, as contempt of synn. ”

“ God deales as the debtor which tenders his money till sunne goe downe. When night is come, up goes his money and a fig for his creditor. Yf men take not tyme while grace is offered, but delay till the sunne of grace be gonne downe, there remaines nothing but horrible desperat reprobacion. A vagabond; an excommunicate person is a vagabond, turned out of the society of Gods Churche both here in earth, and in heaven too, yf it were done by the Spirit of Christ; and therefore lett not men soe lightly esteeme of this greate censure, nor thinke to excuse themselves by fo. ”

“ An high calling is noe priviledge for an impious action.
All our new corne comes out of old feilds, and all our newe learning is gathered out of old bookes. (Chaucer.)
Words spoken without consideracion are like a messenger without an errand.
Our owne righteousnes at the best is but like a beggars cloke, the substance old and rotten, and the best but patches. ”

“ A riche man, though he be riche, yet he must dye; for he is but a man. God would have some riche, some poore, for distinction sake, and the mutuall exercise of liberality and patience, whereby the opinion of the Anabaptists is easily confuted, whoe would have all things alike common; admirabilis concatenatio in the order of things and states. God made noe miraculous provision for his disciples, therefore there ought to be an ordinary provision for the ministery. As the people love the ministers for their spirituall blessings, soe the ministers love the people for their temporall commodities. ”

“ Fac hoc, sayth God to man, this is the lawe to be observed by man, et vives, and I will give thee lyfe; trust me with that. But the gospell, the Newe Testament, is a covenant absolute, like that "I have made a covenant with myne eyes," and that "I have made a covenant with David that I will not fayle:" a promise on Gods part onely, like a testament in this, that it is a free donacion without condicion precedent, all meerely of grace and favour from God. Noe merit from us. When he assended he gave gifts unto men. ”

“ If a citizen of Rome made him selfe a citizen of anie other place, he lost his priviledge at Rome; yf a man wilbe a citizen of this world, he cannot be a citizen of heaven.
Ambitious men are like little children which take great paynes in runninge vp and downe to catch butterflyes, which are nothing but painted winges, and either perishe in takinge or fly away from them.
Covetous man like a child, which cryes more for the losse of a trifle then his inheritance; he laments more for losse of wealth then soule.
A covetous man proud of his riches is like a theife that is proud of his halter. ”

“ Good things though common are not to be contemned for their commonness, noe more then the sunne, the light, the ayre, &c.
The vsuror sometymes looseth both his principall and interest, the husbandman his labour and his seede, the merchant aduentures lyfe and goods; but the profession of the preacher is subiect to greater then all these, for he may loose both his owne and the peoples soules.
It is one of the most heauie judgments that God useth to threaten to anie nation with whom he is displeased, that he will remoue their candlesticke and send a famine of the word amongst them. ”

“ The first newes of Christs birth was brought but to a company of silly shepheards, from them to a poore city, Bethleem, from thence to Jerusalem, and soe by calculacion it was neere two yeares before it came to the Kings eare.
There are two Kingdomes in this world, a temporall and a spirituall or mysticall, eache needing other. Where the rich feeling their poverty in spirituell, come to the minister to be furnished in that commodity, and the minister feeling his wants in the riches of this lyfe, followeth great men, to be relieved in that necessity. ”

“ He would not have his glory upon earth: he would never suffer himselfe to be called God upon earth, nor suffer his miracles to be blazoned, he would have his fame spread by the inward persuasion of the spirit not the outward applause of the mouth. ”

“ The fyre from Heaven which consumed the sacrifices in the old lawe was preserved by continuall addicion of fuell, soe the heauenly virtue of Chrystian charitie being kindled in the hart of man, must be preserved by continuall meditacions on the word of God. Yf any should aske why it was commaunded in Leviticus that the people should offer primitias and in Exodus that they should alsoe give decimas, I should make no other answer, but that wee should not onely remember our Creator in the days of our youth, but alsoe serue him in holines and righteousnes all the dayes of our lyfe. ”

“ Christ was like Adam in his preheminence, in being the cheife and having goverment over all creature [s] . But yet unlike in this that Adam was the cause of death, but Christ is the cause of lyfe unto all that beleeve in him. There is a tyme for all to dye: and this act of dying is done by us, and upon us. It is a sentence which comprehendeth all, though all apprehend not it. Adam was one before all, one ouer all, and all in one, by whose synn all taynted; soe Christ, by whom all saved. 1 Tim. ii. 4. Man is the principall cause in the course of generacion, but woman was in the fall of Adam. ”