head of an Englishman is not able to invent, nof never was heard of in England before, yea, wher papistry overflowed all. Suffer these books to be read, and they shall soon displace all books of godly learning. For they carrying the will to vanity, and marring good manners, shall easily corrupt the mind with ill opinions, and false judgment in doctrine, first to think ill of all true religion, and at last to think nothing of God himself: one special point that is to be learnt in Italy and Italian books. And that which is most to be lamented, and therefore more needful to be looked to, there be moe of these ungracious books set out in print within these few months than have been seen in England many score years before. And because our Englishmen made Italians cannot hurt but certain persons, and in certain places, therefore these Italian books are made English, to bring mischief enough openly and boldly, to all states, great and mean, young and old, every where.

Then they have in more reverence the triumphs of Petrarch, than the Genesis of Moses; they make more account of Tully's Offices, than of St. Paul's Epistles; of a tale in Boccace, than a story of the Bible. Then they count as fables, the holy mysteries of christian religion. They make Christ and his Gospel only serve civil policy. Then neither religion cometh amiss to them. In time they be

promotors of both openly; in place, again, mockers of both privily, as I wrote once in a rude rhyme:

Now new, now old, now both, now neither;

To serve the world's course, they care not with whether. For where they dare, in company where they like, they boldly laugh to scorn both protestant and papist. They care for no scripture; they make no count of general councils; they contemn the consent of the church; they pass for no doctors; they mock the pope; they rail on Luther; they allow neither side; they like none, but only themselves. The mark they shoot at, the end they look for, the heaven they desire, is only their own present pleasure, and private profit; whereby they plainly declare of whose school, of what religion they be; that is, "Epicures in living and a in doctrine." This last word is no more unknown now to plain Englishmen, than the person was unknown some time in England, until some Englishmen took pains to fetch that devilish opinion out of Italy. These men thus Italianated abroad, cannot abide our godly Italian church at home; they be not of that parish; they be not of that fellowship; they like not that preach-. er; they hear not his sermons, except sometimes for company; they come thither to hear the Italian tongue naturally spoken, not to hear God's doctrinę truly preached.

And yet these men, in matters of divinity, openly

pretend a great knowledge, and have privately to themselves a very compendious understanding of all; which nevertheless they will utter, when and where they list: and that is this: All the mysteries of Moses, the whole law and ceremonies, the psalms and prophets, Christ and his gospel, God and the devil, heaven and hell, faith, conscience, sin, death, and all, they shortly wrap up, they quickly expound, with this one half verse of Horace;

Credat Judaus Apella.

Yet though in Italy they may freely be of no religion, as they are in England in very deed too nevertheless, returning home into England, they must countenance the profession of the one or the other, howsoever inwardly they laugh to scorn both. And though for their private matters, they can follow, fawn, and flatter noble personages, contrary to them in all respects; yet commonly they ally themselves with the worst papists, to whom they be wedded and do well agree together in three proper opinions; in open contempt of God's word, in a secret security of sin, and in a bloody desire to have all taken away by sword or burning, that be not of their faction. They that do read with an indifferent judgment Pighius and Machiavel, two indifferent patriarchs of these two religions, do know full well that I say true.

*

Our Italians bring home with them other faults

from Italy, though not so great as this of religion; yet a great deal greater than many good men can well bear. For commonly they come home, common contemners of marriage, and ready persuaders of all others to the same; not because they love virginity, nor yet because they hate pretty young virgins, but being free in Italy to go whithersoever lust will carry them, they do not like that law and honesty should be such a bar to their liberty at home in England, And yet they be the greatest makers of love, the daily dalliers with such pleasant words, with such smiling and secret countenances, with such signs, tokens, wagers, purposed to be lost be fore they were purposed to be made, with bargains of wearing colours, flowers, and herbs, to breed occasion of after meeting of him and her, and bolder talking of this and that, &c. And although 'I have seen some, innocent of all ill, and staid in all honesty, that have used these things without all harm, without all suspicion of harm; yet these knacks were brought first into England by them, that learned them before in Italy in Circe's court; and how courtly courtesies so ever they be counted now, yet if the meaning and manners of some that do use them were somewhat amended, it were no great hurt, neither to themselves, nor to others.

Another property of these our English Italians is, to be marvellous singular in all their matters; sin

gular in knowledge, ignorant of nothing; so singular in wisdom (in their own opinion) as scarce they count the best councellor the prince hath, comparable with them: common discoursers of all matters, busy searchers of most secret affairs, open flatterers of great men, privy mislikers of good men; fair speakers with smiling countenances, and much courtesy openly to all men; ready backbiters, sore nippers, and spiteful reporters privily of good men. And being brought up in Italy in some free city, as all cities be there; where a man may freely discourse against what he will, against whom he lust, against any prince, against any government, yea, against God himself, and his whole religion; where he must be either Guelph or Gibiline; either French or Spanish; and always compelled to be of some party, of some faction, he shall never be compelled to be of any religion. And if he meddle not over much with Christ's true religion, he shall have free liberty to embrace all religions, and become if he lust, at once, without any let or punishment, Jewish, Turkish, Papish, and Devilish.

A young gentleman thus bred up in this goodly. school, to learn the next and ready way to sin, to have a busy head, a factious heart, a talkative tongue, fed with discoursing of factions, led to contemn God and his religion, shall come home into England but very ill taught, either to be an honest man