Whether the hiding of deformities, ·41!d ajfeEtation of comelinejs be L1wjul? 467 M comely and beautiful as they can.? ...tJ,rfw. The prr{o~, and the matte~, and the ~ndan_d ~ea[unt,,_thc l\hy ~~t~~~~-~ principle and the p_robb/e ~confeqzmttJ, .muH ·all~ be: cor.ltdcred ~or tht: nght anfwcrmg ot thts. Q:.!cJr_tot!. ~n~,1 '~1~:l hu~ It is lawful to jome pcrjo1tt, by fume mrc~ns, for fome good E11dJ" and Kea/oni, when a grcart:r Evtl ts p~ul~~? nor like w follow it, to hide tbrir defiwmi_Jiu, and to adorn themfdvcs fo as to fctm more comely rhan tbry are : Bur for oJher1 ptrj~JU, by evil mtam, for evil tmdf and reajim1?. or when it tcndc:th eo evil confcqucnts, it is unlawtul. I· Aperfonchat is nacura_lly very drformt_d, may do rpore ro hide :it by their ornaments, than one thar hath no fuch deformuy m1y do eo~ ieun more com~ly : B~- CJufe one arpireth nO higher tiun W feem foinewhat like Other perfonS; but tlte other afpireth W fecm cxccllcxt abo'Ve others. And a pcrfon that is under Guvcrmnent may do more in obedience w their Governour.s, than another may do that is at their own choice. 2 . If the .,,z,utcr of their or 4 uamcnt be but modell dccci1t clothmg, and nor immoddt, infolcnr, l.uxmious. vain or againli N.J~ ~~trr or tht: Law Of God or man, it is in that rcfpeCt allowable: B.ut fa is no covtr of defOrmity by unl;rvful mtan!· 3• It m1y be IJwful, if alfo it be ro ~ l.uvful. c1~d, as ro o~e)! a Govcrnour, or only to cover a deforrniLy, fo as not tmncccffttrily to n..veal H : But It ts alway hntul, when the end is finfit!. As I· If it be to feern cxwaordiuary btautifitl or cumely, when you arc nor fo; or if it be to be La.:rti:ts faiti 1, obferved and admired by beholders. z, If it be to tempt {he beholders minds to luftful or undue th3t when. :J.tfdtions~ a..If ·ir be to de~tive the mind of Come one.tlllt you J~G~e ~n mn.riJge ~· For in that ~r~~~ ~;~~~~ cJ.lC, eo fcem b)' fuch ditfe-mbhng tb be what you are n.ut, IS the moll mJunous ktnd of chear, much m:nu 31~d worfc: than to {dl a Horfe that is blind or lame for a{ound one. 4· If it be ro follow the j:Jjhio 1 u of ~iory 011 his proud GaU11xts, thar you may not be !corned by them as not neat enough; all rhefe arc unlawful cnd 1 Th,on:, he and rtaforu. 4• So alfo the Principii! or Mind that it cometh.from, may make it iinful: As I· If ic ~h·J Sr;to~·· c__ome from~ Juj~ful WaJit01J p~ind. 2 •. Q[ if it .co~e from an OVergrtat .regard. of .the ~piu.ion of fpe- u~\u~:~ c [~~~ crawrs; wb1ch IS the proper complexion ofPrtde=-: A perfon that doth tt not m pr~de, IS not very foli· fiJculu~n v1~ cZ.t!lUS about it : nor makes no great matter of ir whether men rake him to be comel,y or ttncomdy ; J7.'!t ~ Illm~1r;; and rherHore h.e is at no great Cfljt or care to (eem comely to them. If Cuch pcrfOns be deformed, rlt~~lf: G~.Jos they know it is Gods work, and not their ~i~1; and it .isji~, that is the true caute of fhame: And all ~~1li.~~~~~-~.Gods works are good, and for our good tt we arc hts ch1ldren: They know that God cloth it to .,. 011~5 : Natu• kctp them humble, and prevent (hat pride, ·and lttjf, and wantonnefs which is the undoing of many : r~li enim eos 'and therefore they will rafher be careful to improve it, and get the benetir, than eo hide ir, and feem n~r~tc & f~~~ comelier than they are. 5: AHO r~~ cvh[tqumtJ concur much to make the action gutd or bad: ~,~,~~~:~~~i~;.~Though that b~ no~ your wd, yec t~ou ~ay fore{u, that &rea~er hmt th.an g?od will rollow, or is lik.! w follow, 1t wJil be your fin .As r. It 1t tend to the cntnanng of the mmds of the beholders in procaciouslufiful wamon ·pafiions, though you fay, you intend it not, ic is your fin, that )'Ou du tbat which probably will procure: ir, yea, that you did not your bdl to avoid ir. Al1d rhough it be their tin and vanity that is ti'le caufe, iris m:ver the lefs yo;.,r {in to be the HJtHccrff.~ry occ;fio,L : For you mull confider thu yoU Ji~c among difoa((!d fouls ! And y~u mufi not lay a Humbling·block in thdr way, nqr blow up the hre of thel.r 'lltfi, uor make your onnments chcir fnarls; bur you mult walk among finful ·petfOns as. you would db with a Candle amont;H Straw or Gunpowdtr ; or cl!i: you may ftc che fhrne whlah you would nor forefee, when it is too late to quench it. But a proud and ptocacio:eJ lt!Jfful mind ..is fo Very willing to be.: loved, and thought highly of, and adtnircd aud defired, that no fear ofGod; or of the fin and mifery of themfe!ves or others will fltistie them, or take them off. z, Alfo it is finful tO adorn your fclv:s in fuch fafhi.ons, ::is prob.1bl)' will encourage pride and var.ity in others, or {eem to approve of it. when any faOtion is the Cl)lnrnon b.Jdge of the proud and vain fort of perfons of that timeJ.nd place, it is iinful unnccdf.:rily to conform youi fclvts to.the.m; bec1ufc you will harden them in thtir Jin, and you joyn your fdvcs to rhcm as one of them by a kind cf prnfrffion. f.'-s when [puttedfa~ei ~ a name that ~ormer Ages underfiood noc) or nak,sd brtajts, or fuch uthl!r faCh1ons, afC ufed ordmanly by the v.HJJ, and br.tin·fick , and bcartfick.. , proud and wanton party, ir is a lin ( unm:cetT:uily) to' ufe them: For r. You will hinder tbdr Repemance: 2· And yOu Will hinder the great Benefit whic:h the world m1y get, by their vain attire: t'or (tho_u~h it be no t.hanks eo rh~m that intend it nor,) yet ~t is a very gre:H commodity thac comcth to rnankmd by thefe peoples fin: that fool-s fhould go about m fol)!!·cu.:zu, and that empty brains, and proud and rva'ntOJZ hearts (hould be fo op~nly detected in tht: Sttcets and Church{s : rhat tQbq· people may avoid them; and tlu.t wife, andchafie, and civil people may not be deceiVed b{ (uch in mJ.rriagc to thdr undoing: ·As the ditferent ~lathing Of the different Sexes is nccdfuy wCh:Jj1ity and Otdcr.; fo it is a matter of great convenience in a Commonwealth, that Sou, and Swaggerel'J) and Pbo:~ netickf, and Ideou, and pr-oud, and wanton lz~;iful pcrfons !hould be openly dillinguifhed from o~hers : As in a ~ague-time rhe door; of infected houfes are muked with a [ Lord b.Jvc mercy on m J; And the wifcli Magifir::1te knew nor how to have accompliChed this himfdf by a La"\ as rhe wn::rche;;; t.hemfclves do by their voluntary cb"ice: For if it were not voluiltary, it would b.: no ditiio"uifhitF" h1dge of their pro~Cffion. ~ow tor a~y hon.dl civil ·people to joyn with th1.m a~d take •:p ~heir :/~ very, 3od the habJt of then Order, IS to·profcfs thernfelvcs fuchas they, and fo eo <.ncoura{;C ;m,J approve them, or elfe to confound the proud and humble) the vain·and[obcr, the TP.Jnton and the cb.J 1 ic and de!tray the bcnetit of dijfintli!Jn, ' ~Y. thi_s you may fee, that it is.not fo rn.uch the b~re fajhion it {elf that is to be regarded, as tl:c fiJ~~'ficatlon and the confequems of Jt. .Th.: fame fajh~un ~vhen ufe~ by fober perwns, to b~rcer jiguifi. catturt and confoquenu may be lawful, wh1ch otherw1fe IS ur.bw!ul. Therefore thoG: f4hi ftJ th; 1 t can hardly ever be fuppofed to have a good fig"ifiwion and c"tfq"CJ:tf, arc hlrdly ever w be lup– pofcd I.wiul.
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