688 The Honour ofthe MariedClergie. LIB I. St.CT. II. WHere, that all Rcac!~rs may fee how learnedly my wife Adverfarie hath mi1taken me, and htmlelfe; I mu11 tell my O.tedor, That all his tedious difcourfe firs befide theCufhion : Forthus?ewritesofmy Epi1tle (Jo 11 his whole srope 11 11 drjprove thef".gle life of~•tholr~e Pmflsi ana thetei>J to •PP•gheo•r Doflrineinth•tbehaiJ) uponwhtchconcelt, he runnes mtoalarge proofeofthe thong Oblig~tio~ ol '(owes, then;cetlity ?f ~h;ir Obfervatio~? the penaltiand danger ofthetr Vto!.uon, th<; pratfe of V11gmuy, the pof!\bthty of ke~pingit; and upon rh:~very ground butlds bee the tottenng wa1lofhts whole enfumg Con. furation: in fo much,as (pag. q o.) he fayes, That Mariage allti111es,f1JithoHt eontrar} Inj•nflion;was lmf•ll,is not den1ed; norwill it heprovedinh•fte,That Prieftt, or J•eb as hadvowedthecontrary, mightufo thatlihertJ: andrPefaJ not, thll Virgillil) isvlo· lent I] to be impafedo" any, for it CDmmtthhJfreeeleOion; bHt "''""tilt ParP 11 frtt the Tranfgreffion is damnable. Thus he. ' A Now let all indifferent eyes fee, whether the onc;)y drift ofmine Epi1tlebee nor to ju1tifieour Marriage, not toimprove their Singleneffe; ro defend the Jawfulnes ofthe Marriages ofour Cle•gie, not ro ju1ti6e theMarriageolthe J!omifh; roplead for the marriage ofour Ecclefia1tiques nor ofPopifh Votaries. In expretretearms, I dif-avowed it. The intervention ofaVowmakes a new {[are, letllaalpleadfot himfelf. Whatisittome, iftheR•mifh Clergiemay nor beHusbands?or if,according to the French Proverbe, they have aLaw not to marry, and aCu1tome notto live cha1te? Let it be their care whom it concemes; ooely1 C wi!lhave leavetofpeakeforourowne. Neither did I ever derogate ought from (acredVirginity, or!ay it level! (whether abfolurely, or in all drcum1tances) with holyMatrimony; neither did I ever conceiveofan impotlibilir)' ofContinence in (ome perfom: Take away thefethree Grounds, (which I utterlydifclaimebefore God andMen) togetherwith his petulant ll.aylings, and idleExcurfions; and what is becomeoftheVolume of my great Adverfary? Thofe three vaft Paragraphes are fhrunke into fo few !beetsofPaper, that aMoufemay as foone runne away with hisbooke as with his god. My Ma1tersof Don>aJ,If ye be the Superiours,under whofe permiffion this worhy Worke fees the light;for fhame keep up your lavifhUnthrifrs ofgood time,andfend us fuch Amagoni11•, as maynot faine Occalions to empty their Nore-Bookes. One D dalh of a Penne mi~ht thus juflly anfwer rhemo1tpartofhisbloughtyVolurne; wherein, like adrunken Man, he makes afray with his own lhadow, and likean tide Whelpe,runnes away after his own Stem. B11t, that hemay not complaine ro bee can offtoo contenlptnouOy, he !hall receive afaire account ofParticulars. SECT. Ill. T HEThemeofmy Epi1tle is plainly no other, then our marriagecenfured,he anfwers, ofTheirs. I would there were fuch cau(eoffamiliariryand entire· I neife, that what is faid ofone, might agree to both : But theworld knowes weare two. If! fay ourClergy is heartily loyal! to their King; will he flraight rake itoftheirs?If,thatour Clergy iswillingly fubjetl to more then rhe dirtilive Power o( their Soveraigne, will he challenge this to theirs? The very Point which Ipur- . pofely declined, he followes in hot chafe. E<Jenmode,.te Papijlt (theyare the words ofmy Epi!lle) "'ill &rant •ufru, bee•Hfe11ot !J.und o/ V or» not fofmos tbofe o/dG<r· mPnet,pro poffo& nof[e: And yet all my Detetlorsrefutation tlilldtives 3t thefuppoli!ion ofaVow.What h'Vewe to doe with Vorarb? Our Clergie is free,whether asClergie,orasours: Fir1t,as perfons Ecclefia(\icall ( qHiz tiles) For holy OrdeT', whether as orders, or as holy, are no hinderances ofM.arrinooRy, as Cardinal! C•· jet•n truly, and wich him, thewholeSchoole. That whichmay be pretended for Impediment, is either aVow annexed, or an Ecclelia!licallStature. A
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