A01956:1229
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations upon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrews : together with certain other meditations and discourses upon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles whereof immediately precede the book : being the sum of diverse sermons preached in S. Gregory's London / by Thomas Adams ...The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations vpon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrewes : together with certain other meditations and discourses vpon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles wherof immediately precede the booke : being the summe of diuerse sermons preached in S. Gregories London / by Thomas Adams ...
London: printed by G.P. for John Grismand, 1619London: printed by G.P. for Iohn Grismand, 1619
THE FOOL And His Sport. › Fools.THE FOOLE And His Sport. › Fooles.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. The Glad fool, I might say the Mad fool, is the dissolute; who rather then he will want sport, makes goodness it self his Minstrel. His mirth is to fully every virtue with some slander; & with a •est to laugh it out of fashion. His usual discourse is filled up with ⟨p. 78⟩boasting Parentheses of his old sins: and though he cannot make himself merry with their act, he will with their report; as if he roved at this mark, to make himself worse then he is. If repentance do but proffer him her service, he kicks her out of doors: his mind is perpetually drunk; and his body lightly dies, like Anacreon, with a grape in his throat. He is stung of that serpent, whereof he dies laughing.
2. The Glad foole, I might say the Mad foole, is the dissolute; who rather then he will want sport, makes goodnesse it selfe his Minstrell. His mirth is to fullie euery vertue with some slander; & with a •est to laugh it out of fashion. His vsuall discourse is filled vp with ⟨p. 78⟩boasting Parentheses of his old sinnes: and though he cannot make himselfe merry with their act, hee will with their report; as if he roued at this marke, to make himselfe worse then he is. If repentance doe but proffer him her seruice, he kickes her out of dores: his minde is perpetually drunke; and his bodie lightly dies, like Anacreon, with a grape in his throat. He is stung of that serpent, whereof he dies laughing.
3. The Haughty fool is the ambitious: who is ever climbing high Towers, and never forecasteth how to come down. Up he will, though he fall down headlong. He is weary of peace in the Country, and therefore comes to seek trouble at Court: where he haunts great men, as his great spirit haunts him. When he receives many disappointments, he flatters himself still with success. His own fancy persuades him, as men do fools, to shoot away another arrow, thereby to find the first: so he looseth both. And lastly, because his pride will admit of no other punisher, he becomes his own torment: and having at first lost his honesty, he will now also loose his wits; so truly becomes a fool.