BISHOP AYLMER. 9 



toy in a thing so serious with his friend, and with a Chris- CHAP. 



tian, or to give his approbation of that which he did believe __ 



others would dislike. &quot; My mind therefore was,&quot; as he 



wrote to Fox, &quot; in the commendation I gave of your pains, 



&quot; or in that encomiastic epistle, as you were pleased to 



&quot; style my letter, not so much to please you, as to speak 



&quot; truth, and as I really thought of it. Although I confess 



&quot; it the part of a friend, yea of a good man, rather to err 



&quot; on this hand, to attribute a little more to virtue, than on 



&quot; that, to detract one jot from true praise. But besides, I 



&quot; know in part how your own disposition inclines you to 



&quot; think meanly enough, yea perhaps more than enough, of 



&quot; yourself, and of your performances. For as to you, my 



&quot; friend, I had no fear you would begin to be puffed up with 



&quot; other men^s praises of you, especially in this course of 



&quot; your studies ; wherein whatsoever is by you taken in 



&quot; hand, your purpose hath been to render an account not to 



&quot; men, but to God. Take heed rather, lest by this exces- 



&quot; sive, not to say vicious, modesty, you be drawn off* from 



&quot; things that would be of great use to the whole Christian 



&quot; state, and decline doing what you are well able to do, 



&quot; and ought most willingly to set yourself about to do. 



&quot; Compare your own doings with other men s, and see 



&quot; whether you be not rather to be chidden for so much 



&quot; modesty, than for any self-conceit. In this, saith Plu- 



&quot; tarch, lies no small fault, that they that can do best at- 



&quot; tempt least. But so are the dispositions of men, that 



&quot; modesty and the dread of reproof goes with singular and 



&quot; exquisite learning, confidence and rashness with ignorance 



&quot; and unskilfulness. And hence we see it comes to pass, 



&quot; that of the writers in all kinds of literature, the more are 



&quot; and always have been unlearned than truly learned.&quot; 



And then turning his speech to Fox, &quot; Believe me, my 



&quot; friend, I do attribute very much to your merit, and ear- 



&quot; nestly pray to God, that he would daily increase those 



&quot; gifts wherewith he hath enriched you, and to turn them 



&quot; to his glory. And, lastly, I do again counsel you to dis- 



&quot; patch that work which you have in your hands as soon as 



