VIII. 6.] THE FIRST BOOK. 73 



are letters to be magnified, which as ships pass through 

 the vast seas of time, and make ages so distant to par 

 ticipate of the wisdom, illuminations, and inventions, the 

 one of the other ? Nay further, we see some of the phi 

 losophers which were least divine, and most immersed in 

 the senses, and denied generally the immortality of the 

 soul, yet came to this point, that whatsoever motions the 

 spirit of man could act and perform without the organs of 

 the body, they thought might remain after death ; which 

 were only those of the understanding, and not of the 

 affection; so immortal and incorruptible a thing did 

 knowledge seem unto them to be. But we, that know 

 by divine revelation that not only the understanding but 

 the affections purified, not only the spirit but the body 

 changed, shall be advanced to immortality, do disclaim 

 in these rudiments of the senses. But it must be re 

 membered, both in this last point, and so it may like 

 wise be needful in other places, that in probation of 

 the dignity of knowledge or learning, I did in the be 

 ginning separate divine testimony from human, which 

 method I have pursued, and so handled them both 

 apart. 



7. Nevertheless I do not pretend, and I know it will 

 be impossible for me, by any pleading of mine, to reverse 

 the judgement, either of ^Esop s cock, that preferred the 

 barley-corn before the gem ; or of Midas, that being 

 chosen judge between Apollo, president of the Muses, 

 and Pan, god of the flocks, judged for plenty; or of 

 Paris, that judged for beauty and love against wisdom 

 and power; or of Agrippina, occidat matrem, modo im- 

 peret, that preferred empire with any condition never so 

 detestable ; or of Ulysses, qui vetulam pratulit immort- 

 alitati, being a figure of those which prefer custom and 



