THE WISDOM QF THE ANCIENTS. 21 



tion, which may serve to restrain men s reasons and 

 judgements with reins of sobriety, from boasting and 

 glorying in their gifts ; for there seems to be a two 

 fold harmony or music, the one of divine Providence, 

 and the other of human reason. Now to the ears of 

 mortals, that is to human judgement, the administra 

 tion of the world and creatures therein, and the more 

 secret j udgements of God, sound very hard and harsh ; 

 which folly, albeit it be well set out with asses ears, 

 yet notwithstanding these ears are secret, and do not 

 openly appear ; neither is it perceived or noted as a 

 deformity by the vulgar. 



Lastly, it is not to be wondered at, that there is 

 nothing attributed unto Pan concerning loves, but 

 only of his marriage with Echo ; for the world or 

 nature doth enjoy itself, and in itself all things else. 

 Now he that loves would enjoy something, but where 

 there is enough there is no place left to desire ; there 

 fore there can be no wanting love in Pan, or the 

 world, nor desire to obtain any thing, seeing he is 

 contented with himself, but only speeches, which, 

 if plain, may be intimated by the nymph Echo, or, if 

 more quaint, by Syrinx. It is an excellent invention 

 that Pan, or the world, is said to make choice of 

 Echo only, above all other speeches or voices, for his 

 wife ; for that alone is true philosophy which doth 

 faithfully, render the very words of the world ; and it 

 is written no otherwise than the world doth dictate, 

 it being nothing else but the image or reflection of 

 it, not adding any thing of its own, but only iterates 

 and resounds. It belongs also to the sufficiency or 



