392 OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 



abroad, if he directed his speech to them who could 

 best convict him, and disprove him if he said untrue ; 

 so that as Livy saith in the like case, &quot; y^tolos magis, 

 &quot; coram quibus verba facerent, quam ad quos, pensi 

 &quot; habere ;&quot; That the JEtolians, in their tale, did 

 more respect those who did overhear them, than 

 those to whom they directed their speech : so in this 

 manner this fellow cared not to be counted a liar 

 by all English, upon price of deceiving of Spain 

 and Italy ; for it must be understood, that it hath 

 been the general practice of this kind of men many 

 years, of the one side, to abuse the foreign estates, 

 by making them believe that all is out of joint and 

 ruinous here in England, and that there is great 

 part ready to join with the invader ; and on the 

 other side, to make the evil subjects of England 

 believe of great preparations abroad, and in great 

 readiness to be put in act, and so to deceive on both 

 sides : and this I take to be his principal drift. So 

 again, it is an extravagant and incredible conceit, to 

 imagine that all the conclusions and actions of estate 

 which have passed during her majesty s reign, should 

 be ascribed to one counsellor alone ; and to such an 

 one as was never noted for an imperious or over 

 ruling man ; and to say, that though he carried 

 them not by violence, yet he compassed them by 

 device, there is no man of judgment that looketh 

 into the nature of these times, but will easily descry 

 that the wits of these days are too much refined for 

 any man to walk invisible, or to make all the world 

 his instruments ; and therefore, no not in this point 



