T'he Epijik Dedicatory. 



Reafons feem to me abfurd^ we being compounded of 

 two Parts, Soul and Body, of which the frji is the 

 better, the latter the worfer -, the great eft Good 7nuft 

 be the beft thing belonging to the better Fart, that is^ 

 Wifdom 'y and the great eft Evil the worft thi?ig i?2ci- 

 dent to the worfer Part (the Body) that is^ Pain. 

 Now, tho' I know not whether tliis Reafon be 

 firm and conclufive, yet I am of accord with 

 ^im, that of all the Evils we are fenfible of in this 

 World it is the foreft, the moft refolute Patience 

 being baffled and proftrated by a fierce and laft- 

 ing Paroxyfm of the Gout, or Stone, or Cholick, 

 and compeird to yield to its furious Infults, and 

 confefs itfelf vanquifh'd, the Soul being unable 

 to divert, or to do any thing elfe but pore upon 

 the Pain j and therefore thofe Stoical Vaunts of 

 their wife Man's being happy mPhalaris^ Bull, 

 I utterly rejecSt and explode, as vain Rhodomon- 

 tades and chimerical Figments, for that there 

 never was fuch a wife Man among them, or in- 

 deed could be ; yet do I not fay that the Patience 

 of a good Man can be fo far conquered by the 

 fliarpeft and fevereft Torments as to be compell'd 

 to deny or blafpheme God or his Religion^ yea, or 

 fo much as to complain of his Injuftice; tho' 

 perchance he may be brought with fob to curfe 

 his Day, yet not curfe his God, as his Wife tempt- 

 ed him to do. 



Now^that the great kydv6^Ti\^ and B^S<l/T^i^, 

 the moft juft Judge and Rewarder, would be 

 pleased fo to qualify and mitigate your Sufferings, 



as 



