band of unity. The quarrels and divisions about religion were evils unknown to the heathen. The reason was, because the religion of the heathen consisted rather in rites and ceremonies than in any constant belief: for you may imagine what kind of faith theirs was, when the chief Doctors 2 and Fathers of their church were the poets. But the true God hath this attribute, that he is a jealous God; and therefore his worship and religion will endure no mixture nor partner. We shall therefore speak a few words concerning the unity of the church: what are the fruits thereof; what the bounds; and what the means.

The fruits of unity (next unto the well pleasing of God, which is all in all) are two: the one, towards those that are without the church, the other, towards those that are within. For the former: it is certain that heresies and schisms are of all others the greatest scandals; yea, more than corruption of manners. For as in the natural body a wound or solution of continuity is worse than a corrupt humour, so in the spiritual. So that nothing doth so much keep men out of the church, and drive men out of the church, as breach of unity; and, therefore, whensoever it cometh to pass that one saith, ecce in deserto, another saith, ecce in penetralibus ;5

1 The true band of unity] Lat. Veræ unitatis et charitatis vinculis. 2 Doctors] Teachers.

3 He is a jealous God, &c.] Exod. xx. 5; Isai. xlii. 8, I am the Lord that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another.'

4 Of all others the greatest] So in the Advancement, Bk. I., and also in Shakspeare's Mids. N. Dream, v. I, we have 'The greatest error of all the rest.' In such expressions of does not mean out of, but as compared with; so that Milton's well-known comparison between our first parents and their descendants, Adam, the goodliest man of men since born,' &c. (P. L. iv. 323), does not involve so great a licence of speech as has often been supposed.

5 Ecce in deserto, &c.] Matt. xxiv. 26, 'If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert: go not forth; Behold, he is in the secret chambers believe it not.' Bacon quoted from the Vulgate.

that is, when some men seek Christ in the conventicles of heretics, and others in an outward face of a church, that voice had need continually to sound in men's ears, nolite exire, go not out. The doctor of the Gentiles1 (the propriety of whose vocation drew him to have a special care of those without)2 saith, If an heathen come in, and hear you speak with several tongues, will he not say that you are mad? 3 And certainly it is little better, when atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion: it doth avert them from the church, and maketh them to sit down in the chair of the scorners.1 4 It is but a light thing to be vouched in so serious a matter, but yet it expresseth well the deformity: there is a master of scoffing,7 that, in his catalogue of books of a feigned library, sets down this title of a book, The Morris Dance of Heretics.8

1 The doctor of the Gentiles] St. Paul.-1 Tim. ii. 7, 'A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.' See also 2 Tim. i. II.

2 The propriety, &c.] The special nature, &c. Gal. ii. 7, 'The gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter.'

3

If an heathen come in, &c.] I Cor. xiv. 23, 'If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?'

4 To sit down, &c.] Ps. i., 'Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 5 It is but a light thing] Viz. the circumstance he is about to mention respecting the title of a book. Compare the beginning of the 12th Essay.

6 To be vouched] To be referred to. Lat. Ut citetur.

"A master of scoffing] Rabelais, the most distinguished of French humorists.

1483-1553.

8 The Morris-dance of Heretics] The reference is to the catalogue of the books of the library of St. Victor, in Rabelais' satirical romance of Pantagruel, ii. 7. In the name Morris-dance, as in Morris-pike, the word Morris is a corruption of Moorish. The Morris, or Morisco, dance was characterised by ludicrous postures and extravagant gesticulations. In Shakspeare's 2 Hen. VI. iii. 1, York says, 'I have seen him caper upright like a wild Morisco.'

For, indeed, every sect of them hath a diverse posture, or cringe,' by themselves, which cannot but move derision in worldlings and depraved politics,2 who are apt to contemn holy things.

As for the fruit towards those that are within: it is peace; which containeth infinite blessings: It establisheth faith; it kindleth charity. The outward peace of the church distilleth into peace of conscience; and it turneth the labours of writing and reading of controversies into treatises of mortification and devotion.

Concerning the bounds of unity: the true placing of them importeth exceedingly.3 There appear to be two extremes. For to certain zealants all speech of pacification is odious. Is it peace, Fehu?— What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.5 Peace is not the matter, but following and party. Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans and lukewarm persons think they may accommodate points of religion by middle ways, and taking part of both, and witty7 reconcilements; as if they would make an arbitrement between God and man. Both these extremes are to be avoided; which will be done, if the league of Christians, penned by our Saviour himself, were, in the two cross clauses thereof, soundly and plainly expounded: He that is not with us is against us; and again, He that is not against us is with us;8 that is, if the points fundamental and of substance9 in

1 Cringe] Lat. Gestûs deformitatem.

2 Depraved politics] Depraved politicians, or men of depraved policy. Lat. politici degeneres.

3

Importeth exceedingly] Is exceedingly important.

▲ Zealants] Zealots.

5 Is it peace, &c.] 2 Kings ix. 18.

Laodiceans, &c.] See Rev. iii. 14-16.

Witty] Ingenious.

8 He that is not, &c.] Matt. xii. 30, 'He that is not with me is against me.' Luke ix. 50, 'He that is not against us is for us.'

Of substance] Essential.

religion, were truly discerned and distinguished from points not merely of faith,1 but of opinion, order, or good intention. This is a thing may seem to many a matter trivial, and done already ; but if it were done less partially, it would be embraced more generally.

Of this I may give only this advice, according to my small model: 5 Men ought to take heed of rending God's church by two kinds of controversies. The one is, when the matter of the point controverted is too small and light, not worth the heat and strife about it, kindled only by contradiction; for, as it is noted by one of the Fathers, Christ's coat indeed had no seam, but the church's vesture was of divers colours; whereupon he saith, in veste varietas sit, scissura non sit;7

6

1 Not merely of faith] Which are not purely of faith. Compare the Advancement, II. 'Of the fundamental points, our Saviour penneth the league thus: He that is not with us is against us; but of points not fundamental, thus: He that is not against us is with us.'

2 May seem] That may seem. The suppression of a relative subject is not now approved. In Bacon and Shakspeare it is very common. 3 Done already] Lat. In quo quis actum agat, that is, in which one would take needless pains.

• Less partially] Lat. Minore partium studio.

5 Model] Measure or capacity. Lat. Captûs.

As it is noted, &c.] The Father here referrred to is St. Bernard, Ad Guillel. Abbat. Apologia: And thus it will be thought that there is no peace, no agreement whatever, in the Church as a whole, which indeed is diversified by so many dissimilar observances, as being that queen which in the Psalm (xlv.) is said to be wrapped round with varieties.' (Circumamicta varietatibus is the expression of St. Bernard, and also that in the Vulgate. The Psalter, ver. 10, has 'The queen in a vesture of gold wrought about with divers colours.) Farther on St. Bernard says, 'Christ left, as a token of inheritance to His Church, His own coat, namely the coat of many threads, without seam, woven from the top throughout.' See John xix. 23. Compare the Advancement, II. 'We see the coat of our Saviour was entire without seam, and so is the doctrine of the Scriptures in itself; but the garment of the Church was of diverse colours, and yet not divided.'

1 In veste varietas, &c.] In the vesture there may be various colours, but let there be no rending of it. Bacon often quoted this sentiment.

they be two things,' unity and uniformity. The other is, when the matter of the point controverted is great, but it is driven to an over great subtility and obscurity, so that it becometh a thing rather ingenious than substantial. A man that is of judgment and understanding shall sometimes hear ignorant men differ, and know well within himself, that those which so differ mean one thing, and yet they themselves would never agree. And if it come so to pass in that distance of judgment 2 which is between man and man, shall we not think that God above, that knows the heart, doth not discern3 that frail men, in some of their contradictions, intend the same thing, and accepteth of both? The nature of such controversies is excellently expressed by St. Paul, in the warning and precept that he giveth concerning the same, Devita profanas vocum novitates, et opposi tiones falsi nominis scientia. Men create oppositions which are not, and put them into new terms so fixed, as whereas the meaning ought to govern the term, the term in effect governeth the meaning.5 There be also two false peaces, or unities: the one, when the peace is grounded but upon an implicit ignorance; for all colours will agree in the dark : the other, when it is pieced up upon a direct admission of contraries in fundamental points. For truth and falsehood,

They be two things] They are two distinct things.

2 That distance of judgment] That comparatively small difference of intellectual power.

3 Doth not discern] This should be doth discern. Lat. Deum satis perspicere.

4 Devita profanas, &c.] Avoid profane verbal novelties, and oppositions of science falsely so called (1 Tim. vi. 20). Bacon, commenting on this in the Advancement, I., says St. Paul 'assigneth two marks and badges of suspected and falsified science: the one, the novelty and strangeness of terms; the other, the strictness of positions, which of necessity doth induce oppositions, and so questions and altercations.'

5 Men create oppositions, &c.] He refers chiefly to the Schoolmen.