ne, but speaketh only to the first). Meanwhile, let him not believe that
his big looking title can, like Gorgon's head, blockify or stonify
rational men, so as they shall not perceive the want or weakness of
argument. It hath ever been a trick of adversaries to calumniate the way
of God and his servants, as being against authority, but I will, by God's
assistance, make it appear to any intelligent man, that the reverend
brother hath pleaded very much against magistracy, and so hath fallen
himself into the ditch which he hath digged for others, whilst I withal
escape.(1345)

But, now, what may be the meaning of Mr Coleman's cabalistical title,
_Male Dicis Maledicis_? Great philologists will tell him that _maledico_
is taken in a good sense as well as in a bad, according to the difference
of matter and circumstances. If any kind of malediction be justifiable, it
is _male dicere maledicis_,--to speak evil to evil speakers, for "as he
loved cursing, so let it come unto him as he delighted not in blessing, so
let it be far from him." But he doth worse, and his title, with a
transposition of letters, will more fitly reflect upon himself _male dicis
de amicus_. You, Sir, speak evil of your friends, and of those that never
wronged you. For my part, I have not shared with him in evil speaking, nor
rendered revilings for revilings. I am sorry that he is so extremely ill
of hearing, as to take reason to be railing, and good sayings to be evil
sayings. He applieth to himself the Apostle's words, "Being reviled, we
bless." But where to find these blessings of his, those unwritten
verities, I know not. I am sure he had spoken more truly if he had said,
"Being not reviled, we do revile."

For the matter and substance of his reply, there are divers particulars in
it which serve rather to be matter of mirth than of argument, as that a
Parliament parasite cannot be called an abuser of the Parliament, and that
passage, "How can a clause delivered in a postscript, concerning my
opinion of my way, be abusive to the Parliament?" A great privilege either
of postscripts or of his opinions, that they cannot be abusive to the
Parliament. Many passages are full of acrimony, many extravagant, and not
to the point in hand, many void of matter. Concerning such
Lactantius(1346) gives me a good rule, Otiosum est persequi singula,--it is
an idle and unprofitable thing to persecute every particular. And much
more I have in my eye the Apostle's rule, "Le