with Mr. Gatacre of Rotherhithe, a man endued with all kind
of learning, and the ablest man of the whole synod of divines in the
Oriental tongues.

The synod had concluded to make an exposition upon the bible; some
undertook one book, some another. Gatacre fell upon _Jeremy_. Upon
making his exposition on the 2d verse of the 10th chapter,

'Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them.'

In his _Annotations_ thereupon, he makes a scandalous exposition; and in
express terms, hints at me, repeating _verbatim_, ten or twelve times,
an _Epistle_ of mine in one of my former _Anglicus_.

The substance of my _Epistle_ was, that I did conceive the good angels
of God did first reveal astrology unto mankind, &c. but he in his
_Annotations_ calls me blind buzzard, &c.

Having now liberty of the press, and hearing the old man was very
cholerick, I thought fit to raise it up--and only wrote--I referred my
discourse then in hand to the discussion and judgment of sober persons,
but not unto Thomas Wiseacre, for _Senes bis pueri_: These very words
begot the writing of forty-two sheets against myself and astrology. The
next year I quibbled again in three or four lines against him, then he
printed twenty-two sheets against me. I was persuaded by Dr. Gauden,
late Bishop of Exeter, to let him alone; but in my next year's
_Anglicus_, in August observations, I wrote, _Hac in tumba jacet
Presbyter & Nebulo_, in which very month he died.

Several divines applied themselves unto me, desiring me to forbear any
further vexing of Mr. Gatacre; but all of them did as much condemn him
of indiscretion, that in so sober a piece of work as that was, viz. in
an _Annotation_ upon a sacred text of scripture to particularize me and
in that dirty language: they pitied him, that he had not better
considered with himself ere he published it.

Dean Owen of Christ's-Church in Oxford, also in his sermons had sharp
invectives against me and astrology; I cried quittance with him, by
urging Abbot Panormitan's judgment of astrology contrary to Owen's, and
concluded, 'An Abbot was an ace above a Dean.'

One Mr. Nye of the assembly of divines, a Jesuitical Presbyterian,
bleated forth his judgment publickly against me and astrology: to be
quit with him, I urged Causinus the Jesuit's approbation of astrology,
and concluded, _Sic canibus catulos, &c_.

In some time after the Dutch Ambassador