oubt whether there are other worlds beyond ours, and account it
madness to say there is nothing. Nonentity is incompatible with the
infinite entity of God. They lay down two principles of metaphysics,
entity which is the highest God, and nothingness which is the defect of
entity. Evil and sin come of the propensity to nothingness; the sin
having its cause not efficient, but in deficiency. Deficiency is, they
say, of power, wisdom or will. Sin they place in the last of these
three, because he who knows and has the power to do good is bound also
to have the will, for will arises out of them. They worship God in
Trinity, saying God is the supreme Power, whence proceeds the highest
Wisdom, which is the same with God, and from these comes Love, which is
both Power and Wisdom; but they do not distinguish persons by name, as
in our Christian law, which has not been revealed to them. This
religion, when its abuses have been removed, will be the future mistress
of the world, as great theologians teach and hope. Therefore Spain found
the New World (though its first discoverer, Columbus, greatest of
heroes, was a Genoese), that all nations should be gathered under one
law. We know not what we do, but God knows, whose instruments we are.
They sought new regions for lust of gold and riches, but God works to a
higher end. The sun strives to burn up the earth, not to produce plants
and men, but God guides the battle to great issues. His the praise, to
Him the glory!

_G.M._ Oh, if you knew what our astrologers say of the coming age, and
of our age, that has in it more history within a hundred years than all
the world had in four thousand years before! Of the wonderful invention
of printing and guns, and the use of the magnet, and how it all comes of
Mercury, Mars, the Moon, and the Scorpion!

_Capt._ Ah, well! God gives all in His good time. They astrologize too
much.

A FRAGMENT OF

JOSEPH HALL'S

MUNDUS ALTER ET IDEM

(_THE OTHER-AND SAME WORLD_)

TRANSLATED BY

DR. WILLIAM KING.

INTRODUCTORY SKETCH.

Joseph Hall was born at Bristow Park, by Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the year
1574, and educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In 1597 he published
three books, and in 1598 three more books, of Satires, "_Virgidemiarum_,
Six Bookes." These satires, with others published about the same time by
Marlowe and Marston, were burnt by order of Whitgift, Archbishop of
Canterbury, who had no relish for that kind of writi