XLVIII. THANK GOD.

A NUNCIO of the Pope’s was treated at Sienna, by a prime person, with a great feast. It happened there was present thereat a syndic of the city (being a magistrate, parallel in his place to one of our aldermen), who, as full of words as empty of wit, engrossed all the discourse at the table to himself, who might with as good manners have eaten all the meat at the supper.

The entertainer, sorry to see him discover so much weakness to the disgrace of himself, endeavoured to stop the superfluity of his talk. All in vain: the leaks in a rotten ship might sooner be stanched. At last, to excuse the matter (as well as he might) he told the nuncio privately, You, I am sure, have some weak men at Rome, as well as we have at Sienna. We have so, said the nuncio, but we make them no syndics.

It cannot be otherwise but that, in so spacious a land, so numerous a people as England is, we 288must have many weak men, and some of them of great wealth and estates. Yea, such who are not only guilty of plain and simple ignorance, but of ignorance guarded and embroidered with their own conceitedness. But, blessed be God, they are not chosen Parliament men; the diffusive nation was never more careful in their elections of their representatives.

God grant, that, as the several day’s works in the creation were singly by God pronounced good, but the last day’s work (being the collection and complication of them all) very good, [Gen. i. 31.] so these persons, good as single instruments, may be best in a concert as met together.