unlooked-for subject. And what more unlooked-for than to see a
person of an unblamed life made ridiculous or odious by the artifice
of lying? But it is the disease of the age; and no wonder if the
world, growing old, begin to be infirm: old age itself is a
disease. It is long since the sick world began to dote and talk
idly: would she had but doted still! but her dotage is now broke
forth into a madness, and become a mere frenzy.

Alastoris malitia.--This Alastor, who hath left nothing unsearched
or unassailed by his impudent and licentious lying in his aguish
writings (for he was in his cold quaking fit all the while), what
hath he done more than a troublesome base cur? barked and made a
noise afar off; had a fool or two to spit in his mouth, and cherish
him with a musty bone? But they are rather enemies of my fame than
me, these barkers.

Mali Choragi fuere.--It is an art to have so much judgment as to
apparel a lie well, to give it a good dressing; that though the
nakedness would show deformed and odious, the suiting of it might
draw their readers. Some love any strumpet, be she never so shop-
like or meretricious, in good clothes. But these, nature could not
have formed them better to destroy their own testimony and overthrow
their calumny.

Hear-say news.--That an elephant, in 1630, came hither ambassador
from the Great Mogul, who could both write and read, and was every
day allowed twelve cast of bread, twenty quarts of Canary sack,
besides nuts and almonds the citizens' wives sent him. That he had
a Spanish boy to his interpreter, and his chief negociation was to
confer or practise with Archy, the principal fool of state, about