The Totall Discourse of The Rare Adventures and Painefull Peregrinations of Long Nineteene Yeares Travayles from Scotland to the Most Famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia and Affrica

It was a wise saying amongst the Auncients, that thrice happy and blest was that Kingdome, when old men bore sway and ruled the State, and young men travelled abroad: The first by long experience prudently to execute judgement; and the latter by sight and knowledge of forraine soyles and [I. 2.]lawes, growing more judicious; might when come to age and preferment, the more facily, and dexteriously exhibit Justice at home. But what shall I say to these moderne and dissolute times? when by the contrary meanes, travell is sleighted, government abused, and insinuating Homelings, thrust in high offices, incapeable of them, being pratling Parrots, and sounding Cymbals: who convert sound Judgement and Justice, to their owne greedy respects, and selfe mercinary ends; turning their chiefest felicity to avaritious ambition and vaine glory, and their sweetest fortunes, to their belly and their backe. O miserable and effeminate age! when vertue by most men is despised, and neglected, and sensuall vice every where exalted: Nay; ruffian Pandors, by hopefull youth and prodigall gallants, are now clothed, Coatched, and richly rewarded; whilst best merits and highest deserts, of rarest spirits, are neither looked to, set by, nor regarded. And for approbation, and examples sake, of their valerous designes, let them thinke upon latter passages, nor worthy to be thought upon, and they will finde this future caveat to stand needfull, Hæc olim meminisse juvabit. So likewise now every Capri-cullion from Cæsar, to the Pascorell, can crowd and chawe from his warbling waspishnes, this stinging censure of absurd untrueth, that Travellers and Poets may lye & lye by authority, which they themselves performe at home without leave.

Concerning sinistrous censures.By which traditional concession, I being absolute in the first, and borne to the Muses, as to the World, a mungrell to both; may have a lawfull (unlawfull) liberty assigned. Any marvell? if men in this kind be so injuriously censured, when the very Gospell it selfe, by perfidious Atheists, Formalists, Sophisters, Romish-rabines, Nullifidians, and Schismaticall Sectaries, is quartered, mangled, and rejected; such be the Satanicall [I. 3.]opinions of this hell-borne age: Whose confused conceits, blasphemies, incredulities, and imaginary devisions, have shamefully stained the better part of this now best World. Nay, good and godly Kings, so pricked at, and wounded by the viperous murmurings of miscreant villaines, as though their royall and just lives were the meere inordinate paternes of all impiety, and lewdnesse. Sith therefore the Sacred Scriptures, the gods of the earth, Ecclesiasticke columes; yea the name and fame of the most righteous alive, be thus diversly taxed, and vituperiously calumniated; can prevention in me, escape the lawlesse horrour of this impoysoned fury? No, I have had already the assault, and newly prepared, patience proofe to receive more, wrought by the piercinghammer, of nineteene winters, as many Summers deare bought toyle. Let venome-thundring Crittickes, contumeliously carpe, infernall firebrand Cerberans barke, and the hell prepared off scourings of true religion gnashing grudge I have aheart can smile, at their backbiting malice, a judgement to discerne such wormish waspes, and if present, the weight of understanding truth, to confound their blind absurdities with reason. As for chamber complementers, whose vast insides, like to the vaults of wasting Strombolo, are become threed-bare, having their outsides onely adorned with rich ornaments.