some ceremony or
constrainte to forbidd men to come to the house, or to make them weary
of stayinge ther; so that many came thither to study in a better ayre,
findinge all the bookes they could desyre in his library, and all the
persons togither, whose company they could wish, and not finde in any
other society. Heare M'r Chillingworth wrote and formed and modelled
his excellent booke against the learned Jesuitt, M'r Nott, after
frequent debates, upon the most important particulars, in many of
which he suffred himselfe to be overruled by the judgement of his
frends, though in others he still adhered, to his owne fancy, which
was scepticall enough even in the highest pointes. In this happy and
delightfull conversation and restrainte he remayned in the country
many yeeres, and untill he had made so prodigious a progresse in
learninge, that ther were very few classique authors in the greeke
or Latine tounge, that he had not reade with great exactnesse; He
had reade all the greeke and Latine fathers, all the most allowed
and authentique Ecclesiasticall writers, and all the Councells,
with wounderfull care and observation, for in religion he thought to
carefull and to curious an enquiry could not be made, amongst those
whose purity was not questioned, and whose authority was constantly
and confidently urged, by men who were furthest from beinge of
on minde amongst themselves, and for the mutuall supporte of ther
severall opinions, in which they most contradicted each other; and in
all those contraversyes, he had so dispassioned a consideration, such
a candor in his nature, and so profounde a charity in his conscience,
that in those pointes in which he was in his owne judgement most
cleere, he never thought the worse, or in any degree declined the
familiarity of those who were of another minde, which without
question is an excellent temper for the propagation and advancement
of Christianity: With these greate advantages of industry, he had a
memory retentive of all that he had ever reade, and an understandinge
and judgement to apply it, seasonably and appositely, with the most
dexterity and addresse, and the least pedantry and affectation, that
ever man who knew so much, was possessed with, of what quality soever;
it is not a triviall evidence, of his learninge, his witt, and his
candour, that may be found in that discource of his, against the
Infallabi[li]ty of the Church of Rome, published since his death, and
from a copy u