our to M'r Hales (and
it was an Age in which ther were many greate and wounderfull men of
that size) and a man of so grea[te] a subtlety of understandinge, and
so rare a temper in debate, that as it was impossible to provoke him
into any passyon, so it was very difficulte to keepe a mans selfe
from beinge a little discomposed by his sharpnesse and quicknesse of
argument and instances, in which he had a rare facility, and a greate
advantage over all the men I ever knew. He had spent all his younger
tyme in disputation, and had arryved to so greate a mastery, as he was
inferior to no man in those skirmishes: but he had with his notable
perfection in this exercise, contracted such an irresolution and habit
of doubtinge, that by degrees he grew confident of nothinge, and a
schepticke at least in the greatest misteryes of fayth; This made
him from first waveringe in religion and indulginge to scruples, to
reconcile himselfe to soone and to easily to the Church of Rome, and
carryinge still his owne inquisitivenesse aboute him, without any
resignation to ther authority (which is the only temper can make
that Church sure of its Proselites) havinge made a journy to S't Omers
purely to perfecte his conversion by the conversation of those who had
the greatest name, he founde as little satisfaction ther, and returned
with as much hast from them, with a beliefe that an intire exemption
from error was nether inherent in, nor necessary to, any Church; which
occasioned that warr which was carryed on by the Jesuitts with so
greate asperity and reproches against him, and in which he defended
himselfe by such an admirable eloquence of language, and the cleere
and incomparable power of reason, that he not only made them appeare
unaequall adversaryes, but carryed the warr into ther owne quarters,
and made the Popes infallibility to be as much shaken and declyned by
ther owne Doctors, and as greate an acrimony amon[g]st themselves upon
that subjecte, and to be at least as much doubted as in the schooles
of the Reformed or Protestant, and forced them since to defende and
maintayne those unhappy contraversyes in religion, with armes and
weopons of another nature, then were used or knowne in the Church of
Rome when Bellarmyne dyed: and which probably will in tyme undermyne
the very foundation that supportes it.

Such a levity and propensity to change, is commonly attended with
greate infirmityes in, and no lesse reproch and praejudice to the
p