ling libels, and satires: they fear a railing [2162]Aretine, more
than an enemy in the field, which made most princes of his time (as some
relate) "allow him a liberal pension, that he should not tax them in his
satires." [2163]The Gods had their Momus, Homer his Zoilus, Achilles his
Thersites, Philip his Demades: the Caesars themselves in Rome were commonly
taunted. There was never wanting a Petronius, a Lucian in those times, nor
will be a Rabelais, an Euphormio, a Boccalinus in ours. Adrian the sixth
pope [2164]was so highly offended, and grievously vexed with pasquillers at
Rome, he gave command that his statue should be demolished and burned, the
ashes flung into the river Tiber, and had done it forthwith, had not
Ludovicus Suessanus, a facete companion, dissuaded him to the contrary, by
telling him, that pasquil's ashes would turn to frogs in the bottom of the
river, and croak worse and louder than before,--_genus irritabile vatum_,
and therefore [2165]Socrates in Plato adviseth all his friends, "that
respect their credits, to stand in awe of poets, for they are terrible
fellows, can praise and dispraise as they see cause." _Hinc quam sit
calamus saevior ense patet_. The prophet David complains, Psalm cxxiii. 4.
"that his soul was full of the mocking of the wealthy, and of the
despitefulness of the proud," and Psalm lv. 4. "for the voice of the
wicked, &c., and their hate: his heart trembled within him, and the terrors
of death came upon him; fear and horrible fear," &c., and Psal. lxix. 20.
"Rebuke hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness." Who hath not
like cause to complain, and is not so troubled, that shall fall into the
mouths of such men? for many are of so [2166]petulant a spleen; and have
that figure Sarcasmus so often in their mouths, so bitter, so foolish, as
[2167]Balthazar Castilio notes of them, that "they cannot speak, but they
must bite;" they had rather lose a friend than a jest; and what company
soever they come in, they will be scoffing, insulting over their inferiors,
especially over such as any way depend upon them, humouring, misusing, or
putting gulleries on some or other till they have made by their humouring
or gulling [2168]_ex stulto insanum_, a mope or a noddy, and all to make
themselves merry:

[2169] ------"dummodo risum
Excutiat sibi; non hic cuiquam parcit amico;"

Friends, neuters, enemies, all are as one, to make a fool a madman, is
their sport, and they have no g