[All this while the Physitians themselves have beene
patients, patiently attending when they should see any
land in this Sea, any earth, any cloud,
any indication of concoction in these waters. Any
disorder of mine, any pretermission of theirs, exalts
the disease, accelerates the rages of it; no diligence
accelerates the concoction, the maturitie of the
disease; they must stay till the season of the sicknesse
come, and till it be ripened of it selfe, and then they may put to
their hand, to gather it before it fall off, but they
cannot hasten the ripening. Why should wee looke for it in a
disease, which is the disorder, the discord, the
irregularities the commotion, and rebellion of
the body? It were scarce a disease, if it could bee
ordered, and made obedient to our times. Why should wee
looke for that in disorder, in a disease, when we cannot
have it in Nature, who is so regular, and so
pregnant, so forward to bring her worke to perfection, and to
light? Yet we cannot awake the July-flowers in January,
nor retard the flowers of the spring to
autumne.]1 We cannot bid the fruits come in May,
nor the leaves to sticke on in December. [A woman
that is weake cannot put off her ninth moneth to a tenth
for her deliveries and say shee will stay till shee bee
stronger; nor a Queene cannot hasten it to a
seventh, that shee may bee ready for some other
pleasure. Nature (if we looke for durable and
vigorous effects) will not admit preventions, nor
anticipations, nor obligations upon her; for they are
precontracts, and she will bee left to her
libertie. Nature would not be spurred, nor forced to
mend her pace; nor power, the power of man; greatnesse
loves not that kinde of violence neither.]1 There are of
them that will give, that will do justice, that
will pardon, but they have their owne seasons for al
these, and he that knowes not them, shall starve before
that gift [come,]2 [and ruine, before the justice, and dye
before the pardon save him: some tree beares no fruit, except
much dung be laid about it; and Justice comes not from
some, till they bee richly manured: some trees require much
visiting, much watring, much labour; and some men
give not their fruits but upon importunitie; some trees
require incision, and pruning, and lopping; some
men must bee intimidated and syndicated with
Commissions, before they will deliver the fruits of
Justice; some trees require the early and the
often accesse of the Sunne; some men open not,
but upon the favours and letters of Court
mediation; some trees must bee housd and kept within
doore; some men locke up, not onely their liberalitie, but their
Justice, and their compassion, till the sollicitatiorn
of a wife, or a sonne, or a friend, or a
servant turne the key.]1 Reward is the
season of one man, and importunitie of another;
feare the season of one man, and favour of
another; friendship the season of one man, and
naturall affection of another; and hee that knowes not their
seasons, nor cannot stay them, must lose the
[fruits;]3 [As Nature will not, so power and
greatnesse will not bee put to change their seasons; and
shall wee looke for this Indulgence in a disease, or
thinke to shake it off before it bee ripe? All this while,
therefore, we are but upon a defensive warre, and that is but a
doubtfull state; especially where they who are besieged
doe know the best of their defences, and doe not know
the worst of their enemies power; when they cannot mend
their works within, and the enemie can increase his
numbers without. O how many farre more miserable, and farre
more worthy to be lesse miserable than I, are besieged with this
sicknesse, and lacke their Sentinels, their
Physitians to watch, and lacke their munition,
their cordials to defend, and perish before the
enemies weaknesse might invite them to sally, before the
disease shew any declination, or admit any way of
working upon it selfe! In me the siege is so farre slackned, as
that we may come to fight, and so die in the field, if I
die, and not in a prison.]1