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70 Erasmus where ever they come, a special priviledge it seems the Gods have given ’em to refresh the pensiveness of life. Whence it is, that whereas the world is so differently affected one towards another,—that all men indifferently admit them as their companions, desire, feed, cherish, embrace them, take their parts upon all occasions, and permit ’em without offence to do or say what they list. And so little doth every thing desire to hurt them, that even the very Beasts, by a kind of natural instinct of their innocence no doubt, pass by their injuries. For of them it may be truly said that they are consecrate to the Gods, and therefore and not without cause do men have ’em in such esteem. Whence is it else that they are in so great request with Princes, that they can neither eat nor drink, go any whither, or be an hour without them? Nay, and in some degree they prefer these Fools before their crabbish Wise-men, whom yet they keep about them for State-sake. Nor do I conceive the reason so difficult, or that it should seem strange why they are prefer’d before t’ others, for that these wise men speak to Princes about nothing but grave, serious
