Con. It may be he will not give a Man Liberty to preach in his Place.

Innk. Yes, I’ll undertake he will, but upon this Condition, that you don’t have any Flirts at him, as it is a common Practice for you to do.

Con. They have us’d themselves to an ill Custom that do so.  If a Pastor offends in any Thing, I admonish him privately, the rest is the Bishop’s Business.

Innk. Such Birds seldom fly hither.  Indeed you seem to be good Men yourselves.  But, pray, what’s the Meaning of this Variety of Habits?  For a great many People take you to be ill Men by your Dress.

Con. Why so?

Innk. I can’t tell, except it be that they find a great many of you to be so.

Con. And many again take us to be holy Men, because we wear this Habit.  They are both in an Error:  But they err less that take us to be good Men by our Habit, than they that take us for base Men.

Innk. Well, so let it be.  But what is the Advantage of so many different Dresses?

Con. What is your Opinion?

Innk. Why I see no Advantage at all, except in Processions, or War.  For in Processions there are carried about various Representations of Saints, of Jews, and Heathens, and we know which is which, by the different Habits.  And in War the Variety of Dress is good, that every one may know his own Company, and follow his own Colours, so that there may be no Confusion in the Army.

Con. You say very well:  This is a military Garment, one of us follows one Leader, and another another; but we all fight under one General, Christ.  But in a Garment there are three Things to be consider’d.

Innk. What are they?

Con. Necessity, Use, and Decency.  Why do we eat?

Innk. That we mayn’t be starv’d with Hunger.

Con. And for the very same Reason we take a Garment that we mayn’t be starv’d with Cold.

Innk. I confess it.

Con. This Garment of mine is better for that than yours.  It covers the Head, Neck, and Shoulders, from whence there is the most Danger.  Use requires various Sorts of Garments.  A short Coat for a Horseman, a long one for one that sits still, a thin one in Summer, a thick one in Winter.  There are some at Rome, that change their Cloaths three Times a Day; in the Morning they take a Coat lin’d with Fur, about Noon they take a single one, and towards Night one that is a little thicker; but every one is not furnish’d with this Variety; therefore this Garment of ours is contriv’d so, that this one will serve for various Uses.

Innk. How is that?

Con. If the North Wind blow, or the Sun shines hot, we put on our Cowl; if the Heat is troublesome, we let it down behind.  If we are to sit still, we let down our Garment about our Heels, if we are to walk, we hold or tuck it up.