I once went with a person of quality into his museum, wherein were fine curiosities: but among all none pleased me better than an "Ecce Homo" by reason of its moving portraiture, by which it stirred the spectator at once to sympathy. By it there hung a paper picture painted in China, whereon were Chinese idols sitting in their majesty, and some in shape like devils. So the master of the house asked me which piece in this gallery pleased me most. And when I pointed to the said "Ecce Homo" he said I was wrong: for the Chinese picture was rarer and therefore of more value: he would not lose it for a dozen such "Ecce Homos." So said I, "Sir, is your heart like to your speech?" "Surely," said he. "Why then," said I, "your heart's god is that one whose picture you do confess with your mouth to be of most value." "Fool," says he, "'tis the rarity I esteem." Whereto I replied, "Yet what can be rarer and more worthy of wonder than that God's Son Himself suffered in the way which this picture doth declare?" _Chap. xxv._: HOW SIMPLICISSIMUS FOUND THE WORLD ALL STRANGE AND THE WORLD FOUND HIM STRANGE LIKEWISE Even as much as these and yet a greater number of idols were worshipped, so much on the contrary was the majesty of the true God despised: for as I never saw any desirous to keep His word and command, so I saw contrariwise many that resisted him in all things and excelled even the publicans in wickedness: which publicans were in the days when Christ walked upon earth open sinners. And so saith Christ: "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you. If ye do good only to your brethren, what do ye that the publicans do not?" But I found not only no one that would follow this command of Christ, but every man did the clean opposite. "The more a man hath kindred the more a man is hindered" was the word: and nowhere did I find more envy, hatred, malice, quarrel, and dispute than between brothers, sisters, and other born friends, specially if an inheritance fell to them. Moreover, the handicraftsmen of every place hated one another, so that I could plainly see, and must conclude, that in comparison the open sinners, publicans and tax-gatherers, which by reason of their evil deeds were hated by many, were far better than we Christians nowadays in exercise of brotherly love: seeing that Christ bears testimony to them that at least they did love one another. Then thought I, if we have no reward because we love our enemies, how great must our punishment be if we hate our friends! And where there should be the greatest love and good faith, there I found the worst treachery and the strongest hatred. For many a lord would fleece his true servants and subjects, and some retainers would play the rogue against the best of lords. So too between married folk I marked continual strife: many a tyrant treated his wedded wife worse than his dog, and many a loose baggage held her good husband but for a fool and an ass. So too, many currish lords and