And less harm is
it than a conscience such as a man pleases to frame himself for
his own fancy--now drawing it narrow, now stretching it in
breadth, after the manner of a leather thong--to serve on every
side for his own commodity, as did here the wily wolf.
But such folk are out of tribulation, and comfort need they none,
and therefore are they out of our matter. But he who is in the
night's fear of his own scrupulous conscience, let him well
beware, as I said, that the devil draw him not, for weariness of
the one, into the other, and while he would fly from Scilla draw
him into Charibdis. He must do as doth a ship coming into a haven
in the mouth of which lie secret rocks under the water on both
sides. If by mishap he be entered in among them that are on the
one side, and cannot tell how to get out, he must get a
substantial clever pilot who can so conduct him from the rocks on
that side that yet he bring him not into those that are on the
other side, but can guide him in the mid way. Let them, I say
therefore, who are in the troublous fear of heir own scrupulous
conscience, submit the rule of their conscience to the counsel of
some other good man, who after the variety and the nature of the
scruples may temper his advice.
Yea, although a man be very well learned himself, yet if he be in
this state let him learn the custom used among physicians.
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