believe it, that it never did any man good; (except in the extremity of saving life ;) for a liar is of a base, unworthy, and cowardly spirit.

CHAP. V.

Three rules to be observed for the preservation of a man's

estate.

AMONGST all other things of the world take care of thy estate, which thou shalt ever preserve, if thou observe three things; first, that thou know what thou hast, what every thing is worth that thou hast, and to see that thou art not wasted by thy servants and officers. The second is, that thou never spend any thing before thou have it; for borrowing is the canker and death of every man's estate. The third is, that thou suffer not thyself to be wounded for other men's faults, and scourged for other men's offences, which is, the surety for another; for thereby millions of men have been beggared and destroyed, paying the reckoning of other men's riot, and the charge of other men's folly and prodigality; if thou smart, smart for thine own sins; and, above all things, be not made an ass to carry the burdens of other men: if any friend desire thee to be his surety, give him a part of what thou hast to spare; if he press thee further, he is not thy friend at all, for friendship rather chooseth harm to itself than offereth it: if thou be bound for a stranger, thou art a fool: if for a merchant, thou putteth thy estate to learn to swim: if for a churchman, he hath no inheritance: if for a lawyer, he will find an evasion, by a syllable or word, to abuse thee: if for a poor man, thou must pay it thyself: if for a rich man, it need not: therefore from suretyship, as from a manslayer or enchanter, bless thyself; for the best profit and return will be this, that if thou force him for whom thou art bound, to pay it himself, he will become thy enemy; if thou use to pay it thyself, thou wilt be a beggar; and believe thy father in this, and print it in thy thought, that what virtue soever thou hast, be it never so manifold, if thou be poor withal, thou and thy qualities shall be despised: besides,

poverty is ofttimes sent as a curse of God; it is a shame amongst men, an imprisonment of the mind, a vexation of every worthy spirit; thou shalt neither help thyself nor others; thou shalt drown thee in all thy virtues, having no means to shew them; thou shalt be a burden and an eyesore to thy friends, every man will fear thy company; thou shalt be driven basely to beg, and depend on others, to flatter unworthy men, to make dishonest shifts; and, to conclude, poverty provokes a man to do infamous and detested deeds: let not vanity therefore, or persuasion, draw thee to that worst of worldly miseries.

If thou be rich, it will give thee pleasure in health, comfort in sickness, keep thy mind and body free, save thee from many perils, relieve thee in thy elder years, relieve the poor, and thy honest friends, and give means to thy posterity to live, and defend themselves, and thine own fame. Where it is said in the Proverbs, That he shall be sore vexed that is surety for a stranger, and he that hateth suretyship is sure; it is further said, The poor is hated even of his own neigh bour; but the rich have many friends. Lend not to him that is mightier than thyself, for if thou lendest him, count it but lost; be not surety above thy power, for if thou be surety, think to pay it.

CHAP. VI.

What sort of servants are fittest to be entertained. LET thy servants be such as thou mayest command, and entertain none about thee but yeomen, to whom thou givest wages; for those that will serve thee without thy hire will cost thee treble as much as they that know thy fare: if thou trust any servant with thy purse, be sure thou take his account ere thou sleep; for if thou put it off, thou wilt then afterwards, for tediousness, neglect it: I myself have therefore lost more than I am worth. And whatsoever thy servant gaineth thereby, he will never thank thee, but laugh thy simplicity to scorn; and besides, it is the way to make thy servants thieves, which else would be honest.

CHAP. VII.

Brave rags wear soonest out of fashion.

EXCEED not in the humour of rags and bravery, for these will soon wear out of fashion; but money in thy purse will ever be in fashion; and no man is esteemed for gay garments but by fools and women.

CHAP. VIII.

Riches not to be sought by evil means.

ON the other side, take heed that thou seek not riches basely, nor attain them by evil means; destroy no man for his wealth, nor take any thing from the poor, for the cry and complaint thereof will pierce the heavens. And it is most detestable before God, and most dishonourable before worthy men, to wrest any thing from the needy and labouring soul. God will never prosper thee in ought, if thou offend therein: but use thy poor neighbours and tenants well; pine not them and their children, to add superfluity and needless expenses to thyself. He that hath pity on another man's sorrow shall be free from it himself; and he that delighteth in and scorneth the misery of another, shall one time or other fall into it himself. Remember this precept, He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and the Lord will recompense him what he hath given. I do not understand those for poor which are vagabonds and beggars, but those that labour to live; such as are old and cannot travel; such poor widows and fatherless children as are ordered to be relieved; and the poor tenants that travel to pay their rents, and are driven to poverty by mischance, and not by riot or careless expenses: on such have thou compassion, and God will bless thee for it. Make not the hungry soul sorrowful, defer not thy gift to the needy; for if he curse thee in the bitterness of his soul, his prayer shall be heard of him that made him.

CHAP. IX.

What inconveniencies happen to such as delight in wine. TAKE especial care that thou delight not in wine; for

there never was any man that came to honour or preferment that loved it; for it transformeth a man into a beast, decayeth health, poisoneth the breath, destroyeth natural heat, brings a man's stomach to an artificial heat, deformeth the face, rotteth the teeth, and, to conclude, maketh a man contemptible, soon old, and despised of all wise and worthy men; hated in thy servants, in thyself, and companions; for it is a bewitching and infectious vice: and remember my words, that it were better for a man to be subject to any vice than to it; for all other vanities and sins are recovered, but a drunkard will never shake off the delight of beastliness; for the longer it possesseth a man the more he will delight in it; and the older he groweth the more he shall be subject to it; for it dulleth the spirits, and destroyeth the body, as ivy doth the old tree, or as the worm that engendereth in the kernel of the nut.

Take heed therefore that such a cureless canker pass not thy youth, nor such a beastly infection thy old age; for then shall all thy life be but as the life of a beast, and, after thy death, thou shalt only leave a shameful infamy to thy posterity, who shall study to forget that such a one was their father. Anacharsis saith," the first draught serveth "for health, the second for pleasure, the third for shame, "the fourth for madness;" but in youth there is not so much as one draught permitted; for it putteth fire to fire, and wasteth the natural heat and seed of generation. And therefore, except thou desire to hasten thine end, take this for a general rule, that thou never add any artificial heat to thy body by wine or spice, until thou find that time hath decayed thy natural heat, and the sooner thou beginnest to help nature, the sooner she will forsake thee, and trust altogether to art: Who have misfortune, saith Solomon, who have sorrow and grief, who have trouble without fighting, stripes without cause, and faintness of eyes? even they that sit at wine, and strain themselves to empty cups. Pliny saith, "Wine maketh the hand quivering, the eyes watery, the "night unquiet, lewd dreams, a stinking breath in the morning, and an utter forgetfulness of all things."

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Whosoever loveth wine shall not be trusted of any man, for he cannot keep a secret. Wine maketh man not only a beast but a madman; and if thou love it, thy own wife, thy children, and thy friends will despise thee. In drink men care not what they say, what offence they give; they forget comeliness, commit disorders, and, to conclude, offend all virtuous and honest company, and God most of all, to whom we daily pray for health, and a life free from pain; and yet, by drunkenness and gluttony (which is the drunkenness of feeding) we draw on, saith Hesiod, "a swift, hasty, "untimely, cruel, and an infamous old age." And St. Augustine describeth drunkenness in this manner; Ebrietas est blandus dæmon, dulce venenum, suave peccatum; quod, qui habet, seipsum non habet; quod qui facit, peccatum non facit, sed ipse est peccatum: "Drunkenness is a flattering "devil, a sweet poison, a pleasant sin; which whosoever "hath, hath not himself; which whosoever doth commit "doth not commit sin, but he himself is wholly sin."

Innocentius saith, Quid turpius ebrioso, cui fætor in ore, tremor in corpore, qui promit stulta, prodit occulta, cui mens alienatur, facies transformatur? Nullum secretum ubi regnat ebrietas, et quid non aliud designat malum? Fœcundi calices quem non fecere disertum?" What is filthier "than a drunken man, to whom there is stink in the mouth, "trembling in the body; which uttereth foolish things, and "revealeth secret things; whose mind is alienate, and face "transformed? There is no secresy where drunkenness "rules; nay, what other mischief doth it not design? Whom "have not plentiful cups made eloquent and talking ?"

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When Diogenes saw a house to be sold, whereof the owner was given to drink, " I thought at the last," quoth Diogenes," he would spue out a whole house;" Sciebam, inquit, quod domum tandem evomeret.

СНАР. Х.

Let God be thy protector and director in all thy actions. NOW for the world, I know it too well to persuade thee to dive into the practices thereof; rather stand upon thine