In that civil commonwealth of China, the mother strangles her childe, if she be not able to bring it up, and had rather lose, then sell it, or have it endure such misery as poor men do. Arnobius lib. 7. adversus gentes, Lactantius lib. 5. cap. 9. objects as much to those ancient Greeks and Romans, they did expose their children to wilde beasts, strangle, or knock out their brains against a stone, in such cases.

If we may give credit to Munster, amongst us Christians in Lituania, they voluntarily mancipate, and sell themselves, their wives and children to rich men, to avoid hunger and beggery; many make away themselves in this extremity. Apicius the Roman, when he cast up his accounts, and found but 100000 Crownes left, murdered himself for fear he should be famished to death.

P. Forestus in his medicinal observations, hath a memorable example, of two brothers of Lovain, that being destitute of means, became both melancholy, & in a discontented humor massacred themselves. Another of a merchant, learned, wise otherwise and discreet, but out of a deep apprehension he had of a loss at Seas, would not be perswaded but as Ventidius in the Poet, he should die a begger.

In a word thus much I may conclude of poor men, that though they have good parts, they cannot shew or make use of them: ab inopiâ ad virtutem obsepta est via, ’tis hard for a poor man to rise, haud facile emergunt, quorum virtutibus obstat res angusta domi: the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard. Eccles. 6.19. his works are rejected, contemned, for the baseness and obscurity of the author, though laudable and good in themselves, they will not likely take.

Nulla placere diu, neque vivere carmina possunt, Quæ scribuntur aquæ potoribus.

Poor men cannot please, their actions, counsels, consultations, projects, are vilified in the worlds esteem, amittunt consilium in re, which Gnatho long since observed. Sapiens crepidas sibi nunquam nec soleas fecit, a wise man never cobled shoes; as he said of old, but how doth he prove it? I am sure we finde it otherwise in our daies, pruinosis horret facundia pannis.

Homer himself must beg if he want means, and as by report sometimes he did, go from door to door, and sing ballads, with a company of boyes about him. This common misery of theirs must needs distract, make them discontent and melancholy, as ordinarily they are, wayward, peevish, like a weary travailer, for

Fames & mora bilem in nares conciunt,

still murmuring and repining: ob inopiam morosi sunt, quibus est male, as Plutarch quotes out of Euripides, and that comical Poet well seconds,

Omnes quibus res sunt minus secundæ, nescio quomodo Suspiciosi, ad contumeliam omnia accipiunt magis, Propter suam impotentiam se credunt negligi.

If they be in adversity, they are more suspicious and apt to mistake; they think themselves scorned by reason of their misery; And therefore many generous spirits in such cases, withdraw themselves from all company, as that Comedian Terence is said to have done; when he perceived himself to be forsaken and poor, he voluntarily banished himself, to Stymphalus a base town in Arcadia, and there miserably died.

— ad summam inopiam redactus, Itaque è conspectu omnium abijt Græciæ in terram ultimam.

Neither is it without cause, for we see men commonly respected according to their means, (an dives sit omnes quærunt, nemo an bonus) and vilified if they be in bad clothes. Philophæmen the Orator was set to cut wood, because he was so homely attired. Terentius was placed at lower end of Cecilius table, because of his homely outside. Dantes that famous Italian Poet by reason his clothes were but mean, could not be admitted to sit down at a feast.

Gnatho scorned his old familiar friend because of his apparel, Hominem video pannis, annisq; obsitum, hic ego illum contempsi præ me. King Persius overcome sent a letter to Paulus Æmilius the Roman General; Persius P. Consuli S. but he scorned him any answer, tacitè exprobrans fortunam suam (saith mine author) upbraiding him with a present fortune.

Carolus Pugnax, that great Duke of Burgundy, made H. Holland, late Duke of Exeter, exil’d, run after his horse like a lackey, and would take no notice of him: ’tis the common fashion of the world. So that such men as are poor may justly be discontent, melancholy, and complain of their present misery, and all may pray with Solomon, Give me O Lord neither riches nor poverty, feed me with food convenient for me.