As a tree that is heavy laden with fruit, breaks her own boughs, with their own greatness they ruine themselves: which Joachimus Camerarius hath elegantly expressed in his 13. Embleme, cent. 1. Inopem se copia fecit. Their means is their misery, though they do apply themselves to the times, to lye, dissemble, collogue and flatter their leiges, obey, second his will and commands, as much as may be, yet too frequently they miscarry, they fat themselves like so many hogs, as Æneas Sylvius observes, that when they are full fed, they may be devoured by their princes, as Seneca by Nero was served, Sejanus by Tiberius, and Haman by Ahasuerus:

I resolve with Gregory, potestas culminis, est tempestas mentis; & quo dignitas altior, casus gravior, honour is a tempest, the higher they are elevated, the more grievously depressed.

For the rest of his prerogatives which wealth affords, as he hath more, his expences are the greater. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what good cometh to the owners, but the beholding thereof with the eyes? Eccles. 4.10.

Millia frumenti tua triverit area centum, Non tuus hinc capiet venter plus quam meus ——

an evil sickness Salomon cals it, and reserved to them for an evil, 12. verse. They that will be rich fall into many fears and temptations, into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition. 1 Tim. 6.9. gold and silver hath destroyed many, Ecclus 8.2. divitiæ sæculi sunt laquei diaboli: so writes Bernard; Worldly wealth is the devils bait; and as the Moon when she is fuller of light is still farthest from the Sun, the more wealth they have, the farther they are commonly from God.

(If I had said this of my self, rich men would have pulled me a pieces; but hear who saith, and who seconds it, an Apostle) therefore Sᵗ James bids them weep and howle for the miseries that shall come upon them; their gold shall rust and canker, and eat their flesh as fire, James 5.1,2,3.

I may then boldly conclude with Theodoret, quotiescunque divitiis affluentem &c. As often as you shall see a man abounding in wealth, qui gemmis bibit & Serrano dormit in ostro, and naught withal, I beseech you call him not happy, but esteem him unfortunate, because he hath many occasions offered to live unjustly: on the other side, a poor man is not miserable, if he be good, but therefore happy, that those evil occasions are taken from him.

Nor possidentem multa vocaveris Rectè beatum; rectius occupat Nomen beati, qui deorum Muneribus sapienter uti, Duramque callet pauperiem pati, Pejusque letho flagitium timet.

He is not happy that is rich, And hath the world at will, But he that wisely can Gods gifts Possess and use them still: That suffers and with patience Abides hard poverty, And chuseth rather for to dye; Then do such villany.

Wherein now consists his happiness? what priviledges hath he more then other men? Or rather what miseries, what cares and discontents hath he not more then other men?

Non enim gazæ, neque consularis Summovet lictor miseros tumultus Mentis, & curas laqueata circum Tecta volantes.

Nor treasures, nor majors officers remove The miserable tumults of the mind: Or cares that lie about, or flye above Their high-roofed houses, with huge beams combind.

’Tis not his wealth can vindicate him, let him have Jobs inventory, sint Crœsi & Crassi licet, non hos Pactolus aureas undas agens, eripat unquam è miseriis, Crœsus or rich Crassus cannot now command health, or get himself a stomack.

His Worship, as Apuleius describes him, in all his plenty and great provision, is forbidden to eat, or else hath no appetite, (sick in bed, can take no rest, sore grieved with some chronick disease, contracted with full dyet and ease, or troubled in mind) when as in the mean time, all his houshold are merry, and the poorest servant that he keeps, doth continually feast.

’Tis Bracteata felicitas, as Seneca terms it, tin-foyl’d happiness, infelix felicitas, an unhappy kind of happiness, if it be happiness at all. His gold, guard, clattering of harness, and fortifications against outward enemies, cannot free him from inward fears and cares.

Reveraque metus hominum, curæque sequaces Nec metuunt fremitus armorum, aut ferrea tela, Audacterque inter reges, regumque potentes Versantur, neque fulgorem reverentur ab auro.

Indeed men still attending fears and cares, Nor armours clashing, nor fierce weapons fears: With Kings converse they boldly, and Kings Peers, Fearing no flashing that from gold appeares.

Look how many servants he hath, and so many enemies he suspects; for liberty he entertains ambition; his pleasures are no pleasures; & that which is worst, he cannot be private or enjoy himself as other men do, his state is a servitude.

A country man may travel from kingdome to kingdome, province to province, city to city, and glut his eyes with delightful objects, hawk, hunt, and use those ordinary disports, without any notice taken, all which a Prince or a great man cannot do. He keeps in for state, ne majestatis dignitas evilescat, as our China kings, of Bornay, and Tartarian Chams, those aurea mancipia, are said to do, seldome or never seen abroad, ut major sit hominum erga se observantia, which the Persian Kings so precisely observed of old.

A poor man takes more delight in an ordinary meals meat, which he hath but seldom, then they do with all their exotick dainties and continual Viands; Quippe voluptatem commendat rarior usus, ’tis the rarity and necessity that makes a thing acceptable and pleasant. Darius put to flight by Alexander, drank puddle water to quench his thirst, and it was pleasanter he swore then any wine or Mede.

All excess as Epictetus argues, will cause a dislike; Sweet will be sour; which made that temperate Epicurus sometimes voluntarily fast. But they being alwayes accustomed to the same dishes, (which are nastily dressed by slovenly cooks, that after their obscenities, never wash their bawdy hands) be they fish, flesh, compounded, made dishes, or whatsoever else, are therefore cloyed; Nectar self grows loathsome to them, they are weary of all their fine palaces, they are to them but as so many prisons.

A poor man drinks in a wooden dish, and eats his meat in wooden spoons, wooden platters, earthen vessels, and such homely stuffe: the other in gold, silver, and precious stones; but with what success? in auro bibitur venenum, fear of poyson in the one, security in the other.

A poor man is able to write, to speak his mind, to do his own business himself; locuples mittit parasitum saith Philostratus, a rich man imployes a parasite, and as the Major of a City, speaks by the Town-clark, or by Mʳ Recorder, when he cannot express himself.

Nonius the Senator hath a purple coat as stiffe with jewels, as his mind is full of vices; rings on his fingers worth 20000 sestercies, and as Perox the Persian King, an union in his eare worth 100ˡ weight of gold:

Cleopatra hath whole boars and sheep served up to her table at once, drinks Jewels dissolved 40000 sestercies in value; but to what end?

Num tibi cum fauces urit sitis, aurea quæris Pocula? ——

Doth a man that is a dry desire to drink in gold? Doth not a cloth suite become him as well, and keep him as warm, as all their silks, satins, damasks, taffaties and tissues? Is not home-spun cloth as great a preservative against cold, as a coat of Tartar Lambs wooll, died in grain, or a gown of Giants beards?

Nero, saith Sueton, never put on one garment twice, and thou hast scarce one to put on; What’s the difference? one’s sick, the other sound: such is the whole tenor of their lives, and that which is the consummation & upshot of all, death it self makes the greatest difference.

One like an hen feeds on the dunghil all his daies, but is served up at last to his Lords table; the other as a Falcon is fed with partridge and pigeons, and carried on his masters fist, but when he dyes is flung to the muckhil, and there lies.

The rich man lives like Dives jovially here on earth, temulentus divitiis, make the best of it; and boasts himself in the multitude of his riches, Psal. 49.6,11. he thinks his house called after his own name, shall continue for ever; but he perisheth like a beast, ver. 20. his way utters his folly, ver. 13. male parta, male dilabuntur; like sheep they lye in the grave, 14. Puncto descendunt ad infernum. They spend their dayes in wealth, and go suddenly down to hell, Job 21.13.