So long as they are behoveful, they love, or may bestead each other, but when there is no more good to be expected, as they do by an old dog, hang him up or casheer him: which Cato counts a great indecorum, to use men like old shoes or broken glasses, which are flung to the dunghil; he could not finde in his heart to sell an old Ox, much lesse to turn away an old servant: but they in stead of recompense, revile him, and when they have made him an instrument of their villany, as Bajazet the second Emperor of the Turks, did by Acomethes Bassa, make him away, or in stead of reward, hate him to death, as Silius was served by Tiberius.

In a word, every man for his own ends. Our summum bonum is commodity, and the goddesse we adore Dea moneta, Queen money, to whom we daily offer sacrifice, which steers our hearts, hands, affections, all: that most powerful goddess, by whom we are reared, depressed, elevated, esteemed, the sole commandresse of our actions, for which we pray, run, ride, go, come, labor, and contend as fishes do for a crum that falleth into the water.

Its not worth, vertue, (that’s bonum theatrale) wisdom, valor, learning, honesty, religion, or any sufficiency for which we are respected, but money, greatnesse, office, honour, authority: honesty is accounted folly; knavery, policie; men admired out of opinion, not as they are, but as they seem to be: such shifting, lying, cogging, ploting, counterploting, temporizing, flattering, cozening, dissembling, that of necessity one must highly offend God if he be conformable to the world, Cretizare cum Crete, or else live in contempt, disgrace, and misery.

One takes upon him temperance, holinesse, another austeritie, a third an affected kinde of simplicity, when as indeed he, and he, and he, and the rest are hypocrites, ambodexters, out sides, so many turning pictures, a lyon on the one side, a lamb on the other. How would Democritus have been affected to see these things?

To see a man turn himself into all shapes like a Camelion, or as Proteus, omnia transformans sese in miracula rerum, to act twenty parts and persons at once, for his advantages temporize & vary like Mercurie the Planet, good with good, bad with bad; having a several face, garb, & character for every one he meets; of all religions, humors, inclinations; to fawn like a Spaniel, mentitis & mimicis obsequiis, rage like a lion, bark like a Cur, fight like a dragon, sting like a serpent, as meek as a lamb, & yet again grin like a tygre, weep like a crocodile, insult over some, & yet others domineer over him, here command, there crouch, tyrannize in one place, be baffled in another, a wise man at home, a fool abroad to make others merry.

To see so much difference betwixt words and deeds, so many parasanges betwixt tongue and heart, men like stage-players act variety of parts, give good precepts to others, sore aloft, whilest they themselves grovel on the ground.

To see a man protest friendship, kisse his hand, quem mallet truncatum videre smile with an intent to do mischief, or cozen him whom he salutes; magnifie his friend unworthy with hyperbolical elogiums; his enemy albeit a good man, to vilifie and disgrace him, yea all his actions, with the utmost livor and malice can invent.

To see a servant able to buy out his Master, him that carries the mace more worth then the Magistrate, which Plato lib. 11. de leg. absolutely forbids, Epictetus abhors. An horse that tils the land fed with chaff, an idle jade have provender in abundance; him that makes shoes go bare-foot himself, him that sels meat almost pined; a toiling drudge starve, a drone flourish.

To see men buy smoke for wares, castles built with fools heads, men like apes follow the fashions in tires, gestures, actions: if the King laugh, all laugh; Rides? majore chachinno Concutitur, flet si lachrymas conspexit amici. Alexander stooped, so did his Courtiers; Alphonsus turned his head, and so did his parasites. Sabina Poppea, Nero’s wife, wore amber-colour’d hair, so did all the Roman Ladies in an instant, her fashion was theirs.

To see men wholly led by affection, admired and censured out of opinion without judgement: an inconsiderate multitude, like so many dogs in a village, if one bark all bark without a cause: as fortunes fan turns, if a man be in favor, or commended by some great one, all the world applauds him; if in disgrace, in an instant al hate him, & as at the Sun when he is eclipsed, that erst took no notice, now gaze, and stare upon him.