The Anatomy of Melancholy

Subsect. 13. Love of Gaming, &c. and pleasures immoderate; Causes.

It is a wonder to see, how many poor, distressed, miserable wretches, one shall meet almost in every path and street, begging for an almes, that have been well descended, and sometimes in flourishing estate, now ragged, tattered, and ready to be starved, lingring out a painful life, in discontent and grief of body and minde, and all through immoderate lust, gaming, pleasure and riot. ’Tis the common end of all sensual Epicures and brutish prodigals, that are stupified and carried away headlong with their severall pleasures and lusts.

Cebes in his table, S. Ambrose in his second book of Abel and Cain, and amongst the rest Lucian in his tract de Mercede conductis, hath excellent well deciphered such mens proceedings in his picture of Opulentia, whom he fains to dwell on the top of a high mount, much sought after by many suiters; at their first coming they are generally entertained by Pleasure and Dalliance, and have all the content that possibly may be given, so long as their mony lasts; but when their means fail, they are contemptibly thrust out at a back door, headlong, and there left to Shame, Reproach, Despair.

And he at first that had so many attendants, parasites, and followers, young and lusty, richly arrayd, and all the dainty fare that might be had, with all kinde of welcome and good respect, is now upon a sudden stript of all, pale, naked, old, diseased and forsaken, cursing his stars, and ready to strangle himself; having no other company but Repentance, Sorrow, Grief, Derision, Beggery, and Contempt, which are his daily attendants to his lives end. As the prodigall son had exquisite musick, merry company, dainty fare at first; but a sorrowful reckoning in the end: so have all such vain delights and their followers.

Tristes voluptatum exitus, & quisquis voluptatum suarum reminisci volet, intelliget, as bitter as gall and wormwood is their last; grief of mind, madness it self. The ordinary rocks upon which such men do impinge and precipitate themselves, are Cards, Dice, Hawkes, and Hounds, Insanum venandi studium, one cals it, insanæ substructiones: their mad structures, disports, plays, &c. when they are unseasonably used, imprudently handled, and beyond their fortunes.

Some men are consumed by mad phantastical buildings, by making Galleries, Cloisters, Tarraces, Walkes, Orchards, Gardens, Pools, Rillets, Bowers, and such like places of pleasure; Inutiles domos, Xenophon calls them, which howsoever they be delightsome things in themselves, and acceptable to all beholders, an ornament, and befitting some great men; yet unprofitable to others, and the sole overthrow of their estates. Forestus in his observations hath an example of such a one that became melancholy upon the like occasion, having consumed his substance in an unprofitable building, which would afterward yield him no advantage.