PART XIll

‘ And linceit behoves a wife man to hope he ‘ (hall never,as long as he Uves,wan6 neceffaries,
‘ doth not the caile acquifition of thcfe cheap ‘ and common things abundantly cherilh that ‘ hope ? Whereas, ou the contrary, things of ‘ magnificence afford him not the like hope. And *■ this is the reafon, why ordinary men, though *■ they have great!pofrefrions,yet as if they feared ‘ thofe might faile them, labour ftill to heap up ‘ more, never thinking their ftore compleat.
‘ Thi^ may teach us to content ourfelves with ‘ the molt fimple things, and fuch as are eafily *■ gotten, remembring that not all the wealth in ‘ theWorld put together is able in the leaft mea- ‘ fure to allay the perturbation of the mind,
‘ whereas things that are mean,ordinary,and ea*
*■ fie to be had remove that indigence which is in- ‘ commodious to the Body, and bcfidesare fuch ‘ that the thought of parting with them is noth- ^ ing grievous to him who reflefts upon death. |
Miferable indeed are the minds of men and their hearts blind, in as much as they will not fee that Nature dictates nothing more to them than this, that they fupply the wants of the Body, and withal enjoy a well pleafed mind, without fear or trouble • not that they fhould employ their whole life in feraping together that which is necelfary to lift, and that with fuch greedinefs as if they were to out- live death, never think¬ ing how deadly a cup, from our very birth, we are defign’d to pledge.
What though thofe things which are purely neceffary, and in refped whereunto no man is poor,yield not the delights which vulgar minds dote on ? Nature wants them not, and yet fhe ceafeth not to afford real and fincere pleafures, in the fruition of thofe mean and fimple things, as we already have declared. Whence a wife man is-fo indifferently affeded towards thofe things, for whofe fake mony is coveted, (to fup- ply the dayly expences of love, and ambition,) as that being at a great diftance from them all, he hath no reafon either to defire or care for mony.
Whereas 1 faid, that the riches which are co veted through opinious, have not any meafure or bound, the reafon is, that though Nature is fatisfied with little, yet vain opinion, ufhering in defire, always thinks of fomthing which we have not, and, as if it were really needful, diveds the dcfire to that thing- Whence it happens, that he who is not fatisfied with a little, can never have enough ^ but the more wealth he hath, the more he conceives himfelf to be in want.
Wherefore feeing there can never be want of a little, a wife man, pofTeffing that little, ought to efteem it great riches, becaufe therein is no want *, whereas other riches, how great foever in efteem, are indeed fmall, becaufe they want multiplication to infinity. Whence it foBows,'’ that he who thinks not what he poffeffeth is fuf- ficient and plenteous, though he were mafter of the whole World, would yet be miferable. For mifery is the companion of want, and the fame vain opinion which firft perfwaded him,tl^t his own eftate was not fufficient, will continue to perfwade him,that one World is not fufficient, but that he wants more and more to infinity.
Would you then make a man rich ? Know, that it mult be done, not by adding to his riches, but by detrading from hisdefires. For when, having cut off all vain and fuperfluous defires,he (hall corapofe himfelf to the rules of Nature, and covet no more than fhe requires, then fhall he find himfelf to be rich indeed, becaufe he fhall then find that he wants nothing. Whence this alfo fliould be inculcated to him, if you live ac- ^ cording to Nature,you fhall never be poor, but * if according to Opinion, never rich. Nature defires little. Opinion infinite.
Certainly this difpofition or faculty of the mind, whereby a man, anoderating himfelf, cuts off from his defires whatfoever is not neceffary to nature, and contents himfelf with fuch things as arc moft fimple and eafie to be got ; this dif¬ pofition,! fay, begets that fecurity which is found in a quiet retirement, and avoidance of the mul¬ titude- moreover, by it, even he who lives with much company wants no more, than he who lives alone.
Flence alfo it proceeds,thatwhoreever endea¬ vours to beget a confidence and fecurity to him¬ felf out of external things, the beft way that may be, feeks after things poffible to be got, as being not unfuitable to him ; But the impof- fible he efteems unfuitable. Befides, even of the poffible, there are many vvhicli he attains not ; and all thofe which it is not necelfary for him to attain, he renounceth.
Now for want of this renouncing or detrac¬ tion, how great mifery is it for a man, to be con¬ tinually pouring into a bored Velfel, never able to fill his mind ? For not to mention, that ma¬ ny, who have heaped up wealth, have therein found only a change, not an end, of their mife¬ ry ; cither becaufe they run themfelves into new cares,to which they were not lubjeft before, or becaufe they made way for fnares, in which they were entangled and taken. Not to men¬ tion this, I fay, the greateft mifery is, that the more thou feedeft, the more thou art torment¬ ed with hunger.
CHAP. XVIII.
Of Mediocrity.^ betwixt Ho^e and Deffair of the Future.
LAftly, feeing that all defire whatfoever is carried to that which is not pofielled, but propofed as poffible to be attained, and acconi- pany’d with fome hope of obtaining it j which hope,cheriffiing the defire, is accompany’d with a certain pleafure ; as its contrary Defpair, fo¬ menting a fear that what is defired cannot be obtained, is not without trouble. Somthing therefore muft be added concerning Mediocrity which is of great uie,as well in the general, con¬ cerning things hoped or defpaired, as in the particular, concerning the duration, or rather perpetuity of life, whereof, as there is a defire kindled in the breafts of men, fo the defpair of it torments them.
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