Diseases of the Soul, Part 8
The Dropsie and Couetousnes, Causes. Disease. 6.
PHysicians say, that the Dropsie is an errour in the digestiue vertue in the liuer, bred of the abundance of salt and waterish flegme, with the ouer-feeding of raw and moist meates. It is distinguished into three sorts, Ascites, Tympanites, and Anasarca, or Hyposarca. Ascites is, when betweene the filme called Peritonaeum (which is the Caule that couers the Entrailes) much watery humour is gathered. Tympanites ariseth from windinesse and flatuous causes gathered into the foresaid places. Hyposarca is, when the humours are so dispersed through the whole body, that all the flesh appeares moyst and spungy. Our spirituall Dropsie couetousnesse, is a disease bred in the soule, through defect of faith and vnderstanding. It properly resides in the inferiour powers of the soule, the affections; but ariseth from the errours of the superiour intellectuall facultie; neither conceiuing aright of Gods all-sufficient helpe, nor of the worlds all-deficient weakenesse.
Signes.
THe corporall Dropsie is easily knowne by heauinesse, swelling, puffing vp, immoderate desire of drinke, &c. The spirituall likewise (though it leanes the carkasse) lards the conscience; at least swels and puffes it vp: and as if some hellish inflammation had scorched the affection, it thirsts for Aurum potabile without measure. The Couetous man is of Renodaeus his opinion, that argentum plurimum valet ad cordis palpitationem, siluer is good against the heart-panting. The Wise man cals it a disease, an-euill disease, and almost Eccles. 6. 2.incurable. The Couetous hath drunke the blood of oppression, wrong from the veines of the poore: and behold, like an vndigestible receit, it wambles in hisstomack; he shal not feele quietnesse in his belly. This is an epidemiall sickenesse.
Aurum omnes, victa iam pietate, colunt.
Religion giues riches, and riches forgets religion.
Religio dat opes, paupertas Religionem:
Diuitiae veniunt, Religio que fugit.
Thus doe our affections wheele about with an vnconstant motion. Pouertie makes vsus Religious, Religion rich, and riches irreligious. For as, Pauperis est rogare, so it should be Diuitis erogare. Seneca wittily and truly, Habes pecuniam? vel teipsum vel pecuniam habeas vilem necesse est. Hast thou money? either thou must esteeme thy money vile, or be vile thy selfe. The Couetous man is like a two-legd Hog: whiles he liues, he is euer rooting in the earth, and neuer doth good, till he is dead; like a vermine, of no vse till vncased. Himselfe is a Monster, his life a riddle: his face (and his heart) is prone to the ground; his delight is to vex himself. It is a question whether he takes more care to get damnation, or to keepe Curans quasi corvrens. Auarus quasi auidus aeris.it; and so is either a Laban or a Nabal, two infamous churls in the old Testament, spelling one anothers name backeward. He keeps his god vnderunder lock and key, and somtimes for the better safety, in his vncleane vault. He is very eloquently powerfull amongst his poore neighbours; who for awfull feare listen to Pluto, as if he were Plato. He preuails very farre when he deales with some officers; as a Pharisee with Christs Steward, Tantum dabo, tantus valor in quatuor syllabis: so powerfull are two words. He preuailes like a sorcerer, except he light vponupon a Peter: Thou and thy money be damned together. His heart is like the East Indian ground, Acts 8.where all the mines bee so barren, that it beares neither grasse, herbe, plant, nor tree. The lightnesse of his purse giues him a heauy heart, which yet filled, doth fill him with more cares. His medicine is his malady: he would quench his auarice with money, and this inflames it, as oyle feeds the lampe, and some harish drinkes increase thirst. His proctour in the law, and protector against the law, is his money. His Alchymie is excellent, he can proiect much siluer, and waste none in smoke. His Rhetoricke is how to keepe him out of the Subsidie. His Logicke is to prooueheauen in his chest. His Mathematicks, Omnia suo commodo, non honestate mensurare, to measure the goodnesse of any thing by his owne profite. His Arithmaticke is in Addition and Multiplication, much in Substraction, nothing in Diuision. His Physicke is to minister gold to his eye, though he starue his body. His Musicke is Sol, re, me, fa: Sola res me facit; that which makes me, makes me merry. Diuinitie he hath none: Idolatry enough to his money: Sculptura is his Scriptura, & he hath so many Gods as images of coin. He is an il haruest man, for he is all at the rake, nothing at the pitchfork. The diuell is a slaue to God, the world to the diuell, the couetous man to the world; he is a slaue to the diuels slaue; so that his seruant is like to hauehave a good office. He foolishly buries his soule in his chest of siluer, when his body must be buried in the mould of corruption. When the Fisher offers to catch him with the Net of the Gospell, he strikes into the mudde of Auarice, and will not be taken. The Dropsie of his foreign doth Senectute iuuenescere. Cicero calleth it 1. Tim. 6. 10 De Senect.an absurd thing, Quò minus viae restat, eò plus viatici quaerere. He sels his best graine, and feeds himselfe on mouldy crusts: he returnes from plough, if hee remember that his cupboord was left vnlockt. If once in a Raigne he inuites his neighbors to dinner, he whiles the times with friuolous discourses, to hinder feeding; sets away the best dish, affirming it will bee better cold: obserues how much each guest eateth, and when they are risen and gone, falleth to himselfe, what for anger and hunger, with a sharpe appetite. If he smels of Gentility, you shall hauehave at the nether end of his boord a great Pasty vncut vp, for it is filled with bare bones; somewhat for shew, but most to keepe the nether messe from eating. Hee hath sworne to die in debt to his belly. He deducts from a seruants wages the price of a halter, which hee cut to saue his master, when hee had hung himselfe at the fall of the market. He lends nothing, nor returnes borrowed, vnlesse it be sent for; which if hee cannot deny, he wil delay in hope to hauehave it forgotten. To excuse his base and sordid apparrell, hee commends the thriftinesse of king Henrie, how cheape his clothes were. His fist is like the Prentices earthen boxe, which receiues all, but lets out nothing til it be broken. He is in more danger to be sand-blinde, then a Goldsmith. Therefore some call him anidum, a non videndo. Hee must rise in the night with a candle to see his corne, though hee stumble in the So did a wretched cornehoorder. Prodigus non habebit, sed auarus non habet.straw and fire his barne. He hath a lease of his wits, during the continuance of his riches: if any crossestarts away them he is mad instantly. He would flay an Asse for his skin, and like Hermocrates dying, bequeath his owne goods to himselfe. His case is worse then the prodigals: for the Prodigal shall hauehave nothing hereafter, but the Couetous hath nothing in present.
Cure.
FOr his cure much might bee prescribed; specially as they giuegive in the corporall Dropsie, purge the humour that feeds it. When the Couetous hath gotten much, and yet thirsts, a vomit of confiscation would doe well, and set him to get more. It was a good morall instruction that fell from that shame of Philosophy Epicurus, the course to make a man rirh, is not to increase his weath, but to restraine Si quem diuitem efficere voles, non est quod opes augeas, sed tollas cupiditatem.his couetous desires. The Apostles counsell is to fly it, and all occasions, occupations that may beget or nourish it. Remember, saith a Schooleman, that though homo be de terra, & exterra, yet non ad terram, nec propter terram. Man is on the Eph. 5. Lomb. Polychron. lib. 5. cap. 10.earth, of the earth, but not for the earth, &c. I hauehave read of one Iohn Patriark of Alexandria, asparing and strait-handed man, that being earnest at his prayers, there appeared to him a Uirgin with a crowne or garland of Oliue leaues: he desiring to know her name, she called her selfe MercieMercy: requiring her intent, she requested him to marry her, promising him much prosperitie on that condition. Hee did so, and found himselfe still the richer for his mercifull deedes. She may offer her selfe long enough in these dayes ere she be taken. MercieMercy may liue a mayde, for no man will marry her. Valerius Maximus speakes of one Gilianus, a famous Romane, that besides hospitality to strangers, paid the taxes of many poore, rewarded deserts vnsued to, bought out the seruitude of captiues, and sent them home free: how few such like can an English Historiographer write of? I would we had such a Gilianus amongst vsus, so it were not from Rome. Well then, let the Couetous remember his end, and the end of his riches, how certaine, how vncertaine they are! And intend his couertice to a better obiect. Quis alius noster est finis, quam peruenire ad regnum cuius nullus est Aug de ciuit. lib. 22. cap. 30.finis? What else should bee our end, saue to come to the kingdome that hath no end! His cure is set downe by God: I leaue the receate with him. They that will be rich, fall into 1. Tim. 6. 9. 10. 11. 17.temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and noysome lusts, which drowne men in perdition and destruction. For the louelove of money is the roote of all euill, &c. But thou, O man of God, flie these things, and follow after righteousnesse, &c. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they bee not high minded, nor trust in vncertain riches, &c. but that they be rich in good works, &c. The place is powerfull; let the Couetous reade, obserue, obey, repent, beleeue, and be saued.