Diseases of the Soul, Part 12
Immoderate Thirst, and Ambition. Disease. 10
THere is a disease in the bodie called immoderate thirst; which is after much drinking desired and answered, a still sensible drinesse. By this I would (I suppose not vnfitly) expresse that spirituall disease, Ambition, a proud soules thirst, when a draught of honour causeth a drought of honour; and like Tullies strange soyle, much raine of promotion falling from his heauen the Court, makes him still as drie as dust. He is a most ranke Churle, for he drinkes often, and yet would hauehave no man pledge him.
Cause.
THe disease is caused in the body, through abundant heate drying vp moysture: and this is done by hot, cholericke, or salt humours engendred in the stomake, or through Feuers burning or Ecticke.
Signes and Symptomes.
THe Signes of the disease are best discerned by the patients words. The cause of Ambition is a strong opinion of honour; how well he could become a high place, or a high place him. It is a proud couetousnesse, a glorious and Court-madnes. The head of his reason caught a bruise on the right side, his vnderstanding; and euer since he followes affection, as his principall guide. Hee professeth a new quality, called the art of climbing: wherin he teacheth others by patterne, not so much to aspire, as to break their neckes. No staire pleaseth him, if there be a higher; and yet ascended to the top, he complaines of lownesse. He is not so soone layd in his bed of honour, but hee dreames of a higher preferment, and would not sit on a seate, long enough to make it warme. His aduancement giues him a fresh prouocation; and he now treades on that with a disdainfull foote, which ere-while hee would hauehave kissed to obtaine. Hee climbes falling towers, and the hope to scale them, swallowes all feare of toppling downe. Hee is himselfe an Intelligencer to greatnes, yet not without vnderofficers of the same ranke. You shall see him narrow-eyed with watching, affable and open-brested like Absolon, full of insinuation so long as he is at the staire-foote: but when authoritie hath once spoken kindly to him, with Friend, sit vp higher, he lookes rougher then Hercules; so bigge, as if the riuer of his bloud would not bee banked within his veines. His tongue is flabellum Diaboli, and flagellum iusti: bent to scourge some, flatter others, infect, infest all. Agrippina, Neros mother, being told by an Astrologer, that her sonne should be Emperour, but to her sorrow: answered, Let my sorrow be what it will, so my sonne may get the Empire. He hath high desires, low deserts. As Tully for his Pindinessus, he spends much money about a little preferment; and with greater cost then the captaine bought his Burgesship, hee purchaseth incorporeall fame; which passeth away, as swift, as time doth follow motion; & whose weight is nothing but in her name, wheras a lower place well managed, leaues behinde it a deathlesse memory. Like a great winde, he blowes downe all friends that stand in his way to rising. Policy is his post-horse, and he rides all vponupon the spurre, till he come to None-such. His greatest plague is a Riuall.
Nec quemquam iam ferre potest Caesarue priorem,
Pompeiusue parem.Iuuen. Sat. 2.
Tolluntur in altum, vt lapsu grauiore ruant.
He is a child in his gaudy desires, and great Titles are his rattles, which still his crying, til he see a new toy. He kisses his wits, as a Courtier his hand, when any wished fortune salutes him: and it tickles him, that he hath stolne to promotiō without Gods knowledg. Ambitio ambientium crux. Ambition is the racke, whereon hee tortureth himselfe. The court is the sea, wherein he desires to fish: but the net of his wit and hope breakes, and there he drownes himselfe. An old courtier being asked what he did at Court, answered, I doe nothing, but vndoe my selfe.
Cure.
FOr the bodily disease, caused of heate and drinesse, Physicians prescribe Oxicratum, a drinke, made of vineger and water sodden together: a chiefe intention in them, is to procure sleepe, &c. To cure the immoderate Thirst of Ambition, let him take from God this prescript: He that exalteth himselfe, shall be brought low: but he that humbleth himselfe, shall be exalted. That he, who sets himselfe downe in the lower room, heares the masters of the feasts inuitation, Friend, sit vp higher. That a glorious Angell by ambition became a Diuell; and a Lucifer of his sonnes, the king of Babylon, that said, I will exalt my throne aboue the starres of God, is brought downe to hell, and to the sides of the Esa. 14. 14.pit. That the first step to heauens Court, is humilitie. Blessed are the poore in spirit, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. That Mat. 5. 3.he, who walkes on plaine ground, is in little danger to fall; if he do fall, he riseth with small hurt: but he that climbes high, is in more danger of falling; and if he fall, of killing. That the great blasts of powerfull enuie ouerthrow Oakes and Cedars, that oppose their huge bodies; and passe through hollow Willowes, or ouer litle shrubs, that grow vnderunder the wall. That the higher state is the fairer marke for misfortune to shoote at: That which way soeuer the ambitious man lookes, he finds matter of deiection. Aboue him, behold a God casting an ambitious Angell out of heauen, Luk. 1. 48.an ambitious king from the societie of men: but so respecting the lowlinesse of his handmaiden, that all generation call her blessed. Below him, behold the earth, the wombe that he came from, and the tombe that must receiue him. About him, behold, others transcending him in his best qualities. Within him, a mortall nature, that must die, though he were clad in gold; and perhaps an euill conscience stinging him, whose wounds are no more eased by promotion, then a broken bone is kept by a tissue-coate from aking. That there is a higher reckoning to be made of a higher place. That like citie-houses, that on small foundations carry spacious roofes, his owne toppe-heauy weight is ready to tumble him downe. That he mounts vp like a seeled Doue, and wanting eyes of discretion, he may easily light in a puddle. That he is but a stone tossed vp into the aire by fortunes sling, to receaue the greater fall. That for want of other malignant engines, he begets on himselfe destruction. That Tiberius complained of fortune; that hauing set him vp in so high a monarchie, shee did not vouchsafe him a ladder to come downe againe. That the honours of this world hauehave no satisfactory validitie in them. The poore labourer would be a farmer: the farmer after two or three deare years aspires to a yeoman: the yeomans sonne must be a Gentleman. The Gentlemans ambition flies Iustice-height. He is out of square with being a Squire, and shoots at knighthood. Once knighted, his dignitie is nothing, except worth a noble title. Then, hee thinkes himself, whiles a meere Baron, a bare on: the world must count him a Count, or he is not satisfied. He is weary of his Earldome, if there be a Duke in the land. That granted, hee thinks it base to be a subiect: nothing now contents him but a crowne. Crowned, hee vilifies his owne kingdome for narrow bounds, whiles he hath greater neighbours; he must be Caesar'd to an vniuersall Monarch. Let it bee granted, is he yet content? No, then the earth is a molehill, too narrow for his mind, and hee is angry for lacke of Elbow-roome.
Vnus Pellaeo Iuueni non sufficit orbis:
Aestuat infoelix angusto limine mundi.
Last to be king of men is idle, hee must Deified: and now Alexander conceits his immortalitie, and causeth Temples and Altars to be built to his name. And yet, being thus adored, is not pleased, because he cannot command heauen, and controll nature. Rome robbed the world, Sylla Rome, and yet againe Sylla himselfe, not content till then, when aduancement hath set him vp as a Butte, hee cannot bee without the quiuer of feares. Thus the largest draught of honour this world can giuegive him, doth not quench, but inflame his ambitious thirst. Well, let repentant humiliation pricke the bladder of his blowne hopes, and let out the windy vapours of selfe-louelove. And now let him hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, and on my life he shall be satisfied.Mat. 5. 6.