University of Virginia Library

To a deere friend lately giuen ouer to couetousnesse.

Satyre. 4.

I heare of late (but hould it verie strange)
(That such vaine newes is common in the change)
How being old, and drawing to the graue,
Thou waxest greedie, and desir'st to saue:
As if thy life of sorrowes had no store,
But thou in policie shouldst purchase more?
Alas for thee, that at thy iournies end
Art growne so neere and carefull what to spend.
Looke on thy selfe, age hath thee by the backe,
Thy haires are white, which erst were frisseld blacke:
Thine eies are suncke, thy cheeks are leane and pale,
Thy lips are blew, thy breath is stincking stale,
Thy grinders gone, thy ghastlie gout, and murre;
Do breake thy sleepes, and scarcely let thee sturre:
Thy memorie is dul, and wel nie dead,
Thy tongue alreadie faulters in thy head:
Where al these torments make thee loth thy self,
Why art thou now enamored with thy pelfe?
Think'st thou the purchase of a niggards name
Is not a preiudice vnto thy fame?
Marke me a miserable mysing wretch,
That liues by others losse, and subtle fetch,
He is not onely plagu'd with heauines,
For that which other happie men possesse,
But takes no tast of that himselfe partakes,
And sooner life, then miserie forsakes:
And what in most aboundance, he retaines
In seeming little, doth augment his paines:
His trauailes, are suspitions backt by feare,
His thoughts distraught incessant troubles teare,
He doubts the raine, for feare it raise a floud
And beare away his houses, and his good,
He dreads his neighbours cattle as they passe,
For feare they stay and feed vpon his grasse,
He hides his treasures vnder locke and kay,
Lest theeues breake in, and beare his bags away:
Onely vnto himselfe, for whom he spares,
He gathers nothing but continuall cares:
His eie disdaines his hungrie bellie meate,
Himselfe repines, at that himselfe doth eate,
Though rents increase, he lets his body lacke,
And neither spares his bellie nor his backe:
What on him selfe he laies, he houlds it lost,
What on his wife, he deemes vnthriftie cost,
What on his heires, his miserie and misse,
What on his seruants, ryotting it is.
Thus from himselfe, his couetous desire
Doth draw himselfe, and on his hart doth tire:
So liues he to the wretched world alone,
Lothsome to all that long to see him gone:
If such he be, (as such he is indeede)
And far more worse, (if wealth more worse may breed)
For shame from such a sinne thy life exempt,
That makes thee rich in nothing but contempt,
They say the many packs before thy doore,
Are but the pawnes, and wages of the poore,
They say the buildings which thou dost begin,
Are rich without, but yeeld no rost within,
They say thy deerest friends are sure to pay
Great forfeitures, and if they misse their day:
They say the interest of tenne a yeere
Is held too little to maintaine thy cheere,
And yet thy selfe, thy wife, thy maid, thy knaue,
Scarce butter'd turneps vpon Sundaies haue,
They say at New-yeares-tide men giue thee cakes,
And thou the next day sels them for their sakes,
They say thou sel'st the chipping of thy bred
For feare thy seruants should be ouer fed,
They say one horse may beare thy houshould stuffe,
Where for thy coyne three carts are not enough;
They say thy welted gowne, and ruffes of lawne,
When thou wert warden last was but a pawne:
They say thy plate was forfeited and lost
For halfe the money that at first it cost,
They say thy wiues cast kertle is become
A paire of breeches to enskonce thy bum.
Briefly, they say that for the world thou art
Too wretched, and for God too false in hart.
All these reports thou knowest as well as I
Spring frō some grounds, things sould by common cry
Are quickly sould, men hardly stop the noice
Of slanders published by common voice:
If these be true, reforme them; if vntrue,
Take them for warnings what thou shouldst eschue:
What ere they be, now thinke vpon thy graue,
And leaue thy worldly drudging to thy knaue,
And let him carrie fier vnto thy stils,
And tend thy brewhouse, watch, & ward thy mils,
Looke to thine apples, lest they rotte away,
Set vp thy hop-powles, and thy champions lay.
And thou thy selfe safe wrapt in cloth and furre,
Fall to thy prayers, desire no more to sturre,
Giue to the poore, what thou hast got by wrōg,
For be assur'd thy daies cannot be long:
Follow this frendly counsell which I giue,
Or els in shame, and hatred thou shalt liue,
Or dead, those passengers that spie thy graue,
Shall say here lies a broking bribing knaue.