Seneca. 372 The vanityofagreat retinaeandmasrdfraantr, fades ?yeawhich isworfe, hereby he becommeth a feruant tohis ownauarice and concupifcence, it beingachicle carafe and motiue which induceth him to toile and labour, fcrape and raketogether, to oppreffe and incrochuponother mens rights, that he may haue wherewith to maintaine thisnu- merous multitude to attendvponhim.The whicherror were fo much the leffe,ifal thefe men thus intertained,were faith- fullwel-lwillers, and (as one calleth them) humble friends, seadie at all affayes to feeke hisgood, and to hand in his de_ fence with their owne hazard : but contrariwife experience teacheth, that amongmany feruantsare manyenemies,who becaufe they are reflrained oftheir wines, orpunifhed for their faults, or not rewardedaccording to their expectation, though it maybe abouetheir deferts, maligne their mailer, and wait for occafion to Phew their hatred. Now thefe do- mefticall foes areofal others molt dangerous, becaufethey are no leffepriuie to al their mailers.infirmities,then ready to diuulge them vnderhand, where they may molt difgrace him;neithercan any thinghe dothin the familiebe hid from thofe who with him worfl, becaufe as hehath many des to obfernehis hidden counfels andgreatefl fecrets, fo hath he alfomany tongues to reueale and vtter them : yea and that which for feare theybut fecretly whifpered whileft they re. mained in the familievnder the gouernment oftheir mailer, theyarereadie withprofeffed malice to proclaimepublikely when theyhaue lefthisferuice, andbe vnder therule ofano- ther, vnleffe theybe reftrained more with feare oftheirnew =after, then with loueofthe old, left hemight iuftly fufpeól that he alto (hall receiue at their hands the like meafure, when they leaue his feruice.Now thismiferie isfo much the more miferable, not onlybecaufe it is impoflible to preuent thefe dangers, whichcome bythefefecret traytors, whoare hiddenandvnknowne, but alto becaufe they are fainevn- wittingly to nourifhthefevipers in their bofome, feeding, cloathing andrewarding them, whenas they do them moll hurt, and are readie vpon all oceafronsto plot againft them any rnifchiefe.Vntothis we may adde, that where thereis a multitudeof feruants, there are alto many contentions and domeflicaIl
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