Ofthe"hortne5andfrailtieofmanslife. 655 ti he) laboureth for God,andcouetoufneffe for the tempter; that A,nbrof. in oathereth fuch things as profit a mans felfe, this heapethvp Pfal.38.enar. thofe whichprofit others. Andwhat more vaine, then to labor rattom.4. for other men, and not know who (hall be hisheire ? For who can tell whetherhis owne fonne, or nephew(hall furuiue him ? feeing the heire oftentimes goeth before the teftator to thebu. real; ; or outliuing him,riotoufly deuoureth the inheritance,or luxurioufly fcattereth it; or being fooli(h cannot defend it; or lofeth it by confifcation, yea oftentimes their enemie is their heire, and the fucceffour infulteth oiler the deceafed, perfecu- ring thofe whom he loued, and felling forflaues thofewhom lie tenderly loued. Butthough he knew who fhould inherit his labours, andbe lure to haue anheireof his owne chufing; yet howcan he tell what he will prone ? whether a wife man,or a foule; afrugall fauer,ora wailfull fpender; one who wit thank- fully remember hispredecefforand benefa&or, or one that will forget him,vnleffe it be to cenfare his infirmities? Finally,whe- Pietas beredis thenfuchan oneas will fhed gratefull teares at his funerals, or fobperlera fmilevnder hisdole hood? And this the Wife man noted as rift" ell* . great vanity, which made cuenhis life bittervnto him. Ihated Ecclef,1.17, (faith he) my life, endalfomy labour ?therein I hadtrundledvnder 18.0 g. thefanne, whichIfballleaue to the man that"hallbeafter me. And who ltnoneth?bhether he fhall bee wife orfoolijh ? yet fhall hee haue rule suerallmy labour,wherein Ihatee trauelled,andwherein I haue "hewed myfelfe wifewider thefanne, this italfavanity, &c.But if thefemomentanie riches, which are thus bequeathed to pofte- rity, hauebeen defiledwith finne, either becaufe they hauebin vnlawfully gotten, as by greedie couetoufneffe,fraud,deceit, crueltyand oppref ion; theywill not proue greatly beneficiall, either toheire orpredeceffor : for as hee leauethvnto his child his wealth, fo alto enuie, becaufe he is the ofspringoffucha fa- Cher,&(as it were)ayong oneoftheold ferpent,which though Plutarchde hehaue done no hurt hitherto by reafon that he is yong, yet it cupidit. diuá.; is fearedhe will doe, when he commeth to age, not onelybe- tiarum. caufe he is likely to refemble his fathers nature, but alfo hath beenpoyfoned with his precepts of couetoufneffe inhis very youth. Foras one obferueth, when rich mifers fee that theycan keepe their goods no longer then for tearme oflife, theycon- firme & lrengthen theirheires,by reading vnto them ledtures of a
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=