Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

That all world y things are but meere vanities. 287 with moll trouble and danger,fauing that men firiue who (hall afeetad higher on this ladder, and in the heate of their contention tread their fellowes under fecte,that they may rife before them? wherein what doe they ehe but behaue themfelueslike children, who goo together by the Bares, whilefl they contend one with another, who.fhall be king in their play ? whereas within anhoure after the play being done,they are all againe equal!; or imagining a little hillock to be a lirong fort, doe affault and defend it with as great skill and furie, as though. the holding of it were a matter of great importance; whereas after the contention is ceafed, it remaineth emptie, and is paffed by with ncgleél and con- tempt. And fo thefe ambitious men hauing propounded clack trifles as the caule ofthcir emulation and contention, and being by reafon of theirpride and felfeloue,impatient ofany foile,do with all earneftnes and eagernes flriue about them, not becaufe they thinke the things themfelues for which they contend are worth their paines and labour, but becaufe if they doe not obtaine the viElorie, they thinke themfelues much difgraced,in that they are not able to haue their will. The like alto maybe Paid of riches; the competi- tion and earnefi purfuite whereof by fo many, addeth no (mall matter to the common opinion of their worth and e. flimation : for otherwife wherefore doe men fo greedily fcrape much more then is fufficient for themfelues, their charge, or any other good vfe wherein they haueanypur_ pole of imploying them, if they did not (meafuring their goodneffe by their goods) defire to bee better then other men,and therefore couet to excel! them in that which they thinke doth make them commendable,and more refpe&cd? Why doe they hoord them vp in great abundance ,and like the dogge in the maunger neithervfe them themfelues, nor communicate them vnto any other for their vfe and benefit; but that in a kinde ofenuie and emulation they would ex. ceed all other in wealth, and bee accounted great by the large portion which they haue of thefe fmal! vanities? In a word, why doe they fo highly value that which they in- tend neuer to vfc cif it were not that they haue got them with