Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Seneca. 372 The vanity of agreat retinae andmasrd fraantr, fades ?yeawhich isworfe, hereby he becommeth a feruant to his own auarice and concupifcence, it being a chicle carafe and motiue which induceth him to toile and labour, fcrape and rake together, to oppreffe and incroch upon other mens rights, that he may haue wherewith to maintaine this nu- merous multitude to attend vpon him.The which error were fo much the leffe,ifal thefe men thus intertained,were faith - full wel-lwillers, and (as one calleth them) humble friends, seadie at all affayes to feeke his good, and to hand in his de_ fence with their owne hazard : but contrariwife experience teacheth, that among many feruants are many enemies,who becaufe they are reflrained of their wines, orpunifhed for their faults, or not rewardedaccording to their expectation, though it may be abouetheir deferts, maligne their mailer, and wait for occafion to Phew their hatred. Now thefe do- mefticall foes are of al others molt dangerous, becaufe they are no leffe priuie to al their mailers.infirmities,then ready to diuulge them vnderhand, where they may molt difgrace him;neither can any thing he doth in the fa miliebe hid from thofe who with him worfl, becaufe as he hath many des to obferne his hidden counfels and greatefl fecrets, fo hath he alfomany tongues to reueale and vtter them : yea and that which for feare they but fecretly whifpered whileft they re. mained in the familie vnder the gouernment of their mailer, they are readie with profeffed malice to proclaimepublikely when they haue lefthis feruice, and be vnder the rule ofano- ther, vnleffe they be reftrained more with feare oftheirnew =after, then with loue of the old, left he might iuftly fufpeól that he alto (hall receiue at their hands the like meafure, when they leaue his feruice.Now this miferie is fo much the more miferable, not onlybecaufe it is impoflible to preuent thefe dangers, which come bythefe fecret traytors, who are hidden and vnknowne, but alto becaufe they are fainevn- wittingly to nourifhthefe vipers in their bofome, feeding, cloathing and rewarding them, when as they do them moll hurt, and are readie vpon all oceafrons to plot againft them any rnifchiefe. Vntothis we may adde, that where there is a multitude of feruants, there are alto many contentions and domeflicaIl