' C HA It, Cfbe Pre{umptuouJ. 'ne. VijlrHjlfoll. I 177 A Of the Trejumptuous. p Refumption is nothing but hope out ofhis \V its, ao high houfe upon weak pilJars. The prefumpru<>us man loves eo accempr great things, only becaufe they , are hard and raw his atlio!J6 are bold and venturous, and more full of hazard theo ufe. He hoifeth faile in a cempcll:, and faith never anyof his Ancdl:ors were drowned: he goes intoan infetled hou!c,and faies, the plague dar<s not fei•e on noble bloud:he runs on high batrlemencs,gallops down lleef. hills, rides over narrow B bridges w1lkeson weak lce,and never thinks, What ifi all~ but, What ifl runne 'over and fall not~ He is a confident Alchymifl:, and braggctl1, that the wombe of his Furnace bath conceived aburthen that will doe all the world good: which yet he d~- fires fecredy borne, for fcare ofhis own bondage: in the meane time, his Glaffe ,breaks· yer heupon better luring hies wagers of the Cucceffe, and promifeth wedges before~baod to bisfriend. He Caich,I wi!l fi?ne,and ~e forry,and elcaf:e ; either Go~ will not fee,or not be angry,ornor pumlh 1t,or rem1t the meafure, I I doe well,he IS jull to reward;ifill,he is merciful to forgive.Thus his prailes wrong God no ldl'etheo his offence;aod hurt himfdfno lefl'e th<n they wrong God. Any pattern is enough to encourage him: {hew him theway where aoy foot bath trod, he dare follow , a!- though he fee no ftepsreturni~1 what ifa thoufand have attemptcd,and mifcarried; c ifbut one bave prevailed,ir fu ceth.He fuggclls to himfdf falfe hopes of never too hte; as ifhecould command either Time or repentance: and dare defcrrc the exjti:tlation ofmercy,till betwixt the bridge and the water. Give him but where to fer sfoot,and he will remove the earth.He fore-knowes tbe mutations ofStates, the events ofwarre , the temper of the feafons; either his old prophecy eels it him, or his llarres.Yea,he is no llranger to the Records ofGods fecret counfd,but h'c turnes them over,and copies them outat pleafure. I know not whether in all his enrerprifes 'he lhew leffe feare,or wifdom: no man promifes himfelfmore,no man more bcleeves himfolf. !JP iN g~e •"'te,"••nJ rlltlrtst andptmh• fo ,•nti f}t•dand ltAvt my fon»ts foch ejlatts;all which ifit uccced,he thanks himfdfe;ifnot,he blames not himfelfe. His purc;:fes are meafurcd,not by his abiliry,bur his will,andhisatlions by his purpofcs. D La ly,he is ever credulous inaffent, rafh in undertaking, peremptory in refolving, witle1fe in proceeding,and in his ending miferable ; which is never othor,theneither thelaughterofrhewife, or the pity offoolcs. OftheVijlrujlfull. THE dillrullfull man hath his heart in his eyes, or in his hmd ; nothing is (ure eohim but what he foes, what he handles. Heis eitherveryfimple, or very falfe;and therefore bcloe,ves not others,becaufe he knows how little himfelf E isworrhyofbekefe. Infpirirualltbings, either God mullleaveapawne with him or fcek fame other Creditor. All ablenr things and unufuall, have no other but ~ conditionall entertainment: they are !\range, iftrue. Ifhe fee two neighbourswhifper in his_pr~fenec, he bids them fpeak '?"t, and charg.s them to fay nomore then . . t bey can JU!hfie. When he bath comm1tted a me1fage to his fervant, he fends a fecond after him,to lifienhow it is delivered.He is his own Secretary, and ofhis own counfell, for what he bath.for what he purpofcth:andwhen he tells over his bags, looks thorow the key-hole,to fee ifhe have any hidden \Yitne1fc and askes aloud wh1 u there? when no man heares him.He borrowes money when he needs not, for fear lell others fhould borrowofhim.He is evcrtimorous,andcowardly; and askes every mans errand at the doore, ere he opens, Mter his firll flcep, he fiarts UJ!, and askcs 1f thcfurthell gate were barred, and out of a fcarfull fweat calls up his fervaiu:, aad
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=