Meditations and Vowes. Cent. H. 63 A Nothino doth fo befoole a man, as extreme pallion. This doth both make them fooles,whkh otherwifeare nor;and !hew them to be fooles,that are fo. Violent paf fions if I cannot tame them,that theymay yeeld to my ea!e; I will at leafi fro other them by conceakment,that theymay not appeare to my !hame. 64 The minde of man,though infinite indefire, yet is finite in capacity.Since I cannot hop• to know all things, I will labour firft toknow what I needs roufi,fortheir ufe: next,what I beft may ,for their convenience. . 65 Though time be precious to me(as ~11 irre.vocable g.ood things de~erve to be) and ofall othcrthings,I would not be lavt!h oftc;yct I wtll account no umc loft, that ts 1l either lent to,or bellowed upon my friend. 66 The prallifes ofthe befi men are more fubjctl to crrour chenchtir fpeculations. I will hoAour good examples:but I will live by good precepts. 67 . As charity r<quires forgetfillnelfeofevill deeds: fo patience requires forgetfulndfe ofevill2ccidents,I will remember evills paft,tohumble me;not to vex me. 68 It is both amifery and a!hame for aman to be a Bankrupt in love: which he may ca61y pay,and be never the more impov<ri!hed. I will be in no mans debt, for good will:but will at leafi rcturne every man his own mcafure,ifnot with ufury. It is much c better to be a Creditor,then aDebtor, in any thing;but efpccially of this: yet olthis I will fa be content to be aDebtor,that I willalwoics be paying it where I oweit;and yet never will have fo paid it,that I !hlll not 01v'e it more. 69 The Spanifu Proverb is too true ; Dead men and abfcnt finde no friends. All mouthcs arc boldly opened,with aconceit ofimpunity.My care flull be nograve to bury my friends good oamc.But as I will be my prefcnt friends fdfe ; So will I be my abfcor friends deputy; to fay for him what he would (and canner) fpeakfor himfdfc. 70 Thelolfcofmyfriend, asitfuallmodcratclygricveme; lo it tlullanothcr way D much benefit me, in rccompcncc ofhiswant: for it !hall make me think more often, and ferioufiy ofearth,and ofheaven, Ofearth,for his body whichis rcpofcd in ir:Of Hcaven,for his foulc which poffdfeth it before me: Ofearth, to put me in mindc of my likcfrailty and mortality:OfHcavca,to make me defirc,and(aftcr a fort)cmulate his happineffc and glory. 7' Variety ofobjells is wont to caufe difirallion: when againc a littleone, laid clofe to the ey<(ifbut ofa penny brcadth)whollyrakcs up the fight; which could elfe fee the whole halfHeaven at ooc.c.I will have the eyes of my mind ever fore-fiallcd,2nd filled with thcfe two objctls;the fuortneffc ofmy lifc,ctcrniryafter death. 7S E I fee that he is more happy,that bath nothingto lofc,thcn he that lofcth that which hebath. I will therefore neither hope forriches,nor fcarc poverty. 73 I care not fo much in any thing for multitude, as for ch&ice. Books and friends I will not have many: I had ratherfcrioufiyconvcrfewith 2fcw,then wander among Cl many. 74 Thewicked man is avery cow:u-d,and is afraid ofevery thing. OfGod;becaufc he is his enemy: ofSaran, becaufc he is his tormentor: ofGods creatures, becaufc they ( joyningwith their Maker) fight again Cl him:ofhimfclf,becaufe he beares about him his own accufcr and executioner.The godly man contrarily,is afraidofnothing.Not of
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