The Vanity of the World. 7 or Gont, deaden and difuearten us to all the Joys and Pleafurcs of.Life? ~ertai~1ly, rhe World muft needs be vain, that cannot bear out the brunt of a.JtttlePam o~Srckuefs. The lealt crofsAccident is enough todifcompofc all ourDel.tghts. Audmdccd there are fo many Ingredients required to make np worldly Fc~tet- , , ...... . , ty +Riches Health, Friends, Honour, good Name, and the like; .'J:<J 4>ruvtJ\'.~ r 'iY.n; rl;(J. - th~t if any or' rhefe be wanting, .the whole Compofition isfpoiled, "t:; ·~:r ~~:~v~tvti':.t= and we fuall takcadv~ntage aga~nft our felves to conclude ~care ~vnn~;@e~?v,~Tovbfwc-'~· miferable. For fuch IS the peevlfhnefs of our Nature, that tf we iv7;tX.V•o:q:, ~'.!1-Mif;, Otl ndvv have not all we would, we take no content in any thing we have. ~ tu:fiJ.tf.l~~~rJ; 0 ;rnv )J'e!~t-y And bcfides,.we are apt I! to fiide off from the fmoothcr part of our :::~~~..:Y.~~~A:i. »t.;~r;, Lives, as Fhes from Glafs, and to !hck only on the rougher Pailll- '· s. ~ l. 10 • ,. s. ges: For neither is Senfe capable to be fo much or fo long alfctlcd ll T- • ,.;? . ;, with the Imp~emo~S ofPleafi.tr~,as .ofpain,(fincenever could there e;_QJf/'!/.,.;; ~ rJ;-a~r:; !;~~7: yctbeanyDeltghtsmventeda.sptercmgastherearemanyTorments) T J.fl...,v ~'/fruP e.. 7'/,1~ ~,g,7&;, nor yet is our bufie remembrance fo officious in calling back the TOH d7.tM~ivt".n, Ji! :) Tf5.- pleafantPa1Tages of our days to our review, as thofe that hJve been 'X.~111u ~~~v'ntt ~ Ji! ~,t.tv· more gloomy ~nd dolorous. And tho' it be our ~n to look ~ore ~~g;:~;~l;J;:cpJ[o:~:: upon the Crones we find, than the Comfons we enJOY; yet hct.ewe £M?f"Aho~7«~ Ji r cini'iiv.b«u.- may likcwife fee how vain a thing it is for us to exped: Happrnefs riJOlm· Plutarcb d~ tr;r,quil." and Contentment from the World, whofeCroiTcs as they arc more, fo they are more confiderable than its Comforts. ·' Fifthly, Confider, the longer we enjoy any worldly thing, the more Aatand infipid V. doth it grow: We are foon at the bottom, and find nothing but Dregs there. In all thePieafbres of Life either our Spiri ts fink and fall under the continuance of them, as not able to bear a conftant tenfion and emotion; or the Delight confifts mecrly in the novelty and variety of the ObjeCts, which when we are made more familiar with, are but dull, becaufe ordinary: And fothey either tire onr Appetites, or deceive ou r Hopes. And therefor e the moft artitlcial Voluptuaries have always allowed them~ fe·Ives an intcrmiiTLon in their Pleafi.Ires, to recruit Nature, and Jharpen their fcnfual Defires, without which they would but cloy and furfeit, and in- 'Ctrtos h,)bt!u.t die; ipfi ""14 ftcad of Plcafures, prove only a wafte and oppreffion to the Spirits. gift,,. v~!ttptmU Epicum).quibM * Epicurm himfelf, the great Mafrer and Servant ofPleafure, who mnlig~tefamemextinguem. :>en. · made it the highefl: good and chiefeft.Hap_pinefs of Man, fcthimfclf E.p. •8 lip. ad Mm.mum t~p~J certain da-ys of Abfrinence in courfe, wherein lie would but nig- Dt•.f.l.Atrt in't!it.iE:~rJic. T~ct~· gardly facisfie his Stomach, well knowing that the plcafi1re of ;~f::h~~~"f.~~~~~:r::; Gluttony could never be fo much enhanc'd as by an mtcrval of £Y. l'ta,Mtu.w/.7(~ .. ~t:tft'X!P.:.~ Hunger. ' rou.Y..eciiforJip.;;~ l'ta.-ri6,);,, For what is a furnifh'd Table to him whofe conftant Meals overtake one another, bnt only the heaping of Food npon Crudities and Indige!tion? What the Titles of Honour to a Perfon born Noble? They fignifie n,o more to him, than it doth to another Man, when he hears himfelfcalled by his ordinary Name. What isRefpea and Honour to aMan long accuftomed to it? It brings him no great content when he hath it, but torments him when he fails of it. Give thefe things to thofe that arc unacquainted with them, if you wonld have them valued. Bring a poor Man to aTable ofDclicates; invert an ignoble Perfon with Honours and Dignities; give Rcfped: to a defpifed Perfon, and for the prefent you blefs them. . But Time and Cufl:om y;ill we~r otr. this Content: .. ~J~d the ·t· tedioufnefs even of . t-:--SIInt :a!U qn;que td!· fuch a L1fe as thts, w11l make them wtlhng, at l eaft for their Diver~ dlaovu£ , tifement and Recreation, to* retire to their homely Cells andSta- ~fag.,.,. Vo!tlptatueommm.4;rt t ion. For as it is with thofethatare accuftomed toftrongPerfumcs, rar,~r ufiu. ]uvc:n. Sac. 1 1 • they themfelves cannot fcent thofe Odours, which to others th:lt ~ Non e:~iflnnuntt du~ere tt ufe them not, are moft fweet and fragrant: So it fares with us in ad nmiJw cte111Z4 & p:uptrum. the long continuance of worldly Enjoyments· our Scnfes are fo ttll'"· & quuqmd alutd tfl Pt" ftuft and even fulfocated with them, that we can~ot perceive them; j;j1 :.'~S:~1."Ep.'';v~~'artlm udtQ and unlefs we purchafe Pleafures by alternate Sorrow, they are but loft upon us. Now how vain muft the World needs be, whofe Comforts ar e not valuable while we ha\•e them, but while we have them not? And how vain a. re thofe Joys for which we ~lift pay down as much Grief, .as the Joys themfelvesare worth? So that upon balancmg the Accompt, there remains' nothing to us: and it had been altogether as good to have entoyed nothing. Again~
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