The Spanish Bawd (Calisto and Meliboea) (Celestina) · chunk 53 of 205
Mabbe, James / Rojas, Fernando de · published 1631 · first performed or written 1631 (Annals) tragicomedy; literary play T37 Riches, poverty and covetousness typicality 0.87 · 459 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T37: wealth, riches, money, god, rich, poverty, men, learning, poor, ic.
I perceive, so goes the market, as it goes with you. And as you find your pennyworths, so you speak of the Fair. And though you perhaps complain, the rich will sing another song. Daughter, and Mistress, there is no way so fair, but hath some foul; if you have one mile of good, you have three of bad. At the foot of every hill, you have three Leagues of ill follows. And of a thousand that live contentedly, you have ten thousand do the contrary: True contentedness, rest, renown, glory, and quietness, run from the rich by other by-conduits, and gutters of subtlety and deceit; which pipes, whereby they are conveyed, are never perceived, because they are paved and bricked over with smooth and well wrought flatteries. He is rich that hath God's blessing. I marry, that is wealth indeed▪ And shall I tell you, Lady? Safer it is with him that is despised, then with him that is feared. And a far better sleep doth the poor man take, than he who is bound to keep that with care which he hath gotten with labour, and must leave with sorrow. My friend will not dissemble with me, but the rich man's will with him; I am loved for mine own sake; the rich man for his wealth's sake. A rich man shall never hear the truth; every one will flatter him, and seek to please his humour in whatsoever he shall say. Besides, he lies open to every man's envy; and you shall scarce find one rich man amongst a thousand, but will ingeniously confess, that it had been better for him to have been in a middling estate, or in good honest poverty. For riches make not a man rich but busied; not a Master, but a Steward. More are they that are possessed by their riches, than they that possess their riches. To many they have been a means of their death; and most men they have robbed of their pleasure, and their good and commendable qualities; and to say the truth, they are enemies to all goodness. Have you not heard say, Men have lain down, and dreamed of their riches, and behold, they have waked, and found nothing in their hands? Every rich man hath a dozen of sons, or Nephews, which repeat no other prayer, nor tender any other Orison to God, but that he would be pleased to take him out of this world; and desire nothing more, than to see the hour that they may come to enjoy his estate; to see him under ground, and what was his, in their hands; and with a small charge, to lay him up in his last and everlasting mansion here on earth.
seed 43: T35 · seed 44: T34 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
I perceiue, so goes the market, as it goes with you. And as you find your penniworths, so you speake of the Faire. And though you perhaps complaine, the rich will sing another song. Daughter, and Mistresse, there is no way so faire, but hath some foule; if you haue one mile of good, you haue three of bad. At the foote of euery hill, you haue three Leagues of ill followes. And of a thousand that liue contentedly, you haue ten thousand doe the contrary: True contentednesse, rest, renowne, glory, and quietnesse, runne from the rich by other by-conduits, and gutters of subtilty and deceit; which pipes, whereby they are conueyed, are neuer perceiued, because they are paued and brickt ouer with smooth and well wrought flatteries. He is rich that hath Gods blessing. I mary, that is wealth indeed▪ And shall I tell you, Lady? Safer it is with him that is despised, then with him that is feared. And a farre better sleepe doth the poore man take, then hee who is bound to keepe that with care which hee hath gotten with labour, and must leaue with sorrow. My friend will not dissemble with me, but the rich mans will with him; I am loued for mine owne sake; the rich man for his wealths sake. A rich man shall neuer heare the truth; euery one will flatter him, and seeke to please his humour in whatsoeuer he shall say. Besides, he lies open to euery mans enuy; and you shall scarce finde one rich man amongst a thousand, but will ingeniously confesse, that it had beene better for him to haue bin in a middling estate, or in good honest pouerty. For riches make not a man rich but busied; not a Master, but a Steward. More are they that are possessed by their riches, then they that possesse their riches. To many they haue beene a meanes of their death; and most men they haue rob'd of their pleasure, and their good and commendable qualities; and to say the truth, they are enemies to all goodnesse. Haue you not heard say, Men haue lien downe, and dream'd of their riches, and behold, they haue waked, and found nothing in their hands? Euery rich man hath a dozen of sonnes, or Nephewes, which repeate no other prayer, nor tender any other Orison to God, but that he would be pleased to take him out of this world; and desire nothing more, then to see the houre that they may come to enioy his estate; to see him vnder ground, and what was his, in their hands; and with a small charge, to lay him vp in his last and euerlasting mansion heere on earth.