The corporal disease is easily perceived, by insatiate feeding, which yet ministers almost no virtue to the body, but it is rather made lean, and wasted therewith; the skin is rarefied, the body made fluid and apt to much egestion, &c. An Usurer is known by his very looks often, by his speeches commonly, by his actions ever. He hath a lean cheek, a meagre body, as if he were fed at the devils allowance. His eyes are almost sunk to the backside of his head with admiration of money. His ears are set to tell the clock; his whole carcass a mere Anatomy. Some Usurers have fatter carcasses, and can find in their hearts to lard their flesh, but a common meagreness is upon all their consciences. Foenus pecuniae, funus animae. Some spin Usury into such fine threads of distinction, that they take away all the names whereby it offends: and because R. is a dogged letter, and they conceive a toothless practice, Interest, Usury, and all terms with R. in them shall be put out: and the Usurer shall be called only, one that lives upon his moneys. All his reaches are at riches: his wit works like a Mole, to dig 1himself through the earth into hell. Plutarch writes strangely of Hares, eodem tempore & parere, & alere, & alios concipere foetus; at one time to bring forth, nourish and to conceive. Your Usurer makes his money truly do all these 2at once. He drowns the noise of the peoples curses, with the music of his money; as the Italians in a great thunder, ring their bells, and shoot off their Cannons, by an artificial noise of their own, to dead the natural of broken clouds. His practice mocks Philosophy, Quòdex nihilo nihil fit, and teaches of nothing to get something. He is a rank Whore-master with his mistress Pecunia, and ⟨p. 30⟩lives upon the lechery of metals. He doth that office for the Devil on earth, that his spirits do in hell, whip and torment poor souls. His blows are without fence; except men (as Strepsiades desired) could pluck the Moon out of the skies, his month and day will come.
THe corporal disease is easily perceiued, by insatiate feeding, which yet ministers almost no vertue to the body, but it is rather made lean, and wasted therwith; the skinne is rarefied, the body made fluid and apt to much egestion, &c. An Vsurer is knowne by his very lookes often, by his speeches commonly, by his actions euer. Hee hath a leane cheeke, a meagre body, as if hee were fedde at the diuels allowance. His eyes are almost sunke to the backeside of his head with admiration of money. His eares are set to tell the clocke; his whole carkase a meere Anatomie. Some Usurers haue fatter carkases, and can finde in their hearts to lard their flesh, but a common meagernesse is vpon all their consciences. Foenus pecuniae, funus animae. Some spinne Usurie into such fine threeds of distinction, that they take away all the names whereby it offends: and because R. is a dogged letter, and they conceiue a toothlesse practice, Interest, Usury, and all termes with R. in them shall be put out: and the Usurer shall be called only, one that liues vpon his moneies. All his reaches are at riches: his wit workes like a Mole, to digge 1himselfe through the earth into hell. Plutarch writes strangely of Hares, eodem tempore & parere, & alere, & alios concipere foetus; at one time to bring forth, nourish and to conceiue. Your Usurer makes his money truly do al these 2at once. He drownes the noyse of the peoples curses, with the musicke of his money; as the Italians in a great thunder, ring their bels, and shoote off their Cannons, by an artificiall noyse of their owne, to dead the naturall of broken cloudes. His practice mockes Philosophy, Quòdex nihilo nihil fit, and teaches of nothing to get something. He is a ranke Whore-master with his mistresse Pecunia, and ⟨p. 30⟩liues vpon the lechery of mettals. He doth that office for the Diuell on earth, that his spirits doe in hell, whip and torment poore soules. His blowes are without fense; except men (as Strepsiades desired) could plucke the Moone out of the skies, his month and day will come.
- 1Moral. par. 2.
- 2Populus me si bulat at mih plaudo ipse domi. Hor.
