The sinners guyde A vvorke contayning the whole regiment of a Christian life, deuided into two bookes: vvherein sinners are reclaimed from the by-path of vice and destruction, and brought vnto the high-way of euerlasting happinesse. Compiled in the Spanish tongue, by the learned and reuerend diuine, F. Lewes of Granada. Since translated into Latine, Italian, and French. And nowe perused, and digested into English, by Francis Meres, Maister of Artes, and student in diuinitie.

¶ How deceaueable the felicitie of the world is.

THese and infinite other, are the attributes of worldly felici∣tie, & as it were the counterpoizes, with which it is weighed and peised, and the vnseparable companions, which waite vpon it: that thou mayst see, that there is more gall then honny in it, and more Wormwood then Sugar. I omit very many other e∣uils & mischiefes, which it hideth from her louers: For besides that this miserable felicitie is short, it is also impure & vncleane: for it maketh a man carnall and filthie; it is also beastly; for it maketh a man like vnto a beast. And mad; for it taketh avvay his iudgement. To conclude, it is deceitfull and faithlesse; be∣cause it faileth and forsaketh a man in his chiefest hight, and in the florish of his best time.

Neyther will I heere be vnwilling to take further paines in manifesting thys latter euill, which perhaps is the worst of all, that is, that it is deceitfull and fraudulent. For it seemeth to be that it not, it promiseth that it performeth not, and yet these not hindering, it draweth vnto it the greater part of people. For euen as there is found both true gold and counterfeit gold; so there are found true good things, & counterfeite good things: true felicity, and false, which appeareth to be such, but is not: of thys sort is this worldly felicity, which deceiueth vs by a vaine disguised apparition, and painted masking face. For as Aristo∣tle sayth, many lyes meete with vs, which although they be lyes, yet they haue greater showe and apparance of truth, then the truth it selfe. So certainly (and it is matter worthy of obserua∣tion) certaine euils and enormities are found, which albeit they be euils indeed, yet they haue greater semblance and apparance of good things, then the good things themselues. And of thys number is the felicity of this world: and by reason of this appa∣rance, the ignorant are deceaued by the show of it, no otherwise then byrds and fishes by a false baite. For it is the nature & con∣dition of corporall and worldly things, that on a suddaine they offer themselues with a flattering countenaunce, and doe fawne and sm••••e vpon men, promising vnto them ioy and felicitie, but afterwards, the very experience of the things themselues, disco∣uereth theyr errour and falshood. For after the pleasures folow calamities, diseases & griefes, by the abseuce of the thing loued, by iealousie, by strifes, and contentions, by the losse of things, by diseases, by the perturbations of the affections, and by very many other sorrowes; and last of all death also followeth. What greater deceit can there be, and what hipocrisie more intollera∣ble? So a virgine merily & reioycing goeth to the house of her Bridegrome; for the hath not eyes to see any other thing, but that which outwardly appeareth, and presently showeth it selfe: but if she could see that seed-plot & seminary of miseries, which are sowen vpon this day for her to reape, surely she should haue greater cause to weep, then to reioyce.

Rebecca desired to bring foorth children, but when she was great with child, &c. the children stroue together in her wombe, she sayd;* 1.1 If it must be thus with mee, what neede had I to conceaue?

O how often dooth such like guile and fraude make heauie the hart of man, after it hath got that it desired; whē as those things offer themselues in the progresse, which were not promised in the beginning.

But what shall I say of offices, dignities and honours? vvith what a smiling countenaunce, & faire aspect do they first shew themselues? but afterwards, to howe many passions, care, en∣uies and labours doe they expose their possessors? But of those that are entangled with vnhonest loues, we may iustly say, that at the beginning they finde a pleasant entrance into that darke and denious Laborinth, but when they haue passed in, alack, how many labours and troubles doe they beare? hovve many nights doe they passe ouer without sleepe? how many & how great dangers are they compelled to vndergoe? For the fury of that venomous dragon (which is the sword of that cruel parent, and of that iealous husband) dooth alwayes keepe the fruite of that forbidden tree, and it often cōmeth to passe, that such men in one moment, doe lose together theyr lifes, riches, honors, and soules.

After the same maner it were no hard matter to examine the lifes of couetous men, seruing the world, and catching at by all meanes by force and fauour, the vaine-glory of it, in whose tra∣gedies we might behold a merry protasis, but a lamentable and mournful epitasis: for this is the nature of that Babylonian cup, which without is gold, but within full of poyfon. These things being thus, what I pray thee (in thy iudgement) is the glory of this world, but the singing of Syrens? sweet, but a deadly poti∣on? a Viper, artificially painted without, but within full of ve∣nomous poyson? If the worlde fawne vpon thee, it doth it, that it may deceitie thee; if it exalt thee, it doth it, that thy fal may be the greater; if it make thee merry, it dooth it, that it afterwardes with sorrow may breake thy hart. It giueth all her goods vvith the mixture of incomparable heauines and griefe, and that with the greatest vsury. If a sonne be borne vnto thee, and soone af∣ter die, thy sorrow will be seauen-fold greater then thy ioy was. The thing lost, more afflicteth vs, then found ioyeth vs: sick∣nes more excruciateth vs, then health gladdeth vs: iniury more tormenteth vs, then honour contenteth vs: insomuch that I am

altogether ignorant, why it is so effected by nature, that euils do more afflict vs, then good things do reioyce vs. All these things being well considered of, they do shew vnto vs clearer then the noone day, how vaine, deceitfull, and fraudulent the felicity of this world is.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gene, 25,