The Lord Marques idlenes conteining manifold matters of acceptable deuise; as sage sentences, prudent precepts, morall examples, sweete similitudes, proper comparisons, and other remembrances of speciall choise. No lesse pleasant to peruse, than profitable to practise: compiled by the right Honorable L. William Marques of Winchester that now is.

Enuie.

AGainst enuie is no fortresse, nor caue to hide, nor high hil to mount on, nor thicke wood to shadow in, nor ship to scape in, nor horse to beare away, nor monie to redeeme vs.

Enuie is so venemous a serpent, that there was neuer mortall man among mortals that could scape from the biting of hir tooth; the scratching of hir nailes; defiling of hir feete; and the casting of hir poison.

Enuie is so enuious, that to them which of hir are most denied and set fardest off, she giueth most cruell strokes with hir feete.

The maladie of enuie rankleth to death,* 1.1 and the me∣dicine that is applied will not assure life.

I cannot determine which is the best, or to say more properly, which is the woorst; extreme miserie without the danger of fortune, or extreme prosperitie that is al∣waies threatened to fall.

I had rather mine enimies had enuie at my prosperi∣tie, than my friends at my pouertie.

It is hard to giue a remedie against enuie, sith all the world is full therof.

We see that we be the sonnes of enuie, & we liue with enuie, and he that leaueth most riches, leaueth the grea∣test enuie.

The riches of rich men is the seede of enuie to the poore; and bicause the poore man lacketh and the rich hath too much, causeth discord among the people.

There were two Greekes,* 1.2 the one Achilles, the other Thiestes; the which Achilles being extreme rich, was per∣secuted with enuie; the other which was Thiestes sore noted of malice, but no man enuied at him.

I had rather be Achilles with his enuie, than Thiestes without it.

And in case all do vs dammage with enuie, yet much more harme doth a friend than an enimie: for of mine enuious enimie I will beware, and for feare I will with∣draw, but my friend with his amitie will beguile me, and I by my fidelitie shall not mistrust it.

Among all mortall enimies there is none worse than a friend that is enuious of my felicitie.

Honor, vertue, and riches in a man are but a brand to light enuie to all the world.

Thales being asked when the enuious man was quiet; he answered, When he seeth his enimie dead, or vtterly vndone: for truly the prosperitie of a friend is a sharpe knife to the enuious hart.

The outward malicious word is a token of the in∣ward enuious hart.

What friendship can there be amongst enuious men, seeing the one purchaseth, and the other possesseth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Stingeth to death.
• * 1.2

  Homer.