A philosophicall discourse, entituled, The anatomie of the minde. Nevvlie made and set forth by T.R.

About this Item

Title
A philosophicall discourse, entituled, The anatomie of the minde. Nevvlie made and set forth by T.R.
Author
Rogers, Thomas, d. 1616.
Publication
Imprinted at London :: By I[ohn] C[harlewood] for Andrew Maunsell, dvvelling in Paules Church yarde, at the signe of the Parret,
1576.
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Subject terms
Ethics.
Conduct of life -- Early works to 1900.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A10969.0001.001
Cite this Item
"A philosophicall discourse, entituled, The anatomie of the minde. Nevvlie made and set forth by T.R." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A10969.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 31, 2024.

Pages

¶Of Prodigalitie. Chap. 9.

PRodigality is next, another notable part of Pleasure. The Stoikes cal the same a dissolution or a too much loasing of vertue.* 1.1 A Prodigall mannes pro∣pertie is to couet other mens goodes, and not to care for his owne: to spende lustely, and to fare deliciously: so hée hath, he cares not howe he gets it, and so he spendes he cares not, howe, when, or who consumes it. Nothing can make him thrifty, no not admonitiō of frends: nothing can make him kéepe a measure, no, neyther feare of pouertie, nor feare of punishmēt. This Prodigality the A∣thenians sayd was a token of him which desired to raigne like a Tyraunt. And therefore Aristophanes the Poet, in the presence of the people,* 1.2 exclamed & sayde, that it was not meete a Lion shoulde be nourished in a common weale, for if he shoulde, men must serue to satisfie his appetite. The Poets call dissolute and prodigall men loase & vngirdled, which is taken from Venus gyrdle,* 1.3 which be∣ing

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once loased, she alureth vnto wicked concupiscence whom she listeth. Homer writeth that by the loasenesse of this gyrdle, Iupiter was inflamed with de∣sire of his owne sister Iuno.* 1.4 And hereof it commeth, that all such as doo vnlaw∣fully desire copulation with any ioyg∣ned to them by alliaunce, are called In∣cests, as it were, loase & without girdle. For Cestos in Gréeke is a girdle,* 1.5 and Jn∣cestus without a girdle. There are which call this Prodigality, Luxuriousnesse, & mē affected with ye same Luxuriousnes:* 1.6 euē as we cal boanes & members put out of theyr place, loasened, so are they called Luxurious, in which there is no place either for reason or vertue. And therfore nothing is more vnméete for a mā then Prodigality, which makes him carelesse in al his enterprises: whereof he is ter∣med loase and dissolute. With this vice especially haue bene noted Elpinor a fellow & companion of Vlysses,* 1.7 whom the Poets faigne, because of his beastly behauiour, to haue liued among Swyne and Hogs: and whose ende was lamen∣table by falling from a ladder, as the end of all prodigall personnes, for the most part is straunge and wicked:

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And one Fabius, which because of his great expences,* 1.8 was named Fabius Gurges: And so was Apicius, who after he had by banquetting and good chéere, spent his whole patrimonie, at length because he would not leade a poore and miserable lyfe, tooke a halter and hong him selfe.

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