CHAP. II.
If thou profusely wilt thy goods bestow* 1.1 On euery vulgar Person thou doest know, Full many fauours must thou needly lose, That one at length thou iustly maist dispose.
IN the former Verse thou maiest iustly reprehend both these two clauses; for neither must our benefits bee profusedly lauished on euery man,* 1.2 neither can the prodigalitie and largesse of any thing bee honest: especially that of benefits. For if thou giuest them without iudgement and discretion, they cease to bee bene∣fits, and admit any other name whatsoeuer you will giue them. The sense fol∣lowing is wonderfull, which repaireth the indemnities of many benefits ill im∣ploied and lost, with one well bestowed. See, I pray you, whether this bee not more true, and more correspondent to the greatnesse of a Benefactor, to exhort him to giue, although hee were assured that hee should imploy no one gift well: For that is false. That many thinges are to bee lost,* 1.3 because nothing is lost; the reason is for that hee who looseth, had numbred it alreadie amongst his desperate debts. The respect and manner in imploying good deedes is sim∣ple and plaine, they are only deliuered out; if any one to whom they are trusted restore any thing, it is gained, if no man yeeld satisfaction, there is nothing lost: I lent the same to the only intent to giue it. No man registreth his good deeds in his booke of debtors. Neither is there any exacting Vsurer (how extreme) soeuer hee bee) that punctually impleadeth his debter on the day and houre of his paiment. An honourable Benefactor neuer thinketh on the good turne he doeth,* 1.4 except hee that hath receiued the same, refresh the memorie thereof by repaying him: Because otherwise it ceaseth to bee a benefit, and becom∣meth a debt. To bestow a fauour in hope to receiue an other, is a con∣temptible and base vsurie. How badly soeuer thy former fauours haue fallen