Satyrical essayes characters and others. Or Accurate and quick descriptions, fitted to the life of their subiects. Iohn Stephens

CHARACT: II. A Compleate Man

IS an impregnable Tower: and the more batteries he hath vn∣dergone, the better able he is to continue immoueable. The time & he are alwaies friends: for he is

troubled with no more then hee can well employ; neither is that lesse, then will euery way dis∣charge his Office; So he neither surfets with Idlenesse, nor action. calamities, & Court-prefermēts do alike moue him, but cannot remoue him: Both challenge from him a conuenient vse, no vilde indeuour, either to swell or dispaire. His religion, learning, and behauiour, hold a particular correspondence: He commands the latter, whilst himselfe and both be commanded by the first. Hee holds it presumption to know, what should be looked, or thought vpon with wonder; and therefore rather then he will ex∣ceed, hee can be lesse then him∣selfe: accounting it more noble to imitate the fruitfull bough which stoopes vnder a pretious burthen; then applaud the tall

eminence of a fruitlesse Birch∣tree: knowing Humility is a fit∣ter step to knowledge, then Pre∣sumption. He smiles vpon Vice and Temptation first, seeming to allure it, till, without suspici∣on, hee may soone disrobe and disarme it: For hauing laboured to know the strength of follie, he knowes it to be his Captiue. From hence proceeds his victo∣rie, in that he can preuent mis∣chiefe, and scorne the advan∣tage of basenesse. His worthi∣nesse to bee rewarded hee may conceale: but his desire to doe nobly, in a better kinde, his acti∣ons will not suffer to bee vn∣knowne; by which the world can iudge he deserues, and saue him from the scandall of a Cunning Hypocrite. If merites direct him in the way to honor, they do not leaue him in the way to honour;

but are his best attendants to ac∣company his whole preferment: For to deserue what hee ob∣taines, and to deserue no more, is sluggish; to deserue after a thing bestowed, is duely thanke∣full; But a continued merit stops accusation. Whatsoeuer he bor∣rowes of the world, is by him∣selfe paid back with double inte∣rest: For what hee obserues, passeth through the forge of his wisedome, which refines it; and the file of his practise, which confirmes it as a good patterne: So the interest exceeds the prin∣cipall, and (which exceeds all) praiseth the vsurer. The name of guilt (with him) is vanished vn∣der the charme of a good con∣science: which with his eye-sight saue his tast a labor: for he knows what experience can teach, but is not taught by experience.

Hee is faithfully his owne friend: and accepts the friendship of others for his owne sake; but im∣parts his owne for others. When he loues, hee loues first: from hence hee chalenges a double honour: for Loue and Prioritie is a two-fold merit. Hee lackes nothing to ingender happinesse; for he can spare nothing that he enioyes; he enioyes it so honest∣ly: And that hee hath already, serues to purchase new content∣ment. For as he liues, his capaci∣tie is enlarged, though before it were sufficient for his other fa∣culties: they be most numerous when himselfe is nothing: for being dead, hee is thought worthier then aliue: then hee departs to his aduance∣ment.