The boke of wisdome otherwise called the flower of vertue. Folowing the auctorities of auncient doctours [and] philosophers, deuiding and speaking of vices [and] vertues, wyth many goodly examples wherby a man may be praysed or dyspraysed, wyth the maner to speake well and wyselie to al folkes, of what estate so euer they bee. Translated first out of Italion into French, [and] out of french into English, by Iohn Larke. 1565.

¶Howe Coueytousnesse is a gre∣uous Vyce, Of the euylles that doe come therof. and of the Insasi¦atnes of the same. ¶The .liii. Chapter. (Book 53)

COueytousnesse, is contrarye to Lybertye. And it is a dys∣ordynate

desyre to gette temporall goodes, and to wyth hold that whi¦ch a man ought to giue to the pore. And to misspend, wast and suffre a¦nye to be dystroyed, rather then to gyue it where it is nede.

¶Saint Gregory saith that in all thinges in the world a measure con¦tenting,* 1.1 and sufferynge, is founde & had, but in coueitousnes which ne¦uer is satisfied. Coueitousnes may be compared to the Moldwarpe, whiche is a beaste that lyueth one¦lye of the earthe. And neuer hathe inoughe. For she thinkethe, that it will fayle her, and she is alwayes permyrye.* 1.2

¶Saynte Paule saythe, that Co∣ueytousnes is the chyefe of all euill. For the coueytous person is neuer full. In lyke case as the weight and charg of the bourden that the Asse or horse dothe beare, is to the pro∣fyte

of another, and to the greate payne of the bearer, that is to saye of the Horse. So the coueytous per¦son dothe gette and kepe togyther hys rychesse by hys greate payne and laboure, to the profyte of those to whom he dothe leaue hys sayde rychesse, the whych do make merie wyth it.

¶Pithagoras saith that the couei¦tous* 1.3 persones maye be called Pai∣nymes, for the Sarazyns doe wor∣ship their Idols of gold & siluer, so the auaricious persons, doe wor∣shyp theyr rychesse.

¶Senec sayth,* 1.4 that it is better to spend folyshly, then to get and kepe vnlawfullye.

The Maister of Sentences saith* 1.5 that there is no man content with his degre and estate.

¶Saint Austine saythe,* 1.6 that a co∣ueytous person, maye be compared and likened to hell, for hell is neuer

full nor satysfyed. Nor the Couey∣tous person wyth all the money of the worlde.* 1.7

¶Marcyall saythe, that so long as the Coueytous person dothe lyue, he neuer dothe profite to any man.* 1.8 Senec saithe that coueitousnes is the hyghe way of spyrituall death. And also often tymes of the tempo¦rall deathe.* 1.9

¶Therfore Saynte Paule saithe.

¶Radix omnium malorum est cupidi∣tas,

Notes

• * 1.1

  S, erg gorye,
• * 1.2

  Paule
• * 1.3

  Pytha¦goras,
• * 1.4

  Senec
• * 1.5

  master of sen∣tence,
• * 1.6

  S. Au∣stine.
• * 1.7

  Mar∣ciall,
• * 1.8

  Senec
• * 1.9

  Paule