Kaina kai palaia Things new and old, or, A store-house of similies, sentences, allegories, apophthegms, adagies, apologues, divine, morall, politicall, &c. : with their severall applications / collected and observed from the writings and sayings of the learned in all ages to this present by John Spencer ...

[ 1142] Works of Mercy, very rare to be found amongst us.

THere are a kind of Almanacks,* 1.1 (such as Stationers call blanks) full of letters red and black on the one side, but on the other side there is fair paper, a waste empty page to write whatsoever a Man pleaseth, though seldome it is that any word of God be there inserted: Such are the Day-books that most Men keep; On the one side you shall find, Item so much spent upon Pride and so much plaid a∣way at Game,* 1.2 so much upon Revenge, so much upon Hawkes, so much upon Hounds, and so much upon something else, that sounds somewhat near that way; But when it comes to a work of mercy, what hath been done for God, what for Christ, what for his poor distressed Members,* 1.3 what for the advancement of Religion, or any pious work or ser∣vice; O then the Book appears blancatus quasi lilius, a meer blanck, Cyphers, or little else to purpose are to be seen in it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  R. Harris Ser. at S. M. Spittle 1642.
• * 1.2

  ••terras Ast•••••• reliquit. Ovid.
• * 1.3

  Philosoph•• tri∣ob••lum▪ Erasm adag.