[ 1576] The World not to be trusted unto.
THere is a facetious story of a Copyholder dwelling on the Sea side near Plimouth,* 1.1 who perceiving that divers of his Neighbours trading to Sea, came home gallant and rich, and lived in a plentiful manner, would by all means to Sea too; He puts off his stock, makes money of all that he had, and leaves his Wife and Children with Friends; his trading was into Spain, the fraight return'd was in Figgs; A great flaw of Wind comes, the Ship was in danger, she must be leightned, over-board go the Figgs, the poor Man cryes out, O there goes my Oxen, my Sheep, and all that I have in the World; Home he comes poor, his Neighbours pity his folly, one lends him an Ox, another a Horse; after some few years he picks up his crums again, and being at Plow on a very fair day, cryes Hoe to his boy that did drive, and standing still, looks on the Sea, and seeing it very calm, said; A wannion on you, How is't you look so smooth now?* 1.2 you long for more Figgs, do you? your fair looks shall never deceive me again, I warrant you; drive on, boy. Thus the World is like unto the Sea, very uncertain, there's no trusting to it, like that Sea mentioned in the Revelation, a glassy and Crystalline S••a, Chap. 4. v. 6. brittle as glasse, Ubi splendet, fran∣gitur, where it is most shining and resplendent, there it soonest cracks and breaks asunder, gulling with its transparency, ebbing and flowing according to the in∣fluence of its Lunary Mistresse, one while lifting up to Heaven upon her billows and anon sinking down her Favourites as it were to Hell, Psal. 107. 27.