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 ...

[ 831] Time present to be well husbanded.

UPon the Dyall-peece of the Clock,* 1.1 in the Colledge Church of Glocester, are pourtrayed four Angels, each of them seeming to say something to those that look up to see what a Clock it is, the whole inscription being made up of two old Latine Verses after the riming manner.

• 1. An labor, an requies.
• 2. Sic transit gloria mundi:
• 3. Praeterit iste dies,
• 4. Nescitur origo secundi

Which may be thus Englished,

Whether we rest or labour, work or play, The world and glory of it passe away.: This day is past, or near its period grown, The next succeeding is to us unknown.

And most sure it is,* 1.2 whether we sleep or wake, the Ship of our life goes on; whe∣ther we do well or ill, live frugally or prodigally, our time with the whole World and glory of it, is transitory, and continually wheeling about like the minutes to the hour, or the hours to the time of the day in the Clock; so that time past, is irre∣coverable, time to come uncertain; and all the time we can reckon of, is the pre∣sent time, this moment of time, whereupon dependeth Eternity.

Notes

• * 1.1

  R. Wingfeild Mount Tabor.
• * 1.2

  Labitur 〈◊〉〈◊〉, falli••{que} volubilis ••tas. Ovid. Met. l. 10