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HE is a religious man, and weares the time in his cloister; and as the cloake of his doing nothing, pleads contem∣plation; yet is hee no whit the leaner for his thoughts, no whit learneder. He takes no lesse care how to spend time, than others how to gaine by the expense; and when businesse importunes him, is more troubled to fore∣thinke what he must doe, than
another to effect it. Summer is out of his fauour for nothing but long dayes, that make no haste to their eeuen. Hee loues still to haue the Sun witnesse of his rising; and lies long more for lothnesse to dresse him, than will to sleepe: and after some streaking and yawning calles for dinner, vnwashed; which hauing digested with a sleepe in his chaire, he walks forth to the bench in the Market-place, and looks for companions: whom∣soeuer he meets, he stayes with idle questions, and lingring dis∣course; how the dayes are long∣thened, how kindly the wea∣ther is, how false the clocke, how forward the Spring, and
ends euer with What shall we doe? It pleases him no lesse to hinder others, than not to worke him∣selfe. When all the people are gone from Church, hee is left sleeping in his seat alone. Hee enters bonds, and forfeits them by forgetting the day; and asks his neighbour when his owne field was fallowed, whether the next peece of ground belong not to himselfe. His care is ei∣ther none, or too late: when Winter is come, after some sharpe visitations, hee looks on his pile of wood, and asks how much was cropped the last Spring. Necessitie driues him to euerie action, and what hee can not auoid, he will yet defer.
Euery change troubles him, al∣though to the better; and his dulnesse counterfeits a kinde of contentment. When he is war∣ned on a Iurie, hee had rather pay the mulct, than appeare. All but that which Nature will not permit, he doth by a depu∣tie, and counts it troublesome to doe nothing, but to doe any thing, yet more. He is wittie in nothing but framing excuses to sit still, which if the occasion yeeld not, he coineth with ease. There is no worke that is not ei∣ther dangerous, or thanklesse, and whereof he foresees not the inconuenience and gainlesnesse before he enters; which if it be verified in euent, his next idle∣nesse
hath found a reason to pa∣tronize it. He had rather freeze than fetch wood, and chuses ra∣ther to steale than worke; to begge than take paines to steale, and in many things to want than begge. Hee is so loth to leaue his neighbors fire, that he is faine to walke home in the darke; and if he be not lookt to, weares out the night in the chimney-corner; or if not that, lies downe in his clothes to saue two labors. He eats, and prayes himselfe asleepe; and dreames of no other torment but worke. This man is a standing poole, and can not chuse but gather corruption: hee is descried a∣mongst a thousand neighbours
by a drie and nastie hand, that still sauors of the sheet; a beard vncut, vnkembed; an eye and eare yellow with their excreti∣ons; a coat shaken on, ragged, vnbrush't; by linnen and face striuing whether shall excell in vncleanlinesse. For bodie hee hath a swollen legge, a duskie and swinish eye, a blowen cheeke, a drawling tongue, an heauie foot, and is nothing but a ••older earth molded with standing water. To con∣clude, is a man in no∣thing but in speech and shape.