A Schole of wise conceytes wherein as euery conceyte hath wit, so the most haue much mirth : set forth in common places by order of the alphabet / translated out of diuers Greeke and Latine wryters by Thomas Blage ...

Couetousnesse.

67 Of a Trauailer.

A Waifaring man hauing trauailed farre, vo∣wed, if he founde any thing to offer the halfe thereof to Mercurius. He found a bag full of Almondes and Dates, which he tooke and ease: but the Date stones and shelles of the Almonds he layde vppon an Altare, saying: Thou haste O Mercurie, my vowe, for with thée I partake both the outside and the inside of that I founde.

MOR. The Fable is againste couetous men, which for couetousnesse deceiued the Gods.

68 Of a Woman and a Hen.

A Certen Widowe had a Henne, which day by day laide an egge, shée supposing, if shée gaue hir more Barley, that shee wold lay twise a day, did so: but the Henne being fatte, coulde not lay once a day.

MOR. Sometime they loose the present com∣moditie, which through couetousnesse séeke after more.

69 Of a couetous man.

A Couetous man hauing solde all his goodes, made a wedge of golde, which in a certaine place he buryed togither with his soule & minde,

to which he daily went to sée it: One of the work men watching him on a time, & perceiuing what was done, digged vp the wedge and caryed it a∣way: afterwarde he came, who séeing the place emptie, began to lament and plucke him selfe by the haire. When one saw him thus wéeping, and vnderstoode the cause therof, he sayde: Friend be not sory, for hauing golde, thou hadste it not, take therfore a stone, and hide it for thy gold: and sup∣pose that it is golde, and it shall be all one to thée, for as I perceiue, when it was golde, thou didste not occupie it.

MOR. It auaileth nothing to be endued with possessions, except we haue the vse thereof.

70 Of the Dog and the shadowe.

AS a Dog by chaunce swam ouer the riuer, he caryed in his iawes a péece of flesh. The Sun then shining, as commonly it happeneth, the sha∣dowe therof appeared in the water: which when he had séene, supposing it to be another piece of flesh, snatched gréedely therat, and so lost that he had in his iawes. The Dog being stroken at the hart, both with the losse of his fleshe, and also of his foolishe hope, barked thus in his language: Ah wretche, which lackedst a measure in thy grée;edie desire. Thou hadst inough and too muche, hadste thou not doted, nowe through thy follie thou hast nothing left thée.

MOR We are warned of modestie and wise∣dome,

in desiring and eschuing of things, and to vse a meane in our desires.

71 Of a couetous Ambassadoure.

A Certen couetous man being sent ambassador for his countrey to another Citie, there were straight at hande trumpetters to welcome him, and to delight•• his eares with musicke, hoping thereby to fill their purses with money. He sente them woord, it was nowe no time to play, bicause his hart was heauie for the death of his mother: the Trumpetters deceiued of their purpose, de∣parted sorowing. Then a frend of his hearing of his sorowe, came to sée and comfort him, and as∣ked him, how long it was since his mother died? Fortie yeares (quod he,) then his friend vnder∣standing the wilie deceite of the Ambassadoure, laughed excéedingly.

MOR. This Fable belongeth to couetous men, which studie all the wayes to the woode to saue their money.

72 Of a Couetous man dying.

AS a couetous man lay a dying, and vnderstood that at lengthe he should cary nothing with him, he turned him to his friendes and neighbors whome he sawe present, and sayd: Learne of me, which al my life time haue endeuoured to gather goods, that yée trauaile not too muche to heape vp riches: for of so many Acres of lande, of so muche

precious apparell which with so great sweating, I haue gotte, I shall haue but a hole of fiue foote, and one shéete, wherewith being dead, I shall be couered.

MOR. It is a foolishe and miserable thing to bestowe so muche laboure in gathering of goods, which (whether we will or not) we must quick∣ly leaue.

92 Of a couetous man that eate withered Apples.

A Couetous man hadde gathered many Apples and faire, suche as the Poets reporte to haue bin in the Gardins of Alcinous and the Hesperi∣ans: which he did so spare, that he durst eat none, except they began to perishe. His sonne being ve∣ry liberall, broughte his fellowes very often into the Apple loftes, saying: Take of these what yée wil, but touche not them that are perished, for my father wil haue them serued always after meat, which thing they willingly obeyed.

MOR. Nothing is more miserable than a coue∣tous man which kéepeth for others that which God hath lent him to vse.