The passions of the minde in generall. Corrected, enlarged, and with sundry new discourses augmented. By Thomas Wright. With a treatise thereto adioyning of the clymatericall yeare, occasioned by the death of Queene Elizabeth

VIII. Curiositie in knowing things not necessarie.

AN other generall defect and imperfection procee∣ding from Nature corrupted, and tending to cor∣ruption, followeth all the Sonnes of Adam, and that is a

certaine naturall curiosity, a diligent inquisition of o∣ther mens actions, and an extreame negligence in our owne: moale-hilles in other men seeme mountaynes, and craggie rockes in our selves smooth rushes: other mens faults be before our eyes, but our owne behinde our backs. It is a world to see with what rigor and parti∣alitie men censure others actions, & with what smooth countenance they conceale their owne defects. Let vs not looke any further but to David, who never was angrie with himselfe for killing Vrias, and abusing his wife; but straitwayes, after that Nathan had propoun∣ded the case in farre inferiour degree, of the taking of a sheepe, he was presently moved with indignation, and condemned the offender to death: the reason why we iudge more quickly other mens faults than our owne, partly proceeds from selfe-love, which blindeth vs in our owne actions, partly, because we see other mens de∣fects directly, and our owne by a certayne reflexion; for, as no man knoweth exactly his owne face, because he never see it, but by reflection from a glasse, and other mens countenances he conceiveth most perfitly, be∣cause he vieweth them directly, and in themselves; even so, by a certaine circle we wind about our selves, where∣as by a right line we passe into the corners of other mens soules, at least, by rash iudgements and sinister suspitions. Galen to this purpose relateth Aesop, who sayd we had every one of vs a wallet hanged vpon our shoulders, the one halfe vpon our breasts, the other halfe vpon our backs: the former was full of other mens faults, which we continually beheld: the part behind was loaden with our offences, which we never regar∣ded. And he sayth, that Plato rendred a reason of this:

for every man is blind towards that thing he loveth, and therefore one extremely loving himselfe, is most blind in censuring himselfe. Therefore I am of opinion in this poynt with Socrates, that as sober men ought especially to take heed of those dishes and cates which allure and provoke them to eating, although they be not hungry, and those drinckes which intice them to drinke, howbeit they be not thirstie: so those shewes, speeches, and companies principally ought to be avoy∣ded, which vrge them to desire things impertinent, and to iudge rashly without discretion; because, to examine, and to be inquisitive of our owne faults can be never vnprofitable, but to spie into other mens actions, rarely or never can be profitable, except it be superiours or per∣sons in authoritie, Scrutemur, sayth Ieremie) vias nostras, but he sayth not, aliena••: Yea, Saint Paul forbiddeth, Tu quis es qui iudicas alienum s••rvum.

This engrafted curiosity extendeth not only his briarie branches, wrapping them about other mens affaires, lives, and conversations, but also to those secrets, oracles, and mysteries, which farre exceede mens capacities, or are so vnprofitable, that the commoditie men reape by them, will not countervaile the labor and paine spent in procuring, effecting, or obtayning of them. Nihil (sayth Saint Chrysost.) ita curiosum est & avidum ad rerum ob∣scurarum & reconditarū cognitionem vt humana natura, Nothing is so curious and thirstie after knowledge of darke and obscure matters, as the nature of man. Hence∣from came those voices, Altiora te ne quaesieris, & fortiora te ne scrutatus fueris: sed quae praecepit tibi Deus illa cogita semper: & in pluribus operibus eius ne fueris curiosus, non est enim tibi necessariū ea quae abscondita sunt videre oculis

tuis. In supervacuis rebus noli scrutari multipliciter & in pluribus operibus eius non eris curiosus. Things deeper than thee, inquire not after, and stronger than thee, search not; but thinke alwayes vpon those things which God hath commaunded thee; and in many of his works be not curious, for it is not necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things which be hid: in super∣fluous matters wade not too much, and in many of his works be not curious.

And by a similitude Salomon declareth well this mat∣ter, Sicut qui mel multum comedit non est ei bonum, sic qui scrutator est maiestatis, opprimetur à gloria: As it is not good for him that eateth much hony, so the sear∣cher of maiestie shall be oppressed with glorie. Saint Paule perceiving this curiositie in his time, willed Ti∣mothie to perswade men that they should not intend their mindes to fables and endlesse genealogies. Wee have in these our miserable dayes, as curious a genera∣tion as ever was clasped vnder the cope of Heaven: for, what vaine studies, exercise (for most part) our iudicia∣rie Astronomers, by calculating nativities, foretelling events, prescribing the limits of mens lives, foreshewing their perills and dangers; but meere cosinage, and vaine curiosity? How many labour night and day, spend their times and livings, in Alchymie, in searching forth that matchlesse stone which they never see, receiving no other lucre than a continuall baite to feed curiositie? Who would not have registred him among curious fooles, which labored so many yeres to make a shirt of male with rings of wood, fit for no mans profit or good? Who wil not admire our nice Dames of London, who must have Cherries at twenty shillings a pound, &

Pescods at five shillings a pecke, husks without pease, yong Rabbets of a spanne, and Chickins of an inch: from whence proceedeth this gulling ambition? this spoyling of the croppe? this devouring and gorman∣dizing of the common-weale, but from a gluttonous curiositie? I leave off curious gardens, sundry fashions of apparell, glorious buildings, which all be of-springs of curious pride. And to conclude, I will say, that not onely lust, but meere curiositie hath caused many men and women to leese their honestie.

Notes

• 2. Reg. 12.
• Galen. de cog∣anim. morb. ca. 2.
• Plutarch. in Moraribus.
• Thren. 3. 40.
• Rom. 14. 4.
• Chrysost. hom. 9. in 1. ad Thessa.
• Eccle. 3. 22.
• Prov. 25. 27.
• 1. Tim. 1. 4.