A second part to the mothers blessing: or A cure against misfortunes. Diuided into certaine principall receipts, to cure the mind of man. / By G.M..

CHAP. IIII. A Cure against losse of Wealth, by Gaming, Ryot, &c. being an occasion of Pouertie.

SOm will say vnto me, that the effects which

spring from Pouertie, may be easie and porta∣ble, but the cause heauy and intollerable. As that thou hast spent thy wealth and substance in gaming, riot, or those disorderly and vnruely courses, which like a Cir∣ces catching hold vpon the wills of men, instant∣ly transformes them into all the shapes of Dis-re∣putation. Let this bee granted, and that gaming or the like hath consu∣med thee: Alas, what hast thou lost? Mony, Lands, Reuenues; things par∣aduenture would haue

lost thee, for who knows the euills which might haue sprung, either from too much loue, too little care, or too vilde an im∣ployment. Thou hast lost but what thou hadst, nei¦ther hast thou done any miracle or strange thing; but onely shewed thy selfe somwhat too grate∣full to Fortune, in resto∣ring backe to her all that in an instant, which par∣aduenture she had beene many ages in bestowing. This may be an act of in∣discretion & so worthy repentance, not despaire, or the mindes infinite

disturbance. These losses ••re many times the losse of greater dangers, and when folly & guilt haue thus brought thee to po∣uertie, thou maist then comfort thy selfe with this assurance, that so long as thou keep'st Wis∣dome either for thy friend or companion, so long it will defend thee from any relapse or se∣cond falling into the same mischiefe.

Hast thou (at game) lost thy wealth, lose with it also thy couetousnes, then hast thou made thy selfe most happily hap∣py,

for in parting with a white Witch, thou hast also forsaken a black De¦uill, and though thou took'st a wrong way for thy deliuerance, yet whē thou shalt, (tyred, torne, and wounded) find out the harbour of conten∣ted Pouerty, thou shalt there in the quiet calme∣nesse of thy meditations find a readie and soue∣raigne balme for the cure of all thy mischiefs. But if thy mind (like Mi∣zentius) will still keepe thy liuing couetousnesse bound to thy dead for∣tunes; yet shalt thou find

this happines in thy for∣mer vnhappie losses, that it hath left thee neither Wood nor Oyle, Flint, Tinder, nor Steele to strike on, whereby euer againe either to kindle, feed, or nourish a fire so horrible, dreadfull, and consuming.

Againe, is thy wealth lost by game or the like bewitching inticements; O but consider how ma∣ny (as well as thy selfe) may be poisoned by this change or transmutati∣on: Thinke of the infec∣tion it carrieth with it, how catching it is and

how destroying: Thinke of thy false baites, how sweet they are, yet poy∣sonous and deceiuing, and thinke of the ends to which it endeuours to draw all mortall opini∣ons, & thou shalt find in them nothing but vaine glory, pride, and ambiti∣on: this consideration shall make thee walke lightly vpon the ground and hauing (as it were) disburden thee of an in∣supportable load; thou shalt find thy selfe light and nimble to runne the race of any noble and praise-woorthy action:

Neither the suruey of Houses, the proofe of Oxen, nor the intice∣ment of a wife, shall bee able to detaine thee one minute from following that guide, which shall conduct thee to all true felicitie: Thou shalt now liue secure in thine owne cottage, & neither haue Heire to languish at the prosperity of thy health, nor doubt an Heire, whose couetousnes, con∣tention, or riot, may a∣waken thy dead bones from the graue, & make thee (as it were) liue a∣gaine in the shame of

their wicked courses. Fortune in this case is become thy Physitian, not thy disease, and ther∣fore all lamentation, out∣cry, or complaining, is sencelesse and without reason.

Remember it is thy selfe, which thy selfe woundest, for hadst thou kept them like Nose∣gayes, whereat to smell for a day, and then to cast off and neglect the next morning, being wi∣thered and without sa∣uour; there could haue bin no cause of torment, no cause of complai∣ning.

Remember thou hast lost nothing but what another had lost before; (for the gifts of Fortune spring not newe, but grow from Succession) nothing thou hast but what an∣other had, nor any thing hast thou lost, but what thou mayst imagine an∣other, to the ende (for a while) thou mightest enioy them.

Thinke of the Phylo∣phers Cobler which lost his singing when hee found his wealth, and thinke of the wholesom∣nesse of the Purgation

thou hast taken, which hath disburthened thee of that which hath dam∣ned so many. Be mind∣full therefore hence∣foorth not of thy losse of money, but of thy losse of time, nor complaine for the iniuries done thee by Fortune, but the abu∣ses done by thy selfe a∣gainst Gods creatures; so shall thy sinne, and not thy wealth, grieue thee: and when thou hast wrought in thy selfe a noble reformati∣on, thou shalt finde con∣tentment gather about thee; neither shall thy

Mother (like the Spanish Lady) coniure thee from playing away her cloathes before her bo∣die receiue buriall.