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songs be loud and cheerful, and not chirpings or pulings: let the music likewise be sharp and loud, and [10] well placed. The colours that show best by candle-light are white, carnation, and a kind of seawater green; and ouches, or spangs, as they are of no [11] great cost, so they are of most glory. As for [12] rich embroidery, it is lost and not discerned. Let the suits of the masquers be graceful, and such as become the person when the vizors are off; not after examples of known attires; Turks, soldiers, mariners [13] and the like. Let anti-masques not be long; they have been commonly of fools, satyrs, baboons, wild men, antics, beasts, spirits, witches, Ethiopes, pigmies, turquets, nymphs, rustics, Cupids, statues moving, and [14] the like. As for angels, it is not comical enough to put them in anti-masques; and any thing that is hideous, as devils, giants, is, on the other side, as unfit, but chiefly, let the music of them be recreative, and [15] with some strange changes. Some sweet odours suddenly coming forth, without any drops falling, are, in such a company as there is steam and heat, things of [16] great pleasure and refreshment. Double masques, one of men, another of ladies, addeth state and variety ; but all is nothing, except the room be kept clear and

neat.

[17] For justs, and tourneys, and barriers, the glories of them are chiefly in the chariots wherein the challengers make their entry, especially if they be drawn with strange beasts; as lions, bears, camels, and the like: or in the devices of their entrance, or in the bravery of their liveries, or in the goodly furniture of their [18] horses and armour. But enough of these toys.

ESSAY XLV.

NATURE IN MEN.

NATURE is often hidden, sometimes overcome, [1] seldom extinguished. Force maketh nature more [2] violent in the return; doctrine and discourse maketh nature less importune; but custom only doth alter and subdue nature. He that seeketh victory over his [3] nature, let him not set himself too great nor too small tasks; for the first will make him dejected by often failings, and the second will make him a small proceeder, though by often prevailings: and at the first, let him practice with helps, as swimmers do with bladders, or rushes; but after a time, let him practice with disadvantages, as dancers do with thick shoes; for it breeds great perfection if the practice be harder than the use. Where nature is mighty, and therefore the victory [4] hard, the degrees had need be, first to stay and arrest nature in time; like to him that would say over the four-and-twenty letters when he was angry: then to go less in quantity; as if one should, in forbearing wine, come from drinking healths to a draught at a meal; and lastly, to discontinue altogether: but if a man have the fortitude and resolution to enfranchise himself at once, that is the best:

"Optimus ille animi vindex, lædentia pectus
Vincula qui rupit, dedoluitque semel."

Neither is the ancient rule amiss, to bend nature [5] as a wand, to a contrary extreme, whereby to set it right; understanding it where the contrary extreme is no vice. Let not a man force a habit upon himself

with a perpetual continuance, but with some intermission; for both the pause reinforceth the new onset: and, if a man that is not perfect be ever in practice, he shall as well practice his errors as his abilities, and induce one habit of both; and there is no means to help this but by seasonable intermissions: but let not a man trust his victory over his nature too far; for nature will lie buried a great time, and yet revive upon the occasion, or temptation; like as it was with Æsop's damsel, turned from a cat to a woman, who sat very demurely at the board's end till a mouse ran before her: therefore, let a man either avoid the occasion altogether, or put himself often to it, that he may be little moved [6] with it. A man's nature is best perceived in privateness, for there is no affectation; in passion, for that putteth a man out of his precepts; and in a new case or experiment, for there custom leaveth him. [7] They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations; otherwise they may say, “multum incola fuit anima mea," when they converse in those things [8] they do not affect. In studies, whatsoever a man commandeth upon himself, let him set hours for it; but whatsoever is agreeable to his nature, let him take no care for any set times; for his thoughts will fly to it of themselves, so as the spaces of other business or studies [9] will suffice. A man's nature runs either to herbs or weeds; therefore let him seasonably water the one, and destroy the other.

ESSAY XLVI.

USURY.

MANY have made witty invectives against usury. [1] They say that it is pity the devil should have God's [2] part, which is the tithe; that the usurer is the greatest sabbath-breaker, because his plough goeth every Sunday; that the usurer is the drone that Virgil speaketh of:

"Ignavum fucos pecus a præsepibus arcent;"

that the usurer breaketh the first law that was made for mankind after the fall, which was, "in sudore vultus tui comedes panem tuum;" not "in sudore vultus alieni;" that usurers should have orange-tawney bonnets, because they do judaize; that it is against nature for money to beget money, and the like. I say [3] this only, that 66 is a usury concessum propter duritiem cordis" for since there must be borrowing and lending, and men are so hard of heart as they will not lend freely, usury must be permitted. Some others [4] have made suspicious and cunning propositions of banks, discovery of men's estates, and other inventions: but few have spoken of usury usefully. It is good to set [5] before us the incommodities and commodities of usury, that the good may be either weighed out, or culled out : and warily to provide, that, while we make forth to that which is better, we meet not with that which is worse.

The discommodities of usury are, first, that it [6] makes fewer merchants; for were it not for this lazy trade of usury, money would not lie still, but it would in great part be employed upon merchandizing, which is the "vena porta" of wealth in a state: the second, that it makes poor merchants; for as a farmer cannot husband his ground so well if he sit at a great rent, so the merchant cannot drive his trade so well, if he sit at

great usury: the third is incident to the other two; and that is, the decay of customs of kings, or estates, which ebb or flow with merchandizing: the fourth, that it bringeth the treasure of a realm or state into a few hands; for the usurer being at certainties, and the other at uncertainties, at the end of the game most of the money will be in the box; and ever a state flourisheth when wealth is more equally spread: the fifth, that it beats down the price of land; for the employment of money is chiefly either merchandizing, or purchasing; and usury waylays both the sixth, that it doth dull and damp all industries, improvements, and new inventions, wherein money would be stirring, if it were not for this slug: the last, that it is the canker and ruin of many men's estates, which in process of time breeds a public poverty.

[7] On the other side, the commodities of usury are, first, that howsoever usury in some respect hindereth merchandizing, yet in some other it advanceth it; for it is certain that the greatest part of trade is driven by young merchants upon borrowing at interest; so as if the usurer either call in, or keep back his money, there will ensue presently a great stand of trade: the second is, that, were it not for this easy borrowing upon interest, men's necessities would draw upon them a most sudden undoing, in that they would be forced to sell their means (be it lands or goods) far under foot, and so, whereas usury doth but gnaw upon them, bad [8] markets would swallow them quite up. As for mortgaging, or pawning, it will little mend the matter; for either men will not take pawns without use, or if they do, they will look precisely for the forfeiture. [9] I remember a cruel moneyed man in the country, that would say, "The devil take this usury, it keeps

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