armes the branches and so of the rest So that our infancie is but a dreame our childhood but folly our youth madnes our manhood a combate our age a sicknesse our life misery and our death sorrow How weake is infancie how ignorant is childhood how light inconstant adolescencie how intractable and confident bee yong men how grieuous and irkesome is old age What is a yong boy but as a brute beast hauing the forme only and shape of a man What is a flourishing yonker but as an vntamed horse what is an old man but a receptacle of all maladies and diseases And this age is a degree neerer to death by common course then the former ages for these yeeres take all pleasures from our life wherin affliction followeth affliction as the clouds returne after the raine Eccles 12.2 2. Sam. 19,34,35 and in these stooping yeeres euery steppe is in death and they may say with Barzilla How long haue I to liue when their houses are turned into their prisons and they haue no taste in that they eate or drinke And they hauing thus the markes of age in their face and vpon their heads yet as they that would stil be yong they coÌ„sider not that they draw neere to their graue haue tokeÌ„s vpon theÌ„ of a blasted life in which age they can neither put off nor put on their owne clothes Yong men saith Seneca haue death behind them old men haue death before them and all men haue death not farre from them Experience plainly teacheth and all ages approue that Godâ— plague threatneth sicknesse calleth and old age warneth death suddenâ—… taketh and the earth finally deuoureth Death most commonly hath three harbengers that make way against he come viz. Casualtie Sicknesse and Old-age Casualtie telleth me death is at my backe Sicknesse telleth me shee is at my heeles and Old-age telleth me shee is before my face Sicknesse is reckoned by Hugo amongst the messengers of death of which there are three Casus Infirmitas Senectus Casus nunciat mortem latentem Infirmitas apparentem Senectus praesentem Casualties shew vs death lurking for vs Sicknesse appearing vnto vs Old-age saith death is present and ready to fetch vs. The aged man holdeth his life as an Eele by the taile which he would faine hold fast but cannot because it is so slipperie and slideth from him Many times death taketh for a gage one part or other of our body as an arme or eye or legge or hand finger or tooth or some of our sences or such like for an aduertisement that hee will very shortly fetch away the rest If any man be long a dying and paying Deaths debt Nature like a rigorous creditor that will be paid at the iust day sueth out an execution against her debtor taking from one his sight from another his hearing and both from some and he that tarieth longest in the world shee foundereth maineth and vtterly disableth in his limbes So that as man in respect of himselfe is vaine and miserable so also is hee much more in regard of the qualitie and condition of his life and calling For there is no kinde of life meaning wherby life is maintained but it is mingled with frailetie and many grieuances If thou liue abroad to wit in Offices there are strifes if at home there are cares in the field labours in the sea feare in iourneying if it be void of ieopardie yet it is painefull and tedious If thou art maried then canst thou not be without cares if not maried then is thy life wearisome Hast thou children then shalt thou haue sorrow Hast thou none then is thy life vnpleasant Thy youth is wilde and foolish thy age weake and fraile and infinit are the dangers that depend thereon For one bewaileth his losses another weepeth for lacke of health liberty and necessarie liuing The workman maymeth himselfe with his owne toole while he earnestly plyeth his businesse the idle person is pined with famine the gambler breaketh his limbes with gaming the adulterer consumeth himselfe with botches and leprosie the dicer suddenly stabbed with a dagger and the Student continually wrung with the gout besides infinite more miseries incident to mans life too long heere to rehearse For there is no calling state or degree exempt or free from vanitie miserie and death All are vaine all are vexed all are tormented with worldly tempests all doe suffer the dolefull blasts of miserie and calamitie To begin with the strongest Champion the mightiest Monarch the greatest Emperour or Prince that euer liued on the earth and to come downe to the poorest wretch and meanest miser in the world you shall find that all of all sorts poore and rich master and seruant maried and vnmaried subiect and Prince to conclude the bad and the good are tormented with temptations tossed with tempests disquieted with aduersities and therefore are most fraile most miserable yea and nothing but miserie The poore man he is grieued with famine and thirst suppressed with sorrow and heauinesse and oppressed with cold and nakednesse he is dispised and contemned buffeted and scorned Luke 16.19 he lieth grouelling at the rich mans feete and dying at their heeles as they goe in the streete or at the gates and yet vnregarded Prou. 14.20 he is shunned of his brethren loathed of his friends Iam. 2.3 and hated of his neighbour And as the Apostle saith he is set vnder the rich mans foot-stoole so that none account is maâ—e of him Luke 16.3 To aske for Gods sake he is oftentimes ashamed and if he will not aske he is piâ—…d and therefore meere necessitie constraineth him to begge He accuseth God of vnrighteousnesse and partialitie because hee diuided not the goods of the world equally He blameth his neighbour of vnmercifulnesse and cruelty Matth. 20.11 because he releeueth not his necessitie He fretteth and fumeth hee murmureth repineth and curseth Whereupon it was truely said Eccle. 40.28.30 My sonne lead not a beggers life for better it is to die then to begge Begging is sweete in the mouth of the shamelesse but in his belly there shall burne a fire Againe on the otherside Psal 49.6 the rich man himselfe is ouerthrowne in his abundance he is puffed vp with vain-glory he putteth his trust and confidence in his wealth and substance whereupon he braggeth and boasteth Ezech. 28.5 They trust in their wealth and boast themselues in the multitude of their riches he swelleth with pride and disdaine Their heart is lifted vp saith the Prophet because of their riches Prou. 22.7 The rich saith the Wiseman ruleth ouer the poore and the borrower is seruant to the lender Yet labour in getting feare in possessing and sorrow in losing doth euer trouble and disquiet his minde And so as saith the Apostle they that will be rich fall into temptations and snares 1. Tim. 6.9.10 and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction