The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton
page 99 of 2094 (04%)
page 99 of 2094 (04%)
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him what the event will be, beggary, sorrow, sickness, disgrace, shame,
loss, madness, yet [414]"an angry man will prefer vengeance, a lascivious his whore, a thief his booty, a glutton his belly, before his welfare." Tell an epicure, a covetous man, an ambitious man of his irregular course, wean him from it a little, _pol me occidistis amici_, he cries anon, you have undone him, and as [415]a "dog to his vomit," he returns to it again; no persuasion will take place, no counsel, say what thou canst, "Clames licet et mare coelo ------Confundas, surdo narras,"[416] demonstrate as Ulysses did to [417]Elpenor and Gryllus, and the rest of his companions "those swinish men," he is irrefragable in his humour, he will be a hog still; bray him in a mortar, he will be the same. If he be in an heresy, or some perverse opinion, settled as some of our ignorant Papists are, convince his understanding, show him the several follies and absurd fopperies of that sect, force him to say, _veris vincor_, make it as clear as the sun, [418]he will err still, peevish and obstinate as he is; and as he said [419]_si in hoc erro, libenter erro, nec hunc errorem auferri mihi volo_; I will do as I have done, as my predecessors have done, [420]and as my friends now do: I will dote for company. Say now, are these men [421]mad or no, [422]_Heus age responde_? are they ridiculous? _cedo quemvis arbitrum_, are they _sanae mentis_, sober, wise, and discreet? have they common sense? ------[423]_uter est insanior horum_? I am of Democritus' opinion for my part, I hold them worthy to be laughed at; a company of brain-sick dizzards, as mad as [424]Orestes and Athamas, that they may go "ride the ass," and all sail along to the Anticyrae, in the "ship of fools" for company together. I need not much labour to prove this which I say otherwise than thus, make any solemn protestation, or swear, I think you will believe me without an oath; say at a word, are they fools? I refer it |
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