one of the seven deadly sins, the devil's cushion, his pillow and
chief reposal.... An idle dog will be mangy; and how shall an
idle person escape? Idleness of the mind is much worse than that
of the body: wit, without employment, is a disease--the rust of
the soul, a plague, a hell itself. As in a standing pool, worms
and filthy creepers increase, so do evil and corrupt thoughts in
an idle person; the soul is contaminated.... Thus much I dare
boldly say: he or she that is idle, be they of what condition they
will, never so rich, so well allied, fortunate, happy--let them
have all things in abundance and felicity that heart can wish and
desire, all contentment--so long as he, or she, or they, are
idle, they shall never be pleased, never well in body or mind, but
weary still, sickly still, vexed still, loathing still, weeping,
sighing, grieving, suspecting, offended with the world, with every
object, wishing themselves gone or dead, or else carried away with
some foolish phantasie or other." (3)

Burton says a great deal more to the same effect; the burden and
lesson of his book being embodied in the pregnant sentence with
which it winds up:- "Only take this for a corollary and
conclusion, as thou tenderest thine own welfare in this, and all
other melancholy, thy good health of body and mind, observe this
short precept, Give not way to solitariness and idleness. BE NOT
SOLITARY--BE NOT IDLE." (4)

The indolent, however, are not wholly indolent. Though the body
may shirk labour, the brain is not idle. If it do not grow corn,
it will grow thistles, which will be found springing up all along
the idle man's course in life. The ghosts of indolence rise
up in the dark, ever staring the recreant in the face, and