Whereas Prosperity,
with its ease and comfort, is the nurse of all of you; beneath her
peaceful shadow and upon her tranquil bosom ye all are nourished, and
every other hellish worm that has its place in the conscience and will be
for ever here gnawing its possessor. As long as one is at ease, there is
no talk but of merriment, of feasts, bargains, genealogies, tales, news
and the like; the name of God is never mentioned except in profane oaths
and curses, whereas the poor and the afflicted have His name upon their
lips and in their hearts always. Go ye, the seven of you, and follow her
and be mindful to keep all a-slumbering and in peace, in good fortune, in
ease and in perfect carelessness; then shall ye see the honest poor
become an untractable, arrogant knave, once he has quaffed of the
alluring cup of Prosperity; ye shall behold the diligent laborer become a
careless babbler and everything else that pleases you. For all seek and
love happy Prosperity; she neither hearkens to advice nor fears censure;
the good she knows not, the bad she nurtures. But this is the greatest
mishap: the man that escapes her sweet charms must be given up in
despair, we must bid farewell to his company for ever.
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