232 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PAKT I. 



the gifts of God unequally dealt, if we see another abound 

 with riches; when, as God knows, the cares that are the 

 keys that keep those riches hang often so heavily at the 

 rich man's girdle, that they clog him with weary days and 

 restless nights, even when others sleep quietly. We see 

 but the outside of the rich man's happiness; few consider 

 him to be like the silk-worm, that, when she seems to 

 play, is, at the very same time, spinning her own bowels, 

 and consuming herself; and this many rich men do, 

 loading themselves with corroding cares, to keep what 

 they have, probably, unconscionably got. Let us, there- 

 fore, be thankful for health and a competence; and above 

 all, for a quiet conscience. 



Let me tell you, Scholar, that Diogenes walked on a 

 day, with his friend, to see a country fair; where he saw 

 ribbons, and looking-glasses, and nut-crackers, and fid- 

 dles, and hobby-horses, and many other gimcracks ; and, 

 having observed them, and all the other finnimbruns that 

 make a complete country-fair, he said to his friend, " Lord, 

 how many things are there in this world of which Dio- 

 genes hath no need!" And truly it is so, or might be so, 

 with very many who vex and toil themselves to get what 

 they have no need of. Can any man charge God, that 

 he hath not given him enough to make his life happy ? 

 No, doubtless ; for nature is content with a little. And 

 yet you shall hardly meet with a man that complains not 

 of some want; though he, indeed, wants nothing but his 

 will; it may be, nothing but his will of his poor neigh- 

 bour, for not worshipping, or not flattering him : and thus, 

 when we might be happy and quiet, we create trouble to 

 ourselves. I have heard of a man that was angry with 

 himself because he was no taller; and of a woman that 

 broke her looking-glass because it would not shew her 

 face to be as young and handsome as her next neigh- 

 bour's was. And I knew another to whom God hud given 



