caution, that yet are perfectly guilty of the evil. Now can it be otherwise, when those that have, from a low condition, acquired thousands, labour yet to advance, yea, double and treble those thousands; and that with the same care and contrivance by which they got them? Is this to live comfortably, or to be rich? Do we not see how early they rise; how late they go to bed? How full of the change, the shop, the warehouse, the custom-house; of bills, bonds, charter-parties, &c. they are? Running up and down, as if it were to save the life of a condemned innocent. An insatiable lust, and therein ungrateful to God, as well as hurtful to men, who giveth it to them to use, and not to love: that is, the abuse. And if this care, contrivance, and industry, and that continually, be not from the love of money in those that have ten times more than they began with, and much more than they spend or need, I know not what testimony man can give of his love for anything. VIII. To conclude: It is an enemy to government in magistrates; for it tends to corruption. Wherefore those that God ordained were such as feared Him and hated covetousness. Next, it hurts society: for old traders keep the young ones poor: and the great reason why some have too little, and so are forced to drudge like slaves to feed their families, and keep their chin above the water, is, because the rich hold fast and press to be richer, and covet more, which dries up the little streams of profit from smaller folks. There should be a standard, both as to the value and time of traffic; and then the trade of the master to be shared among his servants that deserve it. This were both to help the young to get their livelihood, and to give the old time to think of leaving this world well, in which they have been so busy, that they might obtain a share in the other, of which they have been so careless. IX. There is yet another mischief to government; for covetousness leads men to abuse and defraud it, by concealing or falsifying the goods they deal in: as bringing in forbidden goods by stealth: or lawful goods, so as to avoid the payment of dues, or owning the goods of enemies for gain; or that they are not well made, or full of measure; with abundance of that sort of deceit. X. But covetousness has caused destructive feuds in families; for estates falling into the hands of those whose avarice has put them upon drawing greater profit to themselves than was consistent with justice, has given birth to much trouble, and caused great oppression; it too often falling out, that such executors have kept the right owners out of possession with the money they should pay them.