Narcissus, Fashion and Flattery

Author: Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.
Title: The deuills banket described in foure sermons [brace], 1. The banket propounded, begunne, 2. The second seruice, 3. The breaking vp of the feast, 4. The shot or reckoning, [and] The sinners passing-bell, together with Phisicke from heauen / published by Thomas Adams ...
Date: 1614

6. The last Viall of this Course is FLATTERIE, a water taken out of  NARCISSUS Well; whereof, when great men drinke plentfully, they grow madde in their owne ad|miration: and when Selfe-loue hath once befool'd the braines, the Deuill himselfe would not wish the traine of consequent sinnes longer. This is a terrible enchantment, that robs men with delight: that counts simplicity a silly thing, and will sweare to a falshood to please a Foelix. This man out-runnes the Deuill: he is the Father of lyes, yet we neuer read, that he swore to a lye: for he that sweares, acknowledgeth the Being that he sweares by, greater then himselfe; which the Deuill scornes to doe. The Flatterer in auouching a lye, and swearing to it, hath a tricke beyond the Deuill. The superlatiue titles of these men, cause others to o|uer-value themselues. Pride deriues her encourage|ment from the Flatterers artificiall commendations. Thou art farre in debt, and fearest arrests; hee that should come and tell thee, thou art rich, able to pur|chase, swimmest in a full and flowing streame, thou giuest no credite to him, though hee would giue too much credite to thee. Thy soules state is more beg|garly, broken, bankerout of grace, and runne in arre|rages with God, yet the Flatterer praiseth the riches of thy vertues, and thou beleeuest him. It is a fearefull and fanaticall blindnesse for a man to carie his eyes in a boxe, like Plutarches lamiae, and onely looke into himselfe by the eyes of his Parasites: as if he desired to reade the Catalogue of his owne good parts, through the spectacles of Flatterie; which makes the least letter of a great shew, and sometimes a Cipher to be mista|ken for a FIGURE. The Sycophants language is a false glasse, and represents thy conscience white, when thou mayst change beautie with the MOORE; and loose not by the bargaine. Let Herode be as hollow as a kexe, and as light as Ayre, yet weighed in his Parasites ballance, hee shall poyse with solid Vertue, nay, with God him|selfe.

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THE English Gentleman: Containing Sundry excellent Rules or exquisite Observations, tending to Direction of every Gentleman, of selecter ranke and qualitie; How to demeane or accommodate himselfe in the manage of publike or private affaires.

By RICHARD BRATHWAIT Esq.

SENECA in Herc. furen.

---Qui genus jactat suum
Aliena laudat.

LONDON, Printed by Iohn Haviland, and are to be sold by ROBERT BOSTOCK at his shop at the signe of the Kings head in Pauls Church-yard. 1630.

TO THE NOBLY ACCOMPLISHED, honoured, and loved; THOMAS Viscount WENTVVORTH, Lord Pre|sident of Yorke; all correspondence to his prudent'st and prepa|red'st resolves.

Worthyly Honoured,

VErtue the greatest Signall and Symbol of Gentry: is rather expressed by goodnesse of Person, than greatnesse of Place. For, howsoever the bleere|ey'd vulgar honour, the purple more than the person, descent more than desert, title than merit: that adulterate Gentility, which de|generats from the worth of her Ancestors,

derogates likewise from the birth of her Ancestors. And these be such, whose in|fant effeminacie, youthfull delicacie, or na|tive libertie hath estranged them from the knowledge of morall or divine mysteries: so as, they may be well compared to the Ostrich, who (as the Naturall Historian reports) hath the wings of an Eagle, but never mounts: so these have the Eagle-wings of contemplation, being indued with he intellectuall faculties of a reasonable soule; yet either intangled with the light chesses of vanity, or trashed with the hea|vie poizes of selfe-conceit and singularitie, they never mount above the verge of sensuall pleasure. But I am here to tender un|to your Honours judicious view, a Gentle|man, quite of another garbe: One, whose Education hath made formall enough, with|out apish formalitie, and conceiving enough, without selfe-admiring arrogancie.

 (SNIP)

But thou objectest; How should I expresse my descent, my place; or how seeme worthy the company of eminent persons, with whom I consort, if I should sleight or disvalue this general-affected vanity Fashion? I will tell thee: thou canst not more generously, I will not say generally, expresse thy greatnes of descent, place, or qualitie, nor seeme better worthy the company with whom thou consortest or frequentest, than by erecting the glorious beames of thy minde, aboue these inferiour things. For who are these with whom thou consortest? meere triflers away of time, bastard slips, degenerate impes, consumers of their patrimonie, and in the end, (for what other end save misery may attend them) Haires to shame and infamie. These (I say) who offer their Morning-prayers to the Glasse, eying themselves till  Narcissus-like they fall in love with their owne shadowes. O England, what a height of pride art thou growne to? yea, how much art thou growne unlike thy selfe? when, disvaluing thy owne forme, thou deformest thy selfe by borrowing a plume of everie Countrey, to display thy pie-coloured flag of vani|tie. What painting, purfling, powdring and pargeting doe you use, (yee Idolls of vanitie) to lure and allure men to breake their first faith, forsake their first love, and yeeld to your immodestie? How can you weepe for your sinnes, (saith Saint Hierome) when your teares will make furrowes in your face? With what confi|dence do you lift up that countenance to heaven, which your Maker acknowledges not? Doe not say that you have modest mindes, when you have immodest eyes. Death hath entred in at your windowes; your eyes are those cranies, those hatefull portells, those fatall en|trances,

which (Tarpeia-like) by betraying the glori|ous fortresse or cittadell of your soules, have given easie way to your mortall enemie. Vtinam miserrimus ego &c. I would I poore wretch (saith Tertullian) might see in that day of Christian exaltation, An cum cerussa, & purpurisso & croco, & cum illo ambitu capitis resurga|tis: No, you stanes to modestie, such a Picture shall not rise in glory before her Maker. There is no place for you; but for such women as array themselves in come|ly apparell, with shamefastnesse and modestie, not with broi|ded haire, or gold, or pearles, or costly apparell. But, as becommeth women that professe the feare of God. For even after this manner in time past did the holy women, which trusted in God, tire themselves. Reade, I say, reade yee proud ones, yee which are so haughtie, and walke with stretched-out neckes, the Prophet Isaiah, and you shall find your selves described, and the judge|ment of Desolation pronounced upon you. Becase the Daughters of Zion are haughtie, and walk with stre|ched-out neckes, and with wandring eyes, walking minsing as they goe, and making a tinckling with the[...] feet; therfore shall the Lord make the heads of the daugh|ters of Zion bald, and the Lord shall discover their secret parts. And he proceeds: In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers, and the calles, and the round tyres. The sweet balles, and the bracelets, and the bonnets. The tyres of the head, and the sloppes, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the eare-rings. The rings and the mufflers. The costly apparell and the gailes, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins. And the glasses, and the fine linnen, and the hoods and the launes. Now heare your reward: And in stead of sweet savour, there shall be stinke, and in stead of a girdle, a rent, and in stead of dressing of the haire, baldnesse, and in stead of a stomacher, a girding of sack-cloth, and burning in stead of beautie. Now attend your finall destruction: Thy men shall fall

by the sword, and thy strength in the battell. Then shall her gates mourne and lament, and shee being desolate shall sit upon the ground. See how you are described, and how you shall be rewarded. Enjoy then sin for a season, and delight your selves in the vanities of Youth: be your eyes the Lures of Lust, your eares the open receits of shame, your hands the polluted instruments of sinne: to be short, be your Soules, which should be the Temples of the Holy Ghost, cages of uncleane birds; after all these things, what the Prophet hath threatned shal come up|on you, and what shall then deliver you? not your Beau|tie· for to use that divine Distich of Innocentius,

Tell me thou earthen vessell made of clay,

What's Beautie worth, when thou must die to day?

Nor Honour; for that shall lye in the dust, and sleepe in the bed of earth. Nor Riches; for they shall not deliver in the day of wrath. Perchance they may bring you, when you are dead, in a comely funerall sort to your graves, or bestow on you a few mourning gar|ments or erect in your memory some gorgeous Mo|nument, to shew your vain-glory in death, as well as life; but this is all: Those Riches which you got with such care, kept with such feare, lost with such griefe, shall not afford you one comfortable hope in the houre of your passage hence; afflict they may, re|leeve they cannot. Nor Friends; for all they can doe, is to attend you, and shed some friendly teares for you; but ere the Rosemary lose her colour, which stickt the Coarse, or one worme enter the shroud, which co|vered the Corpse, you are many times forgotten, your former glory extinguished, your eminent esteeme ob|scured, your repute darkened, and with infamous as|persions often impeached.