THE HIGH-VVAY TO RICHES, OR A Meanes to prevent POVERTY: CONTAINING A Brief Description of that Child of CHASE or Lady PECUNIA, Whereunto is added a Brief Representation of all Idle or Extraordinary Expences, with all their Amounts to in the Year: Together with an Exact Table shewing how much divers Principal Sums (with Interest upon Interest) amount to in several years, after 10. or 8. in the Hundred, &c. very necessary and fit to be regarded by all Those who out of a wary Disposition intend to thrive in City or Country.

SHe is a Lady of such matchless Carriage,
Wedded to none, though sought of all in Marriage.
She may be kist, yet neither washt nor clipt:
And if you wooe not wary, soon or'e-slipt.
She may be long, and yet be honest too
To many Merchants, 'spite they all can do:
Who e're atchieves her, speak her ne're so fair,
She'le not stay long before she take the aire.
She'le stay with no Poor man, her state's so great;
A Rich man may her for a time intreat;
She goes in Cloth of Silver, Cloth of Gold
Of several worths, and values manifold.
But when she goes in Golden Robes best dight,
Then she's suspected for to be most light:
She needs no Physick to recover, health;
For she's still currant, and as rich in wealth.
Some Irish Lady born we may suppose,
Because she runs so fast, and never goes:
If she be wrong'd in Name, and ill abide it,
Of all Men, Justice Touchstone must decide it.
He that thus does, and all do thus to gain her,
Being thus atchiev'd, she is but slippery hold,
And still be gone, unless by force you strain her,
Changing her Humour to another mold;
By Pence and Half-pence, and such little crums,
Which of themselves so sleightly Men do prize,
In time are eaten up those larger sums,
That did not by such petty parcels rise.
Like little drops, that of themselves not fear'd,
Yet do in time, together so much slip,
That where no danger at the first appear'd,
It after comes to bear or drown a Ship.
Thy Pence a Day, that may be sav'd from wast,
When thou dost see in one year their Amount,
Will be by this Presentment held more fast,
And weigh'd, as Thrift perswades, in more ac­count;
Which unsuspected Thief, that all may know it,
I'le waste but few Lines more before I shew it.
The Induction.
HE that makes Conscience of a Venial sin,
Into a Mortal seldome falleth in:
He that not sleightly passes or'e one Day,
Throws not in thriftless uses Years away:
He that makes Conscience for to speak the Truth,
Seldome forswears himself in Age or Youth:
Even so, He that a Penny gripeth fast,
Seldome throws Pounds or Crowns away in wast:
As contrary, He that o're-looks those small
And petty Moyeties, easily sinks in all.
A PENNY is a small regardless sum,
Yet may in some time to something come;
Therefore observe this Table, thou shalt know
How Great those Littles in small time do grow,
And how with easie steps they do decay;
Those that ne're reckon Pence, they waste this way.
By the Day. By the Week.
A Farthing 1 d. ob. q.
A Halfpenny 3 d. ob. o
A Penny. 7 d. o. o
2 Pence 14 d. o. o
3 Pence 21 d. o. o
4 Pence 2 s. 4 d. o
5 Pence 2 s. 11 d. o
6 Pence 3 s. 6 d. o
By the Month. By the Year.
7 Pence 8 s. 7 d. q.
14 Pence 15 s. 2 d. ob.
2 Shillings 4 Pence 30 s. 5 d. o
4 Shillings 8 Pence 3 l. 10 d. o
7 Shillings 4 l. 11 s. 3 d.
9 Shillings 4 Pence 6 l. 2 s. 6 d.
11 Shillings 8 Pence 7 l. 12 s. 1 d.
14 Shillings 9 l. 2 s. 6 d.

All which said several Sums may be thus more easily summ'd up after the manner of Exchequer reckoning, as followeth:

  • A Penny a day is by the year one pound, one half pound, one groat, one penny.
  • Two pence a day is by the year two pounds, two half pounds, two groats, two pence.
  • Three pence a day is by the year three pounds three half pounds, three groats, three pence.
  • Four pence a day is by the year four pounds, four half pounds, four groats, four pence.

And so forward of the rest, being a most certain and never failing Rule to calculate what summe or quantity you please.

The mouth of Usury being opened, yet her Fangs not pulled out (as some Jews were in King Iohn's time in England) but her Teeth disco­vered, that the Borrower may beware. To which effect is here (by this subsequent Table) show'd how much divers principal Sums with Interest, and Interest upon Interest amounts to in several years, after ten in the hundred, and eight in the hundred.

  1 l. 2 l. 3 l.
  l. s. d. ob. q. l. s. d. ob. q. l. s. d. ob. q
Year 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
2 1 4 2 0 3 2 8 4 1 5 3 12 7 0 3
3 1 0 7 0 3 2 13 2 1 3 3 19 10 0 2
4 1 9 3 0 3 22 18 6 1 2 4 7 10 0 1
7 1 18 11 1 1 7 17 11 0 2 5 16 11 0 0
14 3 15 11 0 3 1 11 11 0 2 11 7 10 0 1
21 7 8 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 22 4 0 0 2
  10 l. 20 l. 40 l.
Year 1 11 0 0 0 0 22 0 0 0 0 46 0 0 0 0
2 12 2 0 0 0 24 4 0 0 2 48 8 0 0 0
3 13 6 2 0 3 26 12 4 1 2 53 4 9 1 0
4 14 12 9 1 2 29 5 7 1 0 58 11 3 1 10
7 19 9 8 1 3 33 19 5 1 2 77 18 11 1 1
14 37 9 6 0 1 75 19 0 0 0 141 18 0 0 0
2 [...] 74 0 0 1 0 148 0 1 0 1 195 0 9 0 3
  50 l. 100 l. 200 l.
Year 1 15 0 0 0 0 110 0 0 0 0 220 0 0 0 0
2 20 10 0 0 0 121 0 0 0 0 243 0 0 0 0
3 66 11 0 0 0 133 2 0 0 0 206 4 0 0 0
4 73 4 1 0 2 146 8 2 0 3 291 16 5 1 2
7 97 8 8 1 0 192 17 5 0 1 389 11 10 0 3
14 189 17 6 0 0 379 15 0 0 0 752 10 0 0 0
21 270 0 3 0 0 340 0 6 0 0 148 1 0 0 0
Admiration.
THat Money should engender thus and breed
Is against Nature, springing from no seed;
Yet see this Usury that's ever running:
Insensibly devours a State with cunning;
It eateth deep, and yet no Teeth you see:
It is a Monster sure! what should it be?
In seven years, a term of time but small,
The Interest looks as bigg as Principal:
A forward Whelp like to his Dam or Mother,
And every year bites deeper still than other:
Therefore who e're thou art that mean'st to thrive,
Forbear that Jaw that swallows men alive:
So shalt thou live most happy dayes to see,
And foenus shall not to thee funus be.
And though this be the Gulf that most men fear,
Yet th' other Petty Channels come not near:
For 'tis all one, the effect so understood,
To drown ith' deepest Sea, or shallowest flood;
And therefore to this Ruine if thou haste thee,
All's one, if first, or last, or whether waste thee.
But if so be thou mean'st to live ashore,
Through Sylla and Charybdis sayle no more.
By T. D.

LONDON Printed, and Licensed according to Order. 1664.

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