Who said, only thing wherein avarice and greed are honest?

[NaphtaliPress]

Can anyone identify the source of the parenthetical saying below?
Little conscience [is] made of spending our time profitably and with spiritual frugality (The only thing (says one) wherein avarice or greed is honest).

 

[py3ak]

This sounds to me like it's an expansive allusion to Seneca, De Brevitate Vitae.
"Adstricti sunt in continendo patrimonio, simul ad iacturam temporis ventum est, profusissimi in eo, cuius unius honesta avaritia est."

"Though all the brilliant intellects of the ages were to concentrate upon this one theme, never could they adequately express their wonder at this dense darkness of the human mind. Men do not suffer anyone to seize their estates, and they rush to stones and arms if there is even the slightest dispute about the limit of their lands, yet they allow others to trespass upon their life—nay, they themselves even lead in those who will eventually possess it. No one is to be found who is willing to distribute his money, yet among how many does each one of us distribute his life! In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most prodigal."

The Latin text can be found here:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0016:book=10:chapter=3

The English is here:
http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e.html#3

The Latin claims to be 10.3, but the English appears to be chapter 3. I'm not sure what that's about.

 

[Wayne]

Searching for the exact phrase "made of spending our time profitably and with spiritual frugality" on Google Advanced Book Search [https://books.google.com/advanced_book_search], the only thing that comes up is this Puritan Board post!

 

[NaphtaliPress]

You have no idea how often that happens with my questions.

This sounds to me like it's an expansive allusion to Seneca, De Brevitate Vitae.
"Adstricti sunt in continendo patrimonio, simul ad iacturam temporis ventum est, profusissimi in eo, cuius unius honesta avaritia est."

"Though all the brilliant intellects of the ages were to concentrate upon this one theme, never could they adequately express their wonder at this dense darkness of the human mind. Men do not suffer anyone to seize their estates, and they rush to stones and arms if there is even the slightest dispute about the limit of their lands, yet they allow others to trespass upon their life—nay, they themselves even lead in those who will eventually possess it. No one is to be found who is willing to distribute his money, yet among how many does each one of us distribute his life! In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most prodigal."

The Latin text can be found here:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0016:book=10:chapter=3

The English is here:
http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e.html#3

The Latin claims to be 10.3, but the English appears to be chapter 3. I'm not sure what that's about.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

That's promising. I'll explore that more in the am. Thanks Ruben!

This sounds to me like it's an expansive allusion to Seneca, De Brevitate Vitae.
"Adstricti sunt in continendo patrimonio, simul ad iacturam temporis ventum est, profusissimi in eo, cuius unius honesta avaritia est."

"Though all the brilliant intellects of the ages were to concentrate upon this one theme, never could they adequately express their wonder at this dense darkness of the human mind. Men do not suffer anyone to seize their estates, and they rush to stones and arms if there is even the slightest dispute about the limit of their lands, yet they allow others to trespass upon their life—nay, they themselves even lead in those who will eventually possess it. No one is to be found who is willing to distribute his money, yet among how many does each one of us distribute his life! In guarding their fortune men are often closefisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most prodigal."

The Latin text can be found here:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0016:book=10:chapter=3

The English is here:
http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e.html#3

The Latin claims to be 10.3, but the English appears to be chapter 3. I'm not sure what that's about.