Charms and Knots
The Daily Charm
Morning prayer protects from evil, evening prayer redeems the night, and between them practical wisdom and generosity shape the day.
If you read a chapter when you wake up, you'll never be troubled by the evil eye.1 A poor man's staff, when you ride, Is both a weapon and a guide.2 Whoever closes their hand has lost their gold; whoever opens it has it twice over.✦ Whoever goes to bed and doesn't pray makes two nights of every day.
The Humble Eye
Slander wounds the speaker, humility lifts the soul, and pride forgets the dust from which we come.
Those who throw a stone by casting aspersions at others' heads hit their own. Whoever looks at the ground with humble eyes finds himself there and seeks to rise. When the hair is sweet from pride or lust, the powder forgets the dust.✦
Profit and the Deep
True gain is not in tithes or mercenary preaching but in the depth that sees heaven yet avoids hell.
Take one from ten—what's left? Still ten, if sermons are only for profit.3 In shallow waters, heaven shows itself; but whoever keeps drinking may go to hell.
Read the original English
WHo reade a chapter when they rise, Shall ne're be troubled with ill eyes.
A poore mans rod, when thou dost ride, Is both a weapon and a guide.
Who shuts his hand, hath lost his gold: Who opens it, hath it twice told.
Who goes to bed and doth not pray, Maketh two nights to ev'ry day.
Who by aspersions throw a stone At th' head of others, hit their own.
Who looks on ground with humble eyes, Findes himself there and seeks to rise.
When th' hair is sweet through pride or lust, The powder doth forget the dust.
Take one from ten, and what remains? Ten still, if sermons go for gains.
In shallow waters heav'n doth show; But who drinks on, to hell may go.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Deut.15.7-Deut.15.8 — If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and do not close your hand against your poor brother. Deut.15.8 — Surely you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he lacks.
- ↩Gen.3.19 — By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'ill eyes' is most naturally the folk 'evil eye' (harmful/envious gaze), fitting the chapter's charms-and-knots proverb form; less likely mere sore eyes or generic unkind looks.
- 2 ↩Early modern 'rod' here means a walking stick or staff (not a rod of punishment); rendered as 'staff' for clarity while keeping the dual sense of weapon and guide.
- 3 ↩Herbert's point is that spiritual giving fails when preaching is done for material gain: the worldly 'ten' is never truly reduced.
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