Chapter VIII.
How covetousness is a hindrance to all virtues.
With
such strides then in a
downward direction he goes from bad to worse, and at last cares not to
retain I will not say the virtue but even the shadow of humility,
charity, and obedience; and is displeased with everything, and murmurs
and groans over every work; and now having cast off all reverence, like
a bad-tempered horse, dashes off headlong and unbridled: and
discontented with his daily food and usual clothing, announces that he
will not put
up with it any longer.
He declares that God is not only there, and that his salvation is not
confined to that place, where, if he does not take himself off pretty
quickly from it, he deeply laments that he will soon die.