Lucrum malum, æquale dispendio.

Gain gotten by unfair means is no better than a loss; what is ill gotten rarely thrives. Those who are in too much haste to acquire riches, generally commit some error in the process which defeats their purpose; or, if they obtain what they sought for, they have rarely the discretion to use it properly. Hasty climbers have sudden falls. The wealth that is ill-gotten becomes a canker, and corrodes and destroys what it is put in contact with. Una pecora rognosa, ne guasta cento, one bad sheep spoils the flock. The too eager pursuit of any thing, Feltham says, «hinders the enjoyment; for it makes men take indirect ways, which though they prosper sometimes, are blessed never. Wealth snatched up by unjust and injurious ways, like a rotten sheep, will infect thy healthful flock».