John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 4:13

Verſ. 13. Better is a poor and wiſe childe] Such as was Joſeph, David, Daniel, and his three Camerades, &c. apt to learn, ready to receive inſtruction, and as careful to follow it. And well doth the Preacher joyn poverty with wiſdome; for, Neſcio quomodo bonae mentis ſoror eſt paupertas, ſaith he in Petronius: and, Paupertas eſt Philoſophiae vernacula, Poverty is the proper language of Philoſophy; and wiſdome is undervalued and little ſet by. Thoſe wiſeſt of the Greeks were very poor,Alian. l. 2 Ariſtides, Phocion, Pelopidas, Epaminondas, Socrates, Ephialtes. So were thoſe Worthies of whom the world was not worthy, Heb. 11.38. They wandred about in Sheep-skins, and Goat-skins, being deſtitute, &c. Sweet-ſmelling Smyrna was the pooreſt of all the ſeven Churches, Revel. 3. yet hath the richeſt price ſet upon it. Lactantius dyed miſerable poor, ſo did Theodorus Gaza that learned Greek. Of Archimedes thus ſings Silius, Sil. lib. 14 Nudus opum, ſed cui coelum terraeque patebant.

But I am fully of Aeneas Sylvius his judgement; that Popular men ſhould eſteem wiſdome as ſilver, Noble-men as gold, Princes as pearls. Of Queen Elizabeth (that peerleſſe Princeſſe) it is ſaid,Camb. Eliz. that ſhe hated no leſſe than did Mithridates, ſuch as deſpiſed vertue forſaken of fortune:

Eraſm. Than an old and fooliſh King] Brabanti quo magis ſeneſcunt, eo magis ſtulteſcunt. So doe many men of quality, Monarchs and others, weak and yet wilful, ſhort-witted, and yet ſelf-conceited; ſuch as were Saul, Rehoboam, Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, our Henry the third, called Regni dilapidator, and that James that reigned in Scotland in our Edward the fourths time;Daniels Hiſt. of whom it is ſtoried, that hee was ſo much wedded to his own opinion, that hee could not endure any mans advice (how good ſoever) that hee fancied not;Ibid. hee would ſeldom ask counſel, but never follow any. Xerxes in his expedition againſt Greece, Val. Max. lib. 9 cap. 5. is reported to have called his Princes together, and thus to have ſpoken to them; Leſt I ſhould ſeem to follow mine own counſel, I have aſſembled you: and now do you remember, that it becomes you rather to obey than to adviſe.