Meaning & Analysis
This is a purely metaphorical proverb that directly equates a miser's purse with the Devil's mouth. It suggests that, like things entering the mouth of the Devil, whatever money goes into a miser's purse will never come out again.
Insights
Irrevocable Greed
The proverb powerfully illustrates the concept of irrevocable greed. Money deposited in the miser's purse is consumed and vanishes from the world, serving no purpose. It is a one-way journey into darkness, highlighting the destructive and final nature of avarice.
Moral and Spiritual Decay
The purse is not merely a container but a symbol of profound moral and spiritual corruption. Equating it with the Devil's mouth implies that the wealth it holds is tainted and that the act of hoarding is inherently demonic and leads to spiritual ruin.
Gateway to Damnation
The proverb functions as a stark warning, suggesting the miser's purse is a literal gateway to Hell. The focus on endless accumulation is the path to damnation, and the purse itself is the portal through which the miser's soul is ultimately consumed.
Destructive Hoarding
It highlights how hoarded wealth is rendered useless and economically dead. Just as something eaten by the Devil is destroyed, money in a miser's purse is taken out of circulation, benefiting no one and failing to generate any social or economic good.
Iconography of Damnation
The proverb taps directly into medieval Christian iconography, particularly the 'Hellmouth'—a literal depiction of the entrance to Hell as the gaping maw of a monster. By equating the miser's purse with this image, the proverb frames extreme avarice not just as a sin but as an active agent of damnation, consuming wealth and souls alike.
Critique of Economic Hoarding
This proverb serves as a powerful social critique of usury and the practice of hoarding wealth, which were seen as detrimental to the economic and moral health of the community. It reflects a pre-capitalist anxiety about money that is taken out of circulation, ceasing to have any social utility and becoming purely an object of personal obsession.
Psychology of Avarice
Psychologically, the proverb captures the insatiable nature of compulsive greed. The 'mouth' is never full, and the 'purse' is never closed to receiving more, but it is always sealed against giving. It portrays the miser's relationship with money as a form of self-consumption, where their humanity is devoured by their own avarice.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The proverb's power lies in its direct and shocking metaphor, which equates a mundane object (a purse) with a concept of ultimate evil (the Devil's mouth), creating a potent and unforgettable moral statement.
Symbolism
It employs powerful dual symbolism. The 'miser's purse' symbolizes worldly greed and material obsession, while the 'Devil's mouth' symbolizes consumption, destruction, and eternal damnation.
Hyperbole
The comparison is an intentional exaggeration used for moral and rhetorical effect. It elevates the sin of miserliness to the level of ultimate, demonic evil, intended to provoke a strong emotional and moral reaction.
Transcription
Quotations
The Vsurers purse is Hell mouth.
A covetous mans purse, is called the deuils mouth.
The deuills mouth is tearm'd a miser's purse.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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