Meaning & Analysis
A load (or consignment of goods) that cannot cover even the minor expense of its customs fee is worthless or of poor quality.
Insights
Worthlessness Revealed
Highlights the folly of having possessions or ventures that are so meager in value they cannot justify even minimal investment or upkeep.
Necessity of Investment
Underscores the principle that any worthwhile undertaking must be able to bear the costs—however small—associated with its maintenance or success.
False Economy
Warns against penny-pinching to the point of self-defeat, suggesting that refusing small necessary expenses leads to greater losses in the end.
Historical Economic Context
Customs duties were a ubiquitous reality in trade economies; a 'pack' not worth its own duty would have been seen as an unprofitable or even foolish shipment. The proverb thus satirizes bad judgment in commerce and resource management.
Moral and Practical Lesson
Echoes other proverbial wisdom about not losing a greater good for want of a small cost, emphasizing prudence and the value of calculated risk or expense.
Psychological Perspective
Addresses the human tendency toward false economy—focusing on trivial savings at the expense of overall utility or gain, and serves as a reminder to recognize true value.
Rhetorical Devices
Irony
Calling a worthless pack 'silly' or 'ill' uses understated language to deliver a sharper criticism, heightening the proverb’s satirical edge.
Metonymy
'Pack' and 'custom' stand in for all investments and necessary costs in life, making the lesson widely applicable.
Ellipsis
The brevity of the proverb omits explicit consequence, letting the negative outcome remain implicit and inviting reflection.
Transcription
Quotations
It's an ill Pack that's no worth the Custom.
Cross References
Annotations
- It is a bad Thing that is not worth any small Pains, or Cost, that it may require.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.