Abraham Cowley’s “The Danger of Procrastination” - Essay

 

Abraham Cowley’s “The Danger of Procrastination”

 

Introduction

Abraham Cowley’s “The Danger of Procrastination” is a witty, philosophical, and persuasive essay written in the form of a letter to his friend Mr. S. L. The essay deals with one of the most common weaknesses of human beings—the habit of postponing necessary action. Cowley himself wishes to withdraw from the “tumult and business of the world” and devote the remaining part of his life to study. His friend, however, advises him to delay this decision until he has acquired a sufficient fortune to enjoy otium cum dignitate, or “leisure with dignity.” Cowley rejects this advice because, after the age of forty, life is too short to be wasted in the pursuit of uncertain wealth.

The essay is not merely a personal disagreement between two friends. Cowley develops it into a universal reflection on time, old age, fortune, desire, mortality, opportunity, action, and procrastination. He supports his argument with examples from Greek philosophy, Roman literature, mythology and classical history, contemporary English history, Latin proverbs, and memorable metaphors. His central argument is that we must begin important work now rather than wait for perfect circumstances, because time lost can never be recovered.

Cowley’s Decision to Withdraw from the World

At the beginning of the essay, Cowley explains that he is pleased that his friend approves of his plan to withdraw from worldly business and devote his remaining time to study.

He describes his studies as activities to which “nature had so motherly inclined” him, while “fortune like a step-mother” had kept him away from them for a long time. The contrast between the loving mother and the unkind stepmother is significant. Nature has given Cowley an inclination towards study, but worldly circumstances have prevented him from following that inclination.

Cowley now wants to correct this imbalance. He does not want to spend the remaining part of his life pursuing worldly success.

His friend, however, advises him to wait.

This advice becomes the central issue of the essay.

“But” as the Beginning of Procrastination

Cowley humorously objects to his friend's repeated use of the word “But.” He calls it:

“a rust which spoils the good metal it grows upon.”

The metaphor is very effective. Just as rust damages valuable metal, the word “but” can weaken a good decision by introducing hesitation, qualification, and delay.

Cowley’s friend agrees with his plan in principle but immediately adds a condition: he should wait until he has acquired enough wealth.

Cowley sees this “but” as the beginning of procrastination. A person may have a good purpose, but endless qualifications can prevent him from ever acting upon it.

The Advice to Wait for Wealth

The friend's advice is that Cowley should continue working until he possesses enough property to live comfortably. This is described through the classical phrase:

“cum dignitate otium”

The phrase means “leisure with dignity.”

The idea is that a person should first accumulate sufficient wealth and then retire from worldly affairs to pursue intellectual or peaceful activities.

Cowley considers this advice impractical. He argues that waiting for complete financial security may consume the very years that should be devoted to the desired work.

His objection is especially strong because he is already beyond forty.

The Example of Joshua

Cowley makes a humorous classical-biblical reference when he says that such advice would be excellent for:

“Joshua, who could bid the sun stay too.”

The reference is to Joshua in the Bible, who is traditionally associated with commanding the sun to stand still.

Cowley uses this example humorously. If a person possessed Joshua's power to stop the sun, he could afford to delay because he could literally stop the passage of time.

But ordinary human beings do not possess such power.

The example therefore emphasizes one of Cowley's most important arguments: human beings cannot stop time to compensate for procrastination.

Life after Forty

Cowley then makes one of his strongest statements:

“there's no fooling with life when it is once turned beyond forty.”

For Cowley, forty represents an important stage of life. When a person is young, some postponement may appear harmless because there are many years ahead. But once middle age is reached, time becomes increasingly precious.

He therefore rejects the idea of spending several more years accumulating wealth before beginning the work that genuinely interests him.

The pursuit of fortune at this stage, he says, is:

“a desperate after game”

The phrase comes from the language of gambling. It suggests trying to recover one's losses through a final risky attempt.

Cowley humorously estimates the odds as “a hundred to one” against success. His own experience, he adds, has not given him a particularly lucky hand.

The metaphor shows that continuing to gamble with time and fortune is irrational when life is already advanced.

Fortune and the Reduction of Desire

Cowley next introduces an important philosophical idea: when a person cannot obtain everything he desires, he can still become content by reducing his desires.

He says:

“There is some help for all the defects of fortune.”

If fortune cannot be changed, human desire can be changed.

This is an important Stoic and Epicurean idea. Happiness does not necessarily require unlimited wealth. A person can become satisfied by learning to want less.

The Example of Epicurus and Pythocles

Cowley then introduces the Greek philosopher Epicurus and his friend Idomeneus.

Idomeneus was a powerful and wealthy man. Epicurus wrote to him on behalf of another friend, Pythocles, whom he wished to see made wealthy.

But Cowley gives an amusing interpretation of what true generosity should mean. Epicurus does not want Idomeneus to enrich Pythocles in the ordinary way. Instead, he asks him to enrich him by:

“take something from his desires.”

This is one of the most important examples in the essay.

Cowley suggests that there are two ways of making a person rich. One is to increase his possessions; the other is to reduce his desires.

If a person desires less, he needs less wealth.

Thus, Cowley does not accept the argument that he must postpone his intellectual retirement until he possesses a large fortune. He can simplify his desires instead.

The Central Argument: Do Not Delay Necessary Work

Cowley then clearly states the main principle of his essay:

“for the uncertain hopes of some conveniences we ought not to defer the execution of a work that is necessary”

This is the central moral lesson.

People should not postpone necessary work merely because they hope to obtain greater comfort in the future.

He gives special emphasis to the fact that material conveniences can often be replaced or compensated for, but:

“the loss of time never recovered.”

This is perhaps the most important statement in the essay.

Money may be earned again. Possessions may be acquired later. Comfort may be sacrificed temporarily. But lost time can never be restored.

“Le Jeu Ne Vaut Pas La Chandelle”

Cowley strengthens his argument by using a French proverb:

“Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.”

It means:

“The game is not worth the candle.”

The proverb means that the reward is not worth the cost involved.

Cowley applies this to the pursuit of wealth late in life. Even if he were certain of obtaining everything he desired by continuing the struggle, it would still not be worthwhile when so much of life has already passed.

The remaining “candle” represents the remaining light of life. If only a little candle remains, it is foolish to spend it on a game whose rewards may arrive too late.

The metaphor beautifully connects time, light, life, and mortality.

The Shipwreck Metaphor

Cowley next introduces one of the most memorable images in the essay. He compares human life to a ship that has been through a storm:

“After having been long tossed in a tempest”

If the ship still has its:

“masts”

and enough:

“sail and tackling”

to reach the port, there is no need to worry about decorative additions such as:

“streamers and topgallants.”

The meaning is clear. After experiencing the storms and difficulties of life, if a person still has enough strength and ability to reach his goal, he should use what he has rather than wait for ideal conditions.

Cowley concludes with the Latin expression:

“utere velis, totos pande sinus.”

The sense is: use the sails you have and spread them fully.

The metaphor teaches that we should make use of our existing resources instead of delaying until we possess everything we would ideally like to have.

The Example of the Gentleman in the Civil Wars

One of the most memorable examples in the essay comes from Cowley's own historical period.

He tells the story of a gentleman during the English Civil Wars whose quarters were attacked by the enemy. He had the opportunity to escape, but he stopped to put on:

“a band and adjust his periwig.”

A “band” was a formal collar, while a periwig was a wig worn as part of fashionable gentlemanly appearance.

The man wanted to escape properly dressed like a gentleman. Unfortunately, his concern for appearance caused him to lose the opportunity to escape.

Cowley describes him humorously as:

“the noble martyr of ceremony and gentility.”

The phrase is deliberately ironic. The man becomes a “martyr” not to some great principle but to his excessive concern with manners and appearance.

This story is a perfect illustration of procrastination. The gentleman could have escaped immediately, but he delayed for an unnecessary reason.

“Festina Lente” versus “Sapere Aude”

Cowley then returns to his friend's advice.

His friend had recommended:

“festina lente”

which means “make haste slowly.”

This is a traditional Latin maxim advocating caution and deliberation.

Cowley, however, believes that such advice is inappropriate for someone who is trying to withdraw from the world and make use of the remaining years of life.

He compares it to the unfortunate gentleman who delayed his escape because he wanted to appear respectable.

Cowley therefore prefers Horace's advice:

“Sapere aude; incipe.”

This means:

“Dare to be wise; begin.”

The two expressions represent two different attitudes.

Festina lente = proceed slowly and cautiously.

Sapere aude; incipe = have the courage to begin.

Cowley prefers the second because his problem is not reckless haste but excessive delay.

Horace’s Example of the River

Cowley then quotes Horace at length:

“Sapere aude;
Incipe. Vivendi qui recte prorogat horam
Rusticus expectat dum labitur amnis; at ille
Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis ævum.”

Cowley translates the idea as:

“Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise;
He who defers the work from day to day,
Does on a river's bank expecting stay,
Till the whole stream which stopped him should be gone,
That runs, and as it runs, for ever will run on.”

This is one of the most important passages in the essay.

The procrastinator is compared to a foolish person standing beside a river, waiting for the water to flow away before crossing it.

But the river never stops.

Similarly, a person who waits for all difficulties to disappear before beginning a task will wait forever.

The river represents time.

The flowing water represents the continuous movement of life.

The person standing on the bank represents the procrastinator.

The lesson is that obstacles will never completely disappear. Therefore, one must learn to act despite them.

The Proverb of Varro

Cowley then says:

“The getting out of doors is the greatest part of the journey.”

He attributes the Latin proverb to Varro, the Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro:

“Portara itineri longissimam esse.”

The idea is that beginning is often the hardest and most important part of a long journey.

Once a person has actually started, progress becomes possible.

This directly supports Cowley's argument against procrastination. The greatest obstacle is often not the difficulty of the task itself but the reluctance to begin.

Therefore:

“Begin.”

This single command summarizes the practical lesson of the essay.

Julius Caesar: The Man of Expedition

Cowley next gives one of his most striking historical examples:

“Cæsar (the man of expedition above all others)”

Julius Caesar is presented as the opposite of a procrastinator.

Cowley says that whenever Caesar had to cross a river during a journey, he did not waste time searching for:

• a bridge,
• a ford,
• or a ferry.

Instead:

“Flung himself into it immediately, and swam over.”

The example is intentionally exaggerated to emphasize Caesar's extraordinary determination and speed.

The river again represents an obstacle.

The bridge, ford, and ferry represent convenient solutions that may require waiting.

Caesar's action represents the willingness to confront difficulties directly.

Cowley therefore advises his readers to imitate Caesar:

“If we meet with any stops in our way to happiness.”

We should not always wait for obstacles to disappear. We should find a way through them.

The Different Ways of Crossing the River

Cowley humorously lists the excuses of the procrastinator:

“Stay till the waters are low”

“stay till some boats come by”

“stay till a bridge be built for you”

But if one continues waiting for every convenient condition:

“you had even as good stay till the river be quite past.”

This is an excellent illustration of procrastination.

A person may always find another reason to delay. The water is too high; there is no boat; there is no bridge; the circumstances are inconvenient.

But eventually the opportunity itself disappears.

Persius and the Endless Tomorrows

Cowley then turns to the Roman satirist Persius. He humorously criticizes Persius's poetic obscurity but nevertheless praises one of his expressions as imaginative.

Persius writes:

“Jam eras hesternum consumpsimus, ecce aliud cras
egerit hos annos.”

Cowley's translation is:

“Our yesterday's to-morrow now is gone,
And still a new to-morrow does come on;
We by to-morrows draw up all our store,
Till the exhausted well can yield no more.”

This is another central illustration of procrastination.

A person continually says “tomorrow.” But when tomorrow arrives, it becomes today, and the person invents another tomorrow.

Thus:

Tomorrow becomes today.
Today becomes yesterday.
Yet another tomorrow takes its place.

Eventually the store of time is exhausted.

The metaphor of the “exhausted well” is especially powerful. Human life is like a well containing a limited amount of water. If the water is continually drawn out, eventually nothing remains.

 

The Final Classical References: Seneca and Plutarch

At the end of the essay, Cowley says that he could overwhelm his friend by bringing forward the arguments of:

Seneca and Plutarch

on the subject.

Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher, wrote extensively about the proper use of time and the wastefulness of human life. Plutarch, the Greek biographer and moral philosopher, also wrote about human conduct, character, and the proper use of life.

Cowley humorously describes them as: “triarii”

This is a military reference. In the Roman army, the triarii were experienced soldiers kept in reserve and brought into battle when necessary.

Cowley therefore jokes that Seneca and Plutarch are his reserve forces. He does not even need to bring them fully into the argument because his earlier examples are sufficient.

This ending demonstrates Cowley's wit and classical scholarship.

 

Major Theme: Procrastination

The principal theme of the essay is the destructive nature of procrastination.

Cowley shows that procrastination occurs when people:

• wait for better circumstances,
• desire greater wealth,
• seek perfect security,
• fear difficulties,
• wait for obstacles to disappear,
• value comfort more than action,
• or continually postpone work until tomorrow.

His message is that such delay is dangerous because time is continuously moving.

 

The Theme of Time

Time is the central philosophical concern of the essay.

Cowley repeatedly reminds the reader that time is:

• limited,
• irreversible,
• more valuable in old age,
• impossible to stop,
• and more precious than material possessions.

The image of the flowing river is particularly important because the river never moves backward.

Similarly, human life moves forward continuously.

 

The Theme of Mortality

Cowley's awareness of mortality gives seriousness to his argument.

He says:

“when the light of life is so near going out”

The metaphor of the candle represents human life.

When the candle is nearly exhausted, it is foolish to spend the remaining light on unnecessary pursuits.

This makes procrastination not merely a practical weakness but a serious misuse of human existence.

 

The Theme of Fortune and Desire

Cowley also examines the relationship between wealth and happiness.

His argument is not that wealth is completely useless. Rather, he suggests that people should not sacrifice the remaining years of their lives in pursuit of wealth.

The example of Epicurus and Pythocles shows that happiness can also be achieved by reducing one's desires.

If we cannot increase our possessions, we can sometimes reduce our wants.

This is an important philosophical alternative to endless ambition.

 

The Theme of Action

Cowley strongly values action.

His repeated commands are:

“Sapere aude; incipe.”

“Begin.”

These words form the practical heart of the essay.

Knowledge without action is insufficient. Plans without action are useless. Good intentions without action accomplish nothing.

The essay therefore encourages courageous beginnings.

 

The Theme of Obstacles

Cowley does not suggest that a person must wait until every difficulty has disappeared.

The river metaphor demonstrates this clearly.

There may never be a perfect bridge.

There may never be a convenient boat.

The waters may never become sufficiently low.

Therefore, one must sometimes enter the river and cross it by whatever means are available.

This is why Caesar becomes an ideal example.

Important Classical and Historical Examples at a Glance

Cowley's argument becomes much clearer when his examples are understood together:

Example	Meaning in the Essay
Joshua	Only someone with extraordinary power could literally stop the movement of time.
Epicurus and Pythocles	A person can become “richer” by reducing desires rather than increasing possessions.
Tantalus-like classical idea of unattained desire	The danger of endless desire and postponed satisfaction.
The ship in a tempest	Use whatever resources remain instead of waiting for ideal conditions.
The gentleman in the Civil Wars	Delay caused by unnecessary ceremony can result in disaster.
Horace	We must “begin” instead of waiting for circumstances to become perfect.
Varro	Beginning is the major part of a long journey.
Julius Caesar	Act immediately and overcome obstacles instead of waiting for convenient arrangements.
Persius	“Tomorrow” continually replaces “tomorrow,” until life is exhausted.
Seneca	Represents classical philosophical wisdom concerning the value and use of time.
Plutarch	Represents moral and philosophical reflection on human conduct.

Cowley’s Use of Quotations and Latin Expressions

One of the distinctive characteristics of the essay is Cowley's frequent use of Latin and French expressions.

Important expressions include:

Cum dignitate otium

Meaning “leisure with dignity.”

This represents the friend's advice that Cowley should acquire sufficient wealth before retiring to study.

Festina lente

Meaning “make haste slowly.”

This represents caution and gradual progress, which Cowley rejects in his particular situation.

Sapere aude; incipe

Meaning “Dare to be wise; begin.”

This is Cowley's preferred principle.

Utere velis, totos pande sinus

Meaning approximately “Use the sails; spread all your sails.”

It means that one should make full use of whatever resources are already available.

Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle

Meaning “The game is not worth the candle.”

It means that the possible reward is not worth the cost when the remaining time is short.

These expressions demonstrate Cowley's learning, but they are not merely decorative. Each one contributes to his argument.

Cowley’s Style

Cowley's style is characterized by wit, humour, irony, classical allusion, metaphor, quotation, and conversational argument.

Although the subject is serious, Cowley does not write in a gloomy manner. He jokes about his own fortune, mocks his friend's Latin maxims, criticizes Persius's obscurity, and humorously describes the gentleman who died because he stopped to adjust his wig.

His style is therefore both scholarly and entertaining.

The essay is also highly personal because it begins as a letter to a friend. The conversational form allows Cowley to disagree with his friend without making the essay sound like a formal philosophical treatise.

Conclusion

Abraham Cowley's “The Danger of Procrastination” is a powerful essay on the importance of beginning, acting, and making proper use of the limited time of human life. What begins as a disagreement between Cowley and Mr. S. L. develops into a universal meditation on the dangers of postponement.

Cowley rejects the advice to wait until he has acquired greater wealth before withdrawing from worldly affairs. Through the examples of Joshua, Epicurus and Pythocles, the gentleman of the Civil Wars, Horace, Varro, Julius Caesar, Persius, Seneca, and Plutarch, he demonstrates that waiting for perfect circumstances can result in the loss of life's most valuable possession—time.

The example of the gentleman who stops to adjust his band and periwig shows how ridiculous and dangerous unnecessary delay can be. Horace's river teaches that time and circumstances will continue to flow regardless of our hesitation. Varro's proverb reminds us that beginning is a major part of any journey. Caesar demonstrates the value of immediate action in the face of obstacles. Persius gives the most memorable image of procrastination: one “tomorrow” disappears only to be replaced by another, until the “exhausted well” of life can yield no more.

Cowley's final philosophy is therefore summed up in Horace's words:

“Sapere aude; incipe.”

Dare to be wise; begin.

The essay teaches that we should not wait for perfect wealth, perfect circumstances, perfect comfort, or the disappearance of every obstacle. Life is moving like a river, and its waters will never stop for us. Therefore, the wise person uses the resources available at the present moment and begins the necessary work without unnecessary delay. Cowley's warning remains universal: the opportunity postponed today may never return tomorrow, and time once lost can never be recovered.

 

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THE DANGER OF PROCRASTINATION.

A letter to Mr. S. L.

I am glad that you approve and applaud my design of withdrawing myself from all tumult and business of the world and consecrating the little rest of my time to those studies to which nature had so motherly inclined me, and from which fortune like a step-mother has so long detained me. But nevertheless, you say—which But is ærugo mera, a rust which spoils the good metal it grows upon. But, you say, you would advise me not to precipitate that resolution, but to stay a while longer with patience and complaisance, till I had gotten such an estate as might afford me, according to the saying of that person whom you and I love very much, and would believe as soon as another man, cum dignitate otium. This were excellent advice to Joshua, who could bid the sun stay too. But there's no fooling with life when it is once turned beyond forty. The seeking for a fortune then is but a desperate after game, it is a hundred to one if a man fling two sixes and recover all; especially if his hand be no luckier than mine. There is some help for all the defects of fortune, for if a man cannot attain to the length of his wishes, he may have his remedy by cutting of them shorter. Epicurus writes a letter to Idomeneus, who was then a very powerful, wealthy, and it seems bountiful person, to recommend to him, who had made so many men rich, one Pythocles, a friend of his, whom he desired to be made a rich man too: But I entreat you that you would not do it just the same way as you have done to many less deserving persons, but in the most gentlemanly manner of obliging him, which is not to add anything to his estate, but to take something from his desires. The sum of this is, that for the uncertain hopes of some conveniences we ought not to defer the execution of a work that is necessary, especially when the use of those things which we would stay for may otherwise be supplied, hut the loss of time never recovered. Nay, further yet, though we were sure to obtain all that we had a mind to, though we were sure of getting never so much by continuing the game, yet when the light of life is so near going out, and ought to be so precious, Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, the play is not worth the expense of the candle. After having been long tossed in a tempest, if our masts be standing, and we have still sail and tackling enough to carry us to our port, it is no matter for the want of streamers and topgallants; utere velis, totos pande sinus. A gentleman in our late civil wars, when his quarters were beaten up by the enemy, was taken prisoner and lost his life afterwards, only by staying to put on a band and adjust his periwig. He would escape like a person of quality, or not at all, and died the noble martyr of ceremony and gentility. I think your counsel of festina lente is as ill to a man who is flying from the world, as it would have been to that unfortunate well-bred gentleman, who was so cautious as not to fly undecently from his enemies, and therefore I prefer Horace's advice before yours.

———Sapere aude; incipe.

Begin: the getting out of doors is the greatest part of the journey. Varro teaches us that Latin proverb, Portara itineri longissimam esse. But to return to Horace,

———Sapere aude;
Incipe. Vivendi qui recte prorogat horam
Rusticus expectat dum labitur amnis; at ille
Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis ævum.

Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise;
He who defers the work from day to day,
Does on a river's bank expecting stay,
Till the whole stream which stopped him should be gone,
That runs, and as it runs, for ever will run on.

Cæsar (the man of expedition above all others) was so far from this folly, that whensoever in a journey he was to cross any river, he never went one foot out of his way for a bridge, or a ford, or a ferry; but flung himself into it immediately, and swam over; and this is the course we ought to imitate if we meet with any stops in our way to happiness. Stay till the waters are low, stay till some boats come by to transport you, stay till a bridge be built for you; you had even as good stay till the river be quite past. Persius (who, you used to say, you do not know whether he be a good poet or no, because you cannot understand him, and whom, therefore, I say, I know to be not a good poet) has an odd expression of these procrastinations, which, methinks, is full of fancy.

Jam eras hesternum consumpsimus, ecce aliud cras
egerit hos annos.

Our yesterday's to-morrow now is gone,
And still a new to-morrow does come on;
We by to-morrows draw up all our store,
Till the exhausted well can yield no more.

And now, I think, I am even with you, for your otium cum dignitate and festina lente, and three or four other more of your new Latin sentences: if I should draw upon you all my forces out of Seneca and Plutarch upon this subject, I should overwhelm you, but I leave those as triarii for your next charges. I shall only give you now a light skirmish out of an epigrammatist, your special good friend, and so, vale.

---

Mart. Lib. 5, Ep. 59.

To-morrow you will live, you always cry;
In what far country does this morrow lie,
That 'tis so mighty long ere it arrive?
Beyond the Indies does this morrow live?
'Tis so far-fetched, this morrow, that I fear
'Twill be both very old and very dear.
To-morrow I will live, the fool does say;
To-day itself's too late, the wise lived yesterday.

---

Mart. Lib. 2, Ep. 90.

Wonder not, sir (you who instruct the town
In the true wisdom of the sacred gown),
That I make haste to live, and cannot hold

Patiently out, till I grow rich and old.
Life for delays and doubts no time does give,
None ever yet made haste enough to live.
Let him defer it, whose preposterous care
Omits himself, and reaches to his heir,
Who does his father's bounded stores despise,
And whom his own. too, never can suffice:
My humble thoughts no glittering roofs require,
Or rooms that shine with ought be constant fire.
We ill content the avarice of my sight
With the fair gildings of reflected light:
Pleasures abroad, the sport of Nature yields
Her living fountains, and her smiling fields:
And then at home, what pleasure is 't to see
A little cleanly, cheerful family?
Which if a chaste wife crown, no less in her
Than fortune, I the golden mean prefer.
Too noble, nor too wise, she should not be,
No, nor too rich, too fair, too fond of me.
Thus let my life slide silently away,
With sleep all night, and quiet all the day.