Quotation: How a man should clothe himself, his children, & his wife (1717)

[Joel S. Berson]

"Let a man clothe himself beneath his ability; his children according
to his ability; and his wife above his ability."

I did not find this in the Yale Book of Quotations.  Ought it to
be?  My earliest find is 1617.

1836:  I happened upon this in Hawthorne's notebooks, where he calls
it a "modern Jewish adage".  The Centenary Edition of the Works of
NH, vol. 23 (Miscellaneous Prose and Verse), p. 151.  The editor's
note, page 518, cites 1835 (Gentleman's Magazine) and 1617 (Purchas),
presumably because they are the likely sources for NH.  [Verified from paper.]

1845: _Encyclopaedia Metropolitana; or, Universal Dictionary of
Knowledge ..._, ed. by Smedley, Rose, and Rose (1845), vol. 15, p.
39.  Essentially the same as Whitlock (see below).  [Google Books]

1835:  _Gentleman's Magazine_, Oct. 1835, p. 387, quotes from
Putchas.  [Google Books]

1654:  Whitlock, Richard.  _Zootomia, or, Observations on the Present
Manners of the English ..._ (London), Pages 353--354:

      "Shee is not an Assenter (though thousands be) to that
Rabbinicall Rule, cited in Drusius from Rabbi Haurica. Let a Man
cloath himselfe (saith he) beneath his Abilitie, his Children
according to it, and his Wife above it."  [EEBO.  I have ignored italics.]

      Drusius:  Presumably "Johannes van den Driesche [or Drusius]
(28 June 1550 - February, 1616), Protestant divine, distinguished
specially as an Orientalist, Christian Hebraist and exegete ...
."  [Wikipedia.]

      "Rabbi Haurica":  See Purchas, below.

1617:  Samuel Purchas. _Purchas His Pilgrimage, or Relations of the
World and the Religions And Places Discovered, from the Creation unto
this Present ..._.  London: Printed by William Stansby ..., 1617.  Page 232:

      "And should not a man honor his wife?  Yes saith (b) R.Hanina,
for a man hath no blessing but for his wife, as it is written, he
blessed Abraham for her. Let a man cloath himselfe (I would not haue
women heare it) beneath his abilitie, his children according to his
abilitie, and his wife above his abilitie."  [EEBO.  This passage is
not in the 1613 or 1614 editions.]

      The marginal note for (b) is "Vid. Drus. pag. 376."  [I do not
intend to delve into the Latin, or into which of his many books this
is. (Purchas might tell us, if he uses full citations or has a bibliography!)]

      R. Hanica:  I infer that there is a Rabbi Hanina in Jewish
history of the early Christian era (Roman times).  [A little browsing
via Google Books.  I do not intend to delve into the Hebrew.]

Joel

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