Mad paper stay, and grudge not here to burne
With all those sonnes whom my braine did create,
At lest lye hid with mee, till thou returne
To rags againe, which is thy native state.
What though thou have enough unworthinesse 5
To come unto great place as others doe,
That's much; emboldens, pulls, thrusts I confesse,
But'tis not all; Thou should'st be wicked too.
And, that thou canst not learne, or not of mee;
Yet thou wilt goe? Goe, since thou goest to her 10
Who lacks but faults to be a Prince, for shee,
Truth, whom they dare not pardon, dares preferre.
But when thou com'st to that perplexing eye
Which equally claimes _love_ and _reverence_,
Thou wilt not long dispute it, thou wilt die; 15
And, having little now, have then no sense.
Yet when her warme redeeming hand, which is
A miracle; and made such to worke more,
Doth touch thee (saples leafe) thou grow'st by this
Her creature; glorify'd more then before. 20
Then as a mother which delights to heare
Her early child mis-speake halfe uttered words,
Or, because majesty doth never feare
Ill or bold speech, she Audience affords.
And then, cold speechlesse wretch, thou diest againe, 25
And wisely; what discourse is left for thee?
For, speech of ill, and her, thou must abstaine,
And is there any good which is not shee?
Yet maist thou praise her servants, though not her,
And wit, and vertue,'and honour her attend, 30
And since they'are but her cloathes, thou shalt not erre,
If thou her shape and beauty'and grace commend.
Who knowes thy destiny? when thou hast done,
Perchance her Cabinet may harbour thee,
Whither all noble ambitious wits doe runne, 35
A nest almost as full of Good as shee.
When thou art there, if any, whom wee know,
Were sav'd before, and did that heaven partake,
When she revolves his papers, marke what show
Of favour, she alone, to them doth make. 40
Marke, if to get them, she o'r skip the rest,
Marke, if shee read them twice, or kisse the name;
Marke, if she doe the same that they protest,
Marke, if she marke whether her woman came.
Marke, if slight things be'objected, and o'r blowne, 45
Marke, if her oathes against him be not still
Reserv'd, and that shee grieves she's not her owne,
And chides the doctrine that denies Freewill.
I bid thee not doe this to be my spie;
Nor to make my selfe her familiar; 50
But so much I doe love her choyce, that I
Would faine love him that shall be lov'd of her.
[To M^rs M. H. _O'F:_ To M. M. H. _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_,
_TCC_, _TCD:_ _no title_, _A25_, _B_, _C_, _P:_ Elegie. _S96_]
[2 sonnes] Sunnes _B_, _S96_
my _1633:_ thy _1635-69:_ _Chambers attributes_ thy _to 1633_]
[3 returne] returne. _1633_]
[7 That's much; emboldens, _A18_, _N_, _TC:_ That's much,
emboldens, _1633-54:_ That's much emboldness, _1669:_ That's
much, it emboldens, _B_, _P_]
[8 all; Thou _A18_, _N_, _TC:_ all, thou _1633-69_]
[10 goe? Goe, _Ed:_ goe, Goe, _1633-69_]
[14 _reverence_, _Ed:_ _reverence_. _1633:_ _reverence:_
_1635-69_]
[22 mis-speake] mispeake _1633_]
[27 For, _1633:_ From _1635-69_, _and MSS_.
her, _Ed:_ her _1633-69_]
[31 erre, _1669:_ erre _1633-54_]
[40 she alone, _1633:_ she, alone, _1635-69_]
[41 get them, she o'r skip] get them, she do skip _A18_
(doth), _N_, _TC:_ get them, she skip oare _A25_, _C_, _O'F_
(skips): get to them, shee skipp _B_, _P_]
[44 whether _1633:_ whither _1635-69_]
[47 grieves _1633:_ grieve _1635-69_]
_To the Countesse of Bedford._
Honour is so sublime perfection,
And so refinde; that when God was alone
And creaturelesse at first, himselfe had none;
But as of the elements, these which wee tread,
Produce all things with which wee'are joy'd or fed, 5
And, those are barren both above our head:
So from low persons doth all honour flow;
Kings, whom they would have honoured, to us show,
And but _direct_ our honour, not _bestow_.
For when from herbs the pure part must be wonne 10
From grosse, by Stilling, this is better done
By despis'd dung, then by the fire or Sunne.
Care not then, Madame,'how low your praysers lye;
In labourers balads oft more piety
God findes, then in _Te Deums_ melodie. 15
And, ordinance rais'd on Towers, so many mile
Send not their voice, nor last so long a while
As fires from th'earths low vaults in _Sicil_ Isle.
Should I say I liv'd darker then were true,
Your radiation can all clouds subdue; 20
But one,'tis best light to contemplate you.
You, for whose body God made better clay,
Or tooke Soules stuffe such as shall late decay,
Or such as needs small change at the last day.
This, as an Amber drop enwraps a Bee, 25
Covering discovers your quicke Soule; that we
May in your through-shine front your hearts thoughts see.
You teach (though wee learne not) a thing unknowne
To our late times, the use of specular stone,
Through which all things within without were shown. 30
Of such were Temples; so and of such you are;
_Beeing_ and _seeming_ is your equall care,
And _vertues_ whole _summe_ is but _know_ and _dare_.
But as our Soules of growth and Soules of sense
Have birthright of our reasons Soule, yet hence 35
They fly not from that, nor seeke presidence:
Natures first lesson, so, discretion,
Must not grudge zeale a place, nor yet keepe none,
Not banish it selfe, nor religion.
Discretion is a wisemans Soule, and so 40
Religion is a Christians, and you know
How these are one; her _yea_, is not her _no_.
Nor may we hope to sodder still and knit
These two, and dare to breake them; nor must wit
Be colleague to religion, but be it. 45
In those poor types of God (round circles) so
Religions tipes the peeclesse centers flow,
And are in all the lines which all wayes goe.
If either ever wrought in you alone
Or principally, then religion 50
Wrought your ends, and your wayes discretion.
Goe thither stil, goe the same way you went,
Who so would change, do covet or repent;
Neither can reach you, great and innocent.
[To the Countesse of Bedford. _1633-69_, _B_, _O'F_, _S96:_ To
the Countess of B. _N_, _TCD_]
[10 part] parts _N_, _O'F_, _TCD_]
[12 or Sunne. _1633_, _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _S96_, _TCD:_ or Sun:
_1669:_ of Sunne: _1635-54_, _Chambers_]
[13 praysers _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ prayers _S96:_ prayses
_1633-69_]
[16 Towers,] Towers _1633_]
[20-1 subdue; But one, _Ed:_ subdue; But One _Chambers:_
subdue, But one, _1633-69:_ subdue But one; _Grolier and
Grosart_. _See note_]
[26 Covering discovers] Coverings discover _1669_]
[27 your hearts thoughts _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _S96_, _TCD:_ our
hearts thoughts _1633-69_. _See note_]
[31 so and of such _N_, _TCD:_ so and such _1633-69_, _B_,
_O'F_, _S96_]
[33 is but to know and dare. _N_]
[36-7
They fly not from that, nor seeke presidence:
Natures first lesson, so, discretion, _&c._
_1633-69_ (presidence. _1633_; precedence: _1669_)
They fly not from that, nor seek precedence,
Natures first lesson; so discretion _&c._
_Chambers and Grolier_ (discretion, _Grolier_). _See note_]
[40-2] _These lines precede_ 34-9 _in_ _1635-69_, _B_, _N_,
_S96_, _TCD:_ _om. O'F_]
[42 one; _Ed:_ one, _1633-69_ _yea, ... no_] _ital. Ed._]
[48 all wayes _1719:_ alwayes _1633-69_]
[50-1
'twas Religion,
Yet you neglected not Discretion.
_S96_]
[53 do covet] doth covet _1669_, _O'F_, _S96_]
_To the Countesse of_ Bedford.
_Begun in France but never perfected._
Though I be _dead_, and buried, yet I have
(Living in you,) Court enough in my grave,
As oft as there I thinke my selfe to bee,
So many resurrections waken mee.
That thankfullnesse your favours have begot 5
In mee, embalmes mee, that I doe not rot.
This season as 'tis Easter, as 'tis spring,
Must both to growth and to confession bring
My thoughts dispos'd unto your influence; so,
These verses bud, so these confessions grow. 10
First I confesse I have to others lent
Your flock, and over prodigally spent
Your treasure, for since I had never knowne
Vertue or beautie, but as they are growne
In you, I should not thinke or say they shine, 15
(So as I have) in any other Mine.
Next I confesse this my confession,
For, 'tis some fault thus much to touch upon
Your praise to you, where half rights seeme too much,
And make your minds sincere complexion blush. 20
Next I confesse my'impenitence, for I
Can scarce repent my first fault, since thereby
Remote low Spirits, which shall ne'r read you,
May in lesse lessons finde enough to doe,
By studying copies, not Originals, 25
_Desunt cætera._
[To the Countesse _&c._ _1633-69_ (_following in 1635-69_ That
unripe side _&c._, _p._ 417, _and_ If her disdaine _&c._, _p._
430), _O'F_]
[5 begot] forgot _1633 some copies_]
[6 embalmes mee, _Ed_: embalmes mee; _1633-69_
rot. _Ed_: rot; _1633-69_]
[9 influence; _Ed_: influence, _1633-69_]
[10 grow. _Ed_: grow; _1633-69_]
[14 or _1633-39_: and _1650-69_]
[16 Mine. _Ed:_ Mine; _1633-69_]
[18 upon _Ed:_ upon, _1633-69_]
_A Letter to the Lady_ Carey, _and M^rs_ Essex Riche, _From_ Amyens.