T The Dedication.
Ord, my firft-fruits prefent themselves to thee; Yet not mine neither: for from thee they came, And must return. Accept of them and me, And make us ftrive, who shall fing beft thy Name. Turn their eyes hither,who shall make a gain: Theirs,who shall hurt themfelves or me,refrain.
The Church-porch.
Perirrbanterium.
Hou, whofe fweet youth and early hopes
Thy rate and price, and mark thee for a treasure-;
Hearken unto a Verfer, who may chance
Rhyme thee to good, and make a bait of pleasure.
Á verse may finde him, who a fermon flies,
And turn delight into a facrifice,
Beware of lult: it doth pollate and foul
Whom God in Baptisme wafht with his own bloud.
It blots the leffon written in thy foul;
The holy lines cannot be understood.
How dare thofe eyes upon a Bible look,
Much leffe towards God,whofe luft is all their book
Wholly abstain, or wed. Thy bounteous Lord
Allows thee choice of paths: take no by-wayes s
But gladly welcome what he doth afford;
Not grudging that thy luft hath bounds and stayes.
Continence hath his joy: weigh both ; and so
If rottenneffe have more, let Heaven go.
If God had laid all common, certainly
Man would have been th'inclofer: but fince now
God hath impal'd us,o
Man breaks the fence, and every ground will plough.
O what were man, might he himself misplace!
Sure to be croffe he would fhift feet and face.
A
Drink not the third glaffe,which thou canst not tame,
When once it is within thee; but before
Mayft rule it, as thou lift; and poure the shame,
Which it would poure on thee,upon the floore.
It is moft juft to throw that on the ground,
Which would throw me there, if I keep the round.
He that is drunken,may his mother kill
Bigge with his fifter: he hath loft the reins,
Is outlawed by himself: all kind of ill
Did with his liquour flide into his veins.
The drunkard forfeits Man,and doft devest
All worldly right,fave what he hath by beast.
Shall I,to please anothers wine-fprung mind,
Lose all mine own? God hath giv'n me a measure
Short of his canne and body: muft I find
A pain in that, wherein he finds a pleasure ?
Stay at the third glaffe: if thou lofe thy hold,
Then thou art modeft, and the wine grows bold.
If reafon move not Gallants, quit the room,
All in a fhipwrack fhift their severall way)
Let not a common ruine thee intombe:
Be not a beaft in courtefie; but stay,
Stay at the third cup, or forgo the place.
Wine above all things doth Gods stamp deface.
Yet, if thou finne in wine or wantonneffe,
Boaft not thereof, nor make thy fhame thy glorie.
Frailtie gets pardon by fubmiffiveneffe;
But he that boafts,fhuts that out of his ftorie:
He makes flat warre with God, and doth defie
With his poore clod of earth the fpacious skie.
Take not his name,who made thy mouth, in vain:
It gets thee nothing,and hath no excuse.
Luft and wine plead a pleasure, avarice gain:.
But the cheap fwearer through his open fluce
Lets his foul runne for nought, as little fearing:
Were I an Epicure,I could bate swearing.
When thou doft tell anothers jeft, therein
Omit the oathes, which true wit cannot need;
Pick out of tales the mirth, but not the finne.
He pares his apple, that will cleanly feed.
Play not away the vertue of that name,
Which is thy best stake,when griefs make thee tamej
The cheapest finnes moft dearly punishcare;
Because to fhun them alfo is fo cheap:
For we have wit to mark them, and to spare.
O crumble not away thy fouls fair heap.
If thou wilt die,the gates of hell are broad:
Pride and full finnes have made the way a road.
Lie not; but let thy heart be true to God,
Thy mouth to it,thy actions to them both :
Cowards tell lies,and those that fear the rod;
The ftormie working soul spits lies and froth,
Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie:
A fault, which needs it moft, grows two thereby.
Flie idleneffe,which yet thou canst not flie
By dreffing,miftreffing, and complement.
If thofe take up thy day, the funne will crie
Against thee: for his light was onely lent.
(theas
God gave thy foul brave wings; put not those fea-
Into a bed, to fleep out all ill weathers.
A 2
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