Fond foole, six feet shall serue for all thy store;
And he that cares for most shall find no more.
We scorne that wealth should be the finall end,
Whereto the heauenly Muse her course doth bend ; 60
And rather had be pale with learned cares,
Then paunched with thy choyce of changed fares.
Or doth thy glorie stand in outward glee?
A laue-ear❜d asse with gold may trapped bee.
Or if in pleasure? liue we as we may,
Let swinish Grill delight in dunghill clay.
WHO doubts the lawes fel down from heauens height,
Like to some gliding starre in winters night?
Themis the scribe of God did long agone
Engraue them deepe in during marble-stone,
And cast them downe on this vnruly clay,
That men might know to rule and to obay.
But now their characters depraued bin
By them that would make gain of others sin;
And now hath wrong so maistered the right,
That they liue best that on wrongs offall light; 10
So loathly flye that liues on galled wound,
And scabby festers inwardly vnsound,
Feeds fatter with that poysnous carrion
Then they that haunt the healthy lims alone.
Wo to the weale where many lawiers bee,
For there is sure much store of maladie.
Twas truely said, and truely was foreseene,
The fat kine are deuoured of the leane.
Genus and Species long since barefoote went,
Vpon ther ten-toes in wilde wanderment ;
Whiles father Bartoll on his footcloth rode,
Vpon high pauement gayly siluer-strowd.
Each home-bred science percheth in the chaire,
While sacred artes grouell on the groundsell bare.
Since pedling barbarismes gan be in request,
Nor classicke tongues, nor learning found no rest.
The crowching client, with low-bended knee,
And manie worships, and faire flatterie,
Tels on his tale as smoothly as him list,
But still the lawyers eye squints on his fist;
If that seeme lined with a larger fee,
Doubt not the suite, the law is plaine for thee;
Tho must he buy his vainer hope with price,
Disclout his crownes, and thanke him for aduice.
So have I seene, in a tempestuous stowre,
Some bryer-bush shewing shelter from the showre
Vnto the hopefull sheepe, that faine would hide
His fleecie coate from that same angrie tide ;
The ruthlesse breere, regardlesse of his plight,
Laies holde vpon the fleece he should acquite,
And takes aduantage of the carelesse pray
That thought she in securer shelter lay.
The day is faire, the sheepe would fare to feede,
The tyrant brier holds fast his shelters meed,
And claimes it for the fee of his defence;
So robs the sheepe in fauours faire pretence.
WORTHIE were Galen to be weighed in gold,
Whose help doth sweetest life and helth vphold;
Yet by S. Esculape he sollemne swore,
That for diseases they were neuer more,
Fees neuer lesse, neuer so little gaine,
Men giue a groate, and aske the rest againe.
Groats worth of health, can anie leech allot?
Yet should he haue no more that giues a groate.
Should I on each sicke pillow leane my brest,
And grope the pulse of euerie mangie wrest,
And spie out maruels in each vrinall,
And rumble vp the filths that from them fall,
And giue a dosse for euerie disease,
In prescripts long and tedious recipes,
All for so leane reward of art and me?
No horse-leach but will looke for larger fee.
Meane while if chaunce some desp'rate patient die,
Com'n to the period of his destinie ;
(As who can crosse the fatall resolution,
In the decreed day of dissolution ;)
Whether ill tendment, or recurelesse paine,
Procure his death, the neighbours all complaine,
Th' unskilfull leech murdred his patient,
By poyson of some foule ingredient.
Hereon the vulgar may as soone be brought
To Socrates his poysoned hemlock-drought,
As to the wholsome iulap, whose receat
Might his diseases lingring force defeat.
If not a dramme of triacle soueraigne,
Or aqua vitæ, or sugar candian,
Nor kitchin-cordials can it remedie,
Certes his time is come, needs mought he die.
Were I a leech, as who knowes what may be,
The liberall man should liue, and carle should die ;
The sickly ladie, and the gowtie peere,
Still would I haunt, that loue their life so deare.
Where life is deare, who cares for coyned drosse?
That spent, is counted gaine, and spared, losse ;
Or would coniure the chymic mercurie,
Rise from his hors-dung bed, and vpwards flie;
And with glasse-stils, and sticks of iuniper,
Raise the black-spright that burnes not with the fire; And bring quintessence of elixir pale,
Out of sublimed spirits minerall.
Each powdred graine raunsometh captiue kings, 45 Purchaseth realmes, and life prolonged brings.
SAW'ST thou euer Siquis patch'd on Pauls church doore,
To seeke some vacant vicarage before?
Who wants a churchman that can seruice sey,
Read fast and faire his monthly homiley,
And wed, and burie, and make Christen-soules?
Come to the left-side alley of Saint Poules.
Thou seruile foole, why could'st thou not repaire
To buy a benefice at Steeple-Faire?,
There moughtest thou for but a slender price
Aduowson thee with some fat benefice;
Or if thee list not waite for dead mens shoon,
pray ech morn th' incumbents daies were doon,
A thousand patrons thither ready bring,
Their new-falne churches to the chaffering.
Stake three yeares stipend : no man asketh more: 15
Go take possession of the church-porch-doore,
And ring thy bels; lucke stroken in thy fist,
The parsonage is thine or ere thou wist.
Saint fooles of Gotam mought thy parish be,
For this thy base and seruile Symonie.
A GENTLE squire would gladly intertaine
Into his house some trencher-chaplaine,
Some willing man that might instruct his sons,
And that would stand to good conditions.
First, that he lie vpon the truckle-bed,
Whiles his young maister lieth ore his hed;
Second, that he do, on no default,
Euer presume to sit aboue the salt;
Third, that he neuer change his trencher twise;
Fourth, that he vse all common courtesies;
Sit bare at meales, and one halfe rise and wait;
Last, that he neuer his yong master beat,
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