But when by Ceres huswifrie and paine,
Men learn'd to burie the reuiuing graine ;
And father Ianus taught the new found vine
Rise on the elme, with many a friendly twine;
And base desire bad men to deluen low,
For needlesse mettals, then gan mischiefe grow.
Then farwell fayrest age, the worldes best dayes;
Thriuing in ill as it in age decaies.

Then crept in pride, and peeuish couetise;
And men grue greedie, discordous, and nice.

Now man, that earst haile-fellow was with beast,
Woxe on to weene himselfe a god at least.
No aerie foule can take so high a flight,

Tho she her daring wings in clouds haue dight;
Nor fish can diue so deepe in yeelding sea,

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Tho Thetis-selfe should sweare her safetie;

Nor fearfull beast can dig his caue so lowe,

All could he further then earths center go;
As that the ayre, the earth, or Ocean,

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Should shield them from the gorge of greedie man.
Hath vtmost Inde ought better then his owne?
Then vtmost Inde is neare, and rife to gone.
O Nature, was the world ordain'd for nought
But fill mans maw, and feede mans idle thought?
Thy grandsires words sauor'd of thriftie leekes,
Or manly garlicke, but thy furnace reekes
Hote steams of wine, and can aloofe descrie
The drunken draughts of sweete autumnitie.
They naked went, or clad in ruder hide,
Or home-spun russet, void of forraine pride;

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But thou canst maske in garish gauderie,
To suit a fooles far-fetched liuerie.

A French head ioyn'd to necke Italian,

Thy thighs from Germanie, and brest fro Spain;
An Englishman in none, a foole in all,
Many in one, and one in seuerall.

Then men were men, but now the greater part
Beasts are in life, and women are in heart.
Good Saturne selfe, that homely emperour,
In proudest pompe was not so clad of yore,
As is the vnder-groome of the ostlerie,
Husbanding it in work-day yeomanrie.
Lo, the long date of those expired daies,
Which the inspired Merlins word fore-saies,
When dunghill pesants shall be dight as kings,
Then one confusion another brings:

Then farewell fairest age, the worlds best daies,
Thriuing in ill, as it in age decaies.

SAT. II.

GREAT Osmond knowes not how he shal be known When once great Osmond shal be dead and gone, Vnlesse he reare vp some rich monument

Ten furlongs nearer to the firmament.

Some stately tombe he builds, Egyptian wise,
Rex regum written on the Pyramis,
Where as great Arthur lies in ruder oke,

That neuer felt none but the fellers stroke.

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Small honour can be got with gaudie graue,
Nor it thy rotten name from death can saue.
The fairer tombe, the fowler is thy name,
The greater pompe procuring greater shame ;
Thy monument make thou thy liuing deeds;
No other tombe then that true vertue needs.
What! had he nought whereby he might be knowne, 15
But costly pilements of some curious stone?
The matter, Natures, and the workmans frame,
His purses cost; where then is Osmonds name?
Deseru❜dst thou ill? well were thy name and thee,
Wert thou inditched in great secrecie,

Where as no passenger might curse thy dust,
Nor dogs sepulchrall sate their gnawing lust.
Thine ill deserts cannot be graued with thee,
So long as on thy graue they ingraued bee.

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SAT. III.

5

THE Curteous citizen bad me to his feast
With hollow words, and ouerly request:
"Come, will ye dine with me this holy day?"
I yeelded, tho he hop'd I would say Nay;
For had I mayden'd it, as many vse,
Loath for to graunt, but loather to refuse :
"A lacke, sir! I were loath,-another day,—
I should but trouble you,-pardon me, if
No pardon should I neede; for to depart
He giues me leaue, and thanks too, in his heart. 10

you may."

Two words for monie, Darbishirian wise,
(That's one too manie) is a naughtie guise.
Who lookes for double biddings to a feast
May dine at home for an importune guest.

I went, then saw, and found the greate expence, 15
The fare and fashions of our citizens.

Oh, Cleopatricall! what wanteth there

For curious cost, and wondrous choise of cheare?
Beefe, that earst Hercules held for finest fare;
Porke for the fat Baotian, or the hare

For Martiall; fish for the Venetian ;
Goose-liuer for the likorous Romane ;
Th' Athenians goate, quaile, Iolans cheere;
The hen for Esculape, and the Parthian deere ;
Grapes for Arcesilas, figs for Platoes mouth,
And chesnuts faire for Amarillis tooth.

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Had'st thou such cheere? wer't thou euer there before?
Neuer. I thought so; nor come there no more.
Come there no more; for so ment all that cost:
Neuer hence take me for thy second host.
For whome he meanes to make an often guest,
One dish shall serue, and welcome make the rest.

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SAT. IV.

WERE yesterday Polemons Natals kept,
That so his threshold is all freshly steept
With new-shed bloud? Could he not sacrifice
Some sorry morkin that vnbidden dies,

Or meager heifer, or some roten ewe,

But he must needs his posts with bloud embrew,
And on his way-doore fixe the horned head,
With flowers and with ribbands garnished?

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Now shall the passenger deeme the man deuout;
What boots it be so, but the world must know't? 10
O the fond boasting of vaineglorious man!

Does he the best that may the best be seene?
Who euer giues a paire of veluet shooes
To th' holy rood, or liberally allowes

But a new rope, to ring the couure-feu bell,
But he desires that his great deed may dwell,
Or grauen in the chancel-window-glasse,
Or in the lasting tombe of plated brasse ?
For he that doth so few deseruing deeds,

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T'were sure his best sue for such larger meeds.

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Who would inglorious liue, inglorious die,

And might eternize his names memorie ?

And he that cannot brag of greater store,

Must make his somewhat much, and little more.

Nor can good Myson weare on his left hond,

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A signet ring of Bristol-diamond;

But he must cut his gloue, to shew his pride,
That his trim iewel might be better spide;

And that men mought some burgesse him repute,

With satten sleeues hath grac'd his sackcloth sute. 30

C