Classic Poem

Among the Baites Sinne laies for beedles Flesh
[Though Lust be more attractiue in her pour]
None takes so soone [sith It doth it refresh]
As Myrth: For Myrth doth ioy and health procure.
The Graue, and Light wil, lightly, mirry bee
Mirth so doth tickle Spleenes of either kinde,
For recreation, one; the other, glee:
And both, because therein they pleasure finde
It is Earths Heauen, yet It doth hale to Hell:
But so doth hale, as with bewitching Arte
It makes them willing whome it doth compel
To ioy in Pleasure: which procureth Smart
When Fortune smiles who then laughs not outright?
And oft (mad mirry) plaies not with each straw?
Makes Pleasure, all their paine; their care, Delight?
These, Mirth, with Ropes of Vanity, doth draw
These in the Night, think how to spend the Day
[If thinking sad Ambition let them not]
In pas-time; so, Time passeth with ill play
Til they lose All, and He the same hath got.
In Weale, we flote on Pleasures Streams, with ease
In sugred satisfaction of our Sence:
And often seeke to sound those sensuall Seas
With the deep'st reach of our Intelligence
Then wee embozom all that Mirth can yeeld:
Muxitions, Pialers, Buffons, Birds and Beasts,
Do, at their pleasure, vs (most wanton) weeld:
And, deerer then our Wisedomes deeme their Iests
A Zane (farther off from Wit, then Grace)
(And yet as farre from Grace, as Grace, from Synne)
That can at Feasts, prate with a brazen face,
(When sober Witt's kept out) must needs come in
Our Dainties will not downe without some such:
A Shamelesse-gracelesse, wittlesse Thing wee gett
To make vs Fatt, as fooles, with Laughing much
And on his follie feede, to make vs eate
My Lady shee will laugh as madd shee were
(Lord! why should Mirth make sober Ladies madd?)
If shee but see Him, like an Asse, to fleere:
So shee (kiud Mule) to see an Asse is gladd.
And when such Buffons ball, and Cornetts sound
(The Ghests loud Laughing) Who can then bee heard
That speakes like Phillipps Page, as shrill, as sound:
That voice hath then no grace, and lesse regard?
And if one sober Soule, amonge the rest,
Do mind the rest of their Excesse, in This
Some seeming wise man makes him straight a Iest
While all, as at a Goose, like Geese do hisse.
Then one Goose (that seemes reason most t' affect)
Yeelds him a reason for their hissing so:
And saith that Wisedome doth hir selfe relect
When shee comes ont of season ought to do
This Diu'l with reason, dammnes Diuinity;
And with his Wisedome stopps selfe Wisedomes Mouth:
Which saith, all Seasons wee should mortifie
Our Eares, to heare the liuely Word of TRVTH!
Paule, hold thy peace; thou blessed Saint be still:
(Though if thou preach not, thou saist, wo to Thee)
Lest they do hisse thee too, for thy good will;
Who hold all Geese that not madd miry bee
Tell them they ought in season, and without
To heare the Word of Life: they, dead in sinne
Will, for thy zeale, require thee with a floute;
For so to quite such zeale they vs'd haue bin
The most voluptuous ouer-wanton Rigge
Proud Plentie scornes meeke Pieties Woman hood:
And, swelling Supra-aboundance lookes so bigg
That nought it sees so Low as Sober-moode.
Variety of Crownes Robes, Mirth, and Meate
And all that rauish, Sence, with sweet'st delight,
These are the Heau'ns desired of the GREATE
Who weene no Heau'n nor Hell is out of sight
Frolicke great-great Ones, while these Heauns you hold
Sith you will not attend true Wisedoms Words:
Laugh and bee fatt, sith al you touch is Gold,
Though that foode your Soules famishment affordes
Soule? tush what Soule? how idly dost thou chatt
Madd Muse, that now (they thinke) dost Poetize:
There is no Soule, nor no such Thing as that;
These are but Fictions, Law-confirming Lies,
What resurrection? Pish, who euer came
From Death to Life? Who can Cadaueres raise?
Some say a Nazarite once did the same,
But Tacitus nor Machiauel so saies:
These were wise Men, in deede, and known for such
If such had said it, we might trust their Worde:
But, fow'r poore Fellowes poorely it doth touch
That often with themselues do scarse accord
Who had no Action in the Common weale,
No Office, no Command, nor no great Braine,
Yet wee [for sooth] for vaine Soules only Heale
Must credit them in all their prattle vaine:
These are the damnd discourses of thee Diuells;
Thus, their blasphemous Tongues deride the Truth;
Whose greatest goodnesse is in greatest Euills:
And growing Greate through Mischiefe, haue their growth
Great Witt should haue great Grace the same to guide;
Or Witts owne greatnesse will it selfe oppresse
Or make it runne to rage, it selfe beside;
And sinck the Owner in the deep'st distresse.
If Witt, and Wealth concurre, to Hell they runne,
If Grace, in mightie measure, stay them not:
Who are vndone, if they be not vndone
Before they do recelue their later Lott:
For, Frolick Fate is most vnfortunate
If sanctified Discretion hold not in
Vnruly Nature, then in sober gate:
For, from Aboundance springs aboundant Sinne
In Wealthes excesse to be most continent
Is most miraculous, and seldome seene:
For, Appetite is then most violent,
And Passion, with high-hand, growes Reasons Queene
Then Pleasur's Actiue, and most Passiue, Sense:
Madd-Mirthes rude-hand the Soule asunder teares:
Which is distracted by Ioyes violence,
Aswell as by Griefes Gripes, or sodaine Feares
If hee that doth the happiest State possesse
Looke well within him, and without him too
Hee lightly shall see cause of heauynesse,
Seeing All to threaten him quite to vndoo
But hardly shall he finde a cause of myrth
(Though hee sought all the World the same to finde)
Sith Sorrow only is our right of Birth,
With Laboure of our Body, Soule, and Mind.
O Myrth (strong Strumpet!) Whore to Worldly-Weale,
O Laughter (Ligh Thing!) Baude to both those Beasts,
Why do you not your Luxury conceale
But that bewray which Modestie detests?
It is because yee are madd; as are those
That willinglie still rest at your dispose.