University of Virginia Library

To F. M.

Satyre. 3.

It is as common as vnkind a fault
In youth, (too subiect to this worlds assault)
To imitate, admit, and daylie chuse,
Those errors, which their lawles parents vse.
For what by vaine example youth conceaues,
The same for lawfull, daily he receaues,
If damned dice the father doth affect,
The selfe-like follie doth his heire infect,
If lust; to lust the sonne is too procliue,
If fraud, by fraud his wanton race will thriue:
If surfet, surfet is esteemd no sinne,
For youth perseuers, as he doth beginne.
And where to natures, (forward to retaine)
Lewd obiects are annext and customes vaine,
The wounds grow desperate, & death doth end,
Before good counsell can the fault amend;
Lucillas daughter, she that keepes the swan,
That saw her mother dallie with her man;
Steale priuy sports, for sweet meates hazard fame,
Scarce twelue yeares old begins to do the same:
For nature, ioynd with custome, neuer failes
But by her selfe, and in her helpes preuailes:
And why? because what children apprehend
The same they like, they follow and commend:
And where the mind is willing and addict,
Th' examples are more forcible and strict:
And though some natures, by especiall grace
Correct themselues, and giue not follie place,
Yet leane the most part, to example so,
That what they like, they hardly can forgoe:
Then (gentle friend) frō damned deeds abstaine,
From lawles ryots, and from pleasures vaine,
If not regarding of thine owne degree,
“Yet in behalfe of thy posteritie:
“For we are docible to imitate,
Depraued pleasures tho degenerate.
Be carefull therefore lest thy sonne admit
By eare, or eie, things filthie or vnfit,
Exclude the bawd, the parasite, the whore,
The dicer, drunkard, swearer from thy dore,
For such contemptible consorts as these,
Leaue ranckest poysō where they sweetly please,
And as thy child resembleth thee in face,
In foote, in feature, and in outward grace,
So studie thou (thine actions being good)
He may wax like in maners, as in blood:
If thou espie within thy curious knot,
Some tangling twitch, that doth thy flowers rot,
Or in the picture hanging in thy hall,
That represents Cæsar maiesticall,
Thou see some spots that spoyle and doe disgrace
The matchles modle of thy monarcks face,
Wilt thou not quickly roote away the one,
And wipe the other from the piece anone?
So in thy sonne demeane thy selfe likewise,
If thou perceiue a sinne, that doth disguise
And choake the beauties of his toward mind,
If in this image of thy selfe thou find,
Corruption, choaking vertue, error grace,
And will, vsurping reasons rightfull place:
Disswade by fatherly admonishment,
Schoole, and correct, aduertise, and preuent:
Make him by gouernment, and perfect zeale,
A happie member of his common weale,
And not by negligence, and libertie,
A scouge vnto thy priuate familie:
The eaned lambe doth loofe that colour seld,
The which at first, thingendring ewe beheld:
The stained cloth, retaines his grayned die,
The Iuory his first Imagerie,
The bird but scarcely broken from his shell,
Feeds on that food which first he liked well;
The tunne retaineth long, the tast, and sent,
Of that pure licour which at first it hent:
And what impressions we in youth retaine
In age, our reason hardly will restraine:
The idle More, the Turke, the Saracine,
The Chinois, and the wealthie Abissine:
Obserue that custome, and idolatrie
Which was ingrafted in their infancie;
Then in the presence of thy toward heire
Beware to frisle, currle, and kembe thy haire,
To spend three houres, in gazing in a glasse,
Before thy wife and daughter goe to masse:
Take heed thy gagtooth'd hostes in his sight
Tell not how oft she tyres thee euery night,
Beware thy sonne doe neuer heare thee bragge,
That thou hast paid twelue angels for a nagge,
And pawn'd it to the rich and broking bawd,
For whores, and capons, little to thy lawd:
Take heede the toward lad doe neuer heare,
That thou hast spent a thousand pound a yeare,
Take heed thou neuer sweare whilst he is by
That thou by othes dar'st proue an open lye,
Lest seeing thee make light of lothsome sinne,
To practise like misdeeds he doe beginne;
And thou at last to thy excessiue griefe,
Behold thy selfe a begger, him a theefe:
For by a fatall law it comes to passe
That lewdnes is defam'd and euer was.
And life corrupt by vnexpected shame
And timeles death is buried with defame:
Enough, if grace be gone, then words be vaine:
Ile tell thee more if so I write againe.