 | Miscellaneous works of George Wither |  |
A Requiem to the Soul.
I
My Soul, vex not thy self at those,Who, to all Godliness are Foes,
Although they make fair outward showes,
And spread and flourish like the Bay;
For, deplorable is their case,
They, as the scorched Summer Grasse,
Shall soon into oblivion passe,
And all their Beauty fade away.
II
I have been young, and old am grownAnd, many changes I have known,
Whereby, it hath to me been shown
Whereto, their wicked courses tend:
With Honour I have seen them Crown'd,
With Pow'r and Riches to abound,
Whose Place no where can now be found;
For, all their Pomp is at an end.
III
With shadows they themselves beguile,And, GOd, doth at their folly smile;
With patience therefore wait a while,
And, grudge them not their Portion, here;
Destruction, toward them is hasting,
Their Time is short, and dayly wasting,
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And, Griefs, as if they never were.
IV
Employ thy self in doing well,And, GOD, with thee shall kindly deal;
Thou, in the Land shalt safely dwell,
Well fed and clothed, all thy dayes.
And when the Glory of their Name
Is blur'd out, with an evil Fame,
Then, shall thy Poverty and shame
Be mention'd unto thy praise.
V
Let wordlings feed upon their Chaff,Their Cups of Fornication quaff,
And at thy sufferings grin and laugh;
A midst thy Foes lie down and sleep.
Whilst in their malice, they persist,
In GOD's Protection take thy rest,
For, though thy Body be opprest
Thee, safe, in spight of them, he'l keep.
He, whosoever he be, that speaks this Charm,
Unto his Soul in Faith, shall have no harm;
Therefore, as a Receipt approved, take it:
For, for my self alone, I did not make it.
Unto his Soul in Faith, shall have no harm;
Therefore, as a Receipt approved, take it:
For, for my self alone, I did not make it.
| Miscellaneous works of George Wither | |