O that men were wise, and that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end.
Flesh. Spirit.
Flesh:
What meanes my sisters eyes so oft to passe
Through the long entry of that Optick glasse?
Tell me; what secret virtue does invite
Thy wrinckled eye to such unknowne delight?
Spirit:
It helps the sight; makes things remote appeare
In perfect view; It drawes the object neare.
Flesh:
What sense-delighting objects doest thou spie?
What does that Glasse present before thine eye?
Spirit:
I see thy foe, my reconciled friend,
Grim death, even standing at the Glasses end;
His left hand holds a branch of Palme; his right
Holds forth a two-edg'd sword.
Flesh:
A proper sight!
And is this all? does thy Prospective please
Th'abused fancy with no shapes but these?
Spirit:
Yes, I behold the dark'ned Sun bereav'n
Of all his light, the battlements of heav'n
Sweltring in Flames; the Angell-guarded Sonne
Of glory on his high Tribunall Throne;
I see a Brimstone Sea of boyling Fire,
And Fiends, with knotted whips of flaming Wyre,
Tort'ring poore soules, that gnash their teeth, in vaine,
And gnaw their flame-tormented tongues, for paine;
Looke sister, how the queazie-stomack'd Graves
Vomit their dead, and how the puple waves
Scal'd their consumelesse bodies, strongly cursing
All wombes for bearing, and all paps for nursing:
Flesh:
Can thy distemper'd fancie take delight
In view of Tortures? These are showes t'affright:
Looke in this glasse-Triangular; looke here,
Here's that will ravish eyes.
Spirit:
What seest thou there?
Flesh:
The world in colours; colours that distaine
The cheeks of Proteus, or the silken Traine
Of Floras Nymphs; such various sorts of hiew,
As Sun-confronting Iris never knew:
Here, if thou please to beautifie a Towne,
Thou maist; or, with a hand, turn't upside downe;
Here, maist thou scant or widen by the measure
Of thine owne will; make short or long, at pleasure:
Here maist thou tyre they fancie, and advize
With showes more apt to please more curious eyes;
Spirit:
Ah foole! that dot'st on vaine, on present toyes,
And disrespects those true, those future joyes!
How strongly are thy thoughts befool'd, Alas,
To dote on goods that perish with thy Glasse!
Nay, vanish with the turning of a hand!
Were they but painted colours, it might stand
With painted reason, that they might devote thee;
But things that have no being, to besot thee?
Foresight of future torments is the way
To baulk those ills which present joyes bewray;
As thou hast fool'd thy selfe, so now come hither,
Break that fond glasse, and let's be wise together.
BONAVENT. de contemptu seculi.
O that men would be wise, understand, and foresee: Be wise, to know three
things: The multitude of those that are to be damned; the few number of those
that are to be saved; and the vanity of transitory things: Understand three
things: the multitude of sinnes, the omission of good things, and the losse of
time: Foresee three things, the danger of death, the last judgement, and eternall
punishment.
