University of Virginia Library

The fashion of this world passeth away.

Gone are those golden dayes, wherein
Pale Conscience started not at ugly sin;
When good old Saturnes peacefull Throne
Was unusurped by his beardlesse Sonne:
When jealous Ops nev'r fear'd th'abuse
Of her chast bed, or breach of nuptiall Truce:
When just Astraea poys'd her Scales
In mortall hearts, whose absence earth bewailes:
When froth-borne Venus, and her Brat,
With all that spurious brood young Jove begat,
In horrid shapes, were yet unknowne;
Those Halcyon dayes, that golden Age is gone:
There was no Clyent then, to wait
The leisure of his long-tayl'd Advocate;
The Talion Law was in request,
And Chaunc'ry Courts were kept in ev'ry brest:
Abused Statutes had no Tenters,
And men could deale secure, without Indentures;
There was no peeping hole, to cleare
The Wittols eye from his incarnate feare;
There were no lustfull Cinders, then,
To broyle the Carbonado'd hearts of men;
The rosie Cheeke did, then, proclaime
A shame of Guilt, but not a guilt of Shame;
There was no whining soule, to start
At Cupids twang, or curse his flaming dart;
The Boy had, then, but callow wings,
And fell Erynnis Scorpions had no stings;
The better acted world did move
Upon the fixed Poles of Truth and Love;
Love essenc'd in the hearts of men;
Then, Reason rul'd; There was no Passion, then;
Till Lust and Rage began to enter,
Love the Circumf'rence was, and Love, the Center;
Untill the wanton dayes of Jove,
The simple world was all compos'd of Love;
But Jove grew fleshly, false, unjust;
Inferiour Beauty fill'd his veynes with Lust;
And Cucqueane Junos Fury hurld
Fierce Balls of Rage into th'incestuous World:
Astraea fled; and Love return'd
From earth: Earth boyl'd with Lust; with Rage, it burn'd
And ever since the world has beene
Kept going with the scourge of Lust, and Spleene.

S. AMBEROS.

Lust is a sharpe spurre to vice, which alwayes puts the Affections into a false Gallop.

HUGO.

Lust is an immoderate wantonnesse of the flesh: a sweet poyson; a cruell pestilence; a pernitious potion, which weakens the body of man, and effeminates the strength of an heroick mind.

S. AUGUST.

Envy is the hatred of anothers felicity: In respect of Superiours, because they are not equall to them; In respect of Inferiours, lest they should be equall to them; In respect of equals, because they are equall to them: Through Envy proceeded the fall of the world, and the death of Christ.