Solomon's recantation Intituled Ecclesiastes, paraphras'd. With A Soliloquy or Meditation Upon Every Chapter. By Francis Quarles |
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| II. |
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| III. |
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| IV. |
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| V. |
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| VI. |
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| VII. |
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| IX. |
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| X. |
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| XI. |
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| XII. |
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 | CHAP. IX. Solomon's recantation |  |
All this I ponder'd, and at length I found
All Actions, whether just or wise, are crown'd
By secret Providence: And no Man knows
God's Love or Hate, by Blessings or by Blows.
All haps alike to all; the same Things do
Befal the Righteous and th'Unrighteous too.
Th'Unclean, and Clean, have here the self-same Pay;
And he that prays, and he that doth not pray:
Alike befals to Good and Bad, and both
To him that swears, and him that fears an Oath:
It is a Grief that grates beneath the Sun,
That like Events betide to every one;
Which makes the desp'rate Hearts of Men to rave
With Mischief, till they drop into the Grave.
For the Ambition of their Hopes extend
But to this Life, and with this Life they end:
Better to be a living Dog (they plead)
Than to be knowm a Lyon that is dead:
For they that live, know well that they shall die,
And therefore take their Time; but they that lie
Rak'd up in Death's cold Embers, they know not
Or Good or Ill: their Names are quite forgot:
They have no Friends to love, no Foes to hate;
They know no Virtue to spit Venom at;
They sell no Sweat for Gains, nor do they buy
Pleasure with Pains, or trade beneath the Skie:
Go then, rejoice, and eat: Let a full Bowle
Casheire thy Cares, and chear thy frolick Soul;
What Heaven hath lent thee with a liberal Hand,
To serve, and cheer thy Frailty up, command.
Indulge thy careful Flesh with new Supply,
And Change of Garments of the purest Dye;
Refresh thy Limbs, annoy'd with Sweat and Toyl,
With costly Baths, thy Head with precious Oil.
Delight thy self in thy delicious Wife
All the vain Days of thy vain wasting Life;
Of all the Works thy painful Hand hath done,
This, this is all the Price beneath the Sun.
What e'er thy Hand endeavours, that may gain
Contentment, spare not either Cost or Pain;
For there's no Hand to work, no Pow'r to have,
No Wisdom to contrive within the Grave.
All Actions, whether just or wise, are crown'd
By secret Providence: And no Man knows
God's Love or Hate, by Blessings or by Blows.
All haps alike to all; the same Things do
Befal the Righteous and th'Unrighteous too.
Th'Unclean, and Clean, have here the self-same Pay;
And he that prays, and he that doth not pray:
Alike befals to Good and Bad, and both
To him that swears, and him that fears an Oath:
It is a Grief that grates beneath the Sun,
That like Events betide to every one;
Which makes the desp'rate Hearts of Men to rave
With Mischief, till they drop into the Grave.
For the Ambition of their Hopes extend
But to this Life, and with this Life they end:
Better to be a living Dog (they plead)
Than to be knowm a Lyon that is dead:
For they that live, know well that they shall die,
And therefore take their Time; but they that lie
Rak'd up in Death's cold Embers, they know not
Or Good or Ill: their Names are quite forgot:
They have no Friends to love, no Foes to hate;
They know no Virtue to spit Venom at;
They sell no Sweat for Gains, nor do they buy
Pleasure with Pains, or trade beneath the Skie:
44
Casheire thy Cares, and chear thy frolick Soul;
What Heaven hath lent thee with a liberal Hand,
To serve, and cheer thy Frailty up, command.
Indulge thy careful Flesh with new Supply,
And Change of Garments of the purest Dye;
Refresh thy Limbs, annoy'd with Sweat and Toyl,
With costly Baths, thy Head with precious Oil.
Delight thy self in thy delicious Wife
All the vain Days of thy vain wasting Life;
Of all the Works thy painful Hand hath done,
This, this is all the Price beneath the Sun.
What e'er thy Hand endeavours, that may gain
Contentment, spare not either Cost or Pain;
For there's no Hand to work, no Pow'r to have,
No Wisdom to contrive within the Grave.
| CHAP. IX. Solomon's recantation | |