A banqvet of daintie conceits Furnished with verie delicate and choyse inuentions, to delight their mindes, who take pleasure in Musique, and there-withall to sing sweete Ditties, either to the Lute, Bandora, Virginalles, or anie other Instrument. Published at the desire of both Honorable and Worshipfull personages, who haue had copies of diuers of the Ditties heerein contained. Written by A. M. [i.e. Anthony Munday] |
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A Dyttie expressing a familiar controuersie between Wit
and Will: wherein Wit mildlie rebuketh
the follies of VVill, and sheweth him (as in a Glasse) the fall of wilfull heads.
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 | A banqvet of daintie conceits |  |
A Dyttie expressing a familiar controuersie between Wit and Will: wherein Wit mildlie rebuketh the follies of VVill, and sheweth him (as in a Glasse) the fall of wilfull heads.
When I behold the rechles race of youth:How Wit and Will doo vainly seeme for to cōtende,
about the tried trueth.
And then againe when I haue pondred well:
How fraile desire subuerteth Wils deuises still
and reason faine would quell.
Good Lord (thinke I) great neede had Wil beware
Least suddaine woe his daungers doo prepare.
Wit dooth forecast what after shall betide:
But Will bewitcht with too too much of follies charmes,
Wits counsell dooth deride.
Wit saith vaine heads are alwaies apt to fall:
But Wil that seekes to build his dwelling in the ayre,
regardeth not at all.
He will not heare, the golden meane is best:
And content minds enioy the sweetest rest.
Will be warie and that in time,
Least had I wist happen to late:
brings beggerlie age to the gate.
Seeke then for profit while leysure is lent thee:
The times staies no man, and slacknes wil shent thee.
Looke into pleasure, and thou shalt beholde,
the end of her pastimes are nothing but paine:
Looke into profit there maist thou be bolde,
to finde out such sweetnes as will be thy gaine.
It is not brauery that can auaile,
if needines tie vppe the strings of thy pursse:
For if thy state seeme once to quaile,
thy credite will after be alwaies the wursse,
Beauty is vading and will not endure,
faire Absolons warning may well suffise:
Set not thy fancie on things so vnsure,
for beautie full often hath blamed the wise.
Beautie with charges must be maintaind,
and charges eates deepe where riches is scant:
Then count the costes that thou hast gainde,
and all thy sicknes will be but of want.
Therefore if thou wilt be warned by me,
according to cloth, so cut out thy coate:
And as thy getting let spending so be,
and suffer fond yonkers to liue all a-flote.
Equall thy selfe with none of those,
althought they scorne to see thee chaunged:
Thou shalt sit smiling at their woes,
when thou perceiuest how they haue raunged.
Shake of their freendship, and know them no more
it is no shame to turne to doo well:
The flatterer eateth a man very sore,
yea, to the bare bones as some can well tell.
A freends rebuke farre better is,
then the sweete kisse of an enemie.
the other thy death, farre contrarie.
A prouerbe there is both auncient and true,
while welth will hold out, thou shalt haue freends store,
But money once failing they bid thee adiew,
they scorne then to know thee as they did before.
Such is now the freendship that this world dooth vse:
Trust not to others least they doo deceiue thee,
but to thine owne selfe, then maist thou be bolde,
Fayrest lookes flatter, in lurche they will leaue thee,
good Will leaue the newe freende, and cleaue to the olde,
All this hath beene prooued Will, I tell no newes.
When thine owne rod hath beaten thee well,
then wilt thou remember what Wit hath bewraid:
That better it is in quiet to dwell,
then climing to fall, and so be dismaid,
Keepe thee on the ground, and then thou canst not fal:
He that presumeth aboue his degree,
the holy writ telleth, shall be brought full lowe,
And he that is humble, content so to be,
he shall be exalted and happy also.
Thus thou seest humilitie is best of all.
If thou doost doubt of that which I say,
Behold the examples full greeuous to see:
The Children of Folly, how they doo decay,
and as their beginnings, their endings so be.
What is then the cause that they doo speede so ill?
Folly first bred them, then Daintinesse lulde them,
and Idlenes brought them to horror and strife:
Impietie taught them, and Wilfulnesse puld them,
from vertuous delighting to dissolute life,
Then their ende to tell, it greeueth me good Will.
Seeke then by Labour thy selfe to maintaine,
for Labour gets Learning, the cheefest of all:
Whereby to preferre thee when other things fall.
Cleaue to this, and then be sure thou doost not ill:
For nothing is gotten except thou take paine,
And when thou hast got it, then keepe it as well:
Prouide in an honest estate to remaine,
And so thou maist hazard at all times expell
Thinke on this, and so farewell good gentle Will.
FINIS.
| A banqvet of daintie conceits | |