The Scourge of Folly Consisting of satyricall Epigrams, And others in honour of many noble Persons and worthy friends, together, with a pleasant (though discordant) Descant upon most English Proverbs and others [by John Davies] |
To my highly vallued Mr. George
Chapman, Father of our English Poets.
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The Scourge of Folly | ||
To my highly vallued Mr. George Chapman, Father of our English Poets.
I knovv thee not (good George) but by thy Pen,For vvhich I ranke thee vvith the rarest men.
And in that Ranke I put thee in the Front;
Especially of Poets of account.
VVho art the Treassurer of that Company;
But in thy hand too little Coyne doth lye:
For, of all Artes that novv in London are
Poets gett least in vttring of their Ware.
But thou hast in thy Head and Hart, and Hand,
Treasures of Arte that Treasure can command.
Ah, vvould they could; then should thy Wealth, and Witt
Bee equall; and, a lofty Fortune fitt.
But George, thou vvert? ccurst, and so vvas I
To bee of that most blessed Company:
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Then Poets (I am sure) are blessed most.
Yet wee with Rime and Reason trimme the Times,
Though they giue little reason for our Rimes.
The reason is (els error blinds my Witts)
They reason want to do what Honor fitts.
But let them do as please them, wee must do
What Phæbus (Sire of Arte) moues Nature to.
The Scourge of Folly | ||