Passages before the Booke.
To the Printer.
Printer
thou tellst me good Bookes will not sell,
Most men (thou say'st) are now become so ill:
Then heere's a Booke belike should like them well;
For, Foolery, in Folio, it doth fill.
Then print this same, sith Foolery in print
Most men approue, the World is at this stint.
Of the Printer.
The
Printer praies me most vncessantly,
To make some lines to lash at Lechery:
For that (sayth he) so rellish will the rest,
That they will sell, and still be in request:
For most men now (set on a merry Pin)
Laugh to see others plagued for their sin:
Then, Reader, thinke when thou seest such a Straine,
Its for the Lechers paine, and Printers gaine.
Of Alchymists and Satyrists.
As
conterfet coyning is put vpon Alchimists,
So Libelling lightly is set vpon Satyrists:
But as the one makes Lead, Siluer at least:
So, the other would make a Man of a Beast.
By heat of strange Fires,
They seeke their desires.
To the World.
Praise
, or Dispraise (mad World) all's one to mee:
For, bad's the best from them that bedlem bee.
Or, if thou couldst praise iustly, or dispraise;
Neither my minde should either fall or raise
From what it is: which so it selfe conceaues,
That, past it selfe, no place for either leaues:
For, Praises are but Puffes (as all men are)
Dispraises, Snuffes: Then, if we them compare;
They will fall out to be but Ayre or Winde,
That's lesse substantiall farre, then That behinde.
Then, tis no hap at all, to scape a Scape:
And, light's the minde, whereof Winde marres the Shape.
To the Reader.
I flowrest
Natures sweetely (oft) sustaine
The bitterst words that fooles vnwares do giue,
Wisely disembling what the minde doth grieue;
And with the cleare from crime they laughter faine:
Then how much more is the dumbe sencelesse Spy-all
(My brainelesse Booke) to be dispensd withall;
That points at nought but Vice in generall,
Much like a lifelesse Finger on a Dyall.
VVherein, as in a Mirrour, some may see
The true Idea of their Mindes disease;
Then if the Image do their Mindes displease,
Let them (informd thereby) reformed bee.
And seeing closely it beweares thy blame,
Mend it as close, and laugh to cloke the same.
To the censorious precise.
This idle paines I may not cast away,
Sith with the bad it meetes to turne them backe:
Least going forward they might goe to wracke;
But heere, with pleasure, they are causd to stay.
The Wits that in FAMES Callender do shine
With golden Characters (most radiant)
The double-Headed Hill for This did haunt;
And at Abuse (in this kinde) did repine.
He that once held the Helme of this great STATE,
Thought it no cracke of credit, wracke of Wit,
By singing thus, to haue a merry fit,
When he his Minde (turmoild) would recreate.
Nor that Geneua Doctor (most precise!)
Who made the Hebrue Bible Latine talke,
Not dainty made to make his Muse to walke
About this Bus'nesse, Wits Soules exercise!
Then though (perhaps) true Wisedome rather would
To Vulcan sacrifice these pleasant Straines,
(Stretcht to all Eares from my all drawne-out Braines)
Yet Wit, though wilde, we should from Wracke vvith-hold
Though it, heere shew'n (perhaps) appeares too light,
Yet (Foole) vvill not my Bable so forgoe
For Londons Tovvre; and vvhy? vvhy vvill ye knovv?
The Towre's a Body, these are minde and Spright:
“For, as the minde the Body farre exceeds,
“So WIT doth Wealth; because the Minde it feedes.
Of Iesting and Iibing.
A iest or Iibe, at first sight, haue their proofe
Whether the same be strong, or meane, or weake:
Then let the speaker marke (for his behoofe)
The motions of their lookes that heare him speake:
For, if the lest haue Sap, or Iibe haue pith,
The hearers laughing, will bewray their liking:
Applauding Wits facete conceit forthwith:
For Spleene is tickled by Wits subtill striking.
But, if their lookes be setled, cease to rest;
Thy fault it is (not theirs) that they are sad;
For, if the Iest be good and well exprest,
They'l (ulens volens) laugh as they were mad.
From whome (as from our lawfull Iudges) wee
May not vnto our partiall selues appeale;
Or if they laugh as t'were of curtesy,
Which each quicke wit (obseruing them) may feele,
Then think the Iest as gracelesse; or if good,
Their Wits are weake, or els in froward moode.
Of Mirth.
Mirth
in a meane doth please; meane mirth displeases
(I meane that meane that yeelds a Rellish double)
Meane in the soundest sence, Sence nere diseases:
But mirth, too meane, sound Sence doth nought but trouble.
Novv, hovv to hit the right moode of this meane
(That soundeth svveetely to the soundest Sence
And to auoid the other vvhich doth leane
On base conceit borne vp vvith Impudence)
Iudgement must scanne, and (scanning) censure it?
Ah, vvould she might, and Folly cease to scan
Then men might passe the Pikes vvith compleat Wit
Of Enuy, that still girds the vvitty man.
Of Iests, there are innumerable kindes,
Some sharpe, some blunt, some close, some vvondrous broade
Simple, compound, svveete, bitter, like their mindes
From vvhome they come, or in vvhome make aboade.
All are not currant that do goe for Iests;
Nor all Iests like not all: though some like some:
What some desire, some other most detest:
Why then, of all, this is the totall Summe;
When Iests agree with Persons, Time and Place,
Then Iests and Mirth haue euer greatest grace:
But I, desirous to delight each minde,
Haue made an hotch-potch heere, of eury kinde.
Of the Booke.
In minde beholding (with the which I see)
The two-fold Hyre of those that publish Bookes,
Most good, if good, most bad if bad they bee,
Assignd by Him that all Mens workes ore-lookes:
And how some weene (and weene as Wisedome would)
Saint Paules Epistles dayly Soules conuerting
In Heau'n inuest him with new Crownes of gold,
VVhen others, whose leawd Bookes, Soules stil peruerting,
Are euer plagu'd with fresh supply of paines,
Eu'n as the harmes they do, do still increase:
VVhich Harmes (like hammers) hāmerd so my Braines,
That from my purpose I resolu'd to cease:
But when I thought how much a smart Reproofe
With men preuailes, from faults them to deterre:
I thought these Bobs might serue for somes behoofe,
Whose vitious manners stray from Vertue farre.
But yet, Reproofe should shunne all publike shame,
If sacred Lawes of Loue vvere vvell obseru'd:
Its true (most true) and I checke none by name;
But shevv, vnseene, the shame they haue deseru'd:
Then, come what will, it's out; (Fates speed it well)
Hanging in Iudgements Scoles, t'wixt Heau'n and Hell.
Againe.
At
Stacioners Shops are lyes oft vendible,
Because such Shops oft lye for Gaines vntrue:
But Truth doth lye there oft contemptible;
Vnsold, sith old; but, lyes are often new.
Then should my Booke sell vvell, sith full of lyess
Ah, vvould they vvere: Nay, sure they Leazings bee
In saying such and such do villanies;
When none so nam'd commit such villany.
But, I vse namelesse Names, because their shame
Should light on No-body, that beares the blame.
Of Poetry.
O Paradise of Wit, Heauen of Conceit,
Ambrosian sweet that most the Muse doth cheare,
Celestiall Poetry high Thoughts RECEIT,
Hovv art thou fall'n from Fauors highest Spheare
That vvast the Loadstone to each Heart and Eare?
If Satyres drevv thee dovvne from Fauors height
To light vpon the leavvd, the VVorld to feare;
Content thee vvith thy fall, sith tis deceit
To vvinke at clearest faults, vvith Eyes as cleare;
Then scorne their frovvnes vvhome iustly thou dost smite
And though their Backes be galld yet make them beare,
Hovv ere the Iades the vvhile may vvince, or reare:
For shouldst thou sooth vp sinne, thou sure shouldst fall
From good mens fauours, Angels, Gods, and all.
Of Good and Ill.
Ill
IS no more, then IS a meere Defect;
Defect of GOOD, Is ill; yet Ill, IS not:
For, vvhat IS, was made good: then, no Effect
But Defect Ill is: yet, IS Ill a Blot.
Yet, Ill IS not; because not made it is:
For, All that IS (besides the MAKER) vvas
Made good; so good, that nought vvas made amisse:
Then Ill IS nought; vvhich nought can bring to passe.
But, is Ill nought? vvhy then it IS, though nought:
But, Nought is nothing: then, IS Nothing? No.
Yet is it Nought, descending still from Ought:
So, then it IS, and yet, it is not so.
All this is true: if so; then, Nothing IS,
Which cannot Bee: and yet it IS amisse.
Vpon the making of one friends face on the Bord
where anothers was made; the first being put
out with coulor, for the second thereon to bee painted.
Though my bad face defaceth my good Friends,
(His vnder mine inter'd; and mine; the Tombe)
Fortune and Art haue done it to these ends
That, as two Hearts, two Heads should haue one Roome.
The buried Face, liues with the Principall;
In Nature, one; in Art, the other is:
Then, his face couerd, my Face (couering) shall
Shew, as a Monument of That and This.
If Time consume mine, as the Monument,
T'will meete with his then, kept from wracke in mine;
And then shall his, mine (ruind) represent,
Eu'n as through mine, of yore, his Face did shine.
In earnest Passe-time so, our Faces shall
Out-face Times Brazen face, out-facing All.
