University of Virginia Library

Scœn. 5.

Gracchvs
Evnvchvs.
Gape greedy Lerna, thou most impious gulfe,
Stretch thy vnhallowed gums, belch poyson forth;
Send some infectious plague into my blood,
Into my blood and bosome, send a curse
More biting then the breath of Scorpions:
Be boundlesse my swolne outrage; ô blaspheme
That irreligious deity of chance;
My good estate's consum'd with idle game:
What-euer this inconstant age tearmes Wealth,
What-euer I did call Peculiar,
My owne poore substance, stil'd with proper name:
What with much trauaile, and extorting meanes,
I scrap'd (laborious to enrich my 'state)
All, in fiue houres, hath foolish game destroy'd:
Large expectation doth impoverish
The wisest polititian: wee are cousen'd
With our opinionate lucke; delusiue hope:
Amongst all creatures (vpon æquall tearmes)
Man is most foolish, most improvident;
Confirm'd in a beliefe, that happinesse
Will make an euerlasting harmony
When mischiefe lurkes within our elbow-roome,
I feele the sharpe disease of beggery
Beginne eeu'n with a thred-bare impudence,
To seize vpon our nothing-valued life.
All that is Courtier in me, who contemn'd
To'acknowledge one aboue me (but my maker)
To sue for friendship; cogge for patronage,
Who was enfranchis'd by the Kings decree,
Had no reuenues but a morning bribe,
(Which now of late are pretious things, all men
Haue so inclin'd themselues to subtilty,
As they conceiue a Courtiers gullery)
But I was well prouided for, before
A fowle disaster of such consequence,
As peeuish gamesters lucke oppress'd my soule.
All that is Courtier in me, now compeld
Must vanish into smooth-tongu'd flattery.
With oyled gums, and with a supple arme,
I must salute my patron (though a foole)
Insinuate how many blessed yeares
Hee will enioy, to blesse my indigence:
Tell him how plumpe, how lusty, latter time
And my yong mistresse make him, though his face
More full of wrinckles then a practis'd witch
With pittifull hoofe-shoulders do consort:
So, like a fawning Spaniell must I wagge
At every costiue wind-fall of a crumme;
Bid fare-well to my Courtiership, and liue,
Like an arch-foole, a Sycophant: flye hence
These childish terrors to my pained soule,
The chiefest Courtiers will my kinsmen bee,
My fellowes in profession, my colleagues,
Nay æmulate my worth, if I excell,
In the most ample trade of glosing well.
O Gracchus! Gracchus! but a free-borne-life
Rather alludes vnto fœlicity,
If our estate hath no dependant cause,
If wee possesse without anothers claime,
Reuenues (cleere from tenancy at will)
Regardlesse of obseruance; doe despise
Payment of homage to a foot-cloth-sir,
And may reuile the best of Tradesmans coate,
If he insult (sans præiudiciall feare
Of a compulsiue debt, or Officers,
Who follow satisfaction:) for indeed
Revenues I account, although possess'd,
Yet if infected with a name of Debt,
Nothing as mine which answeres to the name;
Possessions be what others cannot claime.
If without scruple therefore we can boast,
In so compleat a fashion as before
I did inculcate; then Rusticity,
To Gods and Monarchs may well answere free
Thus doth improuidence of hare-braine mates,
Buy little wisedome at excessiue rates:
'Tis indeed better to bee wise at last,
Then gallop head-long till our hopes bee past.
Though latter wisedome doe import withall
An insufficience in points naturall.