Nor car'st which comes the first, the foul or fair.

A wise man every way lies square, And, like a surly oak with storms perplex'd, Grows still the stronger, strongly vex'd. Be so, bold spirit; stand center-like, unmov'd;

And be not only thought, but prov'd To be what I report thee; and inure Thyself, if want comes to endure. And so thou dost, for thy desires are Confin'd to live with private Lar; Not curious whether appetite be fed

Or with the first or second bread, Who keep'st no proud mouth for delicious cates.

Hunger makes coarse meats delicates. Canst, and unurg'd, forsake that larded fare,

Which art, not nature, makes so rare, To taste boil'd nettles, colworts, beets, and

eat

These and sour herbs as dainty meat, While soft opinion makes thy genius say, Content makes all ambrosia.

Nor is it that thou keep'st this stricter size So much for want'as exercise;

To numb the sense of dearth, which should sin haste it,

Thou might'st but only see 't, not taste it.

Yet can thy humble roof maintain a choir Of singing crickets by the fire;

And the brisk mouse may feast herself with crumbs

Till that the green-eyed kitten comes, Then to her cabin blest she can escape The sudden danger of a rape:

And thus thy little well-kept stock doth prove

Wealth cannot make a life, but love. Nor art thou so close-handed but canst spend,

Counsel concurring with the end, As well as spare, still conning o'er this theme,

To shun the first and last extreme. Ordaining that thy small stock find no breach,

Or to exceed thy tether's reach; But to live round, and close, and wisely true

To thine own self, and known to few. Thus let thy rural sanctuary be

Elysium to thy wife and thee,

There to disport yourselves with golden measure;

For seldom use commends the pleasure. Live, and live blest, thrice happy pair; let breath,

But lost to one, be the other's death.

And as there is one love, one faith, one troth,

Be so one death, one grave to both. Till when, in such assurance live ye may, Nor fear or wish your dying day.

52

DIVINATION BY A DAFFODIL

WHEN a daffodil I see,

Hanging down his head toward me,
Guess I may what I must be:
First, I shall decline my head;
Secondly, I shall be dead;

Lastly, safely buried.

53

UPON MRS. ELIZABETH WHEELER, UNDER THE
NAME OF AMARILLIS

SWEET Amarillis by a spring's
Soft and soul-melting murmurings
Slept, and thus sleeping, thither flew
A robin-redbreast, who, at view,

Not seeing her at all to stir,

Brought leaves and moss to cover her;
But while he perking there did pry
About the arch of either eye,

The lid began to let out day,

At which poor robin flew away,

And seeing her not dead, but all disleav'd, He chirp'd for joy to see himself deceiv'd.

54

ADVERSITY

ADVERSITY hurts none, but only such Whom whitest Fortune dandled has too much.

55

THE EYE

MAKE me a heaven, and make me there Many a less and greater sphere;

Make me the straight and oblique lines,
The motions, lations, and the signs;
Make me a chariot and a sun,

And let them through a zodiac run;
Next place me zones and tropics there,
With all the seasons of the year;
Make me a sunset and a night,
And then present the morning's light
Cloth'd in her camlets of delight;

To these make clouds to pour down rain,
With weather foul, then fair again;

And when, wise artist, that thou hast
With all that can be this heaven grac'd,
Ah! what is then this curious sky
But only my Corinna's eye?

56

LOVE ME LITTLE, LOVE ME LONG

You say, to me-ward your affection 's strong;

Pray love me little, so you love me long. Slowly goes far: the mean is best: desire, Grown violent, does either die or tire.

57

UPON THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN'S
IMPRISONMENT

NEVER was day so over-sick with showers
But that it had some intermitting hours;
Never was night so tedious but it knew
The last watch out, and saw the dawning
too;

Never was dungeon so obscurely deep Wherein or light or day did never peep; Never did moon so ebb, or seas so wane, But they left hope-seed to fill up again.