The Four Ages of Man, Poem

The Four Ages of Man · Poem

Childe Hood

The foure Ages of Man. 1638

Are to be ſould by …. S…

… in Cornhill …

With …h…ines ſcarfe feathers ſtaffe w^th posie garnisht

With silkes and ſattin… laced faced uarnicht

for firſt preferment tis my dadies care

To make mee hinch boy to the ſhreive or may…

PASSION AND DISCRETION, IN YOVTH, AND AGE.

Here in a plaine, and moſt familiar kinde

You may behold a Combat in the Minde:

Mans differing motions are the jar in queſtion.

The Combatants are Paſſion, and Diſcretion:

Each ſtriving to be chiefe in the deſire.

Or, if you pleaſe to ſtraine in any higher,

Then here you, partly, may behold the ſtrife

Betweene the Fleſh, and Spirit in this Life.

LONDON, Printed by T. & R. Cotes, for Francis Grove, dwelling on Snow-hill, neere the Sarazens head, without New-gate. 1641.

Youth

Next place of office which I do attaine

is …washing whiffler w^th my staff and ch…ine

In which hot office when J long hauehave binn

J swaggering leaue and to be stayd beginn

p. 1Paſsion and Diſcretion in Youth and Age.

WHen that arch light, which makes things made appeare,

Dame natures Nurſe, bright Phoebus doth draw neare,

And from our Clymate, this times guider, Sol

Cals winter backe to the Autarticke Pole:

Then doth our late froſt-bitten regions ſmile,

Our piercing ayre, cold winds and, fruitles ſoyle,

All ſuffer change, yea cheeriſhed by the Sun

All things beneath rejoyce in what is done.

The earth puts on its rich, and ſweet attyre,

Sweete to the ſenſe, and rich to the deſire.

Fiſh in the waters do both ſcip and flote:

Birds in the ayre tune a melodious note;

Beaſts on the earth, yea Nature ſeemes to ſing

By ſignes of joy to well-come in the ſpring.

How ſhall theſe creatures in ſubjection pent,

Declare ſuch ſignes and tokens of content,

Theſe ſenſles creatures glory in this meaſure,

And in their youth, the ſpring time take ſuch pleaſure;

And ſhall not I, who hitherto lay hid,

Like Natures pow'r, in winter time, as dead?

In this my ſpring time have a cheerefull voyce,

Now in my youth be merry and rejoyce?

p. 40But here lyes that which doth undoe us ſtill,

That which, deare ſelfe, converts our good to ill;

God in his mercy having daign'd to give us

Innumerable good things to rel…eve us;

We out of weakeneſſe, either quite ref…ſe them,

Or in the uſing of them quite abuſe them:

Which moſt prepoſt'rous cuſtome to ſuppreſſe,

Let love and friendſhip be without exceſſe.

Paſsion in Age.

FOnd man what meant I? what was in my minde?

When I was Youthfull how was I inclind?

I then was heedleſſe, ignorant, and nice,

And counted care of worldly gaine a vice:

Youths chiefe contentments, vaine delights & pleaſure

Were all I ſought for, they were then my treaſure.

I held them muck wormes, and in much diſdaine,

That did not value pleaſure above gaine:

I felt no ſorrow then for what I ſpent,

Becauſe it purchas'd that which gave content.

But now I ſee my errour in the ſame,

How fooliſh I was, and how farre to blame,

How wanton pleaſure did delude my minde,

And wrought upon my weakneſſe in this kinde.

How many opportunities moſt fit,

Which both advice, and reaſon did admit,

Of gaine or profit did I then neglect,

Without all care in any ſuch reſpect?

Man Hood

…N liuery gowne and hoode I now hauehave gott

… which in ranck and ffi…e to poules I trott

And swim in sholes to wesminster in barges

and to feed high spare nether cost nor charges

Olde Age.

But if my ffeaſting hauehave to lauiſh bin

I muſt be fforced to turne Child a gin

In ſtead of posie beare a burning tape….

… man begins in … in ….

p. 45And therefore this ſhall be my higheſt pitch,

OnelyOnly to toyle, and ſtudy to be rich,

And this I will endeavour to expreſſe:

Though with my tongue, I doe not it confeſſe.

But if I muſt, for tender Natures ſake,

Some further uſe of Recreation make,

My Liberary to my view preſents

The ſweet fruition of moſt choyce contents:

There I have certaine ſtatute Bookes at hand,

Where I may view the Tenours of my Land:

There I have juſt Arethmatickes to count

Unto what ſummes my uſuries amount:

And eke an Affamerides, which may

Shew me my other commings in each day.

And there to pleaſure me, I may behold

My bonds, and bills, my ſilver, and my gold;

Which Jewels if I ſhould but feele, I thinke,

It would refreſh me more than meate and drinke.

Diſcretion in Age.

DEare ſelfe, what art thou all inclin'd to earth?

Is nothing elſe in thy account of worth?

Or, at the leaſtwiſe, nothing elſe that may

Here upon earth, be valu'd with this clay?

Earth is, indeed, the matter of thy frame,

And thou muſt ſure, againe unto the ſame;

For things Created naturally run,

Into thoſe elements where they begun)

This cannot be deny'd: that in this kind

Thou mayſt be ſomething to the earth inclin'd.

End of the text · Edward Calver, The Four Ages of Man (1635)