Emblems Ancient and Modern, Emblem 48 – Emblem 50
All Fleſh, is like the wither'd Hay,
And, ſo it ſtrings, and fades away.
OMNIS CARO FOENUM.
ILLVXTR. XLVIII. Book. 4
THis Infant, and this little Truſſe of Hay,
When they are moral zed, ſeeme to ſay,
That, Fleſh is but a tuſt of Morning Graſſe,
Both greene, and wither'd, ere the day-light paſſe.
And, ſuch we truly finde it; for, behold,
Aſ…oone as Man is borne, hee waxeth old,
In Griefes, in Sorrowes, or Neceſsities;
And, withers ev'ry houre, unti…l hee dyes:
Now, flouriſhing, as Graſſe, when it is growne,
Straight periſhing, as Graſſe, when it is mowne.
If, wee with other things, mans Age compare,
His Life is but a Day (For, equall'd are
His Yeares with Houres: His Months, with Minutes bee
Fit parallels; and, ev'ry breathing, wee
May tearme a Day) yet, ſome, ev'n at the Night
Of that ſhort Day, are dead, and witherd quite.
Before the Morning of our lives bee done,
The Fleſh oft fades: Sometime, it growes till Noone:
But, there's no mortall Fleſh, that will abide
Vnparched longer, than till Evening-tide.
For, in it ſelfe, it alwayes carries that,
Which helpeth ſo, it ſelfe to …uinate;
That, though it feele, nor ſtorme, not ſcorching flame,
An inbred Canker, will conſume the ſame.
Conſidering well, and well remembring this,
Account the Fleſh no better than it is:
Wrong not thine everlaſting Soule, to cheriſh
A Gourd, which in a moments time will periſh.
Give it the tendance, fit for fading Crops;
But, for Hay harvest, loſe not better hopes.
Make uſe of Time, that's comming on;
For, that is periſh'd, which is gone.
PERIT QUOD ELAPSUM EST.
ILLVSTR. XLIX. Book. 4
THis Glaſſe declares, how Time doth, paſſe away;
And, if the Words, about it, rightly ſay,
Thy Time that's, gone, is loſt: and, proofe will ſhew,
That, many find both Words, and Emblem, true.
How f…ſt their Time departs, they beſt perceive,
From whom it ſteales, before they take their leave,
Of what they love; and, whoſe laſt houre is gone,
Before their chiefeſt buſineſſes are done.
How faſt it ſlides, ev'n they are alſo taught,
(Too late, perhaps) who never kept in thought
Their ending-day; but, alwayes did preſume,
Or, largely hope upon the Time to come;
The preſent-howres, nor thankfully enjoying,
Nor, honeſtly, nor uſefully employing.
That yeares expir'd, are loſt, they likewiſe find:
For, when their underſtanding brings to mind,
How fondly (or, how ill perchance) they ſpent
Their paſſed age; they ſee, with diſcontent,
The Time, not onelyonly loſt, but, worſe than ſo;
Loſt with a thouſand other Loſſes moe:
And, that, when they ſhall need it, wealth nor pow'r,
Can purchaſe them, one minute of an howre.
Conſider this, all ye that ſpend the prime,
The nonne-tide, and the twilight of your Time,
In childiſh play-games, or meere worldly things;
As if you could, at pleaſure, clip Times wings,
Or turne his Glaſſe; or, had a Life, or twaine
To live, when you had fool'd out this in vaine.
Short is the preſent; loſt Times-paſſed bee;
And, Time to come, wee may not live to ſee.
The Garland, He alone ſhall weare,
Who, to the Goale, doth perſevere.
PERSEVERANTI DABITUR.
ILLVSTR. L. Book. 4
AN Arme is with a Garland here extended;
And, as the Motto ſaith. it is intended,
To all that perſevere. This being ſo;
Let none be faint in heart, though they be ſlow:
For, he that creepes, untill his Race be done,
Shall gaine a Wreath, aſwell as they that runne.
This being ſo; let no man walke in doubt,
As if Gods Arme of Grace were ſtretched out
To ſome ſmall number: For, whoe're begins
And perſeueres, the profer'd Garland winns:
And, God reſpects no perſons; neither layes
A ſtumbling blocke in any of our Waies.
This being ſo, let no man think't enough
To ſet his hand, a little, to the Plough,
And, then deſiſt; but, let him ſtill purſue,
To doe that Worke, to which that Wreath is due:
For, nor on Good beginners, nor on thoſe
That, walke halfe-way, (much leſſe on him, that goes
No ſtepp at all) will God this gift conferre;
But, onelyonly, unto thoſe that perſevere.
LORD, by thy Grace, an entrance I have made
In honeſt Pathes; and, thy aſſiſtance had,
To make in them, ſome ſlow proceedings too.
Oh grant me, full abilitie, to doe
Thy ſacred Will; and, to beginn, and end
Such Workes, as to thy glory, ſtill, may tend.
That (Walking, and continuing in the Path,
Which evermore, thine approbation hath)
I may that Garland, by thy grace, obtaine,
Which, by mine owne deſert, I cannot gaine.
Glory be to God.