Poems, Poem 27
To the Counteſſe of Salisbury. Auguſt. 1614.
FAire, great, and good, ſince ſeeing you, wee ſee
What Heaven can doe, and what any Earth can be:
Since now your beauty ſhines, now when the Sunne
Growne ſtale, is to ſo low a value runne,
That his diſſhevel'd beames and ſcattered fires
Serve but for Ladies Periwigs and Tyres
In lovers Sonnets: you come to repaire
Gods booke of creatures, teaching what is faire.
Since now, when all is withered, ſhrunke, and dri'd,
All Vertues ebb'd out to a dead low tyde,
All the worlds frame being crumbled into ſand,
Where every man thinks by himſelfe to ſtand,
Integritie, friendſhip, and confidence,
(Ciments of greatnes) being vapor'd hence,
And narrow man being fill'd with little ſhares,
Court, Citie, Church, are all ſhops of ſmall-wares,
All having blowne to ſparkes their noble fire,
And drawne their ſound gold-ingot into wyre;
All trying by a love of littleneſſe
To make abridgments, and to draw to leſſe,
Even that nothing, which at firſt we were;
Since in theſe times, your greatneſſe doth appeare,
And that we learne by it, that man to get
Towards him, thats infinite, muſt firſt be great.
Since in an age ſo ill, as none is fit
So much as to accuſe, much leſſe mend it,
(For who can judge, or witneſſe of thoſe times
Where all alike are guiltie of the crimes?)
Where he that would be good, is thought by all
A monſter, or at beſt fantaſticall:
Since now you durſt be good, and that I doe
Diſcerne, by daring to contemplate you,
That there may be degrees of faire, great, good,
Through your light, largeneſſe, vertue underſtood▪
If in this ſacrifice of mine, be ſhowne
Any ſmall ſparke of theſe, call it your owne.
And if things like theſe, have been ſaid by mee
Of others; call not that Idolatrie.
For had God made man firſt, and man had ſeene
The third daies fruits, and flowers, and various greene
He might have ſaid the beſt that he could ſay
Of thoſe faire creatures, which were made that day:
And when next day he had admir'd the birth
Of Sun, Moone, Stars, fairer then late-praiſ'd earth,
Hee might have ſaid the beſt that he could ſay,
And not be chid for praiſing yeſterday:
So though ſome things are not together true,
As, that another is worthieſt, and, that you:
Yet, to ſay ſo, doth not condemne a man,
If when he ſpoke them, they were both true than.
How faire a proofe of this, in our ſoule growes?
Wee firſt have ſoules of growth, and ſenſe, and thoſe,
When our laſt ſoule, our ſoule immortall came,
Were ſwallowed into it, and have no name.
Nor doth he injure thoſe ſoules, which doth caſt
The power and praiſe of both them, on the laſt;
No more doe I wrong any; I adore
The ſame things now, which I ador'd before,
The ſubject chang'd, and meaſure; the ſame thing
In a low conſtable, and in the King
I reverence; His power to worke on mee;
So did I humbly reverence each degree
Of faire, great, good, but more, now I am come
From having found their walkes, to finde their home.
And as I owe my firſt ſoules thankes, that they
For my laſt ſoule did fit and mould my clay,
So am I debtor unto them, whoſe worth,
Enabled me to profit, and take forth
This new great leſſon, thus to ſtudy you;
Which none, not reading others, firſt, could doe.
Nor lacke I light to read this booke, though I
In a darke Cave, yea in a Grave doe lie;
For as your fellow Angells, ſo you doe
Illuſtrate them who come to ſtudy you.
The firſt whom we in Hiſtories doe finde
To have profeſt all Arts, was one borne blind:
He lackt thoſe eyes beaſts have as well as wee,
Not thoſe, by which Angels are ſeene and ſee;
So, though I'am borne without thoſe eyes to live,
Which fortune, who hath none her ſelfe, doth give,
Which are, fit meanes to ſee bright courts and you,
Yet may I ſee you thus, as now I doe;
I ſhall by that, all goodneſſe have diſcern'd,
And though I burne my librarie, be learn'd.