Prove the world a man, in which officers
Are the devouring stomach, and suitors
Th' excrements which they void. All men are dust; How much worse are suitors, who to men's lust
Are made preys? O worse than dust or worms' meat! For they eat you now whose selves worms shall cat. They are the mills which grind you; yet you are The wind which drives them; and a wasteful war Is fought against you, and you fight it: they Adulterate law, and you prepare the way, Like wittals; th' issue your own ruin is. Greatest and fairest Empress! know you this?
Alas! no more than Thames' calm head doth know Whose meads her arms drown, or whose corn o'erflow. You, Sir, whose righteousness she loves, whom I, 31 By having leave to serve, am most richly For service paid authoriz'd, now begin To know and weed out this enormous sin. O age of rusty iron! some better wit
Call it some worse name, if ought equal it. Th' Iron Age was when justice was sold; now Injustice is sold dearer far. Allow
All claim'd fees and duties, gamesters, anon The money which you sweat and swear for 's gone 40 Into' other hands. So controverted lands
'Scape, like Angelica, the striver's hands.
If law be in the judge's heart, and he Have no heart to resist letter or fee,
Sat. V. Where wilt thou appeal? power of the courts below Flows from the first main head; and these can throw Thee, if they suck thee in, to misery,
To fetters, halters. But if th' injury
Steel thee to dare complain, alas! thou go'st Against the stream, upwards, when thou art most 50 Heavy and most faint; and in these labours they, 'Gainst whom thou should'st complain, will in thy way Become great seas, o'er which, when thou shalt be Forc'd to make golden bridges, thou shalt see That all thy gold was drown'd in them before. All things follow their like, only who have may 'have Judges are gods; and he who made them so Meant not men should be forc'd to them to go By means of angels. When supplications We send to God, to dominations,
Powers, cherubins, and all heaven's courts, if we Should pay fees, as here, daily bread would be Scarce to kings; so 'tis.. Would it not anger A Stoic, a coward, yea, a martyr, To see a pursuivant come in, and call All his clothes Copes, books Primers, and all His plate Chalices; and mis-take them away, And ask a fee for coming? Oh! ne'er may Fair Law's white rev'rend name be strumpeted, To warrant thefts: she is established
Recorder to Destiny on earth, and she Speaks Fate's words, and tells who must be
Rich, who poor, who in chairs, and who in gaols: She is all fair, but yet hath foul long nails, With which she scratcheth suitors. In bodies Of men, so in law, nails are extremities; So officers stretch to more than law can do, As our nails reach what no else part comes to. Why bar'st thou to yon' officer? Fool! hath he
Got those goods for which erst men bar'd to thee? 80 Fool! twice, thrice, thou hast bought wrong and now hungerly
Begg'st right, but that dole comes not till these die. Thou hadst much, and law's Urim and Thummim try Thou wouldst for more; and for all hast paper Enough to clothe all the great Charrick's pepper. Sell that, and by that thou much more shalt leese Than Hammon, when he sold 's antiquities.
O wretch! that thy fortunes should moralize Æsop's Fables, and make tales prophesies.
Thou art the swimming dog, whom shadows cozened, Which div'st, near drowning, for what vanished. 91
MEN write that love and reason disagree,
But I ne'er saw 't exprest as 't is in thee.
Well, I may lead thee, God must make thee see; But thine eyes blind too, there's no hope for thee.
Thou say'st she's wise and witty, fair and free; All these are reasons why she should scorn thee. Thou dost protest thy love, and wouldst it show By matching her, as she would match her foe; And wouldst persuade her to a worse offence Than that whereof thou didst accuse her wench. Reason there's none for thee, but thou may'st vex Her with example. Say, for fear her sex Shun her she needs must change: I do not see How reason e'er can bring that must to thee. Thou art a match a justice to rejoice,
Fit to be his, and not his daughter's choice.
Dry'd with his threats she'd scarcely stay with thee, And wouldst th' have this to chuse thee, being free? Go, then, and punish some soon gotten stuff; For her dead husband this hath mourn'd enough In hating thee. Thou may'st one like this meet; For spite take her, prove kind, make thy breath sweet: Let het see she 'hath cause, and to bring to thee Honest children, let her dishonest be.
If she be a widow, I'll warrant her
She'll thee before her first husband prefer;
And will wish thou had'st had her maidenhead, (She 'll love thee so) for then thou hadst been dead. But thou such strong love and weak reasons hast, Thou must thrive there, or ever live disgrac'd. Yet pause a while, and thou mayst live to see A time to come wherein she may beg thee.
If thou 'lt not pause nor change, she 'll beg thee now, Do what she can, love for nothing allow.
Besides, here were too much gain and merchandize, And when thou art rewarded desert dies.
Now thou hast odds of him she loves; he may doubt Her constancy, but none can put thee out. Again, be thy love true, she 'll prove divine, And in the end the good on 't will be thine; For tho' thou must ne'er think of other love, And so wilt advance her as high above
Virtue as cause above effect can be,
'Tis virtue to be chaste, which she 'll make thee. 44
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