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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

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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,

[more.

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

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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

SATIRE VI.

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.

Volume 1.

M

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.

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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.

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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,

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'Tis virtue to be chaste, which she 'll make thee. 44

Donne.]

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