A Friends aduice: In an excellent Ditty, concerning the variable changes in this World.
To a pleasant new tune▪
VVHat if a day or a month, or a yeare,
crown thy desires with a thousād wisht cōtentings
Cannot the chance of a night or an houre,
Crosse thy delights with as many sad tormentings;
Fortunes in their fairest birth,
Are but blossoms dying,
Wanton pleasures, doting mirth,
Are but shadowes flying:
All your toyes are but toyes,
Iole thoughts deceiuing;
None hath power of an houre,
In our liues bereauing.
What if a smile, or a becke, or a looke,
Féed thy fond thoughts with many a sweet cōceiuing
May not that smile, or that beck or that looke,
Tell thée as well they are but vain deceiuings;
Why should beauty be so proud,
In things of no surmounting;
All her wealth is but shroud,
Of a rich accounting:
Then in this repose no blisse,
Which is so vaine and idle:
Beauties flowers haue their houres
Time doth hold the bridle.
What if the world with assures of her wealth,
Raise thy degrée to a place of high aduancing;
May not the World by a check of that wealth,
Put thee again so as low despised chancing;
Whilst the Sunne of wealth doth shine,
Thou shalt haue friends plenty:
But come waitt, then they repine,
Not one abides of [...]enty:
Wealth and Friends holds and ends,
As your fortunes rise and fall,
Vp and downe, rise and frowne,
Certaine is no state at all,
What if a grief, or a straine, or a fit,
Pinch thee with pain, or the feeling pangs of sicknes
Doth not that gripe, or that straine, or that fit,
Shew thée the form of thine own crue perfect líknes
Health is but a glimpse of ioy,
Subiect to all changes:
Mirth is but a silly [...]oy,
Which mishap estranges.
Tell me than, silly Man,
Why art thou so weak of wit,
As to be in teopardy,
When thou mayest in quiet sit;
Then if all this haue deelar'd thine amisse,
Take this from me for a gentle friendly warning,
If thou refuse, and good counsell abuse,
Thou maist hereafter dearely buy thy learning:
All is hazard that we haue.
There is nothing bideing,
Dayes of pleasure are like streams,
Through faire Medows gliding,
Wealth or woe, time doth goe,
There is no returning,
Secret Faces guide our states,
Both in mirth and m [...] [...]
The Second Part.
To the same tune.
MAn's but a blast, or a smoake, or a clowd,
D [...]t in athought, or a moment is dispersed:
Life's but a span, or a tale, or a word,
That in a trice, or suddaine is rehearsed:
Hopes are chang'd, and thoughts are crost,
Will nor skill preuaileth,
Though we laugh and liue at ease,
Change of thoughts assayleth,
Though a while Fortune smile,
And her comforts crowneth,
Yet at length faile her strength:
And in fine she frowneth.
Thus are the ioyes of a yeare in an hower,
And of a month, in a moment quite expired.
And in the night with the word of a noyse,
Crost by the day, of an ease your hearts desired:
Fairest blossoms soonest fade,
Withered foule and rotten▪
And throvgh grief our greatest ioyes
Quickly are forgotten:
Seeke not then (mortall men)
Earthly fleeting pleasure
But with paine striue to gaine
Heauenly lasting treasure,
Earth to the World, as a Man the Earth;
Hath but a point, and a point soon defaced:
Flesh to the Soule, as a Flower to the Sun,
That in a storme or a tempest is disgraced:
Fortime may the Body-please,
Which is onely carnall,
But it will the Soul [...] diseases
That is still immortall,
Earthly ioyes are but [...]oyes,
To the Soules election,
Worldly grace doth defate
Mans diuine perfection▪
Fleshly delights to the earth that is flesh,
May be the cause of a thousand sweet [...]oa [...]e [...]tings,
But th [...] defaults of a fleshly desire
Brings to the soule many thousand sad tormentings,
Be not proud presumptious Man,
Sith thou art a point so vase,
Of the least, and lowest Element,
Which hath least and lowest place:
Marke thy fate, and thy state.
Which is onely earth and dust,
And as grasse, which alasse
Shortly surely perish must.
Let not the hopes of an earthly desire,
Bar thee the ioyes of an endlesse contentation,
Nor let not thy eye on the world be so six [...]
To hinder thy heart from unfained recantation,
Be not backward in that course,
That may bring the Soule delight,
Though another way may seem
Far more pleasant to thy sight:
Do not goe, if he sayes no,
That knowes the secrets of they minde,
Follow this, thou shalt not misse
And endlesse happinesse to finde,
FINIS.
Printed by the Assignes of Thomas Symcock