Classic Poem

In Natures Annals, Man's the perfect Story,
And you of man had been the perfect glory,
Had not the errour of your giddie youth
Sold the Inheritance of that noble truth
Entaild on glorious manhood; you who are
In your desires so much irregular,
That your Ambition is to have your May,
Your flower of Youth spent in the fruitlesse play
Of gaining Female favours. In your blood
Live flames, (which felt) yet are not understood;
Continuall Ætnaes in your veines nere cease
To burne, yet doe by burning even increase.
What pleasure find you in a foolish Kisse,
Or wanton look, that you do place your blisse,
Your minds Elisium in an amorous glance,
Or Priapeian night-work, such a trance,
A dreame, a nothing ? Can that be the summe
Of joy that you should aime at; to become
For that an Idiot; to enthrall your heart
To one whom nature made your weaker part,
Your houshold servant; to adore her haire,
Make of her face an Idoll, which though faire,
Is but a painted Sepulche within
Containing rotten ashes of black sin,
Reliques of foule corruption! oh! reclaime
Those sordid thoughts, and let a nobler aime
Be your minds Object, be the finall Cause
Of your youths Actions; Let not Cupids Laws
Govern you wholly : For your female Creatures,
Inchanting Divels clad in humane features,
Earth's needfull evils ; Women, they whose name
Divided, does most perfectly proclaime
Their bad Condition ; they, whose Beauty must
Be to men fire-brands to enkindle Lust ;
They are that sweet and undigested meat
That does consume all those that dare to eat
The too delicious Banquet ; Bels that sings ;
One tune at Weddings and at Buryings ;
Serpents whose cunning carriage can intice
Another Adam out of Paradice.
They'r all extremely good, or fraught with evils :
If good, best Saints ; if bad, the worst of Divels.
Pardon mee (sacred Woman-hood) that I
Who've rais'd your Beautie to a Deitie,
Who know you good and vertuous, that you can
Excell in worth as well as feature, Man ;
That I should for the love I bear this Youth,
Injure the innocence of your matchlesse truth :
'Tis to reclaime his follies : Let him see
How bad the worst of your frail Sexe can bee.
He expiate this crime hereafter, pay
To your chast thoughts my own yet Virgin Bay ;
How much am I your friend then, that dare chuse
To hazzard the fresh honour of my Muse
For your dear sake ; that with one loving breath
Giving you life, betray my selfe to death ?
But this is friendships dutie, and I must
Rather to you than to my self be just.
Oh ! Noble Youth, when you with judgment shall
Read all the Texts not held Canonicall
In womens Legends, when you shall behold
In Times successive Volume, what's inrol'd
Concerning them, how many leaves are spent
Upon their Lives, and each a Monument
Speaking the mischiefes that of old did rise
From the intemperate glances of their eyes :
And when Times Herald Fame shall usher in
Those whom Antiquitie brands for that sin :
Bring Helen forth and the lascivious Boy
Wrapt in the flames (themselves did cause) of Troy ;
When faire incestuous Myrrha you shall see
Groaning within the entrails of a Tree ;
View wanton Lais , who so oft did sell
Her beauteous youth, a horrid Fiend in Hell ;
Or Tyrian Dido with big rage possest,
Opening the white dores of her Love-sick brest
To let in wilfull death ; Or when you shall
Read modern Stories more Authenticall
Then Poetry has taught : You shall survey
Those Monsters, Nero and Caligula ,
Naked and trembling ; then with guilty feare
Insatiate Messalina shall appear ;
Then the two Queens of Naples, who in Name
Were parallels as well as in their fame,
Whose appetites could never be withstood
Till their owne bloods quench'd their own heate of blood.
When you have seen these, turn your eyes and look
On that fair paper, that unspotted Book,
Where happier Stories flourish : and behold
Inscrib'd in Characters of purest Gold
Those glorious Names that Fame records to bee
Th' immaculate Champions of blest Chastitie ;
Selfe-murdred Eucrece , 'twill a Saint expresse,
And damne foule Tarquin for's lasciviousnesse.
Chast Arethusa there displayes her Beams,
That shine, though drown'd in lustful Alphey's streams.
Daphne , that Phœbus hot pursuit did shun,
Looks brighter now than the lascivious Sun.
But vain are all examples : since even we,
By Reason's Mistris, wise Philosophie,
In Ethicks are instructed that we must
Think each thing wicked which we know unjust :
And what more dire injustice can there be
Than to ourselves a want of Charitie ?
But I'm too serious now, and must excuse
The over-bold instructions of my Muse :
I know, dear friend, you'r so maturely wise,
You can see vice, though cloth'd in the disguise
Of vertue ; and tis needlesss then to preach
Doctrine to you, who abler are to teach
Than be instructed : but my Pen does move
Only by true directions of my love,
From which if you receive the least offence,
I must appeale to th' Court of Innocence
From your harsh Censure ; since what I have said
Was not to chide you, Friend, but to perswade.