Classic Poem

Greate-Learned wittie-Ben: be pleasd to light
The world with that three-forked fire; Nor fright
All vs thy sublearn'd with Luciferous Boast
That thou art most-greate-most-learn'd-wittie most
Of all the kingdome; nay of all the earth,
As being a thing betwixtt a humane birth
And an Jnfernall; No humanitye
Of the deuine soule shewing Man Jn the,
Being all of pride Composde and surcudrie.
Thus ytt might Argue; yf thy petulant will
May Flieblowe all men with thy great swans Quill,
Jf itt Cann wright noe playes; yf thy plaies faile,
All the Earnests of our kingdome straight must vaile
To thy wilde furie; that, as yf a feinde
Had sleipte his Cirkell; showste thy brest is splend,
Frisking so madly that gaynst Towne and Courte
Thou plant'st thy battrie Jn most hedious Sorte.
Jf thy pied humours suffer least empaire,
And any vapour vex thy virulent Aire,
The Dunkerkes keepe not our Cole ships Jn Awe
More then thy Moods are thy Admires Law—
All eles, as well the graffters of thy pawes
With panicke Terrors flie bedrid of cause,
And lett the swinish Jtche of thy fell wreake
Rub gainst the presence Royall without Checke.
How must state vse the yf thy vaines thus leake?
Thou must bee Muzzelde Ringd and lett Jn Chaines,
Lest dames with childe a bide vntymely paynes
And Children perrish: didst thou not put out
A boies Right eye that Croste thy mankind poute?
If all this yett find perdone Fee and grace,
The happiest outlaw th'art that euer was.
Goodnes to virtue is a godlike thinge,
And man with god Joynes in a good doing kinge.
But to giue vice hur Name; and on all his
(As her puer Merritts) to confer all this,
Who will not argue itt redounds? what euer
Vice is sustaynd withall, turnes pestilent feuer.
What norishes vertue, euer more Conuerts
To blood and sperritts of nothing but deserts.
And shall a viper hanging on hur hand
By his owne poyson his full swindge Commande?
How shall graue virtue sperritt her honord fame,
Yf Mottlye mockerye maie dispose her shame
Neuer soe dully? nor with such a dust
And Clouted Choller? tis the foulest lust
That euer yett did violate actions Just.
But yf this weighd, proud vile and saucie sperritt,
Depraueing euerye exemplarye merritt,
May itt nought lesse all his fatt hopes Jnherritt.
When men turne Harpies, theire bloods standing lakes,
Greene bellied Serpents, and blacke freckled Snakes
Crawling Jn their vnwelldye Clottered waues,
Their tongues growne forked, and thair sorcerous pens
Like pickturs prickt, and hid Jn smoaking dunghills
Vext with the Sunn, tis tyme J thinke to banish
And Cast out such vnhallowedly disloyall
From bloods thrice Sacred and deuinely Royall.
Thers an Jnuention Mountibancke enough
To make petars to blow vpp men's good names,
Virties and Dignities for vices pleasure;
Take but an Jdle and Rediculous Crew
Of base back biters that ytt neuer knew
Virtue or worth to manage; great flesh flies
Slight all the Clere and sound partes whear thay pass
And dwell vppon the soares; and Call to them
The Common learned, gatherer of poysons
For enuied Merritts that hee Cannott aequall,
And lett hym gleane from Malice and foule mouthes
Deuices long since donn and sett them downe
With splene stupide and dead as bruitish restes,
Transforming all most wrathfull fumes to Jests,
Letting the king his Royall eare allowe;
And thers a reputation, broke as smale
And with as maygtye Arguments lett fall
As the Greeke Mans' pure bodies Genitall.
So that yf scandalls false beare free their sprite,
All guiltles formes, are forc't with rape and flight.
And shall all other Raisers of their names
T'aires highest Region, buy such short-wingd fames,
Hould not their titles, and whole states like tenures?
May wee not humblest things with highest rate
And least with greatest, whear right must Moderate?
Now to your parts Calde good; your sacred deske
(The wooden fountayne of the Mightye Muses)
(Alas) is burned; and ther all their wealth faylde
(That neuer Cann with all tyme be retaylde
Why then as good not name them) yes, O yes,
Tenn tymes repeated will all braue things please,
Not with theire Titles yett, and pore selfe prayses.
Hee liues yett (heauen be praysed) that Can wright
Jn his ripe yeares much better, and new borne
Jn spight of Vulcan, whome all true pens scorne.
Yett lett me name them in meane tyme to Chere
His greddie followers with a prickt vpp eare;
Jtt does him selfe ease and why them no good?
Come serue ytt in then giue hime goulden food.
Noe Bodie (hee dares saie) yet haue sound parts
Of profound search and Mastrie Jn the artes;
And perfect then his English Grammare too
To teach some what thayr nurses could not doe,
The puritie of Language, and Amonge
The rest; his Journye Jnto Scotland songe,
And twice twelue years storde vpp humanitie,
With humble gleanings Jn Deuenytye,
After the fathers and those wiser guides
That faction had not drawne to steddie sides.
Canst thou lose theise by fire; and liue yet able
To wright past Joues wrath, fier and Ayre things stable,
Yet Curse as thou wert lost for euerye bable?
Some pore thinge wright new; a Riche Caskett Ben
All of riche Jems t'adorne most learned men,
Or a Reclaime of most Jacete supposes
To teach full habited-men to blowe their noses,
Make the king merrie; would'st thou now be knowne
The Deuill and the Vice, and both Jn one?
Thow doest things backwards, are men thought to knowe
Mastries in th'arts with saying thay doe soe,
And criing fire out Jn a dreame to kings.
Burne things vnborne, and that way generate things?
Wright some new Lactean way to thy highe presence,
And make not euer thy strong fancie essence
To all thou wouldst be thought on all worlds worth;
Or eles like Hercules Furens breaking forth,
Biting the grene-clothe, as a doge a stone,
And for ridiculous shaddow of the bone
Hazard the substance; will thy fortune still
(Spight of all learning) backe the witt thy will,
Though thy playe genius, hange his broken wings
Full of sicke feathers, and with forced things
Jmp thy scaenes, Labord and Vnnaturall?
And nothing good Comes with thy thrice vext Call
Comes thou not yet: nor yet? O no, Nor yett,
Yet are thy learnd Admires soe deep sett
Jn thy preferment aboue all that Cite
The sunn in challendge for the heate and light
Of bothe heauens Jnfluences which of you two knewe
And haue most power Jn them; Greate Ben tis you.
Examine hime some truely Judging sperritt,
That pride nor fortune hath to blind his merritt.
Hee matcht with all booke-fiers hee euer read;
His Deske poore Candle Rents; his owne fat head
With all the learnd worlds; Alexanders flame
That Caesars Conquest Cowd, and stript his fame,
He shames Not to giue reckoning Jn with his:
As yf the king perdoning his petulencies
Should paie his huge loss to in such a skore
As all earths learned fiers hee gather'd for.
What thinkest thow (Just frind) equalde not this pride
All yet that euer, Hell or heauen defied?
And yet for all this, this Clube will Jnflict
His faultfull paine, and him enough Conuicte.
Hee onlye reading showed; Learning, nor witt;
Onlye Dame Gilians fier his Deske will fitt.
But for his shift by fier to saue the Lose
Of his vast Learning; this may proue ytt grose:
True Muses euer, vent breathes mixt with fier,
Which, formed Jn Numbers, they Jn flames expire,
Not onlye flames kindl'd with thayr owne blest breath
That giue the vnborne Life; and eternise death.
Great Ben: J knowe that this is Jn thy hand,
And how thou fixt on heauens fixt starre dost stand
Jn all mens Admirations and Comande.
For all that can be scribled gainst the sortes
Of thy drad Repurcussions and Reportes,
The Kingdome yeldes not such another man:
Wounder of men hee is; the player Cann
And bookeseller proue true; yf thay could knowe
Onlye on dropp, that driues Jn such A flowe.
Are thay not learned beasts, the better farr
Theire drossie exhalations, A starr
Theire brainles Admirations may render.
For Learning Jn the wise sort is but Lender
Of mens Prime Notions Doctrine; theire owne way
Of all skills preciptible formes A key
Forging to wealth, and Honor soothed sence,
Neuer exploring truth or Consequence,
Jnforming any vertue or good Life,
And therfore Plaier, Bookseller, or wife
Of eyther, (needing no such curiouse key)
All men and things, may knowe their owne rude way;
Jmagination and our appetite
Forming our speach no easier then thay lighte
All letterles Companions; t'all thay know
Here or here after that like earths sonns plowe
All vnderworlds and euer downewards growe.
Nor lett your learnings thinck egredious Ben:
Thes letterles Companions are not men
With all the Arts and sciences Jndued,
Jf of mans true and worthiest knowledge rude,
Which is to knowe and be, one Compleat man,
And that not all the swelling Ocean
Of Artes and sciences, cann poure both Jn;
Jf that braue skill, then when thou didst begine
To studdye letters, thy great witt had plide
Freelye and onlye thy Disease of pride
Jn vulgar praise, had neuer bound thy, . . .

More then this neuer came to my
hands, but lost in his sickenes.