Classic Poem

You cannot justly of the Court complain,
Who, by Loss of your Place, your Freedom gain;
Who love your Liberty (as you say,) more,
Than either Titles, Honours, Wealth, or Pow'r;
Then are you Honour'd, by your Court-Disgrace,
Which turn'd you but out of a Servile Place;
Where you a Bond-slave to your Passions were,
Your Pride, Revenge, Lust, Avarice, or Fear,
There favour'd most, since no more Suffer'd there;
Since the best Grace a Good Man there can have,
Is to be made a Free-Man of a Slave;
Pow'r o'er himself, not others there to gain,
By being made more Great still, as less Vain;
Since Titles, Honours, grow his Infamy,
Who them must buy, with Guilt, or Slavery,
And gain Commands, by Loss of Liberty;
So more his Shame, must dear-bought Honour grow,
But as he more does for it, give, or ow;
And for it, he can give no Prize so high,
As are his Virtue, Faith, or Liberty;
Nor for Court-Grants, can give so great a Rate,
As he, who for 'em, leaves a good Estate,
Leaves great Commands, on others but to wait;
The best Command that any Man can have,
Over his Passions, to be less a Slave,
The less he does, of Wealth, Pow'r, Honour, crave;
To which Command, the Great, with Wealth, or Pow'r,
Attain but less, as they of both have more;
Which is, the Greater Pow'r, and Nobler yet,
As harder for the Rich, and Great, to get;
Is more, as Man with less is satisfied,
Since our own Satisfactions are deny'd,
More by our selves, as more's our Lust, or Pride;
If Av'rice, Pride, increase with Wealth or Pow'r,
Great Minds, by their Increase, are lessen'd more;
Whence, to be truly Great, or Rich, and Wise,
Fame, Wealth, Pow'r, none shou'd covet, but despise;
Wherefore 'tis said, a Man from Court shou'd go,
To go for Wise, Just, Honourable too;
Whose Scorn of Honours, Honour to him does,
Till his Humility his Glory grows,
Whilst his Vain-Glory wou'd True Honour lose;
Since all Court-Honours, which, with Titles raise
Men to more Pride, their Virtue more debase,
To make Court-Favour grow their worst Disgrace;
Whilst Love of Liberty, Contempt of Pow'r,
Less'ning Pride, Av'rice, make Man's Honour more,
Above the World, raising the Humble Mind,
Make Man more Free, as more his Aims confin'd
By Reason are; which curbs his Passions still,
And make him, to his Fate, subject his Will,
Spight of his Fate, his Pleasure to fulfil;
To make him, by his Patience, and Content,
Sure of his Good Chance, and his Bad prevent;
To disappoint all Envy, and Disgrace,
More to his Honour, to scorn Wealth, Pow'r, Praise;
Since Men deserve less Fortune, Pow'r, or Fame,
But as more vainly, they to more lay Claim;
Then, he deserves them most, who scorns them most,
Which most, but by Mens seeking them, are lost;
A Court-Disgrace, is no Man's Loss or Shame,
Till 'tis, for his ill bearing it, his Blame;
Till it his Trouble, or Resentment grows,
And he, for it, his Loss of Temper shows;
Court-Banishment, is but our Change of Place,
Which oft we do, for Pleasure, Choice, or Ease;
'Tis Change of Air, of Life, of Company,
Which pleases more, as done more willingly,
And out of our Love of Variety;
So that a Court-Dismissal to your Ease,
Is less your Banishment, than your Release;
With you shou'd, as with Honest Wise Men, pass,
But rather for your Honour, than Disgrace,
Since Crimes must gain, and keep at Court a Place;
And still, the Honestest, as Wisest sort
Of Men, chuse to dismiss themselves from Court;
The Court has then, more gracious to you been,
Putting you out, than when it took you in;
Since sure, the greatest Obligation still,
Is that, that's done a Man against his Will;
Which spares the Lazy, Proud, yet Bashful Wit,
The Trouble, Pains, or Shame of asking it.