25 Though now this grain* face of mine be hid In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up; Yet hath my night of life some memory, My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left, My dull deaf ears a little use to hear. 14-v. 1.

26

Silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,
And buy men's voices to commend our deeds.

29-ii. 1.

27
Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine,
Nor age so eat up my invention,
Nor fortune made such havoc of my means,
Nor my bad life reft me so much of friends,
But they shall find, awaked in such a kind,
Both strength of limb, and policy of mind,
Ability in means, and choice of friends,
To quit me of them thoroughly.

6-iv. 1.

28
A most poor man, made tame by fortune's blows:
Who, by the art of known and feelingt sorrows,
Am pregnant to good pity.

34-iv. 6. 29 Poor old man, thou prun'st a rotten tree, That cannot so much as a blossom yield, In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry.

10-ii. 3,

30

Dispute it like a man.

I shall do so;
But I must also feel it as a man :
I cannot but remember such things were,
That were most precious to me.

31

Famine is in thy cheeks,

Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes,
Upon thy back hangs ragged misery,

The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law.

32

My May of life

35-v. 1.

Is fall'n into the sear,* the yellow leaf:
And that which should accompany old age,
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have; but, in their stead,
Curses, not loud, but deep, mouth-honour, breath,
Which the poor heart would fain deny, but dare not.
15-v. 3.

33

My blood, my want of strength, my sick heart, shows
That I must yield my body to the earth,
And, by my fall, the conquest to my foe.
Thus yields the cedar to the axe's edge,
Whose arms gave shelter to the princely eagle,
Under whose shade the ramping lion slept;
Whose top-branch overpeer'd Jove's spreading tree,
And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind.
23-v. 2.

34

Thou wert better in thy grave, than to answer with thy uncovered body this extremity of the skies.-Is man no more than this? Consider him well: Thou owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume: unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art. 34-iii. 4.

35

To feed, and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flatter'd?

No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp;
And crook the pregnant* hinges of the knee,
Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou hear?
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,
And could of men distinguish her election,

She hath seal'd thee for herself: for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing;
A man, that fortune's buffets and rewards

Hast ta'en with equal thanks: and bless'd are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well co-mingled,
That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger
To sound what stop she please: Give me that man,
That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him
In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee.

36-iii. 2.

36

How his audit stands, who knows, save Heaven?
But, in our circumstance and course of thought,

If you suspect my husbandry, or falsehood,
Call me before the exactest auditors,

And set me on the proof.

When all our officest have been oppress'd

15-ii. 2.

With riotous feeders; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blazed with lights, and bray'd with minstrelsy;
I have retired me to a wasteful cock,t

And set mine eyes at flow.

39

27-ii. 2.

As well as, I am doubtless, I can purge
Myself of many I am charged withal:
Yet such extenuation let me beg,
As, in reproof of many tales devised,

By smiling pick-thanks* and base newsmongers,
I may, for some things true, wherein my youth
Hath faulty wander'd and irregular,

Find pardon on my true submission.

40

18-iii. 2.

They answer, in a joint and corporate voice,
That now they are at fall,† want treasure, cannot
Do what they would; are sorry—you are honourable,-
But yet they could have wish'd-they know not—but
Something hath been amiss-a noble nature

May catch a wrench-would all were well-'tis pity—
And so, intending‡ other serious matters,

After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,§
With certain half-caps,|| and cold-moving nods,
They froze me into silence.

41

27-ii. 2.

I can no other answer make, but, thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks: Often good turns
Are shuffled off with such uncurrent pay:

But, were my worth,¶ as is my conscience, firm,
You should find better dealing.

42

You are liberal in offers;

4-iii. 3.

You taught me first to beg; and now, methinks,
You teach me how a beggar should be answer'd.

43

9-iv. 1.

By the pattern of mine own thoughts I cut out
The purity of his.

44

13-iv. 3.

45

O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!

The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword :
The expectancy and rose of the fair state,

The glass of fashion, and the mould* of form,
The observed of all observers! quite, quite down!
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That suck'd the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
That unmatch'd form and feature of blown youth,
Blasted with ecstasy.†

46

36-iii. 1.

What, are my doors opposed against my passage?
Have I been ever free, and must my house
Be my retentive enemy, my gaol?

The place, which I have feasted, does it now,

Like all mankind, show me an iron heart? 27—iii. 4.

47

Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low.

48

18-iv. 3.

O, sick to death:

My legs, like loaden branches, bow to the earth,
Willing to leave their burden.

49

I may be negligent, foolish, and fearful;
In every one of these no man is free,
But that his negligence, his folly, fear,
Amongst the infinite doings of the world,
Sometimes puts forth: In your affairs,
If ever I were wilful negligent,

It was my folly if industriously

:

25-iv. 2.