fades like unregarded flower.
This life is good, what's good thou must improve,
The highest improvement of this life is love.

Had I (but O that envious Destinie,
Or Stygian vow, or thrice accursed charm
Should in this place free passage thus denie
Unto my shafts as messengers of harm!
Had I but once transfixt thy froward breast,
How would'st thou then----I staid not for the rest;

But thus half angry to the boy replide:
How would'st thou then my soul of sense bereave!
I blinded, thee more blind should choose my guide!
How would'st thou then my muddied mind deceive
With fading shows, that in my errour vile,
Base lust; I love should tearm, vice, virtue stile.

How should my wicked rymes then idolize
Thy wretched power, and with impious wit
Impute thy base born passions to the skies
And my souls sicknesse count an heavenly fit,
My weaknesse strength, my wisdome to be caught
My bane my blisse, mine ease to be o'rewraught.

How often through my fondly feigning mind
And frantick phansie, in my Mistris eye
Should I a thousand fluttering Cupids find
Bathing their busie wings? How oft espie
Under the shadow of her eye-brows fair
Ten thousand Graces sit all naked bare?

Thus haunted should I be with such feat fiends:
A pretty madnesse were my portion due.
Foolish my self I would not hear my friends.
Should deem the true for false, the false for true.
My way all dark more slippery then ice
My attendents, anger, pride, and jealousies.

Unthankfull then to God I should neglect
All the whole world for one poor sorry wight,
Whose pestilent eye into my heart project
Would burn like poysonous Comet in my spright.
Aye me! how dismall then would prove that day
Whose onely light sprang from so fatall ray.

Who seeks for pleasure in this mortall life
By diving deep into the body base
Shall loose true pleasure: But who gainly strive
Their sinking soul above this bulk to place
Enlarg'd delight they certainly shall find
Unbounded joyes to fill their boundlesse mind.

When I my self from mine own self do quit
And each thing else; then an all-spreaden love
To the vast Universe my soul doth sit
Makes me half equall to all-seeing Jove.
My mighty wings high stretch'd then clapping light
I brush the starres and make them shine more bright.

Then all the works of God with close embrace
I