Tottel sig. Miir

[sig. Miir]

(65) And ere she myght recouer it againe: The traitour cat had caught her by the hippe: +And made her there against her wyll remayne: That had forgot her power, suerty + and rest, For seking welth, wherein she thought to raigne. (70) Alas (my Poyns) how men do seke the best, And finde the worse, by errour as they stray, +And no maruell, when sight is so opprest, And blindes the guide, anone out of the way Goeth guide and all in seking quiet life. (75) O wretched mindes, there is no golde that may Graunt that you seke, no warre, no peace, no strife. No, no, although thy head were hoopt with golde, Sergeant with mace, with hawbart, sword, nor knife, Can not repulse the care + that folow should. (80) Ech kinde of life hath with him his disease. Liue in delits, euen as thy lust would: And thou shalt finde, when lust doth most thee please: It irketh straight, and by it selfe doth fade. A small thing is it, that may thy minde appease. (85) None of you al there is, that is so madde, To seke for grapes on brambles, or on bryers: +Nor none I trow that hath a wytte so badde, To set his haye for coneies ouer riuers: Nor ye set not a dragge net for an hare. (90) And yet the thing, that most is your desire, You do misseke, with more trauell and care. Make plaine thine hart, that it be not knotted With hope or dreade, and se thy wil be bareFrom all affectes, whom vice hath neuer spotted. (95) Thy selfe content with that is thee assinde: And vse it well that is to thee alotted, Then seke no more out of thy selfe to finde The thing that
thou hast sought so long before.
For thou shalt feele it stickyng in thy minde. (100) Made, if ye list to continue your sore: Let present passe, and gape on time to come, And depe thy selfe in trauell more and more. Henceforth (my Poins) this shall be all and summeThese wretched foles shall haue nought els of me: (105) But, to the great God and to his dome, None other paine pray I for them to be: