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| O IGNORANT poore man! what doost thou beare | |
| Lockt vp within the casket of thy breast? | |
| What iewels, and what riches hast thou there? | |
| What heauenly treasure in so weake a chest? | |
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| Looke in thy soule, and thou shalt beauties find | 5 |
| Like those which drownd Narcissus in the floud: | |
| Honor and pleasure both are in thy mind, | |
| And all that in the world is counted good. | |
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| Thinke of her worth, and thinke that God did meane | |
| This worthy mind should worthy things embrace: | 10 |
| Blot not her beauties with thy thoughts vncleane, | |
| Nor her dishonor with thy passions base. | |
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| Kill not her quick’ning power with surfettings; | |
| Mar not her sense with sensualities; | |
| Cast not her serious wit on idle things; | 15 |
| Make not her free will slaue to vanities. | |
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| And when thou thinkst of her eternitie, | |
| Thinke not that death against her nature is: | |
| Thinke it a birth; and when thou goest to die, | |
| Sing like a swan, as if thou wentst to blisse. | 20 |
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| And thou, my Soule, which turnst thy curious eye | |
| To view the beames of thine owne form diuine, | |
| Know that thou canst know nothing perfectly, | |
| While thou art clouded with this flesh of mine. | |
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| Take heed of ouer-weening, and compare | 25 |
| Thy peacock’s feet with thy gay peacock’s traine: | |
| Studie the best and highest things that are, | |
| But of thyselfe an humble thought retaine. | |
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| Cast downe thyselfe, and onely striue to raise | |
| The glorie of thy Maker’s sacred Name: | 30 |
| Vse all thy powers that blessed power to praise, | |
| Which giues thee power to be, and vse the same. | |
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