home | index | concordance | composite list of variants | help |
Here toughly chew, and sturdily digest
Th'immense vast volumes of our common Law;
And begin soon, lest my grief grieve thee too,
Which is, that that which I should have begun
In my youths morning, now late must be done;
And I as Giddy, Travellers must doe,
Which stray or sleep all day, and having lost
Light and strength, dark and tir d must then ride post
If thou unto thy Muse be married,
Embrace her ever, ever multiply,
Be far from me that strange Adultery
To tempt thee, and procure her widowhood;
My nurse, (for I had one) because I'm cold,
Divorc'd her self, the cause being in me,
That I can take no new in Bigamy,
Not my will only, but power doth withhold;
Hence comes it, that these Rimes which never had
Mother, want matter, and they only have
A little form, the which their Father gave;
They are prophane, imperfect, oh, too bad
To be counted Children of Poetry
Except confirm'd and Bishoped by thee.
To M. R. W.
If, as mine is, thy life a slumber be,
Seem, when thou read'st these lines, to dream of me,
Never did Morpheus nor his brother wear
Shapes so like those Shapes, whom they would appear.
As this my letter is like me, for it
Hath my name, words, hand, feet, heart, mind and wit;
It is my deed of gift of me to thee,
It is my Will, my self the Legacie.

[CW: So]