Care is carefull yeelding no delight And though Care flowes like a continuall stream Yet Care is but a very barren Theame Vpon I care not my swift Muse could iog Like to an Irish Lackey o're a bog But my poore wit must worke vpon I care Which is a subiect like my wit most bare I care to keepe my wife in that degree As that she alwayes might my equall be And I doe care and at all times endeuer That she to haue the mastership shall neuer I Care and so must all that mortall are For from our births vnto our graues our care Attends on vs in number like our sinnes And sticks vnto vs close as is our skins For the true Anagram of Care is Race Which shewes that whilst we on the earth haue place So many miseries doe vs insnare That all our life is but a Race of Care And when I call my life vnto account To such great numbers doe my Cares amount That Cares on Cares my mind so much doe lade As I of nothing else but Cares were made When I conceiue I am besieged round With enemies that would my soule confound As is the Flesh the World and ghostly Fiends How seuerally their force or flattery bends To driue me to Presumption or despaire T' auoid temptations I am full of care When I consider what my God hath done For me and how his grace I daily shun And how my sinnes for ought I know are more Then Stars in skye or Sands vpon the shore Or wither'd leaues that Autumne tumbles downe And that sinnes leprosie hath ouergrowne My miserable selfe from head to heele Then hopefull feares and feâ—refull cares I feele When I doe see a man that conscience makes Of what he speakes or doth or vndertakes That neither will dissemble lye or sweare To haue the loue of such a man I care I care when I doe see a Prodigall On whom a faire estate did lately fall When as is spent his credit and his chink And he quite wasted to a snuffe doth stink Who in the Spring or Summer of his Pride Was worship'd honor'd almost deifi'd And whilst the golden Angels did attend him What swarms of friends and kindred did befriend him Perswading him that giue spend lend Were vertues which on Gentry doe depend When such a fellow falne to misery I see forsaken and in beggery Then for some worthy friends of mine I care That they by such examples would beware A foole is he who giues himselfe t' impaire And wise is he who giues what he may spare But those that haue too much and nothing giue Are slaues of Hell and pitty t' is they liue But as the prodigall doth vainely spend As though his ill sprung well-spring ne're would end Yet in his pouerty he 's better much Then a hard hearted miserable Clutch Because the Prodigall lets mony flie That many people gaine and get thereby A Prodigal 's a Common-wealths man still To haue his wealth all common t is his will And when he wants he wants what he hath not But misers want what they both haue and got For though man from the teate hath weaned bin Yet still our infancy we all are in And froÌ„ our birth til death our liues doth smother All men doe liue be sucking one another A King with Clemency and Royalty Doth sucke his Subiects loue and loyalty But as the Sea sucks in the Riuers goods And Riuers backe againe sucke in the floods So good Kings and true Subiects alwayes proue To sucke from each protection feare and loue All Clients whatsoe're are Lawyers nurses And many times they doe sucke dry their purses But though the Lawyer seemes in wealth to swim Yet many great occasions doe sucke him The Prodigals estate like to a flux The Mercer Draper and the Silkman sucks The Taylor Millainer Dogs Drabs and Dice Trey-trip or Passage or The most at thrice At Irish Tick-tack Doublets Draughts or Chesse He flings his money free with carelessenesse At Nouum Mumchance mischance chuse ye which At One and thirty or at Poore and rich Ruffe slam Trump nody whisk hole Sant Newcut Vnto the keeping of foure Knaues he 'le put His whole estate at Loadum or at Gleeke At Tickle-me-quickly he 's a merry Greeke At Primefisto Post and payre Primero Maw Whip-her-ginny heâ—s a lib'rall Hero At My-sow-pigg'd and Reader neuer doubt ye He 's skil'd in all games except Looke about ye Bowles shoue-groate tennis no game comes amis His purse a nurse for any body is Caroches Coaches and Tobacconists All sorts of people freely from his fists His vaine expences daily sucke and soake And his himselfe sucks onely drinke and smoake And thus the Prodigall himselfe alone Giues suck to thousands and himselfe sucks none But for the miser he is such an euill He sucks all yet giues none suck but the Deuill And both of them such cursed members are That to be neither of them both I care Thus young old all estates men maids wiues Doe suck from one another all their liues And we are neuer wean'd from sucking thus Vntill we dye and then the wormes sucke vs. I care when I want money where to borrow And when I haue it then begins new sorrow For the right Anagram of woe is owe. And he 's in woe that is in debt I know For as I car'd before to come in debt So being in my care is out to get Thus being in or out or out or in Where one care ends another doth begin I care to keepe me from the Serieants mace Or from a barbrous Baylifs rough embrace Or from a Marshals man that mercy lacks That liues a cursed life by poore mens wracks From Serieants that are Saracens by kind From Baylifs â—hat are worse then Beares in mind And from a Marshals monsters trap or snare To keepe me from such knaues as those I care A Pander Hostler-like that walks a whore And for a fee securely keeps the doore A Punck that will with any body doe And giue the pox in to the bargaine too A rotten stinking Baud that for her crimes Stewd in a sweat hath beene some fifteene times A Drunkard that delights to curse and sweare To shun such company as those I care I care to please and serue my Masters will And he with care commands not what is ill I care to haue them hang'd that carelesse be Or false vnto so good a Lord as he I care for all Religions that are hurld And scatter'd o're the vniuersall world I care to keepe that which is sound and sure Which euer and for euer shall endure I care t' auoid all Sects and errors foule That to confusion hath drawne many a soule For be a man a Heathen Turke or Iew With care his miserable state I rue That he should haue sense reason life and limb Yet will not know that God that gaue them him And can a Christian thinke vpon these things But it his heart with
slights and iugling tricks And yet no 〈◊〉 of man aliue If Fortune frowne on him can make him thriue For why so powerfull is the purblinde witch To raise vp knaues and make fooles deuilish rich To set an Asse on top of all her wheele And to kick vertue backward with her heele To raise 〈◊〉 Piper Pander or a Iester And therefore hang the hag I doe detest her She hath stâ—ange tricks and workes for diuers endâ— To make a great man haue more kin then friends But seldome she this good report doth win To make a poore man haue more friends then kin A King in 's Throne a generall in the warre Places of best command and reuerence are But yet if Fortune frowne on their affaires They shal be rich in nothing but in cares Shee 's like a Iâ—nus with a double face To smile and lowre to grace and to disgrace She lou's and loathes together at an instant And in inconstancy is onely constant Vncertaine certaine neuer loues to settle But heere there euery where in dock out nettle The man whom all her frownes or fauours spurnes Regardeth not her wheele how oft it turnes A wise man knowes she's easier found then kept And as she 's good or bad he doth accept He knowes she comes intending not to stay And giu's but what she meanes to tâ—ke away For by discretion it is truely knowne Her liberall gifts she holds still as her owne And vnto me her bounty hath bin such That if she tak 't againe I care not much I haue a loue which I to God doe owe With which I haue a feare doth in me growe I loue him for his goodnes and I feare To anger him that hath lou'd me so deere I feare in loue as hee 's a gracious God Not loue for feare of his reuenging Rod. And â—hus a loâ—ing feare in me I haue Lâ—ke an adopted sonne not like a slaue I haue a King whom I am bound vnto To doe him all the seruice I can doe Tâ— whom when I shall in Alegeance faile Let all the Deuills in hell my soule aâ—â—aile If any iâ— his gouernment abide In whom foule Treacherous mallice doth recide 'Gainst him his Royall offspring or his friends I wish that Halters may be all their â—â—ds And those that cannot most vnfainedly Say this and sweare as confident as I Of what degree so ere I wish one houre They were in some kind skilfull Hangmans power I haue a life was lent me 'fore my birth By the great Landlord both of Heau'n and Earth But though but one way vnto life is common For All that euer yet was borne of woman Yet are there many thousand waies for death To dispossesse vs of our liues and breath For why the Lord of life that life doth make Will as he pleaseth life both giue and take And let me blamelesse suffer punishment Or losse of goods or causlesse banishment Let me be â—ang'd or burn'd or stab'd or drownd All 's one to me so still my Faith keepe sound Then let my life be ended as God will This is my minde and hope shal be so still To get to Heau'n come thousands deathes together Th' are welcome pleasures if they bring me thether I know for certaine all Mortallity When it begins to liue begins to dye And when our liues that backe againe we giue VVe euer endlesse then doe dye or liue When good men wish long life 't is vnderstood That they would longer liue to doe more good But when a bad man wisheth to liue long It is because he faine would doe moâ—e wrong And this one reason giu's me much content Thought I shall haue no Marble Monnument Where my corrupted Carkas may inherrit With Epitaphs to blaze my want of merrit To wast as much to pollish and be-guild As would a charitable Almes-house build All which a gouty Vsurer or worse May haue and haue poore peoples heauy cuâ—se That many times the sencelesse Maâ—ble weepes Because the exâ—crated corps it keepes When the meane space perhap's the wretched soule In flames vnquenchable doth yell and bowle I haue a hope that doth my heaâ—t refresh How e're my soule be sundred from my flesh Although I haue no friends to mourne in sacke With merry insides and with outsides blacke Though ne're so poorely they my corps interr Without bell booke or painted Sepulcher Although I misse these trifles Transitory I haue a hope my soule shall mount to glory I haue a vaine in Poetry and can Set forth a knaue to be an honest man I can my Verses in such habit clad ' Tabuse the good and magnifie the bad I can write if I liâ—t nor Rime or Reason And talke of fellony and whistle Treason And Libell against goodnes if I would And agaiâ—st misery could raile and scould Fowle Treachery I could mince out in parts Like Vintners pots halfe pints and pints and quarts Euen so could I with Libles base abound From a graine waight or scruple to a pound With a lowe note I could both say or sing As much as would me vnto Newgate bring And straining of my voyce a little higher I could obtaine the Fleete at my desire A little more aduancing of my note I from the Fleete might to the Gatehouse floate Last aboue Ela raising but my power I might in state be mounted to the Tower Thus could my Muse If I would be so base Runne carelesse by degrees into disgrace But that for loue of goodnes I forbeare And not for any seruile slauish feare Time seruing vassalls shall not me applaud For making of my Verse a great mans Bawd To set a luster and a flattâ—â—ing glosse On a dishonorable lump of drosse To slâ—bber or'e a Ladies homely feature And set her forth for a most beauâ—ious creature Noâ— shall my free inuention stoope t' adore A fowle diseased pocky painted whore Rewards or bâ—â—bes my Muse shall ne're entice To wrong faire Vertue or to honor Vice But as my Conscience doth informe me still So will I praise the good condemne the ill That man is most to be abhord of men Who in his cursed hand dares take a pen Or be a meanes to publish at the presse Pâ—â—phaned lines or obsceane beâ—stlines Scâ—â—illitie or knowne a parant lyes To aâ—â—mate or couer villanies A â—alter for such Poets stead of Bayes Whâ— make the Muses whoresâ— much worse then Tâ—ais Such Râ—scalls make the Helliconian well 〈…〉 and respect like hell â—nd of 〈◊〉 good mâ—n iustly are rewarded 〈◊〉 and scorn'd lâ—ke hellhounds vnregarded For Poetry 〈…〉 be vsâ— arigâ—t 〈…〉 mercy and his might For 〈…〉 ignorance it hath some foes 〈◊〉 may be praisd in Verse as well as prose 〈…〉 are fit for Kings To 〈◊〉 them Mâ—taphoricall such things 〈…〉 they should know and heare 〈◊〉 none but Poets dare to speake for feaâ—e A Poet 's 〈◊〉 a Poet and his trade Is still to make but Orators are made All Arts are taught and learnd we daily see But taugâ—â—
Goodnesse I want and goodnesse I would haue A man may seeme too iust too full of wit But to be too good neuer man was yet He that is great is not made good thereby But he that 's good is great continually Thus great and good together's rare and scant Whilst I no greatnesse haue all goodnesse want I do want wit t' inuent conceiue and write To moue my selfe or others to delight But what a good wit is I partly know Which as I can I will define and show Wit is the off-spring of a working braine That will be labouring though it be in vaine 'T is call'd the Mother wit by which I find Shee 's of the bearing breeding femall-kind And some haue of their mothers wit such store That in their fathers wisedome they are poore A good wit is a vertue that excells And is the house where vnderstanding dwells With whom the minde the memory and sense And reason keepe continuall residence For why if Reason chance to bee away Wit like a Colt breaks loose and runnes astray There 's many that haue got their wealth by wit But neuer wealth had power to purchase it Rich fooles and witty beggers euery where Are the third part of Mankinde very neere And little friendship doth blinde Fortune grant To me for wit and mony both I want Yet for mine eares price I could vndertake To buy as much as would a Lybell make Or I could haue as much as fiâ—s these times With worthlesse Iests or beastly scuruy Rimes To serue some Lord and be a man of note Or weare a garded vnregarded Coate Wit for a foole I thinke enough I haue But I want wit to play the crafty knaue And then the Prouerbe I should finely fit In playing of the foole for want of wit To Archie at the Court I le make a iaunt For he can teach me any thing I want And he will teach me for a slender fee A foolish knaue or knauish foole to bee Garret growes old and honest and withall His skill in knauish fooling is but small The Knight o' th Sunne can caper dance and leape And make a man small sport exceeding cheape In the old time a wiseman was a foole That had compar'd himselfe with great Otoole But his good dayes are past hee 's downe the winde In both his eyes and vnderstanding blinde But holla holla Muse come back againe I was halfe rauisht with a fooling vaine And if I had gone forward with full speede I 'de plaid the foole for want of wit indeede As Frogs in muddy ditches vse to breede So ther 's a wit that doth from Wine proceede And some do whet their wits so much thereon Till all the sharpenesse and the steele is gone With nothing left but back the edge gone quite Like an old Cat can neither scratch nor bite The wit I want I haue yâ—t yeelds no profit Because a foole hath still the keeping of it Which had it in a Wisemans head beene planted I should not now want what I long haue wanted I want that vndermining policy To purchase wealth with foule dishonesty And I do want and still shall want I hope Such actions as may well deserue a Rope I want a mind bad company to haunt Which if I doe it seemes I foresight wanâ— I want a Kingdome and a Crowne to weare And with that want I want a world of care But might I be a King I would refuse it Because I doe want wisedome how to vse it When an vnworthy man obtaines the same Hee 's raiz'd to high preferment for his shame For why the office of a King is such And of such reuerence as I dare not tutch Like to the Thunder is his voice exprest His Maiesty as lightning from the East And though he want the art of making breath Hee 's like a Demy-god of life and death And as Kings before God are all but men So before men they all are gods agen Hee 's a good King whose vertues are approu'd Fear'd for his Iustice for his mâ—rcy lou'd Who patternes all his Royall dignity By the iust rule of Heauens high Maiesty Who can distribute to good mens content Reward for vertue vices punishment Who loues a poore mans goodnesse and doth hate All soule corruption in a man of State Combin'd in loue with Princes neere and farre Most affable in peace powerfull in warre And aboue all religious full of zeale To guard the Church guide the Common weale And though such Kings as this hath seldome beene Yet such a King as this I oft haue seene And as I want a Regall power and fame I want Reuenues to maintaine the same I thinke a King that 's made of Ginger-bread His Subiects would obey him with more dread And any knaue that could but kisse his Claw And make a leg would make me but Iack-Daw And as the Swallow all the Summer stayes And when the winter comes hee flyes his wayes So flatterers would adore my happinesse And take their flight and leaue me in distresse To praise my vices all the swarme of them Would flocke and all my vertues would condemne Much worse then Rauens is their flattery For Rauens eate not men vntill they dye But so a flatt'ring knaue may get and thriue Hee dayly will deuoure a man aliue Besides the body only feeds the Fowle But flattery oft consumes both body and soule For like to trencher-Flies they euer proue Who still wait more for lucre then for loue Thus though I want a Kingly power Royall 'T is 'gainst my wil to want will to be loyall And if that any King aliue there bee That willingly would change estates with mee I in my bargaine should haue gold for brasse And hee would bee accounted but an Asse For any Kings estate bee 't ne're so bad To change it with Iohn Taylor were starke mad A King of Clubs keepes subiects in more awe For he commands his Knaue except at Maw A King of Spades hath more wit in his pate To delue into the secrets of his state The King of Diamonds is too rich and wise To change his pleasures for my miseries And for the King of Hearts hee 's so belou'd That to exchange with me hee 'le ne're be mou'd For I am full of feares and dangerous doubts And poorer farre then is a King of Clouts I therefore will a Subiect still remaine And learne to serue that am vnfit to reigne I want ten millions of good coyned gold And with that want want troubles manifold But if I had so much what man can tell But that I should want grace to vse it well Within the walles and skirts of Troynouant Many that haue most goods most goodnesse want For Charity and Riches seldome can Haue both possession in a wealthy man Fooles that are rich with multitudes of Pieces Are like poore simple sheepe with golden fleeces A knaue that for his wealth doth worship get Is like the Diuell that is a cock-horse
doe For till seuen yeares be past and gone away We are vncapable to doe or pray Our Adolescency till our manly growth We wast in vanitie and tricks of youth And as we trauell to our iorneyes end The more we liue the more we doe offend In sixty yeares three thousand Sabbaâ—hs be Which are some eight yeares in account we see But of those Sundayes let vs thinke agen How little seruice God hath had of men And to the holiest man it will appeare About one hundred houres in a yeare And so in threescore yeares God hath not one Wherein his seruice we attend vpon And if that lesse theÌ„ one t' account were brought How many a nap and many a wauering thought And wandring fancies doe vs round beset That many times the text we doe forget Thinke but of this and then the yeare before Must be abated halfe or somewhat more Thus many a Christian sixty yeares hath trod The earth and not sixe months hath seru'd his God When we our liues vnequally thus share In thinking â—f it I am full of care I care in all my actions so to liue That no occasion of offence I giue To any man with either pen or tongue In name or fame or goods to doe them wrong For he 's the greatest murderer aliue That doth a man of his good name depriue With base columnious slanders and false lies T is the worst villainy of villanes To blast a good mans name with scandals breath Makes his dishonor long suruiue his death For Infamie's a colour dyde in graine Which scarce obliuion can wash out againe As nothing's dearer then a mans good name So nothing wounds more deeper then defame Nature gaue man a paire of eares and eyes And but one tongue which certainly implies That though our sight and hearing still is free Yet must we not speake all we heare or see Then he 's a Viper that doth lyes inuent To worke thereby anothers detriment 'T is sinne to slander a notorious Knaue But sinne and shame a good man to depraue Thus good or bad or whatsoe're they are To doe to neither of them wrong I care I care to get good Bookes and I take heed And care what I doe either write or read Though some through ignorance some throgh spite Haue said that I can neither read nor write But though my lines no scholership proclaime Yeâ— I at learning haue a kind of ayme And I haue gatherd much good obseruations From many humane and diuine translations I was well entred forty Winters since As farre as possum in my Accidence And reading but from â—ossuâ— to posset There I was mir'de and could no further get Which when I thinke vpon with mind deiected I care to thinke how learning I neglectâ—d The Poet Quid or Ouid if you will Being in English much hath helpt my skill And Homer too and Virgil I haue seene And reading them I haue much better'd beene Godfrey of Bulloyne well by Fairfax done Du Bartas that much loue hath rightly wonne Old Chaucer Siâ—ney Spencer Daniel Nash I dipt my finger where they vs'd to wash As I haue read these Poets I haue noted Much good which in my memory is quoted Of Histories I haue perusde some store As no man of my function hath done more The Golden legend I did ouer tosse And found the Gold mixt with a deale of drosse I haue read Plutarchs Morals and his Liues And like a Bee suckt Hony from those Hiues Iosephus of the Iewes Knowles of the Turks Marcus Aurclius and Gueuara's works Lloyd Grimstone Montaigne and Suetonius Agrippa whom some call Cornelius Graue Seneca and Cambden Purchas Speed Old Monumentall Fox and Hollinshead And that sole Booke of Bookes which God hath giuen The blest eternall Testaments of heauen That I haue read and I with care confesse My selfe vnworthy of such happinesse And many more good Bookes I haue with care Lookt on their goods and neuer stole their ware For no booke to my hands could euer come If it were but the treatâ—se of Tom Thumb Or Scoggins Iests or any simple play Or monstrous newes came Trundling in my way All these and ten times more some good some bad I haue from them much obseruation had And so with care and study I haue writ These bookes the issue of a barren wit The most of them are verse but I suppose It is much ease to name them here in prose The names of many of the bookes that I haue written First the Sculler Vpon Coriat three merry bookes called Odcombs complaint Coriats resurrection and Laugh and be fat The nipping or snipping of Abuses Two mad things against Fenor Taylors Vrania The marriage of the Princesse An Elegy on Prince Henry Two bookes of all the Kings of England Three weekes three dayes and three houres obseruations in Germany Trauels to Scotland Trauels to Prague in Bohemia An Englishmans loue to Bohemia The Bible in verse The Booke of Martyrs in verse The praise of Hempseed A kicksy winsy The great O Toole Iack a Lent The praise of Beggery Taylâ—rs Goose. Faire and foule weather The life and death of the Virgin Mary The Whip of Pride And lastly since the reigne of th' Emperour OTTO Was neuer seene the like of TAYLORS MOTTO All these and some which I haue quite forgot With care as is aforesaid I haue wrote I care how to conclude this carefull straine In care I care how to get out againe I care for food and lodging fire and rayment And what I owe I care to make good payment But most of all I care and will endeuer To liue so carefull that I may liue euer Thus without wronging any man a iot I shew I haue what euery man hath not My wants are such that I forgiue them free That would but steale the most of them from me My cares are many as I here expresse Poore cousin Germans vnto carelessenesse I haue a knowledge some men will read this I want the knowledge how their liking is I care in all that I herein haue pend To please the good and shew the bad to mend And those that will not thus be satisfide I haue a spirit that doth them deride I flattry want mens likings to obtaine I care to loue those thaâ— loâ—e me againe Thus be mens â—udgements steady or vnsteady To like my Booke the â—are is tane already The Prouerb sayes that hast makes often wast Then whaâ— is wast impâ—te it to my hast This Booke was written not that here I boast Put houres together in three dayes at most And giue me but my breakfast I le maintaine To write another e're I eate againe But well or ill or howsoe're t is pen'd Lâ—k't as you list and so I make an END * Silâ—â—sters nagram â— His Iâ—jâ—sties â—ame in â—u Barâ—as 〈…〉 I should beleeue all were Gold that glisters In my English Latine Richard Swary I finde or coynd this worthy word The Heralds of this Office dwell at Nullibi * Leâ—rned 〈◊〉 lâ—ds 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 â—omes neere Curro Some 6 or 8. lines are old of mine owne â—ut I haue 〈◊〉 variâ—d â—hem Shall Gods gifts bee common to good bad and our boats be priuate onely to the good * The character of a WatermaÌ„ Thames a watermans best friend whom hee delights to crosse * Strange Eloquence * Bookes that I haue read of Poesie Part of the Bookes of History that I haue read * I was mâ—ch beholding to this Emperors name to make vp the meeter