All moving things to other things do move Of the same kind, which shows their nature such; And as the moisture which the thirsty earth Long doth she stay, as loth to leave the land, Yet nature so her streams doth lead and carry Within whose watery bosom first she lay. Even as the soul, which, in this earthly mould, At first her mother earth she holdeth dear, And doth embrace the world and worldly things; Yet under heaven she cannot light on aught For who did ever yet in honour, wealth, Then, as a bee which among weeds doth fall, Which seem sweet flowers, with lustre fresh and gay, She lights on that, and this, and tasteth all, But, pleased with none, doth rise and soar away, F So, when the soul finds here no true content, And, like Noah's dove, can no sure footing take, She doth return from whence she first was sent, And flies to Him that first her wings did make. Wit, seeking truth, from cause to cause ascends, Now God the truth and first of causes is; Since then her heavenly kind she doth display, And yet this first true cause, and last good end, As a king's daughter, being in person sought Yet she can love a foreign emperor, Whom of great worth and power she hears to be, If she be wooed but by ambassador, Or but his letters or his pictures see. For well she knows that, when she shall be brought Into the kingdom where her spouse doth reign, Her eyes shall see what she conceived in thought, Himself, his state, his glory, and his train. So while the virgin soul on earth doth stay, She, wooed and tempted in ten thousand ways, By these great powers which on the earth bear sway, The wisdom of the world, wealth, pleasure, praise, With these sometimes she doth her time beguile, But if upon the world's Almighty King, And sacred messages, her love hath sought. Of Him she thinks she cannot think too much, But when in heaven she shall his essence see, This is her sovereign good, and perfect bliss ; There is she crowned with garlands of content; REASON V. From the general desire of immortality. Hence springs that universal strong desire, Then this desire of Nature is not vain, Fond thoughts may fall into some idle brain, From hence that general care and study springs, From this desire that main desire proceeds, For she, that this desires, doth still remain. Hence, lastly, springs care of posterities, For things their kind would everlasting make : Hence is it that old men do plant young tres, The fruit whereof another age shall take.e If we this rule unto ourselves apply, And view them by reflection of the mind, All these true notes of immortalitytten find In our hearts' tables we shall wri CONCLUSION OF THE ARGUMENT. O! ignorant poor man! what dost thou bear Look in thy soul, and thou shalt beauties find, And all that in the world is counted good. Think of her worth, and think that God did mean, This worthy mind should worthy things embrace: Blot not her beauties with thy thoughts unclean, Nor her dishonour with thy passion base. Kill not her quick'ning power with surfeitings: And when thou think'st of her eternity, Think not that death against her nature is: Think it a birth: and when thou go'st to die, Sing like a swan; as if thou went'st to bliss. And if thou, like a child, did'st fear before, Being in the dark, where thou did'st nothing see; And thou, my soul, which turn'st with curious eye Take heed of overweening, and compare Thy peacock's feet with thy gay peacock's train : Cast down thyself, and only strive to raise In a small quarto volume of twenty-two leaves, published in 1614, appeared a poem of one hundred and seventy-four stanzas, entitled "I Would and Would Not." An address to the reader, which follows this brief title, is signed B. N., which letters have been ingeniously assumed by Mr. George Stevens to be the inverted initials of Nicholas Breton. This poetical tract presents a series of dilemmas in which a taste and conscience, too fastidious and delicate for action, find themselves. It is " composed of a string of vacillating wishes and desires, to be everything and |