---

When you awake, dull Brittons, and behould

What treasure you have throwne into your mould;

Your ignorance in pruning of a state;

You shall confesse, and shall your rashnes hate:

For in a senceles furie you have slaine

5

A man, as farre beyond your spungie braine

Of common knowledge, as if1 heaven from hell:

And yet you tryumph, thinke you have done well.

Oh, that the monster multitude should sit

In place of justice, reason, conscience, witte,

10

Nay in a throne or spheare above them all!

For tis a supreame power2 that can call

All these to barre:3 and with a frowning brow,

Make Senatours, nay mightie Counsellors bow.

Bould Plebeans the day will come I know

15

When such as Cato, such as Cicero,4

Shalbe more worth then the firste borne can be,

Of all your auncestours, or posterie.

But hees not dead you say: oh, that the soule

Once checkt, controwld, that once used to controwle

10

Cowcheth her downie wings! and scornes to flye

At any game, but faire eternitie.

Each spirit is retird to a roome,

And makes his living body but a toombe;

On which such Epitaphes may well be read

25

As would the gazer strike with sorrow dead.

Oh that I could but give his worth a name

That if not you, your sonne may blush for shame!

Who in arithmatick hath greatest skill

His good partes cannot number, yet his ill

30

Cannot be calld a number; since tis knowne

He had but few that could be calld his owne:

And those in other men (even in these times)

Are often praisd, and vertues calld, not crimes.

But as in purest thinges the smalest spott

35

Is sooner found, then either staine or blott

In baser stuff; even so his chance was such

To have of faults to few, of worth to much.

So by the brightnes of his owne cleare light

The moates5 he had lay even to each sight.

40

If yee would have a man in all points good

You must not have him made of flesh and bloud:

An act of Parliament you first must settle

And force dame Nature worke in better mettle.

Some faults he had no more then serve to proove

45

He drew his line from Adam not from Jove.

And those small staines nature for its offence,

Like moones in armorie6 made a difference

Twixt him and angells; beeing sure noe other

Then markes to know him for their younger brother.

50

Such spotts remooved (not to prophane) he then

Might well be call’d a demieGod mongst men.

A diamond flawed, saphyers and rubies stained

But undervalewed are not quite disdained;

Which by a file recoverd they become

55

As worthie of esteeme, yeeld no lesse summe.

The gardner finding once a cankar growne

Upon a tree, that hee hath frutefull knowne,

Grubs it not up; but with a carefull hand

Opens the roote, remoovs the clay or sand

60

That cawsd the cancar, or with cunning arte

Pares of some rynde, but comes not nere the harte:

Only such trees the axes adge endure

As nere bare fruite, or else are past all cure.

The prudent husbandman thrusts not his sheare

65

Into his corne because some weeds are there,

But takes his hooke and gently as he may

Walke through the field and takes them all away.

A house of many roomes one may command,

But yet it shall require many a hand

70

To keepe it cleane: and if some filth be found

Crope in by negligence, is’t cast toth grownde?

Fie no; but first the supreame owner comes,

Examines everie office, views the roomes,

Makes them be cleans’d, and on some certaine paine

75

Commands they never be found so againe.

The temple else should overthrowne have bin,

Because some money-brokers were therin.7

The arke8 had sunke and perisht in the floud,

Because some beasts crope in that were not good.

80

Adam had with a thunderbolt bin strooke,

When he from Eve the golden apple tooke.

But should the maker of mankinde doe soe

Whoe should write Man? who should to mans state grow?

Shall he be then put to th’extreame of law,

85

Because his conscience had a little flaw?

Will ye want conscience cleane, because that he

Stumbled or tript but in a small degree?

No; first looke back to all your owne past acts

Then passe your censure, punish all the facts

90

By him committed: Then Ile sweare he shall

Confesse that you are upright Chancellors all:

And for the time to come with all his might

Strive to out doo you all in doeing right.

Oh could his predicessours goast9 appeare,

95

And tell how foule his master10 left the chaire!

How each feather that he satt upon

Infectious was, and that ther was no stone

On which some contract was not made to fright

The fatherlesse and widdow from their right.

100

No stoole, no boord, no rush, no bench, on which

The poore man was not sould unto the rich.

It would have longer time the roome to aire

And what yee now call foule yee would thinke faire.

He tooke to keepe, (tis knowne) this but to live

105

He robd to purchase land and this to give.

And had this beene so blest in his owne treasure

He would have given much more with much more pleasure.

The nights greate lampe from the rich sea will take

To lend the thirstie earth and from each lake

110

That hath an overplus borrow a share

Not to its proper use, but to repair

The rivers of some parcht and updried hill:

So this unconstant planet (for more ill

Envie cannot speake of him) took from some floud

115

Not for’s owne use, but to doe others good.

But such misfortune dogg’d his honest will

That what he tooke by wrong he gave as ill.

For those his bountie nurst, as all suppose

(Not those he injured) proov’d his greatest foes.

120

So foolish mothers from their wiser mates

Oft filch and steale, weaken their owne estates

To feede the humor of some wanton boy;

They sillie women hoping to have joy

Of this ranke plant when they are saplesse growne

125

But seld or never hath it yet bin knowne

That pamperd youth gave parents more releefe

Then what increaste their age with care and greefe

These oversights of Nature former times,

Have rather pittied, then condem’d as crimes.

130

Then wher is charitie become of late

Is her place beggd? her office given state?

Is their a pattent got for her restrainte

Or monopoly gain’d by false complaint?

If so? pursue the patentees, for sure

135

Falce information did the writt procure:

The seale is counterfeict, the referrees

Have taken bribes: then first examine these,

Restore faire Charitie to her place againe,

And he that suffers now may then complaine:

140

Set her at Justice feete, then let the poize11

By them directed be, and not by noise.

Let them his merritts weigh with his offence,

And you shall finde a mightie difference.

Race not a goodly buildinge for a toy:12

145

Tis better to repaire then to destroy.

You will not force his ashes to the urne,

Tush, thats not it; himselfe, himselfe will burne.

When he but findes his honours sound retreate,

Like a cag’d foule, himselfe to death will beate;

150

And leave the world, when thers no healpe at all

To sight13 and greeve for his untimely fall.

The skilfull surgeon cutts not of a limme

Whilst there is hope: oh deale you so with him!

He wants not fortitude but can endure

155

Cutting, incision, so they promise cure:

Nay more, shew him but where the ey-sore stands,

And he will search and drest with his owne hands.

Would yee anatomize? would you desect

For your experience? oh, yee may elect

160

Out of that house,14 where yee as Judges sit,

Diverse for execution far more fitt.

And when ye finde a monster overgrowne

With foule corruption, oh let him be throwne

At Justice feete, let him be sacrifiz’d

165

And let new tortures new plagues be devised:

Such as may fright the living from their crimes,

And be a president15 to after times.

Which long-liv’d records to enseuinge daies

Shall still proclaime, to your eternall praise.

170

---

Source. BL MS Sloane 826, fols. 4r-6v

Other known sources. Bodleian MS Ashmole 38, p. 10; Bodleian MS Eng. Poet. f.10, fol. 104r; Bodleian MS Rawl. B. 151, fol. 101r; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 26, fol. 101r; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 84, fol. 64v; Bodleian MS Rawl. Poet. 160, fol. 25r; BL Add. MS 10309, fol. 128v; BL Add. MS 25303, fol. 83r; BL Add. MS 29303, fol. 3v; BL MS Egerton 2725, fol. 43r; BL MS Harley 3910, fol. 8r; BL MS Harley 6917, fol. 101r; BL MS Sloane 1792, fol. 109r; BL MS Stowe 962, fol. 52v; Brotherton MS Lt. q. 44, fol. 10r; NLS MS 2060, fol. 53r; Nottingham MS Portland PW V 37, p. 226; TCD MS 806, fol. 570r; Beinecke MS Osborn b.197, p. 139; Folger MS V.a.162, fol. 2r; Folger MS V.a.192, part 2, fol. 7r; Folger MS V.a.345, p. 127; Huntington MS HM 198, 1.37

Mii8

Quick links to other poems within this section

Select page here M0. Introduction Mi1. You Justices & men Mi2. The tottering state Mi3. Pervertinge of the lawes Mi4. Fly not Momperson Mi5. Oyes Mii1. The measled Boare Mii2. Stand fast thou shaking Mii3. Great Verulam is very lame Mii4. Why shoulde poore Mii5. The greate assemblie Mii6. Heer is Francis Verulam Mii7. Within this sty heer Mii8. When you awake Mii9. What hatfull fury Mii10. Blame not the Poet Miii1. One worthy Chancellour Miii2. When Charles, hath got Miii3. Thy followers in hope Miii4. Anagram on John Williams Miii5. The Kinge & the court

¹   if: probable scribal error, read “is”. <back>

²   supreame power: i.e. the King. <back>

³   call...to barre: bring to court; also, more generally, “bring to justice” or “call to account”. <back>

⁴   Cato...Cicero: Roman writers and politicians invoked here, presumably, as men who faced death in preference to recanting views out of line with those of their rulers. Cato defended the Roman republic and bitterly opposed Julius Ceasar; Cicero was put to death for a number of speeches he made after the death of Caesar, attacking Mark Antony. <back>

⁵   moates: spots, blemishes. <back>

⁶   moones in armorie: i.e. like images of moons used in heraldry. <back>

⁷   The temple...therin: allusion to Christ driving money-changers out of the temple—although, as the poem suggests, leaving the temple standing (Matthew 25.26-28; Mark 11.14-16; John 2.14-16). <back>

⁸   The arke: i.e. Noah’s ark. <back>

⁹   his predicessours goast: reference to Thomas Egerton, Lord Ellesmere, who died in 1617. <back>

¹⁰   his master: presumably the “master” is Egerton himself, as opposed to the spirit. <back>

¹¹   poize: balance (of justice). <back>

¹²   Race not...toy: do not demolish (“rase”) a fine building for mere sport. <back>

¹³   sight: probable scribal error; read “sigh”. <back>

¹⁴   that house: the House of Commons. <back>

¹⁵   president: i.e. precedent. <back>