Child Hood   depiction of a child 
The four Ages of Man. 1638  
Are to be sold by …. S …  
● in Cornhill 〈…〉  

With ●h●ines scarf feathers staff with posy garnished  
With silks and sattin● laced faced varnicht  
for first preferment tis my dadies' care  
To make me hench boy to the shreeve or may●●     

PASSION AND DISCRETION, IN YOUTH, AND AGE.  

Here in a plain, and most familiar kind  
You may behold a Combat in the Mind:  
Man's differing motions are the jar in question.  
The Combatants are Passion, and Discretion:  
Each striving to be chief in the desire.  
Or, if you please to strain in any higher,  
Then here you, partly, may behold the strife  
Between the Flesh, and Spirit in this Life.   
LONDON, Printed by T. & R. Cotes, for Francis Grove, dwelling on Snow-hill, near the Saracens head, without Newgate. 1641.   



Youth  
Next place of office which I do attain  
is swashing whiffler with my staff and ch●ine  
In which hot office when I long have binn  
I swaggering leave and to be stayed begin   
Passion and Discretion in Youth and Age.  

WHen that arch light, which makes things made appear,  
Dame nature's Nurse, bright Phoebus doth draw near,  
And from our Climate, this times guider, Sol  
Calls winter back to the Autarticke Pole:  
Then doth our late frostbitten regions smile,  
Our piercing air, cold winds and, fruitless soil,  
All suffer change, yea cheerished by the Sun  
All things beneath rejoice in what is done.   

The earth puts on its rich, and sweet attire,  
Sweet to the sense, and rich to the desire.  
Fish in the waters do both scip and float:  
Birds in the air tune a melodious note;  
Beasts on the earth, yea Nature seems to sing  
By signs of joy to welcome in the spring.   

How shall these creatures in subjection penned,  
Declare such signs and tokens of content,  
These senseless creatures glory in this measure,  
And in their youth, the spring time take such pleasure;  
And shall not I, who hitherto lay hid,  
Like Nature's power, in winter time, as dead?  
In this my spring time have a cheerful voice,  
Now in my youth be merry and rejoice?  
But here lies that which doth undo us still,  
That which, dear self, converts our good to ill;  
God in his mercy having deigned to give us  
Innumerable good things to rel●eve us;  
We out of weakness, either quite refuse them,  
Or in the using of them quite abuse them:  
Which most preposterous custom to suppress,  
Let love and friendship be without excess.    

Passion in Age.  

FOnd man what meant I? what was in my mind?  
When I was Youthful how was I inclined?  
I than was heedless, ignorant, and nice,  
And counted care of worldly gain a vice:  
Youths chief contentments, vain delights & pleasure  
Were all I sought for, they were then my treasure.  
I held them muck worms, and in much disdain,  
That did not value pleasure above gain:  
I felt no sorrow then for what I spent,  
Because it purchased that which gave content.   

But now I see my error in the same,  
How foolish I was, and how fare to blame,  
How wanton pleasure did delude my mind,  
And wrought upon my weakness in this kind.   

How many opportunities most fit,  
Which both advice, and reason did admit,  
Of gain or profit did I then neglect,  
Without all care in any such respect?   

Man Hood  
●N livery gown and hood I now have got  
〈◊〉 which in rank and ffi●e to pauls I trot  
And swim in shoals to wesminster in barges  
and to feed high spare neither cost nor charges    


Old Age.  
But if my ffeasting have to lavish been  
I must be fforced to turn Child a gin  
In stead of posy bear a burning tape●.  
〈◊〉 man gins in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉.   

And therefore this shall be my highest pitch,  
Only to toil, and study to be rich,  
And this I will endeavour to express:  
Though with my tongue, I do not it confess.   

But if I must, for tender Nature's sake,  
Some further use of Recreation make,  
My Liberary to my view presents  
The sweet fruition of most choice contents:  
There I have certain statute Books at hand,  
Where I may view the Tenours of my Land:  
There I have just Arethmatickes to count  
Unto what sums my usuries amount:  
And eke an Affamerides, which may  
Show me my other come in each day.   

And there to pleasure me, I may behold  
My bonds, and bills, my silver, and my gold;  
Which Jewels if I should but feel, I think,  
It would refresh me more than meat and drink.    

Discretion in Age.  

Dear self, what art thou all inclined to earth?  
Is nothing else in thy account of worth?  
Or, at the leastwise, nothing else that may  
Here upon earth, be valued with this clay?   

Earth is, indeed, the matter of thy frame,  
And thou must sure, again unto the same;  
For things Created naturally run,  
Into those elements where they begun)  
This cannot be denied: that in this kind  
Thou mayst be something to the earth inclined.