¶ A worthy Mirror, wherein ye may mark, An excellent Discourse of a breeding Lark:  
By reading whereof, perceive well ye may: What trust is Friends, or on Kinsfolks ●o stay.  

A LARK sometimes did breed,  
within a field of Corn:  
And had increase when as that grain  
was ready to be shorn.  
She wary of the time:  
and careful for her nest,  
Debated wisely with herself.  
what thing to do were best.  
For to abide the rage,  
of cruel Reaper's hand,  
She knew it was to perilous,  
with safety for to stand:  
And to dislodge her Brood,  
unable yet to fly:  
(Not knowing whither to remove,)  
great harms might hap thereby  
Therefore she meant to stay,  
till Force censtraynd to fleet:  
And in the while for to provide,  
some other place as meet.  
The better to provide,  
the purpose of her mind:  
She would forthwith go seek abroad,  
and leave her Young behind:  
But first, she bade them all  
attend their Mother's will,  
Which careful was for to eschew  
each likelihood of ill:  
This Corn is ripe (quoth she,)  
wherein we nestled are:  
The which (if heed prevents not harms,)  
may 'cause our mortal care.  
Therefore to fence with skill,  
the sequeall of mishaps:  
I will provide some other place,  
for fear of afterclappes:  
Whilst I for this and Food,  
am flown hence away:  
With heedful ears attentive be,  
what comers by do say.  
Thus said, she vaunste herself,  
upon her longest ●oe:  
And mounted up into the Skies,  
still singing as she flow:  
Anon she home returned,  
full fraught with choice of meat:  
But lo, (a sudden change) her Birds  
for fear could nothing eat.  
Therewith aghast, she cried:  
what how? what meaneth this?  
I charge ye on my blessing, tell:  
what thing hath chanced amiss?  
Are these my welcomes home,  
or thanks for Food I have?  
You wonted were with chirping cheer,  
to gape before I gave:  
But now such Quawmes oppress  
your former quiet kind:  
That (quite transformed) dumb mute things  
and Senseless Souls I find:  
The Prime and eldest Bird,  
(thus checked) began to say,  
Alas dear Dame, such news we hard,  
sense ye were flown away.  
That were it ●ot the trust  
that we repose in you,  
Our lives were lost remediless,  
we know it well enough:  
The Owner of this Plot,  
came hither with his Son,  
And said to him, this wheat must down  
'tis more than time 'twere done:  
Go get thee to my friends,  
and bid them come to morn,  
And tell them that I crave their helps,  
to reap a piece of Corn:  
The Lark that was the Dam,  
stood in a dump a while,  
And after said, his Friends (qd he)  
and then began to smile.  
Tush, Friends are hard to find,  
true friendship se●●d appears:  
A man miss to have a Friend,  
that lives old NESTOR'S years,  
True DAMON and his Friend,  
long ere our time were dead:  
It was in Gréece, a great way hence  
where such two friends were bred:  
Our Country is to cold,  
to foster up a Friend:  
Till proof be made, each one will say,  
still yours unto the end.  
But try in time of need,  
and all your friends are flown,  
Such fruitless Seed, such fickle stay  
in faithless Friends, is sown:  
Therefore be of good cheer,  
revive your dulled Spirits,  
Expel the Care, that causeless thus,  
bereaves you of delights:  
Let no surmised fear,  
deprive your eyes of sleep,  
Myself will be amongst ye still,  
that safely shall ye keep.  
And swear ●éene by the Tufte,  
that grows upon my Crown:  
If all his help be in his Friends,  
this Corn shall not go down.  
The Young assured by her,  
That such an Oath did swear:  
Did pass the time with wonted sleep,  
and banished former fear.  
And when the drowsy Night,  
was fled from gladsome day:  
She bade them wake and look about  
for she must go her way.  
And said, I warrant you,  
these friends will not come here:  
Yet notwithstanding, listen well,  
and tell me what you hear.  
Anon, the Farmer came,  
enraged wellnie mad:  
And swore, who so depends on friends  
his case is worse than bad.  
I will go set my Kin▪  
to help me with this gear,  
In things of greater weight than this,  
their kindred shall appear,  
The Larks, their Dam returned,  
informed her of all,  
And how, that he himself was gone,  
his kindred for to call:  
But when she hard of Kinn●,  
she laughing, cried amain:  
A Pin for Kin: a ●igge for Friends,  
yet kin the worst of twain.  
This man himself is poor,  
though wealth Cows he have:  
And kindred now a days doth quail,  
when need compelles to crave.  
Not, not: he shall return,  
with ill contented mind:  
His pains shall yield but loss of time,  
no succour he shall find.  
They all are so addict  
unto their private gain,  
That if ye lack power to requited,  
your Suits are all in vain.  
Myself am overchardgde,  
with Harvest ye may see,  
And nearer is my Skin, than Shirt,  
this shall their Answer be.  
Therefore, as ●ars●e of Friends,  
so say I now of Kin:  
We shall receive no hurt by them,  
nor he no profit win.  
Yet listen once again,  
what now is Refuge is,  
For kindred shallbe like to Friends.  
be well assured of this:  
I must go furnish up,  
a Nest I have begone:  
And will return and bring ye meat,  
assoon as it is done.  
Then up she clam the Clouds,  
with such a lusty Say:  
That it re●o●st● her younglings hearts  
as in their Nest they lay:  
And much they did commend,  
their Mother's lofty gate,  
And thought it long till time had brought  
themselves to such estate.  
Thus whilst their twinkling eyes,  
were roving to and fro:  
They saw where as the Farmer came.  
that was their mortal Foe.  
Who after due complaints,  
Thus said in the end:  
I will from henceforth trust myself,  
and not to kin nor Friend.  
Who gives me glozing words,  
and fails me at my need:  
May in my PATER NOSTER be  
but never in my CREED,  
Myself will have it down,  
since needs it must be so,  
For proof hath taught me too much wit  
to trust to any more.  
The Birds that listening lay,  
attentive to the same:  
Informed their Mother of the whole,  
as soon as ere she came.  
ye marry then quoth she,  
the case now altered is:  
We will no longer hear abide,  
I always feared this,  
But out she got them all,  
and trudged away apace,  
And through the Corn she brought them safe,  
into another place.  
God sand her luck to shun  
both Hawk and Fowler's Gin,  
And me the hap to have no need,  
of Friends, nor yet of Kin,  
¶ FINIS.  
Arthur Bour.    

Printed at London by Richard johnes.