Mark her Enemies, though they think themselves wise, How _meager_ they look, with how low a waile, How their cheeks do fall, without sp’rits at all, That alien their minds from a _pot of good ale_. And now that the grains do work in my brains, Me thinks I were able to give by retaile Commodities store, a dozen and more, That flow to Mankind from a _pot of good ale_. The MUSES would muse any should it misuse: For it makes them to sing like a _Nightingale_, With a lofty trim note, having washed their throat With the _Caballine_ Spring of a _pot of good ale_. [? Castalian] And the _Musician_ of any condition, It will make him reach to the top of his _Scale_: It will clear his pipes, and moisten his lights, If he drink _alternatim_ a _pot of good ale_. The _Poet_ Divine, that cannot reach Wine, Because that his money doth many times faile, Will hit on the vein to make a good strain, If he be but _inspir’d_ with a _pot of good ale_. For _ballads_ ELDERTON never had Peer; How went his wit in them, with how merry a Gale, And with all the Sails up, had he been at the Cup, And washed his beard with a _pot of good ale_. And the power of it showes, no whit less in _Prose_, It will file one’s Phrase, and set forth his Tale: Fill him but a Bowle, it will make his Tongue troul, For _flowing speech_ flows from a _pot of good ale_. And _Master Philosopher_, if he drink his part, Will not trifle his time in the _huske_ or the _shale_, But go to the _kernell_ by the depth of his Art, To be found in the bottom of a _pot of good ale_. Give a _Scholar_ of OXFORD a pot of _Sixteen_, And put him to prove that an _Ape_ hath no _taile_, And sixteen times better his wit will be seen, If you fetch him from _Botley_ a _pot of good ale_. Thus it helps _Speech_ and _Wit_: and it hurts not a whit, But rather doth further the _Virtues Morale_; Then think it not much if a little I touch The good moral parts of a _pot of good ale_. To the _Church_ and _Religion_ it is a good Friend, Or else our Fore-Fathers their wisedome did faile, That at every mile, next to the _Church_ stile, Set a _consecrate house_ to a _pot of good ale_. But now, as they say, _Beer_ bears it away; The more is the pity, if right might prevaile: For, with this same _Beer_, came up _Heresie_ here, The old _Catholicke drink_ is a _pot of good ale_. The _Churches_ much ow[e], as we all do know, For when they be drooping and ready to fall, By a _Whitson_ or _Church-ale_, up again they shall go, And owe their _repairing_ to a _pot of good ale_. _Truth_ will do it right, it brings _Truth_ to light, And many bad matters it helps to reveal: For, they that will drink, will speak what they think: TOM _tell-troth_ lies hid in a _pot of good ale_.