Oft haue I sung of loue, and of his fire, But now I finde that Poet was aduizde; Which made full feasts increasers of desire, And prooues weake loue was with the poore despizde. For when the life with foode is not suffizde, What thoughts of loue, what motion of delight; What pleasance can proceede from such a wight? Witnesse my want the murderer of my wit, My rauisht sense of woonted furie reft; Wants such conceit, as should in Poims sit, Set downe the sorrow wherein I am left: But therefore haue high heauens their gifts bereft: Because so long they lent them me to vse, And I so long their bountie did abuse. O that a yeare were graunted me to liue, And for that yeare my former wits restorde: What rules of life, what counsell would I giue? How should my sinne with sorrow then deplore? But I must die of euery man abhorde. Time loosely spent will not againe be woonne, My time is loosely spent, and I vndone. _O horrenda fames_, how terrible are thy assaultes? but _Vermis conscientiæ_, more wounding are thy stings. Ah Gentlemen, that liue to reade my broken and confused lines, looke not I should (as I was woont) delight you with vain fantasies, but gather my follies altogether, and as you would deale with so many parricides, cast them into the fire: call them _Telegones_, for now they kill their father, and euerie lewd line in them written is a deep piercing wound to my heart; euery idle houre spent by any in reading them, brings a million of sorrowes to my soule. O that the teares of a miserable man (for neuer any man was yet more miserable) might wash their memorie out with my death; and that those works with me together might be interd. But sith they cannot, let this my last worke witnes against them with me, how I detest them. Blacke is the remembrance of my blacke works, blacker then night, blacker / then death, blacker then hell. Learne wit by my repentance (Gentlemen), and let these fewe rules following be regarded in your liues. 1. First in all your actions set God before your eies; for the feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome: Let his word be a lanterne to your feete, and a light vnto your paths, then shall you stande as firme rocks, and not be mocked. 2. Beware of looking backe: for God will not be mocked; of him that hath receiued much, much shall be demanded. 3. If thou be single, and canst abstaine, turne thy eies from vanitie, for there is a kinde of women bearing the faces of Angels, but the hearts of Deuils, able to intrap the elect if it were possible. If thou be m[a]rried, forsake not the wife of thy youth, to follow strange flesh; for whoremongers and adulterers the Lord will iudge. The doore of a Harlot leadeth downe to death, and in her lips there dwels destruction; her face is decked with odors, but shee bringeth a man to a morsell of bread and nakednesse: of which myselfe am instance.