May challenge all the store of Nature's grace,) If, when a lustfull lady doth inuite, By some lasciuious trickes his deere delight, If then he doth abhorre such wanton ioy; Whose is not almost ready to destroy Ciuility with curses, when he heares The tale recited? blaming much his years, Or modest weaknesse, and with cheeks ful-blown Each man will wish the case had beene his own. Graue holy men, whose habite will imply Nothing but honest zeale, or sanctity, Nay so vprighteous will their actions seeme, As you their thoughts religion will esteeme. Yet these all-sacred men, who daily giue Such vowes, wold think themselves vnfit to liue, If they were artlesse in the flattering vice, Euen as it were a daily sacrifice: Children deceiue their parents with expence: Charity layes aside her conscience, And lookes vpon the fraile commodity Of monstrous bargaines with a couetous eye: And now the name of _generosity_, Of _noble cariage_ or _braue dignity_, Keepe such a common skirmish in our bloud, As we direct the measure of things good, By that, which reputation of estate, Glory of rumor, or the present rate Of sauing pollicy doth best admit. We do employ materials of wit, Knowledge, occasion, labour, dignity, Among our spirits of audacity, Nor in our gainefull proiects do we care For what is pious, but for what we dare. Good humble men, who haue sincerely layd Saluation for their hope, we call _afraid_. But if you will vouchsafe a patient eare, You shall perceiue, men impious haue most feare." The second edition possesses the following title--"_New Essayes and Characters, with a new Satyre in defence of the Common Law, and Lawyers: mixt with reproofe against their Enemy Ignoramus, &c. London, 1631._" It seems not improbable that some person had attacked Stephens's first edition, although I am unable to discover the publication alluded to. I suspect him to be the editor of, or one of the contributors to, the later copies of Sir Thomas Overbury's _Wife_, &c.: since one of Stephens's friends, (a Mr. I. Cocke) in a poetical address prefixed to his _New Essayes_, says "I am heere enforced to claime 3 characters following the Wife[CR]; viz. the _Tinker_, the _Apparatour_, and _Almanack-maker_, that I may signify the ridiculous and bold dealing of an vnknowne botcher: but I neede make no question what he is; for his hackney similitudes discouer him to be the rayler above-mentioned, whosoeuer that rayler be." FOOTNOTES: [CP] Coxeter, in his MSS. notes to Gildon's _Lives of the Eng. Dram. Poets_, in the Bodleian, says that the second edition was in 8vo. 1613, "_Essays and Characters, Ironical and Instructive_," but this must be a mistake. [CQ]