Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources

On th’earth wee greeue the grounde for filthy gayne,
        On th’earth wee close the earth t’inlarge our land:
        In th’earth wee moyle with honger, care, and payne,
        Wee cut, wee dig thence Siluer, Gold, and Sand:
        The bowels of the earth wee moyle with might of hand,
          With Steele and Iron tearing vnder ground,
          And rigging all the earth to make our ioyes abound.[525]

    8.

        For th’earth forget wee God, (vnfaythfull fooles)
        For grounde forsake wee fayth and all our frends:
        For th’earth wee set our selues to subtile schooles,
        Of grounde lyke swine wee seeke the farthest ends:
        Wee spoyle the grounde that all our liuing lends:
          Of grounde to winne a plat a while to dwell
          Wee venter liues, and send our soules to hell.

    9.

        If wee consider could the substance[526] of a man,
        How hee composed is of Elements[527] by kinde,
        Of earth, of water, ayre, and fire, than
        Wee would full often call vnto our minde,
        That all our earthly ioyes wee leaue behinde:
          And when wee passe to th’earth wee turne to rot:
          Our pompe, our pride, and glory is forgot.

    10.

        The fire first receaues his heate againe,
        The ayre the breath bereaues away by right:
        The watry and the earthly parts remaine,
        Of elements composed scarce so light:
        And in the ground a place is for them dight.
          The moistures dry, the bones consume to dust,
          The wormes with fleshe suffice their greedy lust.

    11.

        But wee forget our composition olde,
        Both whence wee came, and whereunto wee shall:
        Wee scarce remember wee bee made of mould,
        And how the earth agayn consumeth all.
        This great forgetfulnesse breedes Princes thrall.
          While present ioyes wee gaze vppon, meane while
          A fadeing blisse doth all our wits beguile.

    12.

        All this I speake to th’end it may aduise
        All Princes great, and noble peeres that ar,
        To learne by mee the rather to bee wise,
        And to abandon hate and malice far:
        To banishe all ambitious bloudy warre:
          To liue content in peace, with their estate:
          For mischiefe flowes from discord and debate.

    13.

        And now Ile tell what discord vile hath done
        To mee King _Forrex_. Thus the case it stood.
        I thought in deede to haue some castels wonne
        And holds, which were my brother’s, strong and good.
        So might I intercept his vitayles, forrage, food,
          Abate his pride, obtaine the Kingdome all:
          Mee thought the halfe a portion was to small.

    14.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources

On th’earth wee greeue the grounde for filthy gayne,
        On th’earth wee close the earth t’inlarge our land:
        In th’earth wee moyle with honger, care, and payne,
        Wee cut, wee dig thence Siluer, Gold, and Sand:
        The bowels of the earth wee moyle with might of hand,
          With Steele and Iron tearing vnder ground,
          And rigging all the earth to make our ioyes abound.[525]

    8.

        For th’earth forget wee God, (vnfaythfull fooles)
        For grounde forsake wee fayth and all our frends:
        For th’earth wee set our selues to subtile schooles,
        Of grounde lyke swine wee seeke the farthest ends:
        Wee spoyle the grounde that all our liuing lends:
          Of grounde to winne a plat a while to dwell
          Wee venter liues, and send our soules to hell.

    9.

        If wee consider could the substance[526] of a man,
        How hee composed is of Elements[527] by kinde,
        Of earth, of water, ayre, and fire, than
        Wee would full often call vnto our minde,
        That all our earthly ioyes wee leaue behinde:
          And when wee passe to th’earth wee turne to rot:
          Our pompe, our pride, and glory is forgot.

    10.

        The fire first receaues his heate againe,
        The ayre the breath bereaues away by right:
        The watry and the earthly parts remaine,
        Of elements composed scarce so light:
        And in the ground a place is for them dight.
          The moistures dry, the bones consume to dust,
          The wormes with fleshe suffice their greedy lust.

    11.

        But wee forget our composition olde,
        Both whence wee came, and whereunto wee shall:
        Wee scarce remember wee bee made of mould,
        And how the earth agayn consumeth all.
        This great forgetfulnesse breedes Princes thrall.
          While present ioyes wee gaze vppon, meane while
          A fadeing blisse doth all our wits beguile.

    12.

        All this I speake to th’end it may aduise
        All Princes great, and noble peeres that ar,
        To learne by mee the rather to bee wise,
        And to abandon hate and malice far:
        To banishe all ambitious bloudy warre:
          To liue content in peace, with their estate:
          For mischiefe flowes from discord and debate.

    13.

        And now Ile tell what discord vile hath done
        To mee King _Forrex_. Thus the case it stood.
        I thought in deede to haue some castels wonne
        And holds, which were my brother’s, strong and good.
        So might I intercept his vitayles, forrage, food,
          Abate his pride, obtaine the Kingdome all:
          Mee thought the halfe a portion was to small.

    14.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

Mirror for Magistrates, Volume 1

No reviews yet