Yet if _Affliction_ once her warres begin, And threat the feebler _Sense_ with sword and fire; The _Minde_ contracts her selfe and shrinketh in, And to her selfe she gladly doth retire: As _Spiders_ toucht, seek their webs inmost part; As _bees_ in stormes vnto their hiues returne; As bloud in danger gathers to the heart; As men seek towns, when foes the country burn. If ought can teach vs ought, _Afflictions_ lookes, (Making vs looke[83] into our selues so neere,) Teach vs to _know our selues_ beyond all bookes, Or all the learned Schooles that euer were. This _mistresse_ lately pluckt me by the eare, And many a golden lesson hath me taught; Hath made my _Senses_ quicke, and Reason cleare, Reform'd my Will and rectifide my Thought. So doe the _winds_ and _thunders_ cleanse the ayre; So working lees[84] settle and purge the wine; So lop't and prunèd trees doe flourish faire; So doth the fire the drossie gold refine. Neither _Minerua_ nor the learnèd Muse, Nor rules of _Art_, not _precepts_ of the wise; Could in my braine those beames of skill infuse, As but the glance of this _Dame's_ angry eyes. She within _lists_[85] my ranging minde hath brought, That now beyond my selfe I list[86] not goe; My selfe am _center_ of my circling thought, Onely _my selfe_ I studie, learne, and know. I know my bodie's of so fraile a kind, As force without, feauers within can kill; I know the heauenly nature of my minde, But 'tis corrupted both in wit and will: I know my _Soule_ hath power to know all things, Yet is she blinde and ignorant in all; I know I am one of Nature's little kings, Yet to the least and vilest things am thrall. I know my life's a paine and but a span, I know my _Sense_ is mockt with euery thing: And to conclude, I know my selfe a MAN, Which is a _proud_, and yet a _wretched_ thing. [Footnote 81: In 1599 and 1608 more accurately 'sprites'. G.] [Footnote 82: Davies and Southey substitute 'the mind'. G.] [Footnote 83: Davies and Southey, as before, mis-substitute 'pry.' G.] [Footnote 84: An overlooked misprint here is 'seas': found in all the author's own editions, and repeated until now, _e.g._ by Thomas Davies and Southey, as before. G.] [Footnote 85: Bounds: as in Race-courses. G.] [Footnote 86: Thoms Davies, as before, mis-reads 'will'. G.] OF THE SOULE OF MAN AND THE IMMORTALITE THEREOF. _The lights of heau'n_ (which are the World's fair eies) Looke downe into the World, the World to see; And as they turne, or wander in the skies, Suruey all things that on this _Center_ bee. And yet the _lights_ which in my _towre_ do shine, Mine _eyes_ which view all obiects, nigh and farre; Looke not into this little world of mine, Nor see my face, wherein they fixèd are.