We till with them; and them to heav'n wee raise; 45 Who prayer-lesse labours, or, without this, prayes, Doth but one halfe, that's none; He which said, _Plough And looke not back_, to looke up doth allow. Good seed degenerates, and oft obeyes The soyles disease, and into cockle strayes; 50 Let the minds thoughts be but transplanted so, Into the body,'and bastardly they grow. What hate could hurt our bodies like our love? Wee (but no forraine tyrants could) remove These not ingrav'd, but inborne dignities, 55 Caskets of soules; Temples, and Palaces: For, bodies shall from death redeemed bee, Soules but preserv'd, not naturally free. As men to'our prisons, new soules to us are sent, Which learne vice there, and come in innocent. 60 First seeds of every creature are in us, What ere the world hath bad, or pretious, Mans body can produce, hence hath it beene That stones, wormes, frogges, and snakes in man are seene: But who ere saw, though nature can worke soe, 65 That pearle, or gold, or corne in man did grow? We'have added to the world Virginia,'and sent Two new starres lately to the firmament; Why grudge wee us (not heaven) the dignity T'increase with ours, those faire soules company. 70 But I must end this letter, though it doe Stand on two truths, neither is true to you, Vertue hath some perversenesse; For she will Neither beleeve her good, nor others ill. Even in you, vertues best paradise, 75 Vertue hath some, but wise degrees of vice. Too many vertues, or too much of one Begets in you unjust suspition; And ignorance of vice, makes vertue lesse, Quenching compassion of our wrechednesse. 80 But these are riddles; Some aspersion Of vice becomes well some complexion. Statesmen purge vice with vice, and may corrode The bad with bad, a spider with a toad: For so, ill thralls not them, but they tame ill 85 And make her do much good against her will, But in your Commonwealth, or world in you, Vice hath no office, or good worke to doe. Take then no vitious purge, but be content With cordiall vertue, your knowne nourishment. 90 [the _&c._ _1633-69:_ To the Countesse of B. _N_, _O'F_, _TCD_] [5 debt _1669_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ doubt _1633-54_] [7 soe; _Ed:_ soe, _1633-54:_ soe. _1669_ _nothings_, _1635-54:_ _nothing_, _1633_, _N_, _TCD:_ _Nothing_ _1669_ may] may, _1633_] [14 hath] have _1633:_ _om._ _N_, _TCD_ (have _inserted_) _Dian's_ _1635-54:_ Dian's _1633:_ _Dina's_ _1669_] [20 or all It; You. _1635-54:_ or all it, you. _1669_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ or all, in you. _1633_ (you, _some copies_)]