So, my verse built of your just praise, might want Reason and likelihood, the firmest Base, And made of miracle, now faith is scant, Will vanish soone, and so possesse no place, And you, and it, too much grace might disgrace. 25 When all (as truth commands assent) confesse All truth of you, yet they will doubt how I, One corne of one low anthills dust, and lesse, Should name, know, or expresse a thing so high, And not an inch, measure infinity. 30 I cannot tell them, nor my selfe, nor you, But leave, lest truth b'endanger'd by my praise, And turne to God, who knowes I thinke this true, And useth oft, when such a heart mis-sayes, To make it good, for, such a praiser prayes. 35 Hee will best teach you, how you should lay out His stock of _beauty_, _learning_, _favour_, _blood_; He will perplex security with doubt, And cleare those doubts; hide from you,'and shew you good, And so increase your appetite and food; 40 Hee will teach you, that good and bad have not One latitude in cloysters, and in Court; Indifferent there the greatest space hath got; Some pitty'is not good there, some vaine disport, On this side sinne, with that place may comport. 45 Yet he, as hee bounds seas, will fixe your houres, Which pleasure, and delight may not ingresse, And though what none else lost, be truliest yours, Hee will make you, what you did not, possesse, By using others, not vice, but weakenesse. 50 He will make you speake truths, and credibly, And make you doubt, that others doe not so: Hee will provide you keyes, and locks, to spie, And scape spies, to good ends, and hee will show What you may not acknowledge, what not know. 55 For your owne conscience, he gives innocence, But for your fame, a discreet warinesse, And though to scape, then to revenge offence Be better, he showes both, and to represse _Ioy_, when your state swells, _sadnesse_ when'tis lesse. 60 From need of teares he will defend your soule, Or make a rebaptizing of one teare; Hee cannot, (that's, he will not) dis-inroule Your name; and when with active joy we heare This private Ghospell, then'tis our New Yeare. 65 [To the _&c._ _1633-69:_ To the Countesse of B. at New-yeares tide. _N_, _O'F_, _TCD_] [3-4 (Meteor-like, ... disputation is,) _1635-69_] [9 true _Ed:_ true, _1633_ true. _1635-69_] [10 is, _Ed:_ is _1633-69_ (_in 1633 the interval shows that a comma was intended_) times] time _1633_] [12 such. _Ed:_ such, _1633-69_] [16 short-liv'd] short liv'd _1633_] [17 fast,] fast _1633_] [18 spirits: _Ed:_ spirit: _1633:_ spirits; _1635-69_] [19 cherish, us doe _1633:_ cherish us, doe _1635-69_] [27 I, _Ed:_ I _1633-69_]