But accessory, and principall in ill; For that first marriage was our funerall: 105 One woman at one blow, then kill'd us all, And singly, one by one, they kill us now. We doe delightfully our selves allow To that consumption; and profusely blinde, Wee kill our selves to propagate our kinde. 110 And yet we do not that; we are not men: There is not now that mankinde, which was then, When as, the Sunne and man did seeme to strive, [Sidenote: _Shortnesse of life._] (Joynt tenants of the world) who should survive; When, Stagge, and Raven, and the long-liv'd tree, 115 Compar'd with man, dy'd in minoritie; When, if a slow pac'd starre had stolne away From the observers marking, he might stay Two or three hundred yeares to see't againe, And then make up his observation plaine; 120 When, as the age was long, the sise was great; Mans growth confess'd, and recompenc'd the meat; So spacious and large, that every Soule Did a faire Kingdome, and large Realme controule: And when the very stature, thus erect, 125 Did that soule a good way towards heaven direct. Where is this mankinde now? who lives to age, Fit to be made _Methusalem_ his page? Alas, we scarce live long enough to try Whether a true made clocke run right, or lie. 130 Old Grandsires talke of yesterday with sorrow, And for our children wee reserve to morrow. So short is life, that every peasant strives, In a torne house, or field, to have three lives. And as in lasting, so in length is man 135 [Sidenote: _Smalnesse of stature._] Contracted to an inch, who was a spanne; For had a man at first in forrests stray'd, Or shipwrack'd in the Sea, one would have laid A wager, that an Elephant, or Whale, That met him, would not hastily assaile 140 A thing so equall to him: now alas, The Fairies, and the Pigmies well may passe As credible; mankinde decayes so soone, We'are scarce our Fathers shadowes cast at noone: Onely death addes t'our length: nor are wee growne 145 In stature to be men, till we are none. But this were light, did our lesse volume hold All the old Text; or had wee chang'd to gold Their silver; or dispos'd into lesse glasse Spirits of vertue, which then scatter'd was. 150 But 'tis not so: w'are not retir'd, but dampt; And as our bodies, so our mindes are crampt: 'Tis shrinking, not close weaving that hath thus, In minde, and body both bedwarfed us. Wee seeme ambitious, Gods whole worke t'undoe; 155 Of nothing hee made us, and we strive too, To bring our selves to nothing backe; and wee Doe what wee can, to do't so soone as hee. With new diseases on our selves we warre, And with new Physicke, a worse Engin farre. 160