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[verse 7] Sure life is sweete; and all desire, long time to see the sunne.
[verse 8] Though long life last, yet death maks hast: & times do vainly run.
7.
Surely the light is a pleasant thing: and it is a good thing to the eyes to see the sunne.
And since (but whilst thou liu'st) thy goods are thine,
And what thou freely giu'st deserueth prayse,
Giue while thou mayst, so mayst thou find in fine,
Well sau'd, what well was spent in liuing dayes,
(For godly worke, with God aye present stayes.)
Long mayst thou liue, but must in end decline
To death, the end of euery liuing thing:
To yeeld to death, yet needst thou not repine,
If liuing thou to man, no good canst bring:
And hauing left some good by life to men,
More welcome death may be vnto thee then.
8.
Though a man liue many yeares, and in them all he re∣ioyce, yet he shal remember the dayes of darknesse, be∣cause they are many, all that commeth is vanitie.
For death thou knowest, vnto life is due,
And life doth but prepare a man to die,
Liues cares, a daily death in vs renue,
To worke in vs consent to death thereby,
Which else no flesh (with patience) sure would try.
The many dayes or yeares which do insue,
Of wariest gouernment to happiest wight,
Cannot perswade him but that this is true,
That lightsome day will turne to darksome night,
That times most long haue end and what doth vade,
Is little better then a very shade.