Taylor's motto Et habeo, et careo, et curo.

Et Careo, I want.

STrange is the penance of my humble Muse, That must tell what I want without excuse. What man (without much torture) would confesse His want, his beggery, and guiltinesse; But that the World would thinke him to be mad, Or that he very small discretion had? Yet (at this time) it is my fatall lor, To tell I want, what other men want not. And therefore to declare my wants most plaine I want a bragging or a boasting vaine; In words or writing, any wayes to frame, To make my selfe seeme better then I am. I want faire vertue to direct my course, And stand against the shock of vices force; And (of my selfe) I no way can resist, 'Gainst Hell, the World, the Flesh, or Antichrist; For ought I know, I want a courage stout, Afflictions and temptations to keepe out: And I doe feare should time of triall come, My constancy would bide no Martyrdome.

But to helpe what I want, I want despaire, And hope supplies my want in all my care. And as I want that bold-fac'd impudence, As may giue iust occasion of offence: So do I want base flattery with my pen, To sooth my selfe, or to taxe other men. I doe want goodnesse: for I cleerely see, All good I doe or say, is not from me. And amongst all the benefits I craue, Goodnesse I want, and goodnesse I would haue. A man may seeme too iust, too full of wit, But to be too good, neuer man was yet. He that is great, is not made good thereby, But he that's good, is great continually. Thus great and good, together's rare and scant, Whilst I no greatnesse haue, all goodnesse want. I do want wit t'inuent▪ conceiue and write, To moue my selfe or others to delight: But what a good wit is, I partly know, Which (as I can) I will define and show. Wit is the off-spring of a working braine, That will be labouring, though it be in vaine: 'Tis call'd the Mother wit, by which I find, Shee's of the bearing, breeding, femall-kind.

And some haue of their mothers wit such store, That in their fathers wisedome they are poore. A good wit is a vertue that excells, And is the house where vnderstanding dwells: With whom the minde, the memory and sense, And reason keepe continuall residence: For why, if Reason chance to bee away, Wit, (like a Colt) breaks loose and runnes astray. There's many that haue got their wealth by wit: But neuer wealth had power to purchase it. Rich fooles, and witty beggers euery where, Are the third part of Mankinde very neere. And little friendship doth blinde Fortune grant To me; for wit and mony both I want. Yet for mine eares price I could vndertake To buy as much as would a Lybell make: Or I could haue as much, as fi••s these times With worthlesse Iests, or beastly scuruy Rimes▪ To serue some Lord, and be a man of note, Or weare a garded vnregarded Coate. Wit for a foole I thinke enough I haue; But I want wit to play the crafty knaue: And then the Prouerbe I should finely fit, In playing of the foole, for want of wit.

To Archie (at the Court) Ile make a iaunt, For he can teach me any thing I want, And he will teach me for a slender fee, A foolish knaue, or knauish foole to bee. Garret growes old and honest, and withall, His skill in knauish fooling is but small: The Knight o'th Sunne can caper, dance and leape▪ And make a man small sport exceeding cheape In the old time a wiseman was a foole, That had compar'd himselfe with great Otoole: But his good dayes are past, hee's downe the winde, In both his eyes and vnderstanding blinde. But holla holla Muse, come back againe, I was halfe rauisht with a fooling vaine: And, if I had gone forward with full speede, I'de plaid the foole for want of wit indeede. As Frogs in muddy ditches vse to breede, So ther's a wit that doth from Wine proceede: And some do whet their wits so much thereon, Till all the sharpenesse and the steele is gone; With nothing left but back, the edge gone quite▪ Like an old Cat, can neither scratch nor bite. The wit I want, I haue, y••t yeelds no profit, Because a foole hath still the keeping of it.

Which had it in a Wisemans head beene planted, I should not now want what I long haue wanted; I want that vndermining policy; To purchase wealth with foule dishonesty: And I do want, and still shall want, I hope, Such actions as may well deserue a Rope. I want a mind, bad company to haunt, Which if I doe, it seemes I foresight wan••▪ I want a Kingdome and a Crowne to weare, And with that want, I want a world of care: But might I be a King, I would refuse it, Because I doe want wisedome how to vse it. When an vnworthy man obtaines the same, Hee's raiz'd to high preferment for his shame▪ For why, the office of a King is such, And of such reuerence as I dare not tutch: Like to the Thunder, is his voice exprest, His Maiesty, as lightning from the East, And though he want the art of making breath, Hee's like a Demy-god, of life and death. And as Kings (before God) are all but men, So before men, they all are gods agen. Hee's a good King, whose vertues are approu'd, Fear'd for his Iustice, for his m••rcy lou'd:

Who patternes all his Royall dignity, By the iust rule of Heauens high Maiesty, Who can distribute (to good mens content) Reward for vertue, vices punishment, Who loues a poore mans goodnesse, and doth hate All soule corruption in a man of State, Combin'd in loue with Princes neere and farre, Most affable in peace, powerfull in warre: And aboue all, religious, full of zeale, To guard the Church, & guide the Common weale. And though such Kings as this hath seldome beene; Yet such a King as this I oft haue seene. And as I want a Regall power and fame, I want Reuenues to maintaine the same: I thinke a King that's made of Ginger-bread His Subiects would obey him with more dread: And any knaue that could but kisse his Claw, And make a leg, would make me but Iack-Daw. And as the Swallow all the Summer stayes, And when the winter comes, hee flyes his wayes: So flatterers would adore my happinesse, And take their flight, and leaue me in distresse. To praise my vices, all the swarme of them Would flocke, and all my vertues would condemne.

Much worse then Rauens is their flattery, For Rauens eate not men vntill they dye: But so a flatt'ring knaue may get and thriue, Hee dayly will deuoure a man aliue. Besides, the body only feeds the Fowle: But flattery oft consumes both body and soule. For like to trencher-Flies they euer proue, Who still wait more for lucre then for loue. Thus, though I want a Kingly power Royall, 'Tis 'gainst my wil to want will to be loyall. And if that any King aliue there bee That willingly would change estates with mee, I in my bargaine should haue gold for brasse, And hee would bee accounted but an Asse. For any Kings estate, bee't ne're so bad, To change it with Iohn Taylor, were starke mad, A King of Clubs keepes subiects in more awe: For he commands his Knaue (except at Maw) A King of Spades hath more wit in his pate, To delue into the secrets of his state: The King of Diamonds is too rich and wise, To change his pleasures for my miseries. And for the King of Hearts, hee's so belou'd, That to exchange with me, hee'le ne're be mou'd,

For I am full of feares and dangerous doubts, And poorer farre then is a King of Clouts: I therefore will a Subiect still remaine, And learne to serue that am vnfit to reigne. I want ten millions of good coyned gold, And with that want, want troubles manifold: But if I had so much, what man can tell, But that I should want grace to vse it well? Within the walles and skirts of Troynouant, Many that haue most goods, most goodnesse want: For Charity and Riches seldome can Haue both possession in a wealthy man. Fooles that are rich with multitudes of Pieces, Are like poore simple sheepe with golden fleeces; A knaue, that for his wealth doth worship get, Is like the Diuell that is a cock-horse set. For money hath his nature in it still, Slaue to the goodman, master to the ill. The Couetous amidst his store is poore, The minde content is rich, and seekes no more. Who couets most, hath least; who couets least, Hath most; for why, sufficient is a feast. Wealth vnto mischiefes might my minde inchant, And therefore 'tis much good for me I want.

I want a Sonne and Heyre, and I perceiue, That he no portion could from me receiue; Vnlesse I could bequeath him Poetry, To adde more pouerty to pouerty: But as I doe want Children, I want care, And Iealousie, in which some Fathers are: For many of them rake and toyle (God wot) To gather wealth for Heyres they ne're begot: And run to Hell (through mischiefes) greedily For other mens misgotten Bastardy. The greatest females vnderneath the skye, Are but fraile vessels of mortality: And if that Grace and Ver••ue be away, Ther's Honour's shame, and Chastitie's decay. For, if inconstancie doth keepe the dore, Lust enters, and my Lady proues a Whore: And so a Bastard to the World may come, Perhaps begotten by some stable Groome; Whom the fork-headed, her cornuted Knight May play and dandle with, with great delight, And thus by one base misbegotten sonne, Gentility in a wrong line may run: And thus foule lust to worship may prefer The mungrell Issue of a Fruterer,

Or yeoman of the Bottles it may bee, Or some vnmannerd rascall worse then hee, And though the Stripling vp in yeares doth grow, He shall want wit his father how to know: But hee shall know one that will father him, And with good bringing vp maintaine him trim: And loues him with affection, as he were His owne most naturall Primogeniter. The old Knight dyes and freely giues him all, And he being growne a Gallant faire and tall, If with his cursed wealth hee purchase can, To wed the Daughter of some Nobleman, And being thus ennobled much thereby, Through his Alliance with Nobility; Hee may in time possesse an honour'd state, Which God doth curse, and all good people hate: Then shall bee search'd, if possible it be, Before Cains birth, to finde his Petigree: Then is some famous coate of Armes contriu'd, From many worthy families deriu'd. And thus may Lust & Wealth raise many a Clowne, To Reputation, and to high Renowne. Thus many good men are deceiu'd (perhaps) In bowing of their knees, and doffing Caps,

And courteously commit Idolatry, To a proud branch of Lust and Lechery. For my part, I want meanes to gull men so, I may be gull'd with others goodly show. If any finde my Children meate or cloth, I got them in my sleepe, Ile take mine oth, I cannot be deceiued in my Heyres, As some that are my betters may in theirs, And as no Bastards my free minde perplexeth, So I want Iealousie which some men vexeth. Should thousand such as Hercules combine, T'inspire with Iealousie this brest of mine; Nor all the Goatish foule luxurious brood, Could not possesse me with that frantike mood••, Shee that I haue I know her continence, And shee as well doth know my confidence; Any yet, for ought you know, both she and I May want both honesty and Iealousie: Though of our selues our knowledge is but small; Yet somewhat we doe know, and God knowes all. The man, whose wife will be a whore indeed, His Iealousie stands but in little steed: Nor can bolts, locks or walls of brasse suffice Briareus hundred hands nor Argos eyes;

Nor all the wit in man or Diuels pate, Can alter any mans allotted fate: For if a Woman be to lewdnesse giuen, And is not guided with the grace of Heauen; Shee will finde opportunity and time, In spight of watch or ward to doe the Crime: But if she bee with heauenly blessings grac't, As outward beautifull, and inward chaste; Then may foule iealousie and false suspition Against her nature alter her condition, From good to bad, from bad to naught, and worse, And turne her vertues to a vicious course. For nothing can an honest minde infect, So soone as Iealousie and false suspect: And this foule Furie many times hath wrought▪ To make the bad worse, and the good stark naught: But neuer yet by it (as I could heare) The good or bad, one iot the better were: And therefore be my wife, or good, or ill, I Iealousie doe want, and want it will. I want dissimulation to appeare, A friend to those, to whom I hatred beare: I want the knowledge of the thriuing Art▪ A holy outside and a hollow heart:

But as I am, the same Ile euer seeme, Not worse, or better, in mine owne esteeme, For what attire so e're my corps doth hide, Or whether I doe goe on foote or ride: Or were I with the Kings high fauour grac'd, Or at a great Lords boord, at dinner plac'd, And should I haue all this, I were no more But a poore Waterman, that at his Oare Doth (for a liuing) labour, tug, and pull, And carries both the Gallant and the gull. How euer others doe esteeme of me, Yet as I am, I know my selfe to be. If I doe chance to be in company, Well welcom'd, amongst true Gentility, I know in them it is a courteous part, And that in me it can be no desert. I want that high esteemed excellence Of fustian, or mockado Eloquence: To flourish o're, or bumbast▪ out my stile, To make such as not vnderstand me smile; Yet I with Non-sense could contingerate, With Catophiscoes Terragrophicate, And make my selfe admir'd immediately, Of such as vnderstand no more then I.

Besides, I want the knowledge and the skill, How these my lines may passe now well or ill: For as a learned Poet lately writ With a comparison, comparing fit Mens writings and inuentions like to Cheese, Which with some stomacks very well agrees; Some loue it, and some cannot well disgest it, Some care not for it, and some quite detest it: And so my lines to sundry hands may come, Some pleasing, and displeasing vnto some. One likes it well, and very well commends it, A second sweares 'tis naught, and madly rends it, A third cries mew, and scrues his iawes awry, And in a scornefull humour layes it by: Thus some like all, some somwhat, & some nothing. And one mans liking is anothers loathing. I want hope to please all men where I come, I want despaire, and hope I shall please some; I want ingratitude to friends, I want A willing mind, (what's written) to recant: I want 'gainst any man peculiar spite, I want a selfe-loue vnto what I write: I want some friends that would my want supply, I want some foes that would my patience trye.

If all things that I want I here should tell, To a large volume then my booke would swell; For though my selfe my wants doe boldly beare, My wants of such great waight, and number are, That sure the burden of the things I want, Would breake the backe of any Elephant.

Notes

• I should beleeue all were Gold that glisters.
• In my En∣glish La∣tine Ri∣chard Swa∣ry, I finde or coynd this wor∣thy word.
• The He∣ralds of this Of∣fice dwell at Nullibi.