Poem by Alexander Brome

The Advice

1.

HE that a happy life would lead,
In these dayes of distraction,
Let him listen to me, and I will read
A lecture without faction;
Let him want three things,
Whence misery springs,
All which do begin with a letter;
Let him bound his desires,
With what nature requires,
And with reason his humours fetter.

2.

Let not his Wealth prodigious grow,
For that breeds cares and dangers;
Makes him hated above and envyed below,
And a constant slave to strangers.
He is happiest of all,
Whose estate is but small,
Yet enough to delight and maintain him:
He may do, he may say,
Having nothing to pay,
It will not quit costs to arraign him.

3.

Nor must he be clogg'd with a Wife;
For houshold cares incumber;
And do to one place confine a mans life,
'Cause he can't remove his lumber.
They're happiest by far,
Who unwedded are,
And forrage on all in common;
From all storms they can fly,
And if they should dy,
They ruine nor child nor woman.

4.

Nor let his brains o'rflow with wit,
That capers o••'s discretion;
'Tis costly to keep, and 'tis hard to get,
And 'tis dangerous in the possession.
They are happiest men
Who can scarce tell ten,
And beat not their brains about reason;
They may speak what will serve,
Themselves to preserve,
And their words are ne'r taken for treason.

5.

But of all fools there is none like the Wit,
For he takes pains to shew it;
When his pride, or his drink, work him into a fit;
Then straight he must be a Poet:
Then his Jests he flings,
Both at States and at Kings,
For Applause, and for Bayes and Shadows:
Thinks a verse saves as well
As a circle or a spell,
'Till he rhithmes himself to the Barbadoes.

6.

He that within these bounds can live,
May baffle all disasters;
To Fortune and Fates commands he may give,
Which worldlings make their masters.
He may sing, he may laugh,
He may dance, he may quaff;
May be mad, may be sad, may be jolly;
He may sleep without care,
And wake without fear,
And laugh at the whole world, and its folly.

1. To his Mistress (LAdy you'l wonder when you see)
2. Copernicus
3. The Leveller
4. The Hard Heart
5. The Saints Encouragement

Charles Sackville The Advice ("Phyllis, for shame! let us improve")

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