Mine eyes to Argus, if mine eyes can see,
If they be blind, then, Love, I give them thee;
My tongue to Fame; to ambassadors mine

ears;

To women, or the sea, my tears;

Thou, Love, hast taught me heretofore

By making me serve her who'd twenty more, That I should give to none, but such as had too much before.

My constancy I to the planets give;

My truth to them who at the court do live;
Mine ingenuity and openness

To Jesuits; to buffoons my pensiveness;
My silence to any, who abroad have been ;
My money to a Capuchin.

Thou, Love, taught'st me, by appointing me To love there, where no love receiv'd can be, Only to give to such as have no good capacity.

My faith I give to Roman Catholics;
All my good works unto the schismatics
Of Amsterdam; my best civility
And courtship to an university;

My modesty I give to soldiers bare;

My patience let gamesters share.

Thou, Love, taught'st me, by making me Love her that holds my love disparity,

Only to give to those that count my gifts indignity.

I give my reputation to those

Which were my friends; mine industry to foes;
To schoolmen I bequeath my doubtfulness;

My sickness to physicians, or excess ;
To Nature, all that I in rhyme have writ;
And to my company my wit;

Thou, Love, by making me adore

Her, who begot this love in me before, Taught'st me to make, as though I gave, when I do but restore.

To him for whom the passing bell next tolls,
I give my physic books; my written rolls
Of moral counsels I to Bedlam give;

My brazen medals, unto them which live
In want of bread; to them which pass among
All foreigners, my English tongue,

Thou, Love, by making me love one

Who thinks her friendship a fit portion

For younger lovers, dost my gifts thus disproportion.

Therefore I'll give no more ; but I'll undo
The world by dying; because Love dies too.
Then all your beauties will be no more worth
Than gold in mines, where none doth draw it
forth;

And all your graces no more use shall have,
Than a sun-dial on a grave.

Thou, Love, taughtest me, by making me Love her, who doth neglect both me and thee, T'invent and practise this one way t' annihilate all three.-John Donne.

XCIV.

ADVICE TO LADIES.

YOUR shining eyes and golden hair,
Your lily-rosed lips so fair;

Your various beauties which excel,

Men cannot choose but like them well:
Yet when for them they say they'll die,
Believe them not,-they do but lie.—Anon.

XCV.

DISDAIN RETURNED.

HE that loves a rosy cheek,
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from star-like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires;
As old Time makes these decay,
So his flame must waste away.

But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thoughts, and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never-dying fires :-
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.

No tears, Celia, now shall win

My resolv'd heart to return;
I have searched thy soul within,

And find nought but pride and scorn;
I have learn'd thy arts, and now
Can disdain as much as thou.

Some Pow'r, in my revenge convey
That love to her I cast away.-T. Carew.

XCVI.

LADIES' EYES.

OFT have I mused the cause to find

Why Love in ladies' eyes should dwell;

I thought, because himself was blind,

He look'd that they should guide him well : And sure his hope but seldom fails,

For Love by ladies' eyes prevails.

But time at last hath taught me wit,
Although I bought my wit full dear;
For by her eyes my heart is hit,

Deep is the wound though none appear: Their glancing beams as darts he throws, And sure he hath no shafts but those.

I mused to see their eyes so bright,
And little thought they had been fire;
I gazed upon them with delight,

But that delight hath bred desire :

What better place can Love desire

Than that where grow both shafts and fire?

Anon.

XCVII.

TO DIANA.

QUEEN and Huntress, chaste and fair,

Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair,

State in wonted manner keep :

Hesperus entreats thy light,

Goddess excellently bright.

Earth, let not thy envious shade
Dare itself to interpose;

Cynthia's shining orb was made

Heaven to clear when day did close:

Bless us then with wishèd sight,
Goddess excellently bright.

Lay thy bow of pearl apart

And thy crystal-shining quiver;

Give unto the flying hart

Space to breathe, how short soever :

Thou that mak'st a day of night,
Goddess excellently bright.

Ben Jonson

XCVIII.

THE SIGNS OF LOVE.

ONCE did my thoughts both ebb and flow,
As passion did them move;

Once did I hope, straight fear again,—
And then I was in love.

Once did I waking spend the night,
And tell how many minutes move.
Once did I wishing waste the day,—
And then I was in love.

Once, by my carving true love's knot,

The weeping trees did prove

That wounds and tears were both our lot,

And then I was in love.

Once did I breathe another's breath

And in my mistress move,
Once was I not mine own at all,-
And then I was in love.

Once did I sonnet to my saint,

My soul in numbers move,
Once did I tell a thousand lies,—

And then I was in love.

Once in my ear did dangling hang

A little turtle-dove,

Once, in a word, I was a fool,—

And then I was in love.-Robert Jones.

XCIX.

THE DAWNING DAY.

FLY hence, shadows, that do keep
Watchful sorrows, charmed in sleep!