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| MAN 1 is in sacred writ compar’d to grasse, | |
| Which flourishing to-day sends forth its flowre, | |
| With’ring at night is cast into the fire; | |
| Of short persistance, like an Aprill showre; | |
| For who so now perceiues the sunne to shine, | 5 |
| His life is done before that his decline. | |
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| Our dayes consume and passe away like smoake; | |
| Like thornes, soon kindled, soon extinct; | |
| Or like a ship that swiftly slides the sea; | |
| Vncertaine, fickle, irksome, and succinct, | 10 |
| Recite I all the fading types I can, | |
| Yet none so momentarie as is man. | |
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| Vnto a shadow Iob doth life compare, | |
| Which when the bodie moues doth vanish quite; | |
| To vanitie, and likewise to a dreame, | 15 |
| Whereof we haue an hundred in one night. | |
| Dauid’s resembling life vnto a span, | |
| Doth shew the short continuance of man. | |
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| If happinesse consist in length of dayes, | |
| An oke more happie than a man appeares; | 20 |
| So doth the elephant and sturdie stagge, | |
| Which commonly doe liue two hundred yeares; | |
| But mortall man, as Moses doth vnfould, | |
| If he liue fourscore yeares is counted old. | |
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| When Xerxes with ten hundred thousand men | 25 |
| Attempted warre, his eyes did showre forth teares | |
| To thinke, not one of those whome he imploy’d | |
| Should be aliue within one hundred yeares; | |
| For Adam’s heyres ingaged doe remaine | |
| To pay what he receiued and lost againe. | 30 |
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| The day wherein we first beheld the light | |
| Begins our death, for life doth daily fade: | |
| Our day of death begins our happie life; | |
| We are in danger till our debt is paid. | |
| Life is but lent, we owe it to the Lord; | 35 |
| When ’tis demanded it must be restor’d. | |
