| |
| FALSE world, good night! since thou hast brought | |
| That hour upon my morn of age; | |
| Henceforth I quit thee from my thought, | |
| My part is ended on thy stage. | |
| |
| Yes, threaten, do. Alas! I fear | 5 |
| As little as I hope from thee: | |
| I know thou canst not show nor bear | |
| More hatred than thou hast to me. | |
| |
| My tender, first, and simple years | |
| Thou didst abuse and then betray; | 10 |
| Since stir’d’st up jealousies and fears, | |
| When all the causes were away. | |
| |
| Then in a soil hast planted me | |
| Where breathe the basest of thy fools; | |
| Where envious arts professèd be, | 15 |
| And pride and ignorance the schools; | |
| |
| Where nothing is examined, weigh’d, | |
| But as ’tis rumour’d, so believed; | |
| Where every freedom is betray’d, | |
| And every goodness tax’d or grieved. | 20 |
| |
| But what we’re born for, we must bear: | |
| Our frail condition it is such | |
| That what to all may happen here, | |
| If ’t chance to me, I must not grutch. | |
| |
| Else I my state should much mistake | 25 |
| To harbour a divided thought | |
| From all my kind—that, for my sake, | |
| There should a miracle be wrought. | |
| |
| No, I do know that I was born | |
| To age, misfortune, sickness, grief: | 30 |
| But I will bear these with that scorn | |
| As shall not need thy false relief. | |
| |
| Nor for my peace will I go far, | |
| As wanderers do, that still do roam; | |
| But make my strengths, such as they are, | 35 |
| Here in my bosom, and at home. | |
| |
