From 'the Motto' Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABACCDDEEFGDDHHDDII JKDDLLMNOOOOOOAALLAA OOAAOOAAOOOOBA IIOODDPQQQOODDLLOOAA AADDOODDDARSDDOO SSTUVVAADDLLSSOOOODD LLSSOOODLLDDOODDDDSS OOSSLLSSOOAAOODDOODD| And first that no man else may censure me | A |
| For vaunting what belongeth not to me | A |
| Heare what I have not for Tie not deny | B |
| To make confession of my poverty | A |
| I have not of myselfe the powre or grace | C |
| To be or not to be one minute space | C |
| I have not strength another word to write | D |
| Or tell you what I purpose to indite | D |
| Or thinke out halfe a thought before my death | E |
| But by the leave of him that gave me breath | E |
| I have no native goodnes in my soul | F |
| But I was over all corrupt and foul | G |
| And till another cleans'd me I had nought | D |
| That was not stain'd within me not a thought | D |
| I have no propper merrit neither will | H |
| Or to resolve or act but what is ill | H |
| I have no meanes of safety or content | D |
| In ought which mine owne wisdom can invent | D |
| Nor have I reason to be desperate tho | I |
| Because for this a remedy I know | I |
| I have no portion in the world like this | J |
| That I may breathe that ayre which common is | K |
| Nor have I seen within this spacious round | D |
| What I have worth my joy or sorrow found | D |
| Except it hath for these that follow binn | L |
| The love of my Redeemer and my sinn | L |
| I none of those great priviledges have | M |
| Which makes the minions of the time so brave | N |
| I have no sumpteous pallaces or bowers | O |
| That overtop my neighbours with their tow'rs | O |
| I have no large demeanes or princely rents | O |
| Like those heroes nor their discontents | O |
| I have no glories from mine auncesters | O |
| For want of reall worth to bragg of theirs | O |
| Nor have I baseness in my pedigree | A |
| For it is noble though obscure it be | A |
| I have no golde those honours to obtaine | L |
| Which men might heretofore by vertue gaine | L |
| Nor have I witt if wealth were given me | A |
| To thinke bought place or title honour'd me | A |
| I yet have no beliefe that they are wise | O |
| Who for base ends can basely temporise | O |
| Or that it will at length be ill for me | A |
| That I liv'd poore to keepe my spirit free | A |
| I have no causes in our pleading courts | O |
| Nor start I at our Chancery reports | O |
| No fearfull bill hath yet affrighted me | A |
| No motion order judgement or decree | A |
| Nor have I forced beene to tedious journeys | O |
| Betwixt my counsellors and my attorneys | O |
| I have no neede of these long gowned warriers | O |
| Who play at Westminster unarm'd at barriers | O |
| For gamster for those Common pleas am I | B |
| Whose sport is marred by the Chancery | A |
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| I have no complements but what may show | I |
| That I doe manners and good breeding know | I |
| For much I hate the forced apish tricks | O |
| Of these our home disdaining politicks | O |
| Who to the forraine guises are affected | D |
| That English honesty is quite rejected | D |
| And in the stead thereof they furnisht home | P |
| With shadowes of humanity doe come | Q |
| Oh how judicious in their owne esteeme | Q |
| And how compleatly travelled they seem | Q |
| If in the place of reall kindnesses | O |
| Which nature could have taught them to expresse | O |
| They can with gestures lookes and language sweet | D |
| Fawne like a curtezan on all they meete | D |
| And vie in humble and kind speeches when | L |
| They doe most proudly and most falsely meane | L |
| On this too many falsely set their face | O |
| Of courtship and of wisdome but 'tis base | O |
| For servile unto me it doth appeare | A |
| When we descend to soothe and flatter where | A |
| We want affection yea I hate it more | A |
| Than to be borne a slave or to be poore | A |
| I have no pleasure or delight in ought | D |
| That by dissembling must to passe be brought | D |
| If I dislike I'll sooner tell them so | O |
| Then hide my face beneath a friendly show | O |
| For he who to be just hath an intent | D |
| Needs nor dissemble nor a lie invent | D |
| I rather wish to faile with honestie | D |
| Then to prevaile in ought by treacherie | A |
| And with this minde I'll safer sleep then all | R |
| Our Macavillian polititians shall | S |
| I have no minde to flatter though I might | D |
| Be made some lord's companion or a knight | D |
| Nor shall my verse for me on begging goe | O |
| Though I might starve unlesse it did doe so | O |
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| I cannot for my life my pen compell | S |
| Upon the praise of any man to dwell | S |
| Unlesse I know or thinke at least his worth | T |
| To be the same which I have blazed forth | U |
| Had I some honest suit the gaine of which | V |
| Would make me noble eminent and rich | V |
| And that to compasse it no meanes there were | A |
| Unlesse I basely flatter'd some great peere | A |
| Would with that suite my mine I might get | D |
| If on those terms I would endeavour it | D |
| I have not bin to their condition borne | L |
| Who are enclyned to respect and scorne | L |
| As men in their estates doe rise or fall | S |
| Or rich or poore I vertue love in all | S |
| And where I find it not I doe despise | O |
| To fawn on them how high soe're they rise | O |
| For where proud greatnesse without worth J see | O |
| Old Mordecay had not a stiffer knee | O |
| I cannot give a plaudit I protest | D |
| When as his lordship thinks he breakes a jeast | D |
| Unles it move me neither can I grin | L |
| When he a causeles laughter doth begin | L |
| I cannot sweare him truly honourable | S |
| Because he once received me to his table | S |
| i And talk't as if the Muses glad might be | O |
| That he vouchsafed such a grace to me | O |
| I His slender worth I could not blazen so | O |
| By strange hyperboles as some would do | D |
| Or wonder at it as if none had bin | L |
| His equall since King William first came in | L |
| Nor can I thinke true vertue ever car'd | D |
| To give or take for praise what I have heard | D |
| For if we pryze them well what goodly grace | O |
| Have outward beauties riches titles place | O |
| Or such that we the owners should commend | D |
| When no true vertues doe on these attend | D |
| If beautiful he be what honor's that | D |
| As fayre as he is many a beggar's brat | D |
| If we his noble titles would extoll | S |
| Those titles he may have and be a fool | S |
| If seats of justice he hath climbed we say | O |
| So tyrants and corrupt oppressors may | O |
| If for a large estate his praise we tell | S |
| A thousand villains may be praised as well | S |
| If he his prince's good esteeme be in | L |
| Why so hath many a bloudy traytor bin | L |
| And if in these things he alone excell | S |
| Let those that list upon his praises dwell | S |
| Some other worth I find ere I have sense | O |
| Of any praise deserving excellence | O |
| I have no friends that once affected were | A |
| But to my heart they sit this day as neare | A |
| As when I most endear'd them though they seeme | O |
| To fall from my opinion or esteeme | O |
| For pretious time in idle would be spent | D |
| If I with all should alwayes complement | D |
| And till my love I may to purpose show | O |
| I care not wher' they think I love or no | O |
| For sure I am if any find me chang'd | D |
| Their greatnes not their meannesse me estranged | D |
George Wither
(1)
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About From 'the Motto'
From 'the Motto' is a poem by George Wither. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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