Grave, as when pris’ners fhake the head and swear 'Twas only Suretiship that brought 'em there.

78 His Office keeps your Parchment fates entire, He starves with cold to save them from the fire ; For you

So huge that men (in our times forwardness)
Are Fathers of the Church for writing less.
These he writes not; nor for these written payes,
Therefore spares no length (as in those first dayes
When Luther was profest, he did desire
Short Pater-nafters, saying as a Fryer
Each day his Beads ; but having left those laws,
Adds to Christ's prayer, the power and glory clause)
But when he fells or changes land, h'impaires
The writings, and (unwatch’d) leaves out, ses heires,
As sily as any

Commenter
Hard words, or fenfe; or, in Divinity
As controvcrters in vouch'd Texts, leave out
Shrew'd words, which might against them clear the

doubt. Where are these spread woods which cloath'd

heretofore Those bought lands ? not built, not burnt within doar.

goes by

VER. 104. So Luther, etc.) Our Poet, by judiciously transposing this fine fimilitude, has given luftre to his Author's thought. The Lawyer, (says Dr. Donne) enlarges the legal inftruments for conveying property to the bigness of glossd civil Laws, when it is to secure his own ill-got wealth. But let the same Lawyer convey property for you, and he then omits even the necessary words; and becomes as concise and hafty as the loose postils of a modern Divine. So Lutber while a Monk, and, by his Institution, obliged to say Mass, and pray in Person for others, thought even his Pater nofter too long. But when he set up for a Governor in the Church, and his business was to direct others how to pray for the success of his new Model; he then lengthened the Pater-nefter

3

So vast, our new Divines, we must confess,
Are Fathers of the Church for writing less.
But let them write for you, each rogue impairs
The deeds, and dextrously omits, ses beires :
No Commentator can more sily pass
O'er a learn'd, unintelligible place ;
Or, in quotation, shrewd Divines leave out
Those words, that would against them clear the doubt.

So Luther thought the Pater-nofter long, 105
When doom'd to say his beads and Even-fong ;
But having cast his cowle, and left those laws,
Adds to Christ's pray'r, the Fower and Glory clau'e.

The lands are bought; but where are to be found Those ancient woods, that shaded all the ground? We see no new-built palaces aspire, No kitchens emulate the veftal fire.

III

Where the old landlords troops, and almes ? In halls

Carthufian Fafts, and fulsome Bacchanals

Equally I hate. Mean's bleft. In rich men's homes

I bid kill fome beasts, but no hecatombs ;

None starve, none furfeit so. But (oh) we allow

Good works as good, but out of fashion now,

Like old rich wardrobes. But my words none draws

Within the vaft reach of th' huge statutes jawes.

Ver. 127. Treason, or the Law.] By the Law is here meant the Lawyers,

Where are those troops of Poor, that throng'd of yore
The good old landlord's hospitable door ?
Well, I could with, that still in lordly domes 115
Some beasts were kill'd, tho' not whole hecatombs ;
That both extremes were banish'd from their walls, ,
Carthusian fasts, and fulfome Bacchanals;
And all mankind inight that just Mean observe,
In which none e'er could surfeit, none could starve.
These as good works, 'tis true, we all allow ; 121
But oh! these works are not in fashion now:
Like rich old wardrobes, things extremely rare,
Extremely fine, but what no man will wear.

Thus much I've said, I trust, without offence ;
Let no Court Sycophant pervert my sense, 126
Nor sly Informer watch these words to draw
Within the reach of 'Treason, or the Law.