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Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

The End of Learning

LI. George Chapman

THIS is learning;—to have skill to throw

Reins on your bodie’s powers that nothing knowe,

And fill the soule’s powers so with act and art

That she can curbe the bodie’s angrie part;

All perturbations, all effects that stray

From their one object, which is to obey

Her soveraigne empire; as herselfe should force

Their functions only, to serve her discourse;

And that, to beat the streight path of one ende,

Which is—to make her substance still contend

To be God’s image, in informing it

With knowledge, holy thoughts, and all forms fit

For that eternitie ye seeke in way

Of his sole imitation, and to sway

Your life’s love too, that He may still be center

To all your pleasures; and you (here) may enter

The next life’s peace, in governing so well

Your sensual parts, that you as free may dwell

Of vulgare raptures here as when calme death

Dissolves that learned empire with your breath.

To teach and live thus, is the only use

And end of learning. Skill, that doth produce

But tearmes and tongues, and parroting of arte,

Without that powre to rule the errant part,

Is that which some call learned ignorance,

A serious trifle, error in a trance;

And let a scholar all earthy volumes carrie,

He will be but a walking dictionarie,—

A mere articulate clocke, that doth but speake

By other’s arts.

So that as travaylers seeke their peace through storms,

In passing many sees for many forms

Of forraigne government, indure the paine

Of many faces seeing, and the gaine

That strangers make of their strange loving humors,

Learn tongues, keep note-books, all to feed the tumors

Of vaine discourse at home, or serve the course

Of state employment, never having force

T’employ themselves; but idle compliments

Must pay their pains, costs, slaveries, all their rents,

And, though they many men know, get few friends.

So covetous readers, setting many ends

To their much skill to talke, studiers of phrase,

Shifters in art, to flutter in the blaze

Of ignorant count’nance; to obtain degrees,

And lye in learning’s bottome, like the lees;

To be accounted deepe by shallow men,

And carve all language in one glorious pen,

May have much fame for learning; but th’ effect

Proper to perfect learning, to direct

Reason in such an art, as that it can

Turn blood to soule, and make both one calme man.

So making peace with God, doth differ farre

From clerkes that goe with God and man to warre.