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Home  »  The English Poets  »  Content (from Patient Grissil)

Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. II. The Seventeenth Century: Ben Jonson to Dryden

Thomas Dekker (c. 1570–1632)

Content (from Patient Grissil)

ART thou poor, yet hast thou golden slumbers?

O sweet Content!

Art thou rich, yet is thy mind perplexed?

O Punishment!

Dost laugh to see how fools are vexed

To add to golden numbers golden numbers?

O sweet Content, O sweet, O sweet Content!

Work apace, apace, apace, apace,

Honest labour bears a lovely face.

Then hey noney, noney; hey noney, noney.

Canst drink the waters of the crisped spring?

O sweet Content!

Swim’st thou in wealth, yet sink’st in thine own tears?

O Punishment!

Then he that patiently Want’s burden bears

No burden bears, but is a king, a king.

O sweet Content, O sweet, O sweet Content!

Work apace, apace, etc.