| GO, Soul, the body’s guest, | |
| Upon a thankless arrant: | |
| Fear not to touch the best; | |
| The truth shall be thy warrant: | |
| Go, since I needs must die, | 5 |
| And give the world the lie. | |
|
| Say to the court, it glows | |
| And shines like rotten wood; | |
| Say to the church, it shows | |
| What’s good, and doth no good: | 10 |
| If church and court reply, | |
| Then give them both the lie. | |
|
| Tell potentates, they live | |
| Acting by others’ action; | |
| Not loved unless they give, | 15 |
| Not strong, but by a faction: | |
| If potentates reply, | |
| Give potentates the lie. | |
|
| Tell men of high condition, | |
| That manage the estate, | 20 |
| Their purpose is ambition, | |
| Their practice only hate: | |
| And if they once reply, | |
| Then give them all the lie. | |
|
| Tell them that brave it most, | 25 |
| They beg for more by spending, | |
| Who, in their greatest cost, | |
| Seek nothing but commending: | |
| And if they make reply, | |
| Then give them all the lie. | 30 |
|
| Tell zeal it wants devotion; | |
| Tell love it is but lust; | |
| Tell time it is but motion; | |
| Tell flesh it is but dust: | |
| And wish them not reply, | 35 |
| For thou must give the lie. | |
|
| Tell age it daily wasteth; | |
| Tell honour how it alters; | |
| Tell beauty how she blasteth; | |
| Tell favour how it falters: | 40 |
| And as they shall reply, | |
| Give every one the lie. | |
|
| Tell wit how much it wrangles | |
| In tickle points of niceness; | |
| Tell wisdom she entangles | 45 |
| Herself in over-wiseness: | |
| And when they do reply, | |
| Straight give them both the lie. | |
|
| Tell physic of her boldness; | |
| Tell skill it is pretension; | 50 |
| Tell charity of coldness; | |
| Tell law it is contention: | |
| And as they do reply, | |
| So give them still the lie. | |
|
| Tell fortune of her blindness; | 55 |
| Tell nature of decay; | |
| Tell friendship of unkindness; | |
| Tell justice of delay; | |
| And if they will reply, | |
| Then give them all the lie. | 60 |
|
| Tell arts they have no soundness, | |
| But vary by esteeming; | |
| Tell schools they want profoundness, | |
| And stand too much on seeming: | |
| If arts and schools reply, | 65 |
| Give arts and schools the lie. | |
|
| Tell faith it’s fled the city; | |
| Tell how the country erreth; | |
| Tell, manhood shakes off pity; | |
| Tell, virtue least preferreth: | 70 |
| And if they do reply, | |
| Spare not to give the lie. | |
|
| So when thou hast, as I | |
| Commanded thee, done blabbing,— | |
| Although to give the lie | 75 |
| Deserves no less than stabbing,— | |
| Stab at thee he that will, | |
No stab the soul can kill.
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Sir Walter Raleigh's Cell in the Tower of London
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