16411536Con
sider what you
fir
st did
sweare vnto:
16421537To fa
st, to
study, and to
see no woman:
16431538Flat trea
son gain
st the kingly
state of youth.
16441539Say, Can you fa
st? your
stomacks are too young:
16451540And ab
stinence ingenders maladies.
16461541And where that you haue vowd to
studie (Lordes)
16471542In that each of you haue for
sworne his Booke.
16481543Can you
still dreame and poare and thereon looke.
16491544For when would you my Lord, or you, or you,
16501545Haue found the ground of Studies excellence,
16511546Without the beautie of a womans face?
16521547From womens eyes this do
ctrine I deriue,
16531548They are the Ground, the Bookes, the Achadems,
16541549From whence doth
spring the true
Promethean fire.
16551550Why vniuer
sall plodding poy
sons vp
16561551The nimble
spirites in the arteries,
16571552As motion and long during a
ction tyres
16581553The
sinnowy vigour of the trauayler.
16591554Now for not looking on a womans face,
16601555You haue in that for
sworne the v
se of eyes:
16611556And
studie too, the cau
ser of your vow.
16621557For where is any Authour in the worlde,
16631558Teaches
such beautie as a womas eye:
16641559Learning is but an adiun
ct to our
selfe,
16651560And where we are, our Learning likewi
se is.
16661561Then when our
selues we
see in Ladies eyes,
16681563Do we not likewi
se
see our learning there?
16691564O we haue made a Vow to
studie, Lordes,
16701565And in that Vow we haue for
sworne our Bookes:
16711566For when would you (my Leedge) or you, or you?
16721567In leaden contemplation haue found out
16731568Such
fierie Numbers as the prompting eyes,
16741569Of beautis tutors haue inritcht you with:
16751570Other
slow Artes intirely keepe the braine:
16761571And therefore
finding barraine pra
ctizers,
16771572Scarce
shew a harue
st of their heauie toyle.
But