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It boldly saith that: ‘Honours spoil

Good manners.’ ’Twere but wasted toil

If I should strive to prove how vain

That proverb is; no poisonous bane

Are honours if they chance to fall

On worthy wights, for not at all

They change men’s natures; if erst good

That nature proved in needihood,

So will it still to good incline,

When on it wealth and honour shine

’Fore all the world; but if poor men

Are vicious, past all question then,

If they arrive at high estate,

They do but show more reprobate.

The name of power is ill applied

To malice, ignorance, and pride,

For hath not sacred Scripture shown

That power proceeds from God alone?

And no man doth God’s law transgress,

Save when misled by foolishness:

And every man who sees aright,

Knows lack of good is lack of might,

For thus ’tis said in Holy Writ;

But if, still unconvinced of it,

Thy soul remaineth yet in doubt,

Nor draws assurance full thereout,

I’ll quickly show that nought can be

Impossible to the Deity.

No man would dare to say the will

Of God could ever stoop to ill,

And owning that, thou know’st right well,

That God hath power o’er heaven and hell,