Page:Sir Walter Raleigh by Thoreau, Henry David,.djvu/127

 Tell physic of her boldness;

Tell skill it is pretension;

Tell charity of coldness;

Tell law it is contention:

And if they yield reply,

Then give them still the lie.

Tell fortune of her blindness;

Tell nature of decay;

Tell friendship of unkindness;

Tell justice of delay:

And if they do reply,

Then give them all the lie.

Tell arts they have no soundness,

But vary by esteeming;

Tell schools they lack profoundness,

And stand too much on seeming.

If arts and schools reply,

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.

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

Deserves no less than stabbing

Yet stab at thee who will,

No stab the soul can kill.