| 1 | 1 | My mind to me a kingdom is: | My minde to me a kingdome is; |
| 2 | 2 | Such perfect joy therein I find | Such perfect joy therein i finde |
| 3 | 3 | That it excels all other bliss | As farre exceeds all earthly blisse, |
| 4 | 4 | That God or nature hath assigned. | That God, or Nature, hath assignde: |
| 5 | 5 | Though much I want, that most would have, | Though much I want, that most would have, |
| 6 | 6 | Yet still my mind forbids to crave. | Yet still my mind forbids to crave. |
| 7 | 7 | | |
| 8 | 8 | No princely port, nor wealthy store, | Content I live; this is my stay; |
| 9 | 9 | No force to win a victory, | I seek no more than may suffice: |
| 10 | 10 | No wily wit to salve a sore, | I presse to beare no haugthie sway; |
| 11 | 11 | No shape to win a loving eye; | Look what I lack my mind supplies. |
| 12 | 12 | To none of these I yield as thrall! | Loe! thus I triumph like a king, |
| 13 | 13 | For why? my mind despise them all. | Content with that my mind doth bring. |
| 14 | 14 | | |
| 15 | 15 | I see that plenty surfeits oft, | I see how plentie surfets oft, |
| 16 | 16 | And hasty climbers soonest fall; | And hastie clymbers soonest fall: |
| 17 | 17 | I see that such as are aloft, | I see that such as sit aloft |
| 18 | 18 | Mishap doth threaten most of all. | Mishap doth threaten most of all: |
| 19 | 19 | These get with toil, and keep with fear: | These get with toile, and keep with feare: |
| 20 | 20 | Such cares my mind can never bear. | Such cares my mind could never beare. |
| 21 | 21 | | |
| 22 | 22 | I press to bear no haughty sway, | No princely pompe, nor welthie store, |
| 23 | 23 | I wish no more than may suffice, | No force to winne the victorie, |
| 24 | 24 | I do no more, than well I may; | No wylie wit to salve a sore, |
| 25 | 25 | Look, what I want, my mind supplies. | No shape to winne a lover's eye; |
| 26 | 26 | Lo, thus I triumph like a king, | To none of these I yeeld as thrall, |
| 27 | 27 | My mind content with any thing. | For why my mind despiseth all. |
| 28 | 28 | | |
| 29 | 29 | I laugh not at anotherâs loss, | Some have too much, yet still they crave; |
| 30 | 30 | Nor grudge not at anotherâs gain. | I little have, yet seek no more: |
| 31 | 31 | No worldly waves my mind can toss, | They are but poore, tho' much they have; |
| 32 | 32 | I brook that is anotherâs bane; | And I am rich with little store: |
| 33 | 33 | I fear no foe, nor fawn on friend, | They poor, I rich; they beg, I give; |
| 34 | 34 | I loathe not life nor dread mine end. | They lacke, I lend; they pine, I live. |
| 35 | 35 | | |
| 36 | 36 | My wealth is health and perfect ease; | I laugh not at another's losse, |
| 37 | 37 | And conscience clear my chief defence; | I grudge not at another's gaine; |
| 38 | 38 | I never seek by bribes to please, | No worldly wave my mind can tosse; |
| 39 | 39 | Nor by desert to give offence, | I brooke that is another's bane: |
| 40 | 40 | Thus do I live, thus will I die: | I feare no foe, nor fawne on friend; |
| 41 | | I lothe not life, nor dread mine end. |
| 42 | | |
| 43 | | I joy not in no earthly blisse; |
| 44 | | I weigh not Cresus' welth a straw; |
| 45 | | For care, I care not what it is; |
| 46 | | I feare not fortune's fatall law: |
| 47 | | My mind is such as may not move |
| 48 | | For beautie bright or force of love. |
| 49 | | |
| 50 | | I wish but what I have at will; |
| 51 | | I wander not to seeke for more; |
| 52 | | I like the plaine, I clime no hill; |
| 53 | | In greatest storms I sitte on shore; |
| 54 | | And laugh at them that toile in vaine |
| 55 | | To get what must be lost againe. |
| 56 | | |
| 57 | | I kisse not where I wish to kill; |
| 58 | | I feigne not love where most I hate; |
| 59 | | I breake no sleep to winne my will; |
| 60 | | I wayte not at the mightie's gate; |
| 61 | | I scorne no poore, I fear no rich; |
| 62 | | I feele no want, nor have too much. |
| 63 | | |
| 64 | | The court, ne cart, I like, ne loath; |
| 65 | | Extreames are counted worst of all: |
| 66 | | The golden meane betwixt them both |
| 67 | | Doth surest sit, and fears no fall: |
| 68 | | This is my choyce, for why I finde, |
| 69 | | No wealth is like a quiet minde. |
| 70 | | |
| 71 | | My welth is health, and perfect ease; |
| 72 | | My conscience clere my chiefe defence: |
| 73 | | I never seeke by brybes to please, |
| 74 | | Nor by desert to give offence: |
| 75 | | Thus do I live, thus will I die; |
| 41 | 76 | Would all did so as well as I! | Would all did so as well as I! |
To select texts manually for this utility, click on the link at the
top of each of the two texts you wish to compare, and then return to this page and
reload it. The text ids are stored as cookies.
