(From John Norden’s ‘Surueyors Dialogue,’ 1607.)
| Looke ere thou light into the hands of some; | |
| Some lay but traps, to catch thee in disgrace: | |
| Disgrace thou none, be silent where thou come, | |
| (Yet thou shalt come where Momus is in place,) | |
| Place thee with those, whose hearts aright do see, | |
| And seeing iudge, in fauour, faults that be. | |
| Faults be in thee; who sayes he doth not erre, | |
| Erres, in conceit, that he alone is free: | |
| And such, not free, will sure thy faults transferre, | |
| And for one fault transferre them ten in thee: | |
| Not thee in this, but me they discommend, | |
| That I abroad do thee so basely send. | |
| Base I thee send: excuse me what thou can; | |
| If thou can not, plead thus to seeming friends: | |
| Alas, my friends, abortiue I began: | |
| Who me began, thus meanely foorth me sends, | |
| That I might send him, how I passe the taunts | |
| Of tanting toungs, that seek their praise by vaunts. | |
| I vaunt it not, but am content to be | |
| Where meanest be, that blush to shew their face: | |
| Who sees my face, a picture base may see; | |
| Yet may he see farre fayrer find disgrace. | |
| Disgrace not him, that sends me for good will, | |
| But will him well. Requite not good with ill. |
