life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...

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60 Thomas More’s Life of John Picus
The Loss of a Better Thing.
When thou labourest thy pleasure for to buy
Upon the price look thou well thee advise,
Thou sellest thy soul therefor even by and by
To thy most utter despiteous° enemies:
O mad merchant, O foolish merchandise,
To buy a trifle, O childish reckoning,
And pay therefore so dear a precious thing!
⌐ This ¬ Life a Dream and a Shadow.
This wretched life, the trust and confidence
Of whose continuance maketh us bold to sin,
Thou perceivest well by experience,
Since that hour in which it did begin,
It holdeth on the course and will not lin,°
But fast it runneth on and passen shall
As doth a dream or shadow on the wall. 1
Death at our Hand and Unaware.
Consider well that ever night and day,
While that we busily provide and care
For our disport,° revel, mirth and play,
For pleasant melody and dainty fare,
Death stealeth on full slyly and unaware:
He lieth at hand and shall us enterprise°
We wot° not how soon nor in what manner wise.
Fear of Impenitent Departing.
If thou shouldst God offend, think how therefor
Thou were forthwith° in very jeopardous case:
6 despiteous pitiless, cruel / 17 lin cease / 25 disport entertainment / 28 enterprise attack,
overcome / 29 wot know / 34 forthwith immediately
1. shadow on the wall: As Edward points out, “The phrase is biblical in origin (cf. Ps. 143:4; Eccles.
7:1, 8:13, 9:8; Wis. 2:5) and had become proverbial in Middle English” (CW 1:247). Given Picus’
Neoplatonic tendencies, it may also be an allusion to the shadows cast on the wall in Plato’s
image of the cave (Republic VII).
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