_Fair Soul, since to the fairest body knit, You give such lively life, such quick'ning power. Such sweet celestial influence to it As keeps it still in youth's immortal flower;_
_(As where the sun is present all the year, And never doth retire his golden ray, Needs must the Spring be everlasting there, And every season, like the month of May)_
_O many, many years, may you remain A happy Angel to this happy land! Long, long may you on earth our Empress reign! Ere you in heaven, a glorious angel stand._
_Stay long, sweet Spirit, ere than to heaven depart, Which mak'st each place a heaven, wherein thou art._
_Her Majesty's least and unworthiest subject,_
Why did my parents send me to the Schools, That I with knowledge might enrich my mind? Since the Desire to Know first made men fools, And did corrupt the root of all mankind.
For when GOD's hand had written in the hearts Of the First Parents, all the rules of good; So that their skill infused, did pass all Arts That ever were, before, or since the Flood;
And when their Reason's eye was sharp and clear, And, as an eagle can behold the sun, Could have approached the Eternal Light as near As th'intellectual angels could have done:
Even then, to them the Spirit of Lies suggests That they were blind, because they saw not Ill; And breathes into their incorrupted breasts, A curious Wish, which did corrupt their Will.
For that same Ill they straight desired to know, Which Ill (being nought but a defect of Good); In all GOD's works, the Devil could not show, While Man, their Lord, in his perfection stood.
So that themselves were first to _do_ the Ill Ere they thereof the _knowledge_ could attain; Like him, that knew not poison's power to kill, Until, by tasting it, himself was slain.
Even so, by tasting of that fruit forbid, Where they sought Knowledge, they did Error find; Ill they desired to know, and Ill, they did; And to give Passion eyes, made Reason blind.
For then their minds did first in Passion see, Those wretched Shapes of Misery and Woe, Of Nakedness, of Shame, of Poverty, Which then their own experience made them know.
But then grew Reason dark, that she no more Could the fair forms of Good and Truth discern: Bats they became, that eagles were before; And this they got by their Desire to Learn.