Author: Poems and Fancies Research Assistant

¹
Some by their industry and² learning found
That all the blood like to the sea runs round:
From two great arteries it doth begin,³
Runs through all veins, and so comes back again.⁴
The muscles like the tides do ebb and flow                   5
According as the several spirits go.
The sinews, as small pipes, come from the head,
And⁵ all about the body they are⁶ spread,
Through which the animal spirits are conveyed
To every member, as the pipes are laid.                        10
And from those sinews-pipes each sense doth take
Of those pure spirits, as they us do make.

¹

’Tis thought an unctuous matter comes from² the sun
In streaming³ beams, which Earth doth feed upon,
And that the Earth by them, when they ascend,⁴
Unto the sun a nourishment doth send.⁵
And so each⁶ beam the sun doth make a chain,                         5
Which brings down food and draws food⁷ back again.
Or we may well those beams to ships compare,⁸
Where each is laden with the richest ware.⁹
Each ship¹⁰ is fraught with heat; through air it sails¹¹
And brings this heat to th’Earth, which never fails¹²              10
By traffic’s laws equal returns to make,¹³
And sends instead of heat moist vapor back.¹⁴
Great danger is, if ships be overfraught,¹⁵
For many times they sink with their own weight:¹⁶
And¹⁷ those gilt ships such fate¹⁸ do¹⁹ often find,                         15
They sink with too much weight or split with wind.

¹

Nothing so hard in nature as faith is,²
For³ to believe impossibilities—
Not that they’re not,⁴ but that they do not clear⁵
Unto our reason and to sense appear.⁶                      
For reason cannot find them out, since they⁷                    5
Seem wrought beyond all Nature’s course and way.⁸
For⁹ many things our senses dull may scape,¹⁰
For they’re too gross to know each form and¹¹ shape.
So in this world another world¹² may be,
Which¹³ we do neither touch, taste, smell, hear, see.¹⁴   10
What eye so clear is, yet did ever see¹⁵
Those little hooks that in the loadstone be,¹⁶
Which draw hard iron, or give reasons why¹⁷
The needle’s point still in the north will lie?
As for example, atoms in the air                                           15
We ne’er perceive, although the light be fair.
And¹⁸ whatsoever can a body claim,
Though ne’er so small, life may be in the same.
And what has¹⁹ life may understanding have,
Though’t²⁰ be to us as buried in the²¹ grave.                      20
Then probably may men and women small,
Live in the world, which we know not²² at all,
May build them houses to dwell in, and make²³
Orchards and gardens,²⁴ where they pleasure take,
Have²⁵ birds which sing, and cattle in the field,                25
May plow and sow, and there²⁶ small corn may yield;
They may have commonwealths,²⁷ and kings to reign,
Make wars and battles, where are many²⁸ slain,
And all without our hearing, or our sight,
Or²⁹ any of our other senses³⁰ light.                                     30
And other stars, and suns, and moons³¹ may be,
Which our dull eyes shall never come to see.
But we are apt to laugh at tales so told:
Thus senses gross do back our reason³² hold.
Yet things which are ’gainst nature we think³³ true,        35
That spirits change and can take bodies new,
That life may be, yet in no body live,
For which no sense nor reason we can give.
As³⁴ incorporeal spirits this fancy³⁵ feigns,
Yet fancy cannot be without some brains.                          40
If fancy³⁶ without substance cannot³⁷ be,
Then souls are more than reason well can see.

Just like as in¹ a nest of boxes round
Degrees of sizes in² each box are found,
So in this world, may many worlds more³ be,
Thinner and less, and less still by degree.
Although they are not subject to our sense,              5
A world may be no bigger than twopence.
Nature is curious, and such works may shape⁴
Which our dull senses easily escape.⁵
For creatures small as atoms may be there,
If every atom⁶ a creature’s figure bear.                    10
If atoms four⁷ a world can make,⁸ then see
What several worlds might in an earring be.
For millions of these⁹ atoms may be in
The head of one small little single pin.
And if thus small, then ladies well may¹⁰ wear       15
A world of worlds as pendants in each ear.

An earring round may well a zodiac¹ be,
Wherein a sun goes round, which we don’t² see;
And planets seven about that sun may move,
And he stand still, as learnèd men³ would prove;
And fixèd stars like twinkling diamonds, placed                   5
About this earring, which a world is vast.
That same which doth the earring hold, the hole,
Is that we call the North and Southern Pole;⁴
There nipping frosts may be, and winters⁵ cold,
Yet never on the lady’s ear take hold.                                      10
And lightning,⁶ thunder, and great winds may blow
Within this earring, yet the ear not know.
Fish there may swim in seas, which ebb and flow,⁷
And islands be, wherein do spices grow;⁸
There crystal rocks hang dangling at each ear,                     15
And golden mines as jewels may they wear.
There earthquakes⁹ be, which mountains vast down fling,
And yet ne’er stir the lady’s ear, nor ring.
There meadows¹⁰ be, and pastures fresh and green,
And cattle feed, and yet be never seen,                                   20
And gardens fresh,¹¹ and birds which sweetly sing,
Although we hear them not in an earring.
There¹² night and day, and heat and cold, and so¹³
May¹⁴ life and death, and young and old still grow.¹⁵
Thus¹⁶ youth may spring, and several ages die;                    25
Great plagues may be, and no infections¹⁷ nigh.
There cities¹⁸ be, and stately houses¹⁹ built,
Their²⁰ inside gay, and finely may be gilt.
There churches be,²¹ wherein priests teach and sing,²²
And steeples²³ too, yet hear the bells not ring.                      30
From thence may pious tears to Heaven run,²⁴
And yet the ear not know which way they’re gone.
There markets be,²⁵ where things are²⁶ bought and sold,
Though th’ear knows not the price their²⁷ markets hold.
There governors do²⁸ rule, and kings do²⁹ reign,                  35
And battles fought, where many may be³⁰ slain.
And all within the compass of this ring,
Whence they no³¹ tidings to the wearer bring.
Within the³² ring, wise counsellors may sit,
And yet the ear not one wise word may get.                           40
There may be dancing all night at a ball,
And yet the ear be not disturbed at all.
There rivals³³ duels fight, where some are slain;
There³⁴ lovers mourn, yet hear them not complain.
And Death may dig a lover’s grave: thus were                        45
A lover dead in a fair lady’s ear.
But when the ring is broke, the world is done;
Then lovers they into Elysium run.³⁵

There may be many worlds like circles round;
In after ages more worlds may be found.¹
If we by art of shipping could into²
Each circle slip, we might perhaps it know.³
This world compared to some may be but small:              5
No doubt but⁴ Nature made degrees of all.
If not, Drake ne’er had made so quick a skip⁵
About the largest circle in⁶ his⁷ ship.
For⁸ some may be so big as none can swim,
Had they the life of old Methusalem.                                  10
Or had they lives to number with each day,
They would want time to compass half the way.
But if that Drake had lived in Venus’s⁹ star,
His journey shorter might have¹⁰ been by far.