A Dialogue betwixt Joy and Discretion

Joy
Give me some music, that my spirits may
Dance a free1 galliard whilst delight doth play.
Let every voice sing out, both loud and shrill,
And every tongue to run2 what way it will.
For Fear is gone away with her pale face,                                  5
And pain is banished out from3 every place.

Discretion
O Joy,4 take moderation by the hand,
Or else you’ll fall5 so drunk you cannot6 stand.
Your tongue doth run so fast, no time can keep;
High as a mountain, many words you heap.                             10
Your thoughts in multitudes the brain do throng,
That reason is cast down and trod upon.7

Joy
O wise Discretion,8 do not angry grow;
Great dangers, fears, alas,9 you do not know.
Fear10 being past, the spirits soon11 are slacked;                     15
Fear, being12 a string, binds hard, but when once13 cracked
Spirits find14 liberty, and15 run about,
Which,16 being stopped, do17 suddenly burst out,
And to recover what they had before,
When18 once untied, take liberty the19 more.                           20
Like water which was20 pent, then21 passage finds,
Breaks out in22 fury like the northern winds.
What gathers on a heap so strong doth grow,
That when ’tis loose, it doth far swifter23 go.
But dear Discretion, do not with me24 scold;                            25
Whilst you do feel great fears, your tongue pray hold.
For Joy cannot contain itself in rest;
It never leaves till some way is25 expressed.

  1. free] fair 1664, 1668
  2. to run] run too, 1664, 1668
  3. from] of 1664, 1668
  4. Joy,] Joy! 1668
  5. fall] be 1664, 1668
  6. you cannot] as hardly 1664, 1668
  7. trod upon.] must go wrong. 1664, 1668
  8. Discretion,] Discretion! 1668
  9. dangers, fears, alas,] Dangerous Fears, alas! 1664, 1668
  10. Fear] But Feare 1653
  11. the spirits soon] they suddenly 1653
  12. Fear, being] For Fear’s 1664, For Fear’s 1668
  13. but when once] when once tis 1653
  14. find] get 1664, 1668
  15. and] strait 1653
  16. Which,] Hard 1653
  17. do] they 1653
  18. When] Whence 1664. In the 1664 Errata list, this “Whence” is corrected back to “when”, which correction is also carried forward into 1668.
  19. take liberty the] their liberty is 1653
  20. which was] that is 1664, 1668
  21. then] when’t 1664, 1668
  22. Breaks out in] Goeth in a 1653
  23. ’tis loose, it doth far swifter] they’re loose, far swifter do they 1653
  24. do not with me] with me do not 1653
  25. till some way is] untill it be 1664, until it be 1668