To Sir William Davenant: Upon the Unspeakable Loss of the Most Conspicuous and Chief Ornament of His Frontispiece

Sir
Extreamly I deplore your loss3
You’r like Cheapside without a Cross4
Or like a Dial and noe Gnoman
In pitty (trust mee) I think noe man
But would his Leg or Arm expose
To cut you out another Nose5
Nor of the Female Sex thers none
But’ld bee one Flesh though not one Bone6
I though unknown7
 would sleight the pain8
That you might have Soe great a gain
Nay Any Fool did hee know itt
Would give his Nose9
 to have your Wit
And I my Self would doe the same
Did I not fear t’wold Blur my Fame10
I as once said a Gallant Dame
My Nose would venture not my Fame
For who but that Bright eye above
Would know twere Charity not Love11
Then Sir your Pardon I must Beg
Excuse my Nose accept my Leg12
But13
 yet besure bot14
 night and Day
For mee as for your Self you pray
For if I First should chance to goe
To visit those sad shades below
As my Frail Flesh15
 there putrifies
Your Nose noe doubt will Sympathize16
But this I fear least that blind Boy
Which Fate descend (Yet such a Toy
May take the Chit) should shoot again
Then the Next loss would bee your Brain
Some Coy Young Lass you Might Adore
Which would prefer some base Medore17
And all your Witt and Titles sleight
Imbrace a Page before a Knight
Then should some Nobleminded Freind
Astolpho like to Heaven18
 ascend
And having search’d neare and Farr
And found your most capacious Jarr19
Then beeing with Joy Returnd again
You could not then snuf up your Brain20
Though all your strenght21
 you should expose
You want the Organe cal’d a Nose
Prodigious the Knight Remains
Withous22
or Nose, or Fame, or Brains23
,
Then A bold ordinance strook the Title of24
Thus the proud Parces25
 sit and at us Scofe
What now remains the Man at Least
Noe surely nothing left but Beast26
Then Royall Favour glu’d27
 it on again
And now the Knight is Bow-di’de and in grain
Then Trample not that Honour in theDust28
In beeing a Slave to those are Slaves to Lust

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