A30125:224
A book for boys and girls, or, Country rhymes for childrenA book for boys and girls, or, Country rhimes for children
A book for boys and girls, or, Country rhymes for children by J.B.A book for boys and girls, or, Country rhimes for children by J.B.
London: printed for N.P., 1686
Title page typeset from the transcription.
A BOOK FOR Boys and Girls, &c. › Poem 21: XXI. Of the Boy and Butter Fly.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
XXI. Of the Boy and Butter Fly.
Behold how eager this our little Boy, Is of this Butter Fly, as if all Joy, All Profits, Honours, yea and lasting Pleasures, Were wrapped up in her, or the richest Treasures, Found in her would be bundled up together, When all her all is lighter than a feather. He hollows, runs, and cries out here Boys, here, Nor doth he Brambles or the Nettles fear: He stumbles at the Mole-Hills, up he gets, And runs again, as one bereft of wits; And all this labour and this large Out-cry, Is only for a silly Butter-fly.
Behold how eager this our little Boy, Is of this Butter Fly, as if all Joy, All Profits, Honours, yea and lasting Pleasures, Were wrapt up in her, or the richest Treasures, Found in her would be bundled up together, When all her all is lighter than a feather. He hollo's, runs, and cries out here Boys, here, Nor doth he Brambles or the Nettles fear: He stumbles at the Mole-Hills, up he gets, And runs again, as one bereft of wits; And all this labour and this large Out-cry, Is only for a silly Butter-fly.
Comparison. This little Boy an Emblem is of those, Whose hearts are wholly at the World's dispose. The Butter-fly doth represent to me. The Worlds best things at best but fading be. All are but painted Nothings and false Joys, Like this poor Butter-fly to these our Boys. His running thorough Nettles, Thorns and Briers, To gratify his boyish fond desires, His tumbling over Mole-hills to attain His end, namely, his Butter-fly to gain;