| Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903. | | | | From “The Church Porch”: Conduct | | By George Herbert (1593–1633) |
| | | WHEN thou dost purpose aught, within thy power, | |
| Be sure to do it, though it be but small: | |
| Constancy knits the bones, and makes us stour 1 | |
| When wanton pleasures beckon us to thrall. | |
| Who breaks his own bond, forfeiteth himself: | 5 |
| What nature made a ship, he makes a shelf. | |
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| Pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high; | |
| So shalt thou humble and magnanimous be: | |
| Sink not in spirit: who aimeth at the sky, | |
| Shoots higher much than he that means a tree. | 10 |
| A grain of glory mixed with humbleness | |
| Cures both a fever and lethargickness. | |
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| By all means use sometimes to be alone. | |
| Salute thyself: see what thy soul doth wear. | |
| Dare to look in thy chest, for ’tis thine own, | 15 |
| And tumble up and down what thou find’st there. | |
| Who cannot rest till he good fellows find, | |
| He bleaks up house, turns out of doors his mind. | |
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