CHARLES COTTON, ESQ. xxvii 



THE RETIREMENT 



STANZAS IRREGULIERS, 



TO 



MR. IZAAK WALTON. 



o^^»^>^^^^^>^*^ 



X. 



Farewell, thou busy world, and may 

 Ti^e never meet again: 

 Here I can eat, and sleep, and pray. 

 And do more good in one short day 

 Than he who his whole age out'Wears 

 Upon the most conspicuous theatres. 

 Where nought but vanity and vice appears. 



n. 



Good God ! how sweet are all things here ! 

 Hoio beautiful the fields appear ! 

 How cleanly do we feed and lie ! 

 Lord ! what good hours do we keep! 



How quietly we sleep ! 

 What peace, what unanimity ! 

 How innocent from the levfd fashion 

 Is all our business, all our recreation ! 



in. 

 Oh, how happy here's our leisure! 

 Oh, how innocent our pleasure ! 

 Oh, ye valleys, oh, ye mountains ! 

 Oh, ye groves, and crystal fountains ! 

 How I love, at liberty. 

 By turns to come and visit ye ! 



