Explore "Mistress Betty Carew" by Mary Gaunt on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
I must abjure the Balm of Life. I must, Scared by some after-reckoning taken on trust, Or lured with hope of some Divine drink, To fill the cup--when crumbled into dust!
Oh, threats of Hell, and hopes of Paradise! One thing at least is certain--this life flies; One thing is certain, and the rest is lies-- The flower that once has blown for ever dies.