ABSTRACT
C. 1562 I am a sea. None fighteth with the stars, Or seeketh fame by warring with the sky. Worth is much better than the useless talk That maketh wise men hold thee in contempt. Ye have not manhood, knowledge, realm or city ; Your share of sovereignty is only loss. My whole land is a hidden treasury Whereon mine ancestors have laid no hand, Beside my store of mail for man and steed, Which, if my treasurer should bring it forth, Would ask for elephants to bear the keys, If mighty elephants could carry them ; And should I count my swords and coats of mail The stars would seem contemptible in sum To thee. The earth will not sustain my host, My throne, and mighty elephants. If thou Shouldst multiply a thousand thousand-fold ’Twould be the sum of those that call me king. Mine are the jewels of the hills and seas, I am the present mainstay of the world.
