A Feast for Wormes: Section 12

A Booth for shelter Iona made;
God sent a Gourd for better shade;
But by the next approching light,
God sent a Worme consum'd it quite.

SO Ionah (sore opprest, and heavie-hearted)
From out the Cities circuit straight departed,
Departed to the Easterne borders of it,
Where sicke with anguish sate this sullen Prophet;
He built a Booth, and in the Booth he sate,
(Vntill some few dayes had expir'd their date
With over-tedious pace) where he might see,
What would betide to threatned Nineveh.
A trunke that wanteth sap, is soone decay'd;
The slender Booth of boughes and branches made,
Soone yeelding to the Sun's consuming Ray,
Crumbled to dust, and early dry'd away:
Whereat, the great Iehovah spake the word,
And over Ionah's head there sprang a Gourd,
Whose roots were fixt within the quickning earth,
Which gave it nourishment, as well as birth;
God raised up a Gourd, a Gourd should last,
Let winde, or scorching Sun, or blow or blast:
As coales of fier rak'd in embers lye
Obscure, and undiscerned by the eye;
But being stirr'd, regaine a glimm'ring light,
Revive, and glow, burning afresh and bright;
So Ionah 'gan to cheere through this reliefe,
And joyfull was, devoyded all his griefe;
He joy'd to see that God had not forgot
His drooping servant, and forsooke him not;
He joy'd, in hope the Gourds strange wonder will
Perswade the people, hee's a Prophet still;
The fresh aspect did much refresh his sight;
The herball savour gave his sense delight;
Thus Ionah much delighted in his Gourd,
Enjoy'd the pleasures that it did affoord,
But, Lord! what earthly thing can long remaine!
How momentany are they! and how vaine!
How vaine is earth, that man's delighted in it!
Her pleasures rise, and vanish in a minit:
How fleeting are the joyes, we finde below,
Whose tides (uncertaine) oftner ebbe than flow!
For see! this Gourd (that was so faire, and sound)
Is quite consum'd, and eaten to the ground;
No sooner Titan had up-heav'd his head,
From off the pillow of his Saffron bed,
But heav'n prepar'd a silly, silly worme,
(Perchance brought thither by an Eastern storme)
The worme that must obey, and well knew how,
Consum'd the Gourd, nor left it root, nor bough;
Consum'd it straight within a minutes space,
Left nought, but (sleeping) Ionas in the place.