The
Armour of the Wise Man is His Honest
Thought,
And Simple Truth His Utmost Skill
Sir
Henry Wotton
Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639):
an English author, diplomat and politician
How happy is he born or taught,
That serveth not another’s
will;
Whose armour is his honest
thought,
And simple truth his utmost
skill;
Whose passions not his masters
are;
Whose soul is still prepar’d
for death,
Untied unto the world by care
Of public fame or private
breath;
Who envies none that chance
doth raise,
Nor vice; who never understood
How deepest wounds are given
by praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules
of good; [1]
Who hath his life from rumours
freed;
Whose conscience is his strong
retreat;
Whose state can neither
flatterers feed,
Nor ruin make accusers great;
Who God doth late and early
pray,
More of His grace than gifts
to lend;
And entertains the harmless
day
With a well-chosen book or
friend;
This man is freed from servile
bands
Of hope to rise, or fear to
fall;
Lord of himself, though not of
lands;
And having nothing, yet hath
all.
NOTE:
[1] “Nor rules of
state, but rules of good”: which means, “Nor understood rules of state,
but rules of goodness”. (CCA)
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The poem “The Character of a
Happy Life” is reproduced from “A
Book of English Poetry”, collected by G. B. Harrison, Penguin Books, 416
pp., 1974, see pp. 76-77. It was also published at the July 2016 edition of “The Aquarian Theosophist”, pp. 15-16.
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In September 2016, after
a careful analysis of the state of the esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students
decided to form the Independent Lodge of
Theosophists. Two of the priorities
adopted by the ILT are learning from the past and building a better
future.
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