The Posie
The Posie of Mercy and Humility
The poet declares that his constant motto, 'Less than the least of all God's mercies,' is his delight and his posy, rejecting worldly competition and wit.
Let clever minds compete, and fill the windows with their words and mottoes: less than the least of all your mercies is still my motto.1 This on my ring, this by my picture, this I write in my book: whether I sing, or speak, or dictate, this is my delight. Invention, rest; comparisons, go play; wit, do as you will: less than the least of all God's mercies is still my motto.✦2
Read the original English
Let wits contest, And with their words and posies windows fill: Lesse then the least Of all thy mercies, is my posie still.
This on my ring, This by my picture, in my book I write: Whether I sing, Or say, or dictate, this is my delight.
Invention rest, Comparisons go play, wit use thy will: Lesse then the least Of all Gods mercies, is my posie still.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.3.8 — To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'posie'/'posies' here means a motto or short inscribed device (as on a ring or window), not a flower bouquet; rendered as 'motto'/'mottoes' for modern clarity. Source spelling 'Lesse then' is normalized as 'Less than'.
- 2 ↩posie/posy: a short motto or device (as on a ring), not a bouquet; kept as posy to preserve Herbert's key term and the chapter title.
The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere