An old look at the life of man –
Seven years to childhood’s sport and play,
Seven years in school from day to day,
Seven years at Trade or College life,
Seven years to find a Virtuous Wife.
Seven years to pleasure’s follies given,
Seven years to labour hardly driven,
Seven years for some a wild Goose chase,
Seven years for wealth a bootless race.
Seven years for hoarding for your heir,
Seven years in weakness spent in care,
Then die and go – you should know where.
The artist depicts it in ten stages, then you die, but who’s splitting hairs? All roads lead to the same end. It looks like I need to get on to Pleasure’s follies for a couple more years.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 