Reprints- A Strappado for the Diuell. By Richard Braithwaite.
With an introduction by Rev. J. \V. Ebsworth, editor of " Drolleries of
the Restoration," etc. Printed on antique ribbed paper. Crown 8vo, cloth,
81.50. (Pub. 12s. 6d.) Boston, Lincolnshire, 1878.
Nature's Embassie. Divine and Moral Satyres, Shepheard's
Tales, Omphale, odes, or Philomel's Tears, etc. By 'Richard Braithwaite.
Printed on antique ribbed paper, crown 8vo, cloth, $1.50. (Pub. 12s. 6d.)
Boston, Lincolnshire, 1877.
\ STUDIA IN
THE LIBRARY
of
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
Toronto
Brathwaite's Strappado for
the Diuell.
294 [BBATHWAIT (Richard)] A COMMKNT
ii])on tlie Two TALES of our Ancient, Renowned, >
\ and Ever-Living Poet SR. JEFFRAY CHAUCER, '
Knight, who, For his Rich Fancy, Pregnant In-
Vvention, and Present Composure, deserved the
Countenance of a Prince, and his Laureate
Honour. The MILLER'S TALE, and The WIFE
of BATH, only edition, 12mo. polished broicn
i-alf extra, gilt edges, by F. BEDFORD (bottom
margin on title renewed) ; CHOICE COPY (RARE),
£4. 4* W. Godbid, 1665
300 Copies only Small Paper and 50 Large.
This is No...
A Strappado for the
Diuell.
By Richard Brathwaite.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
THE REV. J. W. EBSWORTH, M.A.,
Editor of the Bagford Ballads, Drolleries
of the Restoration, &>c.
BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE:
Printed by Robert Roberts, Strait Bar-Gate.
M,DCCCLXXVIII.
2.1
Air
£>
INTRODUCTION.
" A mirthful man he was : the snows of age
Fell on, but did not chill him. Gaiety
Even in life's closing, touched his teeming brain
With such wild visions as the setting sun
Raises in front of some hoar glacier
Painting the bleak ice with a thousand hues."
ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN.
OOD Wine," says the Proverb, " needs no
bush." Nevertheless, while wine is in de-
mand, there hangeth out the advertising
bunch of leaves above the door where it is
offered to consumers, reminding them of care having
been taken to keep the barrel from the sun's scorching
heat, when it was brought and stored. So it is with
Richard Brathwaite, whose Strappado for the Diuell
is now ready for the entertainment of revellers. " Taste
and try ! " is all that is absolutely necessary to be said
or sung ; yet are we called on, by our friend whose la-
bours have provided this choice and accurate reprint,
to write a few lines of introduction.
In sooth, the book well deserved to be copiously
annotated, for, like others by the same author, it is full
of quaint allusions to subjects out of the common road
of thought and conversation, even in the days when it
vi Introduction.
was first given to the world. It, moreover, illustrates
the time by innumerable jocular quips and cranks,
proverbs, and a detailed record of the contemporary
customs, so that every thoughtful Shakesperian student
may rejoice at now possessing the book. It was pub-
lished in 1615, when Beaumont and Shakespeare had
reached their last year, but while most of the other
great dramatists were at their best. It exemplifies
alike the laborious trifling which continued to find fa-
vour among the wits, as it had done during the reign
of the Virgin Queen ; and also that robust and bois-
terous vivacity, suited to men of adventurous spirit
and hardihood at the time of England's greatest intel-
lectual vigour. Of late there has been felt an increased
interest in all of Richard Brathwaite's writings, and
certainly his Strappado for tJie Diuell well deserved to
be made more generally accessible to students. Fairly
to do justice to it, a commentary equalling it in bulk,
although without redundancy of annotation, would be
required. This is at present deemed inexpedient. The
book is offered entire, unadulterated, a verbatim re-
print, but nothing more. Those who have detected
the inaccuracies of most modern editions of old au-
thors will be, doubtless, gratified at securing such an
exact reproduction of this rare work as may be deemed
equivalent to the original.
An excellent portrait of Richard Brathwaite is in
the frontispiece of his book, A Survey of History ; or,
Introduction. vii
A Nursery for Gentry : Contrived and Comprized in
an Intermixt Discourse upon Historicall and Poeticall
Relations, 1638. It is one of William Marshall's choice
engravings, an elaborate composition in eight com-
partments ; the oval portrait forms the centre. With
pointed beard, stiff horizontal moustache, and cleanly
shaven cheeks, it gives us such a likeness of the man
as carries its own warrant of fidelity. The full point-
lace collar falls over a slashed doublet of dark velvet.
The strongly-marked features betoken a somewhat
fierce animalism : great capacity and impetuosity.
The eyes are already dimmed ; they show in their
worn and wearied expression a remembrance of by-
gone revels, not altogether pleasant. They have lost
all the joyous light of youth, and under the knotted
brow look out sadly upon the world. A stalwart com-
batant is this, ready at all times for a struggle against
any odds that offer. He bears the bruises and the
scars, in furrowed front and sunken cheek ; but evi-
dently he is unsubdued, though weakened, and will
" die game," with his face to the foe. He has drank
deeply of the cup proffered to him, and has known the
bitterness of after-reflections. He has clasped hands
firmly in friendship, and has struck hard, when need-
ful, at those who may have hated, but dared not scorn
him. Yet this face, with its wealth of varied memo-
ries, is of a man no older than forty-eight years ! It
is thus certified in the engraving. The flame must
viii Introduction.
have burnt fiercely, to have calcined so much in that
short time. With this portrait in view we the better
understand and prize his works.
He is believed to have been born about 1588, and
this would make the portrait, marked " aetatis 48," to
be representative of him at two years earlier date than
when it was published, in 1638, in A Survey of History.
It corresponds more closely with William Marshall's
full length of him, as " Barnaby," merrily enjoying his
newly-lighted pipe at the ale-house door, than with
the lean-visaged yet smooth-browed decorous gentle-
man in a plaited ruff, whose portrait is prefixed to the
Psalms of David, in the same year 1638. Joseph
Haslewood writes of this second oval portrait, sub-
scribed, " quanquam 6," that it " appears to have been
intended for our author, when advanced in years." But
Brathwaite can scarcely have been represented as more
than two years older than the portrait issued almost si-
multaneously, in the Survey, wherein his age is stated.
Elsewhere, in his biographical account, Haslewood re-
fers to this " engraved title to the Psalms, where he
has a more aged appearance, probably adopted as the
sedate Christian moralist — a character he seemed de-
sirous uniformly to sustain in all his serious and reli-
gious pieces." It may be that the biographer intends
to admit a certain amount of falsification in the Psalms'
portrait : that it was, in fact, like the picture of an
actor " in character," more or less disguised in its se-
Introduction. ix
dateness. Otherwise, we should be led to believe that
the assigned date of our author's birth may have been
a trifle too late. We hold firmly by a belief in the
literal fidelity of the original portrait in the Survey,
with its motto " Meliori nascimur aevo."
It is not necessary to repeat here the short account
of his life given by his loving biographer. In few of
his labours had Haslewood so satisfactorily acquitted
himself as when he gave back the Barnabce Itinerarium
to the world. He left little for after-gleaners. The
first duty now is to reprint Brathwaite's various works
with scrupulous fidelity : the second is to add to them
such a comprehensive and exhaustive introduction
with annotations as they well deserve. From first to
last they throw light on our English social history at
the most interesting period, from before the time of
Shakespeare's final retirement to Stratford, throughout
the struggle of the Commonwealth against the Mo-
narchy, and beyond the Restoration until 1673. So
voluminous an author, one who wrote with a flying
pen, and loved to record his own habits, whims, and
experiences, beside his allusions to contemporary
topics, must reward the student of literature. Nor is
he ever wearisome, except by an excess of sparkle and
point. His vivacity sometimes fatigues readers who
cannot keep pace with his sportive sallies. But he is
no mere witling, and quibbler with words. He offers
subjects for thought, and would himself have scorned
b
x Introduction.
to be considered a jester or buffoon for idle hours. He
has some kinship with George Wither,* his contempo-
rary ; resembling him alike in the pastoral poems, and
in the pungency of his Satires. In the under-current
of religious seriousness the two writers are not so far
apart as might be imagined. Both were confessors,
not martyrs, enduring persecutions for conscience sake.
Brathwaite proved his sincerity and fortitude in mani-
fold sufferings for the Royal cause, but he seems to
have led a much happier and more jovial life than
Wither, who was always in opposition amid a factious
minority ; always coming into collision with authority,
and suffering imprisonments or humiliation, without
much benefit to any cause that he chose to advocate.
Both men deserve our affectionate remembrance, and
are unlikely to be forgotten in the coming age. There
will be made a diligent search for every scrap of writing
that they left behind them. Except the dreary reli-
gious poetry whereunto they piously turned in later
years (as a compensation for having earlier indulged
* Of George Wither, and of William Browne, the author of
Britannia's Pastorals, Brathwaite was a warm admirer. In his
poem " Vpon the Generall Sciolists or Poettasters of Brittaine
(our p. 23) he writes "On witty Wither neuer-withring plaines,"
and declares that
" long may England's Thespian springs be known
By louely Wither and by bonny Brtnvne."
Again, in Nature's Embassie, he distinctly alludes to Wither's
Abuses Stript and Whipt .- " Thou must be Stript, and Whipt,
and chastis'd for *t."
Introduction. xi
in much satirical " stripping and whipping " of what-
ever they believed to be Social Abuses), they wrote
few things which the world is inclined to cast aside as
" alms for oblivion."
Even without assuming the received date of Brath-
waite's birth to be slightly post-dated, we find him
certainly reaching the venerable age of eighty-five
years. That he retained his mental faculties until the
end, or very near the end, seems to be clearly proved.
Whatever may have been the wild excesses of his
youth, the actions and the words of his closing days
were such as secured respect. Anthony a Wood, who
is by no means lavish of praise, declares that " he left
behind him the character of a well-bred gentleman and
good neighbour ; " and his later biographer gladly
adds, " a consistent Christian and upright man." As
to his appearance, attire, and disposition, " Tradition
reports him to have been in person below the common
stature, well-proportioned, and one of the handsomest
men of his day ; remarkable for ready wit and humour;
charitable to the poor in the extreme, so much so as
to have involved himself in difficulties by it. He com-
monly wore a light grey coat, red waistcoat, and leather
breeches. His hat was a high-crowned one, and be-
yond what [height] was common in those days, when
such hats were worn. His equals in life bestowed on
him the name of Dapper Dick, by which he was uni-
versally known. In disposition he was as admirable
xii Introduction.
as in person ; and, always taking from the gaiety of
heart a conspicuous part in the neighbourhood in pro-
moting the festivities of Christmas, those good times
gone by long beheld him the darling of that side of
the country."
We need feel no scruple in borrowing one more
paragraph from Joseph Haslewood, for it assists to
bring before the reader Brathwaite's Cavalier spirit of
hospitality, already mentioned. Soon after 1639, when-
he married his second wife, a loyal Scotch widow lady,
he quitted his own family-residence at Burneshead, in
Lancashire, which was probably in disorder and diffi-
culties, and, as it seems, removed to Catterick, her
jointure manor-house, in Yorkshire. " The fevered
state of the times might in part occasion his quitting
the family residence at Burneshead. Brathwaite was
'a subject sworn to loyalty,' and not likely under any
sway at that lawless period to escape the common
wrack of power. Lavish hospitality in support of the
royal cause on the one hand, and contributions impe-
riously demanded and violently enforced in the name
of either the Parliament or the Usurper upon the other,
would serve equally to impoverish his hereditary pro-
perty, and make a removal to the newly-acquired
estate at Appleton a matter of convenience to prevent
shading family honours. He declares himself to have
been ' a resolute sufferer for both ' sovereign and
country, and depicts the very impaired state of his
Introduction. xiii
fortune at the Restoration, in a poem addressed ' To
his Majesty upon his happy arrivall in our late discom-.
posed Albion' (1660), which he describes as written
' by him who ever held his intimacy of Loyalty a suf-
ficient reward for all his sufferings ; and his house most
happy in the hospitality of your [the king's] servants.'
' My ruin 'd fortunes I shall nere bemone,
Though I have felt as much as any one
Of the Delinquent's whip : I'm still the man
I was, before the Civill warrs began ;
Those capitall grand-bugbears had no power
T' ajf right your servant, though they might devour
That small remainder which he then possest ;
Wherein they grew half-sharers at the least.' "
Thus loyal to King and Church he held his way with
cheerfulness, despite the troubles and material losses
which it was his lot to encounter. He uses the whip
of the Satirist, sometimes playfully, and sometimes in
grim earnest ; but in his hands it is not the implement
of ruthless cruelty and destruction that it would have
been if wielded by a Puritan fanatic. This was no
narrow-minded sectary, incapable of feeling any bright
influence of joy and beauty from the world that lay
before his purblind eyes. No prurient moralist was
he, secretly enslaved by desire for the luxuries he
could not compass, but openly denounced, in language
more offensive than the love-ditties which the Pre-
cisians declared to be idolatrous and blasphemous. It
xiv Introduction.
is not laid upon us to attempt to reconcile the self-
contradictions of such a complex character as Brath-
waite's, where the reveller and gallant is conjoined to
the austere moralist and pious churchman. We see
that he was of open-handed liberality and robust geni-
ality, yet religious-minded withal. Like him, in those
days, were many others, so that he was not an eccentric
humourist, flighty, and almost unintelligible, but a fair
sample of a large class of men. Most of them fought
for the king's cause against the tyranny of faction, and
suffered sore hardships without losing heart or hope ;
in many cases yielding up their lives, as well as their
estates, in attestation of their loyalty. With this clue
to an understanding of the man himself, the writings
of Richard Brathwaite become doubly valuable. He is
not only an illustrator of rural customs, and of transi-
tory habits in the busy city-life ; not only is he of assist-
ance to the commentator who desires to learn more of
the obsolete phraseology and folk-lore belonging to
our richest dramatic literature. He is all this, but he
is also a bold and genial Englishman, representative
in no small degree of other Cavaliers, who had been
roysters and revellers without ceasing to be gentlemen
and Christians.
As to the manner in which he looked upon the prim
Sectaries, the men whom later days designated the
" unco guid and rigidly righteous," we have a notable
example in the present volume, on p. 109. It is an
Introduction. xv
address " to the Precision, that dares hardly looke (be-
cause th' art pure, forsooth) on any book, saue Homi-
lies," &c. He gibbets the class of men for posterity,
by a reference to this one being
" wont to slay
His cat for killing mice on ffi Sabboth day" *
We desire not to imitate our author in one thing,
viz., the keeping back readers from his book by an
accumulation of prefatory matter. Among the few
* It may be the phrase was already proverbial, for it has the
imperfect quotational marks before it. This is the earliest-
known appearance of the allusion in print. John Taylor the
Water-Poet uses it, several years later, of a Brownist, in The
Praise of Hempseed : —
" The Spirit still directs him hoiv to pray,
Nor -will he dresse his Meate the Sabbath day,
Which doth a mighty mysterie vnfold,
His Zeale is hot, although his Meat be cold ;
Suppose his Cat on Sunday kill a Rat,
She on the Munday must be hang'dfor that"
Dr. James Smith or Sir John Menzies in Musarum Delicite,
1655, mentions "some close-pared Brother" who will work re-
tributive vengeance on a Cat (guilty of having eaten certain
lute-strings),
" Or else, profane, be hang'd on Monday,
For butchering a Mouse on Sunday."
It has also been noted that the incident had re-appeared in
Wm. Sampson's play of The Vow-Breaker 1636. Modern
adaptations of a civil-war ballad, telling how " A Presbyterian
Cat sat watching of her prey," are found in The Linnet,
( = Orpheus), 1740, p. 20, and (altered into "There was a
Cameronian Cat") in James Hogg's Jacobite Relics, ist. series,
p. 37, 1819.
xvi Introduction.
printed copies of the Strappado, still remaining, there
are differences in the arrangement of the leaves.
Imperfections, similar to what we find in the rare
Drolleries and early song-books, arise chiefly from the
books having been roughly used in frequent perusal.
Even in the best libraries, where any apparently un-
mutilated volume of such class may be stored, it has
been generally made complete (like the unique first
4to. of Hamlet, 1603), by intermixture of several im-
perfect exemplars. Our publisher and printer, with
whom had rested the labour of preparing this repro-
duction, has spared no pains to make it as nearly as
possible an exact reprint of Brathwaite's interesting
pages. In them we see the author at an early part of
his joyous life. He was not more than twenty-seven
years old when it was published. Some parts of it
may have been written earlier, but we do not think
this is probable. He was a quick producer, and seems
to have generally flung out whatever he wrote without
much delay. Elaboration suited not his humour, and
it is not likely that he kept many unused manuscripts
long beside him. When he had executed any piece
of work that his own judgment approved, as worthy
of being tossed out to an expectant public of good
fellows,* he probably searched amid his loose papers,
* In general he seems to have hurried his writings into print,
and almost always left them at the mercy of typographical blun-
ders, until such time as he could add an " Apology for the
Introduction. xvii
the fly-leaves of favourite volumes whereon he had
jotted down some odd thoughts in epigrammatic form.
With the aid of such waifs and strays as these (tokens
of their fugitive character remaining visible at this
day), he would increase the bulk of his book until it
looked big enough to face the world. Even when con-
secutively paged, his volumes are often composed of
several distinct works. Separate titles, dedications,
tables of errata, and other camp-followers are accumu-
lated in each. They resemble the highland clans that
followed the standard of Prince Charles Edward, each
under its own feudal leader, and his chosen subor-
dinates ; so that they look less like a disciplined army,
than a melee of ill-disciplined and incongruous forces,
ready at a word to fall asunder.
Thus, in the present volume, we find his " Love's
Labyrinth ; or, the true-Louers knot : inclvding The
disastrous fals of two star-crost Louers Pyramvs and
Thysbe," following, with no poetic or logical link of
connection, closely after the " Strappado for the
Errata," under an excuse of the author's absence. But there are
a few instances of his keeping manuscript by him for a long
time, as in the case of his Comment upon the tivo Tales of our
Ancient, Renowned, and Ever Living Poet S1. Jeffray Chaucer,
&c., which was not printed until 1665, but appears to have been
(in part, at least), written half a century earlier, having been in
1617 announced for early publication. The Barnaboe Itinera-
rlum also bears clear marks of having been written at intervals,
and long retained in hand before its appearance about 1649.
C
xviii Introduction.
Deuill." Even so in " Nature's Embassie : or, the
wilde-mans Measvres," 1621, (already reprinted at
Boston by Mr. Robert Roberts, in 1877) : the charm-
ing " Shepheard's Tales," with its separate title-page,
and " Omphale, or, the Inconstant Shepheardesse,"
beside " His Odes, or Philomel's Tears," all of the
same date, are formed into one volume, consecutively-
paged in the reprint.
There seems to be good reason for believing that
the author designed " Nature's Embassie " to be ac-
cepted as a continuation of "A Strappado for the
Deuill." After our present p. 234 had followed two
leaves having signature and direction. " 1T Place this
and the leafe following after the end of the First
Booke." In lines addressed, at that place, " To the
equall Reader," he is told,
" if these ierks, so lightly laid on, smart,
TJwullfinde rare whipping cheere i the Second Part,
Where Furies run diuision on my song :
Patience awhile, and thou shalt haue 'f ere long."
We entertain no doubt whatever that the " Second
Part " thus announced was none other than the book
published in 1621, under the full title of " Natvres
Embassie ; or, The Wilde-mans Measvres : Danced
naked by twelve Satyres, with sundry others contained
in the next Section." That no close connection exists
between the two works, and that no declaration is
made to the effect that " this is the promised Second
Introduction. xix
Part of the Strappado," are facts of infinitely small
weight in the balance against the supposition. Puri-
tanism was growing more powerful, and there had
evidently been objections raised against the introduc-
tion of the Devil's name into the title of the earlier
volume.* As to connection, there is still less between
the component parts of the present, and many another
volume, by the same author, than there is between
the Strappado and the Wilde-men's Measures. So
much need was felt for a " taking title," and the ap-
pearance of novelty, that the publisher, Richard
Whitaker, would be indisposed to risk the success of
the book, in 1621, by permitting the author to call it
a "Second Part," even of the successful Strappado.
As a matter of fact, we know that two years later the
unsold copies were helped into circulation by fresh
title-pages, with the more acceptable name of " Shep-
heard's Tales. The two books ought never hereafter
to be separated.
Although his name appeared thus prominently, and
* Thus, in his Essay on Detraction, Brathwaite writes,
" Wonder I cannot chuse (for else should I wonder at my own
stupidity) how any should harbour the least conceit of an in-
tended Detraction by mee, or by my Labours, unlesse my title
of Devill imply so much, which may seem to have affinitie with
that which the Greeks terme SiaftoXr), Detraction." This ex-
tract has, in 1625 (ten years after the publication of the Strap-
pado} the following marginal note : — " A pleasant poeme by
the Author, long since published ; and by some no lesse censo-
riously than causelessly taxed"
xx Introduction.
caused all this connection, the " Deuill " had left very
few of his hoof-marks behind him in the books. Per-
sonally, he resembles the " harmless fairy," whom
Stephano and Trinculo* found to lead them into a
* The allusion to "Tom Trincalos " on p. 114 is certainly not
to Shakespeare's Tempest, but (like Milton's) to a play which
was a favourite among the Cambridge students : " Albumazar,
A Comedy presented before the King's Maiestie at Cambridge,
the ninth of March, 1614 : by the Gentlemen of Trinitie College.
London, Printed by Nicholas Okes for Walter Burre, and are
to be sold at his Shop, in Paul's Church-yard. 1615." Another
4to. edition was issued in 1634, and a third in 1668, with an
Epilogue (instead of the short original), written by Dryden,
beginning,
" To say this Comedy pleased long ago
Is not enough to make it please you now.
Yet, gentlemen, your ancestors had wit,
When few men censured, and "when fewer writ ;
And lonson, (of those few the best) chose this,
As the best model of his master-piece.
Subtle was got by our Albumazar,
That Alchymist by this Astrologer.
Here he "was fashioned, and we may suppose
He liked the fashion 'well who wore the clothes.
But Ben made nobly his what he did mould ;
What was another's lead became his gold" &c.
This Epilogue appeared in Couent-Garden Drollery, 1675, no
doubt in the same form as when first spoken (afterwards slightly
changed), and probably in the characters of Albumazar, or of
Trincalo. The latter person had spoken the original Epilogue.
The comedy has been included among Dodsley's " Old Plays,"
and is in the eleventh volume of the recent edition, 1875, in 15
vols. Unless there had been an earlier production of " Albuma-
zar" than 1614, Dryden must have mistaken the supposed
paternity of Ben Jonson's "Alchymist," which was certainly
printed in 1612. The author of "Albumazar" is believed to
Introduction. xxi
reeking horse-pond (where no horses came, any more
than to Venice). He is conspicuous by his absence.
It might have been said, " omitted by particular de-
sire. Brathwaite has given us the fitting explanation,
so far as it goes, in his reference to the Sia/2oAos as the
Spirit of Detraction : this it is that receives the whip-
ping, as is due. He writes (on p. 33) of his " sharp
tooth'd Satire," but he is not venomous. He rebukes
the poetasters for their fantastical and mischievous
perversions of language and thought, "transform'd
from English to Italienate." By their indiscriminate
adulation of the unworthy, for self-interest, he declares
they " bring The Art of Poetry to Ballading." He
knows well the price likely to be paid by any true
Poet who dare to rebuke the vices of the Court,
"As some have done, and haue been meitfd up for 'f"
He hesitates not to speak his indignant scorn of those
who act as poetic panders to luxury,
2.4> "As they runne still in that high-beaten way
Of errour, by directing men amisse,
Penning whole volumes of licentiousnesse,
Descanting on my Ladies Rosie lip,
Her Cinthian eie, her bending front, her trip,
Her bodies motion, notion of her time,
All which they weaue vp in a baudy Rime"
have been one John Tomkis, or Tomkins. R. Brathwaite's
" Epigramme" speedily followed the publication of the play, to
which it alludes. Milton's reference to the Cambridge perform-
ance of Trincalo is in his Apology for Smectymnuus, 1642.
xxii Introduction.
Even in his address " To his Booke " he had glanced
at the prevalent error of allowing rich and powerful
offenders to escape unpunished, while those in lower
condition were treated with severity.
" let this be understood,
Great men though ill they must be stiled good,
Tlieir blacke is white, their vice is vertue made :
But 'mongst the base call still a spade a spade.
If thou canst thus dispense (my booke) with crimes,
Thou shalt be hugg'd and honour'd in these times"
As Shakespeare puts it : " that in the Captain's but a
choleric word, which in the Soldier were rank blas-
phemy." It may not improbably be, that the thought
in Brathwaite's mind was to make the Devil the re-
presentative of evil-greatness : " spiritual wickedness
in high places," and to hint, by his title, that he was
not afraid of laying on the lash, if it were deserved,
because of the dignity in station held by the culprit.
No honest men need fear him, they are avowedly
"out of the survey of his Strappado ;" but those who
prove " Recreant " by consorting with " the swartie
miscreants of Lucifer," are fairly warned of his inten-
tions.
We find little here of that strange perversion or con-
fusion of ideas that meets us in all the art and litera-
ture of the middle-ages, and still survives to our day,
by which the horror against sin and its embodiment
in the Arch Spirit of Evil is joined with a sense of the
Introduction. xxiii
ludicrous, prompting to jests and buffoonery, even to
contemptuous scorn ; as though we held it to be true,
what Ben Jonson took as title for one of his Comedies,
" The Devil is an Ass." Those dangerous tamperings
with solemn thoughts, traversing them by daylight,
shrinking appalled from them in darkness and solitude,
were not besetting failings with Brathwaite. He was
of healthier taste and sounder judgment. His " Ciuell
Diuell " is an ensnaring wanton, whose place of resort
and evil enticements are painted with marvellous power
and distinctness ; affording a companion picture to
John Dickinson's finished portraiture of the downfall of
"the faire Valeria," in his Greene in Conceipt, 1598, or
Thomas Cranley's A manda ; or, The Reformed Whore,
1635. But it was not any inability to make a "righte
merrie leste" on the subject of the Arch-enemy, that
kept Brathwaite to more legitimate sources of hu-
mour ; as any one can see who turns to p. 95, and reads
the laughter-stirring tale, which Admetus used to re-
late in his hearing, whilst he sat roasting a crab-apple
by the fire, on winter nights. It briefly shows the
misery of a hen-pecked husband whose helpmate was
"an arrant Deuill of her tongue," and how (after
time-honoured custom) the poor man sought consola-
tion in "a potte of nappy Ale :" how this prototype
of Tarn O'Shanter stayed too long at the ale-house,
fortifying himself against the home-comforts of his
wife's tongue, which he knew to be awaiting his re-
xx iv Introduction.
turn ; and how, instead of Alloway Kirk full of
witches, he encountered what seemed to him the very
Leader of that unholy revel. His absence of fear is
accounted for by himself in words of wisdom :
" Good Spirit, ifthou be, I need no charme,
For well I know thou wilt not doe me harm :
And if the Deuill ; sure, me thou shouldst not hurt,
Iwed'd thy Sister, and am plagued for Y.
The Spirit, well-approuiug what he said,
Dissolu'd to ay re, and quickly vanished"*
No less true in humour, and longer sustained, is the
excellent poem " Vpon a Poets Palfrey, lying in Lau-
ander, for the discharge of his Prouender," (p. 156).
To be " laid in lauender" was a mild euphemism for
being in pawn. With wit that tires neither its exhibi-
tor nor the reader, he courses through a multitude of
suppositions, incidentally repeating to us the cry of
* We well remember an ancient Kirk-yard in the north of
Scotland, where-through a path ran straight from the public-
house to the minister's manse, often trodden, alas ! by an irre-
proachable Mess-John, whom friends had vainly attempted to
convert to ways of sobriety by serious advice, and even by that
heaviest of trials, praying at him ! One night a well-intentioned
clerical-brother disguised himself in a sheet, and awaited, beside
a tomb-stone, the return home of the unsteady wanderer, in
hope of alarming him into repentance and the Pledge. When
fairly holding in view the tall white figure, which a struggling
moon-beam made visible, the only ejaculation that expressed
consciousness was the pathetic enquiry, " Oh, mon ! is it the
general resurrection ? or are ye taking a daunder yer lane ? "
Nothing was left for it but the Presbytery Kirk-sessions, and
their sentence of deposition.
Introduction* xxv
Shakespeare's Richard III., "Ahorse, a horse, a king-
dom for a horse ! " and the very line from Marlow's
Tambourlaine which Pistol mocks, " Hallow, ye pam-
per'd lades of Asia, what draw but thirty miles aday ?"
Don Quixote's Rozinante, the Trojan Horse, Phae-
ton's borrowed coursers of the Sun, are brought in,
with a snaffle, to trot before us. As the mother of the
minotaur, Queen Pasiphae, is mentioned, we might
have expected to encounter Queen Semiramis ; " that
injured queen, by chroniclers so coarse, Has been ac-
cused, I doubt not by conspiracy, Of an improper
friendship," &c. But no, we never mention her. The
wonderful performing-horse of Banks the cunjuror
(which was burnt, with its master, in Italy, because
this cleverness was believed to be of magic), appears
in the twelfth and fifteenth verses. The Pageants and
religious moralities, from Adam and Eve to Noah and
his ark, which were represented at Bartholomew-Fair,
are glanced at. So are Duke Humphrey's dinner-less
guests. This poem alone might make the volume
precious to us.
In a Satyre, called " The Coni-borrowe," we find a
palpable allusion to one of the characters in Shake-
speare's Pericles, " the damned door-keeper " Boult
The public hangman is mentioned in the proverbial
saying ,of " going to Heaven by Derick in a string :"
there was a tune known about that time, with a bur-
den "Take 'm, Derrick !" See our Bag ford Ballads, (p.
d
xx vi Introduction.
778). Brathwaite's abhorrence of wantonness is spoken
with a convincing earnestness, such as few writers have
equalled. He uses strong language, but it is because
he feels strongly and will not palter with the truth.
Our only surprise is that he has not taken his place
higher, in the ranks of poetic Satirists, as he deserved,
while men inferior to him in command of words, and
less impressed with an indignant scorn against un-
cleanness, are belauded, if not read, as though they
were the masters of their art. The clearness, the col-
loquial English, the force and brilliancy of his style, at
his best, merit the highest praise. This volume can-
not fail to make thoughtful readers desirous of know-
ing more of Richard Brathwaite.
That the writer of such scathing rebukes of lustful
dalliance should also be the author of some wanton
trifling, as " A Marriage Song," can only be explained
by our recollection of the tyranny of moods in destroy-
ing self-consistency, and especially by our making
allowance for the warmth of the poetic temperament.
One never can depend on these Satirists being en-
tirely truthful. They have first revelled in iniquity,
and then turn approvers or king's evidence, and bear
witness against old associates to secure their own
escape from punishment. No one knew this better
than our greatest poet. When Jacques in the forest
of Arden claimed the privilege of satirising whom-
soever he would, to blow on them with " as large a
Introduction. xxvii
charter as the wind," he made the banished Duke tell
what would happen : —
" Most mischievous foul sin in chiding sin ;
For thou thyself hast been a libertine,
As sensual as the brutish sting itself ;
And all the embossed sores, and headed evils,
That thou with license of free foot Jiast caught,
Would 'st thou disgorge into the general world"
Our author is singularly free from the worst vices of
these ill-conditioned " censors of the age." He had
never been so debauched with pleasures, and he never
became so malignant in his vituperation, as most of
the gang who assume the vile hangman's office for
hangman's wages.
While there is such richness of allusion to contem-
porary matters in his pages, that scarcely one among
them fails to yield something valuable to the student
of antiquity, we are apt to forget the genuine sweetness
and musical fluency of his best lyrics. The rich flow
of his lines makes him pleasant reading, even on such
comparatively dull subjects as his address to the Al-
derman of Kendall, or the companion poem To the
Northern Sparks, the Cottoneers (in both of which,
nevertheless, appear a multitude of ripe suggestions to
cultivated students). We see in these latter the pro-
genitors of those industrious communities at Wake-
field, Bradford, and the other manufacturing towns of
the North, whom Brathwaite knew well, and could
xxviii Introduction.
bring before us both in their hours of steady labour at
the loom, and in their wakes and revels, May-games
on the green, with Robin Hood and Morris-dancers :
" One footing actively Wilson's delight,
Descanting on this note, I have done what's right,
Another toying to be nam'd 'mongst them,
Were made Men-fishers of poore fisher-men.
The third as blith as any tongue can tell,
Because he's found afaithfull Samuel.
The fourth is chanting of his Notes as gladly,
Keeping the tune for th' honour of Arthurs. Bradly.*
The 5. so pranke, he scarce can stand on ground,
Asking who'le sing with him Mai Dixon's round? " &c.
There is poetic grace and daintiness of expression
in the charming little lyric, (on p. 93,)
SUNG TO MAIDS' INCONSTANCY.
" Foolish I, why should I grieue
To sustaine what others feele ?
What suppose, fraile women leaue
Those they lou'd, should I conceale
Comfort's rest,
from my brest,
For a fickle, brittle woman ?
Noe, Not, Noe,
Let her goe,
Such as these be true to no man.
* See the whole available information on this subject gathered
by the present writer in Choice Drollery re-print, 1876.
Introduction. xxix
" Long retired hast thou beene,
Sighing on these barren rocks,
Nor by sheepe nor shepheard scene,
Now returne vnto thyflockes,
Shame away,
Doe not stay,
With these mouing-louing women,
They remoue
From their loue ;
Such as these doe oft vndoe men" &c.
So, too, with its own charm of music and deep affec-
tion, more quaint in form and expression, The funeral
Elegy, (on pp. 242, 243,) has the true ring of poetry.
And he who likes not " Admetus's Sonnet " is hard to
please.
The breezy freshness of Browne's Pastorals fans our
brow as we read that hearty song of The Woodman,
Arthur Standish (pp. 168 to 172), with all its nice
discrimination of timber and thicket greenery.
To some readers the so-called " Epigrams " des-
criptive of various characters, such as The Courtier,
The Wooer, will commend themselves ; a class of
compositions then in fashion, and such as Brathwaite
excelled in.* There is also work worth studying in his
"Panegirick Embleame, intituled, Saint George for
England." It has the tenderness and intricate lingering
*" See his prose "Whimzies; or, A new Cast of Charac-
ters," 1631.
XXX
Introduction.
cadences of the old romances : as befitted days when
knights and ladies were content to yield ungrudgingly
their time to a perusal or recital of such tales of
maiden's sorrow and knightly valour.
No more need we add, unless we were to annotate
his every page, in commendation of this worthy, too-
long neglected, but never quite-forgotten. We have
not written half the praise we could have ventured,
not a tenth part of his due, but those who read him
without prejudice will find a hearty friend in Richard
Brathwaite, fresh and wholesome, like this first day
of Spring.
J. W. E.
MOLASH VICARAGE, KENT,
March 2ist, 1878.
A
STRAPPADO
for the Diuell.
EPJGRAMS AND
Satyres alluding to the time,
with diuers meafures of no
leffe Delight.
By /iwrcxrvKos, to his friend
<£jAoKpares.
Nemo me impune lacejjit.
At London printed by I.B. for Richard Redmer
and are to be fold at the Weft dore
of Pauls at the Starre. 1615.
The Authors Anagram.
RICHARDE BRATHWAITE.
Vertu hath bar Credit.
This lie auow, (for it is I that f aid it)
If Vertue haue no coine,Jhe has no Credit.
To
TO THE WORTHI-
lie efteemed the true Character
of a Generous difpofition, Sir THOMAS
GAINSFORD Knight, his Vertues endeered
Admiror, wifheth fulnefle of content in the
Dedication of thefe his Anagrams extra-
fled from his Name, and concor-
ding with his Nature.
Thomas Gainsforde.
Anagram
So fame doth raign.
SO Fame doth raigne with Anagram s fo fit
As if that Nature ftad inuented it :
For he that knowes thy Vertues and thy Name,
Will fay all raigne in thee, all ring thy Fame.
Thomas Gainfford.
Anagram
Shade t' Honours game.
A pale for JJielter of her game is made,
And thou to Honours game art made aJJtade,
Thy Huntfup's Vertue, and thy Beagle grace,
Which (well in winde) hath Jlill the game in chace.
To
To his much honoured and en-
deered Mecoenas (the exprefsiuft
Character of a generous Spirit) iudici-
ous approuer of bejl-meriting Poe/ie, Guer-
doner of Arts, cherifher of Wittes, and ferious
Protectour of all free-borne Studies, M*.
THOMAS POSTHVMVS DIGGS, the
A uthor humbly dedicates himfelfe, his
Time-fiiting Epigrams with
the vfe of
his diuinely importing Anagram
Anagramma.
Thomas Pofthumus Digges.
Though time paffe, God fumms.
H
In Anagramma Di/lichon.
Ow well thy Anagram with truth it runs,
Though time pas nere fo faft, yet God ftill fums.
Or thus.
Hopes iffu moft dem' gag't.
An
A nother A nagram.
Two verfes including the Anagram.
iVblique and priuate men in young and ag't,
on whom moft hope is, the we deem moft gagt.
Annexed.
At you (faire mirrour) aime I ; you'r my fcope,
Much are you gag't vnto your Contries hope.
To the gentle Reader.
IF I giue thee a deferuing
Title (Gentle Reader) no
queftion but thou wilt ex-
preffe thy felfe in thy cen-
fure : th'art no wri-neck critick, politick
informer of States, deprauer of wel in-
tended lines, nor maligner of others
labours : Bee thine owne prefident in
the furueigh of thefe diftempered Epi-
grammes ; and therein thou may per-
forme the part of an honeft man :
cancell the bill of errours, or chalke
them on, & they fhal ferue to make vp
a greater volume for next impreffion.
If thou bee gentle (as I tearme thee)
and
and haft fenfe, thou wilt supplie many
defeats, committed in the Preffe by the
Authors abfence. Be honeft ftill and
thou art out of the fwing of this ftrap-
pado : if thou play Recreant (by con-
forting with the fwartie mifcreants of
Lucifer) the Author hath vowed hee
will play Arch-Pyrate with thee, tie thee
like a Gallie-flaue to the Maft of his
Malu-Sperauza, and ferrie thee ouer
into Tartarie.
Farewell.
To his BOOKE.
BOoke whither goes tkoti, I had rather haue thee
To flay ftill with me, for my Booke may faue me:
Sane me, its tnie, and that's the caufe I craue
Thou'de to the world, that thou tJie world might faue ;
But that's a taske (my booke) too hard for thee,
Bid Jiang the woreldfo thou wilt faue me :
Yet pray tfiee be aduis'd whom thou doft checke,
Forfpeaking tntth may chance to break thy necke.
Which to preuent, let this be vnderjlood,
Great men though ill they muft be ftiled good,
Their blacke is white, their vice is vertue made :
But 'mongft the bafe call Jlill a fpade afpade;
If thou canst thtis difpenfe (my booke) with crimes,
TJwuJhalt be hugg'd and honoured in thefe times.
The Epiftle Dedicatorie.
To all Vfurers, Breakers, and Promoters,
Sergeants, Catch -poles, and Regraters,
Vfhers, Panders, Suburbes Tra-
ders, Cockneies that haue
manie fathers.
Ladies, Monkies, Parachitoes, Mar
mofites, and Catomitoes, Falls, high-
tires and rebatoes, falfe-haires,
periwigges, monchatoes : graue
Gregorians, and SJiee-
painters.
Send I greeting at aduentures, and to
all fuch as be euill, my ftrappado
for the Diuell.
Vpon the Errata.
Entlemen (humamim eft errare) to confirme
V_T which pofition, this my booke (as many other
are) hath his fhare of errors ; fo as I run adpr&lum
t.anquam ad prczlium, in typos quaji in fcippos : but
my comfort is if I be ftrappadoed by the multipli-
citie of my errors, it is but anfwerable to my title :
fo as I may feem to diuine by my ftile, what I was
to indure by the preffe. Yet know iudicious dif-
posed Gentlemen, that the intricacie of the copie,
and the abfence of the Author from many important
proofes were occafion of thefe errors, which defects
(if they bee fupplied by your generous coniuence
and curtuous difpofition, I doe vowe to fatisfie your
affectionate care with a more ferious furueigh in my
next impreffion.
Errata.
PAge 2 line 23 for Pine read Vine. p. 10. I. 20 alone wanting.
p. 16. I. 13. for fenfelefnefle read fenfelefle. p. 15. I. 27. for
vainelike, r. vainly, p. 26. 1. n.for both, forfooth fo de/e<e. j6. 25
/. 2$. for wherefore, read wherefoere. p. 43. 1. 22. for ftiirts r. fheets,
/or weaues, r. woes infra p. I. 25. p. 48. J. 4. r. cloze, it-id for
backe r. barke. p. 266. f. 23. for miftruft, r. inftruft./or curfe read
fcarfe.
For other errors as the mifplacing of commaes,
colons, and periods (which as they are in euerie
page obuious, fo many times they inuert the fence)
I referre to your difcretion (iudicious gentle-men)
whofe lenity may fooner fupply them, then all my
induftrie can portray them.
TO THE TRVE DIS-
couerer of fecrets Mounfieur Bacchus,
fole Soueraigne of the luy-bulh, M after-gunner
of the pottle-pot ordinance, prime founder of Red-lat-
tices, cheerer of the kunger-ftartfd Mufes, and
their thred-bare follower s,Jinguler Artift
in pewter language, and an obfer-
uant linguift for anon
anon Sir.
His dere Canary-Bird, wifheth, red-eyes,
dropjie-legges, and all other ac-
coutrements befitting.
BOttle-nos'd Bacchus with thy bladder face,
To thee my Mufe comes reeling for a place :
And craues thy Patronage ; nor do I feare,
But my poore fragments fhall be made of there,
For good reuerfions by thy fcrambling crew,
That belch, and reade, and at each enteruiew
Of a fharpe temper'd line, commend the vaine,
Digeft it, and then rift it vp againe ;
But know thou cup fhot god, what is expreft,
Within thefe Pages doe deferue the beft
Of thy light-headed Shamroes, nor 's my tutch
For fuch as loue to take a cup too-much.
No, no my lines (though I did feeme to ftand,
And begge a poore protection at thy hand,)
B Shail
Shall Hue in fpite of Time, for Time fhall fee
The curtaine of her vices drawne by me ;
And though portraide by a leffe art-full fift,
Yet he that limm'd them is a Satyrift,
For th' lines he writes (if ought he write at all)
Are drawne by inke that's mixed moft with gall.
Yea, he was borne, euen from his infancie,
To tell the world her fhame, and bitterly
To taxe thofe crimes which harbour now and then
Within the bofomes of the greateft men.
" Yea, nought I doe but I againe will doe it,
" Nor ought will write, but I will anfwer to it :
Yet would I not, great Bacchus, haue thee thinke
My Mufe can into that obliuion finke,
As to become forgetfull fo of thee,
(For fo fhe might vnthankfull feeme to be
As neuer to record thy worthy Name
Since I confeffe from thee that fpirit came,
Which firft infpir'd my Mufe (by thee expreft)
For when fhe fpoke the leaft, fhe wrot the belt
Yea, thou it was, (and fo He euer hold,)
That quickned me and made me fpeake more bold ;
By that rare quinteffence drawne from the pine,
Or from thofe fluent Hogges-head pipes of thine,
And I doe thanke thee : yet thus much He fay,
For any kindneffe fhowne me anie waie,
By thee, or thy attendants, I may fweare
Not any one did euer yet appeare :
Nay, I could fay (and truly too) far more
I neuer ran ten fhillings on thy skore,
Which
3
Which may feem ftrange, that I which am fo grown
Into acquaintance, and to thee well knowne :
" Should in thy booke haue fuch a diffidence,
As not be chalkt for want of ready pence ;
Nay, there's another reafon I could fhew,
Which might infer that thou doft duty owe
To men of our profeffion, and its this ;
(If my conceipt make me not thinke amiffe.)
Tell me, Where hadft thou luie-bufh, fay where ?
Which as thine ancient liv'rie thou doft weare ;
That garland fure me-thinks that I fhould know it,
From th' Temples fure of fome pot hardy Poet ;
Who, caufe he had not wherewithall to pay,
Was forc't to leaue his Garland, or to ftay
Till fome of 's Patrons pittied his eftate :
But he, poore man, cleere out of hope of that
Hauing difcuft it often in his minde,
Did think't more fit to leaue his wreath behinde,
Then into fuch apparent danger fall,
And fo did vnto one of th' Drawers call
To tell thee, if thou would'ft be fo content,
He would engage his luie-ornament ;
Which thou being glad of, for thy priuate vfe
Wore it thy felfe, and cheat'c! the Poet thus.
Now doeft thou thinke, that we can brooke to haue
One of our fort thus iniur'd by a flaue,
Without all fatisfaflion : Bacchus no,
Vfe 't to thy groomes, we'le not be baffelt fo.
Make reftitution of thy bum againe,
And tie thy wreath about the Poets braine :
B2 Of
Or fatisfie his damage in fome fort,
" Or be thou fure that them fhalt anfwer for't.
But thou wilt lightly weigh fuch threats as thefe,
And fay thou canft bring vs vpon our knees
By th' power of thy commaund : true thou canft fo,
Yet (bleere ey'de Bacchus) I would haue thee know
That we do fo efteeme thy power and all
Thy followers, we'le vent thee 'gainft the wall :
Yea euen the kennell fhall a witneffe be,
Of the fmall refpecl: which we do beare to thee.
Refigne then what thou oweft, or forbeare,
To taxe our credits when our skore's not cleere.
For well may'ft thou forbeare both them and me,
Since thou doft owe vs more, then we owe thee.
Thou know'ft it Bacchtis (if fo thou wilt knowe it)
That garland which thou weares, it was a Poet
That firft empaund it, and thou like a lewe
Wilt not reftore to him what is his due.
But thou wilt anfwer (as I know thou may)
Yes, I imagine what tis thou canft fay :
" Bacchus cares not for outward fignes a rujh,
" Good wine needs not the hanging of a bufli.
Doft not thou vizzard-fac't ingratefull Elfe ?
Yes, for want of a bufh thou'd hang thy felfe.
And caper like a zuinglian (6 my malice
Burfts out againft thee) titted vnder the gallowes.
For tell me how fhould men diftinguifh thee ?
Thoul't fay by thy fire-fparkling phifnomie,
Thofe wink-apipes of thine, thofe ferret eies,
Thofe bag-pipe cheeks, thofe fpeciall qualities
Thou
5
Thou art endew'd with : true by th'firft th'art known,
But for thy qualities thou haft not one
To glory in : for fpeeches ornament
Anon, anon fir : — peutor complement
Is all thou canft, and this, thou knoweft is fuch,
As th'Iay or Parrat they can doe as much ;
But I am loath to taxe each crime of thine,
For I do know thou lou'ft the Mufes nine,
And they loue thee, yet it is fit their vs'd
With more refpect, then to be once abus'd
By any apron-prentice that thou haft :
Yea, fit it is not they fhould be out-fac't
By fuch vnletterd Animals as thefe,
But reuerence the Mufes on their knees,
For what be thefe attend thee, fuch as loft
Their tongue to gaine two or three words at moft,
As for example neate and briske, and then
Anon, anon fir, welcome gentlemen.
And is it fit that fwads of fuch defert
Should ftay the very quinteffence of art
For a non-payment ? or make Sergeants ftand
In a croffe-lane to laie vnhallowed hand
On Albions Mercuries ? no, its not fit
That Hypocrenes pure riuelings of wit,
Should haue their ftreame with honour doubled)
By fuch bafe tenter-hooks once troubled.
Let this be then amended (and with hafte)
Left fome of thefe profeffors fhould be plac't,
Before thy prohibition come to ftay
Thy will-for in, they'le hardlie get awaie.
B 3 But
But if I heare thee Bacchus after this
That thou arrefts but any one I wifh
Thou fhould'ft exempt I will reuenged be
Ere many daies, of fome of thine or thee.
And thanks vnto my Genius (as I craue it)
Without inuention further now I haue it.
And thus it is : lie to the Peuterer
To make thy quart pots greater then they were ;
And fo condition with him, as't may be
Thou wilt confeffe one day I begar'd thee :
Or if I cannot by my meanes intreate
Thy pottle-pots for to be made more great
Then th'order is, or th'Citties ftampe allowes,
I hope I fhall preuaile with fome of thofe
Who are appointed by their charge to know,
Whether thy pots be fealed yea or no,
That fuch as are not feal'd they would reueale them,
And not take bribes in priuate.to conceale them :
Or if this will not ferue, I will deuife
How to bring th'potts vnto a larger fize ;
Which if they do negle<5l but to performe,
According to that Nature and that forme
They are prefcrib'd, then on default they fhall
Make prefently a forfeiture of all,
(Which goods confifcate for their great abufe,
May afterward redound vnto the vfe
Of all fuch noble skinkers (by confeflion)
As were deceiv'd by men of this profeffion ;
But this's not all He doe : Bacchus mail knowe
His naprie-drawers fhall not end it fo.
Surueighers
Surueighers fhall be-gett (and well may be)
(For worfer trades haue fought monopolye ;
And rais'd their flate by't) which fhall ftridlly take
Examination, whether you do make
Your pottles to be bruis'd, bough'd, crufht, & bent
Vpon fet purpofe and for this intent,
That you thereby (which is a common crime)
Might fill your crazie pots with leffer wine,
For leffer will they hold, through your deceit,
Being drawne in and made by you more ftraite :
Yet haue I left the Coopers all this while,
Which I do know haue fome art to beguile.
And therefore, if all will not ferue ; He feeke
And bribe them too, to make your veffels leeke.
Yea, befide this (know Bacchus) I'ue a meane,
Which put in practice will vndoe thee cleane,
And thus I lay my proiecl: : He expreffe
What motiues there be of licentioufneffe,
Within thy brothel clofures, and with-all
Complaine of thy partitions, how the fall
Of many a fimple Virgine (though fhee's loath,
To do't poore-wench) corns from a painted cloath,
A curtaine, or fome hanging of like fort, (for't.
Which done god-wot, they'ue caufe to curfe thee
And that this might better preuented be,
I will prefer petition inftantly,
That thou nor none of thine fhould fuffer thence,
(for to auoide this inconuenience)
Any of different fexes being but payres,
To goe in priuate manner vp the ftaires :
6 And
8
And this I know (if that my aime be right,
Will goe well nie to ouerthrow thee quite.
If none of thefe will doe, yet fure I am
There is a creature call'd the Puritan,
Who'le ferret thee, and by a ftri6l furueigh
Fine thee for bouzing on the Sabboath day,
Which if they finde, the Righteous they will curfe
Though their example it be ten times worfe.
But I would haue thee to repreffe all this,
Which thou (halt do by doing what I wifh,
And that with reafon, which (as I haue fayd it)
Is but to giue to our profefllon credit :
They'le pay the man, and if the world goe hard,
With them at this time, yet they'le afterward,
Regratulate thy loue (paying th'old skore)
Which paide they will make bolde to run on more.
For tell me Bacchus, though the world appeare
To learned men as if no learning were :
And that the golden age (not as it was)
Smiles on the filken foole, or golden Affe ;
Yet time will come (yea now it doth begin
To mew it felfe (as former times haue been)
When wife Minerua mall no honour lacke,
For all the foole, whofe honour's on his backe.
But I mail ftagger Bacchus if I ftay
Longer with thee, therefore lie packe awaie
Vnto thy fifter Ceres : — I haue fayd
— Onely looke to thy plate, for all is paide.
To
To the Queene of Haruejl, daughter and heire
to Saturne, and Ops, Goddeffe of the Corne-
fheafe, Ladie Soneraigneneffe of the three Vales,
Efam, Beuar, and White-horfe, Inuentres of the Sitk,
Sickle, and weeding-Hooke : much honoured
by theReede, Come Pipe, and W hi/lie; and
with all obfeniance attended by
Hobnaile and his
company,
Her Deities admirer wifheth many a
feafonable Harueft.
HAile fruitfull Ladie, cheerer of our time,
Rare in thy bewtie, in thy ftate diuine,
Ripener of Harueft, thou it is whofe birth
Yields full encreafe vnto the fertile earth :
Thou art that cheering mother that renues (dewes,
The Plow-mans hope, and giues their toile thofe
Which makes them happie, may my Poems pleafe
Thy honourd felfe, that glads vs with encreafe :
Yet in my mirth I cannot but repine
At that vnhappie ackward loffe of thine,
That thou which euer haft been debonaire,
Faire in thy felfe, making our fields as faire,
With thy ender'd refpecl:, mould be exilde,
Of due content, by loofing of thy childe,
Thy heart, thy hope, thy loue, and thy delight,
Thy deare Proferpina, whofe vowe is plight
Vnto
IO
Vnto, alaffe I cannot fpeake it well,
That black-blacht-blabber-lipt foule Prince of hell.
Yet be contented, manie one there bee,
Yea I know fom which may lament with thee
For their ftraide daughters, who I much doe feare
Are lodged now, or will be lodged there.
Laffe it is nothing for maides now adaies
For which of them (though modeft) hath not ftraies,
In youth, in age, which straying I doe call,
Dotage in maides, and that is worft of all.
How manie haue wee in this error fwerud,
Who in themfelues haue iufty wel deferud.
That punifhment thy daughter firft regainde,
'Las I haue known them, though they feem containd
In modeft bounds, yet thus much I will fay,
Thy daughter was vnchaft, & fo were they.
And (pray thee Ceres] credit me in this,
Though my proceeding was not to my wifli,
Yet this to thy due comfort I muft tell,
Thy daughter doth not Hue in Hell
Without acquaintance, yea I know there are,
Though they in fumptuous raiment and in fare
Seeme to excell the worthies of our Land,
Yet being iuftly poized vnder hand,
They are as neere to Pluto and his heire,
As if thofe perfons that leffe gorgeous were,
May I fpeake more, for I am in a vaine,
To cull ftrange things out of a flragling braine,
That there's no wench truly ingenious,
Wittie by nature, or ambitious
In
II
In her conceipt, but that the time will come,
That fhe will wander full as farre from home,
As ere thy deare Proferpina diftraide,
Transform'd from beauty of a louely maide,
To be a drudge ('laffe I am forc't to tell)
Vnto the bafe-borne Skinkird bred in Hell.
Doe I not know thee Ceres'? yes, I know
Far more of thee, then I intend to mew
In publique eie : 'Laffe I doe know thy worth,
To be the fruitfull Mother of the earth,
Albions faire-Foftermother, yea that Queen,
That makes a hopefull Harueft to be feene.
Within our flourie Fields : if I might fay,
What I in due refpect am bound alwaie
For to expreffe I might example thee,
To be the glorie of our progenie ;
Honour of ages, and fucceffe of time,
Errecting to thy felfe that noble mrine,
Which nere mall be defaced by time or age,
The beft of labour in our Pilgrimage.
Then Ceres let thy daughter work, for one
Thou art in due refpect admir'd alone
To be the foueraigneffe of Albions He,
Who when retired braines doe fleep the while,
Shalt mew thy felfe worthy a facred power,
Though thy vaine daughter play in hell the whore.
Yea fit it is, and futing to her birth,
She mould play baud in hell plaid whore on earth.
To
12
To the Amarous Queene of Delights, Sole
Empreffe of loue-ficke Bedlams, profes'd patro-
nefle to all young Letchers, Foundrejfe of Midnight-
Reuels, Sentinell to many a crackt MaidenJiead, and fole
Benefactor to all lafciuious Nouices ; Bejl habilimented
by her Coach drawne with foure Turtles, bea-
ring for her armes a Pricke in tJte midjl of
a Center, with this Motto ;
Pungimur in Medio.
And on tJte otJier fide a woman-captiue (injlan-
ced in Penthifilaea,) with this word,
Vincitur a vi6lo, victor.
Her much Endered and affectionate Paliurus wiJJieth
manie long delightful night, Mars his prefence, Vulcans
abfence, much good fport without difcouerie,
and many yeeres yet to continue her
husbands Liuery.
a Bacchus and Ceres if they be away,
b Small good doe I looke for, may Venus fay.
/^""A Herry-lipt Venus with thy dimpled Chin,
V 'Who by our Letchers, honourd ftill haft bin :
For a braue trading damfell, though't may feeme,
By my neglect of thee, that I haue cleane
* Carpit enim vires paulatim •vritq. -videndo. Femina. Virg.
b Res vulgaris amor, semel insanimius omnes.
Defcar-
13
Defcarded thee and thine, yet thou fhalt know it ;
Venus hath fome aliance with a Poet,
And that a neere one too : for pray thee fay,
Who can expreffe thy bewty anie way,
So well as they ? and though they onely write,
hauing nere hap to come to more delight ;
Yet art thou much endeared to their Art,
Though they can fay nought for the practick part :
Yet mongft our Albion Sibils that are more,
In number far, then merit, wit, or power.
Some I doe know, euen of the pregnant'ft men,
That loue to trade with Venus now and then.
And this the caufe why they obferue that vfe,
(As I haue heard) for to enflame their Mufe :
And fome I could produce, had their defire ;
For they, their Mufe, and all were on a fire :
More could I write to touch thee neerer'th quick,
But as thou loues thofe ftroakes are fhort & thick.
So I defire the very fame to be
In writing out that is concerning thee.
To
Honora. 1 5
AnHeroyckeRmblemevpon the Warriour
called H o N o R A.
TAra, Tantara, Honours fignall come,
Whofe beft of Muficke is the warlike Drumme,
Come braue Tyndarian fpirit, heare thy glorie,
Shrouded too long in pitchie darke, whofe ftorie,
Shall mine and (hew it felfe more faire, more bright,
Then chaft Latona on the fableft night.
Now art thou much admird by euery eie,
Though lately vaffald to captiuitie.
Now art thou fhowne to be a Monument,
Of former glorie, and an ornament,
Fit for the eare of Kings, now art thou one,
Highly efteemed, that was of late as none.
Now canft thou mew thy merit and defert,
To be deriued from a royall heart.
Not chafd with perfumes, like a Carpet Knight,
That cannot fight but in his Ladies fight.
Not fick ofth fafhions, (like this amorous frie
Of Nouice, who nere knew Enemie)
Saue their difdainefull Miftres : not enthrald
To loue, for loue thou knowft not how its cald.
What ftile it has, or what be louers charmes,
Saue that pure loue which thou do ft beare to Armes.
Not feruile to each apim complement,
Saue Honours feruice, and Warres management.
Not flaue to Fortune, nor engagd to fate,
But heire to refolution, an eftate
More eminent and glorious to thy felfe,
Then all the mifers-Mammons mouldred-pelfe.
Not vaine-like proud of Titles, but haft Art,
To make thy waie to Honour by Defert.
Not gage to proftitution, for the name
Of Souldiour hate fuch an ignoble ftaine.
Not
1 6 Honora.
Not lure to lucre, but doft make thy blood,
An inftrument vnto thy countries good :
Not in appearance, or in outward fhow,
To feem to know what thou didft neuer know,
Not humorous, occafioning offence,
But with pure valour mixing patience ;
That two reduc't to one, one drawen from two,
Might make thee apt to fpeake, & prompt to doe.
Long haft thou flept, and fome did thinke it ill
To wake thee, but to let thee fleepe on ftill.
But how can refolution lie inter'd
Alas how far haue vulgar iudgements er'd ?
To thinke thee fenfelefnes ? No, thou didft but winke,
For to obferue what other men would thinke
Of thy retired filence, now thou haft
Rub'd ore thy gummie eies, & ruunes as faft
To thy intendements forct from coaft to coaft,
As willing to redeeme what thou haft loft.
Hallow amaine, downe by the flowrie vale
Of honour and renowne difplay thy faile,
Trample on Baftard-greatneffe, bruite their fhame,
That are efteemed onely great in name,
Without demerit, tell them worth fhould be
Drawn from our felues, not from our familie.
Bid them wipe of that painting from their cheeke,
Its too effeminate and bid them feeke,
A6lions that feeme them better : its not amber,
Sleeking, or chafing in a Ladies chamber,
Phantaftick humors, amorous conceipts,
Fafhion inuentors fmne feducing baits,
What
of Brittaine. 1 7
What fuch a Mounfeyr wore, or what Tyres be
Of eminent requeft in Italic.
No, no, our perfum'd Gallants now muft looke,
Like to the fonnes of Valour, fmer'd with fmoke,
Steeled with fpirit, arm'd with beft of youth,
Dire6tly planted 'fore a Cannons mouth.
Shake not (my dapper Courtier) though thou heare
Nought but the voice of thunder euery where :
Or if the noife of armes breed in thee feare,
(No leffe then death) go on and flop thine eare ?
Bouge not a foot (or if thou feare to kill)
Winke, and then fay, thou murders gainft thy will.
How likeft thou this ? This is no camp for loue,
Nor muft thy wreath be heere a Ladies gloue.
Anticke and apifh fafhions will not ferue,
In this enobled field, fuch as deferue,
By a peculiar merit fhall receiue
The Guerdon of their Valour, and in Graue
Shall finde a liuing monument, which men
Admiring much, fhall euer honour them.
And is not this a nobler monument,
Then fpend our time in fruitleffe complements.
Spend a whole age in making of a legge,
Or feeking how fome office we may begge.
Trading for vndeferued Honour, got
By feruile meanes, and by the fimpleft fot,
That knowes not Honours effence, O may I
Rather then be fo Honor'd wifh to dye
In the obfcurefl manner, that when Time
Shall fhroud my afhes in a homely fhrine,
C Some
j 8 Honora.
Some earthy vrne, yet may my memorie
Liue without reach of enuie after me.
Sacred Bellona, valours choiceft Saint,
For now by thee flie we vnto our tent
Infufe true refolution in the minde
Of thy profeffors, that their fpirits may finde
What difference there is in honours fight,
Twixt a good Souldier and a carpet-Knight
His perfume's powder, and his harmonic
Reports of Cannons, for his brauerie,
Barded with fteele and Iron, for the voice,
Of amorous Ganimedes, the horrid noife
Of clattering armour, for a Downie bed
The chill cold ground, for pillow to their head,
Tinckt with muske Rofes, Target and their fhield,
For gorgeous Roomes, the purprife of the field,
For nimble capring, Marching, for the tune
Of mouing conforts, ftriking vp a drumme,
For dainties, hunger ; thus is honour fed,
With labour got, and care continued.
Can this content my Courtier ? yes, it may,
When his laciuious night and fruitles day,
His manie idle howers employed worfe,
(Though better deem'd) then fuch whofe vagrant
Incurs a penal cenfure ; fhall be paft, (courfe
And he with whip of confcience throughly lafh't,
Shall bid adue to Ladie vanitie
To Courts applaufe, to humors phantafie,
To honours vndeferu'd, to parafites,
To fafhions-brocage, and to all delights.
Which
Honor a. 1 9
Which reape no fruit, no guerdon, nor reward,
Saue care on earth, repentance afterward :
Where luftice oft is forc't from her intent
Goodnejfe being onely caufe of puniJJiment.
Where violence (fo ftrong be great men growne)
Makes right fupprefl', and iuftice ouerthrowne.
Where fmnes in cloth of Tiffue faire defcri'de,
Make that wife Sages Axiome verifi'de.
" A great mans foe oft by experience pr ones >
" Of all that be, no thunder like to loues.
Heere Magiftrates are clad in violet,
Becaufe pure luftice they doe violate.
Here vice is mounted, vertue liues defpif'd,
The worft efteem'd, the better meanely priz'd.
Corruption rides on foote-cloth, (fome auerre)
And vpright dealing fhee does lackie her.
Honour's afraide of Sergeants, merits fad,
And liues as one without obferuance had.
Wifdom's out of requeft, for temperance,
Shee's neuer knowne but in a Moris daunce.
And purple luftice feldom's feene to paffe,
To any Court, but riding one an Affe.
What then but valour fhould fupport the State,
And make a Realme by vice growne defolate.
See her owne fhame, and in her fhame conceiue,
The bleft memorial of an happie graue.
" On then with honour, let the vfurer
Made ftiffe with plenty, feele the mock of war,
And tremble, fearing leaft' mould be his lot,
To loofe by warre what his oppreffion got,
C2 Let
2O To tJie Poet-after s
Let the prophane contemner of Gods power
Be mou'd by terrour, let the Paramour,
Glaz'd with a fhameleffe fore head leaue her fmne,
The youthfull Prodigall, thofe nets hee's in.
Let the prodigious ftate-engrofler feele,
What harme h'as done vnto the Common-weale.
Let th'afpiring birth of Dathan fee,
The end of them, and their confpiracie.
Let all lafciuious Minions hence reclaime,
Their odious Hues, and put on robes of fhame.
Let publique Haxfters (now the moft of all)
That in their heat, would quarrell for the wall,
Stand to their Tacklings, let both youth and age,
Show diftincl: worths in diftant Equipage.
Lead on Honora, that in time report,
May make a Campe-Knight gracious in the Court.
So nobleft minds in beft of A6lions fhowne,
May challenge Honour when it is their owne.
Vpon the Generall Sciolifts or Poettafters
of Britannic.
A Satyre.
COme Arethufe come, for nere had we,
At any time a greater need of thee.
No Lawrell now, but Nettle's beft to grace
Our Laureat Poet : fee his vncouth face,
Vnapt for poefie : his ftrange difguife,
Onely addreft (in Verfe) to Temporize :
Now Parafites proue Poets, and exprefle
Their oyly workes : for what is more or leffe
Dilated
of Brittaine. 2 1
Dilated on, is confecrate to men,
That are the greateft : O what need is then,
To thee (deere Arthnfe) that didft frame,
A Poet to the nature of his name ?
No time-obferuing fmooth-fac'd fycophant,
No ftrange conceited Affe whofe Element
Is to infmuate vnder the fhade
Of a great Mounfeyrs elbow, thour't prou'd lade
To thy profeffion, not a faffron band,
But like a roaring boye, can make thee Hand
And yeeld obferuance to him : filly foole,
That Artleffe idiots mould bring to fchoole,
The beft of Mufes, thou that once waft borne,
Not as our great A6leons, to the home
Of their difhonour, (being of ioy bereft)
Leauing to others what themfelues haue left.
(Worfe by degrees then was that P/icebus Car,
Which Phaeton by ram attempts did marre :
And cleere diffolues) laffe fee thy Trophies torne,
Thy ftatues razed : and that Mount forlorne
Which firft poffeft the Mufes : now no wreath
Can be hung vp to memorize the death
Of any great man, why for vertues due,
Bids euery Poet (in his verfe) fpeake true
Of fuch as are deceafed : its true, who then
Speaking no more then truth, can praife fuch men,
As rather were then liu'd ? being, but not
In reall effence, las what fame is got
By fuch as write of thefe (whofe only good)
Is to auerre they were of Noble bloud.
C 3 But
22 To the Poet-afters
But fo much difproportion'd to their name,
As what thy feem'd, they feldome were the fame.
The fame ; O noe, their garifh ornament,
Their wanton guife, their Loue-ficke complement,
Their flrange diffractions, their deformed ftate,
Transform'd from Englifh to Italienate,
Expreffe fmall comfort to a Poets penne,
Which onely fhould delight in fhewing them
Vnto the worlds eye, whofe fame fucceedes,
And makes them Noble by Heroicke deedes,
Drawen from the line of Honour : but how farre
Seeme Poets in thefe latter times to erre ?
Who write not for refpecl:, or due efteeme,
Had to their owne profeffion, but to gaine
The fauour of a great one, this it is,
Giues priuiledge to men that doe amiffe :
Such be our ranke of Poets now adayes,
As they adorne th'Immerited with praife
Aboue defert. Hence is it that we bring
The Art of Poetry to Ballading.
Hence is it, that the Courtier may intend
A ftrange pretended proiect for no end,
Saue to augment 's expence, a fuites begun,
Which makes a filly Farmer quite vndone,
Without all hope of compofition : 1'affe
That fuch tranfgreffions fhould fo freely paffe,
Without controulement Many we haue heere,
That can compofe their Verfe, but in a fphere
So different to the time, as they defcry
Their want of braines to each Judicious eye.
Yea
of Brittaine. 23
Yea fome I know are Poets in this time
Who write of fwains, might write as well of fwine,
For th' profit of their labours is fo fmall,
As t'were farre better not to write at all,
Then to confume fuch pretious time in vaine,
About a fruitleffe, and defertleffe ftraine :
Better indeed : when in their Makers fight,
They muft accomptants be of what they write,
Whofe eyes be purer, and extenfion beare,
Aboue th'Dimenfion of a common fphere.
Yet ranke I not (as fome men doe fuppofe)
Thefe worthleffe fwaines amongft the laies of thofe
Time-honour'd Shepheards (for they ftill fhall be)
As well they merit) honoured of mee,
Who beare a part, like honeft faithfull fwaines,
On witty Wither neuer-withring plaines, (feru'd,
For thefe (though feeming Shepheards) haue de-
To haue their names in lading Marble caru'd :
Yea this I know I may be bold to fay,
Thames ner^e had f wans that fong more fweet than they.
It's true I may auow't, that nere was fong,
Chanted in any age by fwains fo young,
With more delight then was perform'd by them,
Pretily fhadow'd in a borrowed name.
And long may Englands Thefpian fpring's be known
" By lotiely Wither and by bonny Browne,
Whileft folid Seldon, and their Cuddy too,
Sing what our (Swaines of old) could neuer doe.
Yea I do hope, fith they fo well can write,
Of Shep-heards fport, and of the fields delight
C 4 That
24 To the Poet-afters
That when they come to take a view of th' Court,
(As fome haue done) and haue bin mew'd vp for't,
They'l tell her freely, (as full well they may)
That in their Judgements, after due furuay,
Of th' Court & th' Cottage, they may well maintain,
Vices in the Court, but vertues in the Swaine ;
And happy be thofe Authors which doe giue
Vertue and vice their titles, they fhall liue
In fpite of Enuie, when fuch men as teach
That fuch be onely vertuous as be rich,
Shall lye inter'd where fame fhall neuer finde them,
For fuch doe feldome leaue a name behind them.
Laffe they muft dye and perifh, fo muft we,
Nor can we gaine ought of eternity :
Saue that we liue, Oh then how bleft are they
That fpend their life in weighing of their daies.
But of profeffants, which compofe their fong
To a ftrange defcant ! this He fay they wrong
Flowrie Parnaffus, where fuch vfed to be,
As in themfelues made one fet company.
Thefe fung not what they knew not, but in Verfe,
What time had taught them they vfe to rehearfe,
And to reduce it to one perfect forme,
Striuing by proper figures to adorne
Ech worke, ech compofition : but laffe now
How farre's that alteration ? where we know
Left that we write, adding to our eftate
(Begg'd meerely) by a great mans Dedicate.
Heere is no fubftance, but a fimple peece
Of gaudy Rhetoricke : Which if it pleafe,
Yeelds
of Brittaine. 25
Yeelds th' Author dear-contentment : thus we ftraine
The Mufes Text for a peculiar gaine
Vnto our felues : hence is it vice abides,
(And lording-like in filken foot-cloath rides.)
Hence is it Land-lords make their tenants flaues:
Hence is it wafle-goods ope their fathers graues :
Hence is it Mammonifts adore their golde :
Hence is't the impious to perdition folde :
Hence Sacriledge a priuiledge obtaines :
Hence th' fneking Lawyer by his Clyent gaines :
Hence th' Politician, what fo ere befall,
Will to his trade and fhew a Machiuell.
Hence imports rife extortions violence,
Graced by men that haue moft eminence. (it)
Hence Sergeants walk vnfroted (though they know
No friend is worfe then Sergeant to a Poet.
Hence painted faces (like ill wine in caske)
Shrow'd their deform'd complexions vnder maske :
Hence curious Courtiers, gorgeoufly arrayd,
Weare more vpon their backe then ere was paide :
Hence th' baudie Pandor, feruile to his whore,
And hence the Baude that keeps the traders dore ;
Hence bafe informers take their borrowed light,
Liuing like Owles that vfe to flie by night :
Hence wanton Prodigals that fpend their ftate,
And 'gin repentance when it is too late.
Hence young and old, hence each in their degree,
Challenge to them a due Monopolie.
O how Mineruas temple's now difgrac't,
By th'skum of Poetry ! fhe that was plac't
Once
26 To the Poet-tafters
Once like th' Ephejian Queene in a pure fhrine
Of honour and delight, now's forc't to pine.
And languifh in her bewty, being depreft,
By fuch men moft, whom fhe fufpecteth left.
Vnpiniond Mufes (fuch as nere could flie)
Further then vnplum'd birds now preffe as high
As Eagles ; which by the Colour you may know,
As eminent and cleere as Flacctts Crow :
Thefe fteale fele6led flowers from others wit,
And yet proteft their nature brookes not it,
They are (for both) fo inuented by their art
Making their pen the difplayer of their heart.
They brooke no Brocage, yet has workes in preffe,
Which they are guiltleffe of : but this were leffe,
Worthy reproofe, if in their gleaned lines,
Like our age Criticks they would curbe thefe times
For petulancie : but fo vaine be they,
As they runne ftill in that high-beaten way
Of errour, by directing men amiffe,
Penning whole volumes of licentioufneffe,
Defcanting on my Ladies Rofie lip,
Her Cinthian eie, her bending front, her trip, .
Her bodies motion, notion of her time,
All which they weaue vp in a baudy Rime.
For fmce there's no obferuance, Accent neither
(Sith fence and accent feldome goe together.)
O what afperfions doe thefe lay on her,
Who beares the onely natiue character.
Of her deere iffues merit : fhee, I meane,
Without whofe nourifhment we had not been,
She
of Brittaine. 2 7
She without whofe embrace, the folid earth,
Had quite interr'd the honour of our birth :
She without whom we haue no biding place,
No manfion, no repofe : fhe by whofe grace
We are inhabitants, planted in reft,
Sucking pure milke out of her tender breft.
She whofe our Gtiardian gouerning our ftate
Shoring our weakneffe, arming vs 'gainft fate,
Guiding our path-leffe paffage, brething life
Into our dulneffe : midiating ftrife
Becaufe (a peacefull mother) chering vs
With folace, when depreft, tricking our Mufe,
With feemly fubiedls (that whil'ft fhepheards fing)
Of rurall paftimes, midft their fonneting,
The grauer ranke might compofitions make,
Not for themfelues but for their countries fake :
Alaffe poore countrie ; where is all that ftore
Of diuine wits that thou haft bred before ?
Where is that Quint-effence of poefie,
That in (fore-times) was wont to breath on thee :
Like a coole Zephims ? Hybles pure mount,
Renowm'd in former ages and that Fount,
Of facred Caftalie lie defolate.
For they with theirs haue loft their former ftate
Of Greatneffe : no proportion nor no flower
Decks, with a dafie Border, that fweet Bower
Where Cinthia vs'd to reuell : but as th' port
Of houfe-keeping is now tranfport'd to Court,
" Leauing their Country-houfes, which men looke
" And gafe at long ere they can fee them fmoke :
So
28 To the Poet-afters
So fruitfull Hefperie, which vs'd to be
The Ren-de tioti for facred poefie
Leuing to be her felfe, fhuts vp her dore ?
Hence is the bankrout poet becom'd poore :
Hence is't hee's forc't to write not for the eafe
Of his owne minde (but as his Patrons pleafe.)
Hence ift that errors muft be Vertues deem'd,
Becaufe, poore Poet, its by Fate ordain'd,
That if he will not humour, he muft fterue :
" For Great-men loue not heare what they defence.
How iealous be our times of their deferts,
When they fuppreffe the eminence of arts ?
Making them fpeechleffe whereas we do fee,
If perfons were difpos'd as they fhould be ;
Their fmcere confcience (like a brazen wall)
Might beare them vp what euer fhould befall.
Then might our Satyre mixe his inke with gal,
But with his mixture do no hurt at all.
Then might our fcepticke giue his Judgement free,
yet do fmall harme to mens integritie.
Then might the Lawyer pleade without offence ;
Not feare his Confcience with a faire pretence
Of doing good, when his corrupted will
Vnder pretence of good, a<5ls what is ill.
Then might the diuels Factors Hue like men,
That haue a god, nor for the hundred ten ;
Receiuing with aduantage need'd they pay,
A greater fumme at that fame latter daie,
When due accompts are had : 6 vfurie
That art the Cities fcourge, how much haue we
Occa-
of Brittaine. 29
Occafion to profcribe thee from our land,
Since by thy meanes haue we felt heauens hand
More heauy and reuenging then before,
VVhofe wrath has vialls euer laid in ftore
To punifh impious men : its thou (fowle fin)
Which haft hal'd downe the infection we haue feene
Rage in this famous He : its thou whofe hight
Hath turn'd our day of comfort to a night
Of great affliction : for who more can be
Afflicted in himfelfe, then inwardly
Feeling the worme of Confcience gnawing him
Torment conforting with that birth of finne
Wherein he's nurtured : alas poore lie !
That thou fhouldft fofter fuch as do defile
Thy once renowmed borders with the hate
Of a fupernall power, making thy ftate
Pray to oppreflion, vaffalling thy fame
(Which once was glorious) to thy odious name
Of miferie : Great Albion now is growne
Poore in her felfe, becaufe what is her owne
She cannot vfe but in depraued wife,
Makes her selfe fubiect to all forraine eyes
As vices fpe6lacle : 6 that the bliffe
Which we enioy by minds Synderyjls
Th' refined part of man, mould foyled be
By th' worft of ils the ftaine of vfury ?
And who'le inueigh againft it, few or none,
For mifer-Nature hardly leaues vs one,
That can fecurely fpeake againft this ill
So generall is the poifon of our will :
For
30 The Poet-afters
For (deere Pernajfus now is fo oppreft)
It dare not fpeake for feare that intereft,
Should be demaunded by the Vfurer
To whom it ftands engag'd : this is the fate
That Poets haue, to leaue more wit then ftate
To their pofteritie : 6 impious time !
When worft of Fortune followes wits diuine ;
When noble actions motiue in their fpirit,
Can leaue nought to their Iffue to inherit :
Saue their poore fathers papers, monuments
Scarce worth refpect : how weakes the Element
Which Poets are compos'd of, when one frowne
Sent from a great mans vifage can keepe downe
Their beft inuention ? filly poefie,
That (though free borne, art forc't to flauery,
And vndeferu'd fubiection : pittie it is,
That beft of merit fhould fhut vp her wifh ;
And dew expectance in no other booke,
Saue in a fkrew'd face or a writhed looke ;
Vnfit to entertaine an Art diuine
Which is expreft in that poore Mufe of thine.
Come, come, great regent of that facred quire,
Come in thy felfe and fo our foules infpire
With Arts Elixir and with fpirit toe,
That we may do with boldnes what we do :
Erect our aged fortunes make them fhine
(Not like the foole in's foot-cloath) but like Time,
Adorn'd with true experiments which may
Conuert our odious night to glorious day.
Let not Ambition mounted in her ftate
Paffe
of Brittaine. 3 1
Paffe vncontrol'd : care not for getting hate :
" For honeft minds are be/I approued ftill,
" By gaining hate in curbing what is ilL
* Let not thefe painted blocks of luuenal,
Which for their cloaths are moft admir'd of al
Stand vnreproou'd : let not their dangling plume
So daunt thee, as thou dare not well prefume
To blazon their defects, fpeake what thou feeft
And care not who be pleas'd, or who difpleas'd.
Let not moth-eaten Auarice appeare
In this deere He, without her Character :
Lafh me the Symonift, who though precife
In fhew, can geld his Parfons Benifice.
Gall me (our graine-engroffers) moulds of th' earth,
That in their plentie laugh at others dearth.
Roufe me the Atheift, let's fecurity
Heare th'iudgement of fupernall maieftie
Thundring againft him : let th'lafciuious
Know their bed-broking fin, how odious
Their fenfuall meetings are to his pure eyes,
Who euen the fecrets of our hearts efpies,
Searching our reines, examining our hearts,
Difcuffmg each intention (and all parts)
That haue a working faculty : Euen he
That well approues of morall poefie,
He that confirmes the motions of our minde,
And breath's vpon them if to good inclinde.
Let not fin-tempting wanton Mermaids reft
Without due cenfure, who with naked breft,
* Truncoq ; Simillimus Heros. luuenal.
Atrac-
32 To the Poet-afters
Attractiue eye, and garifh Complement
Enfnare our fond vnwary Innocent :
Thefe are thofe Babell publique proftitutes,
Lures to damnation, Romane Catamites,
Inuentreffes of pleafures, penfiue ftill
To doe whats good, but frolike to doe ill.
O London how thy Vanity abounds,
Glorying in that which thy renowne confounds.
Traduced fafhions from the Dutch to French,
From French to Spanifh, and not longer fmce,
Then yefterday, blufh at thy fmne for fhame,
That Albion (by thy meanes) fhould lofe her name,
And habit too : fee, fee, how farre thou'rt gone.
Beyond thy felfe, that therer's no fafhion knowne,
In forraine Courts, deform'd howfoere it be,
But by tranfportance it doth come to thee.
Laffe how immodeft art thou to expreffe,
Thy felfe fo much by others fafhions leffe ?
How ftrangely Metamorphif'd to partake,
For Angells forme, the moft deformed fhape,
That Countries can bring out : 6 pittie tis
That Albions much admir'd Metropolis,
Should make thofe which admir'd her now to hate
Her vaine condition (introduc'd by ftate
Too plentifull : Here you Hefperian wits
May you haue fubiect more then well befits
A modeft pen : for nere was any time
More prone to ill : no Region, countrey, clime,
Prouince, Ifle, Regiment fo truly bleft
With all earths bounties, yet hath leffe expreft,
Of
of Brittaine. 33
Of gratitude : here Satirifts refort,
And make an ample coment on the Court,
Where thou fhalt write, fom's wanton, others vaine,
Ambitious fome, others doe couet gaine
By feruile meanes : fome beggars, yet who dare
Write in thefe daies that any fuch there are.
Then (my fharp tooth'd Satire) frame thy ditty
In the fame forme, vnrip the Crimes of 'th Citty
With a fterne brow : tell the purple Magiftrate,
How he has raif'd himfelfe to great eftate
By others ruine : fuch as Mercers are,
Tell them darke (hops haue got away ill ware.
Such as be Gold-fmiths, and are dangerous,
Call them the Siluer-fmith of Ephefus.
Long Hue Diana, but no longer then
By their Diana they doe reape a gaine.
Such as be Brokers, tell them their profeffion,
Is not to be a knaue o'th first edition.
But as thofe garments which are brought to them,
Vfe to be worne before by other men :
Euen fo they broke their vices and receiue
Som crimes wrapt vp i'th garmets which they haue,
Tell them of Wapping, bid them thankfull be,
That there is lustice had for Piracie :
For if that were not (it may well be faid)
Many their mops would be vnfurnifhed,
But in the Country now my Mufe mall be,
For brooke fhee'le not a Brokers Company.
Here (halt thou see th'picture of Auarice, (eyes,
Thin-cheek'd, raw-bon'd, faint-breath, and hollow-
D Nose-
34 To the Poet-afters
Nofe-dropping, rhewme-deftilling, driueling mouth
Hand-shaking, haire down-falling, th'mifers cough,
Legs goutie, knees vnweldy, hand on cruch,
Eies in his bofome, gafmg on his pouch,
His labour torment, reft he cannot take,
When all are fleeping, he is forc't to wake :
His Eies are euer ope, for riches keepe
His eies vnclofed : TJie mifer cannot Jleepe.
He's his owne anguifh, fuch an impious elfe,
Thats ill to all, but worft vnto himfelfe.
He has not bookes whereon to meditate,
Onely a debt booke and an Alminake.
The one's for forfeitures, where he will pore,
And daie by day trauers them ore and ore :
Th'other's his Enterlude that yeelds him mirth.
Seeing predictions of the next yeeres dearth.
Hope of a deerer Sommer then laft was
Vnfeafoned harueft : O thefe hopes furpaffe
All others, Heere the Mifer fets his eie,
And when he does thefe ftrange prenotions fpie,
He kiffes th'booke, fweares the profeffion's rare,
And wifhes all hee reades fuch fubie<5ls were.
This Cormorant engroffeth all his graine,
Makes his barnes greater by a fecret traine
Brings ore his neighbours fonne to fet his hand,
Vnto a fale, and fo ioynes land to land.
This wicked vlcer that corrupts the ftate,
Nere thinkes of death, till that it be too late.
His gold's his God, yet vfe it cannot he,
But in expreflion of his miferie ;
which
of Brittaine. 35
Which puts the poore Mifer to a double paine,
By telling it and putting't vp againe.
But now (my nimble Satyre) for to thee
Tends this impolifht peece of poefie :
How wilt thou taxe, or where wilt thou begin
With thy tart phrafe, to ftinge and nettle him ?
Thou muft be bitter (for in greatefl grieues)
And feftered wounds we vfe no lenitiues
To mollefie, but corrafiues to gall :
And of all griefes this is the great'ft of all.
By it we are degenerate and Hue,
As fuch as can receiue, but cannot giue
To Nature competence : Come my deare Mate
I'll tell thee how to cure their defperate ftate ;
Which in few words leaft that thy memory faile,
lie fpeake my minde vnto thee in a tale.
It chaunc't vpon a time (and well might be
For fuch like cJtances fall on miferie,)
A pinch-gut Mifer fell extreamely Jicke,
So, as at laft his Confcience gan to pricke,
And tell him of's opprejjion, wherefoere
He turrid his eyes, Jiefaw damnation there.
Sleepe could he not, his Jicknejfe was too great,
Nor hope for ought, his confcience didfo threate
And terrifie his foule : thu$ lay this wretch
Poore in his fpirit, though to the world rich ;
Faine would he oft dejire himfelfe confejl.
But caufe he was falne out with Parijh priejl
About a Tith-pigge, he deferred the time,
And would in no cafefuffer this Diuine
D 2 To
36 To the Poet-afters
To minifter due comfort to his ftate
All woe-begone : fo great was tti Mifers liate :
For though lie were afflit~led, yet would he
Vp-braide the Parfon full irreuerently,
Calling him hedge prieft, belly -god (nay more)
That like a Thief e, lie came not in at dore,
But in at windowe to his Benefice ;
And tJiat Jte knew the prattice and deuice
Of him and 's Patron : who that tKlaw might be
Difpenfed with in cafe of Symonie,
Sold him a horfe (that whatfoere Jhould fall,)
The price might pay for th Benefice and all:
This would Jiefay, concluding merrily,
Sir Priejl you come more for my pigge then me.
Silent the Parfon was, for well he knew,
The Mifer fpoke no more then what was true ;
Onely he wifht fuch neighbours as he had
Prefent to pray for him, for he was mad,
And that by all appearance it was like
That his difeafe had made him lunaticke :
Thus euery day his fickneffe did encreafe,
Bereft of comfort, confcience fweeteft peace,
Without all hope of health or here or there,
(For th' worm of confcience follows euery where.)
There 's no euafion left : where ere we goe
She will attend vs in our weale and woe.
You heard confeft he would, but as tis true,
A mifer loues not him that craues his due :
So to fuch men this cenfure ftands for iuft,
They loue their Confcience reft leffe then their ruft.
What
of Brittaine. 37
What fhould he doe ? the Parfon now is gone,
And he vnto himfelfe is left alone
T" expoftulate with death : his fmnes did grieue him
But now the moft when all his friends do leaue him ;
Torment belowe, iudgement he fees aboue,
Witneffe within him, that will duly proue
What he has done on earth (thus all in one
Make vp a confort in his dying mone :
Yet as a fhip ore-burdend with her freight
Sinking before, fayls brauely, being made light ;
Or as the Ocean beats from fhelfe to fhelfe,
(Sea-ficke god-wot) till fhe hath purg'd her felfe.
So this fur-charged foule rowl's here and there,
And yet to comfort is no whit the neere,
Till that fame laftage of corruption be
Exempted quite : then fleepes me quietly.
Confeffe he muft, but to no Prieft, that's vaine :
But vnto one cleere of another ftraine ;
Shall I tell Satire ? yes, thou needs muft know it,
And this he was ; a thrid-bare neighbouring Poet :
Who after dew confeffion made to him
Of euery act, and each peculiar finne,
Extortion, Violence and Iniurie,
Prefixing of Orphanes, biting vfurie,
Forfeitures-taken, forged bills, at laft
He makes confeffion how a Poet paft
His pikes : who once was of a faire eftate,
But after had no profpect but a grate :
O, quoth the Poet, that was ill in you ;
O (quoth the Mifer) I doe know its true :
D 3 But
38 To the Poet-afters
But with remorce I now lament his fall,
Which 'mongft the reft afflicts me moft of all.
Wherefore good Sir, poure out your prayers for me,
That in diftaft of my impiety
Languifhing fore, I may be cheerd in ftate,
Dying in hope, that now lies defperate.
The faire conditio'nd Poet, though he had heard
How ill his owne profeffion got reward,
By this hard-harted Mifer ; yet did he
Scorne his reuenge fhould in affliction be
Streight he retires himfelfe a pretty fpace,
Chufmg for's Orifons a priuate place,
Which being done, to cheere the drooping man,
With hands heau'd vp, his praiers he thus began.
Powerfull lehotiah, King of Heauen and Earth,
TJiat giu'ft to all things lining life and birth.
Thou that protects each thing which thou haft made,
A ndfo prefents it, as it cannot fade.
Before the time prefirid : then that wilt Jiaue
Mercy on fuck as tJwu doft meane to faue.
Looke on this wretch (tJiat lies all woe begon)
If fo thou thinke hees worthy looking on :
Great is thy mercy, fo it needs muft be,
If thou wilt faue fuch Mifcreants as fie.
But what tJwu meanes to doe, Jtefaine would know,
Whether Jte muft afcend, or fall below :
That heprouijion may according make,
And fit himfelfe for th Voyage he muft take.
For if to Jieauen, he needs the leffe prepare,
Becaufe
of Brittaine. 39
Becaufe he knowes all needfull things be there.
But much he fear 'd, and fo fear e other fame,
Mongft which my felfe, that there he nere Jhall come.
But if to hell (the likelier place o'th two)
He does dejire, that thou wouldft this allow.
He may hauefo much refpite as prepare,
The Bonds of all fuck Prodigalls be there :
That what he could not cancell here fo well
On earth, may there be cancelled in hell.
The caufe is this (as it to me appeares)
Left that thofe fpend-thrifts fall about his eares ;
When they Jhall fee him, which that he may ftay,
He'le cancell th Bonds, thought be long after day
Or this's the caufe as he was impious here,
He meanes to proue an honeft Deuill there.
" That Time to Times-fucceffors may bring forth,
"Hell made him better then he was on Earth.
Much more he praide, but I doe rather chufe,
(Satyre) to make of all his praiers an vfe,
That when the vfe mail well expreffed be,
Thou maift apply the Benefit to thee.
Sir [quoth the Poet] I my praiers haue made,
Haue you, (replyed he,) as one difmayed,
Yes fir, and by them fo my zeale enforc't,
As I preuaild, though it was long time firft,
For know an apparifion came to me
With a mrill voice, which bad me fay to thee :
If thou wilt firft a reftitution make,
And render vp what thou by Fraud didft take,
D 4 From
4O The Ciuill Diuell.
From any man, but chiefly what thou tooke
From th'Poet : next, deliuer vp thy booke
Of all Accounts, greatest caufe of thy defpaire,
To thy ConfeJjTour, and make him thy heyre.
Thou fhalt haue health for this, it bad me tell,
But if thou wilt not, thou art markt for hell.
For Hell, no marry I : take keyes and ftate,
I will not buy wealth at fo deere a rate.
If thou my pretty Satyre couldft reclayme,
A mifer thus, I'de thanke thee for the fame.
But all too long I haue enforc't thee ftay,
Vice calleth thee, and Time drawes me away.
An Epigramme called the
Ciuill Deuill. *
IT chanc't one euening as I went abroad,
To cheere my cares, and take away my loade,
Of difagreeing paflions, which were bred
By the diftemper of a troubled head,
Midft of my walke, fpying an Allye doore,
(Which I proteft I neuer spied before)
I entred in, and being entred in,
I found the entry was to th'house of finne.
Yet much I wondred, how fin there could be,
Where th'fmnes protectreffe fhow'd most modefty.
A ciuill matron, lifping with forfooth,
As one that had not heart to fweare an oath,
In Graue attire, French hood, all Frenchefide,
For fhe had fome-thing more of French befide,
Her
The Ciuell Diuell. 41
Her outward rayment in a loofe-gowne made,
Right after fafhion, with a countnance ftaid,
And which is ftranger (fhamefaft) her laboord
(Like a young nouice letcher) making each word
A proteftation ; she that knew'th deuice,
T'enfnare a greene wit, feem'd wondrous nife,
Reprouing of my errour : Sir, I am
(For thus fhe tooke me vp) wife to a man
Of due refpect, one that has office borne,
Twice in the Citty, therefore pray forbeare,
You doe miftake your-felfe, there's none fuch heere
As you make fute for. I as one difmaid,
That durft not iuftifie what I had faid,
Began to flinke away ; fhe feeing this,
Fearing leaft fhe fhould fuch a Gudgeon miffe,
Recants what fhe had faid, fwearing though fhe
Were fuch a mans wife of the Marfhalfie,
One that had neuer yet incurd ill name,
Or knew ought more then modefty or fhame,
Though fhe nere was defam'd in all her life,
Or loued more then as becom'd a wife,
Though her affection neuer yet was fhowne
(Saue to her husband) vnto any one,
Though fhe was graue in yeers, and therefore might
Tread rightly now, that had fo long trod right,
She would pawne name, fame, modeftie, and all
Affection, husband, yea what ere befall
Her grauer yeeres mould once difpence with time,
" She would, forfooth, remaine entirely mine,
This alteration made me ftrangely doubt,
Doubt
42 The Ciuill Deuill.
And though my feet were in, my mind was out.
Yet fo was I enthralld by tempting fmne,
Though Vertue forc't me out, Vice kept me in.
Thus did my tempting Genius, fweare, proteft,
That of all creatures me did loue me beft,
And with diffembling teares difguife her ill,
Fond is that man, and fonder is his will,
That's thus deprau'd : how feruile are men growne,
When thefe fame Vertues we efteeme our owne
Are thus Eclipf'd by Hyene face'd whores,
That proteftation make they will be ours,
When they proue nothing leffe, las I do know
And by experience, whatfoere they fhow.
Their painted Vizards couer naked fmne,
Which feeming faire, are euer foule within.
A whiten wall, a rotten odious tombe,
That proflitutes her felfe to all that come.
To all that come, hence then's affection croft,
For loue is pure, but luft for them bid moft.
But to my Saint-like Deuill : fhe thus precife
At firft held credit deere, but now her eyes
Like wandring ftars preft to induce fome fin
Makes me (the filly fifti) catcht by her gin.
Reafon did tell me, and fuggeft her name,
Whifpring me in the eare, it was a fhame
To gage my reputation to a whore :
But las who knows it not, fenfe hath more power
Then reafon in thefe a6ls : I gaue confent
To her inducements, thought her Innocent,
And a right modeft matron : yet how farre,
Did
The Ciuill Deuill. 43
Did fenfe from reafon in her Verdict erre ?
For how could fhe be modeft that fo foone,
Was gain'd ere crau'd, fo quickly wood and wonne ?
Laffe that my fimple flraine fhould be fo weake,
As to continue for a wantons fake,
So firme in my affection ? fhe was graue,
Its true, fhe was fo : but how many haue
That forme of grauity, the more their fmne,
Being fo graue without, fo gay within,
But fhe protefted ; true, she fwore an oath,
As any other tempting wanton doth,
When fhee's in hope of gaine, vnhappy I,
To leane fo much to harlots forgery.
Well my braue Curtizan, fmce I am won,
To doe that act by which I am vndone.
Since I am fnared, and like a Bird thats caught,
Fledged in bird-lime, am of wit diftraught,
And fenfes too : I will runne headlong to it,
And doe it with force, fmce I perforce muft doe it.
Downe goes the filken Carpet all the while,
Showing thofe meets, which louers doe beguile,
Thofe fheets of luft perfum'd delicioufly,
With rofie odours, where variety
Of obiects made recourfe : fee wantons fee,
How many motiues now enuiron me ?
Heere my lafciuious Matron wooes with teares,
There a repofe for lufts retrait appeares.
Heere a protefting whore (fee whoredomes fhelfe)
Rather then loofe me, fhe will damme her felfe.
There Adons picture, clipping Venus round,
Heere
44 The Ciuill Deuill.
Here lotie Europa lying on the ground.
Heere Mars difarm'd in Beauties chariot drawen,
Where faire Eryca couer'd ore with lawne,
Bids him her befl of welcome, and is ledde,
For want of roomes vnto her Husbands bedde.
Heere Dande ftood (admiring diuine power)
Which did defcend like to a goulden fhoure,
Into her Virgin-lap, there ftraight I fpide
The tempting Ompkale, and on one fide,
Her wanton fifter, on the other, faire
Alcinous daughter, courted for her haire
By great Apollo : but below her foote,
Sat Hercles fpinning, fhe enioynd him too't
Here I beheld the nimble Satyres dance
The Druids fung, the water-Sea-nimphs praunce,
Ore the delicious Mede : there was the Queene
Of Amorous meetings piftur'd as fh'ad beene
Taking a greene-gowne (many fuch there are)
Of Mars that Martiall Enginer of warre.
Heere Vulcane lay, poore Cuckold as he was,
And faw them mating on the greeny graffe,
Yet durft fay nought, how many fuch there be,
That fee enough, but dare not fay they fee ?
Sweet heart (quoth fhe) and fmild, feeing me eye
This picture more then any one was nie,
Leaue me the fhadow, to the fubftance goe,
What thou now feeft, let louers action know,
He be thy Venus, pretty Ducke I will,
And though leffe faire, yet I haue farre more skill,
In Loues affaires : for if I Adon had,
As
The Ciuill DeiulL 45
As Venus had : I could haue taught the lad.
To haue beene farre more forward then he was,
And not haue dallied with fo apt a laffe. (be
Come, come (my youngling) though I nere could
Immodeft yet, He fhow my felfe to thee,
A laffe of mettal : Come, in faith thou (halt,
Thou'rt Mars, I Venus, he that limping halt,
My F^/fow-hufband, pox on't he is gone,
And I my felfe as defolate alone,
Will entertaine thee : I in manlike fhape,
Being a man, a man mould imitate.
Protefted I would doe, yet had no power,
For who can deale fo ably with a whore,
Or with fo free-bred actions, fmce I know,
None can affection with election show,
Sincerely or entirely, but whofe ftrife,
S'transform'd from wanton action to a wife
Of modeft action : this is me can doe,
And euery night has new conceits to wooe,
Though me be won, las what is wooing then,
Since wooing, winning, be fmall change in men ?
Who knowes not whores affection purchaf'd foon,
And that they are not fooner woo'd then wonne ?
Or as the world goes, for its more common,
Women woe men more oft then men woe women.
Hence nature feemes to haue transform'd vs quite,
Conuerting day vnto a drerie night,
Vertue to vice, a good-names eminence,
Expof'd to fhame, and publique impudence.
Once
46 The Ciuill Diuell.
Once women knew a blufhing fhame-faftneffe,
But now a blufh is leaft that they expreffe ;
Vnleffe for fhame of hauing done fome ill
They feare is known, which they would fhadow ftil,
Shine brighteft heauen (if thou wilt deigne to fhine,
And with thy beames difpell this hideous crime,
Which now (protection has) : curbe them, that call
Such fmnes as veniall, VenerealL
Let not an He of an Angelicke name
Expofe her glory to the houfe of fhame :
Let not thofe many Tropheies of her worth
Loofe their renowne or honour in our birth.
Let not faire Albion, flil'd from cliffes fo white,
Change Vertues day ftar to a vicious night.
Let not thofe many conquefts me hath got
Seeme now depreft, as if remembred not
Let not our peace (like Halcion daies) be tane
From vs and ours and giuen to other men :
Let not this facred Vine which planted is
In Albion, fhaken be by wantonneffe.
Let not our plenty and aboundant ftore
Occafion be that we mould finne the more :
Let not our Realme vnite, diuide that loue
Which we mould beare vnto the King aboue :
Let not our want of wars inuafion bring vs
A luft-full war encountring within vs.
Let not thofe manie bleffings we receiue,
Make vs interre our honour in our graue.
Let not our feafons yeerly fruitfulneffe
Produce in vs a loathed barrannefle.
Let
The Ciuill Diuell. 47
Let not thofe many ftrange confpiracies
Which heauen preuented, clofe our thankleffe eyes,
Let not our being make vs not to be,
For God is God and will auenged be.
He feemes fome time to fleepe and fuffer all,
But calls at laft for vfe and principall.
Many, I know, there be of crimes that's ill,
Drawne from the fource of our depraued will,
But of all crimes that euer were or be,
None in this He claimes more impunity.
A purple fin (for who will not allow it)
Since purple-fathers oft-times go vnto it ?
The Citties Elders (which though they reproue)
They doe but chaftice what themfelues do loue.
Statifts haue lou'd it too : but marke (my friend)
For all their ftate they had a loathfome end,
Like ftinking Herod, loth'd Hertogenes,
Crook't Damocles, lowfie Pherecides ;
All thefe experience had of this fowle euill,
And could defcribe too-well a cinell Diuell.
The
48
The Authors Morall to his
Ciuell Diuell.
COme Nouice, come, fee here the fall of youth,
Begun in pleafure, but wouen vp in rueth :
See what occurrents meete the heires of fhame,
Where end is pouerty, and cloz'd ill-name ?
See what the fruits be of licentious fin
That end in woe as they in heate begin ?
See painted .SW0w-apples faire to th'eye,
But being tutcht they perifh inftantly.
See, fee a wanton Mere-mayd, that does fing,
To bring youths crazie backe to ruining.
See Vertue in pretence, but vice in deed,
See Harlots action in a Matrons weede :
See damned Factors who their trafficke make,
Not for their foule but for the diuels fake.
See my coach't Lady hurried long the ftreet,
Cafting her lufts-eyes on who s'ere me meet :
See, fee her cerus cheeke, made to delight
Her apple-fquire, or wanton Marmofite.
See, fee her braided haire, her paps laide out,
Which witneffe how me 'le do when fhe's put to 't.
O fee fhe likes vpon th'condition well,
So flie may coached be Jlie'le goe to hell,
And willingly : fee, fee adulterate golde,
In valew worft, yet is the deereft folde.
See Albions curfe, Youths gulph, Heires mifery,
Our Countries fhame, foules ftaine, earths vanity.
"O
The Ciuill Deuill. 49
O Sunne refle<5t thy gould on my pale Moone,
And let this Dathans braunch be rooted foone,
Out of this flourie ifle : O let not this
(So hideous a crime) eclipfe the bliffe
Which Britaine now poffeffeth, may my penne,
Be fteeped now in wormewood, that fuch men
As haue beene 'erft delighted, now may be,
Wain'd from that land-oppreffmg miferie.
And you (damn'd proftitutes) that pawn your name,
Making a triuiall may-game of your mame ;
Bed-broaking lechers, Breakers of ill ware,
For many fuch bafe factors now there are)
Heare me fpit out my malice : May you Hue,
Till you haue nought to take, nor none to giue,
For your ore-iaded pleafure : may you ftand
Banifht for euer in this Fruitfull land, (power)
Which fares the worfe (and that by Heauens high
For giuing harbour to an odious whoore.
May you detefted Hue, inteftate die,
And as I doubt not make your Tragedy
By death more wofull : may your vlcerous skin,
As it beares here the marks of your fowle fin :
Like to the I ewes as they did earft appeare,
Who in their fore parts circumcifed were)
Be circumcis'd : that after times may Jhew,
There was f mall difference twixt the whore and lewe.
And you poore haire brain'd youths that doe begin
To neftle in thefe lothfome fmkes of fin ;
You that fpend fubftance, heritance and all,
Becomming fubie6l to a doubtful fall :
E You
5O The Ciuill Diuell.
You that are fent to praftife ftudious arts,
But leauing them, betake to worfer parts
Your vnfledg'd fancies : heare me, and you'le fay,
It feemes he wifht vs well another day.
Flie the ftrange woman, let her wanton looke,
Be vnto you as fome experientft booke ;
Prefcribing cures for ftrange difeafes be
As if you did not note, or did not fee
Her fin-alluring motiues : if fhe fmile
Confter it thus : this wanton would beguile
With her affected feeming, if fhe play
With her light capring foote, or bid you flay
(So brazen fac't is fin) away from thence,
Taxe, but affect not, her loth'd impudence.
If fhe fhew modeftie (as well fhe may)
For whoores haue change of faces euery daie
Vicing new fafhions : you may confter thus,
It is a painted but no natiue blufh.
If fhe proteft (beleeue not what fhe fayth)
For there's no whore but can difpenfe with fayth :
If fhe inuite you to fome dainty feaft
Be not entreated, leaft like Circes beaft,
You be transform'd from that fame forme diuine
Vnto the beftiall nature of a fwine,
If fhe allure thee to fome wanton fport
In that fhe moues you to it, care not for't
Let Sl. foote be (fuch follies luft affoord)
" For faireft play is euer aboue boord.
Redart not eyes with her : if fhe looke red
Say its her guilt, if pale diftempored
With
The ciuell Diuell. 5 1
With fome lafciuious paffion : if conceipt
Be pregnant in her, fweare its but deceipt *
To draw thee on : if fullen, it may be thought
Her weight of fm has that diftraclion wrought
If fhe difcourfe, its but fome whorifh tale
That fhe perchance has purchas't by retaile ;
If filent, 't may be thought (he's plotting ill,
And that's the caufe her oily tongue is ftill :
If feeming modeft, vertuous or precife,
Its her diffembling, making her lufts eyes
Like Bafilisks (who naturally haue
Defire to kill, where they do feeme to faue.)
If hope of meanes : fie, let no Generous minde,
Stoope to fo bafe a lure, as be inclin'de,
To buy a ftipend at fo deare a rate,
" As gage a foule, to get a little ftate.
If difcontent : this is. no remedie
Vnto thy griefe, but ads to miferie :
For who (through difcontent) goes to a Whoore,
Muft needs be more deiefled then before.
If an enforced marriage (as who can)
Tafte ftill the fweete of comforts, being man :
This is no way to eafe thy troubled head,
To make thy felfe adulterize thy Bed.
If to fpend time : how ill is that fpent time,
Which adds vnto that great accompt of thine
Thoufands of accufations ? where thy looke
Shall beare record (if wanton) in that booke,
Where all our actions duely written be
From youth to man,., to Age from infancy :.
E 2 If
52 The Ciuill Diuell.
If for acquaintance (as oftimes we heare)
The greateft men are moft acquainted there ;
Thou feeks amiffe, for what's acquaintance worth,
By birth borne great, to baftardife their birth.
If to obferue new fafhions, tricks not knowne
Before of thee : 'laffe thofe muft needs be growne
Quite out of fafhion, when there's none that vfe the
Saue Pandors, Bawds, & whoors that ftil abufe them.
If to be deem'd a Turne-ball roring lad,
Of all the ftraines that be there's none fo bad :
" Thefe glorie in deformed fhapcs, and thirft
After that guize which doth befeeme them worft :
But wouldft thou know them ? then attend to me,
(And I in few words will defcribe them thee.
Their peak't-mouchatoes bodkinwife oppofe
Each other, and ftand brauing of their nofe :
They're bluftering boyes, and whatfoe're befall,
If they be three to one they'le haue the wall.
They haue a mint of oaths, yet when they fweare,
Of death and murder, there 's fmall danger there :
Buffe-yerkins fay their fouldiers, (but's not fo,)
For they were preft indeed but durft not goe.
They weare a Cutler's-fhop euer about them :
Yet for all that we need not greatly doubt them.
For tak't from me by this you foon'ft may know the,
They weare the defperat'ft blades, yet dare not draw
They're Panders by profeflion, men that get (them.
A flauifh meanes out of a feruile wit :
They're euer foaking of a pipe, whofe fmoake
Makes them contort & wreath their wainskot look
To
The Ciuill Diuell. 53
To euery fafhion, they are monftrous proud,
And what-foere they fpeake they fweare its good :
They neuer goe to Church, vnleffe it be
To man their whore, or for formalitie.
They are and are not : feeming men by fight,
But beafts, becomming flaues to appetite :
Their walke is not where Vertue hath recourfe,
(For to difcourfe of Vertue is a curfe)
To Roring-boyes : their Rende-voue's Tibb Calles
Her fhrowd their fhrine, their walk's in Garden-allies
Doft fee thefe (youngling) ? pray thee fee and mark,
A whore enticing, and a god-leffe fharke
Attending her, haue a good eye to him,
Pray thee beware he's inftrument of finne :
Goe not along, let my aduife enforce,
Leaft thou returne (my boy) by weeping croffe.
Let not, 6 let not moment of delight,
Depriue thy foule of her internall light,
Shame not thy eye of reafon with expence
Of ill fpent time, expos'd to th'vfe of fence.
Thy form's Diuine, no fading, vading flower :
O let not then th'embraces of a whore
Captiue thy iudgement, but as thou doft take
Thy Great Creators forme, fo for his fake,
Referue thy Temple (if thou'le Hue with him,
To be for Syon, not for place of Sinne.
E 3 T/u
54
The occafion of this Epigram proceeded
from the re/lraint of the Author, who in tfte
iuftnes of his caufe (like Zenophons Sparrow)
fled for refuge : to the worthily efteemed, the
Right Worfhipfull RICH. HVTTON,
Sergeant at Lawe : to whofe protection the
retired Author commends his Epi-
gramme entitled.
HIS CATCH.
( Singing my catch, if you be not my friend, )
| For all my catch, I Jhall be catcht ittt end. j
NOt in a durance fuite remaine I here,
Yet in a fuite like durance hemm'd with feare
Retir'd I am : confinement makes me thrall
Vnto my felfe, which grieues me moft of all :
If I but fee the fhadow of a man.
Or th' tinkling of a Braziers copper pan,
I feare a Sergeant, fhadow faies its he,
And th'Brazier faies, fuch like his buttons be,
Where
His Catch. 55
Where fhall I flie to ? 'laffe I know not where :
For Milford-\a.r\e. is growne too monftrous deere.
No, there I muft not goe ; for know you how
That place is ilil'd ? The Gallants Randa-uou.
Well, fome-where I muft flie : O now I fee't :
Philofophers fay ; heate is expel'd by heate.
Moifture by moifhure ; Colds extremity
By cold, deriu'd from paffions natiuely
Concurring in vs : if this then be trew,
VVho fhould I flie to (Sir ?) but vnto you
That are a Sergeant, and has power to place
Your God-fonne free from any Sergiants Mace ?
To you ile flie purfu'de by impudence,
(A Courtiers garbe) crauing fafe refidence
Vnder your wings : and know (kinde Sir) from me,
To doe for Orphanes its a charity.
Little I am poffeft of well you know,
And of that little, little doe I owe
To any man : yet for all this am I,
Made a fit obiect for a Sergeants eie.
I could not beg if that my caufe were bad,
But to disburfe for that I neuer had.
Nor anie for me, 'laffe it feemes to me,
The caufe might pleade it felfe without a fee.
Pray Sir (at leaft) if'th Courtier needes will craue it,
Let him purfue fuch, where 'has hope to haue it :
For me theres none : but this his wit God wot
To fue his bond, wheres nothing to be got,
Yet for the reputation which I beare
To my vnblemifht credit, I muft feare
Not
56 His Catch.
Not our iuft caufe, nor any fuch pretence,
But brazen-face, and guilded confcience.
"For dangers felt are worfe then others feard,
" Which makes me now conceald which once appeared.
'Laffe Sir, my ftudies cannot brooke reftraint,
" Since times obferuance giues me argument.
Of writing what I write : fo fmal's the ftore
Of La'er I haue, that if I knew not more
By obferuation, then by reading, men
Might iuftly fay, I knew not what I pen.
But luftice whofe pure eie lookes euer right,
And can admit of none that cloudes her fight,
Will fhield my caufe : its trues I know fhe will,
Yet in meane time I am be-leagred ftill,
With thefe iniurious burres, thefe tenterhookes,
That euen of right me with tJteir gajlly looks.
Thefe engines of defpaire, agents of ettill,
Factors for Mammon, Viceroy es for the diuell
Thefe that lay hold like bird lime : thefe be they,
That muft be foundly brib'd, or we muft pay ;
I haue no hope then but your vertuous felfe
To faue my crafie veffel from this fhelfe,
Or (hip-wrack rather, and fo fure am I
Of your beft helpe, that I fee fafety
Appearing midft of daunger : for my truft
So well repof 'd in one that is fo iuft,
Cannot be fruftrate, but muft needes receiue
What you may graunt, and I may iuftly haue.
And well I know that a6lions of this kinde,
Keepe beft concordance with your generous minde,
Whofe
His Catch. 57
Whofe natiue vertues haue been ftill expreft,
In giuing breath to caufes that are beft.
A great prerogatiue, as't feemes to me,
Haue you ore fuck as onely take their fee,
Witthout obferuance or difcuffion had,
Of what the caufe is : whether good or bad.
Thefe like to fpiders, weaue ore iuftice throne
A web, to make their actions lie vnknowne,
But all in vaine : their vices time defcries :
For time has many eares and many eies.
Ripe was his wit, and well he vnderftood,
Who rouf 't ' Weftminfter Hal with Irifh wood.
That Iuftice there profeft', fhould like appeare,
Suffring no venemous creature to come neere
Her sacred throne : no kSpider, worme, nor moth,
But that like vertue fhould accrew to both.
Which makes me mufe : fith Irifh wood can fhow,
Such pure effects, why Ireland does not fee,
O no it were too much to be the fame,
In title, temper nature, and in name.
But whither wanders my confined Mufe ?
Lament thine owne, care not for times abufe,
It yields thee matter ro expreffe thy fpleene,
Which otherwife would be extinguifh't cleane.
1 Rufus Jlnijhing the Jlately building of Weftminfter hall,
found fault for being built too little, faying it was Jitter for
a chamber, then a Hall for a King of England ; taking a plot
for one more fpacious to be added vnto it.
k This peculiar vertue the fuperftitious Irijh haue afcribed
to the power of Saint Patrick.
58 His Catch.
Thou mai'ft retire, ther's one will fee thee pla'ft
In fafe repofe, till all thefe ftormes be paft :
Which paft, may I my conning quite forget,
If better numbers doe not defcant it.
From me and mine
to you and yours,
From time to time
our praters like Jhowers
Difftifed be
incejfantlie.
Your worths obferuer
R. B. fJU,<TO(TVKQ<;.
59
TO MY APPROVED FRIEND
T. P. in the condudl of my arreft-
f earing Epigram his be/I
of Wiflies.
I
F any Sergeant fhould my lines foreftale,
Before they fee my Patron enter bayle.
Ibid. Where fay,
How Night by Night in feuerall roomes I lye,
And that my lines haue farre more Aer then I.
An
6o
An Epigramme called the
Hone/I Lawyer.
SPrightly my mufe, fpeake like the fon of thunder
And with a full mouth, ring out Albions wonder :
No Suffex Dragon, no Virginian,
But of a Lawer that's an H one/I man.
Whofe definition if you wifh to know,
Is a blacke Swan, faire Moore, or milke-white Crow.
He takes no fees, till he conceiue the caufe,
Nor with an Oyly bribe annoints his iawes.
He wants the vfe of feeling, feares Heauens curfe,
Strings not his confcience with his Clients purfe.
Hee'l not be tongue-tide, but for lujlice fake,
He feekes to earne the mony he does take.
He hates aequiuocation and delay,
Nor will he make his Threed-bare Client ftay
For his difpatch : he will not haue his fee,
Till he difcuffe the caufes equity.
His Judgement will not vaile to wind nor wether,
Nor is his confcience made of retching lether.
His eye's on luftice, nor will euer he
Banke-rupt his foule, t' enrich poflerity.
His
The honeft Lawyer. 6 1
His tongue's no time-obferuer, made to pleafe,
His fift is fhut from taking double fees.
He will not forge a lye, nor wreft the fence,
Of law or right, for any faire pretence.
He will not backe his Clyent, or maintaine
An vniuft fuit, to reape a priuate gaine.
He fpeakes and ftands too't, nor is forty for't,
Though he by fpeaking truth, incenfe the Court.
He hates corruption, nor has euer fould,
His peace of Confcience, for a peece of gold.
He loues no perfumes, nor is one of thofe,
Whofe peak't mouchatoes fkirmifh with their nofe.
His beard's not ftarcht, he has no fubtile fconce,
Nor famts-like lookes he ten waies at once.
His Eare is neuerfhut to poore mens mones,
His Coach-wheele is not made of Clients bones,
His Confcience nere did ought that needs relenting
Or ' ere made Clients pay for his wiues painting.
His foule was neuer foild by corrupt dealing,
Nor ftands he on a veluet gowne at fealing.
His face was nere at Braziers, nor his skin
Sy-fambris-Vbx. was hung vp to be feene. (can.
His tongue fpeakes truth, makes peace where ere he
This Lawer muji be needs an honeft man.
It's true, he muft : but where now fhall we finde
This man : I feare theres none left of his kind.
e For my pretty tooth-picker, the Criticke Lawyer, who ftands
on the puntylio of his honour, I am by Martialls meanes proui-
ded of armour. 505. Epig.
Carpere caujidicus fertur mea carmina : quijit
Nefcio : f, fciero, vce tili, caufidice.
Yes
62 A Satyre.
Yes one I know, and more there be no doubt
But that my dull pate cannot find them out,
Who's truely honeft : Whom you may difcerne,
You Clients you, that vifit this throng Terme,
By no example in our Albion more,
Then by my Patron in my Catch before.
Aske you me why? Experience tells it me,
"None of s ProfeJJion honefter then he.
Vpon a Patron, who was at home, and
yet abroad: in the City, and yet in the
Countrey : feene, and not to bee
feene : in any place, but where
he was, and as foone to be found
where he was not, as.
where he was.
A good Patrons Anagram : is
Patren. Anag. Parent.
An euill ones
Patrone. Anag. Rope arit.
A Satyre.
THere is a Patron, to expreffe his name,
I thinke it needleffe, for you may coniecture,
Who tis by dumbe fhowes : yet He reade a Le6lure,
Vpon's Anatomy : " He thinks no fhame
To be at home, yet to deny the fame,
By one of 's Pander porters : he is proud
Of
A Satyre. 63
Of a new Title giuen him, yet it's ftale,
Knight-hood I wifh : for's fpeech he fpeaks a tale,
With a Beere-brewers Grace, as for his bloud,
He faies he can deriu't from Robin hood,
And his May-Marian, and I thinke he may,
For's Mother plaid May-Marian tother day.
If a rich country-Boore come to prefent him,
With Pigge or Goofe, he fhall no fooner come,
But the gate's open, and the Knight's at home,
Where the Dog-fawning Knight will queftion him,
Why he from's houfe has fo long abfent beene ?
Yet tother day, a Poet whom he lou'd,
At leaft protefted fo : knocking at's gate,
Was full two houres enforced there to waite,
And ftill he ftaid to find his loue approu'd, (mou'd,
Till th'Brazen head fpake, through a cafement
(The Knight I meane) but feeing who it was,
I'me not at home (quoth he) good Poet paffe.
An
64
An Epigram in Curium Lampetram :
A Ca/hierd Courtier.
CVrius Lampetra, (as he doth confeffe)
For he was fane i'th nicke, o'th bufmefle,
Ha's done, foone done, God wot, a worthy deede,
Setting the Courts wreath on the Cities head :
But for his wreath, before one Terms demurre,
He was degraded of his Courtly fpurre.
(True badge of Honour) and from that time fwore,
Nere to approach the Cities confines more.
What fhould he doe ? the Citie was his gaine,
For poore Lampetra nere had courtly ftraine ;
But apifh imitation, whofe fmall force
Made him admired, like an Hobby-horfe.
And yet they fay, he had a wit at will :
Running like the rundell of a blind horfe-mill. (fet
Could fweare an oath, could fome at mouth could
His words in fuftian, and could runne in debt,
Could skrew his face, could moralize a fable,
Yet nere read dELfop, fit at Duke Humfreys Table,
Could walke a turne in Paules, could talke of Spaine,
Yet nere was there, and then come home againe.
Why this is courtly, and this he could doe,
Yea but Lampetra knew not how to woe.
Not wooe ? why he could kiffe, and as they fmg
I'th ballad too, he could doe tother thing.
"A Pox thats true : But fhall I tell thee why
She told all out ? he did fo fcuruily :
As
A Satyre. 65
" As at the very inftant when theyre taine,
Shee faid (poore foole) put vp thy pipe againe,
For fuch a Fidler is farre worfe then none,
That plaies on Hill, yet has no ftroake but one.
But prethee fay, what fhall Lampetra doe ?
(As other Courtiers) make a foolifh fhow
Of what they haue not : no, it is decreed,
Being boorifh bred, he muft with boores goe, feede
On huskes and hawes ; and that he may retaine
Some courtly garbe, his ruins to maintaine
Ith Country muft this rufticke fwaine be plaft,
To purchafe pardons, when the Judgement's paft :
Or he may finde a * Giant at S* Bees
And with his fight get money if he pleafe.
* Vt in antiquiffimis Monumentis in Monafterio Sainft, Bees, ab
inclyto eo genera/iff, viro, Qui in hunc diem cuius opilus pre-
cipue Alabaftreis verfatur, nuperrime compertus Juit ; et prope
Epiftomium in Fleetftreet, pullice oftenfum, &fc.
An
66
An Embleme writte vnto a Gentleman,
who entreated the Author to diftinguijh
twixt Rome and roome.
YOu mou'd me fir, next time I chanc't to come,
For to diftinguifh betwixt Rome and roome,
Which I haue done : and to the full I hope,
Rome being as farre from roome, as Peter Pope.
For wherefoere I am, wherefoere I come,
I muft haue roome, yet that I hope's not Rome.
So whenfoere I fee Saint Peters chaire,
I doe inferre, a Saint Peter has beene there.
But that Saint Peters heyre is now at Rome.
Though he be there, He fay it's not his roome.
Peter Romes piller, Cater piller Jw,
Whofe roome I loue more tfien his company.
a For we read that in the fecond yeare of Claudius reigne.
Peter the Apoftle came to Rome, and there remained 30.
yeares after, yet fome diffent from this opinion, &c.
EN TRES EXCEL
lentifsimo Phanta/lo Moriano
del Caftello, equiti tres illuflriffimo
feptentrionalL
Fades rare horned Dicke.
An Anagram included in the Satyre.
FAdes my rare horned Dicke ? 6, out a cry,
His homes bud out, and gall him greeuoufly,
What remedy ? faith patience : which appeares
In's wife, whofe patience, many burden beares.
Then he may learne of her : it's true, you fay,
And therefore plyes his hornebooke day by day.
F2
Ana-
68
Anagram ma.
How Riches freed* d adorne a gull?
Epigram.
Wife is that Foole, that hath his coffers full.
And Riches freed adorne the veriejl Gull.
Yet but vncafe the AJ/e, and you fhall fee,
An AJ/e isjlill an Affe, andfo is he.
An Epigram vpon the Anagram, Dedi-
cated to the Mirrour of true Excellency, his
much admired (though vnacquainted) friend,
Don MORIANO DELL CASTELLO,
To whom the Author wifhes many cheer-
full daies, delightfull nights with his
his late efpoufed Miftreffe, whofe
imparalelld Verities hee hath
prefumed to illuftrate in
M
TJiefe his impolijht (yet affectionate) Poems.
Orios Auguftus thou great man of fenfe,
That art enftil'd with beft of Excellence.
To
To Phantafto Moriano. 69
To thee I write : yet doe I not know how,
T' expreffe thy worth, or with apparant fhow,
Of thy demerits blaze thee as thou fhould,
Yet know (braue northerne fpirit) that I would,
Doe full as much as any, if my Art
Were but of equall valew with my heart.
For thou art he amongft all other men,
That giues a fubiecl: to the freeft pen,
And canft define true honour by degree,
Drawne from the beft, yet inftanced in thee.
Mount thee (refolued Heroe) that thy Fame,
May be a wreath to Morianos Name.
Shine bright, like Eos with his beamy face,
Whofe pretious Mantle, fring'd with fome gold lace,
Made all the paffengers admire his worth,
Defcending from Heauens Court, to lighten earth.
I know thou canft doe this, for I haue feene
Euen in a place, where many more haue beene,
And haue obferu'd thee, galloping thy round,
Making low Congees, till thou kiffe the ground
With lip of thy humility, and then
Putting thy foote in ftirrop once againe,
Mounted thy barbed fteed, then with thy hand,
Straking thy horfes creft to make him ftand.
Who proud on's burden, frolick'd in his ftay,
And with a neighing ftomacke trac'd the way.
Faire fall thee formall Gallant that haft force,
To tame the courage of a head-ftrong horfe,
Difplaying refolution in thy eye
Courtfhip in cloths, in fpeech propriety.
F 3 In
70 To Phantafto Monano.
In gefture admiration, in thy looke
An Orbe of fafhions, or a Table-booke.
Of new-inuented features : in thy forme,
Such exquifite perfections as adorne
Natures beft Mirror, O but that I doubt,
By fpeaking of thy worth, I fhall be out.
I could epitomize each fpeciall thing,
Thy birth, thy worth, thy wooing, fonnetting.
Yet for thy loue-fake (whatfoere befall)
I will fpeake fomthing, though I fpeake not all. (net
Mongft which my Mufe records that amorous fon-
Which who will not admire, that looks vpon it,
Writ to that faire Alicia now benight,
The chaft-vow'd wife vnto an honor'd Knight :
Where with loues paffions, thou fo well did mow it,
That none could thinke thee leffer then a Poet.
Apt in thy words, in thy dimenfions rare,
Thy Figures proper, and thy motions faire.
Art could not mow, or euer yet bring forth,
So farre fetcht ftraines inuented fo farre North.
Now of her Beauty wouldft thou Comment make,
And vow to take ftrange labours for her fake :
Then to induce her loue (by meanes moft fit)
Thou wouldft commend the promptnes of her wit,
Protefting by the aery powers aboue,
(As who ere lou'd would not proteft they loue ?)
Noe fpeech ere Pallas fpake merits more praife,
Then what thy Miftreffe Dere Alicia faies.
Then wouldft thou defcant of her rubie lippe,
(Though thou had neuer lucke to taft of it.)
Then
To Phantafto Moriano. 71
Then of her pure complexion which did praife
It felfe, not as complexions now adaies.
Then of her louely quallities which might be
Styled the Eccoes of heauens harmonic.
Then of her vertues fo diuine, fo rare,
As they furpaft the reft aboue compare.
All this thou didft to fhew her eminence,
More grac't by thee being ftil'd his excellence.
And faire thy loue had ended as begun,
If that a Web had not thy loues web fpun.
Great Northerne Atlas, what can I fay more,
Then of thy merits hath been faid tofore.
At leaft obferu'd ? for many men doe fee,
And know it well I write but truth of thee.
O that times records fhould be fo portraide,
In leaues of braffe, that what was done or faid,
In auncient ages, mould fo well difplay,
Their full euents, as done but t'other day.
Whileft thy renowme great mirrour of the North,
Showne in our time, wants one to fet it foorth,
" Whereas its no leffe glory to a Crowne,
To haue Authors then haue Aftors of renowne.
Yet fhall not vertue fo obfcured bee,
Nor thofe accomplifht parts appeare in thee.
Lie rak't in Afhes : No great Morios heire,
Thou fhalt not Hue as though there nothing were,
Worthy pofterity ; its I will write,
Though far vnfitting for fo great a light
My beft of thee, that art the beft of man,
" He does not ill that does the be/I he can.
F 4 Accept
72 To Phantaflo Moriano.
Accept it needes thou muft, how er't be done,
Being thy Fathers God-fonne, thou his fonne.
But of all vertues that attend on thee,
There's none that equals thy humilitie.
Yet fo as thou art generous with all,
A ftile that does adorne thee moft of all.
Vnto thy humble fpirit annex't there is,
Another foueraigne vertue, Patience ;
Or the enduring of an iniurie :
Which of all others is obferu'd in thee.
Thou wilt not fnuffe if one correct thee : no,
Nor hardly aske him why he wrong'd thee fo.
Thou wilt not anfwere to thine owne disgrace,
Nor taxe the man that tur defies thy face,
Thou wilt not grieue for euery light offence,
Feare is thy guide, thy Jhield is Patience,
Thou like a chriftian walkes (God wot) in feare,
And being boxt will turne the other eare.
Thou art Gods man, and whatfoe're men fay,
He is the beft man at the later day.
Thou art no bluftring boy that walkes the flreete,
And bindes a quarrell with who fere he meete.
Thou art no Haxtar that by nature's giuen,
To rage on Earth, but nere to raigne in Heauen.
In briefe, thou art the man that God will chufet
Wearing a blade for fafhion more then vfe.
Nor doe I flatter thee for ne're was I
Seruile to anie man : but if my eie
Impartiall in her knowledge feeme to mow,
What by obferuance other men doe know,
And
To Phantajlo Mariano. 73
And haue admir'd, pardon I neede not craue,
Since I expreffe but what thy merits haue
Deferu'd : enough. Thy vertues are with beft,
And little need they to be more expreft,
Then as they are ? Goe on (my honourd friend)
And as thou haft begun, fo fairely end.
Be Fame thy Herauld to blaze forth thy worth,
Making thee Morios, none fuch vpon earth.
Be as thou art, and more thou canft not be,
Since beft of being is included in thee.
Be thou as hee, to whom all may refort,
Mufes I meane, and coming thank thee for't.
Be thou as Ctzfar in the Capitall,
So thou of Morios Caftell Centinell.
Be as thou art reported, great in wit,
And fo difcreet, as thou mai'ft mannage it.
Be as thou art, founder of iollitie,
Grauen in the gold-cup of our Langanbie.
Be as thou would'ft be, and I wifh no more,
So time mail fecond what I write before.
But 'laffe poore Mufe haft thou no more to fpeake
Of fuch a fubiect, (pray thee deare awake)
And memorife his name in euery page,
From this time forth vnto a following age.
No ? what is my wit drawne drie ? or I am tane
With fome amazement at a great mans name ?
Why thou haft writ of men as great before,
And haft expreft their actions ore and ore.
Turn'th ore their beft of glory, and i'th end,
So won their hearts, as thou becamft their friend.
And
74 To Pttantajlo Moriano.
And art thou now growne filent ? cannot he
That merits bed, receiue like praife of thee ?
No, no : he cannot ; fo obfcur'de he Hues,
That though I write but truth, yet who belieues
A true relation, when we feeme to fhow
A man to men whom they doe hardly know ?
O then (redoubted fir) let me now end
This home-bred Sonnet (as a louing friend
That would perfwade) if you perfwad' would be
To fhew your felfe fomething more openlie
Vnto the world : O fee how1 men repine,
That you fo long conceal'd, fhould gull the time,
Hauing fuch parts, as much adorne your birth,
Yet has no willing mind to fet them forth.
What is a lewell worth if euer hid ?
Or whats a cafed Inftrument in ftead ?
The luftre of the former is not feene,
Nor can we know by 'th latter what't does meane.
For Gemmes and inftruments are knowne by tutch,
And fuch as fhow them men, we know them fuch.
With like good will doe I prefent thee thefe,
As Mopfus (that poor fhepard) fent a cheefe
Vnto his Phillis : and it came to me
Once in my minde, to fend the like to thee :
But for I fear'd (and I haue caufe to feare)
That you had better cheefe then any here :
In fteed of bride-cakes, cheefecakes I was tide
In loue, to fend this prefent to your Bride.
All haile to Himen and this marriage day :
Strow rufhes, and quickly come away.
Bring
To Phantajlo Mariano. 75
Bring in your flowers, and giue of each of them
To fuch as lov'd, and are forfaken men :
For well I know fo louing is the Bride,
So curteous and fo liberall befide
Of her difcreete affection, I dare fay
None muft depart vnfatisfied away.
Strew rufhes maides, and euer as you ftrew,
Thinke one day maides, like will be done for you :
Strew you, He fmg, or if you like not choife :
Sing you, He ftrew : you haue the better voice.
Crowned be thou Queene of loue,
By thofe glorious powers aboue :
Loue and Bewtie ioyn'd together
May they col and kiffe each other,
And in midft of their delight,
Shew thee pleafure in the night.
For where acts of loue refort,
Longeft nights feeme too too fhort ;
May thou fleeping dreame of that,
Which thou waking doft partake,
That both fleepe and watching may
Make the darkeft night feeme day :
As a fort befieged reft,
Yeelding moft, when feeming left :
Or in pleafures may thy fmile
Burnifh like the Camomile,
Which in verdure is encreft
Moft, when it is moft deprefl.
Vertues
76 To Phantafto Moriano.
Vertues as they doe attend thee,
So may foueraigne thoughts defend thee.
A6ling in thy loue with him,
Wedlocks actions are no fmne :
Who in Hymens bands is ioyned,
And in facred loue combined,
To remaine euer thine.
He thy Picture thou his fhrine,
Thou the mettall he the mint,
Thou the waxe he the print,
He the Lant-horne, thou the lampe,
Thou the bulloine, he the ftampe.
Thou the figure he the feature ;
He thy former, thou his creature.
He the image, legge and limme,
Thou the mould to caft him in.
He the plummet thou the center,
Thou to fhelter he to enter ;
Thou the Parke or fhady vale,
" He the dogge that freth's the pale.
Hammer he to ftrike alone,
Anuile thou to beate vpon :
More I could, but more I will not,
Since to fpeake more much it skils not ;
Onely I will here extend
Th' period of my fpeech as friend ;
And expreffe what I proteft
Comes from th' center of my breft,
That my proteftations may
Beare record another day.
Id
To Phantofto Moriano.
Id Hymen crowne the night
Of thefe Nuptials with delight
77
No more, no more : much honour aie betide,
The lofty Bride-groome, and the louely Bride :
That their fucceeding dayes and yeeres may fay,
Each day appeares like to a mariage day.
But now retire, darke fhades haue lodg'd the fun,
Put vp thy pipes for now thy layes are done.
Finis Epithalami.
To the hopefull young Gentle-
man, and his experienced friend,
Mr. CHEATER.
ANAGRAMM.
TEA CHER.
Teacher you are, for you haue taught me more,
Then I was taught in all my life before.
A G R AT V L AT O RY Epigram.
(write
TO thee (young youth) thefe youngling lines I
Stor'd with my beft of wifhes : may delight
Crowne
78 To Phantajlo Moriano.
Crowne that long-wifht for Nuptial bed of thine,
(Which fhould haue been) if Fate had granted mine
With many happy nights : Bleft be my fate,
Since what one friend has is communicate
Vnto an other, that my loue mould end,
And ending, giue beginning to my friend.
But why fay I its ended ? fith by thee,
A three-loues fong beares defcant merily.
And thus it is : I lou'd her, where thou art,
Shee thee, thou mee ; three louers in one heart :
Shee thine, thou mine (if mine thou ftil'd may be)
Makes her in being thine, efpows'd to me.
An Embleme which the Author compo-
fed in honour of his Miftris, to whom
he refts euer denoted.
Allufiuely fhadowing her name in the
title of the Embleme, which
hee enftiles :
His Frankes Anatomic.
FRanke thy name doth promife much,
If thy nature were but fuch :
But alaffe what difference growe
Twixt thofe two, I onely know ?
I alaffe
Frankes Anatomie. 79
I alas that to thy bewtie
Am deuoted in all dewtie ;
I that once inuented layes,
Singing them in Shepheards praife,
I that once from loue was free
Till I fell in loue with thee :
I that neuer yet began
Trade, to hold my miftris fan ;
I that neuer yet could knowe,
Whether loue was high or lowe :
I that neuer loued was,
Nor could court a looking-glaffe :
I that neuer knew loues lawe,
Nor lov'd longer then I fawe ;
I that knew not what's now common,
To throw (heep-eyes at a woman :
I that neuer yet could proue,
Or make fhew of heartie loue :
I that neuer broke my fleepe,
Nor did know what charms did keepe
Louers eyes : now can tell
What would pleafe a louer well.
Shall I tell thee ? yes I will,
And being tolde : or faue, or kill.
It would pleafe him, if he might
Euer Hue in's Miftris fight :
It would pleafe him t' haue the hap,
But to fleep in 's Miftris lap:
Or to haue his Miftris faire,
With her hand to ftroke his haire.
Or
8o Frankes Anatomie.
Or to play at foot-S'. with him,
Or at barly-breake to breathe him ;
Or to walke a turne or two,
Or to kiffe, or coll, or woe ;
Or in fome retired Groue,
But to parly with his loue.
Or when none that's iealous fpies,
To looke babbies in his eyes :
Or when action ginnes to fayle,
To fupply it with a tale.
Venus vnto Vulcane wedde,
Yet came Mars to Vulcanes bedde :
He and fhe being both in one,
Whileft poore Vulcan lies alone ;
Or if this will not affoord
loy enough : obferue each bird
How fhe fmgles out her make
And to him does onely take.
See their billing each with other,
(Loue and dallying younc't together)
Mutuall loue inheres in either,
Being birds both of one feather ;
Or if this yeeld no content.
To refort vnto the plant.
Which being grafted skilfully,
Brings forth fruit aboundantly :
Deeper that the plant's we fee,
Sooner will it fruitfull be,
Which (my franke) in modefty,
Thus I will apply to thee.
Deeper
Frankes Anatomic. 81
Deeper that thy loue is fet,
More impreflion may it get :
Riper fruits then fuch as growe,
And are planted fcarce fo lowe :
If you aske me what I feeme,
By impreffion for to meane,
I will tell thee : fuch as thefe,
Impreflions onely women pleafe.
" Coine for ftampe fake we allowe :
So for ftampe fake do we you,
Weake's that Euidence you know
That has neither feale to fhowe,
Stampe, impreffion : fuch (I ken)
Are you maydes, not ftampt by men
Weake, God wot, for why you take
Your perfection from your make :
Then if thou defire to be
Perfect, haue recourf to me :
Or fome other that may giue,
What old Adam gaue to Eue,
'Laffe its nothing : pray thee take it,
Many wifh it that forfake it
But when fhamefull dance is done,
They could wifh they had begun
Many yeeres before they learnt it,
(O how gladly would they earne it ?)
But too long, I feeme to ftay,
Ere thy beauty I difplay ,:
Spare me fweeteft for my Mufe,
Seldome makes fo faire a chufe.
G Chufe
82 Frankes Anatomic.
Chufe it Loue what ere it be,
Reade thy owne Anatomie.
Purefl of Ophyr-gold, let me prepare
Firft for the choice defcription of thy hayre,
Which like the fineft thrids of purple feeme
Clere to out-ftrip thofe of the Paphian Queene ;
Whofe tender treffes were fo neatly wrought,
As Choices fleece feem'd to be thither brought,
And fure it was, what ere fond Poets fay,
And this was th' fleece which I of on tooke away.
Delicious Amber is the breath which flowes
From thofe perfumed conduits of thy nofe,
Thy fmile, a fnare, which tempts the way-ward boy
Adon the faire, and bids him leaue to ioy
In Forreft pleafures, there's a fruitleffe marke,
Hauing more ftore of game within thy parke.
Thy lippes (two gates) where loue makes entrie in,
And yet fo modeft as nere taxt of fmne :
Thy cheek, that rofie circlet of pure loue,
Refembling neereft that Cajlalian groue ;
Where fuch variety of flowers appeare
That nought feems good, which is not beter'd there.
Thy blufti (pure blum) Embleme of Chaftitie
Blufhing, yet guiltleffe of ought done by thee
Portends a maidens honeft-fpotleffe heart,
Hauing thy blufh by nature not by Art.
Thy chin (that dimpled mount) which hath laft place
Yet giues no leffer bewty to thy face :
Then
Frankes Anatomic. 83
Then th' greateft ornament : for it doth fhow
Like to a pleafant Vale feated belowe
Some fteepy Mount : thy chriflall eyes the fount,
Thy chin the Vale, thy louely face the Mount.
0 is not then this feature, boue compare,
Where breath is perfume, and pure gold is hayre
Where fmiles are fnares, lippes gates of luorie,
Cheekes rofes, blufhes types of chaftitie :
Where chin a vale, the browe the mount, the face
That Soueraigne of the heart, that keeps loues place :
Where fhall I looke then, or how fhall I moue
Thefe eyes of mine and teach them not to loue ?
For if my eyes fhould but thy haire beholde,
1 muft be forc't to loue for it is golde :
If thy delicious breath I chaunce to fip,
Being the rofie verdure of thy lip ;
I deeme my felfe in that fweet perfume bleft
Much more, in that, worfe breaths be in requeft :
If thou do fmile, I loue, and wifh the while,
That I might only Hue to fee thee fmile.
If thou do fpeake (pure Orator) I 'me dumb,
For why ? thy admiration curbs my tongue.
If thou but blufh (as maydes are wont to doe)
My paflions are perplex'd, I wot not how, (pale,
'Twixt feare and loue : feare makes me wondrous
Fearing thy blufh came from fome wanton tale.
Too too immodeft fpoken by my felfe.
Which to affoyle He reprehend my felfe ;
If I but tutch, to tutch 's a veniall fin,
The pretty circle of thy dimpled chin :
G 2 I vowe
84 Frankes Anatomie.
I vowe and in my vowe giues Bewtie thanks,
That chin was Venus, though it now be Franks.
Yet haue I not fpoke all that I doe fee ;
Or at leaft iudge in thy Anatomie:
For true Anatomifts being men of Art,
Know the exa6l defcription of each part,
Member and arterie : fo mould my fight
Be in my Franke if I defcribe her right,
Which that I might reduce to fome full end,
Though there's no end in loue, I will defcend
To the diftin<5l relation of the reft,
And in my Franks difcouery thinke me bleft.
Thy wafte, (without wafte) like a curious frame,
Aptly proportion'd ftill referues the fame :
Or like fome well compofed Inftrument
ExacT: in forme, in accent excellent ;
So is thy wafte, and happy may he be,
That's borne to make it ftrike true harmony.
Thy belly (if conie6lures true may be)
For we muft gueffe at that we cannot fee,
Is like an orient Cordon pearled faire,
With diuerfe feats of Nature here and there.
Where glides a chriftall ftreameling to abate,
The heate of Nature oft infatiate.
Pardon me Deere : Nature ordained firft
That Fount of yours, to quench the place of thirft.
Thy thigh (imagination now muft doe)
For I muft fpeake, though well I know not how,
Like the laborious and the loaden Bee,
That haftens to her hiue melodioufly.
Nor
Frankes Anatomic. 85
Nor is her freight more lufcious (Deere) then thine,
For thine is full of pleafure, hers of Thyme :
Thy knee like to an orbe that turnes about,
Giuing free paffage to thy nimble foote,
Apt for each motion, actiue in loues fphere,
Moouing her ioints to trip it euery where.
Thy legge (like Delias] neither bigge nor fmall,
But fo well fram'd and featured in all,
That Nature might feeme enuious to impart,
So great a good, and hide fo good a part
Thy foote the curiouft module of the reft,
For Art and Nature there be both expreft :
Art in the motion, Nature in the frame,
Where action works, and motion moues the fame.
Nor can I credite what our Poets fay,
Affirming Venus chanc't vpon a day
To pricke her foote, fo as from th' blood fhe fhed,
The damafke-rofe grew euer after red ;
For if from blood fuch ftrange effefls fhould be,
Stanger (ere this) had been deriu'd from thee :
But Poets though they write, Painters portray,
Ifs in our choice to credit what they fay.
Yet credit me (for I would haue thee know it)
I neuer yet durft challenge name of Poet :
Onely thine owne I am and ft ill will be,
For whom I writ this poore Anatomie*
G 3 Vpon
86
Vpon his Mi/Iris Nuptiall,
ENSTI LED :
His Frankes Farewell.
(pray?
WHy whither Franke? to th' church? for what to
O no : to fay, what thou canft nere vnfay :
Alaffe poore Girle : I fee thy quondam friend,
Hath caufe to fay his hopes are at an end :
How vainely then be our affe6lions plafte,
On women-kinde, that are fo feeming chafte,
And priuately fo forward-well-be gone,
(If ere I marry) I'le finde fuch an one,
As (in her modefty) will thinke't a difgrace
" Others to loue when I am out of place.
But I do thank thee Franke, th' haft taught me more,
Then I could learne in twice feauen yeere before ;
For I did thinke your fimple fexe did hate
By double dealing to equiuocate :
Where by experience now I finde it common,
That faft and loofe is vfuall with women.
Yet on thefe rites this line my louejhall tell,
Fare well or ill, I wi/h my Franke farewell.
An
87
An Epigramme called the
WOOER.
COme yee braue wooers of Penelope,
Doe not repine that you fhould croffed be :
For pregnant wits, and ripeft braines can fhow,
As much or more then euer you did know.
And that my ftorie better may appeare,
Attend to my difcourfe, and you fhall heare.
It chanc't vpon a time (and then was'th time)
When the thigh-fraughted Bee gathered her thyme,
Stored her platted Cell, her fragrant bower, (er
Crop't from each branch, each bloffom & each flow-
When'th pretty Lam-kin fcarce a fortnight old,
Skipped and froliked Tore the neighbouring fold,
When'the cheerfull Robin, Larke, and Lenaret,
Tun'de vp their voices, and together met,
When'th fearefull Hare to cheere her quaint delight,
Did make her felfe her owne Hermaphrodite,
When'th louely Turtle did her eies awake,
And with fwift flight follow'd her faithfull make,
When euery Beaft prepar'd her wonted den,
For her owne young, and fhade to couer them,
When Flora with her mantle tucked vp,
Gathred the dewie flow'rs, and them did put
In her embrodred skirts which were rancke fet,
With Prime-rofe, Cow-flip, and the violet,
The dill, the dafle, fweet-breath'd Eglantine,
The Crowfoote, panfle, and the Columbine,
G 4 The
88 The Wooer.
The pinke, the plantaine, milfoile, euery one,
With Marigold that opens with the Sunne ;
Euen then it was, (ill may I fay it was)
When young Admetus woed a countrey laffe,
A countrie laffe whom he did woe indeede,
To be his Bride, but yet he could not fpeede.
Which forc't him grieue : heare but his caufe of woe,
And you'le not wonder why he fhould doe fo ?
Vertuous the maide was, and fo grac't by fate,
As fhe was wife, and did degenerate
From her weake-witted father : modefty
Lodg'd on her cheeke, and fhowd virginity
In a faire Rofie colour, which was fpread
By equall mixture both of white and red.
So as no white it feem'd, but Idas fnow,
No red, but fuch where Roses vfe to grow.
And though of Hero many one doe write,
Styling her foueraigne Goddeffe of delight,
So faire as fhe was taken for no other,
Of all that faw her, then Adonis mother.
So pure her skin, fo motiue to the eie,
As it did feeme compof'd of luorie.
So high and broad her front, fo frnoth, fo euen,
As it did feeme the Frontifpice of Heauen.
So purely mixt her cheekes, as it might feeme,
She was by nature made for natures Queene.
So pretty dinted was her dimpled chin,
As't feem'd a gate to let affe<5tion in.
So fweete her breath, (as I haue hard them tell)
That like to Cajfia fhe did euer fmell.
So
The Wooer. 89
So louely were thofe mounts of pure delight,
That Gods themfelues wer cheered with their fight :
So as great loue (for fo our Poets fay)
Fain'd himfelfe ficke for her vpon a day.
Wife j&fculapius he was fent forthwith,
Who felt loues pulfe, yet found no figne of death,
Or any great diftemper : (yet to pleafe loue
For he perceiu'd his malady was loue)
Said ; Sir, I'aue found your grief: what i'ft (quoth he ?)
A meere confumption, yet be rul'd by me,
And follow my directions (though with paine)
And then no doubt you fhall be well againe.
Fiue mornes muft you ttfAbidoes towne repaire,
And fuck pure milke from th' fair'ft virgin there.
loue hearing what he wifht, obey'd his heft ;
And war foone well by fucking Heroes breft.
Yet what was Hero, though the fair'ft that was
In all her time vnto Admetus laffe ?
Though Heroes beuty did allure all men,
The time is chang'd, now's now, and then was then.
Each milk-maide in fore time was thought a Queen,
So rare was perfe6t bewty to be feene.
But now, where is no Venus to be had ?
Such ftore I wot there be, that euery lad
Can haue his trickfie laffe, which wantonlie,
Scarce crept from fhell, he dandles on his knee.
But to my ftorie of fuch royall parts
Was (he compofed, that the very hearts
Of her attendants, as it did apeare,
Were fpouf'd to this pure virgin euery where,
9O The Wooer.
With what refolued filence would her wit,
Oppofe her tongue, and feeme to bridle it ?
With what difcretion would fhe fpeake her minde,
And nere tranfgreffe thofe limits fhe affign'd.
But with that decencie of grace and fpeech,
As She might feeme the elder fort to teach.
" What a bleft fexe were woman if this fong
Were onely learnt them, for to hold their tongue,
And fpeake no more (O t'were a leffon good)
Then that were fit, and what they vnderftood ?
But when will that be taught them ! O (I feare)
Neuer ; for womens tongues be euery where.
So as at firft, if they had no tongue,
It may be thought they would not haue been dumb.
Such is th'ternall motion, that its fayd,
WJien women fpeechlejfe lie they're neerly dead.
This virgin which Admetus fought to haue,
Befide her vertues, then which who could craue,
A better portion, had an ample dowre,
Which did enrich thofe gifts that were before
Expreffed and dilated, and to tell
The very trueth, fhe lou'd Admetus well.
And could haue brook't all others t'haue denide,
So that fhe might haue been Admetus bride.
But he a fhamefaft lad, though oft he fought
Her loue, yet durft not vtter what he thought.
Nor to her parents could impart his minde,
How he affecled was, and how inclinde.
Yet ftill was he refpe6led, and in grace,
Nor any fought to put him out of place.
Nor
The Wooer. 91
Nor to withdraw th'affection of the maid,
From that foundation where it once was laid
For three months fpace, hung it in this fufpence,
Neither conceald nor fhowne : till's Excellence,
For fo was th'Title of a noble Squire,
Whofe liuing bordered in th'adioyning fhire,
By an intendment (as he thought vpon't)
Put poore Admetus nofe quite out of ioynt,
And thus it was : for I meane to repeat
By what deceit, what cunning flight and cheat,
He bobd this fimple Swaineling ; on a day,
When young Admetus had addreft his way
To Troinouant, where he occafion had,
" His Excellence in th'abfence of the ladde,
Acquaints another with Bellinaes loue,
(For fo her name was :) he more prompt to moue
Affection, then Admetus ere could be,
Wins me Bellina's fort couragioufly,
By new affaults, incurfions, and difplaid
His youngling Colours : when the breach was made.
O how methinks I fee th'young Souldier fweat,
Till he hath done, and perfected his feat.
How he affailes, affaults, afcends, inclines,
Inuades, inuirons, mines, vndermines,
Whil'ft fhe like to a Fort oppreft doth lye,
Depriu'd all meanes of helpe, yet will not crye.
He like a ftout victorious Hanniball,
Bidding her yeeld, or he will raze the wall.
She though made fubiect to his conquering hand,
Like Carthage Queene ftill at defiance Hands.
He
92 The Wooer.
He (with the Spirit of a Mirmidonj)
Makes her the Carpet which he lies vpon.
She (Deianira-YiViQ) will chufe death firft,
Ere (he craue mercy, bids him doe his worft.
He enters th'breach, and doth his fignall rere,
And leaues fome token that he has beene there :
She glories in her conqueft, and throwne downe,
Saies, I am low, yet am not ouercome.
He doth renew his battery, and ftands too't,
And Ihe Vyrago-like, yeelds not a foote.
He takes more firmer grounding, yet is fhe
Still as fhe was, lower fhe cannot be.
He plants his Engines deeper, labours more,
Yet fhe protefls, its worfe then twas before.
He enters parlye, and fpeakes ore the wall,
But fhe (as fenceleffe) anfwers not at all.
He founds rerteat, and to his campe doth creepe,
Which makes her wake out of her pleafant fleepe.
Then in a fweete entwining doe they clippe,
And cull and kiffe, and from the rofie lippe
Of Hymens chaft embraces doe they taft,
The fweets aboue, when lower ioyes be part.
Heere is the fpell of fweet-charmd Morphus
Diffolu'd to nothing, by charmes amorous.
For though men (after Labour) reft doe feeke,
Loues eyes be openftill, and cannot Jleepe.
ludge what Admetus thought when he did heare,
Of this report, foone whifpered in his eare,
How he did looke ? how ftrange perplext he was,
Thus to bee cheated of his louely laffe ?
Pipe
The Wooer. 93
Pipe could he not, his cheeks were growne fo thinne,
His pipe-bagge torne, no wind it could keepe in,
His cloue-ear'd curre lay hanging downe his head,
And for foure dayes, would taft no kind of bread.
His Flockes did pine (all went contrary way)
Heere lay Admetus, there his Sheep-crooke lay,
All wea-begane, thus liu'd the Shepheard long,
Till on a day infpired with a fong,
(For fo it feem'd) to others more then me,
Which thus he fung to maids inconftancy.
Foolifh I, why mould I grieue,
To fuftaine what others feele ?
What fuppofe, fraile women leaue,
Thofe they lou'd, mould I conceale
Comforts reft,
From my breft.
For a fickle, brittle woman,
Noe, Noe, Noe,
Let her goe,
Such as thefe be true to no man.
Long retired haft thou beene,
Sighing on thefe barren rocks,
Nor by fheepe nor fhepheard feene,
Now returne vnto thy flockes,
Shame away,
Doe not Hay,
With
94 The Wooer.
With thefe mouing-louing woman,
They remoue
From their loue :
Such as thefe doe oft vndoe men.
Tender-tinder of Affection,
If I harbour thee againe,
I will doe it by direction,
Of fome graue experienc't fwaine.
Nere will I,
Loue by th' eye,
But where Judgement firft hath tride,
If I Hue,
Ere to loue,
It is (he, mail be my bride.
When this retired Swaine had end'd his fong,
He feem'd as one that had forgot his wrong,
His Teres were dried vp, his willow wreath,
Throwne quite away, and he began to breath,
More cheerefull and more blith then ere he was,
Forgetting th' Name and Nature of his lafle,
So as no Swaine on all the plaine could be,
For any May-game readier then he :
Now would he tune his pipe vnto his Eare,
And play fo fweet, as ioyed the flocks to heare,
Yea I haue heard, (Nor thinke I Fame did lye)
So skilfull was this lad in Minftrelfie,
That when he plaid (one ftroke) which oft he would,
No Laffe t/tat heard him could her water hold.
And
The Wooer. 95
And now becaufe I doe remember't well,
lie tell a tale which I haue heard him tell,
On winter-nights full oft vnto my Sire,
While I fat rolling of a Crab by th' fire.
A Man there was wh had liu'd a merry life,
Till in the end, he tooke him to a wife,
One that no image was (forjhe could fpeake)
And now and then her hujbands coftrell break.
So fierce Jhe was and furious, as in fome
She was an arrant Deuill of her tongue.
This droue the poor e man to a dif content,
And oft and many times did he repent
That ere he changed his former quiet Jlate,
But las repentance, then did come too late.
No cure he finds to heale this maladiey
But makes a vertue of necejjity.
The common cure for care to euery man,
A potte of nappy Ale : where he began
To fortifie his braine 'gain/I alljhould come,
'Mongft which the clamor of his wiues loud tongue.
This habit graffed in him grew fo Jlrong,
" That when hee was from Ale, an hourefeem'd long,
So well he likd thprofejfion : on a Time,
Hauing ftaid long at pot, (for rule nor line
Limits no drunkard) euen from Morne to Night,
He hafted home apace, by the moone-light :
Where as he went, what phantafies were bred,
I doe not know, in his dijlempered head.
But
96 The Wooer.
But aftrange Ghoft appear" d (and fore' d himftay)
With which perplext, he thus began to fay.
Good Spirit, if thou be, I need no charme,
For well I know, thou wilt not doe me harme,
And if the Dadll ; fure, me thoujhouldjl not hurt,
I wed'd thyjifter, and am plagued for V.
The fpirit well-approuing what he f aid,
Diffolrfd to ayre, and quickly vani/Jted.
For Guido faith, fome fpirits walke on earth,
That cheered are, and much delight with mirth,
Such doe admire conceits and pregnant braynes ;
Others there are, which Melancholy chaines,
And keepes in low Subie&ion, thefe are they
Affe£l the balefull night, frequent that way
That is obfcure, filent and intricate,
Darke charnell-houfes, where they keep their chat,
Of Tortures, Tragicke ends and Funeralls,
Which they folemnize for their Feftiualls.
Thus would Admetus paffe the winter-night,
Wherein he gaue fuch neighbours great delight,
As came to heare him : and fuch ftore he had,
Of quaint conceits, as there was not a ladde,
That of difcourfe had more variety,
Or could expreffe his mind more gracefully.
But lacke for forrow, how hee's fallen away,
That was fo trim a youth but tother day,
A meere Anatomy, but skin and bone,
One that it pitties me to looke vpon.
What fhould the caufe be, fure I cannot fay,
But his pale face, fome fickneffe doth bewray ?
"For
The Wooer.
" For as our thoughts are legible in our eye,
" So doth our face our bodies griefe defcry.
Yet I perchance, by th' Sonnet which hee made,
May find the caufe for which he is difmaide
How ere it fall, it fhall be fung by me,
Now when I want Admetus company.
97
Admetus Sonnet.
NEighbour Swaines and Swainelins heare me,
"Its Admetus bids you heare
Leaue your Pajlures, and come neere mee,
" Come away you need not fear e,
By my foule, as I affeEl you,
I haue nought that can infect you.
O then come,
Heare a tongue,
That in difcord keepes apart,
With a Woe-fur charged heart.
Nere was Swaine on plaine more loued,
Or could doe more feats then I,
Yet one griefe hath now remoued,
All my whilome iollity.
All my Laies be quite forgotten,
Sheepe-hooke broken, pipe-bagge rotten,
O then come,
Heare a tongue,
That with flattering fpeech doth call,
To take long farewell of all.
H
I am
98 T/te Wooer.
I am not as once I was,
When Eliza firft didfuite me,
Nor when that fame red-hair d laffe.
Faire Bellina did inuite me,
To a Garden there to play,
Cull, kijfe, clip, and toy all day,
O tJien come,
Heare a tongue,
That in wooing termes was flowing,
But through Wo Jtas fpoild his woing.
All I can or will dejire ye
When my breath of life is f pent,
TJtat in loue you would interre me,
(For it will my foule content,)
Neare vnto my Fatliers Jtearfe,
And bejlow fome comely verfe
On my Tombe,
Then my tongue
Shall throb out this lajl adeu,
Nere were truer fw aines then you.
A verfe Admetus? I will be the fwaine,
Though moft vnfit, to vndertake that paine,
Which in faire letters fhall engrauen be,
Ouer thy hearfe t'expreffe thy memory,
And thus it is : Heere is a Shepheard layd,
Who lou'd, was lou'd,yet lid d and died a Maid.
Yet gainfl his will : pray then goodfpirits tell,
Whetlter Jie muft or no lead Apes in Hell.
How
99
How Fancie is a Phrenfie.
An Epigram.
ANd thou* Euenus whofe renowm's difperft,
About thofe fertile coafts which border thee,
Whofe well-tun'd Current runs fo pretily,
That Fame her felfe, nor fhall it be reuerft,
Ha's thus enabled : that thy liquid breft
Should make my confort vp, for there appeares
Euen in thine eyes, continuing ftreames of teares.
Still may thy Sliding-foord, and fpacious courfe,
Warn thofe adioyning vales encircle thee,
Which by thy meanes yeeld crops fo fruitfully,
That thy pure fand may be of Ganges force,
Golds pure Elixir : for thou haft remorfe,
And pitties my hard hap to loue a fwaine,
That hates my loue, and makes my fute in vaine.
Oft by thy Sliding Channell haue I ftood,
Bathing my felfe in teares, teares were the drinke,
That quench't my thirft, & whe thou feem'd to fink,
Into fome hollow cauerne, ftreight my blood,
" (That little bloud I had) made thy courfe good.
* Jn Euenum Flumen luMco pregredicus curfu,
H2
And
TOO Fanjie is a Phrenjie.
And fmke into the Cefternes of mine eyes,
Filling thy ftreams with teares, thy banks with cries.
Streight fell I downe vpon thy floury fhore,
As if the fhore had beene my miftris breft,
Where I a while conceau'd that fweetned reft,
As it expell'd the care I felt before,
Seeming to make my comforts fo much more,
Becaufe fo long delay 'd ; but laffe the while,
My thoughts chekt me, I chekt my thoghts of guile.
For well I found, this was a goulden dreame,
Yet but a Dreame, that feem'd to reprefent,
Vnto mine eyes, that facred Continent,
Which fhadowes my content : but this has beene,
Euer moft true, Dreames are not as they feeme.
And if they were, I'me fure they mift in this,
Taking thy Banke for where my miftres is.
Oft did I cull, and clip, and kiffe, and doe,
God wot, full madly, for repofing there,
I call'd the graffe, the trefles of her haire :
And bound it vp, yet well I knew not how,
Making a bracelet on't, which I would mow
To euery Sheepheard, fo diftracYd was I,
And euery rurall Syluane that paft by.
All this thou faw, and thou did pitty me,
" For thy diftreaming teares explan'd no lefle,
Surcharged brefts muft needs their greefes expreffe,
Which
Fanjie is a Phrenjie. 101
Which once expreft ; fuppreffed feeme to be :
" Teares unto griefe, yeeld foueraignft remedy.
For Teares doe filence greefe, but where appeares
Extent of griefe, their griefs doe filence teares.
And fuch were mine : fometimes I could not weep,
But like one fence-leffe, laughed at my diflreffe,
Mixing a ftraine of Mirth with heauineffe,
Or as one caften in a deadly fleepe,
That neither fence nor faculty can keepe,
Euen fuch was I : but ftreight I chang'd my fong,
Making my ioyes fhort, but my forrowes long.
Her fancie was the phrenfie that furprifd
My idle brain with thefe diffracted paffions,
Ten thoufand fhapes I had, ten thoufand fafhions,
Defpifmg, louing, loue where I defpifd'e,
Prifmg her moft, where I was loweft prif 'de.
Thus my affections to diffractions turn'd,
Made me mourne more then louer euer morn'd.
And Reafon too : for fome I had, my Friends,
(At leall they feem'd fo) which contemnd my griefe
Nor fought to yeeld my filly heart releefe,
With one poore comfort, but as diuers ends,
Occafion ftrange effects ; fo Lone depends
(If I may call inconftant Friendship Loue,)
On Fortune heere below, not truth aboue.
Let mee vnrippe my forrowes, that my breft
H 3 May
IO2 Fanjle is a Phrenjle.
May void fuch Scarabees, that vfe to fit
Vpon each vlcer : whofe contagious witte,
Is worfe then Hellebore, for they infeft
The pureft Manfion, louing euer left
Where they fhow moft Affection, for their ftraine,
Is not for loue but profit, and their gaine.
Record tJiem (fweet Euenus) for they hate,
Thy facred ftreams : wafh not their foyled fin
With thy pure liquor : for the <£Lthiops skin,
Will be blacke ftill : the doome of enuious fate,
(Like Mammons heires) fits skouling ore their ftate :
Their Summer- S wallozvs flou rijh, they make one,
But if thy ftate be blafted, they are gone.
And thou (Bleft Hymen) that confirmes the loue,
Of Mortall foules, with thy diuineft rites,
Knows whom I mean by, for they quench thy lights
By their abufe : but there's a power aboue,
Will dam their gainefull tradings, and remoue,
Their Bartring from the earth, to th' depth of hell,
That teach in Marriage how to buy and fell.
Yet deere Euenus, I haue more to fpeake,
For I would haue thee carry me commends,
To fuch as be my true approoued friends,
(For fome I haue will neither bow nor breake)
Mid'ft my afflictions : but by all meanes feeke
To re-infufe life in me : pray the tell
When by their houfe thou goeft, that I am well.
And
Fanjie is a Phrenjle. 103
And if they aske thee how I brook this place
Where I'me retired to : fay, as louers vfe,
Pent from their loues, they cannot will, nor chufe,
But Hue an Hermits life, and in difgrace
Of beauty and her name, hath made his face
Like times annatomie (poore Sceleton)
An obiect fit for Ruth to looke vpon.
Tell them the bookes I reade, be fuch as treate,
Of Amadis de Gaul, and Pelmerin,
Furious Orlando, and Gerilion,
Where I obferue each fafhion and each feate,
Of amorous humors, which in my conceipt,
Seeme to to rare, That they that were fo ftrong,
Should be fo mad, and I be tame fo long,
But prefently I recollect my fenfe,
And findes a reafon : queftionles I'me mad
But who cares for't, or markes it ? if I had
Land (like an elder brother) Eminence
Of fome Court-Comet, would haue prefidence,
Ouer my braine-pan : and would beg my wit,
Though neither he nor I could mannage it.
So though I loofe my wits I cannot loofe
My lands, they reft fecure ; where ? can you tell ?
Where ? yes, where not ? wil't pleafe thee buy, I'le fel :
What ? wit ? I haue none ; counfell ? neither : houfe ?
The arch of Heauen's my couer ; pray excufe
My Error, I am pore ; I'haue naught to fell
H 4 But
IO4 Fanjle is a Phrenjle.
But teares and thofe I cannot part with well.
But (pray thee) fpare thy fpeech to fuch as be,
And euer were profeffed foes to loue,
And Bayne to marriage, for by them I proue
The depth of difcontent : they loue not me,
Nor doe I care for't : once I hope to fee,
Enuie without a fting, which ftill extends
Her hatefull power vnto depraued ends.
Yet if thou chance to flide by Enuies place,
(Which by this true difcription thou fhalt know)
Her JlruElures ruirid are, and there doth grow,
A groue of fatall Elmes, wherein a maze,
Or labyrinth is fram'd: heere Enuies race,
Had their beginning, For there's yet to fee,
The very throne where Enuy vf'd to bee.
Tell that (proud minion} that ambitious dame,
Whofe meagre look and broad disjheaueld lock,
Whofe dangling nofe,fliafit like an apricock,
Makes her defert-leffe proud, that I doe blame
Her vniuft dealing, though I fcorne to name,
Th'uniuftneffe of it : yet this vowe i'le make,
I'le nere truft long-nos'd Female for her fake.
* Et tu quce minio nardoque fulges, extendens occulos a/tins
proueftos, defijle ceptis.
Nafutam dicam et fane dicerem,
Si iuxta nafum polleat ingenium.
Could
Fanjie is a Phrenjie. 105
Could me (hard hearted me) for priuate gaine,
(Such lucring Mammonifts the heauens difpleafe,)
Sell both the lone and liking of her Niece,
And where loue fhewd her moft, there to reftraine,
Affection within bounds ? fweet ftreames complaine,
To luno on't, I know fhee'l pitty me
And grant my fuite — TJiatJhe may barrain be.
We haue too manie of that odious brood,
We neede no more : it is a fruitleffe fruit,
That fhames the Parents : — luno heare my fuit,
For it will doe both heauen and earth much good,
And be a caueat vnto woman-hood ;
" Rather in Marriage not to deale at all,
Then to fet Marriage f acred rites at f ale.
Farewell (Euenus} I haue writ my minde,
Which I would. haue thy ftreamelings to conuey
To Emdes houfe, by that frequented way,
Which as a Port or Hauen is ajfigrid
To euery pajfenger : Sweet breathing winde
Breath on thy failes, that when thou doeft complain,
Remembring me, thy teare-fwolne eies may raine,
And fructefie the earth : That time mayjhowe,
This did Euenus for her Poet doe.
io6
Certaine Sele6l Epigrams, made
good by obferuance, experience, and
inftance : with an introdu6lion to Time,
including fundry conceipted pajfages,
no lejfe p leaf ant then
prefent
Ii*s a mad -world my M afters.
OAge what art thou made of? fure thou art,
Compof 'd of other mettall then thou wert,
Once was thy glory by thy vertues showen,
But now alas thy vertues are vnknowen. (day
For who fhould fhow worth but great men ? yet each
Shews by experience, None more ill then they,
Where Honour on a foote-cloth's wont to paffe,
Like Appians Land-Lord on his trapped Affe.
'Laffe I haue feen what I haue grieu'd to fee,
Honour with vertue nere keepe companie.
But if they doe (as fome obferuance make}
It's not for Confcience, but for fafhion fake.
O
Epigrams. 107
O then how vaine is time, to fhowre down good,
On fuch as are but great, only by blood ;
Not true demerits which makes me contemne,
The idle paffions of phantafticke men,
Which think't fufficient to be great in ftate,
Without leaft vertue fit to imitate :
This makes me hence conclude : vice puts on honour :
" For vertue, there is none will looke vpon her.
/ in my time hauefeene an vpftart Lord,
Raifed to Judden honour like a Gourd,
Whom in as J "mall time I may chance to fee,
As lonah's gourd, fo withered he may be,
And what's the caufe ? becaufe its not demerit
Or true defcent, by which he doth inherit,
Such new ftolne honors : for then might his name
Freely fuch eftimation feeme to claime :
But an infmuating humour drawen,
" From that fame force of vice, that lothfome fpawne
Of ail diftempered paffions, which can be
Mark't with no better name then flatterie.
And is this way to purchafe honour trewly ?
Can fuch a man be fayd to merit dewly ?
When hows'ere we admire him for his feate.
" It was not worth, but bafeneffe made him great.
O Time, how ftrangely art thou varied,
From what thou once appear'd ; how art thou led
By euery fafhion-monger that doth ftand
More on the egge-fying of his band
His
1 08 Epigrams.
His peak't munchattoes, his Venetian hofe,
His Buskin-pace, how Gorgon-like he goes,
His crifpled haire, his fixing of his eye,
His cerufs-cheeke, and fuch effemnacie :
" Then on tru-man-like Vertues : for its common,
Women are liker men, men liker women ;
Sith I no other difference can make,
'Twixt man and woman faue the outward fhape
Their mind's all one : nor doth their fhape appeare
Much different : fmce women th'breeches weare :
Which fafhion now to th'Countrey makes refort,
In imitation of their weare at Court ;
Where it is fayd to fhun the meanes of finnen,
Came that vfe vp to weare their breekes of linnen ;
And can we fee this and not pittie it
When men that haue more complement then wit,
Shine in the eye of popular refpe6l,
And others of more worth droope in neglect ?
We cannot : yet muft we admire them ftill,
(That worthleffe are) though't be againft our will,
What remedy ? He tell thee, though thou dare not,
But congy when thou meets them : laugh & fpare not
So't be in priuate, burft thy fides with laughter,
And whileft th'rt laughing, He come laming after :
Mean time (with filence) I would haue thee hear me,
That haue compos'd thefe Epigrams to cheere thee.
Take them how ere they be : if fowre in tafte,
Reforme thy errors which are former paft :
If fweet, let th'relifh of my poems moue
That loue in thee, to thanke me for my loue :
To
To the Precijlan. r ' X' V
FOr the Precifian that dares hardly looke,
(Becaufe th'art pure forfooth) on any booke
Saue Homilies, and fuch as tend to th'good
Of thee, and of thy zealous brother-hood :
Know my Time-noting lines ayme not at thee,
For thou art too too curious for mee.
I will not taxe that man that's wont to flay
" His Cat for killing mife on th'Sabboth day :
No ; know my refolution it is thus,
I'de rather be thy foe then be thy pus :
And more fhould I gaine by 't : for I fee,
The daily fruits of thy fraternity.
Yea, I perceiue why thou my booke fhould fhun,
" Becaufe there's many faultes th' art guiltie on :
Therefore with-drawe by me thou art not call'd,
Yet do not winch (good iade) when thou art gall'd,
I to the better fort my lines difplay,
I. pray thee then keep thou thy felfe away.
The
no
The Church-Knight.
A Church-man was there on a time I reade,
Of great eftate his father being dead,
Which got, his Syrpe-cloth he difcarded quite,
Refoluing fully now to be a Knight :
Vp to the Court he goes with fpeede he can,
Where he encountred a North-britaine man,
With whom difcourfing in his Euening walke,
He fpoke of Knights 'mongft other idle talke,
How th' title it was worthie, and that he,
Could well endure entitled fo to be ;
For I do reade (quoth he) of fuch as thefe
Within the Ecclefiafticke hiftories :
What fame and honour they obtain'd by warre,
Which fir (belieue me made me come thus farre,
That I (if meanes or mony could obtaine it)
Might in refpect to my profeflion gaine it.
The Brittanne his profeffion did require :
A Curate once, quoth he, of Brecknocke-ftnrz,
Helde, I may fay to you, a learned man ;
But fmce my fathers death turn'd gentleman.
I ioy me in th'occafion ^Brittan fayd,
(Doubt not fir Prieft) you mail a Knight be made ;
And you deferue't : for though Knights common are
" Holy church-knights, fuch as you be, feeme rare,
To Long-lane goes the Curate to prouide,
An ancient fuite, and other things befide ;
As
Epigrams, 1 1 1
As skarfe and rofes all of different colour, ler,
Which bought, at White-friers ftaires he takes a Scul-
Prepar'd with refolution all the fooner,
To gaine this priuiledge and Knightly honour ;
Which hauing got by long petitioning fuite,
And pai'd vnto the Brittain his firft fruit, (grieue him
To's Neighbors ftreight he hies, where they much
" For, fwearing he's a knight, they'le not belieue him
Nor would they (fuch incredulous men were thefe)
Till he had fhowen difcharge for all his fees.
An Rpigramme alluding to the
fecond Satyre of Ariofto, where he
tateth the Clergies pride and
Ambition.
r I ""He Church-mens doctrine is humility, (they,
J_ Yet but obferue them, who more proude then
VVhofe Damaske caffockes mew their vanitie.
How mould we then beleeue them what they fay,
" Since what they taxe vs in, themfelues bewray :
Its too too true : fo that oft-times the Temple,
(Though th' houfe of God, giues lay-men worft ex-
(ample.
Crucem
1 1 2 Epigrams.
Crucem & coniugem vno petimus fato,
Hanging and marrying goe by deftinie.
It is an axiome in Philofophie,
" Hanging and marrying goe by dejlinie ;
Both reference haue vnto the doome of fate,
Both doe our birth and nature calculate :
Nor can we fay thefe two be different far,
Sith both haue influence from one ominous ftar,
Which bodes our happineffe or our mifchance
According to the ftarres predominance ;
This made Arminus Carffagv-Ruler fay
" That with a wife he could not well away :
For being askt why he with others mare not,
Good fortune in good wiues (quoth he) I dare not,
For if I chance to light on one that's wife,
" She will be wilfull, felfe-lov'd, or precife,
" If wealthy, wanton, vowing to her friend,
" I mail be Cocold ere a fortnight end :
" If poore then peeuifh, of condition fhrewde :
" If bewtifull me will be monftrous proude ;
" And if deformed, lothfome is me then,
" And th' leaft of thefe would kill a thoufand men.
But now fuppofe, I could no longer tarrie,
But that I might doe either worfe or marrie,
And that I fought a wife to fit my turne,
(For better tis to marrie then to burne) ("age)
Though many (they may thank their own good car-
Are all afire the firft day of their marriage :
Why
Epigrams. 113
Why then as my pofition was at firft,
This marriage-day is either beft or worft
I ere was maifter of: for if my wife
Be loyall as fhe ought, then is my life
Made double bleft in her, where I may fay,
" Each day lookes cheerefull like a mariage-day,
But if felfe-will'd vntamed, head-ftrong, froward,
Immodeft, indifcreete, peeuifh, vntoward :
Why then through th'fury of her in-bred malice,
In climing to her bed, I clime to th' gallowes.
Where euery word that doth proceed from her
Strangles me like an Executioner ;
Her humour is my neck-verfe, which to fort
I cannot, if I fhould be hanged for't,
Her tongue's my torture, and her frisking taile,
Flies vp and downe like to a wind mills faile,
Her hands like Fullers wheels, one vp, one downe,
Which ftill lie mailing on my coftrell crowne :
Which ere I would endure to take her banging,
I would goe round to worke and take a hanging :
Since therefore Fate hath doomed this to thee,
Hanging or wining patient thou muft be.
An
An Epigramme called the
Cambrian Alchymift.
THe Planet-ftroken Albumazar,
Shaues the Mufes like a razor ;
Fayry-like we therefore fhun them,
Caufe there is no haire vpon them,
Mufes loofe their ornament,
Cambria has their excrement.
Excrement ? it's true indeede,
Haire growes from th'exceffe of feede,
Which by inftance fmall doth varie
From th'peere-leffe Seminarie ;
Which to make her worth allow'd,
Shrowdes her proie6l in a clowde.
In a Clowde ? its rather fhowne,
like the man that's in the Moone,
Where our lies Ardelio,
Defcants of Tom Trinkillo ;
Form'd
Epigrams. 115
Form'd like one that's all in mift.
Like a fecond Alchymift.
Strange the Proiect was I wifh
Of this Metamorphofis ;
Nought was (if I vnderftood)
Good, but that it was deem'd good
By the great : 6 worthy feate,
To be worthleffe deemed great.
Vpon diuine Rofcius.
TWo famous Rofcirfs chanc't I to efpie,
A6ling a Metamorphq/is, while I
Sleepe vnder th'couert of a lhady wood,
Where great Archyas for the vmpire flood,
Who did their feuerall actions thus define,
" Art-full the one, the other moft diuine.
I 2 Vpon
n6
Vpon Rofcius Hackney, in a Dialogue
betwixt Expedition, & Endimion.
(Jleeps,
Exped. "\ 1C J Hy-ho, Endimion; how ttiDormoufe
V V Awake for Jhame, open thy wink a-peeps!
Endim. What ftur you make, I come withfpeed I can
(and too much f peed) for I Jiaue tyr'd my man;
Exped. Who, Dulman ?
Endim. Yes.
Exped. / thought tJie lade would Jhame vs,
And play vs one horfe-tricke for Ignoramus.
Vpon TARE ON the Countrey
Gentleman.
TArbon they fay is mellancholly growne,
Becaufe his wife takes phificke in the towne :
Why, that's no caufe ; who would not hazard faire
To leaue both land and name vnto his heire ?
Yea, but he doubts, (fo iealous is the man)
That th'phyficke workes not but Phyfitian.
Which if he finde, he fweares he meanes to call,
The child not Tarbon but young VrinalL
O
Epigrammes. 1 1 7
O monftrous, by this thou'ft truly fhowe,
Thy wife a punke, thou needs not call her fo :
Which with thy fowre eyes Talbon if thou finde,
He neuer truft face, confcience, nor kinde.
An Epigram called the Court-
Attourney.
WHo's yon, young Stephana ? why fure you ieft,
You gallants ride with 4 coach-horfe at leaft ;
Befides there is euen in his very eye,
A kinde of Court-like formall maieftie :
Its true ; yet it is he : for you muft know,
Young Stephana is turn'd a Courtier now
Which makes him complete, and whers'ere he goe,
He has his ducke, or its not worth a ftrawe :
But I do doubt, nor be my doubts in vaine,
The Courtier muft Atturney turne againe.
And then he muft be ftript of euery ragge,
And fall againe vnto his buckram-bagge :
If this befall, I fhall be forry for't,
Sith John ajlyles gets but fmall grace at Court.
13 An
n8
An Epigramme called the
Winde-fall.
Sir Senfuall (a wanton Prieft) there was
Who made appointment with a Countrie laffe,
That 'gainft the time from market fhe'ft returne,
He would keepe tutch and doe her a good turne.
The place where thefe two louely mates mould meet
Was a vaft forreft vnfrequent'd with feete
of any paffenger, faue fuch as were
Keepers of th'wood, 'mongft which a Forrefter,
Vpon occafion chaunc't to come that way,
And heard eue-dropper-like what they did fay,
Their place of meeting, with the maides confent
Which he refolv'd as quickly to preuent.
And being vnder made fecurely fconft,
Which place he had elected for the nonft,
He ftaies to fee th'returne of this fame Lafle,
(which as me wifh't) did quickly come to paffe :
For Maids that know not what tis to confent
To a loft Maiden-head, nor what is meant
by giuing of a greene gowne, fooner will
Affent to ill, becaufe they know no ill,
Then
Epigrams. 119
Then fuch as haue of afliue pleafures flore,
For well were they experienft in't before.
Yea fuch will neuer deale vnleffe they fmell,
Some hope of gaine, or like the trader well.
At laft the maide hauing her market made,
(Perhaps far fooner then her Parents bade)
With clothes tuckt vp returnes with fpeedy pace,
Downe by the Forreft to'th appointed place.
Where' th Priefl Sirfenfuall lay all this while,
That he the Maid might of her gem beguile.
If you had feene what meeting there was then,
Betwixt thefe two, you would haue vou'd no men
Of any ranke or order were fo good.
As Church-profeffors vnto woman-hood.
So humble was the prelate, as to pleafe.
The fhamefafl maid, he oft fell on his knees.
While mumbling pater nofters on her lips,
Down fell his breeches from his naked hips.
And all this while poore foule fhe flood flock flill,
Not thinking (on my confcience) good or ill.
At lafl the iolly Priefl (when all was fhowne,
That he could fhow) wil'd th'maid to lay her down,
Vpon a fhadie banke, which with all forts,
Of flowres was checkerd fit for Venus fports.
She (though fhe were refolu'd no ill could be
By lying downe, yet in her modefly)
Would not vnto his motion fo affent,
Yet let him blow her downe fhe was content.
The fhort-breath'd Priefl (for he was wondrous fat)
And fluff'd withall, makes me no bones of that,
I 4 But
1 20 Epigrammes.
But jEolus-\\k£ puf's vp his cheeks well growne,
And he no fooner blows then fhe was downe.
The Forrefter who all this time had flood,
Vnder a fhadie couert of the wood,
Steps in, when'th Prieft his fhriuing fhould begin,
Saying all wind-falls they are due to him.
Manie fuch Priefls auncient records doe mow,
And prefent times may mow as many now.
Another Epigram called, A Cuckold
with a witneffe.
AWilie wench there was (as I haue read)
Who vf 'd to capricorne her husbands head,
Which he fufpecling, lay in priuate wait,
To catch the knaue, and keep his wife more ftrait.
But all in vaine : they day by day did mate it,
Yet could his foure eies neuer take them at it.
This fubtile wench perceiuing how they mould
At laft preuented be, doe all they could :
For now Italian-like her husband grew,
Horne-mad I wifh, and kept her in a Mew.
Inuent'd a trick, which to accomplifh better,
Vnto her friend fhe clofely fent a letter,
And thus it was ; Friend you mall know by me,
My husband keepes me far more narrowlie,
Then he was wont, fo as to tell you true,
You cannot come to me ; nor I to you.
Yet
Epigrammes. 1 2 1
Yet fpite of his eies and as many more,
Wele vfe thofe pleafures which we vfd before :
Onely be wife, and fecond what I wifh :
Which to expreffe (my friend) know this it is.
My husband as he hates the home to weare,
Of all the Badges forth, fo feares he'th Beare,
More then all other Beafts which doe frequent
The heathy Forrefts fpacious continent
If thou wilt right me then, and pepper him,
Couer thy feruant in a falfe Beares skin.
And come to morrow, as thou vfd before,
Tying thy feruant to my chamber dore.
After this quaint direction he attirde
His man in beare-skin as fhe had defir'de
Entring the chamber he receiued is
With many a fmile, back-fall, and fweetned kiffe :
For they'r fecure, of all that was before,
Hauing a Beare that kept the Ruffe from dore.
The wittall foole no fooner inckling had,
Then vp the ftaiers he ran as he were mad.
But feeing none but th' Beare to entertaine him,
Of Homes he neuer after did complaine him.
122
In Romanum Mneftorem.
IT chanc't two Romane Conuerts on a day,
For pater nofterzk the Cards to play ;
She mop'd, he pop'd : his popping could not get her,
" For fhe thought popping elfewher had been fitter.
Thus he went home no wifer then he came,
Sith popping was the Puppies chiefeft game.
In Poetam Hippodramum.
OR
Poft-riding Poet.
IT tooke a Poet once Fth head to poaft,
For what I know not, but I'me fure it cod
His purfe far more (as I haue heard foms fay)
Then ere his Mufe was able to repay.
In Numularium antiphylon.
CAfh-coin'd ? its true ; but he intends to be
The ftamper of that Coine is due to me.
Pray thee (my friend) forbeare to fet it on,
(My ftampe I meane) till I haue throughly done :
And I proteft to thee, when I haue ended,
I'le yeeld to thee, if fhe fay thou canft mend it.
In
123
In Romanum Sacerdotem.
ARomane Prieft came to abfolue a Virgin by the way,
As he in his Proceffion went : where hee refolu'd to flay
A night. For what ? not to abfolue the tender Virgins fmne,
But as a Ghoflly Fathers wont, to let more errors in :
The doore was fhut,the candle out, for I would haue you mark,
A carnall Father befl abfolues a Virgin in the darke :
Which abfolution fo increafd, in zeale and purity,
As within fixe and forty weekes it grew a Tympany,
A girle forfooth, baptized loan, nor is it any fhame,
For ttt wench in time may proue Pope loan thefecond ofthatname.
In Phyl&tum.
PHylatus writing loue-lines on a day,
A Ratte came in and ftole his lines away.
Phyletus flept on ftill, and minded not
While th'hungry Ratte eat vp the lines he wrote ;
If I were to be ludge, as much may be,
The Rat mould be in loue, Phyletus free.
That feeing th'faucy Rat to loue enthrall'd,
Loue-bayne heereafter might be Rats-baine call'd.
An
124
An Epigram called the
Courtier.
NOW heauen preferue mine eyefight what is here?
A man made vp in Wainfcot ? now I fweare,
I tooke him for fome Coloffe ; fure I erre,
This is not he : yes : this's the Courtier,
Braue Pun-tevallo, for thofe armes he beares,
(An Affe-head rampant) and that chaine he weares,
By bleft Saint Martin, doe defcry it's he,
Well, ile obferue his carriage narrowly.
What makes him go fo ftiffe, has he the gout ?
No, but a fire in's hams that went not out
Thefe feuen yeares to my knowledge : then it has
Begun (it feems bout time) when th'glaffe-work was.
Its true, it did fo, I haue heard fome fay,
He has a pleafant wit, he has one way
A pretty thriuing wit, can make a legge,
And harken out what office he may begge.
Can looke as big and burly on fuch men,
(Poore Gnats) that come for to petition him,
As Giants in a Pagent, can proteft,
For meere formality, laugh at a ieft,
(Without conceiuing ont) has witte enough,
To put good clofe on, beare his face in's ruffe.
Like
The Courtier. 125
Like a braue fprightly Spaniard, will not let,
With fome new minted oaths to pay his debt,
And can difpenfe with them, nor does he more,
In this, then what his Elders did before.
With truth (in complement) he feldome meetes,
For naked truth with Eue lies without meetes,
And he endures not that, nor can incline,
To fuch a motion, but in progreffe time.
He cannot blufh (no more can women now)
Till that their pretie painter tell them how.
He ha's a kind of vaine in fonnetting,
Purchaft by brocage or by pilfering,
With which he wooes his miftreffe, he will fet,
His face to any fafhion, and will bett,
Wagers on Ladies honours : hauing forgotten
What he mould fpeake, hee's fingering his button,
Or fome fuch trifling a6lion, till he ftore
himfelfe with wit, which he had loft before :
Nor did that Morall erre, who wifely would,
Compare a Courtiers witte to th'Marigold.
It opens with the Sunne, but beeing fet
The Mari-gold fhuts vp, fo doth his witte.
The Marigold's moft cheer'd by mid-day funne,
So's he, whence i'ft, he lies in bed till noone.
Occafion is his Cupid, luft his lure,
Pleafure his Pander, dalliance his whoore,
He h'as but one receipt of making loue,
And being put out, he cannot fpeake, nor moue,
But like a liue-leffe image, feemes to be,
Till by good hap his fpeech recouered be.
He
126 The Courtier.
He fmells of Complement, in prefence faire,
And vfes oft to weare bracelets of haire,
Swearing they came from fuch, but tis not fo,
For t'was fome tyre-woman he tooke them fro.
The Ornaments which he admires are thefe,
To faune, to obferue times, to court, to pleafe,
To make ftrange faces, fleeke his prefum'd skin,
Starch his Mouchatoes, and forget his finne.
To dance, to dice, to congie, to falute,
To ftamp, to ftalke, to finger well a lute.
To tremble at a Cannon when it fhootes,
To like, diflike, and fill his head with doubts.
To be in paffion, wind his careleffe armes,
To plie his Miftreffe with delightfull charmes.
To be for all, yet ignorant in all,
To be difguifd, and ftrange fantafticall :
Briefly to be, what all his kind haue beene,
Seeme what they be not, be what leajl tJiey feeme.
Such is my Puntauallo, and in time
No queftion but hee'l prooue true Pantomime,
To imitate all formes, fhapes, habits, tyres
Suting the Court, and forting his defires,
And then what th'Satyre faid, fhall well appeare :
The Denill is the perf efts Courtier.
Hauing my complete Courtier thus defin'd,
I haue no more that I can call to minde,
" Saue what is common, and is knowne to all,
" That Courtiers as the tide doe rife and fall,
So I will end with what I haue writ before,
" Till the'next tide come, and then I wil write more.
Vpon
127
Vpon his much honoured friend
Matter William Afcam, and his
fele<5ted Temple.
Whofe Anagram is produced by the Poet
William A/cam.
-Sum Via Luci
-Alma.
Hoc Anagramma tenes Gulielmi) — Sum via Luci
Alma, per tethereos qua iuuat ire locos.
Qua via ? virtutis via lacJea, qua tibi nota eft :
Nee minor Exemplis Gloria parta tuis.
A
Epigram.
In Templo, Venerem Spettet
Qui amat Venerem.
Ske him what Temple moft delighteth him,
And hee'l replye, that Temple thou art in.
Nee Venus eft qua nomen habet veneris,fed Arnica
Cafta de<z Arcadia, Delia nomen habet, &>c.
Looke
128 The Courtier.
Aske him what Praiers fhould in that Temple be,
And he'le replie, what prayers beft liketh thee.
Aske him what Temple yeelds him moft content,
And he'le reply thy Temple, ther's his Saynt
Aske him what Temple's purer then aboue.
He'le fay thy Temple: there's the Queene of Loue ;
Then let me aske your iudgement is't not fit,
That Temple honour him, that honours it ?
Pojies vpon bracelets.
As loue giues life to euery part,
So this giues life vnto my hart :
This chaftly lies, and Hues with me,
O that I might doe fo with thee ?
Another.
How might I triumph in my bliffe ;
If loue were where my Bracelet is.
For then fhould loue do no fuch harm
To wring my heart, but wreath my arme.
An
129
An Eglogue betweene
Billie and lockie called
the Mufhrome.
•
lockie.
WHon Billie whon, what faire has thou bin at ?
Thoufe befo trim, I mickle torken at :
For wele I wate, lajl time I met with thee,
Thou hardly had a lapp tofwedle thee.
Pray thee (good Bille,) tell mefwith andfoone,
lockie may doe what Billy late has done.
Billie. What lockie (lither lurden) leffe for wea,
Thouft befo tattert, but theres many fea>
That ill can wappe it : but be vif'd by mee,
And thou or lang fall glifJi in brauery.
Swatt on thy tayle man, heeres a bly thy place,
And He enfure thee how I gat this grace.
* Ectoge apud Lucianum extat qucs hocticulo plane infcribitur, Mi-
rica nimrium, quam Fungum ejje exijlimo, intempejliue orientem
arentemque, fife. Eo nomine Romanes Salini appellauere, Gal-
lon Romani, Tufcos Itali, iwjimo nempe genere, Sf ignota gente
orta, fubitoque prouectos, &c.
K lockie
130 The MufJirome.
lockie. Mickle may Bille thriue, as hees begun,
My lugges are Hiking, Bille now iogge on.
Billy. Then heare me locky. Bout mid-belten twas
Or Ife bethought awrang, wlien I muft pajfe,
Ore th Breamy bourne, and (wele I tr aw) I had,
Smaw gere (at tat tide) but a lether-bagge,
A Motley iacket, an a flop of blew,
It was my Fadders, I mun tell thee true.
A lang youd I, (and langer then thoulefay]
And wele, I knew not whether, ne what way,
Fute-fare I was, for ^>\\\ejkoon had neane,
But an and pare with him, and they were gane.
Nor hofe-legs (wele I wate] but skoggers aud,
That hardly hap' t poor e Billes legs fra caud.
Hate was my weajin, empty was my maw,
And nane I met with, I could ken or knaw,
So vncath was the gete (as but for JJtame)
I had comd backe toth place fra whein I came,
For Jiler had I skant, nor lejje nor mare,
Then three Bawbees, lie tell thee all my flare.
Biit lith me locky (after many a mile]
At lafl I Jtapt to light vpon an He,
Bu Come and full a gere, and full aflore,
For Bille neuer met with like before,
Sae Greathy was tJte place where I was driiien
That I me fecker thought I was in Heauen.
But
The Mujlirome. 131
But wele Ifefure they that this Hand kept,
Were by our Whilome Fathers Angels clept.
And wele tliey might befo, for wele I wate,
They were fine men, and men of mickle Jlate .
Had lufty huffes (that were tricke and trim,}
Cud wele don on tJieir geere, with euery pin.
Heerejlood I mufeng lang full heauily,
Till lockie wha dojl thinke fpeard vp to me.
lockie. Wha Bille mot that be ?
Bille. Ane wha thou kens.
Cand ane, we raught on meanely, but now fene,
He has the pricke and preze lie fay to thee.
lockie. Was it not Lobbie ?
Bille. locky it was he.
But now the mickle Lurden is fo great,
Theyr blejl by God, that may with Lobbie fpeake.
By Gods bread lockie, he fo gaijh was,
I thought no boot to fpeake, but let him pajje,
And had donefo, but Lobby was fo kinde.
To come to me, and leaue his men behind.
Great chat we had, and many that were nye,
Mufd he would chat withjike an ene as I.
But blith was Lobbie, andfo meeke he was,
That he vnhorjl fate by me on the graffe,
Lang did we tauke of this thing and of that,
A lugge, a Peggy, and a nut-brown Kate,
K 2 A
132 The MuJJtrome.
A Crowd the Piper, and the Fiddler Twang,
And many Jike things, as wee lay en alang.
Ablangjl the leaue, this Councell gaue he mee,
That made me wele to leue,fo may it thee.
Billie (quoth Lobby) if thoule profper heere,
Thou mun be bald, and learne to bandon feare,
Thou mun not blufh, nor colour change for ought,
Though thplea thou haft in hand be nere fo nought.
Thou mun not take petition (lithen me)
Nor entertaine him, till thou take thy fee,
And (wele I warne thee) better way thou thriue,
If thy hand open be to aw that giue.
Get meefome prollers, they are beft of all,
To make thee weet, whenfome good office falls,
Or a barre-hoisted Lawyer that can fee,
With his four e eyne where aud concealments be,
But of aw things I mun fore-warne thee hence,
To hauefmall dealing with a Confcience.
That will vndoe thee (Billy) looke to one, (none.
Poore men haue Confcience, but rich men haue
'Mongft other things liften to what I fay,
For I in brief e willfpeake now what I may.
In Teucria here (this Citie where there be)
Many a man will haue an eye of thee,
Gaine me Acquaintance : it's thefpring of life,
And know thou maift a Tradefman by his Wife.
Be
The MuJJirome. 133
Bejicker on her Billye,y/&£ it is
Can ope her husbands Casket with a kiffe.
Diue me into a Mercers Booke, and fay,
Thoul't pay onjike a time, but doe not pay.
Chauke me on Vintners, and for aw thy shore,
Let great words pay for aw,ftillrun on more.
Beflately Billy (and I doe thee rede)
Thou mun now throw away thy countrey weed.
For skoggers, hozen of the Naples twine,
For thy blew flop, Jike a breeke as mine :
For thy aud motley iacket, thou mun weare,
A cloth ajiluer,jike as I haue heere.
Tlien mun thou looke big (what way ere thou pajfe]
As if that Billy were not th man he was.
Then learne me Billy fome aud Pedegree,
Noe matter thought belong not vnto thee,
And fay thy Grand-Jire was a Duke at leajl,
And firft inuentor of Saint Galloway es feaft.
Maintaine me leeing in a Liuery,
For that's the firft meanes that mun honour thee :
Let her be Page-like, at thy elbow ftill,
For when thou can/I not doe it, leeing will,
Let Suters dance Attendance, lithen me,
Andquicke difpatch, be it thine enemy e.
Take fees for expedition, for of aw,
Sutes haftly ended wreake our ouerthrow.
K 3 Get
1 34 The MuJJirome.
Get me an Heralt (wele I waf] oth beft,
Tfiat may for Bille fond fome pretty Crejl,
A Rat, a Pifmire, or a Butterflie,
A CorniJJi Chucke, a Parrat, or a Pie,
A nimble Squirrell, or a picke-a-tree
A Wefell, Vrchin, or a Bumble-Bee.
Or if of plants, my Bille will haue ane,
He may full fwithly mange tliefe chufe him ane.
The Brier, the haw-thorne : or the Priuet bufh,
The OJire, Cyprejfe, or where thmerry Thrujh,
Sings out her Fa, la, la, but nane there be,
" That like the Mufhrome Bille fitteththee,
Her grouth isfudden, Billey<? is thine,
Then take the Mufhrome, its a Crejl of mine.
Mare need I not fay, keepe but wele my reede,
Andjiker Ife, thou cannot chufe but fpeede*
With that he twin'd fra me, and left me there,
Where I with mickle Carke, and mickle Care,
Bujlling now vp now downe, at laft me yode,
To ply my lejfon wele I vnderjlood,
And in a pretty while I learnd to bee,
That cunning Clerke that he awarded me.
Deftly could I tricke vp me fell, and trim,
Me featly fine, in euery legge and limme,
Wele cud I marke my name in Marchants books,
Fo wele I wate, wha ere he be, that lookes,
Ife
The Mufhrome. 135
Ffe there in black and white, and wele I may,
For he is faid to aw that menes to pay.
Not a petion would I liften ore,
Till Billie had f am chinke iris fift before.
Not a rich mickle loj/ell could there be,
That had a plea but had his path by me.
Andjine I fa^^, as Lobbie teld beliue,
That he that had a confcience could not thriue.
I draue the Haggard fra me,Jine whilke time,
lockie thoufees how Billie gins tojhine.
lockie, Andlangmay ¥>\\\\&JJiine, butfaynetome
Fare aw our Couftrils haufe as wele as thee,
Billie. lockie they doe, norneedethou Darken out,
For we willfeede, wha euer famifh fo.r t :
O its a place fo full of louifance,
Play but thy round the I landers will daunce.
Ladies & Lor dings, Swainelings with their
Will trimly trip it ore the leuie plaines. (fwaines,
And wele I wat that lockie ance could play,
For I haue heard him —
lockie. And fo Billie may.
Billie. Then tune thy chanter vp and gae with me,
Come blithly on,
lockie. lockie does follow thee.
K 4 A
136
A Panegirick Embleame,
Intituled,
Saint George for England.
The Argument of the
Embleame.
From whence the Englijh anciently deriued this Saints
canonization, his orders, inauguration — of Sigif-
mund, Emperour of Almaine : and his prefent to
Henry tlie fift. The injlitution of this order where,
the folemnizing where : the feuerall games, exerci-
fes, Races, and Martiall trialls aufpicioujly begunne
with that Saint. — And the like of Honour and ad-
uancement. — A comparifon had betweene Perfeus
fonne to lupiter and Danae ; who preferued Andro-
moda from the fea monjler, and Saint George, who
Jlew the Dragon. The difcription of Perfeus, and of
Saint George : concluding with a victorious Paean
to Saint George.
H
The Embleame.
Aile to thy fhrine thou Saint of Albion,
Who had thy auncient confecration
From
A Panegerick Embleame. 137
From thy religious mannagements, as farre
Difperft, as Turke or Chriftian planted are,
Thou art the Saint which we in war doe vfe,
Hoping by thee to be aufpicious.
Yet void of fuperftition we impart,
Sole laud to him, whofe noble Saint thou art,
Nor loofe we th' name of th' Almaine Sigifmund,
By whom thy precious Reliques firfl were found.
And heere prefented as a royall gift
To Englands Mirrour, Henry the fift.
Since when thy order is folemnized,
At Windfor, where a part of thee is fed
To be inter* d : thrice happy monument,
To couer part of one fo eminent.
So Saintly vertuous, as no honour can,
" Giue thee thy due, as onely due to man.
O may thy institution honour'd be,
By true deferts, and due folemnity.
Nor whom thy order doth inaugurate,
May they by vice (land fubiect vnto hate.
But fo euen weigh in all their actions here,
"As Georges Knights may after Saints appear e :
Which they fhall be, by fliowing feruent zeale
Vnto the Church, loue to the common-weale.
In
138
A Panegirick Embleme.
In all our games and paftimes feuerall,
Etter on George as on otir Saint we call:
For by that name the auncients vnderflood,
Their Fortune could not chufe but to be good,
As Turnaments, lufts, Barriers, and the reft,
In which his name was enermore expreft.
In Races too thefe prefent times affoord
Inftances ftore, Saint George he giues the word.
So as it was (as common ftories tell)
To fay Saint George, as fay Godfpeedeyou well.
In Martiall trials when our armies met,
His name would fpirit in our men beget,
" Heightning their courage, perills parting through.
" Standing defolu'd before a Cannons mouth.
" Out-bearing danger, and with violent breath
" Stand at defiance gainft the threats of death.
Marching through horrour they would boldly paffe,
(As for pale feare, they knew not what it was.)
Which may be inftanc'd in that holy war,
Where thofe that loft their Hues canoniz'd are
In leaues of perpetuity : I meane,
In the regayning of lerufalem,
Where thofe renouned Champions enterprift,
For the due honour of their Sauiour Chrifl.
Either
A panegericke Embleme.
139
Either to win that Cittie (maugre th'vaunts
Of all thofe hellifh god-leffe mifcreants,)
Or if they could not th' Cittie fo furprize,
Refolv'd they were their Hues to facrifice ;
Euen then I fay when thofe that Mar/hall' d tJum,
Could not with-hold from flight their recreant men ;
" Saint George appeared in a fubmijjiue JJiow,
" Wifliing them not to wrong their Countriefo :
And though a ghoft (and therefore leffe belieu'd ;
Yet was his mouing prefence fo receiv'd
As none to fight it out refolued more,
Thenfiich as readiejl were to flie before.
Vp went their fcaling-ladders to difplant
Th'abhorred of-spring of the mifcreant,
And euer as fome danger they efpide,
God and S* George for England Jlill they cride.
And how fucceffiue that renowned warre
Was to thofe Chriflians, which enrolled are
In an eternall regifter, may well appeare
11 By Godfrey Bulloyne who was ftiled there
" King of lerufalem, yet as its JJtowne,
" By auntient ftories, would receiue no crowne,
" Thinking 't vnfit that it Jhoidd be rehearft,
" That where his majlers head with thornes was pierjl.
Hee
140 A panegericke Embleme.
He that his feruant was fhould be fo bold,
As haue his head girt with a crowne of gold.
What fame in forraine coafts this Hero got,
The lake mSilene fhewes, if we fhould not ;
Where in the reskew of a louely Mayde,
A fearefull Dragon he difcomfited,
So as we haue portraide to euery viewe,
On fignes of Innes how George the Dragon flew ;
Which ftory to exprefle were too too long,
Being a fubiect for each fidlers fong :
" Yet caufe there is (I cannot will nor chufe)
Comparifon 'twixt him and Perfeus,
Who fonne to loue and fhowre ftain'd Danae,
In reskew of the faire Andromade,
Encountred that fea-monfter ; He explane
Each attribute of their peculiar fame :
" And then conferring them one with the other,
" Collect whofe bed their actions laide together.
And firft for Perfeiis ; great I muft confeffe,
He was in name, his birth inferres no lefle
Being loues fonne, yet can he no way fhun
The name of Baftard, though he were his fonne :
m Sylene the pond or lake where
the Dragon was.
Deflow-
A panegericke Embleme.
141
Deflowr'd his mother was — and in a fhowre
Of gold, to fliew how gold has foueraigne power,
T vnlocke the fort of fancy, and how foone
" Women are wonne, when golden bayts are Jhowne.
Long loue had woo'd and yet he could not win
What he defir'd, till gold receiv'd him in,
Which feemes by eafie confequence to proue,
" Gifts be the giues that biddes the hands of loue.
Thus fprung the noble Perfeus, who in time
" To propagate the honour of that line
From whence he came, and that it might be fed,
That he from loue was rightly fathered
Tooke on him ftrange aduentures ; as to right
" Iniur'd Ladies by a fingle fight,
" Encounter Giants, refcew men diftreft,
In each whereof his glory was repreft :
" For valiant & more worthy tJiey doe Jhew them,
" That wrongs redrejfe, then fuck as vfe to doe them.
But th'firft and beft attempt he did on Earth,
" Was, to wipe off thblemifli of his birth,
And th'ftaine of his corrupted mothers honour,
Which blufhes blaz'd who euer look't vpon her.
" On them alone imagined it may be
Went he to th'reskew of Andromade;
Who
142 A panegericke Embleme.
Who now was markt for death, and brought to th'
Where many maids had bin deuour'd before, (fhore
By a fea-monfter : here the Virgin flood,
To free her Countrey with her guiltleffe blood,
Whom Perfeus (as he coafted by that way)
No fooner vew'd then he began to fay.
Faire Virgin (then he wept) impart to vs
What rude vnhallowed hand hath vs'd thee thus
And by the honour of my heauenly Sire
What ere he be he fhall receiue his hire,
Giant or Monfter in the earth or Sea,
Reueng'd he fhall fweete Virgin tell it me.
Kind Sir (quoth fhe) and then me ftaide her breath
As one addreft to meditate of death,
Treate not with me of life, nor aske who 'tis
Giant or Monfter that's the caufe of this,
Onely know this (thou gentle Knight) that I
"Am doom }d to death, and Fme refold d to die.
To die (faire Maide quoth he) ? if't be thy fate,
He fympathize with thee in equall ftate
And die with thee : onely giue griefe a tongue,
To tell me who's the Author of thy wrong :
Know then (fayd he) I am that hapleffe fhe,
The wretched, pittied, poore Andromade,
Who
A panegericke Embleme. 143
Who here am left of friends, bereft of all
To be a prey vnto a rauenous whale :
Many haue fuffered ere it came to me,
Now is my lot and welcome it fhall be,
To expiate with my vnftained blood"
The Monfters wrath and doe my countrey good ;
As fhe fpake this vp from the Ocean
Came that deuouring vafte LeuiatJian,
Sweeping along the more, which being fpide ;
Good fir retire the noble Damfell cride,
Yonder he comes for loue of honour flie,
It 's I am doom'd, then let me onely die.
But Per fens (one better tempered,
Then to behold a Virgine ilaughtered,
Without affayd reuenge) did ftreight begin
With man-like valour to encounter him,
Doubtfull the skirmifh was on either fide,
(While th'Maide a fad fpe<5lator did abide)
Wooing with teares which from her cheeks did flow
That loue would giue this Monfter th'ouerthrow :
At laft her prayers and teares preuail'd fo well,
As vnder Perfeus feete the Monfter fell ;
Whence came it (as the ftory doth proceede)
The Virgin and her Countrey both werefreede:
Which
1 44 -d- panegericke Embleme.
Which to requite (in guerdon of her life)
Se gaue her felfe to Perfens as wife,
" Whom he receiu'd-6 he did ill in this,
" Sith by the A undent it recorded is,
Before that Perfeus to her reskew came,
She was efpoufed to another man
" By name Vaxedor, (6 it was afinne
To marrie her tJiat was not dew to him :)
And better had't been to fuftaine her fate,
" Then by fuck breach of faith to violate
Her former Spoufals - which vniuft offence
" Gods may winke at but neuer will difpence :
Yea to a barraine Rocke though fhe were tyde,
Yet better 'twas then to be made a Bride
" To an vfurped Bed, for that did late,
" That Jlaine on her, time cannot wipe away.
Thus haue you heard what noble Perfeus was
With greateft dangers that his worth did paffe,
The imminence whereof merits due praife,
" Andfuch a Poet as defences the Bates :
Laurell and Myrtle-though his Nuptiall knot
"Loft him more fame then ere his valour got :
"Forfo deprau'd's the Nattire of our will,
" What' s good we laine, what's ill we harpe onftill.
Now
A panegericke Embleme.
Now to thy Englifh Saint, my Mufe repaire,
And lim him fo, that when thou malt compare
Thefe two : He Perfeus may out-ftrip as farre,
As funne the Moone, or th' Moone a twinkling ftar.
GEORGE now enftil'd the Saint of Albion,
By linage was a Capadocian ;
Whofe n valour was expreft in all his time,
That vertue might in euery action mine,
Which to induce beliefe by mouing fence,
I will produce his beft defcription thence,
Both for th're femblance which hath euer bin,
Twixt the renowned Perfeus and him :
As alfo to make good, that not one ftaine
"Eclipft that glory which his a£ls did gaine
All which by inftance feconded mail be
"Perfeus was great yet George more great then he.
Tutching that Dragon on Sylenes more,
I haue in part related it before :
Yet bin: as fhadowes doe refemblance make,
Vnto the fubftance and materiall fhape,
Digreffiuely I onely feem'd to glance,
At th'act it felfe, not at the circumftance :
n The Etimologie of GEORGE from Gera and
Gion, War-like, or valiant.
L Know
146
A panegericke Embleme.
Know then this noble Champion hearing one,
Along his trauaile making piteous mone,
In meere remorce drew neerer to the noice,
" Till he perceirid it was a Ladies voice,
Who in a Virgin-milky-white araide,
Show'd by her habit that fhe was a Maide ;
Careleffe her haire hung downe, and in her looke,
Her woes were writ as in a Table-booke :
Warm-trickling teres came ftreaming from her ei(
Sighs from her heart, and from her accent cries.
Tyed was fhe faft vnto a pitched ftake,
Bounding on Syleris Dragon-haunted lake,
All which expreft without a Character
The wofull ftate which did enuiron her :
Saint George obferv'd her teares, and from his eyes
Her teares by his finde their renew'd fupplies,
Both vie as for a wager, which to winne,
" The more fhe wept, the more fhe forced him :
At laft with modeft hauiour in reliefe,
Of her diftreffe, he thus allaide her griefe.
" Sorrowfull Lady, if griefes lefned are,
When thofe that pittie griefes receiue their fhare,
Impart your forrowes to me, and in lew,
"If right I cannot, I will pittie you.
Alaffe
A panegericke Embleme. 147
Alaffe (fweet youth quoth fhe) pittie's too late,
When my difeafe is growen fo defperate,
Yet doe I thanke thee for thy loue to me,
That neuer yet deferu'd fo much of thee :
"Pray thee begone, fuch friendfliip lie not trie,
To see thy death one is enowe to die,
And I am fhee, — croffe not the will of Fate,
"Better's to loofe one then a double Jlate :
Be gone I fay do not the time fore-flowe,
"PeriJJi I muft of force, fo needs not thou,
Imminent horror would admit no more ;
For now the Dragon from Sylenes more
Came fpitting lothfome venome all about,
Which blafted trees and dried vp their roote.
Sl George the Dragon had no fooner vew'd,
Then frefh fupplies of fpirit was renew'd
In his vnmatched breft : him he affailes,
And though ore-matcht his fpirit neuer failes
Till he fubdew'd him : and as fome auerre,
He tyed him faft and made him follow her
Vnto her fathers pallace, where we reade
In publike triumph he cut off his head.
Here may we fee that act of Perfeus
Equall'd by George and made more glorious
L 2 In
148 A panegericke Embleme.
In that he aym'd no further nor was fe'd
" To put his feet e into anothers bed,
" His conqueft it was temperate and iuft,
Not ftayn'd with blemifh of defaming luft
For no attempt vs'd he to "undertake^
But for true honour and for Vertues fake.
A Victorious Paean to our
Albions St, alluding to all noble
fpirits, natiue affumers of
his Honor & Order.
16 Pean then mnft wee
Giue St George the vittorie :
Whofe defert
Gract each part ;
Where fo ere he vsd to be,
None more gract, or loud then he.
Perfeus though his renowne,
Did to all the world come ;
Yet oneftaine,
Dimmd his fame :
But the world 's fpatious roome,
Shrines S* George in honours tombe.
A
'50
A Satyre called the Coni-
borrowe.
NOw in the name of fate what Saint is fhe,
That keepes a fhop of publicke Brothelrie ?
Harbours the fharking Lawyer for his pence,
And Martir-like confumes his euidence ?
Nufles my damned Atheift, makes him curfe
Nature and fortune, that his thin-lin'd purfe
Should be depriv'd of crowns : do you ask what S' ?
This Saint was fent from tti fiery Regiment.
A Sodome-apple, a lafciuious ftaine
To vertues habite, or a whore in graine,
A fucke-blood, Hyene, feigning Crocodile
Worse then the monfter bred on th' banks of Nyle,
A purple Strumpet, Gangrene to the ftate,
Earths-curfe, hels-bliffe, foules-foile, & Angels hate,
Smoothed Damnation, fmothered infamie,
Horror to Age, and youths calamity,
Pritty-fac'd diuell of a ginger pace,
Grace-leffe in all faue that her name is Grace,
Soules-running vlcer that infe<5ls the heart,
With painting, purfling and a face of Art
Star
The Cony burrow. 1 5 1
Star-blafting honour, vertues foe, expreft
By hating where me feemes to fancy beft.
Vow-breaking periure, that her felfe adornes,
With thoufand fafhions, and as many formes.
Creature of her owne making, hollow trunke,
A Chriftian Paganif'd with name of Ptmke.
A Cell, a hell, where fhe'le no others haue,
The common Palliard-Pandor, Baud, or flaue,
A cage of vncleane birds, which is poffeft,
Of none faue fuch as will defile their neft.
Where fries of Hell-hounds neuer come abroade,
But in that earthly Tophet make aboade.
Where bankrupt Factors to maintaine a ftate,
Forlorne (heauen knows) and wholy defperate,
Turne valiant Boults, Pimps, Haxtars, roaring boyes,
Till flefht in bloud, counting but murders toyes,
Are forc't in th' end a dolefull Pfalme to fmg,
Going to Heauen by Derick in a firing.
It's you damn'd proftitutes that foyle this land,
With all pollutions, haling downe the hand
Of vengeance and fubuerfion on the State,
Making her flowrie borders defolate.
It's you that ruine ancient families,
Occafion bloodfhed, pillage, periuries.
Its you that make the wicked prodigall,
Strips him of fortune, heritance, and all,
Its you that makes new Troy with factions bleede,
As much or more then euer old Troy did.
Its you (fm-branded wantons) brings decay,
To publique ftates. Its you that hate the day,
L4 But
152 The Cony burrow.
But honour night : where euery female firmer
Refembles th' Moone, that has a man within her.
Lafciuious Burrowes, where there nothing are,
But toufed, fullied, and ore iaded ware.
No mufick but defpaire, no other note,
Saue fome .Fra/r/j-language from a prophane throat :
Noe other Accent then the voyce of hell,
Where Stygian Circe mumbles ore her fpell.
Shakes her pox -eaten ioynts, and fends for fpies,
To gaine her traders two fin-tempting eies.
Where me in praife and honour of her trade
Saies, that tJie Stewes were in th! beginning made,
For the aduancement of a publick good,
And well it may, if rightly vnderftood :
For if in pleafures there fuch bitters be,
As ftill repentauce lackies vanitie ?
If luft that's cal'd by th' fenfuall Epicure,
The beft of mouing pleasures, and the lure,
That for the inftance makes our organs rife,
Thinking that place wee'r in is Paradice.
If me (I say) bring forth no fruit at all,
Saue news from'th Spittle, or the Hofpitall.
Drie rewmes, catarchs, difeafes of defpaire,
Puritane-fniueling, falling of the haire.
Akes in the ioynts, and ring-worme in the face,
Cramps in the nerues, fire in the priuy place.
Racking the sinews, burning of the gall,
Searing the vaines, and bowels moft of all :
Drying the head, which natur's wont to feede,
Sucking the blood, whence all diftempers breede.
If
The Cony burrow. 153
If beft of pleafures haue no other end,
Mong'ft earth's delights, the haue we caufe t'extend,
Our pure affections to an higher ayme,
Then to corrupt the honour of our name.
For prefent appetite : I thanke the whoor,
Thou haft inftructted me to haue a power
Ouer my fence by reafon rectified,
And haft well neere my fenfes mortefied.
I know thy habit, and (and I once haue fworne,
But now recant it, that no earthy forme
Was of like compofition, but conceiuing,
That th' period of thy pleafure was in hauing,
And that thy luft was but defire of gaine,
I curb'd my selfe that I fhould be fo vaine.
To fpend my ftate, my ftock, my name, my nature,
On such a brittle, fickle, faithleffe creature.
Fond was my iudgement when my reafon ftraid,
To foile the honourd title of a maide,
With brothell greeting, or a painted trunke,
A rotten Tombe, a Bafaliske, a Punke.
For tell me whore ? what bewty's in thee fhowne,
Or mouing part that thou canft fay's thine owne ?
The blufh that's on thy cheeke I know is made
By 'th Painters hand, and not by nature laid :
And that fame rofie-red, and lillie white,
Which feemes to include a volume of delight,
Is no more thine, then as it may be faid ;
Faire is the waineskote when ifs varnijhed.
Yea I haue heard fome of thy conforts fay,
Thy night-face is not that thou wear/I by day.
But
154 The Conyburrow.
But of a different forme, which vnderftood,
Rightly implies too faces in one hood.
Now my (prodigious faery) that canft take,
Vpon occafion a contrary fhape.
Thou that canft varie habits and delight,
To weare by day what thou putft of at night.
Thou that with tempting motiues of despaire,
Braiding the net-like treffes of thy haire,
Smoothing thy brazed front, oyling thy skin,
Taking a truce with Satan, and with finne.
How canft thou thinke that I will loofe the light,
Of my deare foule, to pleafe mine appetite ?
How canft thou thinke that for a moments fweete,
Wherein the height of pleafures, forrows meete.
I will engage that effence of delight
For time eternall, meaftire infinite ?
How canft thou thinke I am fo void of fenfe,
Or blinde, as not to know thy impudence ?
True, I was blind, when thy fm-Syren voice,
Made me defpife my felfe, and make a choice
Of foules-feducing Error : I was blinde,
When I did hope contented ioyes to finde
In fo profane a couer : Blinde was I
When I expected ought but vanitie.
In fuch an odious harbour : blinde I was
To looke for vertue in fo vile a cafe.
But now the glorious effence of my foule
Tels me, For all thy vertue thou art foule.
Spotted with Ermins, and that vanitie,
Of which thar't proud, is like a leprofie.
Which
The Coniborrow. 155
VVich runnes to euery vaine, whofe very breath,
Poifons the tutcher with infectious death.
For whats complexion if I fhould fpeake true,
(That which thou wears I meane) but what the lew
Of lothfome compofitions's vfd to make,
As th' fat of Serpents, and the flough of fnakes,
With curfed fpittle or fleagme commixed is,
And canft thou thinke this face deferues a kiffe ?
No, odious Lecher that beflubbered face,
That entertaines no figne nor ftampe of grace,
That fin-reflecting eye, whose piercings are,
Wounds to the soule, and to the mind a care,
That artificiall blufh, that painted cheeke,
Which neuer feekes, what woman-hood fhold seek,
That whorifh looke drain'd from a wanton mind,
Shall make me hate, where I was once inclin'd,
Shall make me hate ? O that I did not hate,
Before this time : but forrow's nere too late,
If feruent, and may I excluded be,
If my refolues proceed not inwardly.
Farewell, but well I doubt thou canft not fare,
So long as thou doft lodge in this difpaire :
Preuent me then the caufe, and thou fhalt fee,
The effect thereof will foone preuented be :
Till then adew : for till that time I fiveare it,
Thy Connie-burrow is not for my Ferret.
Vpon
156
Vpon a Poets Palfrey, lying
in Lauander, for the difcharge
of his Prouender.
An Epigram.
IF I had liu'd but in King RicJiards dayes,
Who in his heat of paflion, midll the force
Of his Affailants troubled many waies
Crying A horfe, a Kingdome for a horfe.
O then my horfe which now at Liuery ftayes,
" Had beene fet free, where now hee's forc't to ftand
" And like to fall into the Oftlers hand.
If I had liu'd in Agamemnons time,
Who was the leader of the Mirmidons,
Mounting aloft as wantons in their prime,
Of frolike youth, planting the Graecians
In their due order, then this horfe of mine,
" Had not bin thus confin'd, for there he might,
" Haue fhowne himselfe, and done his mafter right.
If
The Poets Palfrey. 1 5 7
If I had liu'd when Pallas horfe was made,
Aptly contriu'd for th'ruine of poore Troye
O then there had beene doings for my lade,
For he had beene fole author of annoy,
Vnto the Troians : well as I haue faid,
" He might be Pallas horfe in legge and limme,
" Being fo neere proportion'd vnto him.
If I had liu'd in Pafiphaes raigne,
That lusty Laffe, in pleafure euer full,
And perfe6t dalliance : O I bleft had beene,
" She fure would loue a horfe, that lou'd a Bull,
And better might it with her honour feeme.
" A Bui's too fierce, a horfe more modeft aye,
" Th'one routs and rores, the others anfwer's ney.
If I had liu'd in Alexanders age,
Crowning my youth 'mongft his triumphant heires,
O then that prince, who in his heat of rage,
Bad th'Macedons get ftallions for their Mares,
More liuely and more likely would not gage,
" His loue for nought, to fuch as mongft the reft,
" Would bring a Stallion that could doe with beft.
If I had liu'd amongft th'Amazonites,
Thofe Warlike champions, monuments of Fame,
Trophies of Honour, friends to choice delights,
Who much defired to propagate, their name,
" And therefore wifht that they fo many nights,
Might
158 The Poets Palfrey.
" Might haue free vfe with men, in due remorce,
For want of men would take them to my horfe.
If I had liu'd in Phaeton his daies,
When with vngiddy courfe he rul'd the Sun,
O then my Palfrey had beene of great prife,
For hee's not head-ftrong, nor would haue out-run,
His fellow-Horfes, but with gentler pace,
As foft and eafie as the nimble wind,
He would with hakney pace lagg'd on behind.
If I had liu'd when th'warre of Agincourt,
Burnifh't with fhields as bright as Diamond,
To which our nobleft Heroes made refort,
O then my Stallion would haue kept his ground,
And beene at razing of the ftatelieft fort,
In all that Prouince : and though fmall he may,
Yet am I fure he would not runne away.
If I had liu'd but in Don Quixotes time,
His Rozinant had beene of little worth,
For mine was bred within a coulder clime,
And can endure the motion of the earth,
With greater patience : nor will he repine
At any prouender, fo mild is he,
How many men want his humility ?
If I had liu'd when that proud fayry Queene,
Boafted to run with fwift wingd Zephirus,
Tripping fo nimbly ore the leuie greene,
Of
The Poets Palfrey. 159
Of Oetas flourie forreft, where each bum,
Taxt her prefumption : then my Horfe had beene,
A Horfe of price, O then he had beene tride,
And to no manger in fubieflion tide.
If I had liu'd when Fame-fpred Tamberlaine
Difplaid his purple fignalls in the Eaft,
Hallow ye pamphred lades, had beene in vaine,
For mine's not pamphred, nor was ere at feaft,
But once, which once 's nere like to be againe,
How methinks would hee haue fcour'd the wheeles,
Hauing braue Tamberlaine whipping at's heeles.
If I had liu'd but in our Banks his time,
I doe not doubt, fo wittie is my lade,
So full of Imitation, but in fine,
He would haue prou'd a mirrour in his trade,
And told Duke Humphreis Knights the houre.to dine
Yea by a fecret inftinct would had power,
To know an honeft woman from a whoore.
Well theres no remedy, fmce I am poore,
And cannot feede my horfe as I defire,
I muft be forc't to fet a Bill oth dore,
And with my Bill pay for my horfes hire,
Which once difcharg'd, lie neuer run o'th skore ;
But for my Bill, (inuention play thy part,)
And for my horfe-fake, tell men what thou art.
Heere ftands a beaft that eats and ha's no teeth,
Wiske
160 The Poets Palfrey.
Wiske out and winches, and yet has no tayle,
Looks like Deaths-head, and yet he is not death,
Neighs like an Affe, and crawleth like afnayle,
All bones aboue, no belly underneath,
" Legg'd like a Cammell, with a Sea-horfe foote,
" So bigg's his head he cannot be got ont.
Now generous fpirits that inhabit heere,
And loue to fee the wonders of this I fie,
Compar'd with other nations, draw but neere
And you fhall fee what was expreft ere-while,
Your pay 's but pence, and that's not halfe fo deere,
" If you remember, as was that fame toy,
" Of Banks his horfe, or Fenners Englands ioy.
What would you fee, that may not heere be feene,
A Monfter ? Why, its heere : or would you fee,
That which has erft beene fhowne to other men,
" A horfes tayle ftand where his head fhould be,
Laffe you muft know I am for none of them,
That loue fuch nouelties : my two yeeres fayle,
Has brought a winching thing that has no tayle.
Obferue the wonder, it's not obuious,
Nor each day common : fee now while its heere,
For its a monfter fo prodigious,
That if I can, I'll hau't fome other where,
And fhow my trauell to the generous.
" For know my monfter doth this ftable hate,
"Hauing a head fo great, a roome fo ftraite.
Why
TJie Poets Palfrey. 1 6 1
Why crowd ye here no fafter ? 'laffe I see,
Becaufe I cannot garnifh out my poft
With faire infcriptions grauen curiouflie.
" Like to your Mounlebanke or Englifh Foift.
The trifling vulgar will not come to me".
Nor vifit my ftrange one beaft : let them paffe.
My Monfter's not fet vp for euery Affe.
It' for thefe braue renowned Caualieres,
" That craue to fee, and talke of what they fee ;
Nay talke of more then either eies or eares
Were witneffe of. Thefe welcome are to me,
And to my Monjler, for to them't appeares,
" And to no others, that they might beget,
" More gaine by th' fight, then ere I gain'd by it.
What none ? no Mandeuill? is London growne
To furfet of new accideats ? why hoe, —
Saint Bartlemews, where all the Pagents fhowne,
And all thofe acts from Adam vnto Noe
Vs'd to be reprefent ? canft fend me none,
Of any fort ? or thou'ld not any fpare,
But keepe them for the Pagents of thy Faire.
How many vfd to fwarme from Booth to booth.
" Like to Sclauonians, when with famine pinde,
Going like Heards, as other cattell doth,
Itching for news, yet neuer more inclinde
To heare the worft : where now is all that froth,
Of crab-fac't Raskals ? O I know their ftraine,
" The Faire being done, they Jleepe till faire againe.
M If
1 62 The Poets Palfrey.
If mother Red-cap, chance to haue an Oxe
Rofted all whole, O how you'le flye to it,
Like Widgeons, or like wild-geefe in full flocks,
That for his pennie each may haue his bitte :
Or if that limping Pedant at the flocks,
Set out a Pageant, whoo'l not thither runne,
As twere to whip the cat at Abington.
Ill-nurtur'd Bowbies, know what I haue heere
Is fuch a Monfter, as to know what tis,
Would breed amazement in the ftrangeft eare,
But vulgar eyes are ayming ftill amifle,
To whom whats onely rare, is onely deere.
For you my wonder fleepes, nor fhall't awake,
Till riper wits come for my monfter's fake.
Farewell vnciuill Stinkards, skum oth City,
The Suberbs pandors, boults to garden Alleys,
May you through grates fmg out your doleful ditty,
For now my Dragon-Monfter fpits his malice,
That as you pitty none, fo none may pitty,
Your forlorne ftate : O may't be as I pray,
So faddeft night may cloud your cleerefl day.
And for the Oftler, fince I reape no gaine,
Out of my Monfter, take him for thy paine.
Yet for remembrance write vpon this fhelfe,
Here ftood a Horfe that eat away himfelfe.
Hymens
Hymens Satyre.
DOn BaJJiano married now of late :
Has got his witleffe pate a faire eftate,
I ft poffible, Fortune fhould be fo blind,
As of a world of men not one to find,
Worthy her training in her thriuing fchool
But an admired Wittall or a Foole ?
It's true : why then Fortune's a partiall whoore,
To make the foolim rich, the wifeft poore.
Whence we obferue (experience teacheth it)
The younger brother hath the elder wit,
Yea by example infhanc'd euery where,
The Cockney-Cittie's rich, the Suburbs bare,
O then I fee the Goulden age begins,
Whenfooles are mates for wifeft Citizens.
M 2
A
164
A Marriage fong called by the
Author In and Out : and now de-
dicatedto the lately conuerted honejl-
man, W. G. and his long
loue-croffed Eliza.
The Marriage fong, called
In and Out.
HAh, haue I catcht you : prethee fweet-hart fhow,
If fo thou canft, who is in Turne-ball now ?
Doft fmile my pretious one ? nay I muft know,
There is no remedy, then tell me how ;
What my ingenuous cheat, doft laugh to fee,
All former iarres turne to an harmony,
So generally applauded ? trew thou may,
The Night is paft, and now appeares the day,
Full of true louifance ; long was thy fuit,
Ere twas effected, being in and out,
Vowing and breaking, making many an oath,
Which now I hope's confirmed by you both.
O how I clip thee for it ? fince thy name,
Is there renued, which first defam'd the fame,
For (heare me Bride-groom) thou by this- malt faue
Thy felfe a Title : I will raze out knaue,
Difhoneft
The Marriage. 165
Difhoneft louer : vow infringing fvvaine,
And fay thou ceaft to loue, that thou againe
Might loue more feruent, being taught to wooe,
And wooing doe what Silke-wormes vfe to doe ;
Who doe furceffe from labour now and then,
That after reft the better they might fpin.
Spin then (my pretty Cobweb) let me fee,
How well thy Bride likes thy acliuitie.
That when fhe fees thy cunning, fhe may fay ;
" Why now I'me pleas'd for all my long delay ;
" Play that ftroake ftill, theres none that here can let
" For non there is can better pleafe thy Bettie. (thee,
" O there (my deere) I hope thou'le nere giue ore,
" Why might not this been done as well before ?
" Nay faint not man, was Bettie fo foone won,
" That her fhort pleafure fhould be fo foone done.
"Nay then come vp, are marriage ioyes fo fhort,
" That Maydenheads are loft with fuch fmall fport ?
" This if fhe fay (as this fhe well may fay)
Like a good Gamfter hold her ftill out play.
Firft night at leaft wife, and it will be hard,
But fhe will loue the better afterward.
Whence is the Prouerb (as it hath been faid)
May dens loue them that haue their maydenhead:
Come then my lad of mettall make refort,
Vnto the throne of loue thy Betties fort.
There plant thy Cannon fiedge her round about.
Be fure (my Boy) fhe cannot long hold out.
Erec~l thy ftanderd, let her tender breft,
Be thy pauillion : where thou takes thy reft.
M 3 Let
1 66 A Marriage Sonnet.
Let her fweet-rofie Breth fuch ioyes beftow,
That in that vale of Paradife below,
Thou may collect thy ioyes to be farre more,
Then any mortall euer had before.
Yet heare me friend, if thou fecure wilt be,
Obferue thefe rules which I prefcribe to thee.
Be not home iealous, it will make thee madde,
Women will haue it if it may be had.
Nor can a iealous eye preuent their fport,
For if they lou't farre will they venter for't.
Suppofe her ftraying beauty fhould be led,
To the embraces of anothers bedde,
Wilt thou AEleon-like thy houre-glaffe fpend,
In moning that thou neuer canft amend ?
No, my kind friend, if thoul't be rul'd by me,
I'de haue thee winke at that which thou doft fee,
fhading thy wiues defe6ls with patient mind,
Seeing, yet feeming to the world blind.
For tell me friend, what harme is there in it ?
If then being cloyd, another haue a bitte ?
Which thou may fpare, and fhe as freely giue,
Beleeue me friend, thou haft no caufe to greeue.
For though another in thy faddle ride,
When he is gone, there's place for thee befide,
Which thou may vfe at pleafure, and it'h end,
Referue a pretty morfell for thy friend.
Let not thy reafon then be counter-bufft,
Nor thinke thy pillow with horne-fhauings ftuft,
If 't be thy deftiny to be a monfter,
Thou muft be one, if not, how ere men confter.
Thou
Epigrams. 167
Thou may remaine fecure, exempt from fhame,
Though megre Enuie aggrauate the fame.
For this has been my firme pojition ftill,
Tlie husbands homes be in the womans will.
Vpon the Marriage.
r I ^His Marriage went the neareft way about.
J_ Playing now vp, now downe, now in, now out,
But being done I wifh loue may begin,
Now to be neuer out, but euer in.
An Epigramme,
Like to like.
VPon a time (as I informed am)
A Sub-vrbs Baud and Countrey Gentleman,
Comming at the dore where I doe lie,
A gallant rufling wench chanc't to pafle by ;
Which th' Baud obferuing, — Sir I pray you fee,
" How like you gallant and my daughter be.
Indeed they much refemble, both in face,
Painting, complexion, and in huffing pace,
Yea I fhould fay nere any two were liker,
If this be as thy daughter is ? aftriker.
M 4 Vpon
1 68
Vpon the commodious though
compendious labor ofM*. Arthur Standifh,
In the invention of planting of Wood.
A wood-mans Emblealme.
c
Ome Syluanes, come each in his frejh array,
Andjing his name that makes you lookefo gay,
Euery Braunch,
Euery fpray,
Budds as in the
Month of May e.
Heere the mirtle Venus tree,
TJtere the Qiejfenut, wallnut be,
Heere the Medlar fet aboue,
Intimates what woemen loue.
Lofty pine,
Fruitfull vine,
Make afpring
In winter time.
The
The Woodman. 169
The naked field has put a garment on,
With leauy JJiades for birds to peck vpon.
Now Nemsea
doth appeare,
Flower embordered
euery where.
Here the popular, Alder there,
Witch-tree, holy-thorne and Brere
Here thejhady Elme, and firre,
Dew it, tere-diftilling mirrh.
Euery cliff e,
euerie clime,
Makes afpring
in Winter time.
Wood-haunting Satires now their minions feeke,
And hauing found them play at Barley-breke.
Where delight
makes the night,
Short (though long)
by loners Jight.
Wher Marifco Fairies Queene,
With her Ladies trace the greene ;
Dauncing meafures^Jinging layes,
In the worthy planters praife ;
Standifh fame
each voice implies,
Bliffe to Standifli
Ecco cries.
Heere
170 The Woodman*
Herejlands tJie Wilding on thefteepie rocke,
The Quince, the Date, the dangling Apricock,
Rough Jkind'd Peck,
lip-died ctierrie,
Melon citron,
Mulberie.
Sallow, Willow, Mellow, Birt,
Sweete-breathd Sicamour and Mirt,
Heere the Plum, the Damfen tJiere
The Pujill, and tJie Katlierins peare
Flowers andfiourifh
blownefo greene,
As thefpring
doth euer feeme.
TJie brittle A/he and Jhade-obf curing Yewe,
The aged Oke clafpt with tJie Mis/letoe,
Hawthornes grow,
one a row,
And tlieir fweeteft
fmels beftow.
Royall Palme, Laurell wreath,
With young Ofiers vnderneath,
Loue-refembling Box tree tJiere,
Flowri/hing through all tlie yeere.
Seyons young,
tender plants,
Where the quire
of woodbirds cJtants.
Flora
The Wood-man. 171
Flora now takes her throne andforJJie knowes,
Of Standifh care,Jhe decks his aged browes :
With crowne
of renowne,
Monument
in time to come.
That what he hath done of late,
After times may imitate,
So when al our Groues grow greene,
Albion may a Forrest feeme,
Where ifjhe
the Forreft were,
Standifh would
be Forrejler.
Thenjhould no gorfe grounds, furrie whin, or Brire,
Depriue the painefull plough man of his hire.
Euery field,
then Jhould yield,
Great relief e
to Jhare & Jhield.
To the Plow Jhare for his paine,
To the Jhield for difcipline,
Sith the firjl he fows and reapes,
And the last defends and keepes.
Standifh giues,
to both a part,
To the Gauntlet,
and the Cart.
Trees
172 The Wood-man.
Trees (StandifhyizzV-r) in fummer "upward growe,
In winter downe-ward to tJie roote belowe :
This I know not,
but I know
That with him
it is not fo.
For in winter of his time,
Now when fap gins to decline,
Store offcience blojjbme out
From tlie top vnto the root :
Roof of age,
toppe of youth.
Winter bearing,
fummers growth.
To
To the truely worthy, the Alderman
of Kendall and his brethren.
Sir in regard of due refpecT: to you,
(If I could write ought that might yeeld a due,
To th' Corporation of which I may call,
(And dewly to) your felfe the principall :
I mould defire, if power were to defire,
To take an Eagles wing and foare farre higher,
Then hitherto my weake Mufe could attaine,
But 'laffe I fee my labour is in vaine ;
For th' more I labour to expreffe your worth,
The leffe I able am. to fet it forth :
Yet let not my endeuours fo be taken,
As if with power my will had me forfaken ;
For know (though my ability be poore)
My good-will vie's zvitk any Emperour.
Yea I muft write and though I cannot fpeake,
What I defire yet I will euer feeke,
T' expreffe that loue which hath been borne by me,
(And mail be ftill) to your Society.
Then caufe I know your place and haue an ayme,
To fhewe your merits in a fhadow'd name :
I muft
174 The Alderman of Kendall.
I muft be bold (affection makes me bold,
To tell you of fome errors vncontroVd,
Which to your beft discretion He referre,
Hauing full power to punifh fuch as erre.
Firft therefore I intend to fpeake of is ;
Becaufe, through it, there's many do amiffe,
Is Idlenejfe, which I haue partly knowne,
To be a vice inherent to your towne :
Where errant pedlers, mercinarie flaues,
Tinkers, and Tookers and fuch idle knaues
Are too too conuerfant : let your commaund
Suppreffe this finne and refufe of the land,
They much difparage both your towne and you :
Send them to th whipping-ftocke, for that's their dew.
You know the Lord (whofe will fhould be obeid)
Hath in his facred word exprefly fayd,
That thofe which wil not labour they mould fterue,
(For rightly fo their merits do deferue.
Yea if we mould in morall ftories fee,
What punijhments inflicted vfe to be
On fuch as could not giue accompt ivhat they
Did make prof ejfion of from day to day ;
Yea fuch as could not (upon their demaund
Exprejfe how they did Hue vpon their hand ;
I make no quejlion (but by Pagans care',}
You that both Magijlrates and Chrijlians are,
Would fee your Towne (by th' punifhments expreft)
By felfe-fame cenfures to be foone redreft.
And this fame error do I not efpie,
Onely in them, but in the younger frie,
Who
The Alderman of Kendall. 175
Who in their youth do lauifh out their time,
Without correction or due difcipline :
Refpeclleffe of themfelues (as't may be fayd)
They feeme forgetfull wherto they were made :
O looke to this let them not run at large,
For ouer thefe you haue a fpeciall charge ;
And if they fall beleeu't from me it's true,
Their blood will be required of fome of you.
We reade in Rome how they didjlill retaine,
Some exercife that they their yottth might traine,
In warlike difcipline or liberall arts,
Or education in fome forraine parts ;
So as in time as after it was Jhowne,
Thefe actions gairid tJteir Citty great renowne.
But whence can I imagine that this fin,
Wherein too many haue been nufled in,
Had her originall but from that ftaine
Of reputation, and the worlds baine,
(Which I in briefe am forced to expreffe,)
To wit, thatfwinijh vfe of drunkennejfe ?
A vice in great requeft (for all receiue it)
And being once train'd in't there's few can leaue it ;
How happie fhould I in my wifhes be,
If I this vice out of requeft could fee,
Within that natiue place where I was borne,
It lies in you, deere Townes-men to reforme,
Which to performe, if that I might prefume,
Or fo much vnder fauour to affume,
As to expreffe what my obferuance taught me,
Or bring to you what my experience brought me,
I could
176 To the Alderman of Kendall.
I would make bold fome outward grounds to lay,
Which might in fome fort lye an open way,
For rectifying fuch abufe as grow,
By this foule vice, and I will tell you how.
There is no meane that fooner moues to good.
If that the fame be rightly vnderftood,
Then is example, for it's that doth moue,
Such firme impreflion as we onely loue,
What greater wittes approue, and what they say,
Stands for an axiome mongft the younger aye,
Which by the Prouerbe euery man difcernes,
Since as the old Cocke crowes, the young Cock learns ;
So weake is youth, as there is nought in them,
Which they deriue not from the Eldermen,
Quickly peruerted (fo depraud's our will)
If they fee ought in the Elder fort that's ill,
And hardly (when they'r cuftomed in fmne,)
Can they be wain'd from that they'r nufled in,
But if they once perceiue the Elder fort,
Hates vice in youth, and will reprooue her fort
If they fee Vertue honourd by the Graue
And reuerend Magistrate, care they will haue,
To reflifie their errors, and reduce,
Their ftreying courfes to a ciuill vfe.
If this by due obferuance doe appeare,
Methinks you that are Elders, you mould feare,
To acl: ought ill, left your example mould,
Approue in others, what mould be contrould.
And ill may th' Father chaftife in his fonne,
That vice, which he himfelfe is guilty on.
Your
To the Alderman of Kendall. 177
Your patternes are moft obuious to the eye,
Of each vnfeafon'd youngling paffeth by,
Which if he fee defe6liue but in part
He prefently applies it to his heart :
For Education which we may auerre
With that diuinely-learn'd Philofopher
To be a fecond Nature) now and then
Doth alter quite the qualities of men, (were,
And make them fo transform'd from what they
(As if there did fome other men appeare :
Yea fo far from their Nature they're eftraung'd,
As if they had been in the cradle chang'd :
And of this fecond nature I am fure,
Example is the onely gouernour
Which Plutarch termes tti Idea of our life,
Tymon an emelation or aftrife
We haue to imitate, that what we fee,
May in our felues as well accomplijht bee.
O then you Prefidents (whofe yeeres do giue
To moft of you a faire prerogatiue)
Reforme your felues (if you fee ought) and then
You better may reform't in other men.
As you are firft by order and by time,
So firft inioine your felues a Difcipline ;
Which being obferv'd by you and dewly kept,
You may wake fuch as haue fecurely flept
In their exceffe of vanities : 'mongft which
Let me (with all refpe6l to you) befeech
That you would feek exactly to redreffe,
(That brutifh vice of beaftly drunkenneffe.
N And
1 78 The Alderman of Kendall.
A nd firft to propagate apublique good,
BaniJWt I pray you from your brother-hood,
For diuerfe haue obferued it and will ;
(For man obferues not good fo oft as ill,
What's done by th' Elders of a Corporation,
Giues vnto other men a toleration :
If any fuch there be (as well may be)
For that vice raignes in each Society :
Firft caution them, bid them for fhame refraine
To lay on Grauity fo fowle a ftaine ;
Tell them much happens twixt the cup and lip,
And those fame feres of tJteir good fellow/hip,
If they in time reforme not what's amiffe,
Shall drowne their reeling foules in hels abijfe :
Where they may yaule and yarme til that they burft,
Before they get one drop to quench their thirft,
Since th'punifhment fhall be proportion'd there,
To that delight which we do Hue in here.
O then, for Gods loue, bid them now prepare,
To be more ftrict then hitherto they were,
Or bid them haue recourfe vnto their glaffe,
And there furueigh how fwiftly time doth paffe,
How many aged Emblemes time doth fhowe,
In thofe fame wrinkles of their furrow'd browe ;
How many motiues of declining age,
What arguments of a fhort pilgrimage,
How many meffengers of inftant death,
As dropfie, gout, and fhortnes of the breath,
Catarrs defcending howerly from the head,
Diftafte of meates, wherein they furfeted :
And
The Alderman of Kendall. 179
And thoufand fuch proceeding from ill diet,
Nights fitting vp, rere bankets, mid-dayes ryet.
But if thefe doting Gray-beards I haue nam'd,
Will not by your intreaties be reclaim'd,
Then I would wifh (becaufe thefe vices lurke)
That you would fall another way to worke,
And by dew cafhigation force them take
Another courfe for youths example fake :
For thofe that will not now, at laft repent
After fome twice or thrice admonifhment,
Derferue a punifhment, nay which is worfe,
The Churches Anathema or that curfe,
Which mail lie heauy on them in that day,
When what they owe they muft be forc't to pay :
But fome of you fuch Renerend-men appeare,
As you deferue that title which you beare,
Townes Gziardians, protectors of our peace,
Andfole renewers of our hopes encreafe,
So difcreete andfo temporate withall,
As if Rome did her men Patritians cat,
I without ajfentation might be bolde
To name you fo, nor could I be control 'd.
Wherefore I need not feare but you that are
Of fuch fmcerity will haue a care,
To roote out thefe (which as they feeme to me)
Be maine Corrupters of your libertie,
/ wi/h it and I hope to fee it too,
That when I Jhall come to re-vijit it you
I may much glory, andfo much the more,
To fee them good that were deprau'd before :
N 2 Nor
180 To the Alderman of Kendall.
Nor doe I onely fhadow fuch fhould giue,
Example vnto others how to liue ;
But ev'n fuch vice-fupporters as begin,
Brauado-like to gallant it in Jin :
Thefe are incorrigible faying their ftate
Tranfcends the power of any Magiftrate :
For why they're Gentlemen, whence they alleadge
They may be drunkards by a priuiledge :
But I would haue you tell them this from me,
There is no fuch thing in gentilitie,
Thofe that will worthily derferue that name,
Muft by their vertues character the fame :
For vice and generous birth (if vnderftood)
Differ as much in them, as ill from good.
Befides, if they do fnuffe when they're reproou'd,
Or feeme as if, forfooth their blood were moov'd :
Tell them that weake and (lender is that towne,
When fnuffes haue power to menace iuftice down :
Shew me true Refolution, they may know
That God hath placed Magijlrates below,
Who haue power to controle and chaftice fin, (bin :)
(And bleft's that town where fuch commaund hath
For tell me, if when great men do offend
Iuftice were fpeech-leffe, to what efpeciall end
Should lawes enafted be ? Since they do take
Nothing but Flies, like th webs which fpiders make
Where fmall ones they both tdne and punifli'd be,
While great ones breake away more eajily :
But rightly is it which that Cynicke fayde,
Who feeing iuftice on a time ore-fwaid,
And
To the Alderman of Kendall. 181
And ouer bearded by a great-mans will,
Why thus it is, quoth he, with lujlice Jlill :
Since th golden Age did leue her, for at fir ft
She was true-bred andfcorrid to be enforft
To ought but right, yea fuch was Time as then,
" Things lawfull were moft royall among ft men :
But now Jhe thatjhould be ajharpe edg'd axe,
To cut downe all Jin 's made a nofe of waxe ;
Wherein it's luftice (if I not miftake it)
What ere it be, iuft as the Great-men make it.
But Saturne is not banifht from your towne,
For well I know there's perfect iuftice fhowne,
There Themis may be fayd to haue her feate,
Where poore-ones may be heard as well as great,
There's no corruption but euen weight to all,
Equally temper'd, firme, impartiall,
Sincere, Judicious, and fo well approu'd,
As they that iuftice loue or ere haue lov'd,
Are bound to hold that Corporation deere,
Since in her colours (he's prefented there.
Nor do I only fpeake of fuch as be,
luftices nam'd within your libertie,
But of thofe men wherewith your Bench is grac't
And by Commiflion ore the County plac't.
There may we fee one take in hand the caufe,
Ferreting out the fecrecy of thlawes
Anatomizing euery circumftance,
Where if he ought omit, it's a meere chance,
So ferious is he, and withall fo fpeedy
Asfure his Pater nofter'^ not more ready :
N 3 Yea
1 82 To the Alderman of Kendall.
Yea I haue wondred how he could containe
So many law-qiierkes infofmalla braine,
For as we fee full oft in fummer time,
When Sun begins more South-ward to incline,
A Jhowre of haile-flones ratling in the aire :
Euenfo (for better can 1 not compare)
His lawe-exhaling meteors) would he
Send out his Showre of law-termes vfually :
So as I thought and manie in thofe places,
That it did thunder lawe, and raine downe cafes.
Yea I haue knowne fome strucke in fuck a blunder
As they imagined that his words were thunder ;
Which to auoide ( poor e fnakes)fo fear' d were they,
As they would leaue the Bench and f make away.
There may we fee another fo well knowne
To penalljlatutes, as there is not one,
(So well experienjl in them he does make him)
Which can by any kinde of meanes efcape him.
Bejides for execution which we call,
The foueraigne end and period of all ;
Yea which may truly be ejleem'd the head,
From whence the life of luftice doth proceed
He merits dew refpect : witneffe (I fay)
Thofe whipping-Jlocks erected in thhigh way
Withjlockes and pilleries, which he hathfet
To liaue the vagrant Begger foundly bet :
Nor doth he want for any one of thefe,
A flatute in warmejlore if that he pleafe ;
Which on occajion he can well produce,
Both for himfelfe and for his Countries vfe,
An
of Kendall. 183
Another may we fee, though fpare of fpeech,
And temporate in difcourfe, yet he may teach
By his effettuall words the rajher fort,
Who fpeakefo much as they are taxed for V.
Yeafo difcreetly fober, as I wifh,
Many were of that temper as he is.
For then I know their motions would be good,
Nor would they fpeake before they vnderftood.
Another f olid, and though blunt in words,
Yet marke him and his countrey cttrfe affords
One more iiidicious, pithy in difcoiirfe,
Sound in his reafons, or of more remorce,
To fuck as are diftrejfed, for he I take,
The pore mans caufe, though he be nere fo weake,
And much haue I admir'd him in Siirueigh
Of his deferts Jhowne more from day to day,
That hejhouldfo difualue worldly praife,
When euery man feekes his ejleeme to raife.
And worthy ly, for neuer nature brought
Foorth to the world a man fo meanely wrought,
Offuch rare workemanjhip as you Jhall finde,
Inttt exquijite perfection of his minde.
Yea, if too partiall thought I Jhould not be,
(In that he hath beenjlill a friend to me)
I could expreffe fuch arguments of loue,
As were of force thobduratft hearts to moue,
To admiration of thofe vertues reft,
Within the generous table of his breft,
But I haue euer hated, fo has hee,
" To paint mens worths in words offlatterie.
N 4 yea
184 To the Alderman
Yea I doe know it derogates from worth,
To haue her f elf e in colours Jhadow' d forth,
Sith vertue rather cranes for to be knowen
Vnto her f elf e, then vnto others Jhowen.
Onely thus much He fay ; ordain' d he was,
Euen in his Cradle others to furpajfe.
Since for his education it may feeme,
Being in mountaines bred, that it was meane.
But now of fuck an equall forme combiride
As he is Jlrong in body and in minde.
Sincerely honeft, andfo well approu'd,
As where he is not known, hee's heard & lou'd,
So as on Mountaines born, his thoughts afpire,
To Sions mount, & loues triumphant quire.
Another there 'st who howfoere he feeme,
In tK eie offome diftemper'd iudgements mene.
In vnderftanding, I doe know his wit,
Out-Jlrips the mojl of thofe that cenfure it.
Befides theres in him parts of more defert
For Nature isfupplide in him by Art.
And wheras fom tds wit impute the wrong,
I rather doe impute it to his tongue.
Since well I know by due experience,
(At fuck times as he deign' d me conference)
For reading, profound reafon, ripe conceipts,
Difcourfe ofjlories, arguing of eftates,
Such generall iudgement he in all didjhow,
As I was wrapt with admiration, how
Me could ejleemfo menely (hairebraind-elues)
Of fuck an one was wifer then themfelues.
Its
of Kendall. 185
Its true indeed, hee's not intemperate.
(As this age fajhions) nor opinionate,
But humble in his iudgement, which may be,
Some caufe that he is cenfur'd, as we fee.
Alas of grief e, nonejhould be deemed wife,
But fuck as can like timijls temporize.
Expofe their reputation to the Jhame
Of an offenfiue or iniurious name.
Whereas if we true wifdome vnderftood,
We'd think non could be wife but fuch wer good.
And tJwugh we quejlion thus, ajking what ma ?
Vnlejfe he be a polititian,
Yet pollicie will be of f mall auaile,
When that arch polititian Machauell,
Shall flame and frie in his tormented foule,
Becaufe to th world wife, to heauen afoole.
Yea I doe wifh (if ere I haue afonne)
He may befo wife, as haue wit to Jhun
A felfe conceipt of being foly wife,
In his owne bleared and dim Jighted eies,
For then I know there will in him apeare,
A Chriftian zealous and religious feare,
Which like an Angell will attend himflill,
Mouing to good, and waine him from whats ill.
And far more comfort Jhould I haue of him,
Then if through vaine conceipt he Jhould begin
To pride him in his follies, for by them,
We fee how many roote out houfe and name,
Yea of all vertues which fubjijiing be,
None makes more perfect then humilitie.
Since
1 86 To the Alderman
Since by it man deemes of himfelfc, and's worth,
As of the vileft worme the earth brings forth.
Which difefteeming I may boldly name,
More noble then to glorie in our Jhame :
For it doth leade vs in a glorious path,
With fafejl condttcJ from the day of wrath.
When ftandig 'fore that high Tribunall there
We're found far better then wee did appeare.
And fuch is hee-yet haue I heard it vowde,
" Hee has not witt enough for to bee proude.
VVheras wee know, and by experience fee,
That fooles bee still the proudeft men that be.
Nor is he onely humble, for I heare,
Of other proper verities which appeare
In his well tempred difpofition, when
I hear of no complaints mongjl poorer men,
Who are his tenaunts for he has report,
Of Jhewing mercy, and is bleffed for 't.
And is not this a poynt of wifedome, fay?
For to prouide thus for another day
That for terreftriall things, hee may obtayne
A farre more glorious and tranfcendent gayne.
Sure (I doe thinke) there is no foole to him,
That does enrich his progeny by fmne,
Makes fhipwrack of a confcience, bars himfelfe,
Of after hopes to rake a little pelfe.
Ruines his foule, and ads vnto the ftore,
Of his accounts, by racking of the pore.
Whereas ofth' other fide hees truely wife,
(Though not to man, yet in thalmighties eies.
who
Of Kendale. 187
Who pitty and compaffion doth profeffe,
To th'forlorne widdow and the fatherleffe,
Does right to all men, nor will make his tongue,
An aduocate for him who's in the wrong ;
Accepts of no aduantage, which may feeme
To ftaine his confcience, or to mak't vncleane :
Hates an oppreffors name, and all his time,
Was neuer wont to take too great a fine.
Beares himfelfe blameleffe before God and man.
Hee's truely wife, or much deceau'd I am.
Indeed he is, and fuch an one is plaft,
In that fame Mirror which I f pake of loft.
Who without affentation may be faid,
To haue a patterne vnto others laid,
In actions of this kind, yea I may fweare,
Rather for thefe refpecls I hold him deare,
Then for his ftate, which may be well exprefb,
To equall, if not to furmount the beft.
But I'ue too farre digrefl, in breefe it's he,
Who hates the leuen of the Pharifee,
And (which is rare) 'mongft richer men to find,
He counts no wealth like th'riches of the mind.
How happy you (Graue Elders) to haue thefe,
Affiftants in your peace, meanes for your eafe,
So as their ferious care, ioyn'd to their powers,
May feeme in fome degree to leffen yours,
For powers vnited, make the army ftronger,
"And minds combin'd preferue that vnion longer.
O may there be, one mind and one confent,
(Cohering in one proper continent)
One
1 88 To tlie Alderman of Kendall.
One firme opinion, generall decree,
Amongft you all concurring mutually : (fords,
And may your Throne, which fuch good men af-
Nere fall at oddes by multiplying words,
Since the fpirit of contention ftirres our blood,
And makes vs oft negle6l a publique good.
Thus with my beft of wifhes, I will end, .
Refting your euer true deuoted friend.
R.B.
1 89
To all true-bred Northerne Sparks, of
the generous fociety of the Cottoneers, who
hold their High-roadeby the Finder of Wake-
field, the Shoo-maker of Brandford, and
the white Coate of Kendall : Light gaines,
Heauie Purfes, good Tradings,
with cleere Confcience.
TO you my friends that trade in blacke and white,
In blacke and white doe I intend to write.
Where He infert fuch things are to be fhowne,
Which may in time adde glory and renowne,
To your commodious tradings, which fhall be
Gracefull to you, and fuch content to me,
As I fhould wifh, at leaft my lines mail tell,
To after-times, that I did wifh you well,
And in my obferuations feeme to mow,
That due refpect I to my country owe.
Firft therefore ere I further goe, lie proue,
Wherein no leffe, He manifeft my loue,
Then in the greateft : that of all haue beene,
Shall be, or are, you feeme the worthieft men,
And
190 To the Cotteneers.
And this's my reafon ; which may grounded be,
On the firme arches of Philofophy ;
We fay, andfo we by experience find,
In man there is a bodie and a mind,
The body is the couer, and in it
The minds internall foueraignneffe doth Jit,
As a great Princejfe, much admired at,
Sphered and reared in her chaire of Jlate,
While th body like a hand-maid prejl f obey,
Stands to performe, what ere her miftrejfe fay.
Yeafome compare this bodies outward grace,
Vnto a dainty fine contriued cafe,
Yet for all th cojl which is about her f pent,
She founds but harjh, without her injlrument,
Which is thefoule : others refembled haue,
The bodies feature to a fumptuous graue,
Which garnifht is without full tricke and trim,
Yet has nought elfe, but fculls and bones within.
Others compare the beauty of the mind,
To pith in trees, the body to the rind.
But of all others have bene, be, or were,
In my opinion none doth come fo neere,
In trtte Resfmblanes (nor indeed there can)
Then twixt the mind and lining of a man,
For its the inward fubjlance which to mee,
Seemes for to line the body inwardly,
With ornaments of vertue, and from hence,
As he excells, we draw his excellence.
Then, my deere countrimen, to giue your due,
From whence comes mans perfection, but from you
That
To the Cotteneers. 191
That doe maintaine with credit your eftate,
And fells the beft of man at eafie rate,
To wit, the minds refemblance, which is gotten,
By thofe fame linings which yon fell of Gotten.
For fee thofe thin breech Irifh lackies runne,
How fmall i'th waft, how fparing in the bombe,
What lacke a Lents they are : yet view them when
They haue beene lin'd by you, theyr proper men,
Yea I may fay, man is fo ftrange an Elfe,
Without your helpe, hee lookes not like himfelfe.
Indeed if we were in fome parts of thofe,
Sun-parched countries, where they vfe no clothes,
But through the piercing violence of heat,
Which in fome places is intemperate,
Th' inhabitants go naked, and appeare
In grifly fort, as if they frenticke were,
Then you that make vs man-like, mould not need,
Nor your proj "efjion ftand in any fteed,
For why ? the clymate which we then mould haue,
No Bombaft, Gotten, or the like would craue : (them,
Since fcorching beames would fmoulder fo about
As th' dwellers might be hot enuife without them.
But heer's an Ifland that fo temprate is,
As if it had plantation to your wifh.
Neither fo hote, but that we may abide,
Both to be clad and bombafted bejide.
Neither fo cold, but we may well allow it,
To wearefnch yarne, a blind man may looke through it.
Its true indeed, well may it be confeft,
If all our parts were like fome worn ens breft.
Bared
192 To the Coteneers
Bared and painted with pure Azure veines,
Though of themfelues they haue as many ftaines,
And riueld wrinkles, with fome parts as badde,
Then th' crooked Greeke Therfytes euer had,
It might be thought your gaines would be fo fmall,
As Ime perfwad'd they would be none at all :
But thanks be giuen to heauens fupernall powers,
Which fways this Maffe of earth, that trade of yours,
Hath her dependance fixt in other places,
Then to be tide to womens brefts or faces.
Let Painters and Complexion fellers looke,
To their crackt ware, you haue another booke
To view into, then they haue to looke in,
For yours's an honeft trade, but their's is fin.
Next I expreffe your worth in, fhall be thefe,
Firft, your fiipportance of poor e families,
Which are fo weake in ftate, as I much doubt me,
They would be forc't to begge or ftarue without ye.
The fecond is, (wherein you'ue well deferued,
The care you hatte to fee your Country ferued,
Not as fuch men who Hue by forraine Nations,
Impouerijhing this Land by tranfportations,
For their depraued Natures be well fhowne,
By louing ftrangers better then their owne ;
Or as it feemes, to fucke their Mothers bloud,
Their Natiue Countrie for a priuate good.
The third and laji, which heere expreft fhall be,
Shall reference haue to your Antiquity,
All which I will dilate of, and though I
Cannot defcribe ech thing fo mouingly,
As
To the Cotteners. 193
As I could wifh, yet take it in good part,
Proceeding from the centre of a heart,
That did this taske and labour vndertake,
For your prof "ejjlon and your countries fake,
Whofe ayre I breath'd, O I were worthy death,
Not to loue them, who fuck 't with me one breath.
How many Families fupported be,
Within the compaffe of one Barronry,
By your profeffion I may boldly (how,
(For what I fpeake, I by obferuance know.)
Yea by eye-witneffe, where fo many are,
Prouided for by your peculiar care,
As many would the beggars be (I wot)
If your religious care releeu'd them not.
For there young brats, as we may well fuppofe,
Who hardly haue the wit to don their clothes,
Are fet to worke, and well can finifh it,
Being fuch labours as doe them befit :
Winding of fpooles, or fuch like eafie paine,
By which the leaft may pretty well maintaine
Themfelues, in that fame fimple manner clad,
As well agrees with place where they were bred.
Each plies his worke, one cards, another fpins,
One to the studdles goes, the next begins
To rauellfor new wefte, thus none delay,
But make their webbe-vp, 'gain/I each Market-day,
For to preferue their credit : but pray fee,
Which of all thefe for all their induftry,
Their early rifmg, or late fitting vp,
Could get one bit to eat, or drop fuppe.
O If
194 To tJte Cotteneers.
If hauing wrought their webbes, their forc't to ftand,
And not haue you to take them off their hand.
But now by th'way, that I my loue may mew,
Vnto the poorer fort as well as you,
Let me exhort you, in refpecl: I am,
Vnto you all both friend and Countriman,
And one that wifheth, if hee could expreffe,
What's wifhes be vnto your Trade fucceffe,
As to himfelfe, tJiefe pooremen (vnder fauour)
Who earne their meanes fo truly by their labour,
Should not (obferue me) bee enforc't to wait,
" For what you owe, and what's their due, fo late,
Time vnto them is pretious, yea one Jwure,
If idly e f pent, is charges to tlie poore :
Whofe labour's their Reuenue : doe but goe,
To Salomon, and he will tell you fo.
Who willeth none, exprefly to fore-flow,
To pay to any man what they doe owe,
But, if they haue it, not to let them ftand,
Crauing their due, but pay it out a hand.
Say not vnto thy friend (faith Salomon)
I haue not for tJiee now, but come anon :
For why Jhouldjl thou tJiat Jiaft wJierewith to pay,
Put of till morrow, what thou maijl to day.
Beleeue me friends I could not choofe but fpeake,
And caution you of this, for euen the weake
And impotent, whofe foules are full as deere,
As be the MonarcJis, whifper in mine eare,
And bid mee tell you yet to haue a care,
Not to expreffe their names what men they are,
For
To the Cotteneers. 195
For then they doubt that you to fpite them more,
Would make them Jlay, farre longer then before.
That you would fee their iniuries redreft,
Of which they thinke, you were not yet poffeft.
But in transferring of the charge to fuch,
As be your Faftors, which haue had fmall tutch,
Of others griefes : your felues haue had the blame,
Though't feems your Faftors wel deferud the fame.
Nor would I haue you thinke Ime feed for this,
For they do plead in Forma pauperis
That bee my Clyents, yea Ime tied too,
In countries loue to doe that which I doe :
For euen their teares, mones, and diftreffed Mate,
Haue made me for them fo compaffionate,
That my foule yern'd within me, but to heare,
Their mones defpifd, that were efteem'd fo deere,
To their Creator, fee their Image then ;
And make recourfe to him that gaue it them,
Whofe manfion is aboue the higheft fphere.
And bottles vp the fmalleft trickling teare,
Shed by the pooreft foule, (which in a word)
Shall in that glorious fynod beare record :
Where for the leaft non-payment which we owe,
Shall paffe this doome-Awayye curfed, goe.
But I do know by my Experience,
The moft of you haue fuch a Confcience,
As in that day, what euer fhall befall,
Your fincere foules will as a brazen wall,
Shield you from fuch a cenfure ; for to me,
Some doe I know bore fuch integrity.
O2 As
196 To the Cotteneers.
As I dare well auow't, tis rare to find,
In fuch a crazie time, fo pure a mind.
But now I muft defcend (as feemes to me)
From the releefe of many Familie,
By you fupported, to your fpeciall care,
To fee your country ferued with good Ware ;
Which of all others (if well vnderftood)
Seemes to haue ayme moft at a publique good.
Well it appeares, euen by your proper worth,
That you were borne for her that brought you forth,
Not for your felues, which inftanced may be,
In that you ayme at no Monopoly,
No priuate Jlaples, but defire to fell,
(Which of all other feem's approu'd as well,)
Your Ware in publique places, which may ftand
No more for your auaile, then good of th' land.
Nor are you careleffe what it is you bring,
Vnto your Country, for your cuftoming,
Dependance has vpon that due efteeme,
They haue of you, that are the fame you feem,
Plaine home-bred chapmen (yet of fuch due note)
Their word is good, how plaine fo ere's their coat.
Yea doe I wijh, I may hatie fuch as they,
Ingag'd to me, for they1 1 do what they fay,
Whetifilken coats, andfome of them I know,
Will fay farre more then ere they meane to doe.
Therefore it much concernes you to produce,
That which you know is for a common vfe.
Not for the eye fo much as for the proofe,
For this doth tend moft to your owne behoofe :
Where
To the Cotteneers. 197
Where Reputation doth fuch cuftome gaine,
As being got is feldome loft againe.
Yet fure methinks my Friends, you put to th' venture,
When your commodities are ftretcht on th' tenter,
So that as I haue heard, when come to weting
They Jhrinke a yard at lea/I, more then is fitting.
Yet doe I heare you make excufe of this.
That for your felues you know not what it is :
And for your Factors what they take, they pay,
If SJure-men ftretch them fo, the more knaues they.
It's true they are fo, yet for all you vfe
Thefe words, beleeu't, they'l ferue for no excufe,
For if you will be Common-weales men, know,
Whether your Shere-men vfe this feate or no,
Before you buy, (which found) reprooue them then,
Or elfe auoid fuch tenter-hooking men.
There is a Gallant in this towne I know,
( Who damnd himfelfe, but moft of them doe foe)
If that he had not, to make cloake audfuit,
Some thirty yards of rug or thereabout,
Yet hardly came to fifteene afterward,
It had beene meafur'd by the Taylors yard.
Now was not this too monftrous and to badde,
That it fhould leefe full halfe of that it had ?
I know not what to thinke (but to be breefe)
Eithe'r the Taylor was an arrant theefe,
And made no bones of Theft, which is a crime,
Moft Taylors will difpence with at this time :
Or fure, if my weake wit can iudge of it,
The rugge was tentred more then did befit :
O 3 But
198 To the Cotteneers.
But you will fay, the Gallant fure did lie,
Faith if you be of that minde fo am I,
For its fcarce pofiible fo much to put,
In Cloake and fute, vnleffe heed cloath his gut ?
(And that's of th' largeft fize) and fo't may be,
For I'ue heard one skild in Anatomie,
(Auerr thus much that euery gut in man
For at that time his Ie6lure then began,)
Was by due obferuation knowne to be
Seauen times his length: fo that it feemes to me
If this be true, which Naturalifts doe teach,
The Taylor plaid the man to make it reach,
So far, for fure the yards could not be fmall,
That were to make cloake, fute, cloath guts, and all.
But I doe finde you guiltleffe, for I know,
As to your Countrey, you your Hues doe owe,
If priuate harmes might propagate her good,
(For Countries loue extends vnto our blood)
So there's no Commerce which you entertaine,
Aymes not in fome part at a publique gaine ;
And that's the caufe, Gods bleflings doe renew,
Making all things to cotton well with you.
" Now to the third Branch, is my mufe addreft,
To make your Trades Antiquity expreft,
If I had skill but rightly to define,
Th' originall foundation and the time,
The caufe of your encreafe, and in what fpace,
The people you Commerft with, and the place
Of your firft planting, then it might appeare,
Vpon what termes your priuiledges were :
But
To the Cotteneers. 199
But fo onfuf'd be times antiquities,
As it is hard dire<5tly to fhow thefe,
In what efpeciall fort they were begun,
(Yet I may doe what other men haue done)
And by conjectures make your Trade difplayd
Speaking in Verfe, what fome in profe haue faide
Some are opiniond that your trade began
From old Carmentis, who in colours /pan
Such exqui/it rare works, as th websjhe wrought
Were farre and nere by forrain nations fought.
A nd as it may in ancient writ appeare.
The Phrigian works were f aid to com from her.
But now the better to vnfolde the fame,
Know that there were two women of that name,
The one (for Stories manifejl no lejfe)
Euanders mother was, a Propheteffe,
Who wrot and f pake in verfe withfuch a grace,
As Jhe renoumd the Countrey where Jhe was.
The other was a Spinfter, which did come,
Along with Aquila (when he from Rome
Marching amaine, lancht forth for Britanie)
Which Coaft Carmentis did no fooner feet
Then Jhe admifd^for well Jhe faw by vfe,
Th' inhabitants wotdd proue indujtrious.
So as in thefe daies rude, they grew in time,
Specially Nooth-ward) by her difcipline,
To become ciuill, and where prompt to doe,
Any fet Tafke this Matron put them to.
Touching the place where Jhe plantation had,
Diners Hiftorians hauefo differed,
04 As
2OO To the Alderman
As hardly iumpe they by a hundred mile,
And therefore difficult to reconcile
Their different opinions : for they Jlriue,
Among ft themfelues, & aske wher flies' d ariue ?
Since it appeares when Aquila came ajhore,
Saue 3 or 4 choice dames, there were no more.
Of woman kinde with him : for he was loath,
To fliip fuch old hags, were not for his tooth,
And therefore fuch as bewty did adorne, (turne
Werjhipt with him : for they would ferue his
To reconcile thefe doubts, which feems a woder,
Know that his fleet deuided was afunder.
And driue to fundry creeks, fom Eaft,y^wz weft,
Som North, fom South ; forfo they wer diftreft.
By aduerfe winds (as forced from togetJur)
They were difperft, they knew not wliere, nor whither.
In which aufpicious tempeft, happy ftray,
For happy was that tempeft may you fay,
This modeft matron with an heauy heart,
Reft of her friends ariued ith North part,
With fom young maids which Aquila did minde
To bring along to keepe his men in winde.
The Port whenjhe ariud(as't feemes to me,
For I doe ground on probability,
Drawne from the clime & Ports defcriptiori)
Was the rich hauen of ancient Workington,
Whofeftately profpecJ merits honours fame,
In nought more noble than a Curwens name.
And long may it referue that name whofe worth,
Hath many knights from that defcent brought forth,
For
of Kendall. 201
For if to blaze true fame (I ere haue skill),
In Bouskill ioynd with Curweny7z<?z£/V / will.
Carmentis thus ariud did traiiaile on
To findfinde fame place fit for plantation :
For tJun that Coaft as we injlories reade,
Lay wholy waft, and was vnpeopled.
Where in her progreffe by the way JJie came,
She gaue to fundry places different name.
" Mongft which her owne name, whence it is they fay,
Cartmell or Carment-hill holds to this day
Her Appelation .• and now neere an end
Of her fet tourney, as Jhe did defcend
Downe from the neighbouring Mountaines, Jhe might
A woody vale, feat' d deliciotijly, (fpie>
Through which a p leaf ant Ritier feemd to glide,
Which did this vale in equall parts deuide,
This hauingfpide, (on Stauelaies Cliffes they fay)
She laid her ftaffe, whence comes the name Staffe-lay.
Corruptly Staulay, where Jhe ftaid a fpace,
But feeing it a moft notorious place,
And that the trades men were fo giuen toth Pot,
That they would drinke far more then ere they got.
She turnd from thence, yet left fame Maids behinde.
That might acquaint them in this wool worke kinde.
V Vhile JJie did plant, as ancient Records be,
Neer er to Kendall in th Barronrie.
Thus haue I drawne your linage as it was,
For other Accidents I let them paffe,
Onely fuch things as moft obferuant were,
(As the erection of your Sturbidge faire.
I
202 To the Cot liners.
I thought to fhadow briefely, which began,
On this occafion by a Kendall man,
Who camming vp or downe I know not well,
Brought his commodities that way to fell :
Where being benighted, tooke no other JJiield,
To lodge him and his ware then th open field :
A Maftiffe had he, or a mungrill Cur,
Which he Jlill cride and cald on, Stur-bitch ftur,
Leaft miching knaues now fore the fpring of day,
Should come perchance, and filch his ware away.
From hence they fay tooke Sturbidge firft her name,
Which if fhe did, fhe neede not think't a fhame,
For noble Princes, as may inftanc'd be,
From Braches had their names as well as fhe :
Such Romulus and Remus were, whofe name
Tane from a fhe- Wolfes dug, raifd Romes firft fame,
Yea Cyrus which 's as ill, (if not far worfe,)
Had but a Bitch (cal'd Spacon) for his nurfe.
For in defcents, it is our leaft of care,
To aske what men once were, but what they are.
Sith great ejlates, yea Lordjhips raifd we fee,
(Andfofhallflill)fromth! ranke of beggar ie.
Yea Peafants (fuch hath been their happy fate)
Without defert haue come to great eftate,
For true it is was faid fo long agon,
A paltry Sire may haue a Princely Sonne.
" But haft my Mufe in colours to difplay,
Some auncient cuftomes in their high roade way,
By which thy louing Countrey men doe paffe,
Conferring that now is, with which once was,
At
To the Cotteneers. 203
At leaft fuch places labour to make knowne,
As former times haue honour'd with renowne.
So by thy true relation 't may appeare
They are no others now, then as they were,
Euer efteem'd by auntient times records,
Which mail be fhadow'd briefly in few words.
The firft whereof that I intend to mow,
Is merry Wakefield and her Pindar too ;
Which Fame hath blaz'd with all that did belong,
Vnto that Towne in many gladfome fong :
The Pindars valour and how firme he flood,
In th' Townes defence 'gainft th' Rebel Robin-hood,
How ftoutly he behav'd himfelfe, and would,
In fpite of Robin bring his horfe to th' fold,
His many May games which were to be feene,
Yeerely prefented vpon Wakefield greene,
Where louely lugge and luftie Tib would go,
To fee Tom-liuely turne vpon the toe ;
Hob, Lob, and Crowde the fidler would be there,
And many more I will not fpeake of here :
Good god how glad hath been this hart of mine
To fee that Towne, which hath in former time,
So florifh'd and fo gloried in her name,
Famous by th' Pindar who firft rais'd the fame ?
Yea I haue paced ore that greene and ore,
And th' more I faw't, I tooke delight the more,
" For where we take contentment in a place,
" A whole daies walke, feemes as a cinquepace :
Yet as there is no folace vpon earth,
Which is attended euermore with mirth :
But
204 To the Cotteneers.
But when we are tranfported mofl with gladneffe,
Then fuddenly our ioyes reduc'd to fadneffe,
So far'd with me to fee the Pindar gone,
And of thofe iolly laddes that were, not one
Left to furuiue : I griev'd more then He fay,
(But now for Brad-ford I muft haft away).
Brad-ford if I fhould rightly fet it forth,
Stile it I might Banberry of the North,
And well this title with the Towne agrees,
Famous for twanging, Ale, Zeale, Cakes and Cheefe :
But why JJiould I fet zeale behinde their ale ?
Becaufe zeale is for fome, but ale for all ;
Zealous indeed fome are (for I do heare,
Of many zealous fempring Jijler there)
Who loue their brother, from their heart iffaith.
For it is charity, as fcripture faith,
But I am charm'd, God pardon what's amiffe,
For what will th' wicked fay that heare of this,
How by fome euill brethren 't hath been fed,
Th Brother was found in 's zealous Jifters bed?
Vnto thy taske my Mufe, and now make knowne,
The iolly fhoo-maker of Brad-ford towne,
His gentle-craft fo rais'd in former time
By princely lourney-men his difcipline,
" Where he was wont with paffengers to quaffe,
" But fuffer none to carry vp their ftaffe
Vpon their fhoulders, whilft they paft through town
For if they did he foon would beat them downe.
(So valiant was the Souter) and from hence,
Twixt Robin-hood and him grew th' difference ;
Which
To the Cotteneers. 205
Which caufe it is by moft ftage-poets writ,
For breuity, I thought good to omit,
" Defcending thither where moft bound I am,
" To Kendall-white-coates, where your trade began.
Kendall (to which I all fucceffe do wifh)
May termed be that parts Metropolis,
For feate as pleafant, as the moft that are,
Inftanc't in th' ruin'd Caftle of Lord Par.
(For feate imparaled) ; where we may fee,
" Great men to fall as fubiecl are as we :
Yea there (as in a mirror) may be fhowen,
The Subiects fall refts in the Soueraigne's frowne.
Many efpeciall bleffings hath the Lord,
Pour'd on this Towne, for what doth't not afford
(If neceffary for mans proper vfe)
Sufficient, if not fuperfluous ?
Yea I dare fay (for well it doth appeare)
That other places are more bound to her,
Then me to any, there's no Towne at all,
(Being for compaffe fo exceeding fmall,
For commerce halfe fo great, nor is there any
That doth, confort in trafficke, with fo many.
But to her priuate bleffings, for pure aire,
Sweet holefome water, fhe may make compare
With any clime, for aire nor piercing is,
Nor in her temprate brething, too remiffe :
For water, Kent, whence Kendall takes her name,
VVhofe fpring (from Kent-mere} as they fay, is tane :
Swift is't in pace, light-poiz'd, to looke in cleere,
And quicke in boiling (which efteemed were)
Such
206 To the Coteneers.
Such qualities, as rightly vnderftood
Without 'en thefe, no water could be good.
For Wood (how well fhe was in fore-time growne)
May foone appeare by th' ftore that is cut downe,
Which may occafion griefe, when we fhall fee
What want mail be to our pofteritie :
Yet who feekes to preuent this furely none,
Th' old prouerbe's in requeft, each man for one,
While each for one, one plots anothers fall,
" And few or none refpect tJie good of all.
But of all bleffings that were reckoned yet,
In my opinion there is none fo great,
As that efpeciall one which they receiue,
By th grane and renerend Pa/tor which they haue ;
WJwfe life and doctrine are fo ioint together,
(As bothfincere, there's no defect in either,)
For in him both Urim and Thummim be,
O that we had more Paftorsfuch as he :
For tJun in Sion Jliould Godsjlocke encreafe,
" Hauing fuch Shepheards would not flea but fleece ;
Thus what wants Kendal that JJie can defire,
Tyre'j her Pajlor, and her f elf e is Tyre,
He to mijlrust her people, Jlie to bring,
Wealth to her Towne by forraine trafficking ?
Now muft I haue the White-coates vnder-hand
Who were in fore-time a defence to th' land :
Yea fuch they were, as when they did appeare,
They made their foes perfume their hofe for feare,
Experienft Archers, and fo praclis'd it,
As they would feldome moot but they would hit.
So
To the Cotteneers. 207
So that though th'darters of rude Scythia,
The golden-Archers of rich Perfia,
The Siluer-Jhields of Greece haue borne the name,
Blaz'd by the partiall trumpe of lying fame.
Yet in behalfe of Kendall (I durft fvveare it)
For true renovvne thefe Countries came not nere it,
As for this name of White-coate vs'd to fore
It came from th' milk-white furniture they wore (lows
And in good-footh they were but home-fpun fel-
" Yet would thefe white-coats make their foes dy yel-
VVhich might by latter times be inftanced, (lows,
Euen in thofe border-feruices they did :
But this t'expreffe (fmce it is knowne) were vaine,
Therefore, my friends, He turne to you againe,
And of fome fpeciall matters caution you,
Which being done He bid you all adew :
Since God hath bleft you with fuch benefits,
As the reliefe of nature well befits,
Hauing of euery thing fufncient fhore,
There's reafon (Country -men) you render more
To your Creator, who fo kinde has been,
To you and yours aboue all other men :
(Though all (I fay) mould thankfull be) then fuch
Who nere receiued of him halfe fo much,
For well you know its in the Scriptiire fa id,
Accompt for euerie Talent muft be made,
And how much more our Talents are, mail we
After this life exa6l Accomptants be :
Be good difpencers then of what you haue,
And doe not fhut your Eares to fuch as craue
yet
208 To the Cotteneers.
Your charities Reliefe (for in a word)
What you giue th' poore, you lend vnto the Lord,
And be you fure, your loue is not in vaine,
For with encreafe hele pay it you againe :
Put not your labourer off with long delay,
But fatisfie him if you can this day,
For pittie 'tis, poore foule, that he fhould fit
Waiting your time when he hath earned it.
And this belieue me many crimes produces,
" Teeming of tenters andfuch like abufes
Which they are forc't to, caufe they are delaide
Working for more, then ere they can be paide :
Be not too rigorous vnto your debtor,
(If he be poore) forbearance is far better,
For 'laffe what gaine accrewes to you thereby,
If that his carkaffe doe in prifon lie :
Yea, if you kept his bodie till 't fhould rot,
Th' name of hard-hearted men were all you got
And fure, if my opinion faile not me,
T' imprifon debtors ther's no policie,
Vnleffe they able be and obftinate,
And like our Bank-rupts break t' encreafe their ftate,
For th' poore they better may difcharge their debt
When they 're at libertie and freedome get,
For labour may they when they are inlarg'd,
But when tftey die in prifon all's difcliarg'd,
O then (my friends) if you haue fuch as thefe :
Remember to forgiue your trefpaffes,
At lead be not extreame to th' poor'ft of all,
" Giue him but time and he will pay you all.
So
To the Lanf-lord. 209
So Time fhall crown e you with an happy end,
And confummate the wifhes of a friend. (fure
So each (through peace of confciece) rapt with plea-
Shall ioifully begin to dance his meafure.
" One footing atliuely VVilfons delight,
" Defcanting on this note, I haue done what's right,
"Another ioyingto benam'd 'mongftthem,
" Were made Men-fijhers of poore fijher-men.
" The third as blith as any tongue can tell,
" Becaufe he's found a faithfull Samuel.
" The fowrth is chanting of his Notes as gladly,
"Keeping the tune for th honour of Arthura Bradly.
The 5. fo pranke, he fcarce can ftand on grotmd,
Asking whdlefing with him Mai Dixons round?
But where haue been my fences all this while,
That he (on whom profperity dothfmile)
And many parts of eminent refpecJ.
Should be forgotten by my Jlrange neglecJ?
Take heede my Mufe leaft thou ingratefull be,
For well thou knowes he better thinkes of thee :
On then (I fay) expreffe what thou doft wijh,
And tell the woreld truely what he is :
He's one has Jhar'd in Nature fpeciall part,
And though beholding little vnto art,
Yet beare his words more emphajis or force,
Then moft of th Schollers that I heare difcourfe,
His word keeps tutch (and of all men I know)
He has thbeft injide for fo meane ajhewe,
Outwardly bearing, temperate, yet will be
A bonus focius in good company.
P Hee
2IO
To the Cotteneers.
He vnderjlands himfelfe (as I haue fayd)
And therefore aymes whereto he fir ft was made,
In brief e 'mongft all men that deferue applauding,
None (hauing leffe of A rt] merits more lauding :
So that though true defert crowne all the reft,
Yet if ought want in them its here expreft ;
But th'Euening fhade drawes on, and damps the light
" Think friends on what I fayd, and fo good night
To the Worfhipfull Recorder
of Kendall.
FOr Townes-abufes (worfhipfull Recorder)
I leaue them to your difcreet felfe to order :
My Tourney's at an end ; hie baculum fixi,
My Tale concluded, nought now refts but Dixi.
Nor would I haue you fpeak that, (though you may)
" Which I haue heard a countrie Maior did fay,
Vnto a Scholler, who concluded had
His latine fpeech with Dixi I haue fayd :
To whom th'vnletter'd Maior to aproue the fame
Replying thus, tooke Dixi for his name.
" If that thy name be Dixi fure I am,
DixVs a learned vnderftanding man.
To
211
To the Landf-lord where-
foeuer.
LAndf-lordto thee, addreft to fpeake I am,
And full as much to thee as any man :
For many Errors and fowle crimes I knowe
That thou art more then others fubiect toe,
Which ile in part, vnrip, and fo make cleere,
As in that day, when all men mail appeare
Before their heauenly Landf-lord, where is had
A dew accompt : This now which I haue fayd
May be a witneffe, and beare record ftill,
That thou didft know before thy Maifters will,
Which not perform'd thou know'ft what thou haft
" With manieftripes thoujhalt be chaftifed, (read
But firft, ere I proceed, fo great 's the cries
Of widdowes, and fo many tere-fwolne eyes
Of Orphanes fuccourleffe that reach to heauen,
As I 'me well-nigh into amazement driuen,
And cannot perfect what I do entend,
Vntill I fee their forrowes at an end,
At leaft allayd (for I am forc't to keepe,
A confort with thefe filly foules that weep :)
So moouing is their paffion (as in briefe)
So ftrong's companion, I do feele their griefe.
P 2 Where-
212 To the Lanf-lord.
Wherefore I muft (fo great is griefes extent)
Perfwade thefe blubbert wretches be content,
And beare with patience, till the Lord fhall fend,
In his good time vnto their forrowes end :
Which to expreffe the better I will moue them
In mildeft tearmes ; and thus will fpeak vnto them.
Ceafe, ceafe (poore iniur'dfoide) your teres to feed,
Weeping for that cannot be remeded,
'L ajfe you are farre deceiu'd ; if you fuppofe
Teres can moue Landf-lords : they are none of thofe,
TJuir difpojitions are more harder far,
Then any other of Gods creatures are :
For tell me (ftanteling] hath thy trickling eye,
Pale-colourd uifage, heauen-afcending crie,
Earth-bending knees, hart throbbing languiJJtment,
Eccoing fighs, fouls-fretting difcontent,
Famine at home, furcfiarg1 d with forrowes loade,
Debt with a Sergeant dogging thee abroad,
Haue any thefe whereof thou haft had part,
Been of that force to mollifie his heart f
Haue all thy cries and Orphanes teres together
Moou'd him ? 6 no : they are as if a f ether,
Were here and there toft with each gale -of winde,
Thouftialt not finde that temper in his mind :
For he is cauterisd and voide of fence,
And thanks his God he has a confcience,
Canftand remorceleffe 'gainft both winde and weather,
( Though he and 's Confcience goe to hell together,
Yea he doth feele no more thy piteous mone,
Then doth an Anuile when its ftrooke vpon.
Why
To the Landf-lord. 213
Why then Jliouldft thou thus ftriue againft thejlreame,
T' importune him that feemes as in a dreame,
Secure of hell, carelejfe of thy di/lreffe ?
Fie take vpon thee fome more manlineffe,
Roufe thy deiected fpirits which now lie,
As iffurprifed by a lethargie ;
Wipe, wipe, thofe eyes with briny Jlreamelings drownd,
And plant thy felfe vpon a firmer ground,
Then thus to wajl thy grief e-enthralled heart,
Which done : pray tell me but, what better art ?
Well, if thou wilt butjilence thy iuft wrong
For one halfe howre, or hardly for fo long,
Ilejhew the bejl I can of art andjkill,
With an unbounded meafure of good will,
To tell thy cruell lord, that there's a doome
As well as here in after time to come :
lie tell him boldly though I chance to moue him
For all he's lord, there is a Lord aboue him,
Before whofe throne he muft come to account ;
For Syons-Lord is that Lord Paramount,
Whofwayes the majfie orbe of heauen and earth,
Bret king on euery creature that brings forth ;
It's he that giues to each increafe andftore,
Girdling the f welling Ocean with aJJiore:
The proudeft Peeres he to fubieclion brings,
And projlrate lies the Diadems of Kings :
By him oppreffors feele there is a God,
That can reuenge and chajlice with his rodde ;
Yea, thy iniurious Lord, I meane to tell
Though he thinks of no hell, he's finde a helL
P 3 And
214 To the Landf-lord.
And thofe diftreaming teres which thou haJlJJied,
Are by thy louing father bottled,
For there's no teres, JigJts, forrowes, grieues or mones,
Which come from any of his little-ones
But in his due compajjion ftill exprejl
Vnto their caufe, he'le fee their wronges redrejl.
How thinks V of this ? will not thefe things enforce
In thy relentlejfe Landf-lord a remorfe,
Sooner and deeper (of that minde am I)
T/ten puling with thy finger in thine eye.
Well I will make attempt (which if it fall
Out to my wifhes as I hope it Jhall)
The onely fee which I expeEl of tJtee,
Is tJtat thou wouldjl poure out thy prayers for me,
Meane time pray for thy f elf e (while I expreffe
Thy grieues, and heauens grant to my hopes fuccejfe.)
Now (rent-inhauncer) where away fo faft ?
Pray ftay a little fir for all your hafte :
Perchance you may more profit by your ftay,
Then if you fhould leaue me and goe your way :
For I coniecture whither you are going,
Nay, (doe not blufh) to fome poore fnakes vndoing,
To root out fome poore Family or other ;
Speake freely man do not your confcience fmother ;
Ift not (you Suck-blood) to oppreffe the poore,
And put him and his children out a dore ;
Ift not to take aduantage on fome thing
Or other for his vtter ruining :
Ift not becaufe thou art not halfe content
That he fhould fit vpon fo eafie rent.
And
The Lands-lord. 215
And therefore takes occafion vpon naught,
Forging fomthing he neither faid, nor thought.
If fuch effects make thee abroad to come,
Thou might with fafer confcience ftay at home.
For whence be thefe exactions thus to ftretch,
And racke thy Tenants ? thou wilt fay, f enrich
Thy priuate Coffers, which in time may be
A faire eftate to thy pojleritie.
Or if not to encreafe thy wealth, or ftore,
For to maintaine thy ryot or thy whore.
O thou forlorne and miferable man,
Come thefe conclufions from a Chrijlian f
Be thefe the ends whereto thou wert created, (ted ?
To loue thofe things which make thy foule moft ha-
Ime forry for thee, (yet vnhappy Elfe)
Why mould I grieue that grieues not for thy felfe ?
How canft thou thinke thy children mall poffeffe,
Long that eftate is got by wickedneffe ?
Or how imaginft that it can fucceede
Well with thy fhort liu'd heires, or with their feede,
When all that welth (was gathered to their hand.)
Came from the cries and curfes of the land ?
No no, thou greedy fpunge that fucks vp ftore,
Yet more thou fuckes, thou needeft ftill the more.
Euill got goods (howbeit neare foe fay re)
Seldome enioyed are by the third heire
For wauering is that ftate is raifd by wrong,
Built its on Sand, and cannot hold out long.
Yea I haue feene (euen in that little time
Which I haue liu'd) Som of you in their prime.
P4 And
216 To the Landf-lord.
And fo ere£led to the height of ftate,
As you might feeme to be admired at.
For braue attendance, fumptuous attire,
For fare & pleafure what you could defire.
In building gorgeous, fo as you might be
Styled the heires of Earths felicitie.
Yet 'laffe (againe) how quickly haue I feene,
Thefe men fhrunke downe, as if they had not been :
Their pompe decreaf 'd, their great attendance gon,
And for their many difhes one, or none ?
True ; for how can it any other's chufe,
Since God hath promifd not to bleffe that houfe,
Which aimes at welth, and honour, for to rife
By Orphanes teares, and woefull widows cries.
Then for the firft thou fees how it is vaine,
To thinke that thy pofterity can raigne
Or long abide in that eftates poffeflion,
Is got by fraud, collufion, or oppreflion.
Now I will fee whereto thy labours tend,
To fquize the poor e that thou may better fpend
On wanton conforts (Souls eternall curfe)
The firft was ill, but this is ten-times worfe.
Its well obferu'd, that when wee doe begin,
Onejinne's attended by an other Jinne.
They come in paires, which feemes approud to be,
In none oppreffor better then in thee.
Its not enough to prey vpon the Poore,
But thou muft fpend his ftate vpon thy whoore.
So that me thinkes I almoft might auer,
Its rather he then thou maintaineth her.
Muft
To the Landf-lord. 217
Muft his night cares and early rifmg to,
His dayly labours, when and where to fow,
His painefull tillage, and his flender fare,
His griefe when's crops the leffe fucceffiue are,
His many howers of want, few of content,
His fpeciall care to pay his Landf-lords rent,
Muft he that earnes his liuing beft we know,
(Being as God command'd) in's fweat ofs Brow,
Muft he the fleepes with many a troubled head,
To finde his wife and hungry children bread,
Muft he (I fay) for all his lifes difquiet,
Maintaine thy whoredome and exceffiue riot,
Muft he fupport thee in thy vaine delights,
Thy midnight reuels, and thy pagent fights,
Thy new inuented fafhions, and thy port,
Muft he at th'Cart, maintaine thy pride at Court,
If this he doe ? this doome to tltee is giuen,
Court it on earth, thou's neuer Court in Heauen.
No Ahab no, there is no place for fuch, (tutch.
Whom poore mens grieues and forrowes will not
Such as will haue companion, fhall be there,
Receiud in mercy that had mercy heere.
But fuch as thou, who in the Pride of heart,
Had little feeling of an others fmart,
Shall heare that Ve, Away thou curfed, goe,
" Repent in time, or thou fhalt finde it fo :
For tell me ? why mould whori/h complement
Force thee to foules eternall languifhment.
Why mould a minutes pleafure take from thee,
All after-hope of thy felicitie,
Why
2 1 8 The Lands-lord.
Why fhould a painted cheek e be fo fought after,
Beleeu't in common fenfe it merits laughter
That her complexion fhould by thee be fought,
That knows its not her owne, but that 'twas bought,
Yea one would thinke more reafon theres to feeke,
" Complexion in the fhop, then on the cheeke.
And better wil't with generous humors fland,
To buy't at firft then at the fecond hand.
Boths to be bought : no difference in the f ale ;
The one in groffe, the other in Retaile.
0 then take heede, mix not two fmnes in one,
Sinnes linkt together make the foule to groane.
Their burdens heauy, yea tis fuch as they,
Draw fin in Cart-ropes (as the Prophets fay)
But if thou wilt needes to perdition run,
And follow on that chafe thou haft begun,
If thou wilt make thy body (in few words)
A filthy Caske, or Cage of vncleane birds,
If that fame foule, which fhould a Temple be,
And dedicated to Gods Maiejly,
Mufl now be made (it grieues me to expres)
A flew for Harlots and licentioufneffe.
Yet let not thy opprefTion be the meanes
For to maintaine fuch proftituted queanes,
That doe expofe themfelues to publique fhame,
" One fin's enough : fhun thou oppreflions name.
1 know indeede what was of A Jiab tould
Is growne a ftory now exceeding old.
His mouldred bones and afhes who can finde,
Yea his example's quite worne out of minde,
Since
To L andf-lords. 219
Since for moft part, mens corps's no fooner rotten,
Then they and all their actions be forgotten,
Theftories old indeed, its trite they fay,
Yet is the vfe experienjl euerie day,
" Ech day we fee a filly Nabothjlame,
"And euery day a wicked Ahab raigne.
Who if he fee one plat of ground that is
Delightfull in his eye, or bordering his ;
Whether't be vineyard, garden, or that land,
(The front I mean) where Naboths houfe doth ftand,
He cannot be content till he has got,
By fraud or violence, that fame neighbouring plot.
For like an eye-fore, it did euer grieue him,
Nor till ge gain'd it, would he euer leaue him.
Yet for all this, our moderne Ahabs they,
No fooner heare what facred Scriptures fay,
Of that example, then they ftraight begin,
To giue a curfe to Ahab and his fmne.
Who made no bones (poore Naboth to denye him)
To haue one little Vineyard lying by him.
Cruell he was, fay they, and well deferu'd
His punifhment ; for he was rightly feru'd.
To be depriu'd of all, life, realme, and crowne,
That would not fuffer Naboth haue his owne.
Yea the reward did fit his Tyrant-hart,
Defpoyl'd of all, that fpoyld the poore of part.
So their owne iudgements (moft vnhappy Elues)
That thus pronounce the fentence on themfelues.
Their owne mouthes do condemn them, for by this
Each proue their guilt by th'guilt they fhow of his.
Where-
22O To the Landf-Lord.
Wherefore as Nathan did to Dauid fay,
Taking Vriahs life and wife away,
Where he propofd this queftion thereupon.
Of him had many Sheepe, another one :
Wherein indeed the Prophet Jhadowed,
That fact which Dauid to Vriah did,
Which when that good King heard, as tti Scripture faith
He anfwered flraight, he hath deferued death,
Thou art the man (quoth he)fofure I am,
I may be bold to fay tJwu art the man.
Thou Ahab, thou that by extortion gaines,
Some Skreads of Land to better thy demains.
Thou that triumphes in wrongs, and brings the crye
And curfe of widdowes to thy Family.
Thou that with dainties doft that carrian feede,
That maw of thine, while fuch doe begge their bread,
As thou oppreft, (to their extremeft wrong,)
Thou art the man, He fing no other fong.
Doft thou not yet relent ? no ftreams of grace,
Thrilling or trickling from thy blubber't face ?
No figne of reformation ? Las I fee,
Cuftome in finne cannot relinquifht be
Vpon the inftant, wherefore I muft fet
My refolution not to leaue thee yet,
And howfoere thou take it, I will goe,
Yet further with thee lie not leaue thee fo,
Two fpeciall motiues I might here produce,
To moue thee to a confcience, and to vfe.
A chriftian-like refpect to fuch as be,
Ordain'd by God for to Hue vnder thee :
The
To the Landf-lord. 221
The firft is : to haue eye vnto that forme
Or image, which doth euery man adorne,
Euen his creators image, which might moue
Vs to loue him for his creators loue.
Thefecond is : a due efpeciall care,
Or a confideration what wee are,
Men ; and in that we fhould be humbler ftill,
" Since beft of vs, are Tennants but at will :
On which two branches briefly He dilate,
Or rather curfmely fo fhadow at,
As feeing his Forme, thy little caufe of pride,
This good furueigh may make thee mortified.
The comely feature which is giuen to man,
Implies the place from whence this creature came,
Euen from that fragrant garden of delight,
That fpicy Eden, where in our makers fight,
He did enioy farre more then tongue can tell,
Till from that height he to corruption fell :
Yet ftill retain'd his forme which firft was giuen him
In Paradife, whence now the Lord had driuen him ?
So precious was this forme (as he who made it,
For as we reade in Scripture, where he faid it,
Let vs make man after our Image : he
Saw in this forme (I fay) fuch maieftie
As he who (in his mercy faft did make it)
Becomming man of God, vouchfaf 'd to take it.
So that what th' firft man Adam did before
Chrift, th'fecond Adam as man, did reftore.
Thou fees this Image then how it was giuen
And reprefented by the God of heauen,
Who
222 To Landf-lords.
Who in his great companions, thought 't no fcorne,
That the Creator take the creatures forme ;
And how canft thou (irreuerent wretch) difdaine
That forme which thy Creator did retaine ?
How canft defpife that image, or prefume
To wrong that fhape thy Sauiour did affume ?
How canft thou preffe that foule with difcontent,'
Which thy Redeemer daign'd to reprefent ?
How canft abufe that type for hope of pelfe,
Which Chrift thy louer fhadowed in himfelfe ?
How canft thou fee that image rack't to be,
Which in thy Chrift was ra<5l and rent for thee ?
How canft endure to haue that foule bereft,
Of all releefe, and to haue nothing left,
Driuen from his houfe, forc't from his Tenant-right ?
When he that is the way, truth, life and light,
Taking his forme to fatisfie for fmne,
Had not fo much as houfe to hide him in.
Birds had their nefts, and euery beaft his denne,
Yet had not he what was permit }d to them.
O let me now perfwade, be not extreame,
(Its eajie fates the Prouerb) to wade thejlreame,
Where tJifoord's at lowejl, recollect to minde
His noble image, and in it thou'l finde,
Such fingular impreflions of reguard,
As I doe thinke thou'l honour't afterward.
When thou obferu's, ther's nothing that's in him,
Was not before in Chrift excepting fmne.
O then refine the ayme of thy intents,
In raifing rints, thinke on thy Sauiours rents.
In
To Landf-lords. 223
In taking of aduantage, thinke on this,
If God aduantage take for each amiffe,
In what a cafe wert thou, how woe-begon,
That of a thonfand cannot anfwer one f
If thou to grieue Gods little ones begin,
Thinke therewithall, that thou art grieuing him.
Who in his mercy heares the widdowes crie,
And in his pitty wipes the Orphanes eye,
Which thou haft caufe to thinke on, fo much rather
Sith God's the widdows ludge, the orphans Father :
And though earths luftice, be of th'fecond fight,
Yet hee's fo iuft, hee'l doe the pooreft right
But if mans Image, which were ftrange, fhould faile,
With thy remorfeleffe confcience to preuaile,
From that tranfparent Mirror, He defcend,
Though it may feeme in it to comprehend
All humane glory, yea I may fay more,
The forme of God which he affum'd before,
Vnto that due obferuance, or that care,
Whereby we come to acknowledge what we are.
Man's of a fubftance meane, hauing his birth,
As his firft natiue Mother, from frayle Earth,
Brittle's his compofition, and fo weake,
Be his refolues, as hee can vndertake
Nought with fo firme a purpofe as may ftand,
Or will not change with th'turning of a hand.
His health's ajlranger to him, for when moft,
It feemeth with him, it is fooneft loft ;
For his abiding, hee's as in a Tent,
Wherein hees militant, not permanent.
The
224 To the Landf-lord.
The world's his campe, his profeft enemies,
Wherewith he is to grapple, they be thefe.
The turbulent affections of his mind,
Which euery houre is feuerally inclin'd.
The goale which he doth ayme at, or th'reward,
After the fight, hee lookes for after-ward :
Thus thou may fee, in this fame earthly cell,
Though dwell we feeme, indeed, we doe not dwell,
But foiourne : Its no man/ion but an Inne,
Syons our home, this pilgrimage is Jinne.
As for our ftates, we are but leacers all,
And mail be put off, when hee's pleafd to call ;
Yea I may rather fay (and not amiffe)
We are the LeJ/ees, he the Leffour is.
And howfoere our Landf-Lords make accompt,
They'r but inferiour Lords, hee's Paramount.
Then if thou wilt but duely looke vpon't ;
Thy tenure ftands vpon a tickle point,
Yea I doe find thy ftate not worth a ftraw,
If I haue any Judgement in the law :
And why fhouldft thou bring poore men into fuit,
Sith thou thy felfe haft no ftate abfolute,
But for thy termed/life: fo as methinks,
When that French gibberijh to my braine-pan finks
Where lohn a Stiles and 's neighbour lohn an Okes,
With many other Law-baptized folkes,
Are brought in feaz'd of land, as they doe finde,
In Burrow, Englifh, Soccage, Gauell-kinde,
Fee-tayle, fee-Jimple (it oftfeemes to me)
Thefe Lawyers are the fimplejl men that be;
who
To the Landf-lord. 225
Who are perfwaded (and would haue vs too)
But let's difcent from them : — theres fools enough :
That of al ftates and Tenures are poffefl,
Or can bee had, Fee-Simple is the beft.
Whereas I thinke, if well they vnderfbood,
What fpecially concern'd them, and their good.
They would conclude, Fee-Jlmple will not doe,
A double-Fee is better of the two.
If we could find indeed a difference,
In th'liues of ^tenures, then there were fome fence
To fay, that fuch a tenure were the strongeft ;
Becaufe by it the Tennant Hues the longeft.
But tell me, are not all eftates that be
Subiect alike to mutability :
To the poffeffour you will fay they are ;
If vnto him, why mould we further care,
Since as the Prouerbe is, when he is gone,
The world's gone with him, as all in One : (vant,
O then thou Earth-bred worme, why fhouldeft thou
As if thou wert a Lord predominant.
Why shouldft triumph ore th' meaner fort of men,
Since thour't compofd of one felfe Mould with the ?
Thou art but Adams fonne, and fo are they,
Both of you fram'd and fafhion'd of one clay,
Both haue one image : then compaffion take,
If not for them, yet for their image fake.
For though thou canft not one good looke affoord,
To thefe poore fnakes, they'r deere vnto the Lord,
As is thy felfe, as pretious in Gods eies,
Bought and redeemed with as great a price.
Q And
226 To the Landf-lord.
And though there be twixt Subftitutes and Kings,
Superiour ftates, and lower vnderlings,
A difference in the world, yet there shall
Twixt them (in heauen) no difference be at all,
Onely what's good fhall approbation haue,
With King andfubiecl, conquerer andflaue.
O then receiue the bowells of compaffion,
And beare like mind, as thou doft beare like fafhion :
Let thy vnrighteous Mammon get thee friends,
That when thy pilgrime daies of Labour ends,
Thou may poffeffe a glorious heritage,
After the period of this pilgrimage.
My leffons are but fhort, pray then remember,
As thou the welfare of thy foule doft tender.
" TJie be/I of vs are tennants but at will,
" Andftand in hazard of dijfeifure ftill.
And though our ftates feeme firmer then the reft,
They are vncertaine temires at the beft.
In briefe, thou earthly Landf-lord ftriue to be, (thee
As thou wouldft haue Heauens Landf-lord towards
Not too extreame : thou knowft the doome is giuen,
That no extortioner fhall enter Heauen.
Refolue what thou wilt doe : for though it grieue me
To leaue thee yet, I am enforc't to leaue thee,
And turne vnto thy Tennant, who difmaide,
Stands heere at doore to heare what I haue faid.
To
227
To the Tennant
howfoeuer.
WHat ftate foeuer thou are feazed on,
Or in what Temire thou doft hold vpon,
Il'e now addreffe my fpeech in briefe to thee,
Wherein I ayme in part to comfort thee,
In part to re6Hfie what may feeme ill,
In thy peruerfe and vn-conformed will ;
That in them both for th'loue which I doe owe,
To him thou reprefents, I may fo mow,
That deere affection which we're bound to beare,
To one another while we foiourne heere,
As when an end of all our forrowes are
Reduc'd to one fet period, and our care
Shall haue a finall end, what I haue done,
"In loue may be approu'd when I am gone.
To moue thee vnto comfort, in a word,
I'le vfe th'perfwafion which I gaue thy Lord,
To humble his ambicious fpirit, when
I told him of the different ftate of Men,
How in the eyes of men indeed they were
Efteemed great, but when they mould appeare,
Before that high Tribunal!, where all mould,
(Though if they might auoid it, many would,)
Q 2 Make
228 To the Tenant.
Make their appearance, then the great fhould know,
They were no more refpefled then the low :
One aduocate, one ludge, one barre one triall,
Confcience the onely difference, when Deniall,
Seald with abite, or th'accurfed doome,
Or th'inuitation with Venztecome,
Shall in that generall Judgement there expreffe,
Or weale, or woe, or hell, or happineffe :
" So as when all are fummon'd fore that feat,
It's better to be good, then to be great.
For then, as well it may be vnderftood,
They onely fhall be great that are found good.
But thou wilt aske, is there no comfort elfe ?
Yes that there is, thy daily labour tells,
There's a reward of glory that's referuM,
For fuch as haue their Maifter duely feru'd,
In their vocation : there's a penny too,
Which though it be not giuen vnto thee now,
Yet be affur'd, (for he that fpoke't is true)
" When th'euening comes, thou fhalt receiue thy due.
And though thou feeme a little while to flay,
Doe not repine, it's th'euening crownes the day.
Wouldft know what I by th'/ifMWfJij' doe intend ?
I meane the fun-fet of thy life or end
Of all thy pilgrime daies, which though they bee,
A very death, or Martyrdome to thee,
(So little ioy conceau's thou vpon earth,)
Yet wil thy Comicke end include thy mirth,
When from this Vale of labour and of care,
Thou fhalt vnto a mount of ioy repaire.
When
To the Tenant. 229
When from this floting Sea, this fading cell,
Thou fhalt depart, and with thy Sauiour dwell.
Yea on thy death-bed thou art comforted,
Thinking how truly thou haft laboured.
How many carefull nights thou haft orepaft,
Without the leaft of reft, how thy repaft,
Was not delighfull feeding with exceffe,
But th' bread thou eate was mixt with carefulnejfe ;
Noe houre without affliction or fome grief ey
And now to finde to all thy woes reliefe
It may no little folace the, when th'end
Of difcontents mall bring thee to a friend
That will in armes of charitie receiue thee, (thee.
Where beeing lodg'd, no woe, no want can grieue
Happy tranjlation, and by fo much more,
In that thofe Lordings which triumph'd before,
And plaid vpon thy weakeneffe, now fhall ftand,
To th'doome which thofe oppreffors of the land,
Are subiecl: to : tell me (poore wormeling) then,
What difference there will bee twixt thee and them ?
Great were they heere indeed, and did refemble,
Thofe Bulls of Bafan, yet fee how they tremble,
How quicke their powerfull greatnejfe is made fmall,
For little is their pompe, or none at all :
See, fee thefe Cedars now are ftrucke with thunder,
And thogh they once fate high, thei'r now broght vnder
Thofe glorious titles which gaue wings to pride,
Thofe gorgeous buildings made them deifide.
Thofe many ftate-attendants, more or leffe,
Like Sommer- Swallows following their fucceffe.
Q3 Are
230 To Landf lords.
Are vanifh't, ruin'd, and difperfed quite,
Ther's none of thefe can come into their fight,
Yea which is worfe in-fteed of Eminence ;
There is an enemy called Conference,
That ftill difturbs their quiet and their reft :
Which if at peace, there were continuall feaft.
But that's impoflible, fuch men as thefe ;
Haue in themfelues a thoufand Witneffes, (them,
And these poorefnakes caufe they did heere contemn
Shall with their Confcience ftand there to condemne
Where that fame place, they are appointed to (the,
Shall TopJut be, their word, yee curfed goe.
Thou feeft then no difference doth appeare,
Twixt thou and them faue onely when you're heere
A little garifh vanity there is,
Which doth include that happineffe of his,
Who feemes fo popular, yet thou malt fee,
From thence is drawne his greateft miferie.
For (tel me) doth not that externall ftate,
Make him forget whereto he was create :
Doth't not be-lull his foule in finnes delights,
(Not knowing how the flesh gainft fpirit fights,)
Whereby he comes, which is the worft of all,
To bring his reafon to his fenfes thrall.
Yea I haue Jieard of many great mens end,
So ftill of feare and horrour as God fend
Me lejfe delights on earth fo I may haue,
A quiet eafie pajfage to my graue.
" For reafon doth in forme me, rare it is,
That eartJts delight JJiould bring a man to bliffe.
More
To tJu Tenant. 231
More could I fpeake to comfort thy diftreffe,
And more I was determinde I confeffe,
To infift on thy affliction, but I found,
By my Experience this efpeciall ground,
Held euer firme when we doe comforts tutch,
Such is mans nature he will take too much,
Rather then too too little, yea its fed ;
More haue through (lore of comforts furfeted,
Then fuch as from all outward folace pent,
Haue famimt been through inward difcontent.
With Gedeons fouldier therefore preft I am,
Rather to lap, and like a lonathan,
To tutch the hony onely with my rod,
Then on this fubiecl: make too long aboad.
Which that I may, from comfort He defcend,
TQ faults in the which I would gladly mend.
That God commands from who proceeds all power,
" Let each be fubiecl: to's Superiour.
For it would breed confufion in the Land,
If people did admit of no commaund.
But like a Platoes Common-wealth, mould be,
Subiect to none, but in equalitie.
Therefore that Lord, who of his grace doth loue vs,
Hath ranked fome below vs, fome aboue vs.
Aboue vs that we might be caution'd thence,
To mew vnto them due obedience.
Below vs, that we might thereby expreffe,
To them our loue, to God our thankefulneffe,
Our loue, that we might our affe6lion mow,
In loue to them that ranked are fo low.
Q4 Our
232 To the Tenant.
Our thankefulnejfe, that we mould more receiue,
Then other fome, that more deferued haue.
Againe, aboue vs, to acknowledge here,
Without that power aboue, how weake we are.
Below vs, that if we vnhappy Elues,
Should grudge to fee fom greater then our felues,
By feeing thefe wee might fuppofe they're fent,
By their degree to bid vs be content,
In this fame decent comly order then
Of high and low, great and inferiour men,
Thou ranked art, nor richeft, nor moft pore,
For thou feefl many goe from dore to dore,
Whofe f crips their ftore, whofe wallet is their wealth,
Whofe ftaffe's their flay, whofe treafure is tJieir health.
Now in thy ranke there's many things I wifh
Thou wouldft referme, which I doe fee amiffe.
" As firft for all thy pouerty and want,
Thou haft a difpofition arrogant :
RaJJi, heady, f elf e-ivild, prouder then thy Jlate
Can well beare out, extreamely obftinate,
Fooli/hly peremptory, faucy with all,
Bejides I fee in thee (I muft tell all)
A faflious wauering nature, apt to rife
Through difcontent, in any enterprife.
A very lack Straw, or a cuflome ajfe,
Alleadging fuch records as neiier was.
A pefflent member to the Kingdomes quiet,
Prone to diuifion, enmity, and riot,
Sower of difcord, felfe conceitedly
Wife, yet I cannot well imagine why.
Yea
To the Tenant. 233
Yea, I haue feene, fome of thy crew to gather,
Like wild-geefe for the wagging of a feather,
Making ftrange combinations, which did tend,
Still to their owne fubuerfion in the end.
Some Terme agoe on one I chanct to light,
Was come to towne to trie his tenant-right,
With whom difcourjing, he impart' d to me,
Mongft other things how mojl iniurioujly
He and the rejt which held one tenure there,
About their Jiate or title troubled were,
And therewitJtall alleadgd that he could Jhow,
Cujlomes and dif cords (fo he f aid) enough,
And tliat from Noahs indignation, when
Of all tlie world there were but left 8 men ;
No, this is trite, quoth he, I will ajfure yee,
Without delayer pannelled a lurie :
Where thofe 1 2 men (ttie number fcarfe holds right)
Rijing to 12, that were before but eight,
Found tJiat our ancejlry did hold in pottage,
Now I imagine he did meane in Soccage,
Which to makefure, this Cujlom fpeakes for vs,
And he with that draws forth a Mittimus.
This I may fweare, more then a fennet after,
I could not thinke on, but was forc't to laughter.
But now to thee, for I haue done thee wrong,
To keepe me from difcourfe with thee fo long,
Whom I refolu'd to haue aduertifed,
Of thefe precedent errors mentioned ;
" Conforme thy will vnto thy Lords commaund
In fitting things, thou liu'ft vpon his land.
And
234 To the Tenant.
And art his Hedge-man, therfore thou fhouldft fhow
Thy felfe to him, as thou thy felfe doeft owe.
Vnto the Heyre to, a refpecl; is due,
For time may come when he fhall pleafure you.
Yet meane I not that thou fliouldft pay a Fine,
Vnto tJie Jieire now in his Fathers time,
"For if I were an Jieire as I am not,
" Belieue it 1 would thinke tJiat fine ill got,
What I doe wifh to the is briefely this,
Succeffe in thy eftate, as thou wouldft wifh,
Conformed fo vnto thy LandJ Lord Itere,
That with Jieauens Land-lord thou may Hue elfewher.
FINIS.
[237*]
Riddle me this.
An Embleame including the
Authors name.
TWO waies there be, one broade, the other ftraite,
which two beat paths leade to a diftincT: flate
Of weale, of woe : this if you right explaine,
the firft, though worft, includes the Authors name.
Or thus,
A Brea, a Banke, a Border, or a Shore,
Smiles on his name that brought thefe Satires ore.
His Crejl,
His Creft a Cuckolds Croffe : his Motto, Heere
I giuc a Badge which Citizens doe weare.
Blow my Plump-fac't Poulterer of
Saffron Hill.
Place this and the leafe following after
the end of the Firft Booke.
[238*]
To the equall Reader'
IF that thy nature anfwere to thy name,
Thou in thy iudgement wilt expreffe the fame
Which I entitle thee, and hate to be
A fquint ei'd Critick to mifconfter me.
Howf ere : be what thou wilt, if Equall, finde
Lines correfpondent to thy Equall minde :
If rough (for all my fmoothneffe thou haft heard)
Thou'fe heare far rougher Satires afterward.
For if thefe ierks fo lightly laid on fmart,
Thoule finde rare whipping cheere i'th Second part.
Where Furies run diuifion on my fong :
Patience awhile, and thou malt haue't ere long.
l>39*]
To the Captious Reader.
MY anfwer's this to him that faies I wrong
Our Art to make my Epigrams fo long;
I dare not bite, therefore to change my nature,
I call't an Epigram which is a Satire.
LO V ES
LABYRINTH:
OR
The true-Louers knot :
INCLVDING
The difaftrous fals of two ftar-croft
Loners PYRAMVS & THYSBE.
A Subieft heeretofore handled, but
now with much more proprietie of
pafsion, and varietie of inuen-
tion, continued:
By RICHARD BRATHWAYTE.
Res eft foliciti plena timoris amor.
At London printed by I.B. for Richard Redmer
and are to be fold at the Weft dore
of Pauls at the Starr e. 1615.
239
CAN DIDO ET
cordato, Amico fselici Genio,
perfpicaciingenio, Richardo Mufgraue
de Harcley Baronetto, coq ; titulo
vere digno :
Richardus Brathwaite hofce extre-
mos Amatorum amplexus, grati a-
nimi primitias, folenniq. officio
perfunElas humillime
Dedit, Dicauit, Dedicauit.
Richardus Mufgraueenfis.
AN AGRA MM.
Charus mufis diurna reges.
Dyftichon.
SSicut amas Mufas, Mufis redamaris ab ipfis, 1
Charus vt es Mufis, fecla diurna reges. j
Vpon
240
Vpon the Dedicatorie.
IHeare one aske me, if I could finde none,
To dedicate this Poeme to, but one
That's now tranfplanted to another fphere,
And better meafures fmgs then anie's here.
Its true indeede, the world's large and wide,
And many were there I confeffe befide,
My now deceafed Patron, I could finde,
But none fo well agreeing with my minde ;
He was one that I honour'd, and his worth
Deferu'd a pregnant Mufe to fet it forth,
Which though I haue not I will mew my beft,
To crowne him fleeping in the bed of reft,
Where, while I write, my paffion mall appere,
By each lines accent mixed with a tere :
But you will fay this fubiecl: cannot moue,
Such firme impreffion, caufe it treats of loue,
A fadder ftraine would better fitting be
" Drain'd from the ftreames of graue Melpomene,
Where euery fentence might that paffion breede,
" as if himfelfe were here portraide indeed ;
This I could doe and fo expreffe him too
(But that his worth would be a fhame to you.
That
Vpon the Dedicatorie. 241
That are defertleffe to fee him by Fate
Lopt, that has left you much to imitate,
Of honour I dare fay, (which ere 't be long,
" May be a fubiect to a better fong.)
But I would haue you know how ere this is,
It was from th' cradle nat'ralized his :
Nor would I raze my Patrons dedicate,
" How ere he feem'd to be obfcur'd by Fate,
But as I lou'd him liuing, my defire
Is to expreffe my loue vnto him higher
Being now dead ; that though my friend be gone,
Yet life and death to friendfhip may be one :
For tti print of loue if it bejlampt aright,
Is mojl in heart when it is leaft injight.
FINIS.
R
242
VPON THE PREMA-
ture death of the moft Generous
and Ingenious ; the right Worjhipfull, Sir
RICHARD MVSGRAVE Knight- Barronett of
Hartley : Who died in Italy, being preuented of
his religious purpofe, intending to vifit the holy
Sepulchre of our Sauiour in lerufalem,
an EPICEDIVM :
The Author Dedicates thefe Obit-teres, vnto
his vertuous and mode/I Lady, the much ho-
noured FRANCIS MVSGRAVE, Daugh-
ter to the truly honourable PHILIP
LORD WHARTON.
T
His Ladies Obit-teres.
Eres I doJJiedde, yet are they fliedde in vaine,
Nor can they call him backe to life againe :
Yet
A funerall Elegy.
Yet Jig h I will, to
wake him from his
fleep,
Thus whilft hejleepes
in Earth, on Earth
He weepe.
So my fad groanes fent forth vnfeignedly
May moue the hardefl heart to pitty me,
To pittie me, that
tJwugh I cannot
haue
The priuiledge to
fee my husbands
graue
Yet may my teres (as me it doth behoue)
Tranfported be to tejlifie my lone :
My loue which ener
fJiall thefe obites
keepe,
She can doe verie
little cannot
weepe.
243
R 2
Richardns
244
Richardus Mufgrauienfis.
ANAGRAMM.
Vnis refurgam charus diis.
Dyjlichon.
Nafcimur & morimur : fed tu moriendo refurges,
Gratior & fanctis, charioratq ; deis.
De profe6lione eius ad
San6lifs, Chrifti
Sepulchrum.
Chriftus erat pretium, Chrifti quia morte fepulchru,
perluftrare cupis : quern moriendo capis.
Richard Mufgraue.
ANAGRAMM.
Graces reward him :
or
We admire his grace.
Two Anagrammes included in one verfe.
Dyftich.
Graces reward him, we admire his grace,
Seme both as proper Mottoes for this place :
>. .«!*».. .^*. /!**. •fPt /ifc*
A funerall Elegie.
T/ie firft £ evprejfe the hope of his reward,
WJience is implied ottr comfort afterward.
Vpon his Graue.
In Mufgraues Jiearfe I finde tJie Mufes graue,
For by his loffe a Patron loft they haue :
Yet he's not loft, but is afcended higher,
Andjings with Mufes of the heauenly quire.
His Character.
Faire England gaue me breeding, birth, and name,
lerufalem was th place where I did ayme,
But loe my Sauiours graue I could not fee,
For my owne graue was made in Italy.
Vnto the Italian.
Doe not contemne my corps Italian,
/ am th! remainder of a Gentleman,
Who knew what honour was : fo after-time
May fliew like loue to thee, thoujhowes to mine.
Vnto
246
A Funerall Elegie.
Vnto Report.
To fpeake well of the dead is charitie,
If thou be then a Chriftian, taxe not me
Of what I did: (if men, we're prone to fall,)
Speake what is well, or do not fpeake at all.
Mors fidelium
eft (de •
Tranfitus
' Morte
Fide
A gone
Peregrinatione
Lahore
Expedlatione
Mundo
>in
' Vitam.
Notitiam.
Brauium.
- Patriam.
Refrigerium.
Prgemium.
Deutn.
BERNARDVS.
Peregi officium morientis amid.
247
To all vnhappy Louers.
COme neere me louers, croft by louers fate,
And fee thefe ftar-croft louers, that their fight.
May fomething cheere the drowping of your Mate,
Showing fuch beames of comfort in the night,
Of your difcomforts : that both loue and hate,
" May make you happy louers by renew,
" Had to thefe louers croft as well as you.
You fay you lou'd ; it's true : and fo did these ;
" You fay you lou'd a faire one ; fo did he,
Who fancied Thifbee ; you fay louers peace,
Is feldome purchas'd but by enmity,
Deriu'd from parents : fo did loue encreafe,
" In thefe vnhappy Louers, who were croft,
By Parents meanes, of what they fancied tnoft.
Tell me then hapleffe louer, haft thou caufe
To grieue at that which others haue endur'd,
As if thou wert quite priuiledg'd from lawes,
Firme in thy felfe, from louers hate fecur'd,
" O no, beleeue it, prickles hath the Rofe,
" Thefiveet her fower ; the /tony -Bee her fting,
" Loue tJwiigk a toy, yetjhee's a toilefom thing.
R 4 Repofe
248
Repofe thee then vnhappy louer heere,
And fee loues fal in tragick meafures fram'd,
That when thou feeft a louer loofe his deere,
Thou of like chance may neuer be afham'd
Since thou art but as other louers were.
" Forjhame its none, to loofe ivhats fcarce begun,
" But Jhame is't not to doe wJtat Jlwuld be done.
Your paffion-pittier,
Richard Brathwaite.
249
The Author vpon his infant
Poeme.
IF ought's amiffe, imputed let it be,
Toth' time wherein this Poeme it was writ,
Which was (I muft confeffe) my infancy
Of Age, Art, Judgement, Knowledge, and of Wit :
Nor doe I thinke it would this time befit,
To meddle with my youths minority.
Vnpolifht and vnhewd, I therefore fend it
Freely toth' World, that fhe may friendly mend it.
Vpon the Preffe.
TRide would I bin byth' Country, Bench, & Prince,
Yet but a month agoe, no longer fince,
Was I for fpeaking (as it may be thought)
And not for filence to the preffe thus brought,
ludge you my friends what confcience there is in't :
By th' weights I beare the errors of the Print.
250
The Argument of Pyramus and
Thysbe.
CHildrens lone and Parents hate,
Pure affection crosd by fate.
True their lone, fo true to either,
Tliat they chufd to die together.
Curteous woodnimphs, Tigres fierce,
" WaJJt with teares their doleful Jiearfe,
Mirtle brancJies, rofes fweete,
" Satyres ftrow about their feete.
WoodnimpJis with their Syrens "voice,
Call t/teir parents by their noife.
Who with pace (Jlow pace God wot,)
" Made hajl they could, yet Iiafted not ;
Till they f aw their children lie,
" Arme in armefull louingly.
Oft they fought, but all in vaine,
To bring life to them againe.
Trickling teares came dropping downe,
" Groues with teares were ouerfiowne,
Water mixt with crimfon blood,
" Made a deluge wJiere they Jlood.
Thisbees obfequies they fee,
" Grauen in an Oliue tree,
Their bones to aJJies they doe burne
And place tJiem in one f acred vrne.
That as their lone was all in all,
So they might haue one BurialL
To
251
To this Jlirine, this ftatue faire,
Loners wont for to repay re.
Who to confirme their Jincere Loue,
Offered them a Turtle Doue.
But when tJieir reliques fcattered were,
Maids nere after offered there
Their wonted incenfe, but forfooke,
The Altar which was wont to f moke,
With mirrhe and thime, which they did burne,
Withfolemne rites about their vrne.
Yet left their fame Jhould fo decay,
Their tombe is to be feene this day,
Which firft erected was to be,
Conferuer of their memory.
Nimrods
252
Pyramus and Thysbe.
NImrods faire City, beauteous Babylon,
which admirations eies once gaz'd vpon,
Though grac'd in all, in nought fo gracious,
as in her Thysbe, and yong Pyramus.
Thysbe a maid as faire, as faire could be,
he for his fexe, was full as faire as fhe.
Thefe two refplendent ftarres, fhone in one fphere,
and by contiguate manfions bordering neere,
Renewd their loues vnhappy memory,
preffd downe too much by parents iealoufie,
Aye me too iealous, to preuent that good,
of fincere loue which cannot be withftood.
Thefe two 'debarr'd of meeting, not of louing, (uing
for loue, though fmothred, hath an inward moo-
Sought means to fhew their mutual loue by woing,
fupplying that in words, they mift in doing.
Their walls abutting neree, fo neere did meet,
That thefe two Saints might each another greete.
A chinke there was, which Thysbe foone efpies,
for maids in wanton feats, haue Linceus eyes.
Which
The true Loners knot. 253
Which beeing feene (well feene) fhe did repaire
each morne betime to fee if he were there :
At laft he fpies it, (men haue duller witte,
then women haue, yet better manage it)
This crany was the fhrine to which they came,
where either call'd on other, by their name.
And with deuotion ech to other kneeled,
protefting loue, hid loue, fo long concealed.
Why fhould our Parents, Pyramus would fay,
feeke to protracT: our loues by long delay ?
Or why mould we, with fuch precifeneffe fhunne,
that which our parents long before haue done ?
Suppofe their loue was pure : our loue's as pure,
they full as fond as we, were drawen to th' lure.
And why, my Thysbe, mould that comely face,
for all her feature, haue a ciphers place ?
Thou art no fhadow, but a fubftance (deare)
in fubftances, impreffions beft appeare.
Then for my loue, thy ioy, and beauties fake,
that feemes eclypf'd, let me th' impreffion make,
Lets to the field, aye me, we cannot goe,
we are immur'd within the grate of woe ;
And why mould I, fond man, my Thysbe moue,
to wanton pleafure ? vvhere's no vfe of loue ;
I know thou lou'ft, in that thy griefe is more,
pent from that S* which thou would fain adore.
Thysbe flood peeping through this narrow chinke
and though fhe fpake nought, yet fhe more did
Her blufh, her fmile, her biting of her lip, (think,
did all the fecrets of her hart vnrippe.
Thus
254 Loues Labourinth, or
Thus whilft they ftood both Handing at a bay,
wishing fome priuate paffage, or fome way,
To confummate their vowes : in comes her mother,
which made them take their leaue one of another.
She fkoold her daughter : what my trickfie girle,
are you befotted with this worthleffe pearle,
This beauties bloffome? faire enough, but poore,
dote on the rich, affect his rags no more.
Mother (quoth TJiisbe] you are much decau'd,
if I may fpeake with reuerence, he nere crau'd
Loue at my hands : what did he here, quoth me,
that he fo priuate mould difcourfe with thee ?
He is (quoth Thisbe] come from Salamine, (vine
and brought me grapes, pluckt from that tender
ALtolus planted, which (he gaue in haft,
vnto her mother, praying her to taft :
Shee tooke and tafted : fruits variety
feru'd at that time for her Apology.
The pitchy made of night approach't at hand, (mad
when Screech-owles, Fauns, and Satyres haue co-
Where skipping in their lawne and flowry groue,
Siluane to Siluane confecrates his loue.
Yet when each chirping bird, goes to her neft,
loues eyes be open, and can take no reft.
Beafts to their caues refort, furceafe to prey,
feeding on what they purchaf'd by the day.
Each creature in his kind difpos'd to fleepe,
but feruent loue continuall watch doth keepe :
He toffeth in his bed, wifhing it day,
Hoping
the Ttrue-louers knot. 255
hoping thereby his cares to throw away.
Yet when the night is paft, the day yeelds more,
then ere the night affoorded him before :
Thus Pyramus enthrall'd twixt hope and feare,
hopes, though fmal fruit of hope in him appeare.
He cannot fleepe nor wake, but twixt them both,
fleeping and waking as a letharge doth.
Oft would he hugge his pillow in his arme,
and cling it faft about, to keepe it warme.
Suppofing it was Thysbe, and would fweare,
no creature ere could be more welcome there,
Streight would he call on Hymen, then inuite,
his friends and kinsfolke to his nuptiall rite.
And faigning their replies, thanks he would giue,
vowing requitall once, if he mould Hue.
Oh what diffractions haunt a louers minde
paffmg thofe bounds which nature hath affign'd,
Nought vpon earth, but limits hath we fee,
but boundleffe loue can nere contained be.
Hearbs yeeld a foueraigne cure to euery wound,
but for loues cure, in hearbs no vertue's found.
Then bleft is he, and in an happie ftate,
who for loues dart is made inuulnerate.
Yet was it hard to fee and not to loue,
Thysbe' s admired beauty, which could mooue,
Serpets, birds, plats brute beafts which grafe & feed,
more then ere Orpheus with his muficke did.
Her goulden treffes, pure ambrofian,
Fairer then all the twirls Arachne fpan,
Shone
256 Loues Labyrinth, or
Shone far more bright then Phcebus gliftring raies,
by all mens Judgements, meriting more praife ;
Her corall lip, (no lip) but ports of pleafure,
which feem'd to open to whole mines of treafure,
Appeard fo fweet, that all was fweet about it,
for I am fure nought could be fweet without it.
Her brefts two iuory mounts, mounts may I cal the
for many vales of pleafant veines empall'd them
Thefe like two borders, did such fweets difplay,
that who lodg'd there, lodg'd in the milkie way.
Below a fhady vale, aye mee that made,
which nature in her owne defpite had made,
Had made for glory of that facred mount,
with the fweet Ne<5lar of a liuely fount.
A ftill diftilling fount, an heauenly riuer,
for theres no earthly fpring can fpring for euer.
Her wanton gate, her glance, her fmile, her toying,
all ioy'd in one, mewed pleafure in enioying.
So asb Euphrates, where this city bounded,
vents vp his paflions, for he oft refounded
Beating his bancks, and eccoing in the aire,
and then retiring backe, feem'd to defpaire.
That Thysbe could not loue a fenceleffe one,
at which repining, he would make his mone.
Hath not my current ere renowned beene,
for th' eafie paffage of my quiet ftreame ?
Hath not my torrent yeelded much content, (fpent ?
to gild his meanes, whofe meanes where wholly
Haue I not fuffered much ? fuftain'd great paines,
fraugh-
the True-louers knot. 257
fraughting your trauaile with a double gaines.
And for fupporting of fo many fhippes,
may not Euphrates graze vpon her lippes,
Whom thus he loues ? vnthankfull coaft (quoth he)
refpe6ling leaft, who did the mofl for thee.
This being faid, hee could expreffe no more,
but in a loue-ficke paffion, bett the fhore.
And to c confirme, what I haue heard men fay,
he left his courfe and tooke another way.
If fenceleffe riuers that were neuer feene
to loue, or care for louing, held no meane,
In their affecting Thisbe : what mould hee
that had both fence and reafons purity ?
Pure in his mind, and faire in beauties mew,
Narciflus fecond for his comely hew :
Lipp'd like Adonis, Frycina loued,
fhaped like Alexis Pollyos approoued.
Grac'd with a fmiling countenance, which did breed,
a louely white, mix'd with a comely red.
Two fparkling eyes pierciue as Diamond,
which, wherfoere they gaf 'd, they feem'd to woud,
That though the Sun were fet, yet his bright eies
fhone as the Beames which from the fun doe rife :
The night being gone, too long god wot in going,
her wandring lights to Tethis banks beftowing,
Titan came peeping in at Thyisbes chamber,
whom me reflected with her locks of amber.
Each other greeting, as if had beene there,
two Suns at once, both in one hemyfphere.
S Hard
258 Loues Labyrinth, or
Hard was the combat, but more hard it were,
to tell whofe beams diffuf'd their light moft clear,
Yet in the end Titan in an angry mood,
feeming furpaft, did hide him in a cloud.
Thysbe puts on her cloths, bleft were thofe cloths,
thrice happy fhade, that fhadow'd fuch a Rofe,
Where being dreffed, not dreff'd as fhee would bee,
flie tooke her to her praiers religioufly. (flow,
High heauens (quoth fhe) from whence al pleafures
deigne fome of then on Thysbe to beftow.
For by your power, which I doe much adore,
I loue but that which you haue lou'd before.
Thou thundring loue, did dote as well as I,
when thou defired with Danae to lye ;
Which to effeEl, thou turrid her to afliowre.
a Goulden Jhowre her beauty to defioure,
For cloth d in lightning, Danae denaied,
to ioyne with thunder : afterward arraid
In dewie moifture, (moifiure we do loue,)
Jhe cajl offjhame, and did thy Jhape approue.
Andlunolou's Ixionfor his kiffe,
Venus, Adonis, for his comelineffe.
Daphne (poore Laurell) chafed by Apollo,
running as fajl before as Jie did follow.
Thus did your loue, your luft, your thoughts renew,
if I thinke ill, I thinke no worfe tJten you.
And well may gods with womens fexe dif pence.
Since they werefirft authorifd their offence.
My hue's not/potted with lafciuious tutch,
vnleffe it be by louing ouermuch.
Nor
The true Louers knot. 259
Nor branded with the note of Infamie,
but pure as Delia Queene of Chaftitie.
Thoughts are the worft, my actions they be cleare,
& he'fe no man whofe thoughts nere foyled were.
Then pardon if I loue, fuppofe it zeale,
whofe paflions be too hote for to conceale :
Leauing her Orifons, compofed of Loue,
loue dallying praiers : her eyes afide me moues,
And fees the chinke, which me firft faw before,
which did augment her dolors much the more.
For fhee recall'd to minde, to memory,
her mothers chiding, fathers leloufie ;
Both which a ftreame of teares extra<5t from her,
as if pale death her comforts mould interre.
Oft would me call on louely Pyramus,
with fmothered fpeech, as one fufpitious :
Left the pure ayre, and walls adioyning neere,
mould prattle loue vnto her parents eare.
Oft would me nibble out a ftone or two,
to make the crift feeme bigger to the mow
Of her deepe loue : for they fufpefted were,
therefore debard, left they mould come too neer.
Pyramus pent vp all this while, at laft,
gets out and hies him to the chinke as faft.
Where what difcourfe their mutuall loue affoorded,
feem'd by the Gods in heauen to be recorded.
Either with greedy eye gafing on other, (ther :
Thysbe look'd backe fomtimes, doubting her mo-
For me fufpected much her iealous eye,
in her loues prefence to be euer by.
S 2 Enuious
260 Loues Labyrinth, or
Enuious wall, oft would thefe louers fay,
diuide thy felfe and let vs haue a way,
To meete, to kiffe, to parley and relate,
the folemne feftiues of our nuptiall ftate.
Why fhould thy marble ftruftures hold vs out,
whofe loue encircles Babilon about ?
Or why fhould terrene compofition moue
a breach or feparation of our loue ?
Loue is celeftiall : thou a marble fhrine,
why fhouldft thou hinder loue that is diuine ?
And yet we cannot fo ingratefull be,
but we muft offer vp our thanks to thee ;
Our vowes, our giftes, our befl prif 'd facrifice,
in that thou yeelds a passage to our eyes,
Yeelding some comfort in this gloomie night,
fupplying kiffes with the vfe of fight
Loue hath fome harmonic, fome fmall agreeing,
for what it wants in tutch it hath in feeing.
Hefperias garden was by ferpents kept,
whofe euer watching eye-liddes neuer flept.
And Colchis Fleece was kept as warily,
till lafons meanes obtain'd the viclorie
So be our loues immur'd, interred rather,
by two fufpicious dames, one fubtile father.
Then would they kiffe the wall and oft entreat,
that in compaffion it would let them meet
We will not tell our parents, nor expreffe,
who twas, gaue way vnto our happineffe,
Louers be faithfull, of our faiths beleeue vs, (vs.
fince this ftraight durance cannot chufe but grieue
The
The true-loners knot. 261
The wall replyde not : yet their words had force,
pierfmg her hardneffe, foftned with remorfe.
For euer fmce, as well it may appeare,
the marble fheds each morne a Trickling teare,
Thus did thefe louers paffe the weary morne,
depriu'd of that which louers bed adorne,
And that is priuate meeting, which being miffing,
we beat the aire but with conceit of kiffmg,
A vaine conceit, to dally with delight,
Expecting fun-fhine in a clowdy night,
Imparadifd in ioyes he cannot be,
that's clad in sable roabs of mifery.
Oh then conceiue what forrow he fuflaines,
that in perpetuall languifhment remaines.
O what diftra<5tions do his ioyes diffeuer,
feeding like vultures on his hart for euer.
If *Zeuxes pictured grapes, fo liuely were ;
That many birds in flocks repaired there,
Pecking vpon his ftatues, and did browfe
vpon his liuely grapes, meere liueles fhowes.
Well may we thinke, that loue himfelfe can make,
a farre more liuely, and proportion'd fhape,
Then a poore painter ; though his Grapes feeme ripe,
yet they were drawne from loues firft Archetype.
Then loues beft picture, Natures admiration,
Thysbe> euen Thysbe made for recreation,
May well be thought to draw each bird each beaft,
from Paftures greene, vpon her lippes to feaft.
It were a feftiue banquet there to be,
whofe breath is Neftar, breathing deity.
S 3 Heere
262 Loues Labyrinth, or
Here Pyramus would be, if heauens would grant it,
for he efteemes no treafure whileft he wants it,
Since fuch a lewell, fuch a pretious Gem,
in that it's rare, is more admired by men.
Thus Tantalifed, the Gods doe feeme to loue him.
fetting him fruite, but fruite too farre aboue him.
For when his lips (pure lips) fhould but com ny them
they mocke his lips and in derifion flie them.
Doft flie my lips (quoth he) 6 doe not flie me,
for what I doe, I doe it but to trie thee,
To trie thy loues which though our parents thwarted
our conioin'd loue difioin'd fhall nere be parted,
Well may our bodies be difioin'd a funder,
but loue's to head-ftrong, none can keepe it vnder :
Loue is free-borne, it cannot feruile be,
to begge for curtefie with a bended knee.
Thysbe kept concord, for each word he fpake,
feem'd her retired paffions to awake,
Stird vp her fpirit, as infpir'd by fate,
making her flout that was effeminate.
Continue thy intendments fweete, quoth fhe,
and as thy fhadow I will follow thee,
Faffing a fea of dangers launching deepe,
till I the fhadow to the fubftance creepe,
Paffe Oetrfs as forreft, fnow-cliued Caticafus
Thysbe will follow fteps of Pyramus ;
Thee Riphean Mountaines, or the Hetririan plaines,
Each morne refounding with the notes of fwains.
If thou loue Vinolus, with her fragrant fpices,
or EriElhea famous for deuices :
Thysbe will follow thee with fpeed fhe may,
only
The true- Loners knot. 263
only, her trauaile with thy loue repaie.
But thefe are but difcourfes of our ill,
which if not cured, be augmented flill.
For that you know renues the maladie,
which rubs the fore, and yields no remedie :
For why fhould any labour me remoue,
From that admired mirror whom I loue.
And I am of that nature : more they hold me,
from fancying thee, more paffions do enfould me,
Then plot (my Pyramus^) contriue, inuent,
that we may harbour loue in loues content,
Till wearied with ioy, wearyed too foone,
thou leaue adoring of the watrie Moone.
Where being cloyed with the fweetes of loue
mayft leaue the vale, and tafte the fruits aboue.
Thou art my fheepheard, I will be thy plaine,
I the poore cottage, thou the homely fwaine,
Thou malt refrefh thy felfe vpon my banckes,
which hauing don, I know thou'le giue me thanks,
For my diffufed ftreames, ftreams meerely fent,
not much enforc'd from Thysbes continent,
Come then, for why mould any marble wall
being materiall fubflance, fo appall
Our ardent wimes, wifhes which proceede
from loue-fick paffions, which more paffions feed.
Let our diftilling teares congeal'd in one,
disffolue the hardnes of this flinty ftone.
Remorfe may moue this ftone by diuine wonder,
to let vs meete, diuide herfelfe a funder.
This faid, maine riuers of diftreaming teares,
in their woes-torrents purblinde eies appeares,
S 4 Seeking
264 Loues Labyrinth, or
Seeking, but feeking all in vaine God wot,
to moue that fhrine, which weeping moued not.
It wept to fee true loue fo ftraite confinde,
difioyn'd by fates, which fauours had combinde.
It wept to fee their parents fo vnkinde,
to curbe their bodies prefence, whofe pure minde,
Rapt with content of feeing, not enioying,
acts difcontent, debard of further toying.
It wept to fee their minds fo well agreeing
in one felfe place, not to haue one felfe-being.
It wept and much repin'd that difmall fate,
Should croffe pure loue by loue-difioyned hate :
And pittying their cafe fhed many a teare,
Shedding fo many, me her felfe did were.
Oh what hard harted parents had thefe two,
fince what the ftones allow'd, they'l not allow,
Reproouing that in theirs, themfelues affected,
foiling their youth with what their youth refpected
Are thefe the fruits and honours of our time,
the fruitleffe bloffomes of a fterile clyme ?
Are thefe our louing Sires ? oh no, they are hard,
to prefle downe loue, that cannot be debar'd.
You high refplendent heauens, whofe cherifhing heat
with feafoned warmth, our fpacious borders greet,
Temper fuch parents hearts, as are not won,
till both their line and linnage be vndone.
Soften their ftifned minds, oppreff'd with rage,
playing fharpe tyrants in declining age.
For why mould they find fault their children play,
fince in their prime they playd as much as they.
Decrepit
The True-louers knot. 265
Decrepit age, ftilted for want of ftrength,
with brinifh teares deplores their fins at length ;
But thus I confter't : They their age deplore,
theyr youth is fpent, and they can doe no more.
And like an enuious viper, would haue none,
to vfe their ftrength, becaufe their ftrength is gone.
But old age ers in this : experienc'd wit
fwaies their proceedings, youth abandons it.
Nor doe they know what hurt poore maides receiue,
to pen them vp from that they wifh to haue.
For though they be immur'd in walles of Braffe,
Loue hath her loope-holes by which Jhe will paffe,
Infpite of 'zealous dotage, and efpies
fome priuy chinke, though wacht by g Linceus ties,
For loue enclof'd like raging elements
of fire and water, though imprifoned, vents,
And muft eruption haue, it cannot be
an heauenly motion mould want libertie.
^Eurydice though mes enforc't to dwell,
in Stygian Plutoes court infernall hell,
Yet her tranfmounting paffions doe remoue
themfelues from hell vnto the earth aboue.
Poore fwaine Dorinda though by Satires kept,
in a vaft caue, whofe watchfull eies nere flept,
But with reflexion both by night and day,
had fpeciall care left fhe mould get awaie,
Comforts her felfe in louing, fearing not,
but chaft defires ore long would get her out,
Loue is enfranchifd not in bonds retained,
fpotleffe as Chriftall, for no foile can ftaine it.
The
266 Loues Labyrinth, or
The boiftrous windes fhut vp in iron grates,
on each occafion and intendment waites,
When they come forth their tempefts hurrie more
grieu'd at their durance, then they did before.
That morn which feds her glittering raies too foone,
fables her funne in cloudes ere it be noone,
But when its long ere that her beames appeare,
we doe prefage ere night they'le fhine more cleere.
1 Thetis exiled from her marine feate,
a willing exile with the Sea-nimphs meetes,
To celebrate Achilles funeralls,
in fable robes, in difmall feftiuals.
Each wept whole flouds of teares to wafh his hearfe,
whereon engrauen was a doleful verfe ;
That no hard harted paffenger came by,
but feeing it, would fheede teares inftantly :
Some made relation of his valiant fpirit,
fome of the glory which his acts did merit :
And wofull Brujis one amongft the reft,
being his captiue, whom fhe loued beft,
Emburied him with liquid ftreames of forrow,
renewing griefe with each renewing morrow.
So did thefe louers, louers too fincere,
rife ere the morning dayftar could appeare,
Bewayling much their parents frowardneffe,
that kept them from the fupport of happineffe.
Happie, if happy in enioying loue,
to fee the Turtle billing with the Doue,
The skipping Kid, the Goate, the penfiue Hinde,
conforting each with other in their kinde :
Yet
The true-louers knot. 267
Yet thefe two louers are debard from this ;
what brute beafts haue, they haue not but in wifh :
And wifhes yield fmall comfort, poore releefe
to fuch as are preft downe with heapes of griefe.
O that heauens fplendor, her tranflucent eie
fhould fee, and feeing, pittie miferie,
Yet fuffer man to be oppref 'd therewith,
Making him die a neuer dying death.
Or why fhould man endu'd with reafons light,
in his owne bowels harbour fuch a fight,
As may fubuert the pallace of the foule,
ecclipfmg it, making her bewty foule ;
Conuerting that by her depraued will,
as firft feem'd good to fome apparant ill ;
Not gathering hony from each bitter flower
of difcontent, nor reaping fweet of fower,
But in diftradlions paffionate we run,
in headlong courfe till that we be vndone :
And then defpairing, we refide in woe
fhut vp in fhelfes : we know not where to goe.
The fillie Bee that labours in her hiue,
in her Hyblaean works addres'd to ftriue,
With nature in proportion : feemes to make,
more for her felfe then nature for her fake,
In her digefting and difpofmg fit,
what fhe had gathered by her natiue wit,
She refts fecure of loue, worfe hap haue we,
oppreft with loue-fick paffions then hath fhe
But heauens haue fo decreed ; this is our lotte
Creatures that haue moft reafon, mojljhould dote.
Thus
268 Loiies labyrinth, or
Thus each ore-fhadowing eu'ning fhadowed hope,
ayming at loue, loue was their onely fcope :
At which they leuelled : But ('las) difdaine
foaring aloft, the frute of loue retaines :
Lockt from all comfort, fhut from fweete repofe,
me to their parents doth their loue difclofe.
Telling them how their children made repaire,
vnto a chinke which breath'd a cooling aire.
Yeelding content enough : and they fhould fee
that ere long time Thyjbe would frutefull bee.
Their parents ftamp'd, but Tymon moft of all,
for hee was rich and feard his daughters fall.
Yet well he could haue brook'd her nuptiall bed,
if he were rich that mould his daughter wed.
Fie on fuch Gould-adoring parentage,
that refts refpectleffe both of youth and age,
Who meafure loue by wealth are fure to haue,
Midas his eares, depriu'd of what they craue,
They wreft their childrens minds to make them tafte,
the fweet of Gold, which works their baine at laft.
m Thus parents are as vipers to their feed,
fmce they their venome in their bofomes feede.
Which like to Naptha that being once inflamed,
Burnes of it felfe, and cannot be reftrained.
But loue the more repreffd the more confin'd,
encreafeth fo much more in louers minde. (them,
n For though their watchfull eies did Mill looke ore
Gods pittying their diftres did more deplore them ;
And loue himfelfe yields foueraigne remedy,
to thefe two louers fraught with mifery.
And
the true Louers-knot. 269
And well might loue yield comfort to their wounds,
fmce he his paflions on like paflions grounds,
For he (though God) did doate as well as man,
transforming Leda to a milke white Swan.
loue in his aiery throne with piercing eies,
thefe louers griefes from high Olimpus fpies,
And fpying them oppres'd, pref'd downe with louing
Their humane paflions force a diuine mouing.
You fruitfull fprigs fprung of a fruitfull tree,
I heare your plaints, and I doe pittie yee,
That the ioynt tablet of two louing hearts
mould be deuided into feuerall parts
Hard-hearted Parents, made of Marble fure
Or elfe they could not fuch diftrefle endure,
That their owne budding bloffoms which did grow,
from their vnfeafoned bofome mould bellow
Their oile, their labour in affections flraines,
yet kept in thraldome by their parents reynes.
But I that haue the Regiment aboue,
rules Cupids arrows, knows the vfe of loue,
I that haue poafted down from heauens high fphere,
to Danae, lo, and the milke-maides here,
And to Latona bewties facred Queene,
yet to this hower, as loue I nere was feene,
Nor euer knowen, fuch was our diuine power,
tranfuming fhapes of plants and roarie fhowers,
Will pittie your affections and apply,
Vnto your wounds are prefent remedy.
For we (as men) do naught of woemen craue,
but what they well may giue, and we may haue.
If
270 Loues Labyrinth, or
If the orefhadowing cloudes whofe duskie face,
obfcures heauens fplendor, Sols refulgent grace :
If mifty vapours, foggy excrements,
thickned by mixture of grofe elements,
If Heauen, earth, Sea, plants, ftones, or ferpents may
yield you content, or can your woes allay,
Rely on me ; for loues high diademe,
was firft ordained to fuccour wretched men,
And by the flagrant creffet of the Sunne,
wele either fee your minds vnited one,
Or elfe my power (hall contradict her felfe,
Making affection vaffaile vnto pelfe,
Which were difcordant mufique, harfher ftraines,
then ere Pan fung among his countrie fwains
For its not fit that hand-maids mould command vs
or fubiecl: powers mould in their a<5ts withftand
Pelfe (worlds tram) in loweft ranke fhould fit, (vs.
loue as a Miftris framd to manage it :
For who will contemne the daie, the night adore,
fet beft behinde, and word part before.
loue hauing in companion feene their woes,
to ° Hefperus the euening ftar he goes,
And bids her mew her light, for by her aide,
fhe might yeeld fuccour to a helpleffe maide,
Hefperus roufed, rous'd before her time
in heauens horizon ftreight began to mine :
Ore cannoping heauens beawtie with a clowde,
all which by loue himfelfe was well allowde,
Then wandring ftarrs in different dignity,
fent out their lights difparkled orderly.
Arclo-
The true L ouers knot. 271
ArElophilax begotten of the beare,
and CaJJiopeia likewife did appeare,
The Pleiades, Orion, with the reft,
Caflor and Pollux, whom I one loued beft ;
All thefe confort and make one conftellation,
at I ones command for louers recreation.
The heauens be-fprinkled thus with fundry lights,
limit the day by bringing on the night,
To comfort wearied fpirits fpent with toyle,
whofe troubled brains the night-time fhuld affoil.
For loue at firft conceiuing mortall feede,
amidft his labors fome repaft to need,
Created night thofe cares to take away,
which had beene foftred on the toilefome day,
Night wifhed night, to Louers that defire
to be partakers of that heauenly fire,
Cupid (blind boy) infufeth in their breft,
which once infus'd engendreth their vnreft.
But its no matter, leaue we cannot louing,
though bitter fruits redound to our approuing :
This gloomy night yeelds comfort to their wo, (go,
For loue had fhowen the place, where they fhould
To Ninus toomb, a toomb to bury griefe
(haded with couert, fit for loues reliefe :
Thefe two bleft louers, bleft in loues appearing,
addreffe their eye for fight, their eare for hearing.
Left their fufpicious Parents fhould fift out,
Their fond intendments which they went about :
The Night was very darke, darke nights be befl,
For fuch as on the day-time take no reft.
Since
272 Loues labyrinth, or
Since each difparkling beame which doth appeare,
yeelds to a lealous louer caufe of feare.
But duskie nights which Louers beft approue,
giue free acceffe of parly vnto loue.
Thisbe loue-ficke, for loue had made her ficke,
time thus occafioned, findes a pretie tricke
To gull her keepers and her Parents too,
which who can blame her, all that loue will doe :
Deere be our Parents loues, their wils, their bleffmgs
by which we profper : deerer be the kiffings
Of thofe we loue fmcerely from our heart,
for where they be there is our chiefeft part.
No vnfrequented defert can remoue
our hearts from them whom we entirely loue.
No diftance can difioine vnited mindes,
no labyrinth fram'd with Meanders winds :
We reft the fame or elfe it cannot be,
that our affections ground on conftancie.
Thijbe with creeping pace pac'd ore the floore,
oyling the hinges of the creeking dore,
Left it fhould mew her meaning to her mother,
whofe eies me q feared more then anie other.
For they were too too iealous and would fpie,
more in her dealing then her fathers eye :
For he was bed-rid and could hardly moue
his fenceleffe ioints and knew not what was loue :
Yet this bed full of bones, this fap-leffe wretch
had fap within his cheft, for he was rich ;
And more, for which all wifemen-may deride him,
he euer lov'd to haue his golde befide him.
For
The true-louers knot. 273
For on his tram he was fo deeply rooted,
that he (fond-man could neuer fleepe without it :
Thus had he much, yet he defir'd much more
his gold, his Idole which he did adore.
And though he had no vfe for that he got,
yet he from raking more furceafed not.
Which punifhment was firft inflicYd by loue,
Rich men fhould haue no vfe of what they loue ;
But in an in-bred appetite to golde,
delight to haue it euery minute tolde :
Which being done making an endleffe paine,
they tell their trafh and put it vp againe.
Thus did this aged Tymon : and refpected,
wealth more then youth of girles moft affe<5led,
For richleffe was the fcope he leuel'd at,
heele call none fonnes but men of good eftate.
Worth worthleffe feemes, if worth haue no retire,
nor meanes by which their honour might afpire.
For beggar Irus whofe eftate was poore,
made Ithacus to driue him out of dore.
And feeing him arraide in beggars lift,
in furious paffion flew him with his fift.
Thus men are made refpe&leffe for their want,
and pouerty, though faire, yet whole not taunt ?
Deeming them moft vnfit of honours throne,
that haue more wit then fortune of their owne,
But he that poifeth worth as worth fhould be,
will not obfcure true worth for pouertie ;
Being the fubftance and maine difference,
twixt fauage beafts and humane excellence.
T And
274 Loue labyrinth, or
And more is trafh inferior to the minde,
then pith of trees fuperior to the rinde :
Thysbe efcaping, hies her to the place
which was appointed : her admired face
Caft fuch a luftre on the plaines belowe,
as fteepy mountaines couered with fnow.
In Maiden white appareld : maides fhould be
arraied fo to fhew their modeftie ;
Such piercing eyes fhe had, which fhon fo bright,
that they gaue day vnto a gloomy night :
So that each Wood-nimph, Faune and Satyre there,
rofe from their caues perceiuing light appeare.
Sihianus god of woods and defert groues,
his fhaggy head from off his pillow moues ;
And halfe afleepe feeing his arbour fhine
and all about him, long before his time
He girds his quiuer to him, and drew neere (cleere :
to Ninus toombe, where fun-beames fhon moft
Where he no fooner came ; ay me ! too foone
to that vnluckie fhrine that ominous toombe :
But feeing her he caft all fleepe afide,
fewing, and futing Thysbe for his bride.
Mirror of women, beft of Natures art, (heart
heare a poore wood-god that hath pledg'd his
To thee and to thy feature : heauenly queene
that would thefe flowrie thickets well befeeme,
Sit thee downe here : this is an arbour fweet,
where al the wood nymphs vfe each euen to meet
Making a concord ; whofe mellifluous found,
would glad the birds and all the desert round :
The
The True-louers Knot. 275
The Nimphs fhall make their praiers and renew,
each morne their hymnes, that they may pleafure
The Mufes nine from Pyerus fhall defcend, (y°u
and to our mufique their attention lend,
Where if there anie difcord chance to be,
Mufes themfelues will yeeld a remedie.
There Clio, Erato, and Melpomene,
Euterpe, Thalia, and Calliope,
Terpfychore, Vrania, and that fweet
tong'd Poly-himnia fmging at thy feet
All thefe fhall grace thee in this rurall plaine,
if thou canft brooke to loue a Countrie fwaine :
Yet am I borne more high then mortall men,
deriu'd from gods euen of immortall ftem,
* Sprung my beginning, therfore fcorne not me,
fince if thou match thou match's with deitie.
The flowery fhrubbs thou feeft doe I command,
nay euen the Cedar which fo high doth ftand,
Refts at my power : there is no branch doth grow,
whofe moifture doth not from Syluanus flow.
The fweeteft fpices of Arabia,
the preciou'ft perfumes breth in Lidia,
Smell by my meanes : for my celefliall power
can make each {linking weede a fragrant flower.
Then deare affect me, for no perfume's good
if I want thee that perfumes euery Wood.
T 2 The
276 Loues Labyrinth, or
Thysbees replie.
IF you (quoth Thysbee) as you doe profeffe,
deriue your birth from gods then fhew no leffe :
For its not fit that gods with ftarres araid, (maid,
and heauens immortall fphaeres, fhould loue a
u A Countrie laffe beft fits a Countrie fwaine,
his oaten pipe beft fuites with her harfh_/?ra/«£,
Thofe gods that in Olympus regiment,
fit and beare rule skorne bafer elements.
Then if you be diuine, as fure you be,
furceafe your fuite which yeelds indignity,
To that high of-fpring whence you did proceed,
ftaine not your loue with any mortall feed.
Doth mine high linage (quoth Syluanus) fhew,
that I am too diuine to match with you ;
Thou art fure born of that ambrojian aire,
which loue infus'd in me : thou art too faire
To be of mortall race, oh do not then
debafe that faire fo much to mach with men :
Yet if thou wilt not match but with a fwaine,
He be no god that I thy loue may gaine.
A Shepheards habite I wil take vpon me,
if in that habite I may Hue with thee.
For credit me (heauens faint) if thou partake
of man, all men ile honour for thy fake :
Then loue Siluanus, doe not blufh be free,
loue god or fwaine, Syluanus both will be.
Thysbe
the True-louers knot. 277
Thisbees reply.
IT ill becomes, quoth fhe, your peereleffe ftate,
with filly maides to be importunate :
You fhould protect our weakneffe and defend
our brittle fexe, and euer be a friend
To womans weake proceedings, ceafing ftill
to drawe deuoted Virgins to your will :
We that are confecrate to Vestas fhrine,
muft in no lafciuious meetings fpend no time :
If thou (quoth he) to Vefta dedicate
thy vowes, thy hefts : what mak'ft the here fo late ?
For well I know dame Vefta cannot bide
her maides mould walke alone in euening tide.
And thofe that meane to fatisfie her will,
muft both be chaft and feare fufpicions ill.
Thysbe ftood mute, fhe knew not what to fay,
without reply fhe went a prety way
And could not anfwer, for her tripping tongue
and modeft filence told fhe fpoke awrong.
For fhe nere Vefta lou'd nor Veftas order,
but this was beft excufe the time afford'd her.
Churlifh Syluanus (for he was a churle)
fo to importune a poore Countrie girle,
Halfe mad with anger that fhe would not yeeld
vnto his fuite : takes in his hand his fhield,
And raging fternely, fweares he meanes to goe,
where he will plunge her in a depth of woe.
T 3 Are
278 Loues-labyrinth, or
Are you fo coy (quoth he) that youle denie,
to ioine with gods immortall deitie ?
Wele learn young girles manners if we Hue, (grieue
and make them rew, that they our power fhould
With this he went faft trotting vp the hill,
purfuing hot the proiecl: of his will.
Intending to command fome fauage beaft,
vpon her, whom he lou'd, he lik'd to feaft.
And reaching neere vnto the hill aboue,
he wagg'd his hand, and ask'd if me would loue ?
But me denied him loue : doe you denie me ?
fond ? quoth Syluanus, fauages mail trie thee,
And thy affection : which no fooner faid,
then he fent out a Lion to this Maide.
A Lion new returnde from rauening pray,
came to the fount, his blood to warn away.
Where with a making pace he feem'd to come
towards the place appointed Ninus tombe.
But Luna pitting poore Thysbes cafe,
fends out her light, to tell her who it was
That now approach'd her, whom no fooner fpide,
then in a Caue, poore Thysbe did her hide.
But out alaffe for feare, me ran fo faft,
that me forgot her tire through too much haft :
For fhe all breathleffe, and quite out of winde,
running fo faft did leaue her tire behind.
And as one careleffe of her weale or woe,
diftreffed thus, fhe knew not were to goe,
Careleffe of what fhe left or what fhe had,
not knowing what was good, from what was bad.
Yet
The true-Louers knot. 279
Yet nature grafts in all a natiue feare,
by which th' euent of all things doe appeare,
As we conceaue yeeld daunger to our ftate,
and feare by time, left we fhould feare too late.
Thus fhe pent vp within a defart caue,
with fobs & fighes, expreffe what fhe would haue,
For in that Caue fhe wifh'd her loue were there,
For loues embraces would exempt her feare.
Oft did fhe thinke the Lion ftaid without.
and therefore trembling Thysbe made a doubt,
To take the open ayre, but pent within,
wifh'd in her heart, fhe had caractred him,
Whom fhe admires and loues, whofe fweet refpect,
makes her to haue her parents in neglect.
But he too flow, aye me, too flow in doing,
being fo forward in his formall woing :
Staies too too long, being more warely kept,
by fuch fharpe keepers, that all night nere flept :
But as one grafmg Hart the reft doth keepe,
by watchfull eyes warning the reft that fleepe ;
So euer one was waking, that might call
vpon the reft if any thing befall :
The Lion hauing quencht his fcorching thirft,
with fpringing water which he long'd' for firft :
Found Tkysbes tyre, and with his bloody pray,
befmeard the fame, which done, he went away.
Now in the end Pyramus tooke a time,
a time too late to anfwere loue diuine :
Yet in this filent courfe of nighterne race,
with quick recourfe he run§ vnto the place.
T 4 So
280 Loues Labyrinth, or
2So that to fee him frolick ore the plaine,
were worth more prife then zHipodamias gaine,
For golden apples drew her tempting eie,
But this young youth affe6ts no vanity
But the true touch of loue : vaine, if abufed ;
but precious as pure gold, if rightly vfed.
Then who wil blame vs, labours to endure,
if we by labours can our loue make fur e ?
For conjlant loue no trauaile will efchew,
that conjlant loue by trauaile may renew.
Alcides he can ferue the Lidian queene,
in fpinning, carding, which doe ill befeeme
So ftout a mirrors magnanimity,
but he muft doe it, theres no remedy.
For when his manly nature did withftand it,
one glance of her could wel enough command it.
No fpacious confines nor indurate labour,
if thefe ore-paft, could purchafe ere her fauour,
Would he refufe : one fmile reward enough,
for all the labours he had paffed through.
Thysbe the trophic of his breathing courfe,
Thysbe the garland which doth him enforce.
Her he refpe<5ts, and whiles he runs apace,
he meditates of Thysbes beuteous face ;
Her comely feature made for lAdons fhrine,
whofe luory orbs like Pelops moulders fhine,
Had made that deep impreflion in his heart,
that Nature feem'd to ftriue with Natures Art.
Nature had giuen her much, Art much the more,
Art decking that which Nature dres'd before.
For
The True-louers knot. 281
For that fame creature cannot perfect be,
where Art and nature ioyne not mutuallie.
If you would haue the module of true wit,
Nature creates, but Art muft polifli it.
Thysbe was perfect both in Natures hew,
and artificiall colours, which did fhew,
As if both Art and Nature fhould contend,
to make her fuch an one no skill could mend ;
For fhe was witty, pregnant, full of fauour,
DiElinna like, fent out a fragrant fauour,
That when fhe walkt' in Babilons faire Jlreete,
fhe made the kennel with her perfumes fweet
Pyramus comming, comming all too late,
to Ninus tombe expects his bewteous mate,
Whom when he could not finde, he fear'd her end.
Feare is an adiunft to a faithfull friend.
Roundly he goes vnto the filuer fpring,
where all the water-nimphs were wont to fing,
In honour of their Goddeffe and her bewty,
to whom they offred hymnes as was their duty.
He afk'd the Nimphes if they his Thysbe knew,
defcribing her, and eke her matchleffe hew :
And if they did, he praid them feeke about
their Nectar fprings with him to finde her out,
For if you be immortall, as you feeme,
and dedicate your feruice to your Queen,
A beter feruice fure you cannot doe her,
then to redrefle them owe their feruice to her.
This if you will in your compaffion doe,
I fweare each morne He offer thime to you.
Better
282 Loues-labyrinth, or
Better then any Hyble, can affoord,
with mufick fweete to which the heauens accord,
And euer reft deuoted to your fhrine,
in that you dayn'd to glad this heart of mine.
The water-nimphs replide with curtuous cheere,
they knew none fuch, nor any did apeare,
But if it pleafd him, they their fprings would feeke,
exquire each bufhie made, each priuate creeke,
To fee if me were in their manfions hid,
which he affented to ; all which they did :
But when with watrie tripping they had fought
both brake and brier ; yet could not finde her out,
Wearied with their diurnall labour, left
Pyramus fighing, of all ioy bereft ;
Yet did thefe nimphes bemone his hard mifhap,
for fitting downe vnder Nereus lap,
They turnd their Warbling firings to that fad ftraine,
that all the woods re-eccoed them againe.
Each in their order fung their dolefull verfe,
as if it had been ouer Thysbes hearfe,
And tun'd their odes with that vnfeafoned time,
as that brute beafts to pittie did incline,
For they in fable colours did portend,
that their two loues were neere a tragick end.
Thus fhadie night, Sea-nimphes, ftars, plan'ts & all
prefage to them and to their loues a fall.
Yet Pyramus though fad, for he was fad
to haue thofe hopes extinguifht, which he had,
Seeks ftill about the tombe : fad tombe (quoth hee)
that hides my loue, fo much admir'd of me :
Yet
the True Loners knot. 283
Yet if thou wilt but tell me where fhe is,
I vow by Heauens He pardon whats amiffe,
Yea I'le remit thine error and thy wrong,
for keeping her within thy cheft fo long.
Say, wilt thou ? tell me what became of her ?
Didft thou her bewty in thy fhrine inter ?
Didft thou immure her in thy marble toombe ?
what makes thee filent ? bewty makes thee dumb :
Wilt thou fo wrong a louer to conceale,
From him the mirrour of his ioy, his weale,
His heart, his liking euen the flower of youth ?
and yet conceiues within thy heart no ruth.
Fie, fie for fhame : ift fit that monuments
fhould fo ecclipfe natures beft ornaments ?
As to obfcure the glory of her face,
that where fhe is giues honor to the place.
Thou much abftracts from trophies Ninus won,
in doing that which he would nere haue done.
Thou leffens much the honour he obtained,
loofing that fame which Ninus conquefts gained.
For what great gaine or conqueft i'ft t' haue faid,
I haue poffeffion of a countrey maide.
A young vnnurtur'd girle fit for men,
vnfit for liueleffe tombes which couer them ?
This faid this doting young man, blind with louing,
thinking ould mouldy fhrines had liuely mouing.
Mou'd with her loue, whom he did more efteeme,
then any gem that ere on earth was feene.
But when he faw into his error well,
He feem'd thofe loue-fick paflions to difpell,
And
284 Loues labyrinth, or
And to repaire vnto his fearch againe,
feeking each couert, each vnhaunted plaine,
Each thick-fet hill, each groue that he might finde,
the diapafon of his troubled minde.
At laft too foone, by feeking long he found,
(Thysbe) not Thysbe, but her tire on ground.
Vnhallowed ground, vnfeafoned her attire,
to croffe the paffions of an hot defire.
Oh now conceiue what forrows gall his breft,
to fee the tire of her he loued befl,
Befmeard with bloud, for it all bloudy fhews,
her fanguine colour tincl: with Lyons iawes ;
Oft would hee looke vpon it, and would kiffe,
the tire befmear'd with blood, wifhing it his,
His fate, his fortune, to remaine with her.
fmce his long abfence thus had iniur'd her.
How to remaine (quoth he) fmce me is dead,
oppreff 'd by death, inclos'd in mourneful weede ?
How mould I Hue with her whofe life is gone,
and hath left me (vnhappy me) alone.
Die, die, with her, with whom thou canft not Hue,
For thou by dying malt thy life repriue.
And haue her prefence that enthroned is,
in perfect ioies of heauens Elijlan bliffe.
Yet (lay awhile, this is not Thysbes tire,
ftay there (fond wretch) againft thy tongue a Iyer.
This was her roabe, this was her comely weede,
which hauing loft her owner gins to bleede.
Oh loue what caufe hadft thou thus to remoue
two, that had their intentions voud to loue,
Or
the true Louers-knot. 285
Or why fhould thou this faire occafion mow vs,
which being fhowne, doft feeke for to vndoe vs ?
Be gods fo iron-hearted, to requite
conftant affection with a difmall fpite ?
A fharpe reuenge it is, to fet vs on,
and then to leaue vs when we are begun.
Did not high loue yeeld vs more hopes then thefe,
when he commanded Phoebus to furceafe,
For to diffufe his beames, bidding him go,
retire in haft vnto the fhades below.
Calling for Luna to fupply his place,
fhrowding heauens luftre with her clowdy face.
That our efcape fufpefted leffe might be,
by the darke vaile of nights obfcurity.
But heauens I fee, repine at our fucceffe, (leffe,
fmce Gods themfelues by Fates haue fhew'd no
To plunge my weale in woe, my loue in teares,
producing nought, but fighes, and fruitleffe feares.
Thou harm tun'd Nemefis, thou tragicke ghoft,
againft whofe a6ls my loue declaimeth moft ;
What caufe hadft thou to fmg this dolefull fong,
vpon her herfe that neuer did thee wrong ?
She neuer raild againft thy Soueraigne power,
but like an harmeleffe doue, a fragrant flower ;
Flourifh'd fecure at home, yeelding content,
by gracefull fmiles, a maids beft ornament :
She neuer curb'd thy rage, nor did me mell
with ought but loue, which made worft for her fell :
But Fates haue made the inftrument of finne,
refpeclleffe of our loffe, fo they may win.
The
286 Loues labyrinth, or
The pretious fpoyle of Thysbes bleeding foule,
whofe fad mifhap the plants themfelues condole.
Yet thou remorfeleffe art, ill may betide thee,
that wold haue none to loue that Hue befide thee.
Yet for all this thou canft not me depriue,
of louing her, whofe life did mee reuiue,
For being dead, He rather chufe to die,
then liuing, lofe her loving company.
This faid : he takes her tyre, and kitting it,
vpon the fountaine banks did water it,
With dewie moifture of frill-flowing teares,
which being fhed, renuing drops appeares.
Teares liquefied the arbour where he fate,
which water nimphs perceiuing, wondred at.
Oft would he beat his breft, and teare his haire,
fhutting his hopes in clouds of deepe defpaire.
Oft would he curfe the day, the houre, the night,
that banifht him from Thisbes gladfome fight.
Wifhing that night had neuer beene defcride,
for nere did night more harm euents betide.
Oh Pyramus, and then he figh'd to fpeake,
for gufts of forrow made his hart-firings breake.
What meant thou to allure a fimple maid,
to thefe wild woods ? her loue is well repaid,
That fhe mould come vnto the place affignd,
and thou (bafe coward) come fo farre behind.
Thou with a tardy pace came at thy leifure,
fuch flow-pac'd courfers ill deferue fuch pleafure.
Thou too precife, made bones of what thou did,
fuch fond precifenes feldome hath good fpeed.
Shee
The true- Loners knot. 287
Shee to enioy her ioy, cut off delay,
that fhe her minds perfection might difplay,
And with a courfe as quicke as Pegafus,
run ore thefe plaines to meet with Pyramus,
Which thou requited ill, bafeft of men,
which time fhall character with fcandalls pen.
A fcandall to thy fexe, and to thy ftate,
to leaue thy loue in deferts defolate.
Oh what mifhap had fhe to loue a fwaine,
that could not yeeld her loue for loue againe ?
Hard was her fortune to affect that creature,
who for a childifh feare delaid to meet her.
The gods I know more forward would haue beene,
to meet loues Parragon, fo faire a Queene.
As for her beauty, aye me, beauties faire,
with Ericina fhe might well compare ;
And farre more modeft : Venus had her mole,
but nere was Thysbe ftain'd with bewties foile.
But thou haft ftain'd her beauty by thy fault,
ruin'd that fort, which neuer had affault,
But by thy felfe, and by thy felfe too foone,
fince by thy meanes her fhrine is razed downe.
Turne thee to heauen, and loe the heauens difmaid,
to fee the tragicke downefall of a maide :
Frowning at thee that was the caufe of this,
caufing her end that was thy Soueraigne bliffe.
Turne thee to earth, and fee her turn'd to earth,
which makes the caues below refound with mirth
That they enioy which thou didft once enioy,
reaping their comfort from thy deepe annoy.
Turn
288 Lows labyrinth, or
Turne thee vnto the Sea, and thou malt fee,
The Nymphes and Syrens crying out 'gainft thee.
That fhould make promife, yet not promife hold,
calling thee coward, but thy Thysbe bold.
Bold, to aduenture on the gloomy night,
bold to encounter with Latonas light
Bold in her courfe, fwift in her curfiue mouing,
bold to efcape, and conftant in her louing :
Thus heauen, earth, Sea, concording all in one,
do fimpathize with thy difcording mone.
And wilt thou liue for this ? O doe not Hue,
but to requite her loue, let earth receiue
This little All of thine : which when they haue,
they may interre two louers in one graue.
Adioyning to this fount, a rocke there was,
fo fteepe and craggy, that no man could paffe.
To which wilde beafts repair'd, making their den
in th' hollow cauernes which did couer them.
Which feene by him 8 : what doe not louers fee ?
with face deiected, thus difcourfed he.
If any Lion or fierce fauage Beare,
lodge in this ragged rocke, or coucheth neere,
Let him come out, for heere is amorous food,
9 and cooling ftreames to warn away our bood,
That this may beare record by euery wight,
two faithfull louers perifht on one night.
But thefe are but delaies which cowards vfe,
10 their trembling pafiions feeking to excufe,
Caft off vaine feare, feare is a vaffalls weede,
and place true Refolution in her fteed.
This
The true Louers knot. 289
This faid "with praiers vnto his houfhold Gods,
Offring to Venus altar, myrtle rods,
Which grew hard by that fpring where he did fit,
with other ceremonialls which befit
A louers laft farewell : he wifht his friends
for their too hard reftraint to make this mends,
And to erecT; his fhrine by Ninus tombe,
as witnes of his loue in time to come.
Which faid : with hand refolu'd, refolu'd to dye,
with fword vnfheath'd, he ends his mifery.
Thus hauing ended, ended ere begun,
for thus the thred of his fhort life was fpun,
The fad euents and obfequies enfue,
which thus in briefe my Mufe relates to you.
Thysbe, poore Tkysbe, trembling all this while,
fhut vp within her caue : began to fmile.
And with a cheerefull countenance caft off feare,
for in that coaft, no ill fhe faw appeare.
And much delighted with her fpeedy courfe,
vnto the fprings, fad fprings, fhee made recourfe.
She tuck'd her cloaths vp, for the euening dew,
had wafh'd the herbs that in the forrefl grew ;
And tucking vp as Country maids doe vfe,
the high bet path to Ninus tombe to chufe ;
Where fhe (vnhappy fhe) no fooner came,
then like Narciffus eccho, founds his name,
Whom fhe affecls, admires, whofe onely face,
drew her (poore wench) vnto that difmall place.
Come, come, quoth fhe, thou knowft not how to wo
Come to thy Thysbe fhe will tell thee how.
V Shee
290 Loue labyrinth, or
She wil prefcribe the rules, with fruits of woing,
for fruitleffe be thofe fruits that haue no doing.
We that doe hazard our good names for men,
if they'l not pleafure vs : what profit then,
Of all our toylfome labour we fuftaine,
that reape no harueft from fuch gufts of pain ?
We patient are to beare, and what we bore,
we doe accept, and wifh it ten times more,
That we might pleafure you : how fond are we ?
The weaker fort bear es your infirmity.
But its our Nature, Nature hath ordain'd,
mans ftrength by womans weakneffe is fuftain'd.
In this fame cloudy night, with what defire,
did all my thoughts, and my intents afpire ?
To that fame treafure thou haft promif'd me,
promife is debt, it muft be kept by thee,
With what affection haue I croff 'd thefe plaines.
cheered by wood-nimphs, fmging plefant ftrains,
And danf'd Laualto till I came to thee,
longing for that which thou didft promife mee.
Sad Philomela skared from her reft,
fung with a pricking flothorne at her breft,
And fung of Tereus fomething, what I know not,
which if I knew, yet would I neuer fhow it.
12 For Tereus impious in his prophane life,
to wrong a fifter, and fo chaft a wife.
Suftains the torture of his wickedneffe,
transform'd into a Bird : whofe filthineffe,
Loues marifh places, flies the folid ground,
good reafon why : his confcience was not found.
For
The Trne-louers Knot. 291
13 For Tireus was a King and for his luft,
by loue himfelfe, was from his fcepter thruft.
A fenfuall Prince to wanton motions ftirr'd,
chang'd from a prince, vnto a loathfome bird.
Thus did I paffe the filence of the night,
till I arriu'd within my louers fight,
Which yet I cannot doe : oh why fhould we,
14 to get a little fport, paime modefty ?
Thefe fhady thickets, and that fecret caue,
thofe pratling Sea-nimphes, & this marble graue,
Beare all record what trauell I haue taken,
yet like a Turtle of her make forfaken,
Cannot enioy my loue, aye me, vnkind,
that feemes inconftant, to a conftant mind.
Why mould our fauors fo deuoted reft,
to them, whofe hardned harts bred our vnreft ?
And make vs fubiect to more inward griefe,
then ere their comforts can affoord releefe.
But thou art too too ram : (beleeue me fweet,)
in more remiffe Appearance doe I greete,
Thy diuine beauty ; pardon what is faid,
conceyue no harme fpoke by a harmeleffe maide ;
For if thou fhould (as fure I thinke thou doft,)
lie hid vnder fome bum, and hearft this noif'd,
This fhrowd inuection, gainft thy loue and thee,
thou might as well condemne my fpeech and me.
Why mould I fpeake againft fo hallowed fhrine,
to whom I haue bequeath'd both me and mine ?
Or why mould I detract from that faire funne,
which (if ecclipf 'd) my gliftring raies bee done ?
V 2 Then
29 2 Lows Labyrinth, or
Then enuious thou, to daze that glorious bright,
whofe firft arifmg gaue thy fetting light.
Roufe vp thy felfe for fhame, and honour him,
whom if I get, heauens treafure I doe winne.
More prife and richer then thofe fitters three,
which kept the apples of faire *5 Hefpery.
This was no fooner faid, then ferioufly,
ech Bufh, ech place, fhe fought that bordered nie,
Doing as children vfe, that feeke about,
their hid companions, till they find them out.
Hard by this tombe, a Mulbery there was,
16 encircled round with tuffs of greeneft graffe :
Which tree look'd once as white as white could be,
but now was chang'd, like to the Eben tree, (more
17 Whofe blooms were black as ieat, and which was
it loft the forme which it retain'd before.
Vnder thefe fhady fpraies, lay Pyramus,
depriu'd of fence, a fcene too ominous.
Which when poore Thysbe, iudge what tis to fee
a conftant loue in fuch perplexity ?
For fure I am, fuch heapes of paffions cloid her,
that in his death a double death annoid her.
Long time fhe brethleffe flood aboue her loue,
depriu'd of fences, for they could not moue.
And as one liuing in a lethargy,
hath not the vfe of fences faculty ;
But fleeping feemes fecure of any ill,
fo in this fenceleffe mouing, flood fhe flill :
At lafl awaked with watry drops downe-falling,
of her loues name, fhe fell to inflant calling.
Calling
The true Louers-knot. 293
Calling him by his name : awake, arife,
with that he heaued vp his heauy eies.
Thysbe (faith fhe) calls on thee, fie awake,
leaue off thy fenceleffe dulneffe for her fake :
Thysbe no fooner fpake, but at her name,
he op'd his eies, and fhut them vp againe.
Such was the force of Thysbe, that being dead,
by loues reflexe, he mou'd his louely head.
And when he lay him downe, as laid before,
yet his two ftaring eies, ftill glimmering more
Were preft vpon his loue, as if his heart,
was giuen her by his eyes at lifes depart.
For they ftill gaz'd vpon her, as if he
had feen the heauen where he wifht to be.
Thrice did he moue his head, yet all in vaine,
for wanting ftrength, it bended backe againe.
Thrice did he kiffe the ground, thrice kiffe the ayre,
fuppofing that his Thysbe had beene there.
And when he could not find her, hee vnrips,
his loue effecls, and fmackers with his lips.
Thysbe conceiuing what he meant, admired,
his feruent loue, and to a fhade retired.
Hard by this Tombe, where with all blubbered face,
fhe made this fad narration to the place.
Hapleffe and hopeleffe is mine ending friend,
cruell the Fates that mould fuch torments fend,
Vnto a faithfull Louer : heauens haue done,
that which the plants within this forreft fhun.
They lofe their forme, their feature, and their fhape,
and what they doe, they doe it for his fake.
V3 For
294 Loues-labyrinth, or
For this fame Tree, beares record of our wracke,
decolored quite from white, to difmall black,
And this fame ground, all in a gore of bloud :
No chirping bird within this fatall wood,
And this for loue of him, that now is gone,
leauing his forlorne Thysbe all alone.
Hard was mine hap, to fee his dolefull end,
at whofe fad hearfe the Fates themfelues attend :
Hard was mine hap, more harfh the courfe of time,
to crop my loue, my dazie in his prime.
Hard was his hap to extinguifh his defire.
with apparition of a bloody tire :
Hard was his hap to forrage heere fo late,
to miffe his loue, and meete fo foone with Fate.
Turne to thy loue, fee if thy vitall breath,
can call him from the flumber of pale death.
See if thou canft reuiue his gafping foule,
for loe his eies within his head doe rowle.
Embrace his ioury necke with foulded armes,
deftill life in him by thy louing charmes.
Buzze in his eares of loue, it will not bee,
his dying fences haue no mind of thee.
Thus round empalld with greefe, was Thysbes mind,
no hope of life in him can Thysbe find,
For he grew ftiffe engor'd with bloudy wound,
and by his bloud faft glued to the ground.
Thysbe efpied her Tire which hee did hould,
faft in his hand, and did the fame enfould,
As if it were fome Antidote to cure
his gaping wound and make him ere endure :
Vnhappie
The true-Louers knot. 295
Vnhappy Tire (quoth fhe) vnhappy were,
that gaue occafion to my loue of feare.
Thou that haft preft my foule in anguifh more,
then all the robes which ere I wore before.
Thou wandring ftragler, fliding from mine head,
gaue the firft onfet to this vgly deede.
For if thou hadft not been, my loue had liu'd,
that now of fence & mouing is depriu'd.
What hap had I at firft to put thee on,
when darke Latonas lights were drawing on,
Or what misfortune had I for to leaue thee,
fmce thy departure doth fo greatly grieue mee.
It needes muft grieue me : for it cuts my heart,
as if my foule from body fhould depart.
He was my foule, my body cannot breath,
When as my foule is feifed on by death.
Why mould I haue fuch curious regard
to Nightern robes, whe meaner would haue ferud ?
For well I know it was my loues defire,
to meete my felfe and not my curious tire.
Fie on this nice precifeneffe weomen vfe
in garifh dreffings : men mould weomen chufe,
Not by their bodies habit, but their minde,
in lifts of vertue, and refpecl confinde.
We that doe loue as we proteft we doe,
muft not get husbands with a painted mow,
Like puppets in a play, addref 'd to play
ftrange a6ls by night, to purchafe loue by day.
Beft honour that befeems a countrey maide,
is to be modeft, in her a<5lions ftaid.
¥4 For
296 Loues Labyrinth, or
For this (beleeue me) modeft lookes doe win
more hearty loue, then baits of tempting fin.
And yet we cannot leaue lafciuious ftraines,
to draw young men to our immodeft traines,
But if young girles would be rul'd by me,
They'l make their preciou'ft iewel modeftie.
Thysbe with this beheld the bloody blade
which lay all moiftned vnder that fame made
Where her true louer lay, and feeing it,
with many a balefull ban me curfed it,
Calling it cruell : l8 Cruellfword (quoth me)
that in this fort did part my loue and me,
What made theefo remorcelejfe, fo hard-hearted,
to fee two conftant louer s fo foone parted ;
Parted by thee ; fie on theefor the deede,
thou murdered him, and makes my foule to bleede,
Bleede in defpaire of feeing him againe,
who gaue a cordiall to my toilfom paine.
He was the Saint that liuing I adored,
this is his Trunke thefe watrie eies deplored.
Yet ioyne with me to honour his fad hearfe,
let plaints and teares thine hardned temper pierce,
Pierce thine owne bofome, Bofom if thou haue,
that brought my louefo timeleffe to his graue.
And thou vnhallowed l9 Tombe tJiat couers him,
who firjl enlargd this Empire and did win,
Trophies of honour, which remaine to thee ;
in times fuccejjion to pofleritie.
20 Open thy marble bofome andreceiue,
two friends at once in one renowmed graue.
Thou
The true-louers knot. 297
Thou hides the honour of a worthy King,
that lining did great conqnefts hither bring,
Send him abroade out of thy Jhrine, withfpeed,
and take vs two to thee in Ninusy?m/ :
But thou wilt anfwere thoujhould wrong him then,
to place our reliques amongft fuch prince-like men ;
Which is notfo : For reft affur'd that we
purchafe more fame tlien euer purchas' d he.
He conquered Realmes by fates aufpicious :
But thou may truft me, more is got by vs :
For we haue conquered Loue, which he could neuer,
which in our praife Jhall be recorded euer.
What if his name be fpread in euery place,
this founds not much vnto his reliques grace ;
Thou couers but his ajhes turnd to duft,
we turne to earth, andfo all Princes muft.
If that thy Monument were fo diuine,
as the huge gulfe of mountaine Inarime.
That dothpojfeffe Typhseus Gy ant fierce,
andjhrouds him lining in her hollow hierce.
Where he with reft of his afpiring rout,
at end of each feauen yeers doe turne about.
Yet preffed downe with hills that lie aboue them,
for all their ftrength they hardly can remoue them.
Then wert thou famous (for good might betide thee)
to haue fuch lining wonders fteepe bejide thee.
But now thou art not fo : for what is he,
that he can challenge more of death than we ?
He might whiVfthefuruiu'd and bore the fway,
his purple flag in euery coaft difplay.
He
298 Loues labyrinth, or
21 He might command, and haue what he commanded,
but death, pale death now fwaies, & fee1 1 withftandit.
Then honour d hearfe, if hearfes honour haue,
yeeld to my fute, and perfect what I craue.
Doe not denie me : to deny me this,
were to depriue thee honour, me of bliJjTe.
Nay doe notfmile, (for I doe fee thee f mile)
if that our bones thou in thy brejl compile,
And recollect them after Thysbes death,
the Nimphes themf elites JJiall fet a laurell wreath
Upon thy back : e'r honourd Jhalt thou be,
for this good ttirne thou did my loue and me.
But if thoufcorne my vows, and cat them vaine,
yeelding no eare to louers that complaine,
Reft well affured the Nimphs reueng'd will be.
And for our fakes will quite demolijh thee.
When trufty Aiax & Achilles came,
to Patrocles tombe, with teares they bathd the fame
For euery word they fpake of Patrocles,
drew teares from them, as ftreames from Caucafus.
Whofe ragged top fends riuers out amaine,
and being fent, renews her fprings againe.
So they deplor'd his death, his f acred hearfe,
ranckfet with embleames and with dolefull verfe.
The /wanes of Caifter and eke of Poe,
came to enfable him infongs of woe:
Since which fad time the Poets haue reported,
that each daie twice the fwannes haue there reforted.
PaJJing byflockes along the Greequi/h plaine,
feeking by fongs to make him Hue againe.
But
The True- Loners knot. 299
But when it would not be, the Swans there fwore,
that from that time they nere would warble more ;
But at their 23 death which they performe : for why
they neuer Jing biit hower before they die.
Why Jhould a Grecian hauefuch honour done,
that neuer any Trophies ere had wonne,
Butjlaine by He<5lor : for no fame he had
of doing greatly good or greatly bad.
And yet forfooth he mujl characters haue,
in golden letters ore his worthleffe graue.
In polifht marble mujl his Jhrine be fet
infaphires, 24 tophies and in britijh ieate.
Thus mujl he haue refpecJ, when we, god wot,
mujl lie obfcure as if men knew vs not.
And yet our fame deferues more praife then he,
more grace, more glorie, and more memorie :
Timejhall race out that marble hearfe of his,
timejhall amend what time hath done amifje.
For wejhall Hue in fpite of Fates decree,
when lowe interred this famous Greeke Jhall be.
Loue cannot die, we loued and therefore death
Jhall crowne our hearfe with times immortal wreath,
And though we die we loue and Hue in dying,
loue to pale death perpetuall life applying.
Why Jhould prince Ilus acJs haue fuch refpect
whofe toomb with precious emeralds bedeckt ?
For well I know fuch acts did neuer he,
In amorous pajjions of true loue as we,
25 Yet Batias toomb mujl haue infcriptions faire,
to Jhew what man of birth was buried there.
300 Loues Labyrinth, or
A crowne vpon his Jiead, and in his Jiand,
a royall fcepter which did Troy command,
TJiefe mujl exalt his glory and make roome,
for Fames refounding trumpe in time to come ;
And as tJiat hearfe doth memorize his name,
Jo after times by it might doe the fame.
O thou iniurious time, that time obferues,
yeelding not honour as our deeds deferues.
Dojl partialife and modejl bounds furpaffe,
bejlowing honour on each worth-lejfe AJfe :
Ilus aftranger was vnto thy foyle
an 26 vp-ftart Prince, wJw for a little toyle
To win a crowne, was thus aduaunc't by thee,
from Beggers ragges to Princes dignitie.
Looke at his low beginning whence he came,
what were his copes-mates his delected name,
Looke at his pompe, how ill he could befeeme,
theftile of King, or fhe the name of Queene.
And then exile his glory from thy coaft,
thy great' ft dif grace ofwJiom thou glorieft mo ft :
Receiue our ajhes, ajhes of true loue,
keepe them as hallowed in thy f acred Groue,
Receiue our ajhes and abandon his,
that Hiring, Idfling, dying we may kifle.
For what great grace wilt be in time to come,
vnto thy foile, to fay, thou keep' ft the toomb
Of two true-louers, mirrors of affection,
louingfo long till loue came to perfection.
Perfect in loue, fo perfect in our loue
that nought (faue death) could our affections moue :
And
The true-Louers knot. 301
And yet in death we languiJJi not in lotting,
though ^ death depriue vs of all vitall mowing :
For we conceiue more ioy intoomUd together,
then if we liitd depriu'd the one of other.
More muft I fay tofeale thefe obfeqnies ;
for death is fearefull and inuents delaies,
And moft of all in vs : a weaker brood,
the talke of death yeeldes fear e to woman-hood.
And yet, me thinkes 1 Jlay from him too long,
and in my Jlay I doe him double wrong.
Firft to depriue him life, and then begin
with tar die pace aloof e to follow him.
Well He prepare my felfe, the Fates decree
two Louers fliould fiiftaine their crueltie.
And yet not cruell, cruelty is JJtowne
when either is debarred of his owne.
But we by 28Cupids meanes, that pur blind boy,
obtaine by death we could not earjl enioy,
Death yeelds more comfort then our life time did,
Jhewing our loue which long before was hid.
No priuate cranie nor no fecret chinke
need we finde out, nor fearefull need we JJirinke.
For Parents hot purfuite we reftfecure,
Jince heauen our hearts, as earth our corps immure.
Wee need not haue our Parents in fufpeEl,
they may reft careleffe now whom we affefl :
For well I know we can be hardly feene,
twixt heauen and earth, fo great a fpace between.
Thus loue an heauenly motion doth afcend,
from earth to heauen to gratulate her friend,
Thysbis
302 Loues-labyrintk, or
Thysbees EPIC^EDIVM.
YEt Thysbe fta/ thine hand : thine obfequies,
defire more celebrating exequies ;
Die not inteftate, in this defert groue,
but confecrate in token of thy loue
Thine hefts to Vefta, yet let Vefta know,
Thysbe unwilling is enforced fo.
Then let thy 29Parents, Parents though vnkinde
By Natures lawe, fome flwrt memorials finde,
Of thy affe6lion : Swannes before they die,
lene penjiue odes and warble merrily.
3° Yet muft I needs declaime againft your feare,
iealous of hurt where no hurt could appeare :
For I am fure nere was your thriuing blifling,
more deere to me then was my louers kiffing.
Oh then vnkind vnkindneffe did not fit,
our chafte defires that could not bridle it.
Loue was the hott'ft when it did feeme conceal'd,
and hid in afhes, yet in time reueal'd.
Then blame your felues, not vs : you caus'd our end,
barring a louer from her long fought friend,
Which we doe pardon if youle let vs haue,
our toomb in one, our aJJus in one graue.
Which if you fhall performe our hope extends,
our difioin'd corps conioin'd you make amends.
Well do I know our funerals renew,
currents of teres and ftreames of griefe in you.
And
The true-Louers knot. 303
And many pagent mixd with liquid teares,
will make attendance on our defolate beres,
Many diftreaming drops will dim your eie,
to fee two louers end fo fuddenly.
Yet all in vaine, being dead, your teares reftraine :
for teeres cannot recall vs back againe.
The 3l Nimphes themfelues with Poplar twigs will
an ofier basket for Idalias fake, make
Wherein collecl: you may fuch fragrant flowers,
as fhall adorne our monumentall bowers :
Yet when you fpreade your flowers ech in degree,
Strow more on his fide then you ftrow on me.
He was more conftant, he did firft begin,
I like his fhadow did but follow him.
He came vnto the place, and fpite of death
feeing my tire engor'd did lofe his breath.
I like an Ape, to imitate my loue,
follows his worth, his prefence to approue.
A glorious prefence where the gods accord
all wealth, all ioy, Elizium can affoord.
Fruitfull Elyfis where ech conftant mate,
raignes in fruition of his happie ftate,
Where Hero fmiles to grapple with her deere,
lealous of nothing, for no caufe of feare
Can croffe loues action ? theres no Helefpont,
But the fweet relifh of a Nettar fount
Hight the Caftalian fount which Gods adore,
where hauing drunke thei're neuer thirfty more.
By this renowmed brooke, fhall he and I,
prattle of loue, and parents cruelty.
Yet
304 Loues Labyrinth, or
Yet fo wele prattle that we may receaue,
loues harueft purchaf'd by our irckfom graue.
A happy Graue, that is a fpicie vrne,
where louers vfe to fmile, furceafe to mourne,
For by their dying they doe more obtaine,
then euer here enthral'd they thought to gaine.
And can that death be cald a death f O no ;
for by that death from death to life we goe.
Reaping the bloffomes of experienc'd good,
which while we Pilgrims were, we neuer could.
Then doe not weepe deere friends ; for we enioy,
the hauen of our hopes, where no annoy
Can make difturbance, but empal'd by loue,
we get renoume for our furpafling loue.
Let no fad Odes our burials folemnife,
nor let no teares com trickling from your eies.
The 32 folemne jfor which euer old hath been,
our buried reliques will full well be feem :
Yet when you burne our afhes, you fliould fee,
His aflies haue the vpper hand of me :
For Cupid with his mother Queene of loue,
Pres'd downe tlie female, fet the male aboue.
Then for an order (fmce the Gods ordaine it)
It were prefumption for you to reftraine it.
For reft affured if we had mift this chance,
we had obaid ere this their ordinance.
O let our loues recorded be by you,
and when you fmg vnto our hearfe adew,
Euer imprint this caution in your minde,
Be not vnto your childrens loues vnkinde.
Hinge
The True-louers Knot. 305
Hang not the willow token of difdaine
vpon our Toome : for that each country fwaine
Can fet vpon his fhrine : let Venus tree,
the louely mirtle fhew our conftancie.
If you want any rites or folemne heftes,
which may befeem our graues : the birds protefts
Each in their order to folemnife them,
and gods themfelues for to eternize them :
Each mourning Turtle hauing loft her make,
will mourning make refort for Venus fake.
And fweet Leucothoe will reprefent
of Vmolus odours a delicious fent.
The Nighterne owle, that night wil ceafe from prey
howling by night, as fhe did howle by day.
The little Batt (though fearefull heretofore)
will flocke amongft the reft and feare no more.
Thus euery Bird, for it is Gods defire,
will with their prefence decke our funerall fire,
To purge our guilt dame Venus promis'd me,
fhele goe to heauen with lowe and bended knee.
And well I know loue, Venus loues fo well,
he will belieue what tale fo ere fhe tell.
Then for her loue let Venus altars fmoke,
and in each corner of her Temple looke ;
No ornament which beft may her be-fit,
Be there awanting but to perfecl: it.
You know our Cittie much relies on her :
for by her fuccour no diftreffe can fturre
The profperous failes of our profperitie,
but like a fterne fhe's euer fixed nie,
X To
306 Loues Labyrinth, or
To rid her from thofe rocks vnto the fliore,
in Hew whereof we do her fhrine adore.
Yet ere I die I muft take leaue of you,
you f acred manfions which my woes renew :
Thou oliue-tree that planted was fo nie
vnto my fatJiers houfe where I came by
This laft vnhappie night : thou tender vine,
whofe fupple Hips thefe fingers oft did twine.
Thou 33 rojie border fet with rofes fayre,
to which each morne I vfed to repaire,
And rob thee of thy ftore to bewtifie
my hapleffe tire with crimfon puritie,
Farewell at once farewell, long may the dew
of filuer hair'd Aurora water you,
Long may you flourish, this I onely craue, (graue.
that with your flowers each morne you deck my
Such fweetes, fuch fragrant rofes reprefent,
that your repofe may make it redolent.
Send out your fpicy odours and attend,
with Hyble fruites vpon my bleeding friend ;
For manie time and oft hath he and I,
chas'd one another full lafciuioufly :
And if he chaunc't to be too flow in running,
I would hold 34back and linger for his comming.
But of all monuments I bid adew,
broad Jhadowing beech-trees to the fight of you :
You many times haue yeelded fweet repofe
vnto our loue and feafoned haue our woes,
By your contented fhades bleft be you euer,
and like EliJian-Jhades fade may you neuer.
O many
The true-louers knot. 307
O many times haue we two fported there,
(for we alone were priuiledged there)
And twifting nofe-gaies we our flowers would hide,
left by fome Satyre we fhould be efpide : (them,
Oft would we crop fweete flowers and hauing cut
within our wicker baskets we would put them :
And when we more had gathered then we needed,
we gatherd ftill for fo our loue exceeded,
That euery flower we cropt we did apply
vnto the flower of our virginitie.
" For if fuch flowers fuch fweetnejfe did beftowey
flowers are much fweeter tJiat do fpring belowe.
Fare-well *ti\Q\n fpacious plaine amongft the reft,
I haue no caufe but to refpect thee beft :
For manie time and oft haue we two plaide
at Barli-breake, but now that fports decai'd,
Full many fecret corners doft thou yeelde,
for Louers fports within thy louely field.
And thou vnhappy Pine that mounts fo hie.
as if thou meant by height to tutch the skie ;
Thou mai'ft repine at fates that murdred me,
fmce Thysbees hand each morne did cherifh thee,
Oft haue I planted grafts within thyfamme,
which now are growne fo high they fhadowe men
And with a 35 Water-pot which I did bring
each morne by time ; I made thine arms to fpring :
X2 But
308 Loue labyrinth, or
But now, poore Pine, pine maift thou now and die,
for none that I know cherifh thee but I :
Now fhall thy fhadowing branches fall away,
their falling leues to winters fury paie.
And none remaines there now to pittie thee,
When I am dead that liuing nourifht thee ;
But be content ; fhed teres in loue of me,
and when thou hear'ft my death defected be :
Caft down fome withered leues & fend them hither,
portending thus much, we muft die together ;
This if thou doft I will thee thankfull call,
and wil with Laurel thy fad head empall :
That though thou die, yet that thou dieft with me.
in after-times ftill honoured thou maift be.
And thoujtraife chinke to which full many time
we made repaire : through thee our loue did mine,
And fpearft her beames ; farewell, for neuer more,
fhall we refort to thee as heretofore ;
Thou waft the author of our firft vndoing,
for by thy meanes thou gaueft vs means of woing,
Giuing eyes liberty, which eyes fo wounded
that by their paflions paffions new rebounded,
Yet we do thank thee for thy fore-paft loue,
for by our deaths the gods themfelues approue
Our conftant minds, recorded which muft be
in heauens conuentions to our memorie.
O happy thou whilft our two fragrant breaths
made thee fo rich, impouerifht by our deaths :
For this I thinke, this is my prophefie,
Nere
The true-Louers knot. 309
nere (hall fuch lips beftowe their breath on thee,
When thou (halt heare of our difcording end,
fome foftned teares vpon our funeralls fpend :
Let thine hard marble be diffolv'd to ftreames
of liquid water, fmce thofe radiant beames
Which our reflecting eyes the marble gaue
might pierce him more, then euer Lyricks haue
The fauage beafts, whofe natures were made tame,
at the rehearfall of fweet Amphions name :
What then fhould Bewtie ? whofe attra6liue power
commands ftones, ferpents & fweet budding flowr :
What fhould the Splendor of faire Beawties eie
aft, fmce fuch afts were done by harmonic ?
Open your flinty bofome, let remorfe
fhed riuolets of teres vpon my coarfe :
Or if you will not fo, at leaft reftraine
your ayrie ckinke, and fhut it vp againe :
Let not fuch Monuments Hue when we die,
for they'le augment our Parents iealoufie :
That as we lov'd, kifs'd toy'd when we're liuing,
fo we may loue, kiffe, toy at lifes depriuing.
Then fhut that crany vp left after time,
impute the fault vnto that chinke of thine.
This laft record by Thysbe thus recorded
bred floods of teres : for teres their fighs afforded,
the Balme-trees wept, their teres concrete in one
diftilled into th' fubftance of a ftone :
Which ftone it feemes, did after couer them,
for after times found it laid ouer them,
With many faire infcription which did fhew
X3 Of
310 Loues Labyrinth, or
of loue recorded neuer none more true,
Then this of Thysbe and her louing mate,
fuppofmg mutuall death a bleffed flate,
A ftate more bleft in that they had their wifh,
Thyjbe had hers and Pyramus had his ;
They were depriv'd of louing in their liuing, (uing
but by their deaths the gods themfelues were gi-
Tokens of loue, for they enioied their loue,
which no tranfparent iealous eye could moue.
Empall'd by diuine power, heauens maiefty,
to honour them, that honour'd conflancie ;
And which was more : dame Venns (as we read)
yoking her Doues, came to high loue with fpeed,
Her milke-white doues with ayrie coloured wings,
vnto loues throne their beawteous lady brings ;
Where fhe with fmiling countenance, for her fmile,
all foggie mifts Olympus did exile,
Thus fpake to loue, who feeing her did grace her,
and with enfolded arms 'gan to embrace her.
Heauen-habiting loue, that in compajfion fees,
louers inflamed pajjions : on my knees,
Doe I entreate as I am Queene of loue
for Jhipwrackt louers : that thou wilt remoue
Their earthly members to participate
the glorious funjhine of one heauenly ftate,
For tliey were conftant, conftancy thou loues
and in thy f elf e their pajjions thou approues :
Deigne to eternize tJtem withfacred Baife,
It's fit fuch mirrors Jhould haue endlejfe dales.
Thai
the True-louers knot. 311
That confecrate their vowes to gods diuine,
then fo propitious to thefe praiers of mine,
They were enabled with a conflant minde,
Such J "acred lights, it's hard on earth to finde :
They were adorn' d with Veftas puritie :
Veftas purejhape deferues eternitie.
They liu'd in louing, and in louing did'e,
nor did two Vrns their ioyned loue diuide :
But both inter1 d together, they haue wonne
a fame recorded in all times to come.
She was as fair e as fairenes could be laid
on mortall colours, thotigh a country maide,
Yet for her thoughts as pure, as was her face,
Jhe well deferues to haue an heauenly place.
Doe not frown (deare Sire) me thinks that frowne,
doe ill befeeme, to fuch as be your owne.
I am your daughter, and I know you loue me ;
and I prefume my praiers needs mujl moue you,
Or elfe I Jhould defpaire e're to refort
from Idas mount, vntoyour heauenly court.
Then yeeld ajfent vnto your daughters fuite,
if you denie it me, I will be mute,
And neuer make recourfe vnto your Jhrine,
which cannot choofe but gall this heart of mine.
This earthly goddeffe will full well befeeme,
in lunoes abfence to fupply as Queene.
loue fmilde at this, for he defired change,
and therfore oft from heaue to earth would range
For pleafure and delight : variety
willing vnwilling, wrefted this reply.
X4 You
312 Loues-labyrinth, or
Youfpeake of wonders (daughter) quoth high 37 loue,
of mortall wights fo conftant in their loue.
Thefe two in conftant lotting you furpajfe,
For they'r more conftant then ere Venus was.
Death cannot part afunder tJieir dejires,
which like bright flames vnto our throne afpires,
They're worthy (daughter) of a glorious crowne,
and they Jhall haue it : for wele vfe our owne.
But to enioy that ioy, that amorous die
of bewties fweete complexion : how Jhould I
Dijioyne thefe two, both would I gladly grace,
if I could diflance them in feuerall place.
That faire form W creature thou doft fo much praife,
I doe remember in her former dates :
For Jhe entirely wifht Jhe -might Jtaue time
to vfe her loue, and off red to my Jhrine
Great ftore of incenfe ; incenfe it was fweete,
that I would giue them time and place to meete.
Which I did promife : but I did not pay :
for feeing her more bewtious then the day,
Faire as Orgon, purer then that white
lonely 38 Alcmena wore vpon the night
When Jhe fuppos W Amphitrio her deare loue
pojfejl the place which was fupplide by loue.
Being thus faire, (for Thysbe was more faire)
I much amazed flood, oppres'd with care,
Seeming afleepe, yetfleeping I did moane.
my too large promife which was pafl and gon.
Oft did I wifh I had been Pyramus,
oft I refold d (the night fo tedious)
For to tranfliape my felfe, and to defcend,
The True-Louers knot. 313
and meete with Thysbe as her pointed friend.
But luno iealous Queene, with open eie
Jlept not all night, but fraught with iealoujie,
Askt me full oft what aild me : turne (quoth Jhe)
and with my nectar lips He comfort thee.
Are you in loue? I bhiflid : that bluJJi difplaies,
you are inclind (quoth Jhe) fome otherwaies :
You haue fome trickjie Girle, that doth keepe
your heart enchain' d, your powrefull eies from Jleepe.
Fie fie (quoth Jhe) as you are loue, affect
her that affoords to you the mojl refpett :.
/ am celejliall 39 wife and Ji/ler both
vnto your f elf e : and luno would be loth
To violate the glory of her fpoufe
with euery fwaine, in eu'ry brothell houfe :
And can you then without regard of me,
or of your felfe, dif grace your deitie
With euery Leda, euery milke-maide, toie,
while luno is depritied of her ioye ?
Now by my God head mortall men adore,
Paue borne fo much that I can beare no more.
Either content you with yotir choice, your Queene,
or He tell that which would ful ill befeeme
The glory of your Jlate : the Gods Jhall heare,
what heretofore to tell I did forbeare.
Then as you tender th honour of your name,
Be charie henceforth how you foile the fame.
This faid dame luno, but I curbd her fpeech
with brows contracted, till Jhee did befeech
With trickling teares, that I would pardon giue,
protefting Jhe would neuer after grieue
314 Loues labyrinth, or
My royall perfon ; wijhing my delight,
if it pleas' d me, enen in my \\ir\osjight
WJterewith I feemd appeafd, andfayning ^fleepe,
with eie-lids Jhut, my Jieart a watch did keep ;
Euer concerning fomthing what I know not,
which if I knew it 's JJiame for Gods to Jlww it,
Being lafciuions pajjions, which were bred
of the dijlempred humors of my head.
But to be brief e, I did by meanes contriue
their long fought loues fruition to depriue,
Which thus accomplijhd, I am glad of this,
Venus intreates what loue himfelfe did wijh.
This I will doe, (which done) may feeme a wonder,
equall their ioies, yet diftance them afunder.
He from his Thysbe, Thysbe from her loue,
loue for his Thysbe, Thysbe for Jier loue.
This faid : bright Venus happy to receiue
The full accomplifht fute which fhe did craue,
Takes leaue of loue, and taking leaue he 4l kift her,
amidft his kiffes with his prayres he blift her.
Venus to 4z Ida hies, Idas fhe fends
Embaffadour to Thysbe, who attends,
The Gods decree ; where hauing come at laft,
tels to Thysbe all difcourfe was paft
Twixt loue & Venus, yet not all fhe told,
for Venus bade him loues intendments hold,
Left his narration fhould more forrow breede,
then any comfort drawne from humane feede :
For well I know no loue fo precious
to her, as was her louely Pyramus.
When
The True-louers knot. 315
When Idas had expreft what loue decreed,
he tooke his leaue of Thysbe, and with fpeede
Return'd to Venus, Venus Queene of loue,
whom he with Mars found lying in a groue
Of leauy Poplars, fporting midft their pleafure.
Vulcan was abfent, they had time and leifure.
Where we will leaue them, and fwift Idas traine,
and to our loue-fick Thysbe turne againe.
Thysbe addreff'd to die, yet long in dying,
Draws courage to her, & that blade efpying.
Which was becrimfond with the bloudy gore,
of that fame murder it had done before ;
Takes it into her hand, (her hand God wot
as J "oft as downe,fuch weapons handled not
Before this time, (and this time was too foon
to vanquifh bewty, and to cut it downe.
43 Poore wench me knew not how to vfe the blade,
for other armour Nature had her made.
But like an vntraind Souldier wanting skill,
knows not to fight, yet vfeth his good will,
Trauerfe his ground as other fouldiers doe,
yet hath no method, for he knows not how :
Euen fo this heauenly creature handled it,
long time vncertaine how to mannage it.
At laft by reafon, ^reafon did acquaint,
which was the pummell, which the fatall/0z'«/,
Grafping the blade which fhe before did take,
to th'fhade which fhadowed Pyramus fhee fpake.
TIwu Jhadowing tree, that ^Jhadowes this dark tombe,
Jhelter vs two, that paffengers which come,
Vnto
316 Loues labyrinth, or
Vnto this forreft, may thy pitty praife,
and memorife thy loue in after dales.
TJioufeeft we are deprirfd of friend or make,
which may deplore with teres our forlorne Jlate,
Supply our want with thy remorfefull fhade,
Jince (as it feemes) for pitty thou was madet
Couer vs two (two louers) that would be
gladly ore-cannoped with th leaues of thee.
Thou^> couerft him already : happy time,
that twijls about him with t/wfe fpraies of thine.
If Nature had accorded to our vowes,
thefe armes had clept that necke, thofefiowry bowes,
Doe now enfold ; but heauens haue fo decreed,
to haue two louers clad in fable weed.
Which I accord vnto, heauens purge my finne,
hee's gone before, and I mujl follow him.
Which f aid, Jhe fix' d the fword vnto her Breft,
with more then womans fpirit which exprejl,
Her loue vnto Jter Saint, who lay along,
congeal'd in bloud, whofe trunke fhee fell vpon.
The treefent out her Brandies, which did couer,
their corps with vernant blojfomes, JJiadowed ouer.
Aurora breath d vpon them, whofe fweet breath,
perfum'd their bodies, feazd vpon by death.
Siluan.
The true-Lowrs knot. 317
Silnan. Epiccedium.
THis done in filent paffage of the Night,
when ftars fhone fair & bright in Thetis fight,
The rural Wood-nimphes did their Odes difplay,
fabled with woes : which woes to take away,
They fung thefe verfes, verfes ominous,
Ore Thisbes hearfe, and louely Pyramus.
Long may your fame *& and glory heer remain,
honoured by vs, and by each country Swaine.
Long may you Hue renowned, for your loue
hath made perpetuall eccoes in this groue.
A thrice bleft groue, blejl graue, for fuch bleft Saints,
That in this flowry pale heere pitch their tents,
Wherein loues warre eternized for aye,
loft that by night, which was reftor'd by day,
Smell fweet for euer,fweeteji ofallfweets :
youfpringing blojfoms which the fpring-time greets.
Send out your fragrant fauor and releeue,
our troubled fprings which be addreffd to grieue.
Let not your vernant bofome fo retaine,
all comfort from the oat-pipe of a Swaine,
That no releafe offorrow or diflreffe,
makes diminution of his wretchedneffe.
What fliould wejing ? no hymne of melody :
Jhall ere poffefje our defert empery.
No tune of ioy, no pleafant Jlraine of mirth,
Jhall yeeld contentment to Nereiis birth.
For
3i 8 Loues labyrinth, or
For farre more faire, more beautious, Thysbe was
then any wood-Nimph, any Country Laffe.
49 Campafpey^^ was faire, and was belou'd,
of potent Monarchs : Jter proportion moitd,
Doting Apelles, loues effects to JJiew,
to that fame picture which his P entile drew.
Yet if Campafpe were enfltrined heere,
no caufe of loue would in her frame appear e.
More diuine feature was in Thysbesface,
a more delight f ull f mile, more comely grace,
Then ere Apelles, though in skill mojl rare,
could make his picture any way compare.
Bring mirtle branches, let vs cotter them,
Jhrowding tJteir corps with wreaths laid ouer them ;
And euery time and tide, let's flied a teare,
ouer the fad memoriall of their Bere,
Well doe thefe odes offorrow vs befeeme,
and better would they pleafe Arcadias Queene,
TJun if with feafts and triumphs we Jhould fpend,
our difmall houres, about a loiters end.
Wee are not for Dianas cheer ef nil game,
though we (foretime) haue well approou'd the fame.
No quiuer, nor no bow, will we receiue,
till wee hauefpent our dirges on their graue,
Whofe glorious loues, fo well conioyn'd in one,
makes tJuir two teares dijlill into onejlone.
For euery drop of bloud which doth defcend,
from Thisbes wound, flies to for louing friend :
And thofe fame Jlreames which iffued out amaine,
from Pyramus make their recourfe againe.
And
the true Louers-knot. 319
And ioyne with Thysbe, whofe refpectiue wound,
licks vp the blood was Jhed vpon the ground.
Eternall Trophies hung vpon your hearfe,
made euerlajling, by our penfiue verfe ;
And let this marble which doth couer you,
her teares (each morne) with moijlned drops renew,
Which in remorfe, compajjionate may f pen d,
fome dewie drops to witneffe your fad end.
You pretty gliding Jlreames which mn apace,
leaue off your courfe, and flow vnto this place,
That you may moi/len this fad monument,
this defert herfe with watry element.
And gratifie our loue, that loue you deare,
and wifh entirely your fweet prefence heere.
Leaue off to wajh thofe cliues and rtiggy caues,
and now repair e to momimentall graues,
To rinfe all foule infection which didjlaine,
the corps deceafd by your Jlill Jlr earning vaine.
Why doeyoujlay ? why feeme you fo hard harted,
toflied no teares, at conjlant loue departed f
If that our Queene Jhould heare, as Jhee Jhall heare,
this your remorfeleffe hart, would coft you deare.
Doe you not fee how we in fable weede,
to weepe amaine, haue heere repaired with f peed f
And in diftreffe enclof ' d, full fraught with woe,
may aske of you what's caufeyou doe not foe ?
See how echfprig $° fends out a pearled drop,
and when the primer feemes their height to crop,
They feeme to thanke him for it, wij}dng death,
to decke thefe loners with aflowry wreath.
See
320 Loues-labyrinth, or
See how each bird reforts vnto their Jhrine,
as if it were vnto fome power diuine :
And dedicates vnto their mournfull tombe
laies, which Jhal ferue in after times to come.
They warble out their dolefull funeralls,
hailing forgot their forepaftfeftiualls.
Their fad 5* afpects fuch forrow doth affoord,
that we our fehtes their forrows may record
Time yeelds no tune, nor tune obferu's no time,
time, tune, nor meafure keep we ore this JJirine,
We cannot defcant, defcant there is none,
to fuch as know no defcant but to mone.
Like fpoufe-loft Turtles, do wefiocke together,
and on each morn by time, confort we hither
To celebrate their deaths with memorie,
whofe conftant loues make them charactred be.
Nor will we ceafe, or make an end of grief e,
till that their parents yeeld them fome relief e,
To confummate their wijhes, andfupply
their former hardnes by their clemency :
For in no time did euer children find,
parents more wilfull, to their loues vnkind.
yet for that Fate hath done her worjl of ill,
in tJiat Jhe did the bloud of louers fpill.
And tyrannif'd in Jhewing of her force,
raging gainjl loue, depriued of remorfe :
Let Parents ceafe to hate, and make amends,
by folemne hefts for their vntimely ends.
It is not fit that 52 death and enmity
fhould wage their battaile euer mutually.
For
The true Loners knot. 321
For none I know, but when their foe is dead
they fcorne bafe enuy in their brefts to feede.
But let vs to our worke, and build vs bowres,
compof'd of fragrant bloffomes, and of flowers,
Hard by this tombe, this herfe, this defert graue,
where we may giue what conftant loue doth craue,
An ode difplaying paffion : and relate,
the fad euent of loues vnhappy Hate.
Each nimph addreffe her to her dolefull voice,
that we may charme the furies with our noife ;
And draw their hapleffe parents from their cell,
to heare the faid Narration we mail tell.
So mail our firft mornes mone performed bee,
in honour of thefe louers conftancy.
I
Siluanor : Threnodia.
F any rurall God, or poore fwaine,
confecrate Leucothoes rod, to this plaine :
This herfe, deckt with fable verfe,
Shall commend
Him as our friend,
Our fprings, or groues, our flraine.
Let your Temples fweet, mixed be,
With perfumes, let their feete embalmed be.
Then will we, mutually
Still expreffe,
And confejfe,
You deferue eternitie.
Y Venus
322 Loues Labyrinth, or
Venus with mirtlewand, Cupids bow,
Pelops with his luory hand will bejlow ;
All in one, to this ftone
To declare
Loue is rare,
Loue that hath no painted Jhow.
loue admires Thysbes face full of ' fauor,
Mirrha likes the Jlriplings grace and behauiour,
Venus lippe, los skippe,
Were both rare,
Yet both are,
In one Thysbe, loue would haue her.
From Olympus loue efpies Thysbes beauty,
Which no fooner he def cries, then in duety.
Cupids dart wounds his heart,
He by force,
Sues diuorfe,
luno cannot pleafe his fancy.
Thus did Thysbe Hue and dye, Hue by dying
Death confirmes her deity, in applying
To her Jhrine, power diuine,
Which dothjhew,
And renew :
Life anew, renewed by dying.
This ode thus tuned in more dolefull fort,
Then any Mufe of mine can make report :
Such
The true Loners knot. 323
Such errours made refound both farre and neere,
that thefe fad ftraines came to their parents eare.
They much perplex'd to heare fuch wofull newes,
which floods of teares in their moift eies renues ;
With fpeed they could, (which fpeed but eafie was,)
they made recourfe vnto that forlorne place.
Teares trickled downe, as drops from <&Ltas hil. (fill
which with their ftreams ech hollow 53 caue did
For woes exceeded more in that their Tombe,
had bard them hope of future ioys to come.
For they were old, old folkes defire to fee,
a good fucceffe vnto their progeny.
But now no hope, mifhap had croffd their hope,
e're to attaine at their defired fcope.
Oh what 54 fait feas for feas they feem'd to be,
no drops but floods, which run inceffantly
From their dim eies, for teares had made them dim,
which, nere the leffe, they took much pleafure in.
Oft would the Mother clip her Thysbe round,
which lay all fenceleffe on the bloudy ground.
And with a kiffe (as old wiues vfe to doe,)
her entire loue, her withered lips did fhow.
Turne to thy Mother (quoth he) or receiue,
thy dolefull Mother in thy hapleffe graue ;
Acknowledge her that firft aye me too foone,
brought thee to light, which is eclypf 'd & done ;
I nourifhed thee, and with a kind embrace,
made me an Idoll of that beauteous face ;
For I conceiu'd, deceiu'd I could not be,
No birth more perfect, then the birth of thee.
Y 2 Thus
324 Loues Labyrinth, or
Thus did doting 55 trot deplore her fall, (all
with dropping nofe, faint breth, more then them
That did attend her paflion : for the reft
did more repreffe thofe paflions fhe expreft,
Nor is it proper, well I know, that man
JJwuldJhed his teares with eafe as women can ;
For they more prompt to comfort, yeeld releefe,
to fuch as are oppreft with heapes of greefe,
And can conceale their forrow, as is fit,
knowing the meanes and way to bridle it.
They thus remaining ore their childrens graue,
the hatefull ground, which did their corps receiue,
They did confult how they might expiate,
that wrong of theirs, which they had done fo late.
Which whilft they did aduife, they ftraight did fee,
their childrens vowes, grauen in an Oliue tree.
Which were to this effecl:. " Surceafe to mourne,
" and place our feuerall afhes in one Vrne.
For whilft we liu'd, we lou'd, then fmce we dye,
let one poore vrne preferue our memory.
And let this day recorded bee by you,
and feftiue kept : eternife louers true.
Giue vpper hand to him, for he was firft :
refpecl: with care, our bones be not difperft
Amongft vnhallowed reliques which will ftaine
the glorious Trophies which our loue did gaine,
Bee not vnkind vnto your childrens loue,
but what they like, let your confent approue,
For if your minds difpofed fo had beene,
this fpacious glaffe of woe you nere had feene.
But
The true Loners knot. 325
But we forgiue, forget, fo you performe,
what we haue wifh'd : we feaft, ceafe you to mourn.
Thefe heftes, thefe rites thus read : without delay,
they fought their forepart guilt to take awaie,
And rinfe their former ill by prefent good,
yeelding to loue which they before with-flood :
For admiration rapt them, and they faw,
no curbe could hold the reins of Venus lawe :
For me enioyn'd them loue, which they obey'd,
which by no Parents wifhes could be ftai'd.
Each in their order did their obfequies,
with folemne rites as their laft exequies,
Making a fire of lumper compos'd,
in which their louely corps feem'd well difpos'd,
Which were confum'd to afhes and conferu'd,
in one fmall Hpot, as wel their fame deferu'd.
This vrne, poore vrne, which kept their afhes fure,
was made of Braffe, that it might ere endure,
And as a relique, reliques then were vfed,
in 58 Nimrods Temple in a cheft enclofed.
There was it put, to which as fome report,
all conftant loners vf'd to make refort.
No marriage rite was to be confummate,
Before they did this relique inuocate,
That it would be propitious to their loue,
in figne whereof each gaue a Turtle-Doue,
To explicate their truth, their conjlancie,
which they obferu'd for euer folemnly.
Thus were thefe two with honour well rewarded,
their afties, as times Monuments regarded,
Y 3 Kept
326
Louts Labyrinth, or
Kept and referu'd for Fame, Fame grac'd the earth,
in fuffering Nature bring fo faire a birth
Into the world, which world vn worthy was,
to haue two mirrors and to let them paffe.
But time, vnthankfull time, too foone forgot
the Gem fhe had, as if me had it not.
Soild in the luftre, luftre it had none,
depriu'd of Fame, when her renowne was gone,
For Parents breathleffe were, and with their birth,
by times fucceffion were interr'd in earth.
\n.felfe-fame earth for they defir'd to haue, (graue
their childrens 59 hearfe their vrne, their comely
Which hauing got, men neuer did adore,
their facred hearfe as they had done before.
For leffe were they efteem'd, fo from that time,
nere any louer came vnto their Jhrine.
Yet to this day, their pictures doe remaine,
in Marble wrought, defcribing euery vaine.
Ech ruby blufh, mix'd with a crimfon die,
with Thysbes frnile decolour'd wantonly.
With face defac'd by times iniurious frowne,
hath mown more beauty the my Mufe hath mown.
The
The true Louers-knot. 327
The anfwere 0/"Hipolitus vnto
Phaedra.
The Argument.
Hippolitus fon to Thefeus, by the Amazo Hippolite,
folicited by his ftep mother Phedra to fenfuality,
feekes by all meanes to repreffe her inordinate lujl by
exemplifying the worth, refolution, and magnanimity
of his father & her hufband Thefeus : as alfo aggra-
uating the foulenes of the fafl Jhe intended producing
reafons to dijfwade her from profecuting her purpofe
any further : as more particularly the fcandall of the
world, which of necejjity would enfue vpon committing
of a fat~l fo detejlable to the fupreame deitie, fo exorbi-
tant to the law of nature. Next he propoudeth the ine-
uitable reuenge of the Gods aboue, who could not fuf-
fer fuck impieties to pajfe with impunity : but would
chajlife incejluous aflions with the exquijiteft punifh-
ments they referue for any delinquent : concluding
his Epiftle more emphatically: ajfuring her if Jhe would
not defift from her lafciuious intendments, Thefeus
fliould be acquainted with her entirejl thoughts, who
in no wife could brooke her infatiable dejires, but ere
long wotild expiate the guilt of her Jin with thefacri-
fice of her blood.
F4 The
328
The Epiftle of Hyppolitus
vnto Phedra.
IF modeft lines fend out a modeft fmile,
and thofe immodeft vows you dedicate
Vnto my youth ; youths frailty to beguile,
my vertuous bloffoms to extenuate,
What fhould I write ? or in what tempred ftile
fhould I defcribe the ruine of my ftate ?
Since vertue is my centre, truth the/cope,
At which I aime the leuell of my hope ?
I will not call you wanton, but you feeme
too too refpectles of your glorious fame,
That once in Greet for bewty deem'd a Queene,
fhould now grow careleffe to eclipfe the fame.
O better fruits fhould in that groue be feene,
then to neglecT; the glory of your name.
Minos efteemed was more pure, more iuft,
then to expofe his houfe to fhamefull Iuft.
Turne to yourfpoufe my father, and obferue
his worth, his merits, and difclaime your vow,
See
The true-louers knot. 329
See what refpect your Thefius doth deferue,
who confecrates his loue & life to you :
Then I am fure you will be loth to fwerue
from your allegeance, which is Thefeus dew.
He thinkes him bleft in you, O doe not then
impaire the bleffing of fuch bleffed men.
But if you will diflaine my fathers bed,
make it a brothel proftitute to fmne,
Reft well affur'd He neuer heare it faid,
that I his fonne that leudneffe did begin,
To prime \heprime rofe, or to fee it fade
within his bed where I haue nourifh'd been,
For ill it would befeeme both him and me,
that his gray headjhould weare my liuerie.
Let not the glory of your ancient houfe
attainted be, or dazed by your ftaine :
For after ages would fpeake worfe of vs,
and this our fhame would euermore remaine :
Which could not chufe but grow pernicious
to the renowme your Thefeus did attaine.
That he who many monfters vanquifhed,
fhould let a monjler Hue within his bed.
Employ thofe thoughts fo wantonly inclin'd
toth' comfort of your fpoufe, let him receaue
Th' elixir of your loue anew refin'd
your loues the haruejl which your Lord doth craue :
Then keepe not from him that which is afligned,
By
330 Loues Labyrinth, or
by powers fupernall for his worth to haue :
Adore no fhrine but his, let mine alone,
I am his image, he and I are one.
How ill would it befeeme diftaftfull youth,
to wrong the winter of his reuerend age :
Whom (if not graceleffe) would it not moue to 'ruth ?
to foile his bed, Whofe nie-fpent Pilgrimage
Craues pitty by prefcription, grac'd by truth,
and vertues colours, making fame his page,
To follow euery action with her breath,
to giue him life when feaz'd vppon by death.
Looke at the trophies Crejfa doth poffeffe,
times monumentall characters of worth,
And you (hall fee his fpoiles deferue no lefle,
then adoration deifid on earth.
Since euery act proclaimes his mightineffe,
as if defcended from loues diuine breath.
His wars, his conqueft, each expreffe his merit,
indude with more then Adamantine fpirit.
Leaue of inuiting your Hyppolitus
to feftiue banquets, of inceftuous meeting,
Well loues he PJuzdra, better Thefeus,
then to wrong age with fuch licentious greeting,
To make his owne to be moft trecherous.
the fowreft taft from him that feemd his fweeting,
In working fhame 'gainft him who firft fuftained
far more for me then in me is contained.
Much
The true-louers knot. 331
Much do I wonder how you mould conceiue,
fuch a fufpicious thought of my neglect,
Vnto my fathers age ? or how you haue,
grounded the reafons of your fowle fufpect ?
That I his childe, my childehood fhould depraue,
affecting that which loue cannot effect, (wot,)
Which loathed pleafures, loath'd they are (God
to vfe thofe fports which Nature fancieth not.
Thefe ^pa/limes which I follow yeelde content
without repentance : heere's no Parents fhame,
No worlds Rumor : dangers imminent,
haue no repofe mongft thefe : admired fame
Followes the Court, and places eminent,
each feeking how they might dilate their name.
But I refpectleffe of Fames admiration,
reape the content of harmeleffe recreation.
Heere fteepy clifts, and heauen-afpiring Hilles,
Yeeld a fweet aier to relifh my delight, (deftills
There pleafant fprings, from whence fweet ftreames
to quench my thirft : and when the glomie night,
Shuts vp the raies of Phoebus, reft we ftill
till rofie check'd Aurora fhew her light.
Then we addreffe vs to our fports againe,
For where we take delight there is no paine.
Then pardon me, (if pardon I may aske)
that knowes no other pleafure then is heere,
That neuer tooke vpon me any taske,
but
332 Loues Labyrinth, or
but the purfuing of the harmleffe Deere.
I need not fhame, my blufh requires no mafke,
I haue no obiects of affe6tion neere,
But the true fplendor of a Natiue face,
not mix'd with colours to augment her grace.
If Ariadne defolate, forlorne,
fhould heare of your intendments : what would (he
Reply, but ieaft, that he who had forfworne
thofe folemne vowes which fhould obferued be,
Hath well deferu'd to weare his wantons home,
that dedicates her felfe to luxurie.
O fie for fhame, let fhame repreffe that fmne,
which not reprefs'd will fhame both you and him.
How glad would Ariadur heare of this,
who refts deiected, rob'd of that fame Gem,
Which you refpecl not : me conceiu'd a bliffe
in his fweet fmile, whofe fweetneffe did regaine
Her much prifd loue, \\erfpels explan'd no leffe ;
In the fubduing him, who more had flaine,
Then any monfter, that in Crete was bred ;
yet by her Art was foone difcomfited.
But me ! vnhappy fhe, as Bachus would,
depriu'd of him, for whom fuch paneis fhe tooke,
In Chios left, neere after to behold
her darling Thefeus, who (you know) forfooke
Her much diftrefs'd diftreffes did enfold
the very man/ion pitch'd on 62 high to looke,
At
The true- Loners knot. 333
At that vnhappy place where The/ius left her,
whofe abfent fteps all comfort had bereft her.
Then you that are preferr'd before her loue,
fet not at fale the treafiire you poffeffe,
Let Ariadnes exile fomething moue
that fickle minde of yours, whofe wantonneffe,
Seemes more tranfparant in that you approue
more of my loue, then of his excellence.
Whofe beautious outfide's faire, but you may finde,
a farre more beauteous infide of his minde.
Conftant he is, witneffe Peritheus,
whofe two combined hearts fo well vnited,
Haue eterniz'd the loue of Thefeus :
Mirrour of men, that men fhould be exiled,
To paffe fuch fhelfes of perrils dangerous,
With fight of poore Proferpina delighted :
Whom to exempt with Pluto, they remaine,
the one imprifon'd clofe, the other flaine.
Yet could not Pluto barr his eies from teares,
which he pourd out each morne vpon the hearfe,
Of his deare friend, loue after death appeares,
which like an Ecco earths abyffe did pierce,
Opprefs'd with woe, furmifes of vaine feares,
Maugre the furie, of thofe Furies fierce,
And Fiends below, which could not him furprife
with daftard feare : ^Braue Spirits feare defpife.
O
334 Loues Labyrinth, or
O doe not then expofe his vertuous age,
to fuch difhonour adde no difcontent
Vnto his outworne ftrength, left you enrage
his patient fpirit aboue his element.
Doe not corrupt your honour nor engage,
the glory of your birth fo eminent.
Scandalls are foone engendred fooner bred,
then after-times can make extinguifhed.
Doe not degrade your Thefeus from his throne,
Which he enioies, conceiuing more delight,
In that he hath this little of his owne,
reaping contented harbour on the night,
Then th' husband man to reape what he hath fowne,
or the poore Turtle, in her Turtles fight.
Beleeue me Queene, more doth your prefence pleafe
Your TJtcfeus heart, then any one of thefe.
If you would haue Hippolitus to loue,
Loue aged Thefeus for Hippolitus fake ;
For by thofe heauenly powers that raigne aboue,
more comfort mail Hyppolitus partake
By that affe6lion, then Idalias groue,
ere reap'd in Venus when he did awake,
And rous'd from filent flumber to returne,
vnto her Birds which for their Queen did mourn.
Alas, faire queene, why mould you thus affault,
the vnprouided fortrejjfe of mine hart ;
Or
The true-Louers knot. 335
Or why fhould you your colours thus exalt,
difplaying ruine to my chiefeft part,
And vnder ground as in fome fecret vault
laying your fhot, intending to fubuert,
The Bulwarke which fupports my flender being,
to raze my Fort and put my friends to fleeing.
The/<?r/ which I poffeffe is my pure heart,
toy friends the vertues which doe keepe my fort,
The^fr/? in all my dolours beares a part,
thefecond in diftreffe do make refort,
To arme my foule againft inuafions dart
vpon their foe, their furie to retort.
Were 't not a pittie then to fee that fall.
which doth fuftaine my felfe my meanes and all ?
But fure you fee in me fome mew of pleafure,
and gladly would haue me expreffe my thought,
Obie£ling to my fenfes time and leafure,
feldome are fuch delights fo lightly bought,
High is the price of fuch a precious treafure,
and well deferues it to be throughly fought :
But I reply that pleafure lafts not long
that tis vfurp't by force, and tane by wrong.
I loue no bitter fweets immixd with gall,
whofe fharp repentance drowns the pleafure paft,
A pure vnfpotted foule, whofe ^Brafen wall
can hold out battrie and wil euer laft
That feare no ruine, no declining fall,
Soil'd
336 Loues Labyrinth, or
foilde with no blemifh of her mindes diftafte,
But fraught with wealth, thrice happy in her wealth
feeding on free delights, not got by ftelth.
What is that pleafure, where attend eihfeare,
As faith-infringers doe : who violate
The faith they owe : whereby it doth appeare,
they reft refpe6lleffe of their future ftate,
Preferring luft before their Spoufals deare,
their fhame with fhameleffe Acts to aggrauate :
O none God wot : no pleafure can be there,
where there is nought but actions of defpaire.
O let thofe hefts inuiolable ftand,
which heauens aboue confirme, and let them be
As Charaffires, writ by dame Natures hand
to eleuate our fenfes purity :
Proceeding from the immortall powers command,
to confummate our Hues integrity.
That loue's well fquared by an equall line.
whofe ground-worke is grounded on the lawes di-
(uine
But if thefe motiues cannot caution you,
not to adulterife your Nuptiall bed,
Be you affur'd to TJiefeus I will mew
thofe indigefted humors which are bred,
By your vnfetled thoughts which doe- renew
an heape of paflions in your troubled head.
All which concording make that difcord true.
No faith more faithleffe then the Faith of you.
Your
Hypolitus to Phcedra. 337
Your brittle fexe, fo brittle is your mould,
you cannot long be free from alteration :
Grounds \\o.r foundation on no certaine hold,
but toft with fundrie gufts of times mutation,
Expos'd to fhame and to confufion fold,
infringing loue to purchafe recreation,
Which we by nature do accompt a fhame,
to fet them light that haue efteemed them.
Vertues furprifer, chaftities depriuer,
fower of difcord, refuge to the worft,
Forge of ambition enmities contriuer :
an hatefull monfter, vipers birth accurft,
Friendjhips diffoluer,Jimple foides deceiur,
which from perdition had her birth-right fir Jl.
The foile and fale of honour foonejl J}wwen,
where men affect all pleafure faue their oivnc.
And what be thofe but vaine, vnfauourie ioyes,
whofe fruits vnfeas'ned yeeld but fmall delight,
When comforts are conuerted to annoies,
the beauty of our day obfcur'd by night,
And that we iudg'd for ferious feeme as toies,
which haue eclips'd the glory of their light :
And then reuoluing what we did admire
let fall our hopes, to greater things afpire.
O be afham'd to blemifh that faire Roote,
, which had deriuall from the powers aboue,
Z
Staine
338 Hypolitus to Ph&dra.
Staine not your bed with your polluted foot,
loue him alone whom you are bound to loue,
Giue no occafion to your Spoufe to doubt
of your licentious paflion, but remoue,
Both guilt and guilts, fufficion, whofe bright eyes,
lealou/e of nought your fecret'ft councels fpies.
Will you for any pleafure lofe refpecl:,
of all your kindred that attend your fame,
Which once furpriz'd by infamies fufpect,
will call your acls augmenters of their fhame ?
O doe not fo : let not your luft effe6l,
the ruine of that houfe from whence you came :
But as your glorie doth furpaffe the reft,
fo in your heart let virtue build her neft.
Vaine is the_/?0aw, foone fading, foone forgot,
which you do pamper to your ouerthrow,
Time will be, when thofe beautious corps mall rot,
their poore remainder to the earth beftowe;
Then you mail be as if you flourifh'd not
plac'd in earths centre, Stigian lake belowe,
Where Minos Judgement giues of euery fin,
that thofe are guiltie may remaine with him.
He was your father, yet his equitie,
will not permit his Phcedra to tranfgreffe :
His lawes haue no exception, puritie
onely exempted is, whofe eminence
Was
Hypolitus to Pkezdra. 339
Was firft ordain'd to raigne eternally,
in the Elifian fields loues refidence ;
Then chufe which two youpleafe, whether you'le dwel,
in heanen with loue, or with your Sire in hell.
Erect your thoughts depreffed downe belowe,
and let them foare vnto an higher pitch
Then terrene pleafures, let that beauteous fhow
of outward colours your affection teach (flowe
To tafte the Spring of fweetes, from whence doth
fuch mines of treafure, as will more enrich
The Ars'nall of your minde then vaine delight,
which lopped is before it come to height.
Recall to minde Ixions punifhment,
fee in a mirror what his folly got,
Who whil'ft he foar'd aboue his element,
kindly receiv'd of foue, himfelfe forgot :
And as a ftreame which runs too violent,
paffing his bounds and limits, knoweth not
How foone that flowe mail haue a fudden fall,
whofe boundleffe current kept no mene at all.
So did Ixion who in felfe-conceit
of his proportion did afpire too high,
Affecting luno which did ruinate,
the manfion of his Priftine dignitie,
Dafling that fun which fhone fo bright of late,
for with a clowde deceived engendred he
Z 2 The
34-O Hypolitus to Phczdra.
The Centaurs varied formes, which being bred,
to Pelion came, where they inhabited.
O then confine affection with the bound,
of vertues honour, giuing her the place
In euery action, making reafons ground
the ftrong foundation, Time cannot deface,
With beautious faire contexture clofed round,
a correfpondence twixt the minde and face :
The one renown'd by th' others puritie,
as if both made to make one vnity.
Shall Hymens temple be defac'd by you,
Her facred hefts by your inconftancy :
O be affur'd the gods will punifh you,
imbranding fhame in your pofteritie,
To breake your faith and wrong a friend fo true,
vnder pretence of mere fimplicitie :
Leue vertus fliadowe, and your felfe betake,
to loue the fhadow for ft&fubftance fake.
What vertues did your maiden yeeres attend ?
white was your roabe but whiter was your mind,
When all your actions did to vertue tend ;
Each fence her proper function had affign'd,
Vertues foundation had perfections end, (finde,
youth mix'd with grace : rare was't your like to
But now your luftre foil'd by fhameleffe finning,
argues your end farre worfe then your begining.
Crete
Hypolitus to Phcedra. 341
Crete made renown'd by fathers memory,
fhal't be extinguifh'd by the daughter's fhame ?
Times auntient browe records his equitie.
for time-impartialifters merit fame,
Proude was the earth to haue fuch men as he :
earth feem'd by him to change her earthly name.
For nere did fame with truth fo neerely meete,
as when your aged father gouern'd Crete.
O then be daughter to fo good a father,
be his lifes pattern, ftiew from whence you fprang,
Seeke to reuiue his glorie tropheis rather,
then by your fhame to fee them ouerthrowne,
Some fruitfull bloffomes from his vertues gather :
fo may you make your fathers fame your owne :
Crete was fuftained oft by others fall.
but Jhe' s fuftairi d by Phaedra moft of all.
How will this trumpe of glorie make your mind
too low deiefted, feeke an other port
Then that you aime at now : where you mail finde,
more perfecl: folace when you make refort
Vnto \hejkrine of Vertue, that's refined
with pureft colours, where the ftrongeft fort
That could be built by Nature or by Art,
conferues the facred treafure of the heart.
O time deceing youth abufing time,
making her ftale to obie6ls of delight,
Z 3 Seeing
34 2 Hypolitus to Ph&dra.
Seeing the beft will to the worjl decline : (light,
Night-owle, whofe works dare not approach the
Prophaning that which was before diuine,
Truth's great'ft opponent, vertues fecond fight,
Whofe minde bewitching vanities ensnare,
ourcaptiv'd reafon with tjeemingfaire.
More fhould I write, but that I loath to write
of fuch a fubie6l whofe lafciuious foyle,
Makes my poore lines afham'd of fuch delights,
That Parents birth, JJwuld Parents bed defile,
Or to play falfe when he is out of fight :
diftrufting nought fhould I his truft beguile ?
O ceafe to loue Hue to aduance your fame,
freeing your Bed and me from Parents fhame.
Yours if your owne : But being not your owne,
/ will not reope what otJier men haue fowne.
FINIS.
343
To the under/landing Reader.
FOr your better direction I haue re-
duced thefe enfuing notes Alpha-
bettically, with an apt relation to
each particular included in the Poeme,
which may minifter no leffe Grace to the
inuention, then delight to your rea-
ding.
A lamina infula eft Atheniefis, quam Telamon gu-
bernaj/e dicitur, vitibus et myrtetis eiufq. generis
arboribus veftita. vid. Plutarch.
b Flumen maxime omnium inclytum, &c. Flumen e
Niphati monte originem ducens, et Babiloniam celer-
rimo curfufecans, in rubrum mare prolabitur.
c Alueum mutaffe fertur ibid. &c.
d In perfonam amatorum.
c Zeuxis VUCB viuis coloribus depiftce. &c. vid. Plu-
tarch, in Apoth.
f Riphcei monies Arcadia, qui afperrimis verticibus
fubnixi fnnt. md. C<zf. commen.
Ruphcei
344
g Lynceus & Argos incredibili perfpicacia luminum
prcediti.
h Coniux OrpJiei, qua per deferta loca currens, vt
Ariftaum, earn immodefte nimis fequentem, euitaret, a
ferpente venenato infetta extremam diem obijt, earn ve-
re legimus, a Plutone raptam effe, et fub imperio fuo mi-
ferrimam vitam tranfegijfe, vid. Quid, et Senec. Trag.
Her. Fu.
1 Homer, in Iliad, vid: fuper hunc locum. Calabr.
in qtiar. lib. de fupple.
k Turture Jic Turtur iungit amanda fuo. poet.
1 Timon pater Thisbis qui ingetem Thefauri molem
in Area recondidijfe arbitratur, eiufque afpectu mirum
in modum delectabatur. vid fab. in Quid. Met am.
m Naphtha bituminis genus quod afperjiotie aqu<z ve-
hementius exczftuat. Tejlat. Plinio.
n Loue is more vehement depriued of her obie6l.
0 Stellam Veneris appellat Homerus "Evrrepov.
p Vid Lucan. et pallin, de Jid : nominibus.
1 Res eft imperiofa timor.
1 Sordities, ires, nummorum copia mira, his nattira
fenis tribus eft infecla venenis.
f Vnde Veftales virgines candidis ftolis indutas effe
kgimus in Aulo. Cell, in noct. Att.
1 Sublimi ftemmate duftus.
u Nam Ji vis apte nubere, nube part, Ouid.
x SuccincT.is humeris fcuto.
y Vid. Plinium in natur. hift. & Arift. de Natur.
animal.
Quos
345
Quos Jl Argus feruet? qui occulatus totus fuit. Plant,
in Aulular.
z Hippo damia filia cenomai quam Pelops celeritate
curfns obtinebat.
1 Pelopid : humeri : prouerb.
2 Diana.
3 Luftra ferarum. Virg.
4 Noctis opaco cardine fulgebant ftella.
5 Campi Elyjij.
6 Nemejis vltionis dea.
7 Pegafus alatus equus, a quo Hypocrene originem
duxit.
8 O quicunque fub hac habitatis rupe leones, &c. O-
uid. in Metam.
9 Vna duos (inquit) nox perdit amantes, Quid.
10 Sed timidi eft optare necem : ibid.
11 'Myrtus Vener., &c.
12 Progne Philomela, & Itys.
*3 Ter. in vpupam. Rex fueram Jic crifta probat : fed
fordida vita immundam e tanto culmine fecit auem,
Campan. in Ter.
14 Exegi monumentum cere perennius : marmore du-
rius, eboreferenius, vid. Eleg. Flac. et Propert.
J5 ^Egle Aretufa, & Hefperitufa Atlant : filice, qua
hortum Hefperice aureis pomis refertijjimum ope ferpen-
tis perpetuam vigiliam feruantis tenebant, quam poftea
Hercules inter emit, vid. ope : Her : in Sen : Trag.
16 Arbor niueis pulcherrima pomis • Ardua
Moms erat : Ibid. J7 Corticis exiguce, nigrique colo-
ris Ebemis, &c. de natura gagatis : vid. Plin.
Poftquam
346
18 Poftquam vejlem cognouit, et eiufdem. Quid.
19 In tumulum Nini, allocutio.
20 Vifcera plus quant marmorea.
21 Purpurea vela, leniorem auram trahentia, &c.
22 Homer in Iliad, vid. Calab. in deliquijs fuper Jinnc
locum.
23 Fluminis vt cecinit littore cicnus, obit.
24 Gagates qua monumcta excolere folebat non tarn
ob eximia natures proprietates, quam politce et exaratce
Formes elegantias vfurpata. vid. Plin. in Natur. hifto.
25 Batia, fepulchrum 7/z, quod in Ilio erigebatur et in
Troiano bello folenni Jwnore effici legimus. vid. Horn. ib.
26 (wz/05, honos.
27 Et mihi fortis in vnum hcec manus eft : et amor,
&c. Quid. ibid.
28 Quoq. magis tegitur tanto magis ceftuat ignis.
29 In parentes ncenia. 3o Vt fup. vid. eleg. Mart.
3i Volat irreuocabile verbum. 32 Pyra folennis vid.
Funer. antiq. in Gell. et al. 33 Rofa qua redolet, cre-
fcit cum fpina qua punget. 34 Et fugit ad fa lice s, & fe
cupit ante videri. Virg. 35 Vid Virg. in i °. lib. Georg.
de Irrigation^ &c. 36 a Poetical fiction. 37 loues reply.
38 Vid. Hejiod de general, deor. de natal. Hercul. et
Plau. in A mphitruo -pol me hand pcenitet ; Scilicet
boni dimidium mihi diuidere cum loue.
39 Et foror et coniux, &c. Virg. in sEnead. i°. lib.
40 Notte fomniat, qua vigilans voluit. Terent.
41 OJcula libauit natce. Virg. 42 Idas filius Apharei
qui celeritate equorum incredibili, Marpcjfam egregia
forma puelld corripuit. vid. Quid. 43 Horat. in \. lib.
Ratione
347
44 Ratione verum a falfo difcernimus, quam a Natura
nobis injitam /la&emusvid. Cic. i.lib. offi. 45 Qua lato
culmine Buftum occulit, arbuftis teneris intexit opacis.
vide Proper. 46 Tti qucs ramis arbor miferabile corpus,
mine tegis vnius mox & tectura duorum. Ouid. Metam.
47 Qui viret in folijs venit e radicibus humor, et patrum
in natos abeunt cum ftemmate mores. 48 Viuit poft fune-
ra virtus, &c. 49 Vid. Apoth. rom. apud Plutarch.
5° Et germina gemmis effulfere fuis, fragrantia
pafcua veris prcemia diffundunt, noua fert nouafemina.
Terra. Si O quam difficile eft crimen no prodere vultu ?
52 CeJJit poft funera liuor. vid. Apoth. Plut. de Aefchin.
et Demofth. inimicit. et de obitu Demoft.
53 Ingentia terra antra replere folent currentia fonte
perenni, &c. 54 Mare mittit amara, &c. 55 Vetus
vietus veternofus muftellino colore. Terentius.
56 De Oliua refert Plinius, quod poft initi foederis focie-
tatem, ramos eius arboris Fetialis geftare folebat, cuius
indicio pads fpecimina proferebantur, vid. in Philip,
comm. de Bell. Neapol. Oliuce ramos pads indicia dr-
ctimferre folebant ij\ cum quibus coditiones pads confir-
matcefunt. &c. 57 Recipit populos vrna dtatos. Senec.
58 Babilon nunc vero Bagadeth appellata, a Nimrode
extruebatur, & a Semiramide extendebatur. In Euphra-
tem Flu : amaemif : fita : vid : Geo-graph. comen. 59 Quia
offa parentum eorum rogis immifcebantur.
60 Minotaure. 6l Afcendo : vires animus dabat aeque
ita late ^Equora profpeftu metier alta meo. Ouid. in op.
Ariad. Thef.
FINIS.
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Literal Reprints, reproduced with the utmost exactitude, for
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a word being altered, or a single letter departing from the
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to the political events of the times referred to, and some ac-
count of the Authors of the Songs; also copious Appendices
of Notes, Illustrations, Emendations, &c.
The originals are of extreme rarity, perfect copies seldom
being attainable at any public sale, and then fetching prices
that make a book-hunter almost despair of their acquisition.
So great favourites were they in the Cavalier times, that most
copies have been literally worn to pieces in the hands of
their many admirers. There is no collection of songs in the
language surpassing WESTMINSTER DROLLERY, and as repre-
sentative of the lyrics of the first twelve years after the
Restoration it is unequalled : by far the greater number are
elsewhere unattainable : while CHOYCE DROLLERY is one of
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Handsomely printed, 3 -vols.fcap. &vo., published to Sub-
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letters from eminent literary men — F. J. Furnival, J. P.
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&c., &c.
Extract from a Letter from F. J. Furnival, Esq.
"You have added a most rare and curious set of Reprints to the
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success it deserves."
A Book for a Shakespearean Library.
NATURES EMBASSIE I
Divine and Morall Satyres : Shepheards
Tales, both parts : Omphale : Odes,
or Philomels Tears, &c.
BY
R. BRATHWAITE.
The " Shepheards Tales " are so graceful and melodious,
and are so full of allusions to old customs, sports, and the
Limited Reprints.
actual details of the country life of the period — the England
of the time of Shakespeare — that it is very surprising the
whole book has not been reprinted before. "Philomels
Tears" are among the most charming Odes of the period,
and will be appreciated by all true lovers of old-fashioned
poetry. Although the " Divine and Morall Satyres " of the
above are like most others of the family — rather dull, they
have been included to make the book perfect.
The original has long been in great request with Collectors,
and has grown to be very scarce and dear : one of our fore-
most booksellers lately catalogued a copy without the very
scarce first part of the " Shepheards Tales" at ,£10, and I
believe it readily found a purchaser at that price.
The present Reprint contains the whole of the various parts
published under the general titles of " Natures Embassie,"
"Shepheards Tales," &c., and is a literal Reprint, all the
peculiarities of spelling being carefully preserved. The amus-
ing title-page, and the old-style head and tail pieces, initial
letters, &c., have all been facsimiled or imitated.
Four hundred copies only on Small Paper at los. 6d., 50
on Large Paper at i Guinea, and 10 on Whatman's Drawing
Paper at 2 Guineas. Every copy numbered and signed.
" Mr. Roberts has expended on the book all the wealth of his expe-
rienced taste; and type, paper, and binding are all most winning." —
Academy.
"There is a pleasant flavour of the old times in this volume, and
much opportunity of adding to a dictionary of quotations. The whole
is creditable in the highest degree to Mr. Roberts." — Notes and Queries.
ROBERT ROBERTS, BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE.
LIMITED REPRI NTS.
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quotations, which were exceedingly incorrect, have been, in
most cases, put right.
To make the volume more complete, a Memoir of Erasmus,
by the Rev. E. Johnson, M.A., has been added; also an
Appendix of Notes and Illustrations, facsimiles of leaves of
the original edition, and a portrait
Probably no old English work so abounds with colloqui-
alisms and idiomatic expressions. It is a pleasant, gossipy
book, containing a good deal of grave pleasant humour,
the thoughts and sayings of great men, with the notes and
remarks of Erasmus upon the same. It is well printed on
antique ribbed paper, demy 8vo., 540 pages.
*** Only 250 are printed, which are numbered and signed.
Price i is.
ROBERT ROBERTS, BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE.
LIMITED REPRINTS.
BOOKS FOR A SHAKESPEAREAN LIBRARY.
NATURES EMBASSIE:
Divine and Morall Satyres : Shepheards Tales, both parts :
Omphale : Odes, or Philomels Tears, &c.
BY
R. BRATHWAITE.
The "Shepheards Tales" are so graceful and melodious, so full
of allusions to old customs, sports, and the actual details of the
country life of the period — the England of the time of Shakespeare
— that it is very surprising the whole book has not been reprinted
before. " Philomels Tears " are among the most charming Odes
of the period.
The original has long been in great request with Collectors,
and has grown to be very scarce and dear : one of our foremost
booksellers lately catalogued a copy without the very scarce first
part of the " Shepheards Tales" at ^10, and I believe it readily
found a purchaser at that price.
The present Reprint contains the whole of the various parts
published under the general titles of "Natures Embassie," " Shep-
heards Tales," &c., and is a literal Reprint, all the peculiarities
of spelling being carefully preserved. The amusing title-page,
and the old-style head and tail pieces, initial letters, &c., have all
been facsimiled or imitated.
Four hundred copies only on Small Paper at IQS. 6d., 50 on Large Paper at
I Guinea. Every copy numbered and signed.
" Mr. Roberts has expended on the book all the wealth of his experienced
taste ; and type, paper, and binding are all most winning." — Academy.
"There is a pleasant flavour of the old times in this volume ; and much
opportunity of adding to a dictionary of quotations. The whole is creditable
in the highest degree to Mr. Roberts." — Notes and Queries.
"The present volume is a literal reprint of a series of poems dated 1621, and
" printed for Richard Whitaker, London." Among these Poems the " Odes "
were reprinted in 1815, at the Lee Priory Press, by the late Sir Egerton Brydges.
The impression was limited to eighty copies. That editor's remarks may very
well apply to the present reissue : " Readers of narrow curiosity may think
such revivals of forgotten poetry useless, and the superficial may deem them
dull. The highly cultivated and candid mind will judge of them far other-
wise. The volume is printed by Mr. Roberts in his wonted style of elegance." —
Bookseller.
" For the Precisian that dares hardly looke,
(Because th' art pure forsooth) on any booke
Saue Homilies, and such as tend to th'good
Of thee, and of thy zealous brother-hood :
Know my Time-noting lines ayme not at thee,
For thou art too too curious for mee.
I will not taxe that man that's wont to slay
" His Cat for killing mise on th' Sabboth day :
No ; know my resolution it is thus,
I'de rather be thy foe then be thy pus : " — Strappado, p. 109.
A Strappado for the
Diuell.
BY
R. BRATHWAITE.
With an Introduction by the REV. J. W. EBSWORTH, M.A.,
Editor of the Bagford Ballads, Drolleries of the
Restoration, &c.
Elegantly printed on Antique Ribbed Paper, page for page,
and line for line from the Original ; the Old Ornaments and
Head-pieces have been facsimiled. Only 300 on Small Paper at
125. 6d., and 50 on Large Paper at 2is.
This book is full of quaint allusions. It illustrates the Times
by innumerable jocular quips and cranks, proverbs, and a detailed
record of contemporary customs, so that every Shakespearean
student may rejoice at now being able to have a literal reprint
for about as many shillings as they would have to pay pounds for
a good copy of the original ; which was published in 1615, when
Beaumont and Shakespeare had reached their last year, but
while most of the other great dramatists were at their best. It
exemplifies that robust and boisterous vivacity, suited to men of
adventurous spirit and hardihood at the time of England's greatest
intellectual vigour.
Opinions of the Press.
" The perseverance with which contemporary Elizabethan literature is studied
in these times for such incidental light as can be thrown upon the plays of
Shakespeare by allusions to customs and manners of the time, has brought
into a certain degree of note the writings of Richard Brathwaite, till lately
known only to curious scholars. We lately noticed a verbatim reproduction of
" Nature's Embassie," handsomely printed by Mr. Roberts of Boston, in Lincoln-
shire ; and we have now to record the appearance of a companion volume, in
which the original edition of Brathwaite's curious poem, " A Strappado for the
Devil," is reproduced by the same publisher in the same careful way. To the
Shakespearean student this powerful satire is of peculiar interest ; but its intrinsic
merits, its wit and fancy and power of rhymical expression, would alone fully
justify the pains bestowed upon it by the learned editor, Mr. Ebsworth, who
contributes an interesting introduction. The volume also comprises the shorter
satires and the collection entitled " Love's Labyrinth," originally published in
1615. These editions are all strictly limited in number.'" — Daily News, Sep.
i6th, 1878.
" In addition to his value as an original author, Brathwaite has a value quite
distinct, or he could not have found the favour he has found with certain com-
petent scholars. He is of considerable use for the illustrations he furnishes of
contemporary literature: many a Shakespearean phrase and allusion, for instance,
have light thrown upon them from his pages ; and, secondly, he is of con-
siderable interest as a representative man. The characteristics of the late
Elizabethan or Jacobean age show clear in him. He threw himself into the
life of his time with a wild enthusiasm. "A mad world, my masters ; " and
Brathwaite was at home in it. ... We have in Brathwaite a man of a curiously
mixed nature, or rather — for that description would apply to us all — a man who
displays his mixedness with a curious frankness and fullness. We see him in
his cups ; we see him at his prayers. A strange figure this, now reeling, now
kneeling. Do not let us doubt his sincerity : he drinks with zest ; he prays with
all earnestness. He is a vehement, impulsive man, who must still be talking,
still unbosoming himself, still giving voice to the passion of the moment. Al-
ways hating Puritanism — it had no heartier enemy — he struggles to be religious
and to recommend religiousness in what he thought a more liberal spirit than
the Puritanic ; yet in the midst of his aspirations and efforts there would intrude
at times far ether thoughts, and all of a sudden the paraphrast of " The Psalms
of David the King and Prophet and of other holy prophets " is busy conjugating
his favourite verb : —
" Sat est, verbum declinavi,
Titubo — titubas — titubavi."
The Psalms of David and the songs of Anacreon, he can sing them both con
amore, this versatile gentleman Brathwaite has always some vivacity and
vigour ; he is never utterly dull ; now and then he writes with true force and
dignity, and he furnishes here many of those illustrations of contemporary life
and literature which we have mentioned as giving value to his works. He
quotes " a horse, a kingdom for a horse," from Richard III. ; and " Halloa ye
pampered Jades," from Tamlerlaine the Great, second part. Here is an early
reference to Cervantes' famous romance : —
" If I had lived but in Don Quixote's time,
His Rozinant had been of little worth ;
For mine was bred within a colder clime,
And can endure the motion of the earth
With greater patience ; nor will he repine
At any provender, so mild is he.
How many men want his humility ! "
Certainly the student, whatever may be said of the " general reader," will find
this volume repay perusal." — Academy, Nov. and, 1878.
" Mr. Roberts is an enthusiast of a kind rare in England, an enthusiast for
the production of finely-printed books. It would not seem to have much ante-
cedent probability that the place where these volumes of Brathwaite, and the
Apophthegmes of Erasmus, and Mr. Pickering's lately-published Coleridge
should see the light would be the Strait Bafgate in Boston, the narrow street of
the dull Lincolnshire town whose existence seems to be summed up in two
things, its church and its corn-wharves. But there is no law in these matters,
and nothing appears to prevent good things from coming out of Boston.
Nature's Eml-assie denotes the message sent by Nature "totliis age for her
Reformation " — by Nature before she was degenerate and " adorned with un-
naturalizjd ornaments, which nature never apparelled her with " : —
" Doth not thy habite shew thy wanton mind,
Forward to all things but to vertuous life :
Passing those bounds which Nature hath assign'd,
'Twixt Art and Nature by commencing strife ?
I tell thee, Nature sends me to represse
Thy foolish toyes, thy inbred wantonnesse."
It is strange to find a Jacobean Englishman thus anticipating Jean Jacques.
.... Of the satires themselves it is curious to note how much the best are those
in which the writer has real examples before his eyes or a pointed story to tell.
Clytemnestra, Tereus, and Polynices are chronicled in the dreariest fashion ; but
it is a different thing when we come to Hypocrisie and Brathwaite's pet aversion,
the Puritan : —
" Claudius is pure, abjuring prophane things,
Nor will he companie with wickednesse ;
He hates the source whence leud affection springs,
He'll not consent with deeds of naughtinesse ;
Yet he will deale, so none do see his sinne,
Yea though heavens eyes he cares not looke on him.
He will not speake unto a maid in th' streete,
Lest his repute should fall into decay ;
Yet if they two in private chance to meete
He in a pure embrace will bid her stay,
Saying : I will instruct thee prettie Nan,
How thou shall be a formal Puritan."
And so on, in lines of which the vigour is evidently the fruit of strong feeling.
Any one who wishes to understand Brathwaite need go no further than these
books ; and indeed we venture to hope that Mr. Ebsworth was saying what he
wished rather than what he intended when he wrote, " The first duty now is to
reprint Brathwaite's various works with scrupulous fidelity." Surely these two,
with Mr. Hazlitt's re-issue of Haslewood's edition of Barnalee, are enough.
. . . One of Brathwaite's best poems, and one that really could not be spared
on account of its references to his contemporaries, Wither, Browne, Ben Jonson,
and others, is his Epistle to the Poetasters of Britlaine." — Saturday Review,
Jan. 25th, 1879.
" The only work of Brathwaite which is known outside the small circle of
students of early literature is the ' Barnabse Itinerarium,' which, thanks to its
subject, to the pains of Haslewood, and to the praise of Leigh Hunt, has passed
through several editions. A reprint literal in all respects, even to the preserva-
tion of all pecularities of spelling and blunders in the Latin and Greek marginal
notes, of some of his rarest poetical tracts is a distinct boon to a certain set of
readers, to whom the majority of Brathwaite's works are quite inaccessible. ... ,
We are glad to have the opportunity of access to his work, and are thankful for '
this handsome and attractive edition. The entire reprint is limited 10350 copies/ '
The prefatory matter is ample and accurate." — Athenaeum, Aug. i/th, 1878.
ROBERT ROBERTS, BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE.