my race of youthfull yéeres had roon Alwayes vntyed and not but once in thrall Euen I which had the fieldes of fréedome woon And liu'd at large and playde with pleasurs ball Lo nowe at last am tane agayne and taught To tast such sorowes as I neuer sought I loue I loue alas I loue indéede Ierie alas but no man pityes me My woundes are wide yet seme they not to bléed And hidden woundes are hardly heald we sée Such is my lucke to catch a sodain clappe Of great mischaunce in séeking my good happe My morning minde which dwelt and dyed in dole Sought company for solace of the same My cares were cold and craued comforts coale To warme my will with flakes of friendly flame I sought and found I crau'd and did obtaine I woon my wish and yet I got no gaine For whiles I sought the cheare of company Fayre fellowship did wonted woes reuiue And crauing medcine for my maladie Dame pleasures plasters prou'd a corosiue So that by myrth I reapt no fruite but mone Much worse I fere than when I was alone The cause is this my lot did light to late The Byrdes were flowen before I found the nest The stéede was stollen before I shut the gate The cates consumd before I smelt the feast And I fond foole with emptie hand must call The gorged Hauke which likes no lure at all Thus still I toyle to till the barraine land And grope for grappes among the bramble briers I striue to saile and yet I sticke on sand I déeme to liue yet drowne in déepe desires These lottes of loue are fitte for wanton will Which findes too much yet must be séeking still Meritum petere graue The louer encouraged by former examples determineth to make vertue of necessitie WHen I record with in my musing mind The noble names of wightes bewicht in loue Such solace for my selfe therin I finde As nothing maye my fixed fansie moue But paciently I will endure my wo Because I sée the heauens ordayne it so For whiles I read and ryfle their estates In euery tale I note mine owne anoye But whiles I marke the meanings of their mates I séeme to swime in such a sugred ioye As did parcase entise them to delight Though turnd at last to drugges of sower despite Peruse who list Dan Dauids perfect déedes There shall he find the blot of Bersabe Wheron to thinke my heauy hart it bléedes When I compare my loue like hir to be Vrias wife before mine eyes that shines And Dauid I from dutie that declines Then Salomon this princely Peophetes sonne Did Pharaos daughter make him fall or no Yes yes perdie his wisdome coulde not shoone Hir subtill snares nor from hir counsell go I nam as hée the wisest wight of all But well I wot a woman holdes me thrall So am I lyke the proude Assirian Knight Which blasphem'd God and all the world defied Yet could a woman ouercome his might And daunt his force in all his Pompe and Pride I Holiferne am dronken brought to bead My loue lyke Iudith cutting of my head If I were strong as some haue made accompt Whose forre is like to that which Sampson had If I be bolde whose courage can surmount The heart of Hercules which nothing drad Yet Dalila and Deyanyraes loue Dyd teach them both such panges as I must proue Well let these passe and thinke on Nasoes name Whose skilfull verse dyd flowe in learned style Dyd hée thinke you not dote vpon his Dame Corinna fayre dyd shée not him beguile Yes God he knowes for verse nor pleasaunt rymes Can constant kéepe the key of Cressides crimes So that to ende my tale as I began I see the good the wise the stoute the bolde The strongest champion and the learnedst man Haue bene and bée by lust of loue controlde Which when to thinke I hold me well content To liue in loue and neuer to repen◠Meritum petere graue The delectable history of sundry aduentures passed by Dan Bartholmew of Bathe The Reporter TO tell a tale without authoritye Or fayne a Fable by inuencion That one procéedes of quicke capacitye That other proues but small discretion Yet haue both one and other oft bene done And if I were a Poet as some be You might perhappes here some such tale of me But far I fynde my féeble skyll to faynt To faine in figurs as the learned can And yet my tongue is tyde by due constraint To tell nothing but trueth of euery man I will assay euen as I first began To tell you nowe a tale and that of truth Which I my selfe sawe proued in my youth I néede not séeke so farre in costes abrode As some men do which write strange historyes For whiles at home I made my cheife abode And sawe our louers plaie their Tragedyes I found enough which séemed to suffice To set on worke farre finer wittes than mine In paynting out the pangs which make them pine Amongst the rest I most remember one Which was to me a déere familyar friend Whose doting dayes since they be paste and gone And his annoye neare come vnto an ende Although he séeme his angry brow to bend I wyll be bold by his leaue for to tell The restlesse state wherein he long dyd dwell Learned he was and that became him best For though by birth he came of worthy race Yet beutie byrth braue personage and the rest In euery choyce must needes giue learning place And as for him he had so hard a grace That by aspect he seemde a simple man And yet by learning much renowne he wan His name I hide and yet for this discourse Let call his name Dan Bartholmew of Bathe Since in the ende he thither had recourse And as he sayd dyd skamble there in skathe In déede the rage which wrong him there was rathe As by this tale I thinke your selfe will gesse And then with me his lothsome lyfe confesse For though he had in all his learned lore Both redde good rules to bridle fantasie And all good authours taugh him euermore To loue the meane and leaue extremitie Yet kind hath lent him such a qualitie That at the last he quite forgat his bookes And fastned fansie with the fairest lookes For proofe when gréene youth lept out of his eye And left him now a man of middle age His happe was yet with wandring lookes to spie A fayre yong impe of proper personage Eke borne as he of honest parentage And truth to tell my skill it cannot serue To praise hir bewtie as it dyd deserue First for hir head the béeres were not of Gold But of some other metall farre more fine Whereof eache crinet seemed to behold Like glistring wiers against the Sunne that shine And therewithall the blazing of hir eyne Was like the beames of Titan truth to tell Which glads vs all that in this world do dwell Vpon hir chéekes the Lillie and the Rose Did entremeete with equall change
to vse that for a Spurre which I had heere appoynted for a Brydle I can none otherwise lameÌ„t it but to say that I am not the first which hath bene misiudged Truely gentle Reader I protest that I haue not ment heerein to displease any man but my desire hath rather bene to coÌ„tent most men I meane the diuine with godly Hymnes and Psalmes the sober minde with morall discourses and the wildest will with sufficient warning The which if it so fall out then shall I thinke my selfe right happie And if it fall out otherwise I shall yet neuer bee ashamed to become one of their corporation which reape floutes and reprehension for their trauayles But bicause these Posies growe to a great bundell and thereof also the number of louing lynes exceedeth in the Superlatiue I thought good to aduertise thee that the most part of them were written for other men And out of all doubt if euer I wrote lyne for my selfe in causes of loue I haue written tenne for other men in layes of lust For I counte greater difference betweene loue and lust than there is diuersitie betweene witte and wisedome and yet witte and I did in youth make such a fray that I feare his cosen wisedome will neuer become freendes with me in my age VVell though my folly bee greater than my fortune yet ouergreat were mine vnconstancie if in mine owne behalfe I shoulde compyle so many sundrie Songs or Sonets I haue heard of an honest plaine meaning Citizen who being ouercharged with many matters in the lawe and hearing of a common solicitor of causes in the Citie came home to comfort his wife and tolde hir that he had heard of one which dwelt at Billingsgate that coulde helpe all men Euâ—n so good Reader I was a great while the man which dwelt at Billingsgate For in wanton delightes I helped all men though in sad earnest I neuer furthered my selfe any kinde of way And by that it proceedeth that I haue so often chaunged my Posie or worde For when I did compile any thing at the request of other men if I had subscribed the same with mine owne vsuall mot or deuise it might haue bewrayed the same to haue beene of my doing And I was euer curious in that behalfe as one that was lothe to bewray the follies of other men And yet as you see I am not verie daungerous to lay my selfe wide open in view of the worlde I haue also sundrie tymes chaunged mine owne worde or deuise And no meruaile For he that wandereth much in those wildernesses shall seldome continue long in one minde VVell it were follie to bewayle things which are vnpossible to be recouered sithence Had I wist doth seldome serue as a blasone of good vnderstanding And therefore I will spende no more wordes in this Preface but I pray thee to smell vnto these Posies as Floures to comfort Herbes to cure and VVeedes to be auoyded So haue I ment them and so I beseech thee Reader to accept them Farewell T.B. In prayse of Gascogines Posies WE prayse the plough that makes the fruitelesse soyle To bring forth corne through helpe of heauenly might And eke esteeme the simple wretches toyle VVhose painefull handes doe labour day and night VVe prayse the ground whereon the herbes do grow VVhich heale or helpe our greeues and mortall paine Yea weedes haue worth wherein we vertue know For natures Art nothing hath made in vaine VVe prayse those floures which please the secrete sense And do content the tast or smell of man The Gardners paynes and worke we recompence That skilfull is or aught in cunning can But much more prayse to Gascoignes penne is due VVhose learned hande doth here to thee present A Posie full of Hearbes and Flowers newe To please all braynes to wit or learning bent Howe much the minde doth passe the sense or smell So much these Floures all other do excell E.C. In prayse of Gascoignes Posies IN gladsome Spring when sweete and pleasant shoures Haue well renued what winters wrath hath torne And that we see the wholesome smelling Floures Begin to laugh rough winters wracke to scorne If then by chaunce or choyce of owners will VVe roame and walke in place of rare delightes And therein finde what Arte or natures skill Can well set forth to feede our hungrie sightes Yea more if then the owner of the soyle Doth licence yeelde to vse all as our owne And gladly thinkes the fruites of all his toyle To our behoofe to be well set and sowne It cannot be but this so great desart In basest breast doth bâ—eede this due regarde VVith worlde of thankes to prayse this friendly part And wish that woorth mought pay a iust rewarde Good Reader then beholde what gallant spring This booke brings forth of fruites of finest sortes Be bolde to take thy list of euerie thing For so is ment And for thy glad disportes The paine was tane therefore lo this I craue In his behalfe that wrote this pleasant worke VVith care and cost and then most freely gaue His labours great wherein great treasures lurke To thine auayle let his desartes now binde thee In woorde and deede he may still thankfull finde thee M.C. commending the correction of Gascoignes Posies THe Beares blinde whelpes which lacke both nayles and heare And lie like lumpes in filthie farrowed wise Do for a time most ougly beastes appeare Till dammes deare tongue do cleare their clozed eyes The gadde of steele is likewise blunt and blacke Till file and fire do frame it sharpe and bright Yea precious stones their glorious grace do lacke Till curious hand do make them please the sight And so these floures although the grounde were gay VVhereon they grew and they of gallant hew Yet till the badde were cullde and cast away The best became the worse by such a crew For my part then I lyked not their smell But as they be I like them pretly well R.S. In prayse of Gascoignes Posies THe pleasant plot wherein these Posies gâ—â—w May represent Parnassus springs indeede VVhere Pallas with hir wise and learned crew Did plant great store and sow much cunning seede That Goddesse then on whom the Muses wayte To garde hir grounde from greedie gathrers spoyle Hath here ordeynde by fine and close conceyte A greene knight chiefe and master of the soyle Such badge beares he that beautified this booke VVith glorious shew of sundrie gallant flowers But since he first this labor vndertooke He gleand thereout to make the profite ours A heape of Hearbes a sort of fruitfull seedes A needefull salue compound of needlesse weedes Appendix All these with more my freend here freely giues Nor naked wordes nor streyne of straunge deuise But Gowers minde which now in Gascoigne liues Yeeldes heere in view by iudgement of the wise His penne his sworde himselfe and all his might To Pallas schoole and Mars in Princes right T. Ch. In prayse of Gascoignes Posies THough goodnesse of the
them shée layde also before him howe trusty she had bene vnto him in all professions she confessed also howe faithfullye he had discharged the duety of a friend in al respectes and therwithall she declared that her late alteration and pensiuenesse of minde was not without great cause for that she had of late such a mishap as might chaunge the disposition of any lyuing creature Yea and that the case was such as vnlesse she found present remedy hir death must needes ensue and that spedely for the preuenting whereof she alledged that she had beaten hir braines with al deuises possible and that in the ende she could thinke of no redresse but one the which lay only in him to acomplish Wherfore she besought him for all the loue and good will which had euer passed betwéene them nowe to shewe the fruites of true friendship and to gratifie hir with a frée graunt to this request The louer who had alwayes bene desirous to pleasure hir in any thing but now especially to recouer hir wonted kindnesse gan franklye promise to accomplishe any thing that might be to him possible yea though it were to his great detriment and therewithall dyd déepely blame hir in that shée would so long torment hir selfe with any griefe considering that it lay in him to helpe it The Ladye aunswered that she had so long kept it from his knowledge bicause she doubted whether hée would be content to performe it or not although it was such a thing as he might easely graunt without any manner of hurt to himself yet now in the ende she was forced to aduenture vppon his curtesie being no longer able to beare the burdē of hir griefe the louer solicited her most earnestly to disclose it and she as fast séemed to mistrust that he would not accomplish it In the ende she tooke out a booke which she had brought for the nonce bound him by othe to accomplishe it The louer mistrusting nothing lesse thā that ensued toke the othe willingly which done she declared al that had passed betwene hir hir husband his griefe hir repentance his pardon hir vowe and in the ende of hir tale enioyned the louer that from thenceforthwardes he should neuer attempt to breake her constant determinatiō the louer replied that this was vnpossible But she plainlye assured him that if he graunted hir that request she would be his friend in al honest godly wise if not she put him out of doubt that she would eschew his company and flée from his sight as from a scorpion The louer considering that hir request was but iust accusing his owne guiltye conscience remembring the great curtesies alwayes vsed by hir husband and therewithall séeing the case now brought to such an issue as that by no other meanes than by this it could be conceiled from the knowledge of the worlde but most of all being vrged by his othe dyd at last giue an vnwilling consent and yet a faithful promise to yelde vnto hir wyl in al thinges and thus being become of one assent he remaineth the derest friend most welcome gest that may be both to the Lady and hir husband and the man and the wife so kind each to other as if there neuer had bene such a breche betwen them Now of you noble Gouernor I would faine lerne whether the perplexity of the husband when he looked in at the keye hoole or of the wife when she knewe the cause why the Carolines were so scattered or of the louer when he knew what was his mistres charge was greater of the thrée I might haue put in also the troubled thoughts of the sisters the mayd when they saw their good wil reiected but let these thrée suffice Gentle Hope quod Ferdinando you haue rehearsed that right eloquētly a notable tale or rather a notable history because you séeme to affirme that is was done in dede of late not far hence Wherein I note fiue especial pointes that is a maruailous patience in the husband no lesse repentaunce in the wife no smal boldnesse of the mayde but muche more rashnesse in the sisters last of al a rare tractabilitie in the louer Neuerthelesse so returne vnto your question I thinke the husbands perplexity greatest because his losses abounded aboue the rest his iniuries were vncōparable The Lady Fraunces did not seme to contrary him but rather smiled in hir sléeue at Dame Pergo who had no lesse patience to here the tale recited then the Lady Fraunces had pleasure in telling of it By this time the sléeping houre aproched the Ladyes prepared their departure when as mistres Fraūces sayd vnto the Venetiane Although percase I shall not do it so hādsomly as your mistres yet good Trust quod she if you vouchsafe it I can be content to trim vp your bed in the best maner that I may as on who would be as glad as she to procure your quiet rest Ferdinando gaue hir great thāks desiring hir not to trouble hirself but to let his man alone with that charge Thus they departed how al partyes toke rest that night I knowe not but in the morning Ferdinando began to consider with himselfe that he might lye long ynough in his bed before his mistres would be apeased in hir peuishe conceipts wherfore he arose being aparelled in his night gowne tooke occation to walke in the gallery néere adioyning vnto his mistres chamber but there might he walke long inough ere his Mistresse would come to walke with him When dinner time came he went into the great chamber whereas the Lord of the Castle saluted him being ioyful of his recouerye Ieronimy giuing due thanks declared that his friēdly entertainement togeather with the great curtesie of the gentlewomen was such as might reuiue a man although he were halfe dead I would bée loath quod the hoast that any Gentleman comming to mee for good wyll shoulde want any curtesie of intertainement that lyeth in my power When the meate was serued to the table the Gentlewomen came in all but Dame Elynor and Mistresse Pergo the which Ferdinando marked very well and it dyd somewhat abate his apetite After diner his Hope came vnto him and demaunded of him howe hée would passe the daye for his recreation to whome he answered euen as it best pleased hir She deuised to walke into the parke and so by litle and litle to acquaint himself with the ayre he agréed and they walked togeather being accompanied with one or two other gentle women And although there were nowe more cause that hee shoulde mistrust his Mistresse than euer he had before receyued yet the vehement passions which he sawe in her when she first came to visite him and moreouer the earnest words which she pronounced in his extremitie were such a refreshing to his minde as that he determined no more to trouble him selfe with like conceiptes concluding further that if his mistresse were not faultie then had