Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A09644
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Vertues anatomie. Or A compendious description of that late right honorable, memorable, and renowned Bedfordshire lady, the Lady Cheany, of Tuddington. By Charles Pierse
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Pierse, Charles.
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1618
(1618)
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STC 19909; ESTC S102573
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34,544
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80
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merit and desart doth grace Made great by birth and honor not by chance As Fortune's wont her followers to aduance Can better tell these things then I can name them And learne such vaine affections how to tame them Whereby your Predecessors got more grace And more renowne then time can ere deface Combining to your noble house that fame Which liues in you vnblemisht farre from blame And though that I great Lord doe write of that Which Fame the world and time haue wondered at And by aduenturing wrong my shallow wit In ayming at the marke I cannot hit Yet let some gratious censure from your honor Fall on my pen which tooke too much vpon her Since from that streame and fountaine you doe spring As this most noble lady did I sing Her worth impeach't yours must eclypsed bee Which in all things with hers doth co-agree Though my plaine dutie all too meane prefers Yet reade great Lord not for my sake but hers Which was a light to those that farre succeeds For vertuous 〈◊〉 and honorable deeds Who drawes 〈◊〉 such how much more then Need they of vertue store to equall them When springing honor in such tender yeares Vnto the world so fresh and greene appeares What shall we thinke of after comming time But that your glory more and more will shine Where that bright starre within your brest begunne May quickly rise to be a glorious Sunne And in the highest Spheare of golden fame Rides heauens large circuite with your noble name So thriue still honor flourish euer faire Let no clouds rise such glory to impaire Nor your proceedings any whit dismay T'eclypse the beautie of so faire a day But that your glasse at eu'nings watch match may run As faire and cleare as when it first begun Then noble Lord my humble duety spare What wants in me your Honor may repaire And mend those ruinous breaches which my quill Hath fall'n into for want of better skill And I as bound to this shall tune my song Pray heauens true honor may continue long Thus not presuming what may be amisse I pardon craue and make an end with this TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE the Ladie WENTWORTH RIght Honorable ere I doe begin I pardon craue presumption is a sinne Lest I too much vpon my selfe relying May Icarus-like perhaps repēt my flying The plague of many Poets which do think Their owne to be the pure immortall drinke But I that farre inferiour am to them Ascribe no such vain-glory to my pen Nor yet will ouerprize what I do know Is past my skill to iudge or power to show If ought within this little volume lies A worke too weake for your iudicious eyes Which might ' gainst me the smallest fire incense I should be loath to giue so much offence Yet doe not fixe your wrath before you trie And heare great Lady my Apologie Perchance my meannesse barres me of that fauour Which others gaine in as vnworthy labour If that it doth or bare originall birth In sight of heauen is nought or little worth Hee 's no accepter of the noblest blood Aboue the meaner persons which are good All 's one to him his power created all Hee 's great'st with him that on his name doth call The abiects and the out-casts of all things In this prerogatiue may compare with Kings Heauens are not partiall all 's alike respected None for their greatest honor are elected If this be not the cause another yet May hazard what this former could not hit And bid me call in question straight my pen That hath not writ so learn'd as other men Hauing a subiect so repleate with honor And could not shew no better skill vpon her This plunges deeper and hard claime doth lay Vnto my thoughts I know not what to say But since thou can'st not paint nor steale no wit With borrowed shapes or Artes to furnish it In plainest colours thou hast truely pen'd them Vertue and honor need no arte to mend them Besides it was her pleasure minde and will To haue her vertues vnderualued still For it is not so true as common knowne The purest vertues neuer seeke their owne And heauens agree and with their names dispence To grace the truth and leaue out eloquence For he respects the heart more then the tongue Or else we all should doe his Godhead wrong Then if that heauens in this from blame doth free mee Why should not mortals through his glory see mee And set mee free from any scorne and hate Since heauen in all things all should imitate It may be yet another may arise And show it selfe vnpleasing to your eies And that is this the want of wealth and state Which holds too many in disgrace and hate Yet in the sight of heau'ns the poor'st are grac'd And are not for their want of meanes displac'd If the small'st mite or sparke of grace he findes Doth worke at all within their hearts and mindes Nor doth he cast away the poorest slaue From entring in if grace be found to saue But like vnto decayed plants doth cherish Their dying roots and will not let them perish Then noble Lady if that these may claime The least respect and shelter me from blame I shall be glad when first I vndertooke To write to such great minds this little booke Where my too worthlesse duetie more affords Conceal'd within not to be tould in words Accept it Honor then since 't is the first Your greatnesse soone may grac't or make it worse But whether 't is my fortune or my fate I now must take 't repentance comes too late Yet many fauours farre aboue my merit I haue receiu'd from your most noble spirit Which makes me hope that now I shall not misse But likewise be receiu'd and grac'd in this For which I le studie by my best endeauer In faithfull seruice bound fast yours for euer Then noble Ladie deigne to take a view Of those faire vertuous parts and honors true Which faire example left so rich behinde To fill the vertuous storehouse of your minde Whose worthie branches from that tree descended Make honors goe with vertues rich attended Where some of them if all you doe not finde Ingrauen in your honorable minde TO SIR HENRY CROFTS IF that my lines may be at all respected And not for their vnworthinesse reiected Which though too meane faine would remember yet The loue I owe which many doe forget The seruice and the dutie which desires Though your desarts farre greater worth requires To yeeld some thankes by meane endeauors prest You in your better iudgement know the rest From Shepheards cells expect no more to finde Then what may please the best contented minde Our tables are not furnisht with such cost For sumptuous cheere or lofty faire to boast Such as we haue we giue on trust we goe not To entertaine you Sir with that we owe not Nor yet by stealth doe seeke to winne your loue To beare the name of that we cannot proue
mourne Some of thy power into my brest infuse That my dim candle may the better burne And giue the clearer light vnto her honour Admird so much of all that e're heard on her A subiect far vnfit for such a quill But that I thinke some fatall hand doth guide it And carries mee away against my will Not suffering me within my breast to hide it Such fire as this doth seldome burne within me That hath such power thus from my selfe to win me Nor doe I thinke sufficient my weake skill So great a subiect for to entertaine Far be such thoughts from my vnworthy quill VVhich humbly writes and not for glory vaine No I doe know my selfe praise cannot tempt me Since Learning wit and all things else preuent me But for some stricter bond which neerer ties me And zeale vnto that honord house I owe VVhich far aboue my power doth seeke to trie me My duty in these humble lines to shew This mite of wit this little tallent lent me Which my boūd seruice al too meane hath sent thee For which I doe confesse Minerua might Haue cause to sing in memorable lines The Muses if they did her honor right Might haue sufficient worke for after times And all the learned wits that were of yore Might spēd some paines to grace her vertues more But this vilde age which for the most part graces The vitious nature and the hartlesse mindes And honors asses spring from golden races VVherein true merit seldome any findes For where there 's one such fit for honors place Ther 's ten for him which fils them with disgrace For gilded greatnesse sticke too much with prayses Whose swelling pride bears al things down before thē This age to greater fame and fortune rayses That like to Demigods the world adores them What pearles of prayses daily of them rings Blowne with the winde of adulations wings What armes what trophies haue they not erected What glory brought their vpstart houses to And in this world what persons more respected VVhat is' t so hard but that their power can doe Mamon their God can purchase all for them Lands fame renowne nay more the soules of men These like the Dragon carry with their tayle The third part of the starres and rule the earth Their pride and power with controule preuaile And eate vp poore men like a timelesse dearth These which their greatnesse keepe the world in awe Their will their reason and must stand for lawe For which great cause Dame vertue euer mourns That her owne heires are destitute of fauours And others worthlesse placed in their romes To feed vpon their true deseruing labors VVhilst they doe swell with honours she doth pine And must be forc'd to beg or serue the time Oh yee desired times reuerse your course Vnto those antient customes which were then And let not these preferments lighs of worse VVhich were ordain'd for wise and learned men For honor vertue wisedome worth and merit Are the true heires those places to inherit Oh pardon me if I mistake my pen And from my purpose doe a little swarue It is the great abuses of these men Which doe the time themselues and fortune serue That are vnto that height of greatnesse growne Masking in merits shape and not their owne Was this the first cause of gentilitie Or from what stocke or roote did it descend Was this the ground of true humanitie Their greatnes by their greatnes to offend Was this the race from whom all Gentles sprung Wherein that worthy name was first begun Was lands or large possessions the foundation That men vnto that reuerend title came Or this worlds largest rule or domination Whereon so many did their glories frame If these must be the cause what will you call Adam to be which first possessed all If what this earths great compasse forth could bring Whereof the least part makes a Gentile now Might neither be a Gentlle Lord nor King Nor to him honors nor renowne allowe Why should his broode with pride so much abound Possessing but a little peece of ground Wast wealth or all the riches of the earth Without the which the best are held in scorne That could compose a Gentleman by birth Being meerely from the loynes of Adam borne Oh no if I should craue that faire discent From that foule roote I feare I should be shent Wast might or some oppressing Nymrods hand Whose powerfull pride did awe the weaker creatures And sought by force and violence to command More then his owne and raise that name to nature No heau'ns forbid vsurping tyranny Should ere be sprung from true gentility What was it then from humaine birth deriu'd And had it her first being from that kinde The marke for which antiquitie long hath striu'd And which doth challeng the most fairest signe Oh how can nature I would aske this first Be gentle cald whom heauens before had curst No Adam if that these can title claime As none without them now liues in request And challeng to themselues this gentle name Which at the first was onely giuen the best Then was thy birth thy wealth and worldly store The most and great'st what man had euer more No these are but th' admired broode of time Blowne like a bladder vp with froth and winde Made worldly great by prouidence diuine When small gentility resteth in their minde Their fortunes rises but their vertues fall Poor'st in greatst plenty weake when great'st of all But why doe I to little purpose striue And make my selfe more curious far then wise This name from her beginning to deriue When euery vulgar worldling too precise Doe hold too little for his swelling pride Whom no boūds hold nor compasse true can guide Yet since my laboring pen so much doth craue To search the ground of this so worthy name I must attempt with that bare skill I haue For to define least that I purchase blame For all these foure rehearst can neuer doe it Although they lay hard claime and title to it 'T was vertue merit and an humble minde 'T was curteous qualities and most faire conditions 'T was true desart loue and affections kinde Grac't with the mil'dst and purest dispositions 'T was learned arts and honor which proceeds Not from rough might but weake boūteous deeds 'T was an assisting not oppressing hand That did extend to charitable vses Defending right and truth which could not stand Free in those daies from wrongs and some abuses Whose zeale did burne with vertue and made all Their end true honor not an others fall 'T was iustice piety and a sacred spirit Which first inforc'd that faire name to be giuen Ador'd with famous deeeds and noble merits Whose birth and being is deriu'd from heauen No carnall birth no wealth nor worldly honor Can well be said to haue affinite from her And yet the most this age so much bewitches Digresse from these or else my muse mustly Translated now to honor state and riches In