Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A20834
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Peirs Gaueston Earle of Cornvvall His life, death, and fortune.
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Drayton, Michael, 1563-1631.
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1594
(1594)
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STC 7214; ESTC S105408
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27,911
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79
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Peirs Gaueston EARLE OF CORNWALL His life death and fortune Effugiunt auidos carmina sola rogos AT LONDON Printed by I. R. for N. L. and Iohn Busby and are to be sold at the West doore of Paules To the vvorthy and honorable Gentleman Maister Henry Caundish Esquire TIme-enobled Gentleman and euer-honoured Ma. Caundish highly esteeming you in mine owne opinion amongst the number of those who for theyr rare deserts and excellencie of their minds in this world-declining age haue their names registred in the Catilogue of the most worthiest of this time as a kinde Maecenas to Schollers a fauourer of learning and Arts which shall engraue your name with the Diamond of Fame in the Christall mirror of Heauen I present to your iudiciall view the tragicall discourse of the life death and fortune of PEIRS GAVESTON whose name hath been obscured so many yeeres and ouer-past by the Tragaedians of these latter times assuring my selfe your honourable patronage shall protect him against the Art-hating humorists of this malicious time whose enuious thoughts like Quailes feed only on poyson snarling like doggs at euery thing which neuer so little disagreeeth from their owne Stoicall dispositions Thus confirming my selfe in your fauourable and gracious acceptance of my Muse which in my loue I euer consecrate to your honorable House I wish you that happines which is due to your own worth and good desart Your euer affectionate Michaell Drayton Peirs Gaueston FRom gloomy shaddowe of eternall night Where cole-black darknes keeps his lothsome cel And from those Ghostes whose eyes abhorre the light From thence I come a wofull tale to tell Prepare the Stage I meane to acte my parte Sighing the scenes from my tormented hart From Stygian lake to gracelesse soules assign'd And from the floud of burning Acheron Where sinfull spirites are by the fier refinde The fearefull Ghost of wofull Gaueston With black-fac'd furies from the graues attended Vntill the tenor of my tale be ended Wing-footed Fame now sommons me from death In Fortunes triumph to aduance my glorie The blessed Heauens againe doe lend me breath Whilst I reporte this dolefull Tragick storie That soule and bodie which death once did sunder Now meete together to reporte a wonder O purple-buskind Pallas most diuine Let thy bright fauchion lend me Cypresse bowes Be thou assistinge to this Poet of mine And with thy tragicke garland girte his browes Pitying my case when none would heare me weepe To tell my cares hath layde his owne to sleepe You mournfull maydens of the sacred nine You destinies which haunt the shades beneath To you fayre muses I my playnts resigne To you black spirits I my woes bequeath With sable pens of direfull ebonie To pen the processe of my tragedie Drawe on the lines which shall report my life With weeping words distilling from thy pen Where woes abound and ioyes are passing rife A verie meteor in the eies of men Wherein the world a wonder-world may see Of heauen-bred ioye and hell-nurst miserie Declare my ebs my often swelling tide Now tell my calmes and then report my showres My winters stormes and then my summers pride False fortunes smiles then her dissembling lowres The height wherto my glorie did ascend Then poynt the period where my ioyes did end When famous Edward wore the english crowne Victorious Long shankes flower of chiualrie First of his name that raignd in Albion Through worlds renownd to all posteritie My youth began and then began my blis Euen in his daies those blessed daies of his O daies no daies but little worlds of mirth O yeares no yeares time sliding with a trice O world no world a verie heauen on earth O earth no earth a verie paradice A King a man nay more then this was hee If earthly man more then a man might bee Such a one he was as Englands Beta is Such as she is euen such a one was he Betwixt her rarest excellence and his Was neuer yet so neare a Sympathy To tell your worth and to giue him his due I say my soueraigne he was like to you His court a schoole where artes were daily red And yet a campe where armes were exercised Vertue and learning here were nourished And stratagems by souldiers still deuised Heere skilfull schoolmen were his counsaylors Schollers his captaines captaines Senators Here sprang the roote of true gentilitie Vertue was clad in gold and crownd with honor Honor intitled to Nobilitie Admired so of all that looked on her Wisedome not wealth possessed wisemens roomes Vnfitting base insinuating groomes Then Machiuels were loth'd as filthie toades And good men as rare pearles were richly prized The learned were accounted little Gods The vilest Atheist as the plague despised Desert then gaynd that vertues merit craues And artles Pesants scorn'd as basest slaues Pride was not then which all things ouerwhelms Promotion was not purchased with gold Men hew'd their honor out of steeled helms In those dayes fame with bloud was bought and sold No petri-fogger pol'd the poore for pence These dolts these dogs as traytors banisht hence Then was the Souldier prodigall of bloud His deedes eternizd by the Poets pen Who would not dye to doe his countrey good When after death his fame yet liu'd to men Then learning liu'd with liberalitie And men were crownd with immortalitie Graunt pardon then vnto my wandring ghost Although I seeme lasciuious in my prayse And of perfection though I seeme to boast Whilst here on earth I troad this weary maze Whilst yet my soule in bodie did abide And whilst my flesh was pampred here in pride My valiant father was in Gascoygne borne A man at armes and matchles with his launce A Souldier vow'd and to King Edward sworne With whom he seru'd in all his wars in Fraunce His goods and lands he pawnd and layd to gage To follow him the wonder of that age And thus himselfe he from his home exil'd Who with his sword sought to aduance his fame With me his ioy but then a little child Vnto the Court of famous England came Whereas the King for seruice he had done Made me a page vnto the Prince his sonne My tender youth yet scarce crept from the shell Vnto the world brought such a wonderment That all perfection seem'd in me to dwell And that the heauens me all their graces lent Some sware I was the quintessence of nature And some an Angell and no earthly creature The heauens had lim'd my face with such a die As made the curiost eie on earth amazed Tempring my lookes with loue and maiestie A miracle to all that euer gazed So that it seem'd some power had in my birth Ordained me his Image here on earth O bewtious vernish of the heauens aboue Pure grain-dy'd colour of a perfect birth O fairest tincture adamant of loue Angell-hewd blush the prospectiue of mirth O sparkling luster ioying humaine sight Liues ioy hearts fire Loues nurse the soules delight As purple-tressed Titan with his
prayse Sur-named now the wonder of our dayes Who euer sawe the kindest romane dame With extreame ioye yeeld vp her latest breath When from the warres her sonne triumphing came When stately Rome had mourned for his death Her passion here might haue exprest aright When once I came into the Princes sight Who euer had his Ladie in his armes That hath of loue but felt the miserie Touching the fire that all his sences warmes Now clips with ioy her blushing Iuorie Feeling his soule in such delights to melt Ther's none but he can tell the ioye we felt Like as when Phoebus darteth forth his rayes Gliding along the swelling Ocean streames Now whilst one billowe with another playes Reflecteth back his bright translucent beames Such was the conflict then betwixt our eyes Sending forth lookes as teares doe fall and rise It seem'd the ayre deuisde to please my sight The whistling winde makes musick to my tale All things on earth now feast me with delight The world to me sets all her wealth to sale Who now rules all in courte but I alone Who highly grac'd but onely Gaueston Now like to Mydas all I touch is gould The cloudes doe shower downe gould into my lap If I but winke the mightiest are controulde Plac'd on the turret of my highest hap My cofers now euen like to Oceans are To whom all floods by course doe still repayre With bountie now he franckly seales his loue And to my hands yeelds vp the Ile of Man By such a gifte his kingly minde to proue This was the earnest wherewith he began Then VValingford Queene Elnors stately dower With many a towne and many a goodly tower And all those sums his father had preparde By way of taxes for the holy land He gaue me francklie as my due rewarde In bountie thus it seemd he pleasd his hand Which made the worlde to wonder euery houre To see me drowned in this golden showre Determin'd now to hoyst my sayle amaine The Earle of Cornewall he created me Of England then the Lord high Chamberlaine Chiefe Secretarie to his Maiestie What I deuisd his treasure euer wrought His bountie still so answered to my thought Yet more to spice my ioyes with sweete delight bound by his loue aprentice to my pleasure Whose eyes still leuel'd how to please my sight Whose kindnes euer so exceeded measure Deuis'd to quench my thirst with such a drinke As from my quill drops Nectar to my inke O sacred Bountie mother of content Prop of renowne the nourisher of arts The Crowne of hope the roote of good euent The trumpe of Fame the ioye of noble harts Grace of the Heauens diuinitie in nature Whose excellence doth so adorne the creature He giues his Neece in mariage vnto me Of Royall blood for bewtie past compare Borne of his sister was this Bellamie Daughter to Gilbert thrice renowned Clare Chiefe of his house the Earle of Glocester For Princely worth that neuer had his peere Like Heauen-di'd Andromeda the fayre In her embrodered mantle richly dight With Starrie traine inthronis'd in the ayre Adorns the VVelken with her glittering light Such one she was which in my bosome rested With whose deare loue my youthful yeres were feasted As when fayre Ver dight in her flowrie rayle In her new-coloured liueries decks the earth And glorious Tytan spreads his sun-shine vaile To bring to passe her tender infants birth Such was her bewtie which I then possest With whose imbracings all my youth was blest Whose purest thoughts and spotles chaste desire To my affections still so pleasing were Neuer yet toucht with sparke of Venus fier As but her breast I thought no Heauen but there To none more like then fayre Idea she The very image of all chastitie O chastitie that guifte of blessed soul's Comfort in death a crowne vnto the life Which all the passions of the minde controul's Adornes the mayde and bewtifies the wife That grace the which nor death nor time attaints Of earthly creatures making heauenly Saints O Virtue which no muse can poetize Fayre Queene of England which with thee doth rest Which thy pure thoughts doe onely exercize And is impressed in thy royall breast Which in thy life disciphered is alone Whose name shall want a fit Epitheton The Heauens now seeme to frolick at my feaste The Stars as handmayds seruing my desiers Now loue full fed with bewtie takes his rest To whom content for saftie thus retiers The grounde was good my footing passing sure My dayes delightsome and my life secure Loe thus ambition creepes into my breast Pleasing my thoughts with this emperious humor And with this diuell being once possest Mine eares are fild with such a buzzing rumor As onely pride my glorie doth awaite My sences sooth'd with euerie selfe-conceite Selfe-loue prides thirst vnsatisfied desier A flood that neuer yet had any boundes Times pestilence thou state-consuming fier A mischiefe which all common weales confoundes O Plague of plagues how many kingdomes rue thee O happie Empiers that yet neuer knew thee And now reuenge which had been smoothered long Like piercing lightning flasheth from mine eyes This word could sound so sweetely on my tonge And with my thoughts such Stratagems deuise Tickling mine eares with many a pleasing storie Which promist wonders and a world of glorie For now began the bloodie-rayning broyles Betweene the barons of the land and me Labouring the state with Ixion-endles toyles Twixt my ambition and their tyrannie Such was the storme this diluge first begun With which this Ile was after ouerrun O cruell discord foode of deadly hate O mortall corsiue to a common weale Death-lingring consumption to a state A poysoned sore that neuer salue could heale O foule contagion deadly killing feuer Infecting oft but to be cured neuer By courage now imboldned in my sinne Finding my King so surely linkt to me By circumstance I finely bring him in To be an actor in this tragedie Perswading him the Barons sought his blood And on what tearmes these earth-bred giants stood And so aduancing to my Princes Grace The baser sorte of factious qualitie As being raised vnto such a place Might counterpoyse the proude Nobilitie And as my agents on my part might stand Still to support what ere I tooke in hand Suborning gesters still to make me mirth Vile Sycophants at euery word to sooth me Time-fawning Spaniels Mermaydes on the earth Trencher-fed fools with flattering words to smooth me Base Parasites these elbowe-rubbing mates A plague to all lasciuious wanton states O filthie monkies vile and beastly kinde Foule pratling Parats berds of Harpie broode A corasiue to euery noble minde Vipers that suck your mothers deerest blood Mishapen monster worst of any creature A foe to art an enemy to nature His presence grac't what ere I went about His chiefe content was that which liked mee What ere I did his power still bare mee out And where I was there euer-more was hee By byrth my Soueraigne but by loue my