Hold hart helpe heauens how can I longer liue But in the heauens there is no helpe for me Not all the world can any comfort giue When death doth of my dearest friend depriue me What can remaine in comfort to reuiue me Yet for the world shall witnesse what thou art Which in the world did leaue no like behinde I will set downe though short of thy desart The happie honour of thy heauenly minde And on thy tombe I wil with teares engraue The death of life that for thy lacke I haue Looke on the hils how all the Shepheards sit Heauie to thinke vpon their honest friend How Phillis sits as one besides her wit To see the sorrow of her Shepheards end Harke how the lambs go blaying vp downe To see their Shepheards caried to the towne Looke how the flock begin to leaue their feeding While cruell beasts breake iâ—… among the sheepe See how the heart of loue â—…ooth lie a bleeding That Mars was slaiâ—…e while Venus was a sleepe See how the earth is bare in euerie place To see that death hath done the worlde disgrace And Corridon poore sillie wretched swaine Dooth make such moâ—…e as if he should go mad All in dispaire to see good dayes againe To loose the ioy that on the earth he had Who since the time he heard but of the wound Liu'de like a ghost that goes vpon the ground And so forlorne abandonde all content Keepes in the Caues where comfort is vnknowne Borne but to liue and onely to lament The dolefull life that by his death hath growne Who in his life would let him know no care But by his death all griefes that euer are Pan in a rage hath broken all his pipes Pallas alas sits poaring on a booke Her weeping eyes see howe Diana wipes And poore Apollo casts a piteous looke The Nymphes come in with such a wofull crying As if that Loue or Venus lay a dying The Nightingale is stopped in her throte And shriking Owles do make a fearefull noise The dolefull Rauens sing a deadly note And little Wrennes the end of Eagles ioyes The Phoenix droopes and Falcons beate their wings To heare how Swans of death and sorrow sings The trees are blasted and the leaues do wither The daintie greene is turnde to duskie gray The gallant Uines are shrunke and gone togither And all the flowers doo fade and fall away The springs are dried and all the fish scale beaten And all good fruite the earth it selfe hath eaten Oh what a wo it is to see the woes Where nought but wo is left to looke vpon A griefe too great for Reason to disclose And in effect a death to studie on Where man and beasts birds fishes flowers and trees Do halfe the hope of all their comfort leese When on the earth was euer such a sight Hardly the world can such a sorrow haue Neuer did death more seaze vpon delight Then when this knight was caried to his graue Which when I sawe so neere my heart I set As while I liue I neuer can forget First comes the brother all in mourning blacke Mourning in deede in bodie and in minde Foulding his armes as if his heart would cracke Feeling the death that Loue and Nature finde Looking upon the last of his delight Oh heauenly God it was a pitious sight The Scholers come with Lachrimis Amoris As though their hearts were hopelesse of reliefe The Souldiers come with Tonitrâ—… Clamoris To make the heauens acquainted with their griefe The noble Peeres in Ciuitatis portis In hearts engrauen come in with Dolor mortis The straungers come with Oh che male sorte The seruants come with Morte dila vita The secret friends with Morte pui che morte And all with these Felicâ—…ta finita Nowe for my selfe Oh dolor infernale Da videre morte non da viuere tale Now if the griefe of all the world be great How great is his that is the griefe of all Who doth in thoughts more deadly pangs repeate Then euer did to all the world befall Whose paines and passions onely do approue The onely true Anotamie of loue But since I see there is no remedie What God will haue must neuer be withstoode And Male-content is but a maladie That may consume but can doe little good I will to God referre my whole reliefe In heauenly care of my vnhappie griefe And on my knees beseech his holy will To cast on me those sweete and louing eyes That heale the heart of euery hatefull griefe And giue the life where comfort neuer dyes And where my heart is gone my hope may thether That faith and loue may liue in heauen together But till my soule may see that heauenly sweete Where Vertue dooth her dearest loue embrace Where Comfort Care and Kinde affect mâ—…y meete And haue the ioy to see each others face Upon thy Tombe I will these wordes set downe That all the warld may read of thy renowme FINIS Poems and Sonets A pleasant Poem A Angels haue not their honour for their 〈◊〉 N No bewtie like the vertue of the minde N No life to loue that cannot proue vntrue E Esteeme the comfort of the highest kinde P Pure is the minde that cannot meane amisse A And sweete the life that is maintainde by loue R Rare is the heart where such affection is K Kinde the conceipt that dooth such honour proue E Excellens rare that wit and reason winneth R Read but each letter as the line beginneth A. P. Finis Another T Time made a stay when highest powers wrought R Regard of loue where vertue had her grace E Excellence rare of euerie beautie sought N Notes of the heart where honour had her place T Tried by the touch of most approued truth A A worthie Saint to serue a heauenly Queene M More faire then she that was the fame of youth E Except but one the like was neuer seene Trentame Finis Another G Good is the best the most can say no more A And yet is good and better and the best R Reason requires the best be set before R Regard of loue findes reason in the rest E Except the best in euerie good excepted T Though better serue the good may be accepted Garet Finis A sweete Pastorall GOod Muse rocke me asseepe with some sweet harmonie This weary eie is not to keepe thy warie companie Sweet Loue be gone a while thou knowst my heauines Bewtie is borne but to beguile my heart of happines See how my litle slocke that lou'd to feed on hie Do head-long â—…umble downe the rocke in the vally die The bushes and the trees that weare so fresh and greene Do all their daintie colours leese and not a leafe is seene The Black-bird the Thrush that made the woods to ring With all the rest are now at hush not a note they sing Sweet Philomele the bird that hath the heauenly throte Doth now alas not once afoord recording of a note
the heart to die remedâ—…esse And such a death as liueth to beholde Ten thousand torments more then can be tolde Yet though my penne can neuer halfe expresse The hiâ—…eous torments of my heauie heart Let me set downe some touch of my distresse That some poore soule may helpe to beare a part That in extremities when we are wo begon vs The worlde may weepe to sit and looke vpon vs. Nature and Art are got about his graue And there sit wailing of each others losse Hard by the tombe sittes Sorrow in her caue Cutting her heart to thinke on honours crosse And Wisedome weeping wringing of her hands To see the worlde in what a case it stands In this darke hole of death and heauinesse Sits wofull Bewtie with her blubbred eyes By her sits Loue with Care all comfortlesse Recording of his mothers miseries Among the rest that wailes the losse of friends Sits Patience pricking of her fingers ends From Pities face doo fall the trickling teares Of torments such as teare the heart of Loue The Muses sit and rend their shriueled heares To see the paine that Loue and Bewtie proue Among them all howe I am torne in sunder And yet do liue confesse it is a wonder I liue oh liue alas I liue indeede But such a life was neuer such a death While fainting heart is but constrainde to feede Upon the care of a consuming breath O my sweete Muse that knowest howe I am vexed Paint but one passion how I am perplexed I call for death but yet he will not heare me I read my death and rue my destinie I see my death but he will not come neare me I feele my death but yet I cannot die But where nor death will kill nor griefe be cured Thinke what a death of deathes I haue endured Yet while I liue in all this miserie Let me go quarrell with this cruell fate Why death should do so great an iniurâ—… Unto the stay of such a happie state At liuing things to make his leuell so To kill a Phoenix when there were no mo Oh cruell Death what led thy hand awrâ—…e To take the best and leaue the worst behind To youth thou art vntimely destinie Thou mightest haue bene a comfort to the blind And end the aged of their wearie time And not a youth in pride of all his prime Thou monghtest haue shot at such a wretched thought As had past ouer all his pleasant yeares And killed the heart that is consumed to nought Which being â—…angled â—…n these worldly briers But Bewties loue and Honors hart to bleed Fie ou thee death it is too fowle a deed But well the world will curse thee to thy face Bewtie and Loue will to thy teeth deâ—…e thee Honor and Learning draw thee in disgrace Where no good thought shall euer once come nie thee And for my selfe to see thee wo begone thee Will pray to God all plagues may light vpon thee For I haue lost the honour of my loue My loue hath lost the honour of my life My life and loue doth such a passion proue As in the world was neuer such a strife Where secret death and sorow are consented To see the terror of a heart tormented Thou camst too soone but now thon comst too late Thy force too great but now it is too small Halfe had in loue but wholy now in hate Destred of some but cursed now of all Oft I confesse that I haue quakte before thee But do thy worst death now I care not for thee But dost thou thinke thou canst thy selfe excuse To say alas thou hast but done thine office Unhappie hand whom so the heauens dost vse On such a Saint to execute thy seruice But since it was the will of God to do it His will be done I can but yeeld vnto it Yet for the care that Vertue hath conceyued For losse of him that was his dearest loue And for the death that Honour hath receyued Where pacience doth the deadly passions proue I cannot thuse although my hart would hide it To shew my griefe so great I cannot bide it Oh that I had but so diuine a head As could bewray the sorrowes of my breast Or from the graue to raise againe the dead And not offend my God in my request Or by a prayer I might the grace obtaine To see the face of my desire againe But all in vaine my wishes not â—…uaile My wordes are winde and carrie none effect And with my griefe I feele my senses faile That Fortune thus should crosse me in affect As by the losse of one sweet heauenly friend My heart should die and yet no dolor end End no God wot there is no end of griefe Where sad conceit will neuer out of minde And bootlesse hope to harpe vpon reliefe Where Care may seeke and neuer Comfort finâ—… For in the worâ—…d I had no ioy bâ—…t one And all but death nowe he is dead and gone Gone is my ioy alas and well-away What shall I doo nowe all my loue is gone All my delight is falne vnto decay Onely but heauen I haue to hope vpon Oh heauenly powers take pitie of my crie Let me not liâ—…e and see my Louer die Oh my loue ah my loue all my loue gone Out alas sillie wretch well-aday wo is me Of a friend euer friend such a friend none In the worlde through the worlde may the worlde see Holy Saints higher powers heauens looke vpon me Pitie me comfort me thus wo begone me My heauenly Loue heauens lou'd as well as I Heauen was his care and heauen was his content In heauen he liues in heauen he cannot die From heauen he came and to the heauens he went Oh heauenly Loue heauens will I looke for neuer Till in the heauens I may beholde thee euer But what me thinks I see a sudden chaunge The worlde dooth seeme to alter nature much The state of things is to my reason straunge And sorrowes such as there were neuer such Such lacke of loue such mourning for a friend Such world of woes as if the world should end Me thinkes I see the Queene of kinde affect Sighing and sobbing with such inward griefe As he that could consider the effect Might see a heart lie dead without reliefe And â—…n conceite so ouercome with care It killes my heart to see her heauie fare Me thinkes I see a sight of armed horse Led in by boyes as if the men were dead Me thinkes I heare men murmure of a corse And gallant youthes go hanging of the head Me thinkes I heare a thunder in the aire Bids fare well Hope looke vpou Dispaire Me thinkes I heare the trumpet drum and fife Sound all a mort as if the world were done Me thinkes I see the'nd of vnhappie life Or second ioy since latter age begâ—…ne Me thinkes I heare the horâ—…or of the crie As if the day were come that all should die Oh what I heare oh what I feele and see
he knew where came the Queene The Shepheard durst not stay And where that he durst not be seene The sheepe must needes away To aske her if she saw his flocke Might happen pacience moue And haue an answere with a mocke That such demaunders proue Yet for because he saw her come Alone out of the wood He thought he would not stand as dumbe when speach might do him goo And therefore falling on his knees To aske but for his sheepe He did awake and so did leese The honour of his sleepe A pleasant sweet song LAid in my restlesse bed In dreame of my desire I sawe within my troubled head A heape of thoughts appeare And each of them so strange In sight before mine eyes That now I sigh and then I smile As cause thereby doth rise I see how that the little boy In thought how oft that he Doth wish of God to scape the rod a tall yong man to be I saw the yong man trauelling From sport to paines opprest How he would be a rich olde man To liue and lie at rest The olde man too who seeth His age to drawe on sore Would be a little boy againe To liue so long the more Where at I sigh and smile How Nature craues her fee From boy to man from man to boy Would chop and change degree A Sonet of Time and Pleasure TIme is but short and short the course of time Pleasures do passe but as a puffe of winde Care hath account to make for euerie crime And peace abides but with the setled minde Of little paine doth pacience great proceede And after sicknesse health is daintie sweet A friend is best approued at a neede And sweet the thought where care kindnes meet Then thinke what comfort doth of kindnes breed To know thy sicknesse sorrow to thy friend And let thy faith vpon this fauour feed That loue shall liue when death shall haue an end And he that liues assured of thy loue Prayes for thy life thy health and highest hap And hopes to see the height of thy behoue Lulde in the sweet of Loues desired lap Till when take paines to make thy pillow soft And take a nap for Natures better rest He liues below that yet doth lookâ—… aloft And of a friend do not 〈◊〉 the least Of a Louer in dispaire THough froward fate hath forst my griefe And blacke dispaire this deadly paine Yet time I trust will bring reliese When loyall faith shall haue her gaine Till then the stormes of banisht state And penance in this Hermits Cell Shall trie her cause of wrong full hate Whose malice lo keepes me in hell A Sonet of faire womens ficklenesse in loue IF women would be faire and yet not fond Or that their loue were firme not fickle still I would not wonder that they make meÌ„ bond By seruice long to purchase their good will But when I see how firme these creaturs are I laugh that men forget themselues so farre To marke their choise they make and how they chaunge How oft from Venus they do cleaue to Pan Unsetled still like haggards vile they raunge These gentle birds that flie from man to man Who would not scorn shake them froÌ„ his fist And let theÌ„ go faire fooles which way they list If for disport we faine and flatter both To passe the time when nothing can displease And traine them still vnto our subtill oth Till wearie of their wits our selues we ease 〈◊〉 then we say when we their fancies trie To play with fooles oh what a dolt was I. Of the foure Elements Tâ—…e Aire with sweet my sences do delight The Earth with flowers doth glad my heauie â—…ie The Fire with warmth reuiues my dying spirit The Water cooles that is too hote and drie The Aire the Earth the Water and the fire All doe me good what can I more desire Oh no the Aire infected sore I finde The Earth her flowers do wither and decay The Fire so whote it doth inflame the minde And Water washeth white and all away The Aire the Earth Fire Water all annoy me How can it be but they must needes destroy me Sweete Aire do yet a while thy sweetnesse holde Earth let thy flowers not fall away in prime Fire do not burne my heart is not a colde Water drie vp vntill another time Or Aire or Earth Fire Water heare my prayer Or slaâ—…e me once Fire Water Earth or Aire Hearke in the Aire what deadly thunder threateth See on the Earth how euerie flower falleth Oh with the Fire how euery sinewe sweateth Oh howe the Water my pâ—…nting heart appalleth The Aire the Earth Fire Water all do grieue me Heauens shew your power yet some way to relieue me This is not Aire that euerie creature feedeth Nor this the Earth where euerie flower groweth Nor this the Fire that cole and bauen breedeth Nor this the Water that both ebth and floweth These Elements are in a worde enclosed Where happie heart hath heauenly rest reposed Brittons farewell to Hope MY Hope farewell leaue off thy lingring stay Nowe yeeld thy selfe as prisoner vnto thrall Pricke on thy wings make now no more delay Be set thou art with Enuies furies all Oh Follie flie fond Fancie leaue thy roome Thou art condemde Dispaire hath giuen thy doome Thy threed whereon thy hope did hang so long Dame Enuies rust hath fretted quite in twaine And spitefull spite hath gnawne thee to the bone That sue thou maist but all is spent in vaine She is reuert and giues me still the nay And keepes me like the Spaniell all the day When caught I was I was content to yeeld My loue was lim'd and linked to her will And prisoner I was brought out of the field Of libertie to serue in thraldome still There lost I ioyes my toiles did then beginne When as I sought a froward heart to winne I sought I sued I was at becke and bay I crept I kneelde a heauen it was to please I thought my selfe the happiest man that day If one faire worde I caught my heart to ease But when that deeds of wordes should then ensue All then was turn'd like vnto Cresseds crew Thus do I sue and serue but all in vaine With lingring on my loathsome life in wo Thus do I seeke to winne but losse I gaine And for a friend obtaine a spitefull fo Then farewell hope the gaine of my desart Dispaire doth grow within my pensiue hart N. B. Gent. FINIS
BRITTONS BOWRE OF Delights CONTAYNING Many most delectable and fine deuices of rare Epitaphes pleasant Poems Pastorals and Sonets By N. B. Gent. Imprinted at London by Richard Ihones at the Rose and Crowne neere Holborne Bridge 1591. To the Gentlemen Readers GENTLEMEN I present you here in the Authours absence with sundrie fine Deuices and rare conceytes in English verse by the names of Epitaphes Poems Pastorals and Sonets some of worthines and some of wantonnes yet all in my poore censure wittie pleasant commendable It any like you as I hope they wil partly for the well penning of them but specially for the Subiet and worthinesse of the persons they doo concerne though happly you esteeme the rest of lesse regard I then haue my desire and count my labour and charges well bestowed I am onely the Printer of them chiefly to pleasure you and partly to profit my selfe if they prooue to your good liking if otherwise my hope is frustrate my labour lost and all my cost is cast away Pardon mee good Gentlemen of my presumption protect me I pray you against those Caâ—…ellers and findfaults that neuer like of any thing that they see printed though it be neuer so wel compiled And where you happen to find any fault impute it to bee committed by the Printers negligence then otherwise by any ignorance in the Author and especially in A 3 about the middest of the page for lime or lead I pray you read it line or lead So shall your poore Printer haue iust cause hereafter to be more carefull and acknowledge himselfe most bounden at all times to do you seruice to the vtmost of his power Yours R. I. Printer Amoris Lachrimae A most singular and sweete Discourse of the life and death of S. P. S. Knight AMong the woes of those vnhappie wights That haue set downe the sorrowes of their time Whose liues are most deuoid of al delights And passe in griefe the pleasures of their prime Let me discourse the secrets of my care More then conceyte or sorrow can declare Some loose their wealth it is a slender losse My life hath lost the treasure of my trust Some loose their health alas a common crosse My lifes delight is buried in the dust Some loose their friendes it is no one mans woe I lost a friend such one there are no moe Some loose their loue a sorrow neere the heart In kinde affect the crosse of onely crosses Some loose their liues where sorrowes neuer part Some loose themselues in thinking of their lossess More then my selfe is such a friend bereft me All wealth nor health nor loue nor life hath left me And shall I tell what kinde of man he was Whome thus I lou'de and neuer creature hated Imagine first it dooth my reason passe To write of him whome hiest power created For euerie part that vertue had desired 〈◊〉 of the heauens and of the world admired Yet as my heart for griefe and sorrow can I will describe the substance of his state In childish yeares he was esteemd a man And halfe a man more halfe a magistrate On whome the Arts and Muses so attended As all in all for all he was commended Whose wisdome was not seene in wanton toies And though a wanton yet not deuoid of wit Of worldly ieasts he neuer made his toies Although sometimes he had a taste of it For let the best that liues do what he can In some things yet he shewes himself a man But if on earth there were a man diuine For Natures gifts and Vertues secret grace Then giue me leaue to say this loue of mine Was here too good to haue a dwelling place But liues in heauen in some high Angels office Where God himselfe dooth vse him in his seruice To say yet more what in effect he was Let this suffice in summe he was a man Whose heauenly wisedome found the way to passe More then the power of Wit and Reason can In whose attempts the world thus well did know him Nothing but death could euer ouerthrow him Comely of shape and of a manly face Noble in birth and of a princely minde Kinde in effect and of a courtly grace Courteous to all and carefull of the kinde Valure and Vertue Learning Bountie Loue These were the parts that did his honour proue Whose full perfection thus hath wisedome peased His wordes were substance and his deeds diuine Reason the ground whereon his hope were raysed Labour his life and Learning was his line Truth was his loue and Triall his intent Care his couceipt and Honour his content He spake no worde but carried full his waight He nothing did that euer tooke disgrace He had no minde to muse vpon deceyte He built in heauen his onely byding place He lou'd the Church where Saints do build the steepls And sought the worlde where Angels are the people He trauaild farre when he was neerest home Where was no earth he could behold a land He sawe a house without eare lime or lome And saild the seas where there was neuer sand He sounded depths without eare lime or lead And found out life where other meÌ„ were dead He fearde no foe nor euer sought a friend He knew no want and made no care of wealth He nought begun but had a care to end And neuer lou'd the honour had in stealth By fire and sword he wonne his worthy fame That hath aduaunc'd the honour of his name In all the skie he honoured but a starre That was his course of all his kind affection Whose flame was nere although the fire a farre Gaue him the light of loues direction He was so kind and constant where he loued As once resolu'd he could not he remoued His hands was free to helpe the needie hart His heart was franke to fill the emptie hand His most desire was to reward desart And holde vp state where honour could not stande His onely iâ—…y was honour of the stelde To conquere men and make the Captaines yeelde Much was his care and of his Countrey most Little his ioy and in himselfe the least All for his friend did seeme but little cost Yet to himselfe a little was a feast High was their happe that might but be about him Death is their life that mourne to be without him Nowe iudge the life in leauing such a ioy The death in losse of such a daintie friend What may remoue the roote of this annoy Or howe this griefe may euer haue an ende And if it be a care incurable Thinke of the death where it is â—…urable To liue in death is but a dying life To die in life is but a liuing death Betwixt these two is such a deadly strife As make me draw this melancholike breath Wherein conceite dooth liue so discontented As neuer heart was euer so tormented A torment onely made but for the minde A minde ordainde but onely to distresse And such distresse as can no comfort finde But leaues