as much as desperate rage The worlds loud thund'rings he unshaken heares Nor will he death or life or seek or flie Readie for both He is as cowardly That longer fears to live as he that fears to die 9 Worst was his civil warre where deadly fought He with himself till Passion yeelds or dies All heart and hand no tongue not grimme but stout His flame had counsell in 't his furie eyes His rage well temper'd is no fear can dant His reason but cold bloud is valiant Well may he strength in death but never courage want 10 But like a mighty rock whose unmov'd sides The hostile sea assaults with furious wave And 'gainst his head the boist'rous North-winde rides Both fight and storm and swell and roar and rave Hoarse surges drum loud blasts their trumpets strain Th' heroick cliffe laughs at their frustrate pain Waves scatter'd drop in tears windes broken whining plain 11 Such was this Knights undanted constancie No mischief weakens his resolved minde None fiercer to a stubborn enemie But to the yeelding none more sweetly kinde His shield an even-ballast ship embraves Which dances light while Neptune wildely raves His word was this I fear but heav'n nor windes nor waves 12 And next Macrothumus whose quiet face No cloud of passion ever shadowed Nor could hot anger Reasons rule displace Purpling the scarlet cheek with firie red Nor could revenge clad in a deadly white With hidden malice eat his vexed sprite For ill he good repay'd and love exchang'd for spite 13 Was never yet a more undanted spirit Yet most him deem'd a base and tim'rous swain But he well weighing his own strength and merit The greatest wrong could wisely entertain Nothing resisted his commanding spear Yeelding it self to him a winning were And though he di'd yet dead he rose a conquerer 14 His naturall force beyond all nature stretched Most strong he is because he will be weak And happie most because he can be wretched Then whole and sound when he himself doth break Rejoycing most when most he is tormented In greatest discontents he rests contented By conquering himself all conquests he prevented 15 His rockie arms of massie adamant Safely could back rebutt the hardest blade His skinne it self could any weapon dant Of such strange mold and temper was he made Upon his shield a Palm-tree still increased Though many weights his rising arms depressed His word was Rising most by being most oppressed 16 Next him Androphilus whose sweetest minde 'Twixt mildenesse temper'd and low courtesie Could leave as soon to be as not be kinde Churlish despite ne're lookt from his calm eye Much lesse commanded in his gentle heart To baser men fair looks he would impart Nor could he cloak ill thoughts in complementall art 17 His enemies knew not how to discommend him All others dearely lov'd fell ranc'rous Spite And vile Detraction fain would reprehend him And oft in vain his name they closely bite As popular and flatterer accusing But he such slavish office much refusing Can eas'ly quit his name from their false tongues abusing 18 His arms were fram'd into a glitt'ring night Whose sable gown with starres all spangled wide Affords the weary traveller cheerfull light And to his home his erring footsteps guide Upon his ancient shield the workman fine Had drawn the Sunne whose eye did ne're repine To look on good and ill his word To all I shine 19 Fair Vertue where stay'st thou in poore exile Leaving the Court from whence thou took'st thy name While in thy place is stept Disdaining vile And Flatterie base sonne of Need and Shame And with them surly Scorn and hatefull Pride Whose artificiall face false colours di'd Which more display her shame then loathsome foulnesse hide 20 Late there thou livedst with a gentle Swain As gentle Swain as ever lived there Who lodg'd thee in his heart and all thy train Where hundred other Graces quarter'd were But he alas untimely dead and gone Leaves us to rue his death and thee to mone That few were ever such now those few are none 21 By him the stout Encrates boldly went Assailed oft by mightie enemies Which all on him alone their spite misspent For he whole armies single bold defies With him nor might nor cunning slights prevail All force on him they trie all forces fail Yet still assail him fresh yet vainly still assail 22 His body full of vigour full of health His table feeds not lust but strength and need Full stor'd with plenty not by heaping wealth But topping rank desires which vain exceed On 's shield an hand from heav'n an orchyard dressing Pruning superfluous boughs the trees oppressing So adding fruit his word By lessening increasing 23 His setled minde was written in his face For on his forehead cheerfull gravitie False joyes and apish vanities doth chase And watchfull care did wake in either eye His heritance he would not lavish sell Nor yet his treasure hide by neighbouring hell But well he ever spent what he had gotten well 24 A lovely pair of twins clos'd either side Not those in heav'n the flowrie Geminies Are half so lovely bright the one his Bride Agnia chaste was joyn'd in Hymens ties And love as pure as heav'ns conjunction Thus she was his and he her flesh and bone So were they two in sight in truth entirely one 25 Upon her arched brow unarmed Love Triumphing sat in peacefull victorie And in her eyes thousand chaste Graces move Checking vain thoughts with awfull majestie Ten thousand moe her fairer breast contains Where quiet meeknesse every ill restrains And humbly subject spirit by willing service reignes 26 Her skie-like arms glitter'd in golden beams And brightly seem'd to flame with burning hearts The scalding ray with his reflected streams Fire to their flames but heav'nly fire imparts Upon her shield a pair of Turtles shone A loving pair still coupled ne're alone Her word Though one when two yet either two or none 27 With her her sister went a warlike Maid Parthenia all in steel and gilded arms In needles stead a mighty spear she swayd With which in bloudy fields and fierce alarms The boldest champion she down would bear And like a thunderbolt wide passage tear Flinging all to the earth with her enchanted spear 28 Her goodly armour seem'd a garden green Where thousand spotlesse lilies freshly blew And on her shield the ' lone bird might be seen Th' Arabian bird shining in colours new It self unto it self was onely mate Ever the same but new in newer date And underneath was writ Such is chaste single state 29 Thus hid in arms she seem'd a goodly Knight And fit for any warlike exercise But when she list lay down her armour bright And back resume her peacefull Maidens guise The fairest Maid she was that ever yet Prison'd her locks within a golden net Or let them waving hang with roses fair beset 30 Choice Nymph the crown of chaste Diana's train
doth spew Black smothering flames roll'd in loud thunder-claps The pitchie vapours choke the shining ray And bring dull night upon the smiling day The wavering Aetna shakes and fain would runne away 23 Yet could his bat-ey'd legions eas'ly see In this dark Chaos they the seed of night But these not so who night and darknesse flee For they the sonnes of day and joy in light But Knowledge soon began a way devise To bring again the day and cleare their eyes So open'd Fido's shield and golden veil unties 24 Of one pure diamond celestiall fair That heav'nly shield by cunning hand was made Whose light divine spred through the mistie aire To brightest morn would turn the Western shade And lightsome day beget before his time Framed in heav'n without all earthly crime Dipt in the firy Sunne which burnt the baser slime 25 As when from fennie moor 's the lumpish clouds With rising steams damp the bright mornings face At length the piercing Sunne his team unshrouds And with his arrows th' idle fogge doth chase The broken mist lies melted all in tears So this bright shield the stinking darknesse teares And giving back the day dissolves their former fears 26 Which when afarre the firie Dragon spies His slights deluded with so little pain To his last refuge now at length he flies Long time his pois'nous gorge he seem'd to strain At length with loathly sight he up doth spue From stinking panch a most deformed crue That heav'n it self did flie from their most ugly view 27 The first that crept from his detested maw Was Hamartia foul deformed wight More foul deform'd the Sunne yet never saw Therefore she hates the all-betraying light A woman seem'd she in her upper part To which she could such lying glosse impart That thousands she had slain with her deceiving art 28 The rest though hid in serpents form arayd With iron scales like to a plaited mail Over her back her knotty tail displaid Along the empty aire did lofty sail The end was pointed with a double sting Which with such dreaded might she wont to fling That nought could help the wound but bloud of heav'nly King 29 Of that first woman her the Dragon got The foulest bastard of so fair a mother Whom when she saw so fil'd with monstrous spot She cast her hidden shame and birth to smother But she welnigh her mothers self had slain And all that dare her kindely entertain So some parts of her damme more of her sire remain 30 Her viperous locks hung loose about her eares Yet with a monstrous snake she them restrains Which like a border on her head she wears About her neck hang down long adder chains In thousand knots and wreaths infolded round Which in her anger lightly she unbound And darting farre away would sure and deadly wound 31 Yet fair and lovely seems to fools dimme eyes But hell more lovely Pluto's self more fair Appears when her true form true light descries Her loathsome face blancht skinne and snakie hair Her shapelesse shape dead life her carrion smell The devils dung the childe and damme of hell Is chaffer fit for fools their precious souls to sell. 32 The second in this rank was black Despair Bred in the dark wombe of eternall Night His looks fast nail'd to Sinne long sootie hair Fill'd up his lank cheeks with wide-staring fright His leaden eyes retir'd into his head Light heav'n and earth himself and all things fled A breathing coarse he seem'd wrapt up in living lead 33 His bodie all was fram'd of earthly paste And heavie mold yet earth could not content him Heav'n fast he flies and heav'n fled him as fast Though ' kin to hell yet hell did much torment him His very soul was nought but ghastly fright With him went many a fiend and ugly sprite Armed with ropes and knives all instruments of spite 34 In stead of feathers on his dangling crest A lucklesse Raven spred her blackest wings And to her croaking throat gave never rest But deathfull verses and sad dirges sings His hellish arms were all with fiends embost Who damned souls with endlesse torments roast And thousand wayes devise to vex the tortur'd ghost 35 Two weapons sharp as death he ever bore Strict Iudgement which from farre he deadly darts Sinne at his side a two edg'd sword he wore With which he soon appalls the stoutest hearts Upon his shield Alecto with a wreath Of snakie whips the dam'd souls tortureth And round about was wrote Reward of sinne is death 36 The last two brethren were farre different Onely in common name of death agreeing The first arm'd with a sithe still mowing went Yet whom and when he murder'd never seeing Born deaf and blinde nothing might stop his way No prayers no vows his keenest sithe could stay Nor Beauties self his spite nor Vertues self allay 37 No state no age no sex may hope to move him Down falls the young and old the boy and maid Nor begger can intreat nor King reprove him All are his slaves in 's cloth of flesh araid The bride he snatches from the bridegrooms arms And horrour brings in midst of loves alarms Too well we know his power by long experienc't harms 38 A dead mans skull suppli'd his helmets place A bone his club his armour sheets of lead Some more some lesse fear his all-frighting face But most who sleep in downie pleasures bed But who in life have daily learnt to die And dead to this live to a life more high Sweetly in death they sleep and slumbring quiet lie 39 The second farre more foul in every part Burnt with blue fire and bubbling sulphure streams Which creeping round about him fill'd with smart His cursed limbes that direly he blasphemes Most strange it seems that burning thus for ever No rest no time no place these flames may sever Yet death in thousand deaths without death dieth never 40 Soon as these hellish monsters came in sight The Sunne his eye in jettie vapours drown'd Scar'd at such hell-hounds view heav'ns ' mazed light Sets in an early evening earth astound Bids dogs with houls give warning at which sound The fearfull ayer starts seas break their bound And frighted fled away no sands might them impound 41 The palsied troop first like asps shaken fare Till now their heart congeal'd in icie bloud Candied the ghastly face locks stand and stare Thus charm'd in ranks of stone they marshall'd stood Their uselesse swords fell idlely on the plain And now the triumph sounds in loftie strain So conqu'ring Dragon bindes the Knights with slavish chain 42 As when proud Phineus in his brothers feast Fill'd all with tumult and intestine broil Wise Perseus with such multitudes opprest Before him bore the snakie Gorgons spoil The vulgar rude stood all in marble chang'd And in vain ranks and rockie order rang'd Were now more quiet guests from former rage estrang'd 43 The fair Eclecta who with grief had stood Viewing th' oft changes
While smiling heav'ns spread round a canopie Now tost with blasts and civil enmitie While whistling windes blow trumpets to their fight And roaring waves as drummes whet on their spite 8 Such cruel storms my restles heart command Late thousand joyes securely lodged there Ne fear'd I then to care ne car'd to fear But pull'd the prison'd fishes to the land Or spite of windes pip't on the golden sand But since love sway'd my breast these seas alarms Are but dead pictures of my raging harms 9 Love stirres desire desire like stormy winde Blows up high swelling waves of hope and fear Hope on his top my trembling heart doth bear Up to my heav'n but straight my lofty minde By fear sunk in despair deep drown'd I finde But ah your tempests cannot last for ever But ah my storms I fear will leave me never 10 Haples and fond too fond more haples swain Who lovest where th' art scorn'd scorn'st where th' art loved Or learn to hate where thou hast hatred proved Or learn to love where thou art lov'd again Ah cease to love or cease to woo thy pain Thy love thus scorn'd is hell do not so earn it At least learn by forgetting to unlearn it 11 Ah fond and haples swain but much more fond How canst unlearn by learning to forget it When thought of what thou should'st unlearn does whet it And surer ties thy minde in captive bond Canst thou unlearn a ditty thou hast con'd Canst thou forget a song by oft repeating Thus much more wilt thou learn by thy forgetting 12 Haplesse and fond most fond more haplesse swain Seeing thy rooted love will leave thee never She hates thy love love thou her hate for ever In vain thou hop'st hope yet though still in vain Joy in thy grief and triumph in thy pain And though reward exceedeth thy aspiring Live in her love and die in her admiring 13 Fair-cruel maid most cruel fairer ever How hath foul rigour stol'n into thy heart And on a comick stage hath learnt thee art To play a Tyrant-tragical deceiver To promise mercy but perform it never To look more sweet maskt in thy looks disguise Then Mercy self can look with Pities eyes 14 Who taught thy honied tongue the cunning slight To melt the ravisht eare with musicks strains And charm the sense with thousand pleasing pains And yet like thunder roll'd in flames and night To break the rived heart with fear and fright How rules therein thy breast so quiet state Spite leagu'd with mercy love with lovelesse hate 15 Ah no fair Coelia in thy sunne-like eye Heav'n sweetly smiles those starres soft loving fire And living heat not burning flames inspire Love's self enthron'd in thy brows ivorie And every grace in heavens liverie My wants not thine me in despairing drown When hell presumes no mar'l if heavens frown 16 Those gracefull tunes issuing from glorious spheares Ravish the eare and soul with strange delight And with sweet Nectar fill the thirsty sprite Thy honied tongue charming the melted eares Stills stormy hearts and quiets frights and fears My daring heart provokes thee and no wonder When earth so high aspires if heavens thunder 17 See see fair Coelia seas are calmly laid And end their boisterous threats in quiet peace The waves their drummes the windes their trumpets cease But my sick love ah love full ill apayd Never can hope his storms may be allayd But giving to his rage no end or leisure Still restles rests Love knows no mean or measure 18 Fond boy she justly scorns thy proud desire While thou with singing would'st forget thy pain Go strive to empty the still-flowing main Go fuell seek to quench thy growing fire Ah foolish boy scorn is thy musicks hire Drown then these flames in seas but ah I fear To fire the main and to want water there 19 There first thy heav'n I saw there felt my hell There smooth-calm seas rais'd storms of fierce desires There cooling waters kindled burning fires Nor can the Ocean quench them in thy cell Full stor'd with pleasures all my pleasures fell Die then fond lad ah well my death may please thee But love thy love not life not death must ease me 20 So down he swowning sinks nor can remove Till fisher-boyes fond fisher-boyes revive him And back again his life and loving give him But he such wofull gift doth much reprove Hopelesse his life for hopelesse is his love Go then most loving but most dolefull swain Well may I pitie she must cure thy pain FINIS ECLOG IIII. CHROMIS Thelgon Chromis Thel CHromis my joy why drop thy rainie eyes And sullen clouds hang on thy heavie brow Seems that thy net is rent and idle lies Thy merry pipe hangs broken on a bough But late thy time in hundred joyes thou spent'st Now time spends thee while thou in vain lament'st Chrom 2 Thelgon my pipe is whole and nets are new But nets and pipe contemn'd and idle lie My little reed that late so merry blew Tunes sad notes to his masters miserie Time is my foe and hates my rugged rimes And I as much hate both that hate and times Thel 3 What is it then that causeth thy unrest Or wicked charms or loves new-kindled fire Ah! much I fear love eats thy tender breast Too well I know his never quenched ire Since I Amyntas lov'd who me disdains And loves in me nought but my grief and pains Chrom 4 No lack of love did ever breed my smart I onely learn'd to pity others pain And ward my breast from his deceiving art But one I love and he loves me again In love this onely is my greatest sore He loves so much and I can love no more 5 But when the fishers trade once highly priz'd And justly honour'd in those better times By every lozel-groom I see despis'd No marvel if I hate my jocond rimes And hang my pipe upon a willow bough Might I grieve ever if I grieve not now Thel 6 Ah foolish boy why should'st thou so lament To be like him whom thou dost like so well The Prince of fishers thousand tortures rent To heav'n lad thou art bound the way by hell Would'st thou ador'd and great and merry be When he was mockt debas'd and dead for thee 7 Mens scorns should rather joy then sorrow move For then thou highest art when thou art down Their storms of hate should more blow up my love Their laughters my applause their mocks my crown Sorrow for him and shame let me betide Who for me wretch in shame and sorrow died Chrom 8 Thelgon 't is not my self for whom I plain My private losse full easie could I bear If private losse might help the publick gain But who can blame my grief or chide my fear Since now the fishers trade and honour'd name Is made the common badge of scorn and shame 9 Little know they the fishers toilsome pain Whose labour with his age still growing spends not His care and watchings
didst spread On those dark waters thy all-opening light Thou who of late of thy great bounty head This nest of hellish fogges and Stygian night With thy bright orient Sunne hast fair renew'd And with unwonted day hast it endu'd Which late both day thee and most it self eschew'd 27 Dread Spirit do thou those severall bands unfold Both which thou sent'st a needfull supplement To this lost Isle and which with courage bold Hourely assail thy rightfull regiment And with strong hand oppresse keep them under Raise now my humble vein to lofty thunder That heav'n and earth may sound resound thy praises wonder 28 The Islands Prince of frame more then celestiall Is rightly call'd th' all-seeing Intellect All glorious bright such nothing is terrestriall Whose Sun-like face and most divine aspect No humane sight may ever hope descrie For when himself on 's self reflects his eye Dull and amaz'd he stands at so bright majestie 29 Look as the Sunne whose ray and searching light Here there and every where it self displayes No nook or corner flies his piercing sight Yet on himself when he reflects his rayes Soon back he flings the too bold vent'ring gleam Down to the earth the flames all broken stream Such is this famous Prince such his unpierced beam 30 His strangest body is not bodily But matter without matter never fill'd Nor filling though within his compasse high All heav'n and earth and all in both are held Yet thousand thousand heav'ns he could contain And still as empty as at first remain And when he takes in most readi'st to take again 31 Though travelling all places changing none Bid him soar up to heav'n and thence down throwing The centre search and Dis dark realm he 's gone Returns arrives before thou saw'st him going And while his weary kingdome safely sleeps All restlesse night he watch and warding keeps Never his carefull head on resting pillow steeps 32 In every quarter of this blessed Isle Himself both present is and President Nor once retires ah happy realm the while That by no Officers lewd lavishment With greedie lust and wrong consumed art He all in all and all in every part Does share to each his due and equall dole impart 33 He knows nor death nor yeares nor feeble age But as his time his strength and vigour grows And when his kingdome by intestine rage Lies broke and wasted open to his foes And batter'd sconce now flat and even lies Sooner then thought to that great Judge he flies Who weighs him just reward of good or injuries 34 For he the Judges Viceroy here is plac't Where if he live as knowing he may die He never dies but with fresh pleasures grac't Bathes his crown'd head in soft eternitie Where thousand joyes and pleasures ever new And blessings thicker then the morning dew With endlesse sweets rain down on that immortall crue 35 There golden starres set in the crystall snow There daintie joyes laugh at white-headed caring There day no night delight no end shall know Sweets without surfet fulnesse without sparing And by its spending growing happinesse There God himself in glories lavishnesse Diffus'd in all to all is all full blessednesse 36 But if he here neglect his Masters law And with those traitours 'gainst his Lord rebells Down to the deeps ten thousand fiends him draw Deeps where night death despair and horrour dwells And in worst ills still worse expecting fears Where fell despite for spite his bowels tears And still increasing grief and torment never wears 37 Prayers there are idle death is woo'd in vain In midst of death poore wretches long to die Night without day or rest still doubling pain Woes spending still yet still their end lesse nigh The soul there restlesse helplesse hopelesse lies The body frying roars and roaring fries There 's life that never lives there 's death that never dies 38 Hence while unsetled here he fighting reignes Shut in a Tower where thousand enemies Assault the fort with wary care and pains He guards all entrance and by divers spies Searches into his foes and friends designes For most he fears his subjects wavering mindes This Tower then onely falls when treason undermines 39 Therefore while yet he lurks in earthly tent Disguis'd in worthlesse robes and poore attire Trie we to view his glories wonderment And get a sight of what we so admire For when away from this sad place he flies And in the skies abides more bright then skies Too glorious is his sight for our dimme mortall eyes 40 So curl'd-head Thetis waters feared Queen But bound in cauls of sand yeelds not to sight And planets glorious King may best be seen When some thinne cloud dimmes his too piercing light And neither none nor all his face discloses For when his bright eye full our eye opposes None gains his glorious sight but his own sight he loses 41 Within the Castle sit eight Counsellers That help him in this tent to govern well Each in his room a severall office bears Three of his inmost private counsell deal In great affairs five of lesse dignitie Have outward Courts and in all actions prie But still referre the doom to Courts more fit and high 42 Those five fair brethren which I sung of late For their just number call'd the Pemptarchie The other three three pillars of the state The first in midst of that high Tower doth lie The chiefest mansion of this glorious King The Judge and Arbiter of every thing Which those five brethrens poasts in to his office bring 43 Of middle yeares and seemly personage Father of laws the rule of wrong and right Fountain of judgement therefore wondrous sage Discreet and wise of quick and nimble sight Not those seven Sages might him parallell Nor he whom Pythian Maid did whilome tell To be the wisest man that then on earth did dwell 44 As Neptunes cestern sucks in tribute tides Yet never full which every chanel brings And thirstie drinks and drinking thirstie bides For by some hidden way back to the springs It sends the streams in erring conduits spread Which with a circling dutie still are led So ever feeding them is by them ever fed 45 Ev'n so the first of these three Counsellers Gives to the five the power of all-descrying Which back to him with mutuall dutie bears All their informings and the causes trying For through strait waies the nimble Poast ascends Unto his hall there up his message sends Which to the next well scann'd he straightway recommends 46 The next that in the Castles front is plac't Phantastes hight his yeares are fresh and green His visage old his face too much defac't With ashes pale his eyes deep sunken been With often thoughts and never slackt intention Yet he the fount of speedy apprehension Father of wit the well of arts and quick invention 47 But in his private thoughts and busy brain Thousand thinne forms and idle fancies flit The three-shap't Sphinx and direfull
'gins his life when he 's of life bereaven Ah blessed soul that here begins his heaven Upon the Contemplations of the B. of Excester given to the Ladie E. W. at New-yeares-tide THis little worlds two little starres are eyes And he that all eyes framed fram'd all others Downward to fall but these to climbe the skies There to acquaint them with their starrie brothers Planets fixt in the head their spheare of sense Yet wandring still through heav'ns circumference The Intellect being their Intelligence Dull then that heavie soul which ever bent On earth and earthly toyes his heav'n neglects Content with that which cannot give content What thy foot scorning kicks thy soul respects Fond soul thy eye will up to heav'n erect thee Thou it direct'st and must it now direct thee Dull heavie soul thy scholar must correct thee Thrice happie soul that guided by thine eyes Art mounted up unto that starrie nation And leaving there thy sense entrest the skies Enshrin'd and sainted there by contemplation Heav'n thou enjoy'st on earth and now bereaven Of life a new life to thy soul is given Thrice happie soul that hast a double heaven That sacred hand which to this yeare hath brought you Perfect your yeares and with your yeares his graces And when his will unto his will hath wrought you Conduct your soul unto those happie places Where thousand joyes and pleasures ever new And blessings thicker then the morning dew With endlesse sweets rain on that heav'nly crue These Asclepiads of Mr. H. S. translated and enlarged Nè Verbum mihi sit mortua Litera Nec Christi Meritum Gratia vanida Sed Verbum fatuo sola Scientia Et Christus misero sola Redemptio UNletter'd Word which never eare could heare Unwritten Word which never eye could see Yet syllabled in flesh-spell'd character That so to senses thou might'st subject be Since thou in bread art stampt in print art read Let not thy print-stampt Word to me be dead Thou all-contriving all-deserving Spirit Made flesh to die that so thou might'st be mine That thou in us and we in thee might merit We thine thou ours thou humane we divine Let not my dead lifes merit my dead heart Forfeit so deare a purchas'd deaths desert Thou Sunne of wisdome knowledge infinite Made folly to the wise night to prophane Be I thy Moon oh let thy sacred light Increase to th' full and never never wane Wise folly set in me fond wisdome rise Make me renounce my wisdome to be wise Thou Life eternall purest blessednesse Made mortal wretched sinne it self for me Shew me my death my sin my wretchednesse That I may flourish shine and live in thee So I with praise shall sing thy life deaths storie O thou my Merit Life my Wisdome Glorie Certain of the royal Prophets Psalmes metaphrased Psalm 42. which agrees with the tune of Like the Hermite poore LOok as an hart with sweat and bloud embrued Chas'd and embost thirsts in the soil to be So my poore soul with eager foes pursued Looks longs O Lord pines pants and faints for thee When O my God when shall I come in place To see thy light and view thy glorious face I dine and sup with sighs with grones and teares While all thy foes mine eares with taunting load Who now thy cries who now thy prayer heares Where is say they where is thy boasted God My molten heart deep plung'd in sad despairs Runnes forth to thee in streams of teares and prayers With grief I think on those sweet now past dayes When to thy house my troops with joy I led We sang we danc'd we chanted sacred layes No men so haste to wine no bride to bed Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest My famisht soul driv'n from thy sweetest word From Hermon hill and Jordans swelling brook To thee laments sighs deep to thee O Lord To thee sends back her hungrie longing look Flouds of thy wrath breed flouds of grief and fears And flouds of griefbreed flouds of plaints and teares His early light with morn these clouds shall clear These drearie clouds and storms of sad despairs Sure am I in the night his songs to heare Sweet songs of joy as well as he my prayers I 'le say My God why slight'st thou my distresse While all my foes my wearie soul oppresse My cruel foes both thee and me upbraid They cut my heart they vant that bitter word Where is thy trust where is thy hope they said Where is thy God where is thy boasted Lord Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest Psal. 63. which may be sung as The widow or mock-widow O Lord before the morning Gives heav'n warning To let out the day My wakefull eyes Look for thy rise And wait to let in thy joyfull ray Lank hunger here peoples the desert cells Here thirst fills up the emptie wells How longs my flesh for that bread without leaven How thirsts my soul for that wine of heaven Such oh to taste thy ravishing grace Such in thy house to view thy glorious face Thy love thy light thy faces Bright-shining graces Whose unchanged ray Knows nor morns dawn Nor evenings wane How farre surmount they lifes winter day My heart to thy glorie tunes all his strings My tongue thy praises cheerly sings And till I slumber and death shall undresse me Thus will I sing thus will I blesse thee Fill me with love oh fill me with praise So shall I vent due thanks in joyfull layes When night all eyes hath quenched And thoughts lie drenched In silence and rest Then will I all Thy waies recall And look on thy light in darknesse best When my poore soul wounded had lost the field Thou wast my fort thou wast my shield Safe in thy trenches I boldly will vant me There will I sing there will I chant thee There I 'le triumph in thy banner of grace My conqu'ring arms shall be thy arms embrace My foes from deeps ascending In rage transcending Assaulting me sore Into their hell Are headlong fell There shall they lie there howl and roare There let deserv'd torments their spirits tear Feel they worst ills and worse yet fear But with his spouse thine anointed in pleasure Shall reigne and joy past time or measure There new delights new pleasures still spring Haste there oh haste my soul to dance and sing PSAL. 127. To the tune of that Psalme IF God build not the house and lay The ground-work sure who ever build It cannot stand one stormie day If God be not the cities shield If he be not their barres and wall In vain is watch-tower men and all Though then thou wak'st when others rest Though rising thou prevent'st the Sunne Though with lean care thou daily feast Thy labour 's lost and thou undone But God his childe will feed and keep And draw the curtains to
his sleep Though th' hast a wife fir young and fair An heritage heirs to advance Yet canst thou not command an heir For heirs are Gods inheritance He gives the seed the bud the bloom He gives the harvest to the wombe And look as arrows by strong arm In a strong bow drawn to the head Where they are meant will surely harm And if they hit wound deep and dead Children of youth are even so As harmfull deadly to a foe That man shall live in blisse and peace Who fills his quiver with such shot Whose garners swell with such increase Terrour and shame assail him not And though his foes deep hatred bear Thus arm'd he shall not need to fear PSAL. 137. To be sung as See the building WHere Perah's flowers Perfume proud Babels bowers And paint her wall There we laid asteeping Our eyes in endlesse weeping For Sions fall Our feasts and songs we laid aside On forlorn willows By Perah's billows We hung our harps and mirth and joy defi'd That Sions ruines should build foul Babels pride Our conqu'rours vaunting With bitter scoffes and taunting Thus proudly jest Take down your harps and string them Recall your songs sing them For Sions feast Were our harps well tun'd in every string Our heart-strings broken Throats drown'd and soken With tears and sighs how can we praise and sing The King of heav'n under an heathen king In all my mourning Ierusalem thy burning If I forget Forget thy running My hand and all thy cunning To th' harp to set Let thy mouth my tongue be still thy grave Lie there asleeping For Sion weeping Oh let mine eyes in tears thy office have Nor rise nor set but in their brinie wave Proud Edoms raging Their hate with bloud asswaging And vengefull sword Their cursed joying In Sions walls destroying Remember Lord Forget not Lord their spightfull cry Fire and deface it Destroy and raze it Oh let the name of Sion ever die Thus did they roare and us and thee defie So shall thy towers And all thy princely bowers Proud Babel fall Him ever blessed Who th' oppressour hath oppressed Shall all men call Thrice blest that turns thy mirth to grones That burns to ashes Thy towers and dashes Thy brats 'gainst rocks to wash thy bloudie stones With thine own bloud and pave thee with thy bones PSAL. I. BLessed who walk'st not in the worldlings way Blessed who with foul sinners wilt not stand Blessed who with proud mockers dar'st not stay Nor sit thee down amongst that scornfull band Thrice blessed man who in that heav'nly light Walk'st stand'st and sitt'st rejoycing day and night Look as a thirstie Palm full Iordan drinks Whose leaf and fruit still live when winter dies With conqu'ring branches crowns the rivers brinks And summers fires and winters frosts defies All so the soul whom that clear light revives Still springs buds grows and dying time survives But as the dust of chaffe cast in the aire Sinks in the dirt and turns to dung and mire So sinners driv'n to hell by fierce despair Shall frie in ice and freez in hellish fire For he whose flaming eyes all actions turn Sees both to light the one the other burn PSAL. 130. FRom the deeps of grief and fear O Lord to thee my soul repairs From thy heav'n bow down thine eare Let thy mercie meet my prayers Oh if thou mark'st what 's done amisse What soul so pure can see thy blisse But with thee sweet mercie stands Sealing pardons working fear Wait my soul wait on his hands Wait mine eye oh wait mine eare If he his eye or tongue affords Watch all his looks catch all his words As a watchman waits for day And looks for light and looks again When the night grows old and gray To be reliev'd he calls amain So look so wait so long mine eyes To see my Lord my Sunne arise Wait ye saints wait on our Lord For from his tongue sweet mercie flows Wait on his crosse wait on his word Upon that tree redemption grows He will redeem his Israel From sinne and wrath from death and hell AN HYMNE WAke O my soul awake and raise Up every part to sing his praise Who from his spheare of glorie fell To raise thee up from death and hell See how his soul vext for thy sinne Weeps bloud without feels hell within See where he hangs heark how he cries Oh bitter pangs Now now he dies Wake O mine eyes awake and view Those two twin-lights whence heavens drew Their glorious beams whose gracious sight Fills you with joy with life and light See how with clouds of sorrow drown'd They wash with tears thy sinfull wound See how with streams of spit th' are drencht See how their beams with death are quencht Wake O mine eare awake and heare That powerfull voice which stills thy fear And brings from heav'n those joyfull news Which heav'n commands which hell subdues Heark how his eares heav'ns mercie-seat Foul slanders with reproaches beat Heark how the knocks our ears resound Heark how their mocks his hearing wound Wake O my heart tune every string Wake O my tongue awake and sing Think not a thought in all thy layes Speak not a word but of his praise Tell how his sweetest tongue they drownd With gall think how his heart they wound That bloudie spout gagg'd for thy sinne His life lets out thy death lets in AN HYMNE DRop drop slow tears and bathe those beauteous feet Which brought from heav'n the news and Prince of peace Cease not wet eyes his mercies to intreat To crie for vengeance sinne doth never cease In your deep flouds drown all my faults and fears Nor let his eye see sinne but through my tears On my friends picture who died in travel THough now to heav'n thy travels are confin'd Thy wealth friends life and countrey all are lost Yet in this picture we thee living finde And thou with lesser travel lesser cost Hast found new life friends wealth and better coast So by thy death thou liv'st by losse thou gain'st And in thy absence present still remain'st Upon Doctor Playser WHo lives with death by death in death is lying But he who living dies best lives by dying Who life to truth who death to errour gives In life may die by death more surely lives My soul in heaven breathes in schools my fame Then on my tombe write nothing but my name Upon my brothers book called The grounds labour and reward of faith THis lamp fill'd up and fir'd by that blest Spirit Spent his last oyl in this pure heav'nly flame Laying the grounds walls roof of faith this frame With life he ends and now doth there inherit What here he built crown'd with his laurel merit Whose palms and triumphs once he loudly rang There now enjoyes what here he sweetly sang This is his monument on which he drew His spirits image that can never die But breathes in these ' live words and speaks to th' eye In these
his winding-sheets he dead doth shew To buried souls the way to live anew And in his grave more powerfully now preacheth Who will not learn when that a dead man teacheth Upon Mr. Perkins his printed sermons PErkins our wonder living though long dead In this white paper as a winding-sheet And in this velome lies enveloped Yet still he lives guiding the erring feet Speaking now to our eyes though buried If once so well much better now he teacheth Who will not heare when a live-dead man preacheth FINIS ELISA OR AN ELEGIE UPON THE UNRIPE DECEASE OF Sr. ANTONIE IRBY Composed at the request and for a monument of his surviving Ladie Anagramma Antonius Irbeus An virtus obiens Esto mei mortisque memor Funus virtuti foenus Printed by the printers to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1633. To the right worthy Knight Sr. ANTONIE IRBY SIR I am altogether I think unknown to you as having never seen you since your infancie neither do I now desire to be known by this trifle But I cannot rule these few lines composed presently after your fathers decease They are broken from me and will see more light then they deserve I wish there were any thing in them worthy of your vacant houres Such as they are yours they are by inheritance As an Vrn therefore of your fathers ashes I beseech you receive them for his sake and from him who desires in some better employment to be Your servant P. F. ELISA LOok as a stagge pierc'd with a fatal bow As by a wood he walks securely feeding In coverts thick conceales his deadly blow And feeling death swim in his endles bleeding His heavy head his fainting strength exceeding Bids woods adieu so sinks into his grave Green brakes and primrose sweet his seemly herse embrave 2 So lay a gentle Knight now full of death With clowdie eyes his latest houre expecting And by his side sucking his fleeting breath His weeping Spouse Elisa life neglecting And all her beauteous faires with grief infecting Her cheek as pale as his 't were hard to scanne If death or sorrows face did look more pale or wanne 3 Close by her sister fair Alicia sits Fairest Alicia to whose sweetest graces His teares and sighs a fellow passion fits Upon her eye his throne Love sorrow places There Comfort Sadnesse Beautie Grief embraces Pitie might seem a while that face to borrow And thither now was come to comfort death sorrow 4 At length lowd Grief thus with a fearfull shriek His trumpet sounds a battell joy defying Spreading his colours in Elisa's cheek And from her eyes his watch-tower farre espying With Hope Delight and Joy and Comfort flying Thus with her tongue their coward flight pursues While sighs shrieks tears give chace with never fainting crues 5 Thou traitour Joy that in prosperitie So lowdly vaunt'st whither ah whither fliest And thou that bragg'st never from life to flie False Hope ah whither now so speedy hiest In vain thy winged feet so fast thou pliest Hope thou art dead and Joy in Hope relying Bleeds in his hopelesse wounds and in his death lies dying 6 But then Alicia in whose cheerfull eye Comfort with Grief Hope with Compassion lived Renews the fight If Joy and Comfort die The fault is yours so much too much you grieved That Hope could never hope to be relieved If all your hopes to one poore hope you binde No marvel if one fled not one remains behinde 7 Fond hopes on life so weak a threed depending Weak as the threed such knots so weakly tying But heav'nly joyes are circular ne're ending Sure as the rock on which they grow and lying In heav'n increase by losse live best by dying Then let your hope on those sure joyes depend Which live grow by death waste not when they spend 8 Then she Great Lord thy judgements righteous be To make good ill when to our ill we use it Good leads us to the greatest good to Thee But we to other ends most fond abuse it A common fault yet cannot that excuse it We love thy gifts and take them gladly ever We love them ah too much more then we love the giver 9 So falling low upon her humbled knees And all her heart within her eye expressing 'T is true great Mercy onely miseries Teach us our selves and thee oh if confessing Our faults to thee be all our faults releasing But in thine eare I never sought to hide them Ah! thou hast heard them oft as oft as thou hast ey'd them 10 I know the heart knows more then tongue can tell But thou perceiv'st the heart his foulnesse telling Yet knows the heart not half so wide an hell Such seas of sinne in such scant banks are swelling Who sees all faults within his bosome dwelling Many my tenants are and I not know them Most dangerous the wounds thou feel'st and canst not show them 11 Some hidden fault my Father and my God Some fault I know not yet nor yet amended Hath forc't thee frown and use thy smarting rod Some grievous fault thee grievously offended But let thy wrath ah let it now be ended Father this childish plea if once I know it Let stay thy threatning hand I never more will do it 12 If to my heart thou shew this hidden sore Spare me no more no more I will offend thee I dare not say I will I would no more Say thou I shall and soon I will amend me Then smooth thy brow and now some comfort lend me Oh let thy softest mercies rest contented Though late I most repent that I so late repented 13 Lay down thy rod and stay thy smarting hand These raining eyes into thy bottle gather Oh see thy bleeding Sonne betwixt us stand Remember me a childe thy self a father Or if thou mayst not stay oh punish rather The part offending this rebellious heart Why pardon'st thou the worse and plagu'st my better part 14 Was 't not thy hand that ty'd the sacred knot Was 't not thy hand that to my hand did give him Hast thou not made us one command'st thou not None loose what thou hast bound if then thou reave him How without me by halves dost thou receive him Tak'st thou the head and leav'st the heart behinde Ay me in me alone canst thou such monster finde 15 Oh why dost thou so strong me weak assail Woman of all thy creatures is the weakest And in her greatest strength did weakly fail Thou who the weak and bruised never breakest Who never triumph in the yeelding seekest Pitie my weak estate and leave me never I ever yet was weak and now more weak then ever 16 With that her fainting spouse lifts up his head And with some joy his inward griefs refraining Thus with a feeble voice yet cheerfull s'ed Spend not in tears this little time remaining Thy grief doth adde to mine not ease my paining My death is life such is the scourge of God Ah if his rods be such who would not
thou none Or if thou art or wert how art thou saved And livest still when he to death is slaved But ah when well I think I plainly see That death to him was life and life is death to me 28 Vile trunk if yet he live ah then again Why seek'st thou not with him to be combined But oh since he in heav'n doth living reigne Death wer't to him in such knots to be twined And life to me with him to be confined So while I better think I eas'ly see My life to him were death his death were life to me 29 Then die with him vile trunk and dying live Or rather with him live his life applying Where thou shalt never die nor ever grieve But ah though death thou feel'st within thee lying Thou ne're art dead though still in sorrow dying Most wretched soul which hast thy seat and being Where life with death is one death with life agreeing 30 He lives and joyes death life to him hath bred Why is he living then in earth enwombed But I a walking coarse in life am dead 'T is I my friends 't is I must be entombed Whose joy with grief whose life with death's benummed Thou coffin art not his nor he is thine Mine art thou thou the dead not the livings shrine 31 You few thinne boards how in so scanted room So quiet such great enemies contain ye All joy all grief lies in this narrow tombe You contraries how thus in peace remain ye That one small cabin so should entertain ye But joy is dead and here entomb'd doth lie While grief is come to moan his dead-lov'd enemie 32 How many vertues in this little space This little little space lie buried ever In him they liv'd and with them every grace In him they liv'd and di'd and rise will never Fond men go now in vertues steps persever Go sweat and toil thus you inglorious lie In this old frozen age vertue it self can die 33 Those petty Northern starres do never fall The unwasht Beare the Ocean wave despises Ever unmov'd it moves and ever shall The Sun which oft his head in night disguises So often as he falls so often rises And stealing backward by some hidden way With self same light begins and ends the yeare day 34 The flowers which in the absence of the Sunne Sleep in their winter-houses all disarm'd And backward to their mothers wombe do runne Soon as the earth by Taurus horns is warm'd Muster their colour'd troups and freshly arm'd Spreading their braving colours to the skie Winter and winters spight bold little elves defie 35 But Vertues heav'nly and more glorious light Though seeming ever sure yet oft dismounteth And sinking low sleeps in eternall night Nor ever more his broken spheare remounteth Her sweetest flower which other flowers surmounteth As farre as roses nettles soonest fadeth Down falls her glorious leaf never more it bladeth 36 And as that dainty flower the maiden rofe Her swelling bosome to the Sunne discloses Soon as her lover hot and fiery grows Straight all her sweets unto his heat exposes Then soon disrob'd her sweet and beautie loses While hurtfull weeds hemlocks nettles stinking Soon from the earth ascend late to their graves are sinking 37 All so the vertuous bud in blooming falls While vice long flourishing late sees her ending Vertue once dead no gentle spring recalls But vice springs of it self and soon ascending Long views the day late to his night descending Vain men that in this life set up your rest Which to the ill is long and short unto the best 38 And as a dream where th' idle fancie playes One thinks that fortune high his head advances Another spends in woe his weary dayes A third seems sport in love and courtly dances A fourth to finde some glitt'ring treasure chances Soon as they wake they see their thoughts were vain And either quite forget or laugh their idle brain 39 Such is the world and such lifes quick-spent play This base and scorn'd that great in high esteeming This poore and patched seems that rich and gay This sick that sound yet all is but a seeming So like that waking oft we fear w' are dreaming And think we wake oft when we dreaming play Dreams are as living nights life as a dreaming day 40 Go then vain life for I will trust no more Thy flattering dreams death to thy resting take me Thou sleep without all dreams lifes quiet shore When wilt thou come when wilt thou overtake me Enough I now have liv'd loath'd life forsake me Thou good mens endlesse fight thou ill mens feast That at the best art bad and worst art to the best 41 Thus as in teares she drowns her swollen eyes A suddain noise recalls them backward bending Her weary head there all in black she spies Six mournfull bearers the sad hearse attending Their feet and hands to that last dutie lending All silent stood she trembling pale and wan The first grief left his stage a new his part began 42 And now the coffin in their arms they take While she with weight of grief sat still amazed As do sear leaves in March so did she quake And with intended eyes upon them gazed But when from ground the doleful hearse they raised Down on the beer half dead she carelesse fell While teares did talk apace and sighs her sorrows tell 43 At last Fond men said she you are deceiv'd It is not he 't is I must be interred Not he but I of life and soul bereav'd He lives in heav'n among the saints referred This trunk this headlesse body must be buried But while by force some hold her up they reare him And weeping at her tears away they softly beare him 44 But then impatient grief all passion proves She prayes weeps with teares she doth intreat them But when this onely fellow passion moves She storms and raves and now as fast doth threat them And as she onely could with words doth beat them Ah cruell men ah men most cruell stay It is my heart my life my soul you beare away 45 And now no sooner was he out of sight As if she would make good what she had spoken First from her hearts deep centre deep she sigh'd Then as if heart and life and soul were broken Down dead she fell and once again awoken Fell once again so to her bed they bore her While friends no friends hard love to life and grief restore her 46 Unfriendly friends saith she why do ye strive To barre wisht death from his so just ingression Your pitie kills me 't is my death to live And life to die it is as great oppression To force out death as life from due possession 'T is much more great better that quickly spills A loathed life then he that with long torture kills 47 And then as if her guiltlesse bed offended Thou trait'rous bed when first thou didst receive me Not single to thy rest I then ascended
with your rich fragrant favours Nor may nor ever shall those honour'd flowers Be spoil'd by summers heat or winters showers But last when eating time shal gnaw the proudest towers 16 Happy thrice happy times in silver age When generous plants advanc't their lofty crest When honour stoopt to be learn'd wisdomes page When baser weeds starv'd in their frozen nest When th' highest flying Muse still highest climbes And vertues rise keeps down all rising crimes Happy thrice happy age happy thrice happy times 17 But wretched we to whom these iron daies Hard daies afford nor matter nor reward Sings Maro men deride high Maro's layes Their hearts with lead with steel their sense is barr'd Sing Linus or his father as he uses Our Midas eares their well tun'd verse refuses What cares an asse for arts he brayes at sacred Muses 18 But if fond Bavius vent his clowted song Or Maevius chaunt his thoughts in brothell charm The witlesse vulgar in a numerous throng Like summer flies about their dunghills swarm They sneer they grinne Like to his like will move Yet never let them greater mischief prove Then this Who hates not one may he the other love 19 Witnesse our Colin whom though all the Graces And all the Muses nurst whose well taught song Parnassus self and Glorian embraces And all the learn'd and all the shepherds throng Yet all his hopes were crost all suits deni'd Discourag'd scorn'd his writings vilifi'd Poorly poore man he liv'd poorly poore man he di'd 20 And had not that great Hart whose honour'd head Ah lies full low piti'd thy wofull plight There hadst thou lien unwept unburied Unblest nor grac't with any common rite Yet shalt thou live when thy great foe shall sink Beneath his mountain tombe whose fame shall stink And time his blacker name shall blurre with blackest ink 21 O let th' Iambick Muse revenge that wrong Which cannot slumber in thy sheets of lead Let thy abused honour crie as long As there be quills to write or eyes to reade On his rank name let thine own votes be turn'd Oh may that man that hath the Muses scorn'd Alive nor dead be ever of a Muse adorn'd 22 Oft therefore have I chid my tender Muse Oft my chill breast beats off her fluttering wing Yet when new spring her gentle rayes infuse All storms are laid I 'gin to chirp and sing At length soft fires disperst in every vein Yeeld open passage to the thronging train And swelling numbers tide rolls like the surging main 23 So where fair Thames and crooked Isis sonne Payes tribute to his King the mantling stream Encounter'd by the tides now rushing on With equall force of 's way doth doubtfull seem At length the full-grown sea and waters King Chide the bold waves with hollow murmuring Back flie the streams to shroud them in their mother spring 24 Yet thou sweet numerous Muse why should'st thou droop That every vulgar eare thy musick scorns Nor can they rise nor thou so low canst stoop No seed of heav'n takes root in mud or thorns When owls or crows imping their flaggy wing With thy stoln plumes their notes through th' ayer fling Oh shame They howl croke while fond they strain to sing 25 Enough for thee in heav'n to build thy nest Farre be dull thoughts of winning dunghill praise Enough if Kings enthrone thee in their breast And crown their golden crowns with higher baies Enough that those who weare the crown of Kings Great Israels Princes strike thy sweetest strings Heav'ns Dove when high'st he flies flies with thy heav'nly wings 26 Let others trust the seas dare death and hell Search either Inde vaunt of their scarres and wounds Let others their deare breath nay silence sell To fools and swoln not rich stretch out their bounds By spoiling those that live and wronging dead That they may drink in pearl and couch their head In soft but sleeplesse down in rich but restlesse bed 27 Oh let them in their gold quaffe dropsies down Oh let them surfets feast in silver bright While sugar hires the taste the brain to drown And bribes of sauce corrupt false appetite His masters rest health heart life soul to sell. Thus plentie fulnesse sicknesse ring their knell Death weds and beds them first in grave and then in hell 28 But ah let me under some Kentish hill Neare rowling Medway 'mong my shepherd peers With fearlesse merrie-make and piping still Securely passe my few and slow-pac'd yeares While yet the great Augustus of our nation Shuts up old Ianus in this long cessation Strength'ning our pleasing ease and gives us sure vacation 29 There may I master of a little flock Feed my poore lambes and often change their fare My lovely mate shall tend my sparing stock And nurse my little ones with pleasing care Whose love and look shall speak their father plain Health be my feast heav'n hope content my gain So in my little house my lesser heart shall reigne 30 The beech shall yeeld a cool safe canopie While down I fit and chaunt to th' echoing wood Ah singing might I live and singing die So by fair Thames or silver Medwayes floud The dying swan when yeares her temples pierce In musick strains breathes out her life and verse And chaunting her own dirge tides on her watry herse 31 What shall I then need seek a patron out Or begge a favour from a mistris eyes To fence my song against the vulgar rout Or shine upon me with her Geminies What care I if they praise my slender song Or reck I if they do me right or wrong A shepherds blisse nor stands nor falls to ev'ry tongue 32 Great prince of shepherds then thy heav'ns more high Low as our earth here serving ruling there Who taught'st our death to live thy life to die Who when we broke thy bonds our bonds would'st bear Who reignedst in thy heav'n yet felt'st our hell Who God bought'st man whom man though God did sell Who in our flesh our graves and worse our hearts would'st dwell 33 Great Prince of shepherds thou who late didst deigne To lodge thy self within this wretched breast Most wretched breast such guest to entertain Yet oh most happy lodge in such a guest Thou first and last inspire thy sacred skill Guide thou my hand grace thou my artlesse quill So shall I first begin so last shall end thy will 54 Heark then ah heark you gentle shepheard-crue An Isle I fain would sing an Island fair A place too seldome view'd yet still in view Neare as our selves yet farthest from our care Which we by leaving finde by seeking lost A forrain home a strange though native coast Most obvious to all yet most unkown to most 35 Coëvall with the world in her nativitie Which though it now hath pass'd through many ages And still retain'd a naturall proclivitie To ruine compast with a thousand rages Of foe-mens spite which still this Island tosses Yet ever grows more prosp'rous by her
crosses By with'ring springing fresh and rich by often losses 36 Vain men too fondly wise who plough the seas With dangerous pains another earth to finde Adding new worlds to th' old and scorning ease The earths vast limits dayly more unbinde The aged world though now it falling shows And hastes to set yet still in dying grows Whole lives are spent to win what one deaths houre must lose 37 How like 's the world unto a tragick stage Where every changing scene the actours change Some subject crouch and fawn some reigne and rage And new strange plots brings scenes as new strange Till most are slain the rest their parts have done So here some laugh and play some weep and grone Till all put of their robes and stage and actours gone 38 Yet this fair Isle sited so nearely neare That from our sides nor place nor time may sever Though to your selves your selves are not more deare Yet with strange carelesnesse you travell never Thus while your selves and native home forgetting You search farre distant worlds with needlesse sweating You never finde your selves so lose ye more by getting 39 When that great Power that All farre more then all When now his fore-set time was fully come Brought into act this undigested Ball Which in himself till then had onely room He labour'd not nor suffer'd pain or ill But bid each kinde their severall places fill He bid and they obey'd their action was his will 40 First stept the Light and spread his chearfull rayes Through all the Chaos darknesse headlong fell Frighted with suddain beams and new-born dayes And plung'd her ougly head in deepest hell Not that he meant to help his feeble sight To frame the rest he made the day of night All els but darknesse he the true the onely Light 41 Fire Water Earth and Aire that fiercely strove His soveraigne hand in strong alliance ti'd Binding their deadly hate in constant love So that great Wisdome temper'd all their pride Commanding strife and love should never cease That by their peacefull fight and fighting peace The world might die to live and lessen to increase 42 Thus Earths cold arm cold Water friendly holds But with his drie the others wet defies Warm Aire with mutuall love hot Fire infolds As moist his dryth abhorres drie Earth allies With Fire but heats with cold new warres prepare Yet Earth drencht Water proves which boil'd turns Aire Hot Aire makes Fire condenst all change and home repair 43 Now when the first weeks life was almost spent And this world built and richly furnished To store heav'ns courts and steer earths regiment He cast to frame an Isle the heart and head Of all his works compos'd with curious art Which like an Index briefly should impart The summe of all the whole yet of the whole a part 44 That Trine-one with himself in councell sits And purple dust takes from the new-born earth Part circular and part triang'lar fits Endows it largely at the unborn birth Deputes his Favorite Vice-roy doth invest With aptnesse thereunto as seem'd him best And lov'd it more then all and more then all it blest 45 Then plac't it in the calm pacifick seas And bid nor waves nor troublous windes offend it Then peopled it with subjects apt to please So wise a Prince made able to defend it Against all outward force or inward spite Him framing like himself all shining bright A little living Sunne Sonne of the living Light 46 Nor made he this like other Isles but gave it Vigour sense reason and a perfect motion To move it self whither it self would have it And know what falls within the verge of notion No time might change it but as ages went So still return'd still spending never spent More rising in their fall more rich in detriment 47 So once the Cradle of that double light Whereof one rules the night the other day Till sad Latona flying Iuno's spite Her double burthen there did safely lay Not rooted yet in every sea was roving With every wave and every winde removing But since to those fair Twins hath left her ever moving 48 Look as a scholar who doth closely gather Many large volumes in a narrow place So that great Wisdome all this All together Confin'd into this Islands little space And being one soon into two he fram'd it And now made two to one again reclaim'd it The little Isle of Man or Purple Island nam'd it 49 Thrice happy was the worlds first infancie Nor knowing yet nor curious ill to know Joy without grief love without jealousie None felt hard labour or the sweating plough The willing earth brought tribute to her King Bacchus unborn lay hidden in the cling Of big-swoln grapes their drink was every silver spring 50 Of all the windes there was no difference None knew mild Zephyres from cold Eurus mouth Nor Orithyia's lovers violence Distinguisht from the ever-dropping South But either gentle West-winds reign'd alone Or else no winde or harmfull winde was none But one winde was in all and all the windes in one 51 None knew the sea oh blessed ignorance None nam'd the stars the North carres constant race Taurus bright horns or Fishes happy chance Astraea yet chang'd not her name or place Her ev'n-pois'd ballance heav'n yet never tri'd None sought new coasts nor forrain lands descri'd But in their own they liv'd and in their own they di'd 52 But ah what liveth long in happinesse Grief of an heavy nature steddy lies And cannot be remov'd for weightinesse But joy of lighter presence eas'ly flies And seldome comes and soon away will goe Some secret power here all things orders so That for a sun-shine day follows an age of woe 53 Witnesse this glorious Isle which not content To be confin'd in bounds of happinesse Would trie what e're is in the continent And seek out ill and search for wretchednesse Ah fond to seek what then was in thy will That needs no curious search 't is next us still 'T is grief to know of grief and ill to know of ill 54 That old slie Serpent slie but spitefull more Vext with the glory of this happy Isle Allures it subt'ly from the peacefull shore And with fair painted lies colour'd guile Drencht in dead seas whose dark streams full of fright Emptie their sulphur waves in endlesse night Where thousand deaths and hells torment the damned sprite 55 So when a fisher-swain by chance hath spi'd A big-grown Pike pursue the lesser frie He sets a withy Labyrinth beside And with fair baits allures his nimble eye Which he invading with our-streched finne All suddainly is compast with the ginne Where there is no way out but easie passage in 56 That deathfull lake hath these three properties No turning path or issue thence is found The captive never dead yet ever dies It endlesse sinks yet never comes to ground Hells self is pictur'd in that brimstone wave For what retiring from that hellish grave Or
who can end in death where deaths no ending have 57 For ever had this Isle in that foul ditch With curelesse grief and endlesse errour strai'd Boyling in sulphur and hot-bubbling pitch Had not the King whose laws he fool betrai'd Unsnarl'd that chain then from that lake secur'd For which ten thousand tortures he endur'd So hard was this lost Isle so hard to be recur'd 58 O thou deep well of life wide stream of love More deep more wide then widest deepest seas Who dying Death to endlesse death didst prove To work this wilfull-rebell Islands ease Thy love no time began no time decaies But still increaseth with decreasing daies Where then may we begin where may we end thy praise 59 My callow wing that newly left the nest How can it make so high a towring flight O depth without a depth in humble breast With praises I admire so wondrous height But thou my sister Muse mayst well go higher And end thy flight ne're may thy pineons tire Thereto may he his grace and gentle heat aspire 60 Then let me end my easier taken storie And sing this Islands new recover'd sear But see the eye of noon in brightest glorie Teaching great men is ne're so little great Our panting flocks retire into the glade They crouch and close to th' earth their horns have laid Vail we our scorched heads in that thick beeches shade CANT II. DEclining Phoebus as he larger grows Taxing proud folly gentler waxeth still Never lesse fierce then when he greatest shows When Thirsil on a gentle rising hill Where all his flock he round might feeding view Sits down and circled with a lovely crue Of Nymphs shepherd-boyes thus 'gan his song renew 2 Now was this Isle pull'd from that horrid main Which bears the fearfull looks and name of death And setled new with bloud and dreadfull pain By him who twice had giv'n once forfeit breath A baser state then what was first assign'd Wherein to curb the too aspiring minde The better things were lost the worst were left behinde 3 That glorious image of himself was raz'd Ah! scarce the place of that best part we finde And that bright Sun-like knowledge much defac'd Onely some twinkling starres remain behinde Then mortall made yet as one fainting dies Two other in its place succeeding rise And drooping stock with branches fresh immortalize 4 So that'lone bird in fruitfull Arabie When now her strength and waning life decaies Upon some airie rock or mountain high In spiced bed fir'd by neare Phoebus rayes Her self and all her crooked age consumes Straight from the ashes and those rich perfumes A new-born Phoenix flies widow'd place resumes 5 It grounded lies upon a sure foundation Compact and hard whose matter cold and drie To marble turns in strongest congelation Fram'd of fat earth which fires together tie Through all the Isle and every part extent To give just form to every regiment Imparting to each part due strength and stablishment 6 Whose looser ends are glu'd with brother earth Of nature like and of a neare relation Of self-same parents both at self-same birth That oft it self stands for a good foundation Both these a third doth soulder fast and binde Softer then both yet of the self-same kinde All instruments of motion in one league combin'd 7 Upon this base a curious work is rais'd Like undivided brick entire and one Though soft yet lasting with just balance pais'd Distributed with due proportion And that the rougher frame might lurk unseen All fair is hung with coverings slight and thinne Which partly hide it all yet all is partly seen 8 As when a virgin her snow-circled breast Displaying hides and hiding sweet displaies The greater segments cover'd and the rest The vail transparent willingly betraies Thus takes and gives thus lends and borrows light Lest eyes should surfet with too greedy sight Transparent lawns withhold more to increase delight 9 Nor is there any part in all this land But is a little Isle for thousand brooks In azure chanels glide on silver sand Their serpent windings and deceiving crooks Circling about and wat'ring all the plain Emptie themselves into th' all-drinking main And creeping forward slide but never turn again 10 Three diff'ring streams from fountains different Neither in nature nor in shape agreeing Yet each with other friendly ever went Give to this Isle his fruitfulnesse and being The first in single chanels skie-like blue With luke-warm waters di'd in porphyr hue Sprinkle this crimson Isle with purple-colour'd dew 11 The next though from the same springs first it rise Yet passing through another greater fountain Doth lose his former name and qualities Through many a dale it flows and many a mountain More firie light and needfull more then all And therefore fenced with a double wall All froths his yellow streams with many a sudding fall 12 The last in all things diff'ring from the other Fall from an hill and close together go Embracing as they runne each with his brother Guarded with double trenches sure they flow The coldest spring yet nature best they have And like the lacteall stones which heaven pave Slide down to every part with their thick milky wave 13 These with a thousand streams through th' Island roving Bring tribute in the first gives nourishment Next life last sense and arbitrarie moving For when the Prince hath now his mandate sent The nimble poasts quick down the river runne And end their journey though but now begunne But now the mandate came now the mandate's done 14 The whole Isle parted in three regiments By three Metropolies is joyntly sway'd Ord'ring in peace and warre their governments With loving concord and with mutuall aid The lowest hath the worst but largest See The middle lesse of greater dignitie The highest least but holds the greatest soveraigntie 15 Deep in a vale doth that first province lie With many a citie grac't and fairly town'd And for a fence from forrain enmitie With five strong-builded walls encompast round Which my rude pencil will in limming stain A work more curious then which poets feigne Neptune and Phoebus built and pulled down again 16 The first of these is that round spreading fence Which like a sea girts th' Isle in every part Of fairest building quick and nimble sense Of common matter fram'd with speciall art Of middle temper outwardest of all To warn of every chance that may befall The same a fence and spie a watchman and a wall 17 His native beautie is a lilie white Which still some other colour'd stream infecteth Least like it self with divers stainings dight The inward disposition detecteth If white it argues wet if purple fire If black a heavie cheer and fixt desire Youthfull and blithe if suited in a rosie tire 18 It cover'd stands with silken flourishing Which as it oft decaies renews again The others sense and beautie perfecting Which
cloth of gold aspires In hundred-colour'd silks the Tulip playes Th' Imperiall flower his neck with pearl attires The Lily high her silver Grogram reares The Pansie her wrought Velvet garment bears The red Rose Scarlet and the Provence Damask wears 70 How falls it then that such an heav'nly light As this great Kings should sink so wondrous low That scarce he can suspect his former height Can one eclipse so dark his shining brow And steal away his beautie glittering fair One onely blot so great a light empair That never could he hope his waning to repair 71 Ah! never could he hope once to repair So great a wane should not that new-born Sun Adopt him both his brother and his heir Who through base life and death and hell would run To seat him in his lost now surer cell That he may mount to heav'n he sunk to hell That he might live he di'd that he might rise he fell 72 A perfect Virgin breeds and bears a Sonne Th' immortall father of his mortall mother Earth heav'n flesh spirit man God are met in one His younger brothers childe his childrens brother Eternitie who yet was born and di'd His own creatour earths scorn heavens pride Who th' deitie inflesht and mans flesh deifi'd 73 Thou uncreated Sunne heav'ns glory bright Whom we with knees and hearts low bent adore At rising perfect and now falling light Ah what reward what thanks shall we restore Thou wretched wast that we might happy be Oh all the good we hope and all we see That we thee know and love comes from thy love and thee 74 Receive which we can onely back return Yet that we may return thou first must give A heart which fain would smoke which fain would burn In praise for thee to thee would onely live And thou who sat'st in night to give us day Light and enflame us with thy glorious ray That we may back reflect and borrow'd light repay 75 So we beholding with immortall eye The glorious picture of thy heav'nly face In his first beautie and true Majestie May shake from our dull souls these fetters base And mounting up to that bright crystal sphere Whence thou strik'st all the world with shudd'ring fear May not be held by earth nor hold vile earth so deare 76 Then should thy shepherd poorest shepherd sing A thousand Canto's in thy heav'nly praise And rouze his flagging Muse and flutt'ring wing To chant thy wonders in immortall laies Which once thou wrought'st when Nilus slimie shore Or Iordans banks thy mighty hand adore Thy judgements thy mercies but thy mercies more 77 But see the stealing night with softly pace To flie the Western Sunne creeps up the East Cold Hesper 'gins unmask his evening face And calls the winking starres from drouzie rest Home then my lambes the falling drops eschew To morrow shall ye feast in pastures new And with the rising Sunne banquet on pearled dew CANT VII THe rising morn lifts up his orient head And spangled heav'ns in golden robes invests Thirsil up starting from his fearlesse bed Where uselesse nights he safe and quiet rests Unhous'd his bleating flock and quickly thence Hasting to his expecting audience Thus with sad verse began their grieved mindes incense 2 Fond man that looks on earth for happinesse And here long seeks what here is never found For all our good we hold from heav'n by lease With many forfeits and conditions bound Nor can we pay the fine and rentage due Though now but writ and seal'd and giv'n anew Yet daily we it break then daily must renew 3 Why should'st thou here look for perpetuall good At every losse against heav'ns face repining Do but behold where glorious Cities stood With gilded tops and silver turrets shining There now the Hart fearlesse of greyhound feeds And loving Pelican in safety breeds There shrieching Satyres fill the peoples emptie steads 4 Where is th' Assyrian Lions golden hide That all the East once graspt in lordly paw Where that great Persian Beare whose swelling pride The Lions self tore out with ravenous jaw Or he which 'twixt a Lion and a Pard Through all the world with nimble pineons far'd And to his greedy whelps his conquer'd kingdomes shar'd 5 Hardly the place of such antiquitie Or note of these great monarchies we finde Onely a fading verball memorie And empty name in writ is left behinde But when this second life and glory fades And sinks at length in times obscurer shades A second fall succeeds and double death invades 6 That monstrous beast which nurst in Tibers fenne Did all the world with hideous shape affray That fill'd with costly spoil his gaping denne And trode down all the rest to dust and clay His batt'ring horns pull'd out by civil hands And iron teeth lie scatter'd on the sands Backt bridled by a Monk with sev'n heads yoked stands 7 And that black Vulture which with deathfull wing O're-shadows half the earth whose dismall sight Frighted the Muses from their native spring Already stoops and flagges with weary flight Who then shall look for happines beneath Where each new day proclaims chance change and death And life it self 's as flit as is the aire we breathe 8 Ne mought this Prince escape though he as farre All these excells in worth and heav'nly grace As brightest Phoebus does the dimmest starre The deepest falls are from the highest place There lies he now bruis'd with so sore a fall To his base bonds and loathsome prison thrall Whom thousand foes besiege fenc'd with frail yeelding wall 9 Tell me oh tell me then thou holy Muse Sacred Thespio what the cause may be Of such despite so many foemen use To persecute unpiti'd miserie Or if these cankred foes as most men say So mighty be that gird this wall of clay What makes it hold so long and threatned ruine stay 10 When that great Lord his standing Court would build The outward walls with gemmes and glorious lights But inward rooms with nobler Courtiers fill'd Pure living flames swift mighty blessed sprites But some his royall service fools disdain So down were flung oft blisse is double pain In heav'n they scorn'd to serve so now in hell they reigne 11 There turn'd to serpents swoln with pride and hate Their Prince a Dragon fell who burst with spight To see this Kings and Queens yet happy state Tempts them to lust and pride prevails by slight To make them wise and gods he undertakes Thus while the snake they heare they turn to snakes To make them gods he boasts but beasts and devils makes 12 But that great Lion who in Iudahs plains The awfull beasts holds down in due subjection The Dragons craft and base-got spoil disdains And folds this captive Prince in his protection Breaks ope the jayl brings the prisoners thence Yet plac't them in this castles weak defence Where they might trust and seek an higher providence 13 So now spread round about this little hold With armies
around Their heads much lighter then their nimble heels Silenus old in wine as ever drown'd Clos'd with the ring in midst though sitting reels Under his arm a bag-pipe swoln he held Yet wine-swoln cheeks the windie bag out-swell'd So loudly pipes his word But full no mirth I yeeld 77 Insatiate sink how with so generall stain Thy spu'd-out puddles court town fields entice Ay me the shepherds selves thee entertain And to thy Curtian gulph do sacrifice All drink to spue and spue again to drink Sowre swil-tub sinne of all the rest the sink How canst thou thus bewitch with thy abhorred stink 78 The eye thou wrong'st with vomits reeking streams The eare with belching touch thou drown'st in wine The taste thou surfet'st smell with spuing steams Thou woundest foh thou loathsome putrid swine Still thou increasest thirst when thirst thou slakest The minde and will thou wits bane captive takest Senseles thy hoggish filth sense thou senseles makest 79 Thy fellow sinnes and all the rest of vices With seeming good are fairly cloath'd to sight Their feigned sweet the bleare-ey'd will entices Coz'ning the daz'led sense with borrow'd light Thee neither true nor yet false good commends Profit nor pleasure on thy steps attends Folly begins thy sinne which still with madnesse ends 80 With Methos Gluttonie his gutling brother Twinne parallels drawn from the self-same line So foully like was either to the other And both most like a monstrous-panched swine His life was either a continu'd feast Whose surfets upon surfets him opprest Or heavie sleep that helps so great a load digest 81 Mean time his soul weigh'd down with muddie chains Can neither work nor move in captive bands But dull'd in vaprous fogges all carelesse reignes Or rather serves strong appetites commands That when he now was gorg'd with cramm'd-down store And porter wanting room had shut the doore The glutton sigh'd that he could gurmandize no more 82 His crane-like neck was long unlac'd his breast His gowtie limbes like to a circle round As broad as long and for his spear in rest Oft with his staffe he beats the yeelding ground Wherewith his hands did help his feet to bear Els would they ill so huge a burthen stear His clothes were all of leaves no armour could he wear 83 Onely a target light upon his arm He carelesse bore on which old Gryll was drawn Transform'd into a hog with cunning charm In head and paunch and soul it self a brawn Half drown'd within without yet still did hunt In his deep trough for swill as he was wont Cas'd all in loathsome mire no word Gryll could but grunt 84 Him serv'd sweet-seeming lusts self-pleasing lies But bitter death flow'd from those sweets of sinne And at the Rear of these in secret guise Crept Theeverie and Detraction neare akinne No twinnes more like they seem'd almost the same One stole the goods the other the good name The latter lives in scorn the former dies in shame 85 Their boon companions in their joviall feasting Were new-shapt oaths and damning perjuries Their cates fit for their taste profanest jesting Sauc'd with the salt of hell dire blasphemies But till th' ambitious Sunne yet still aspiring Allayes his flaming gold with gentler firing We 'l rest our wearie song in that thick groves retiring CANT VIII THe Sunne began to slack his bended bow And more obliquely dart his milder ray When cooler ayers gently 'gan to blow And fanne the fields parcht with the scorching day The shepherds to their wonted seats repair Thirsil refresht with this soft-breathing aire Thus 'gan renew his task and broken song repair 2 What watchfull care must fence that weary state Which deadly foes begirt with cruell siege And frailest wall of glasse and trait'rous gate Strive which should first yeeld up their wofull leige By enemies assail'd by friends betray'd When others hurt himself refuses aid By weaknesse self his strength is foil'd and overlay'd 3 How comes it then that in so neare decay We deadly sleep in deep securitie When every houre is ready to betray Our lives to that still-watching enemie Wake then thy soul that deadly slumbereth For when thy foe hath seiz'd thy captive breath Too late to wish past life too late to wish for death 4 Caro the Vantguard with the Dragon led Cosmos the battell guides with loud alarms Cosmos the first sonne to the Dragon red Shining in seeming gold and glitt'ring arms Well might he seem a strong and gentle Knight As e're was clad in steel and armour bright But was a recreant base a foul false cheating sprite 5 And as himself such were his arms appearing Bright burnisht gold indeed base alchymie Dimme beetle eyes and greedy worldlings blearing His shield was drest in nights sad liverie Where man-like Apes a Gloworm compasse round Glad that in wintrie night they fire had found Busie they puffe blow the word Mistake the ground 6 Mistake points all his darts his sunshines bright Mistaken light appeare sad lightning prove His clouds mistook seem lightnings turn to light His love true hatred is his hatred love His shop a Pedlers pack of apish fashion His honours pleasures joyes are all vexation His wages glorious care sweet surfets woo'd damnation 7 His lib'rall favours complementall arts His high advancements Alpine slipp'ry straits His smiling glances deaths most pleasing darts And what he vaunts his gifts are gilded baits Indeed he nothing is yet all appeares Haplesse earths happy fools that know no tears Who bathes in worldly joyes swimmes in a world of fears 8 Pure Essence who hast made a stone descrie 'Twixt natures hid and check that metals pride That dares aspire to golds high soveraigntie Ah leave some touch-stone erring eyes to guide And judge dissemblance see by what devices Sinne with fair glosse our mole-ey'd sight entises That vices vertues seem to most and vertues vices 9 Strip thou their meretricious seemlinesse And tinfold glitt'ring bare to every sight That we may loath their inward uglinesse Or else uncloud the soul whose shadie light Addes a fair lustre to false earthly blisse Thine and their beauty differs but in this Theirs what it is not seems thine seems not what it is 10 Next to the Captain coward Deilos far'd Him right before he as his shield projected And following troops to back him as his guard Yet both his shield and guard faint heart suspected And sending often back his doubtfull eye By fearing taught unthought of treacherie So made him enemies by fearing enmitie 11 Still did he look for some ensuing crosse Fearing such hap as never man befell No mean he knows but dreads each little losse With tyrannie of fear distraught as hell His sense he dare not trust nor eyes nor eares And when no other cause of fright appeares Himself he much suspects and fears his causelesse fears 12 Harnest with massie steel for fence not fight His sword unseemly long he ready drew At sudden shine of his own armour
bright He started oft and star'd with ghastly hue He shrieks at every danger that appeares Shaming the knightly arms he goodly bears His word Safer that all then he that nothing fears 13 With him went Doubt stagg'ring with steps unsure That every way and neither way enclin'd And fond Distrust whom nothing could secure Suspicion lean as if he never din'd He keeps intelligence by thousand spies Argus to him bequeath'd his hundred eyes So waking still he sleeps and sleeping wakefull lies 14 Fond Deilos all Tolmetes nothing fears Just frights he laughs all terrours counteth base And when of danger or sad news he heares He meets the thund'ring fortune face to face Yet oft in words he spends his boistrous threat That his hot bloud driv'n from the native seat Leaves his faint coward heart empty of lively heat 15 Himself weak help was all his confidence He scorns low ebs but swimmes in highest rises His limbes with arms or shield he would not fence Such coward fashion fool he much despises Ev'n for his single sword the world seems scant For hundred worlds his conqu'ring arm could dant Much would he boldly do but much more boldly vant 16 With him went self-admiring Arrogance And Bragge his deeds without an helper praising Blinde Carelesnesse before would lead the dance Fear stole behinde those vaunts in balance peysing Which farre their deeds outweigh'd their violence 'Fore danger spent with lavish diffluence Was none or weak in time of greatest exigence 17 As when a fierie courser readie bent Puts forth himself at first with swiftest pace Till with too sudden flash his spirits spent Alreadie fails now in the middle race His hanging crest farre from his wonted pride No longer now obeyes his angrie guide Rivers of sweat and bloud flow from his gored side 18 Thus ran the rash Tolmetes never viewing The fearfull fiends that duly him attended Destruction close his steps in poast pursuing And certain ruines heavie weights depended Over his cursed head and smooth-fac'd guile That with him oft would loosly play and smile Till in his snare he lockt his feet with treach'rous wile 19 Next marcht Asotus carelesse-spending Swain Who with a fork went spreading all around Which his old sire with sweating toil and pain Long time was raking from his racked ground In giving he observ'd nor form nor matter But best reward he got that best could flatter Thus what he thought to give he did not give but scatter 20 Before aray'd in sumptuous braverie Deckt court-like in the choice and newest guise But all behinde like drudging slaverie With ragged patches rent and bared thighs His shamefull parts that shunne the hated light Were naked left ah foul unhonest sight Yet neither could he see nor feel his wretched plight 21 His shield presents to life deaths latest rites A sad black herse born up with sable swains Which many idle grooms with hundred lights Tapers lamps torches usher through the plains To endlesse darknesse while the Sunnes bright brow With fierie beams quenches their smoaking tow And wastes their idle cost the word Not need but show 22 A vagrant rout a shoal of tatling daws Strow him with vain-spent prayers and idle layes And flatt'rie to his sinne close curtains draws Clawing his itching eare with tickling praise Behinde fond pitie much his fall lamented And miserie that former waste repented The usurer for his goods jayl for his bones indented 23 His steward was his kinsman Vain-expence Who proudly strove in matters light to shew Heroick minde in braggard affluence So lost his treasure getting nought in liew But ostentation of a foolish pride While women fond and boyes stood gaping wide But wise men all his waste and needlesse cost deride 24 Next Pleonectes went his gold admiring His servants drudge slave to his basest slave Never enough and still too much desiring His gold his god yet in an iron grave Himself protects his god from noysome rusting Much fears to keep much more to loose his lusting Himself and golden god and every god mistrusting 25 Age on his hairs the winter snow had spread That silver badge his neare end plainly proves Yet as to earth he nearer bowes his head So loves it more for Like his like still loves Deep from the ground he digs his sweetest gain And deep into the earth digs back with pain From hell his gold he brings and hoords in hell again 26 His clothes all patcht with more then honest thrift And clouted shoon were nail'd for fear of wasting Fasting he prais'd but sparing was his drift And when he eats his food is worse then fasting Thus starves in store thus doth in plentie pine Thus wallowing on his god his heap of Mine He feeds his famisht soul with that deceiving shine 27 Oh hungrie metall false deceitfull ray Well laid'st thou dark prest in th' earths hidden wombe Yet through our mothers entrails cutting way We dragge thy buried coarse from hellish tombe The merchant from his wife and home departs Nor at the swelling ocean ever starts While death life a wall of thinne planks onely parts 28 Who was it first that from thy deepest cell With so much costly toil and painfull sweat Durst rob thy palace bord'ring next to hell Well mayst thou come from that infernall seat Thou all the world with hell-black deeps dost fill Fond men that with such pain do wooe your ill Needlesse to send for grief for he is next us still 29 His arms were light and cheap as made to save His purse not limbes the money not the man Rather he dies then spends his helmet brave An old brasse pot breast-plate a dripping-pan His spear a spit a pot-lid broad his shield Whose smokie plain a chalkt Impresa fill'd A bagge sure seal'd his word Much better sav'd then spill'd 30 By Pleonectes shamelesse Sparing went Who whines and weeps to beg a longer day Yet with a thundring voice claims tardie rent Quick to receive but hard and slow to pay His care 's to lessen cost with cunning base But when he 's forc't beyond his bounded space Loud would he crie howl while others laugh apace 31 Long after went Pusillus weakest heart Able to serve and able to command But thought himself unfit for either part And now full loth amidst the warlike band Was hither drawn by force from quiet cell Lonenesse his heav'n and bus'nesse was his hell A weak distrustfull heart is vertues aguish spell 32 His goodly arms eaten with shamefull rust Bewray'd their masters ease and want of using Such was his minde tainted with idle must His goodly gifts with little use abusing Upon his shield was drawn that noble Swain That loth to change his love and quiet reigne For glorious warlike deeds did craftie madnesse feigne 33 Finely the workman fram'd the toilsome plough Drawn with an ox and asse unequall pair While he with busie hand his salt did sow And at the furrows end his
dearest heir Did helplesse lie and Greek lords watching still Observ'd his hand guided with carefull will About was wrote Who nothing doth doth nothing ill 34 By him went Idlenesse his loved friend And Shame with both with all ragg'd Pouertie Behinde sure Punishment did close attend Waiting a while fit opportunitie And taking count of houres mispent in vain And graces lent without returning gain Pour'd on his guiltie corse late grief helplesse pain 35 This dull cold earth with standing water froze At ease he lies to coyn pretence for ease His soul like Ahaz diall while it goes Not forward poasteth backward ten degrees In 's couch he 's pliant wax for fiends to seal He never sweats but in his bed or meal He 'd rather steal then work and beg then strive to steal 36 All opposite though he his brother were Was Chaunus that too high himself esteem'd All things he undertook nor could he fear His power too weak or boasted strength misdeem'd With his own praise like windie bladder blown His eyes too little or too much his own For known to all men weak was to himself unknown 37 Fondly himself with praising he disprais'd Vaunting his deeds and worth with idle breath So raz'd himself what he himself had rais'd On 's shield a boy threatens high Phoebus death Aiming his arrow at his purest light But soon the thinne reed fir'd with lightning bright Feel idlely on the strond his word Yet high and right 38 Next brave Philotimus in poast did ride Like rising ladders was his climbing minde His high-flown thoughts had wings of courtly pride Which by foul rise to greatest height enclin'd His heart aspiring swell'd untill it burst But when he gain'd the top with spite accurst Down would he fling the steps by which he clamb'red first 39 His head 's a shop furnisht with looms of state His brain the weaver thoughts are shuttles light With which in spite of heav'n he weaves his fate Honour his web thus works he day and night Till fates cut off his threed so heapeth sinnes And plagues nor once enjoyes the place he winnes But where his old race ends there his new race begins 40 Ah silly man who dream'st that honour stands In ruling others not thy self thy slaves Serve thee and thou thy slaves in iron bands Thy servile spirit prest with wilde passions raves Would'st thou live honour'd clip ambitions wing To reasons yoke thy furious passions bring Thrice noble is the man who of himself is King 41 Upon his shield was fram'd that vent'rous lad That durst assay the Sunnes bright-flaming team Spite of his feeble hands the horses mad Fling down on burning earth the scorching beam So made the flame in which himself was fir'd The world the bonefire was where he expir'd His motto written thus Yet had what he desir'd 42 But Atimus a carelesse idle swain Though Glory off'red him her sweet embrace And fair Occasion with little pain Reacht him her ivory hand yet lozel base Rather his way and her fair self declin'd Well did he thence prove his degenerous minde Base were his restie thoughts base was his dunghill kinde 43 And now by force dragg'd from the monkish cell Where teeth he onely us'd nor hands nor brains But in smooth streams swam down through ease to hell His work to eat drink sleep and purge his reins He left his heart behinde him with his feast His target with a flying dart was drest Poasting unto his mark the word I move to rest 44 Next Colax all his words with sugar spices His servile tongue base slave to greatnesse name Runnes nimble descant on the plainest vices He lets his tongue to sinne takes rent of shame He temp'ring lies porter to th' eare resides Like Indian apple which with painted sides More dangerous within his lurking poyson hides 45 So Echo to the voice her voice conforming From hollow breast for one will two repay So like the rock it holds it self transforming That subtil fish hunts for her heedlesse prey So crafty fowlers with their fair deceits Allure the hungrie bird so fisher waits To bait himself with fish his hook and fish with baits 46 His art is but to hide not heal a sore To nourish pride to strangle conscience To drain the rich his own drie pits to store To spoil the precious soul to please vile sense A carrion crow he is a gaping grave The rich coats moth the courts bane trenchers slave Sinnes hells winning baud the devils fact'ring knave 47 A mist he casts before his patrons sight That blackest vices never once appeare But greater then it is seems vertues light His Lords displeasure is his onely fear His clawing lies tickling the senses frail To death make open way where force would fail Lesse hurts the lions paw then foxes softest tail 48 His arms with hundred tongues were poud'red gay The mint of lies gilt fil'd the sense to please His sword which in his mouth close sheathed lay Sharper then death and fram'd to kill with ease Ah cursed weapon life with pleasure spilling The Sardoin herb with many branches filling His shield was his device the word I please in killing 49 Base slave how crawl'st thou from thy dunghill nest Where thou wast hatcht by shame and beggerie And pearchest in the learn'd and noble breast Nobles of thee their courtship learn of thee Arts learn new art their learning to adorn Ah wretched mindes He is not nobly born Nor learn'd that doth not thy ignoble learning scorn 50 Close to him Pleasing went with painted face And Honour by some hidden cunning made Not Honours self but Honours semblance base For soon it vanisht like an emptie shade Behinde his parents duely him attend With them he forced is his age to spend Shame his beginning was and shame must be his end 51 Next follow'd Dyscolus a froward wight His lips all swoln and eyebrows ever bent With sootie locks swart looks and scouling sight His face a tell-tale to his foul intent He nothing lik't or prais'd but reprehended What every one beside himself commended Humours of tongues impostum'd purg'd with shame are mended 52 His mouth a pois'nous quiver where he hides Sharp venom'd arrows which his bitter tongue With squibs carps jests unto their object guides Nor fears he gods on earth or heav'n to wrong Upon his shield was fairly drawn to sight A raging dog foaming out wrath and spite The word to his device Impartiall all I bite 53 Geloios next ensu'd a merrie Greek Whose life was laughter vain and mirth misplac't His speeches broad to shame the modest cheek Ne car'd he whom or when or how disgrac't Salt round about he flung upon the sand If in his way his friend or father stand His father his friend he spreads with carelesse hand 54 His foul jests steep'd and drown'd in laughter vain And rotten speech ah was not mirth but madnesse His armour crackling thorns all flaming
gold in deepest centre dwells So sweetest violets trail on lowly ground So richest pearls ly clos'd in vilest shells So lowest dales we let at highest rates So creeping strawberries yeeld daintiest cates The Highest highly loves the low the loftie hates 17 Upon his shield was drawn that Shepherd lad Who with a sling threw down faint Israels fears And in his hand his spoils and trophies glad The Monsters sword and head he bravely bears Plain in his lovely face you might behold A blushing meeknesse met with courage bold Little not little worth was fairly wrote in gold 18 With him his kinsman both in birth and name Obedience taught by many bitter showers In humble bonds his passions proud to tame And low submit unto the higher powers But yet no servile yoke his forehead brands For ti'd in such an holy service bands In this obedience rules and serving thus commands 19 By them went Fido Marshal of the field Weak was his mother when she gave him day And he at first a sick and weakly childe As e're with tears welcom'd the sunnie ray Yet when more yeares afford more growth might A champion stout he was and puissant Knight As ever came in field or shone in armour bright 20 So may we see a little lionet When newly whelpt a weak and tender thing Despis'd by every beast but waxen great When fuller times full strength and courage bring The beasts all crouching low their King adore And dare not see what they contemn'd before The trembling forrest quakes at his affrighting roar 21 Mountains he flings in seas with mighty hand Stops and turns back the Sunnes impetuous course Nature breaks natures laws at his command No force of hell or heav'n withstands his force Events to come yet many ages hence He present makes by wondrous prescience Proving the senses blinde by being blinde to sense 22 His sky-like arms di'd all in blue and white And set with golden starres that flamed wide His shield invisible to mortall sight Yet he upon it easily descri'd The lively semblance of his dying Lord Whose bleeding side with wicked steel was gor'd Which to his fainting spirits new courage would afford 23 Strange was the force of that enchanted shield Which highest powers to it from heav'n impart For who could bear it well and rightly wield It sav'd from sword and spear and poison'd dart Well might he slip but yet not wholly fall No finall losse his courage might appall Growing more sound by wounds and rising by his fall 24 So some have feign'd that Tellus giant sonne Drew many new-born lives from his dead mother Another rose as soon as one was done And twentie lost yet still remain'd another For when he fell and kist the barren heath His parent straight inspir'd successive breath And though her self was dead yet ransom'd him from death 25 With him his Nurse went carefull Acoe Whose hands first from his mothers wombe did take him And ever since have foster'd tenderly She never might she never would forsake him And he her lov'd again with mutuall band For by her needfull help he oft did stand When else he soon would fail and fall in foemens hand 26 With both sweet Meditation ever pac't His Nurses daughter and his Foster-sister Deare as his soul he in his soul her plac't And oft embrac't and oft by stealth he kist her For she had taught him by her silent talk To tread the safe and dangerous wayes to balk And brought his God with him him with his God to walk 27 Behinde him Penitence did sadly go Whose cloudie dropping eyes were ever raining Her swelling tears which ev'n in ebbing flow Furrow her cheek the sinfull puddles draining Much seem'd she in her pensive thought molested And much the mocking world her soul infested More she the hatefull world and most her self detested 28 She was the object of lewd mens disgrace The squint-ey'd wrie-mouth'd scoffe of carnall hearts Yet smiling heav'n delights to kisse her face And with his bloud God bathes her painfull smarts Afflictions iron flail her soul had thrasht Sharp Circumcisions knife her heart had slasht Yet was it angels wine which in her eyes was masht 29 With her a troop of mournfull grooms abiding Help with their sullen blacks their Mistresse wo Amendment still but still his own faults chiding And Penance arm'd with smarting whips did go Then sad Remorse came sighing all the way Last Satisfaction giving all away Much surely did he owe much more he would repay 30 Next went Elpinus clad in skie-like blue And through his arms few starres did seem to peep Which there the workmans hand so finely drew That rockt in clouds they softly seem'd to sleep His rugged shield was like a rockie mold On which an anchour bit with surest hold I hold by being held was written round in gold 31 Nothing so cheerfull was his thoughtfull face As was his brother Fido's Fear seem'd dwell Close by his heart his colour chang'd apace And went and came that sure all was not well Therefore a comely Maid did oft sustain His fainting steps and fleeting life maintain Pollicita she hight which ne're could lie or feigne 32 Next to Elpinus marcht his brother Love Not that great Love which cloth'd his Godhead bright With rags of flesh and now again above Hath drest his flesh in heav'ns eternall light Much lesse the brat of that false Cyprian dame Begot by froth and fire in bed of shame And now burns idle hearts swelt'ring in lustfull flame 33 But this from heav'n brings his immortall race And nurst by Gratitude whose carefull arms Long held and hold him still in kinde embrace But train'd to daily warres and fierce alarms He grew to wondrous strength and beautie rare Next that God-Love from whom his off-springs are No match in earth or heav'n may with this Love compare 34 His Page who from his side might never move Remembrance on him waits in books reciting The famous passions of that highest Love His burning zeal to greater flames exciting Deep would he sigh and seem empassion'd sore And oft with tears his backward heart deplore That loving all he could he lov'd that Love no more 35 Yet sure he truely lov'd and honour'd deare That glorious name for when or where he spi'd Wrong'd or in hellish speech blasphem'd did heare Boldly the rash blasphemer he defi'd And forc't him eat the words he foully spake But if for him he grief or death did take That grief he counted joy and death life for his sake 36 His glitt'ring arms drest all with firie hearts Seem'd burn in chaste desire and heav'nly flame And on his shield kinde Ionathan imparts To his souls friend his robes and princely name And kingly throne which mortals so adore And round about was writ in golden ore Well might he give him all that gave his life before 37 These led the Vantguard and an hundred moe Fill'd up the emptie ranks with ord'red train But
he to Sinah th' holy groves amongs Where that wise Shepherd chants her in his Song of songs 9 The Islands King with sober countenance Aggrates the Knights who thus his right defended And with grave speech and comely amenance Himself his State his Spouse to them commended His lovely childe that by him pensive stands He last delivers to their valiant hands And her to thank the Knights her Champions he commands 10 The God-like Maid a while all silent stood And down to th' earth let fall her humble eyes While modest thoughts shot up the flaming bloud Which fir'd her scarlet cheek with rosie dies But soon to quench the heat that lordly reignes From her fair eye a shower of crystall rains Which with his silver streams o're-runs the beauteous plains 11 As when the Sunne in midst of summers heat Draws up thinne vapours with his potent ray Forcing dull waters from their native seat At length dimme clouds shadow the burning day Till coldest aire soon melted into showers Upon the earth his welcome anger powres And heav'ns cleare forehead now wipes off her former lowres 12 At length a little lifting up her eyes A renting sigh way for her sorrow brake Which from her heart 'gan in her face to rise And first in th' eye then in the lip thus spake Ah gentle Knights how may a simple maid With justest grief and wrong so ill apaid Give due reward for such your pains and friendly aid 13 But if my Princely Spouse do not delay His timely presence in my greatest need He will for me your friendly love repay And well requite this your so gentle deed Then let no fear your mighty hearts assail His word's himself himself he cannot fail Long may he stay yet sure he comes and must prevail 14 By this the long-shut gate was open laid Soon out they rush in order well arang'd And fastning in their eyes that heav'nly Maid How oft for fear her fairest colour chang'd Her looks her worth her goodly grace and state Comparing with her present wretched fate Pitie whets just revenge and loves fire kindles hate 15 Long at the gate the thoughtfull Intellect Staid with his fearfull Queen and daughter fair But when the Knights were past their dimme aspect They follow them with vowes and many a prayer At last they climbe up to the Castles height From which they view'd the deeds of every Knight And markt the doubtfull end of this intestine fight 16 As when a youth bound for the Belgick warre Takes leave of friends upon the Kentish shore Now are they parted and he sail'd so farre They see not now and now are seen no more Yet farre off viewing the white trembling sails The tender mother soon plucks off her veils And shaking them aloft unto her sonne she hails 17 Mean time these Champions march in fit aray Till both the armies now were come in sight A while each other boldly viewing stay With short delayes whetting fierce rage and spight Sound now ye trumpets sound alarums loud Heark how their clamours whet their anger proud See yonder are they met in midst of dustie cloud 18 So oft the South with civil enmitie Musters his watrie forces 'gainst the West The rowling clouds come tumbling up the skie In dark folds wrapping up their angry guest At length the flame breaks from th' imprisoning cold With horrid noise tearing the limber mold While down in liquid tears the broken vapours roll'd 19 First did that warlike Maid her self advance And riding from amidst her companie About her helmet wav'd her mighty lance Daring to fight the proudest enemie Porneios soon his ready spear addrest And kicking with his heel his hastie beast Bent his sharp-headed lance against her dainty breast 20 In vain the broken staffe sought entrance there Where Love himself oft entrance sought in vain But much unlike the Martial Virgins spear Which low dismounts her foe on dustie plain Broaching with bloudy point his breast before Down from the wound trickled the bubbling gore And bid pale death come in at that red gaping doore 21 There lies he cover'd now in lowly dust And foully wallowing in clutter'd bloud Breathing together out his life and lust Which from his breast swamme in the steaming floud In maids his joy now by a maid defi'd His life he lost and all his former pride With women would he live now by a woman di'd 22 Aselges struck with such a heavie sight Greedie to venge his brothers sad decay Spurr'd forth his flying steed with fell despight And met the virgin in the middle way His spear against her head he fiercely threw Which to that face performing homage due Kissing her helmet thence in thousand shivers flew 23 The wanton boy had dreamt that latest night That he had learnt the liquid aire dispart And swimme along the heav'ns with pineons light Now that fair maid taught him this nimble art For from his saddle farre away she sent Flying along the emptie element That hardly yet he knew whither his course was bent 24 The rest that saw with fear the ill successe Of single fight durst not like fortune trie But round beset her with their numerous presse Before beside behinde they on her flie And every part with coward odds assail But she redoubling strokes as thick as hail Drove farre their flying troops thresht with iron flail 25 As when a gentle greyhound set around With little curres which dare his way molest Snapping behinde soon as the angrie hound Turning his course hath caught the busiest And shaking in his fangs hath welnigh slain The rest fear'd with his crying runne amain And standing all aloof whine houl and bark in vain 26 The subtil Dragon that from farre did view The waste and spoil made by this maiden Knight Fell to his wonted guile for well he knew All force was vain against such wondrous might A craftie swain well taught to cunning harms Call'd false Delight he chang'd with hellish charms That true Delight he seem'd the self-same shape and arms 27 The watchfull'st sight no difference could descrie The same his face his voice his gate the same Thereto his words he feign'd and coming nigh The Maid that fierce pursues her martiall game He whets her wrath with many a guilefull word Till she lesse carefull did fit time afford Then up with both his hands he lifts his balefull sword 28 You powerfull heav'ns and thou their Governour With what eyes can you view this dolefull sight How can you see your fairest Conquerour So nigh her end by so unmanly slight The dreadfull weapon through the aire doth glide But sure you turn'd the harmfull edge aside Else must she there have fall'n and by that traitour di'd 29 Yet in her side deep was the wound impight Her flowing life the shining armour stains From that wide spring long rivers took their flight With purple streams drowning the silver plains Her cheerfull colour now grows wanne and pale Which oft she strives
oft mispent in vain The early morn begins dark evening ends not Too foolish men that think all labour stands In travell of the feet and tired hands 10 Ah wretched fishers born to hate and strife To others good but to your rape and spoil This is the briefest summe of fishers life To sweat to freeze to watch to fast to toil Hated to love to live despis'd forlorn A sorrow to himself all others scorn Thel 11 Too well I know the fishers thanklesse pain Yet bear it cheerfully nor dare repine To grudge at losse is fond too fond and vain When highest causes justly it assigne Who bites the stone and yet the dog condemnes Much worse is then the beast he so contemnes 12 Chromis how many fishers dost thou know That rule their boats and use their nets aright That neither winde nor time nor tide foreslow Such some have been but ah by tempests spite Their boats are lost while we may sit and moan That few were such and now those few are none Chrom 13 Ah cruel spite and spitefull crueltie That thus hath robb'd our joy and desert shore No more our seas shall heare your melodie Your songs and shrilling pipes shall sound no more Silent our shores our seas are vacant quite Ah spitefull crueltie and cruel spite Thel 14 In stead of these a crue of idle grooms Idle and bold that never saw the seas Fearlesse succeed and fill their empty rooms Some lazy live bathing in wealth and ease Their floating boats with waves have leave to play Their rusty hooks all yeare keep holy-day 15 Here stray their skiffes themselves are never here Ne're saw their boats ill mought they fishers be Mean time some wanton boy the boat doth steer Poore boat the while that cares as much as he Who in a brook a whirry cannot row Now backs the seas before the seas he know Chrom 16 Ah foolish lads that think with waves to play And rule rough seas which never knew command First in some river thy new skill assay Till time and practise teach thy weakly hand A thin thin plank keeps in thy vitall breath Death ready waits Fond boyes to play with death Thel 17 Some stretching in their boats supinely sleep Seasons in vain recall'd and windes neglecting Other their hooks and baits in poison steep Neptune himself with deathfull drugges infecting The fish their life and death together drink And dead pollute the seas with venom'd stink 18 Some teach to work but have no hands to row Some will be eyes but have no light to see Some will be guides but have no feet to go Some deaf yet eares some dumbe yet tongues will be Dumbe deaf lame blinde and maim'd yet fishers all Fit for no use but store an hospital 19 Some greater scorning now their narrow boat In mighty hulks and ships like courts do dwell Slaving the skiffes that in their seas do float Their silken sails with windes do proudly swell Their narrow bottomes stretch they large and wide And make full room for luxurie and pride 20 Self did I see a swain not long ago Whose lordly ship kept all the rest in aw About him thousand boats do waiting row His frowns are death his word is firmest law While all the fisher-boyes their bonnets vail And farre adore their lord with strucken sail 21 His eare is shut to simple fisher-swain For Gemma's self a sea-nymph great and high Upon his boat attended long in vain What hope poore fisher-boy may come him nigh His speech to her and presence he denied Had Neptune come Neptune he had defied 22 Where Tybers swelling waves his banks o'reflow There princely fishers dwell in courtly halls The trade they scorn their hands forget to row Their trade to plot their rising others falls Into their seas to draw the lesser brooks And fish for steeples high with golden hooks Chrom 23 Thelgon how canst thou well that fisher blame Who in his art so highly doth excell That with himself can raise the fishers name Well may he thrive that spends his art so well Ah little needs their honour to depresse Little it is yet most would have it lesse Thel 24 Alas poore boy thy shallow-swimming sight Can never dive into their deepest art Those silken shews so dimme thy dazel'd sight Could'st thou unmask their pomp unbreast their heart How would'st thou laugh at this rich beggerie And learn to hate such happy miserie 25 Panting ambition spurres their tired breast Hope chain'd to doubt fear linkt to pride and threat Too ill yok't pairs give them no time to rest Tyrants to lesser boats slaves to the great That man I rather pity then adore Who fear'd by others much fears others more 26 Most cursed town where but one tyrant reignes Though lesse his single rage on many spent But much more miserie that soul remains When many tyrants in one heart are pent When thus thou serv'st the comfort thou canst have From greatnesse is thou art a greater slave Chrom 27 Ah wretched swains that live in fishers trade With inward griefs and outward wants distressed While every day doth more your sorrow lade By others scorn'd and by your selves oppressed The great the greater serve the lesser these And all their art is how to rise and please Algon 28 Those fisher-swains from whom our trade doth flow That by the King of seas their skill were taught As they their boats on Iordan wave did row And catching fish were by a Fisher caught Ah blessed chance much better was the trade That being fishers thus were fishes made 29 Those happy swains in outward shew unblest Were scourg'd were scorn'd yet was this losse their gain By land by sea in life in death distrest But now with King of seas securely reigne For that short wo in this base earthly dwelling Enjoying joy all excellence excelling 30 Then do not thou my boy cast down thy minde But seek to please with all thy busie care The King of seas so shalt thou surely finde Rest quiet joy in all this troublous fare Let not thy net thy hook thy singing cease And pray these tempests may be turn'd to peace 31 Oh Prince of waters Soveraigne of seas Whom storms calms whom windes and waves obey If ever that great Fisher did thee please Chide thou the windes and furious waves allay So on thy shore the fisher-boys shall sing Sweet songs of peace to our sweet peaces King FINIS ECLOG V. NICAEA Damon Algon Nicaea THe well known fisher-boy that late his name And place and ah for pity mirth had changed Which from the Muses spring churlish Chame Was fled his glory late but now his shame For he with spite the gentle boy estranged Now 'long the Trent with his new fellows ranged There Damon friendly Damon met the boy Where lordly Trent kisses the Darwin coy Bathing his liquid streams in lovers melting joy Damon 2 Algon what lucklesse starre thy mirth hath blasted My joy in thee and thou in sorrow
drown'd The yeare with winter storms all rent and wasted Hath now fresh youth and gentler seasons tasted The warmer sunne his bride hath newly gown'd With firie arms clipping the wanton ground And gets an heav'n on earth that primrose there Which 'mongst those violets sheds his golden hair Seems the sunnes little sonne fixt in his azure spheare 3 Seest how the dancing lambes on flowrie banks Forget their food to minde their sweeter play Seest how they skip and in their wanton pranks Bound o're the hillocks set in sportfull ranks They skip they vault full little caren they To make their milkie mothers bleating stay Seest how the salmons waters colder nation Lately arriv'd from their sea-navigation How joy leaps in their heart shew by their leaping fashion 4 What witch enchants thy minde with fullen madnes When all things smile thou onely fitt'st complaining Algon Damon I onely I have cause of sadnesse The more my wo to weep in common gladnesse When all eyes shine mine onely must be raining No winter now but in my breast remaining Yet feels this breast a summers burning fever And yet alas my winter thaweth never And yet alas this fire eats and consumes me ever Damon 5 Within our Darwin in her rockie cell A Nymph there lives which thousand boys hath harm'd All as she gliding rides in boats of shell Darting her eye where spite and beauty dwell Ay me that spite with beautie should be arm'd Her witching eye the boy and boat hath charm'd No sooner drinks he down that poisonous eye But mourns and pines ah piteous crueltie With her he longs to live for her he longs to die Algon 6 Damon what Tryphon taught thine eye the art By these few signes to search so soon so well A wound deep hid deep in my fester'd heart Pierc't by her eye Loves and deaths pleasing dart Ah she it is an earthly heav'n and hell Who thus hath charm'd my heart with sugred spell Ease thou my wound but ah what hand can ease Or give a medicine that such wound may please When she my sole Physician is my souls disease Damon 7 Poore boy the wounds which spite and Love impart There is no ward to fence no herb to ease Heav'ns circling folds lie open to his dart Hells Lethe's self cools not his burning smart The fishes cold flame with this strong disease And want their water in the midst of seas All are his slaves hell earth and heav'n above Strive not i' th' net in vain thy force to prove Give woo sigh weep pray Love's only cur'd by love Algon 8 If for thy love no other cure there be Love thou art cureles gifts prayers vows and art She scorns both you and me nay Love ev'n thee Thou sigh'st her prisoner while she laughs as free What ever charms might move a gentle heart I oft have try'd and shew'd the earnfull smart Which eats my breast she laughs at all my pain Art prayers vows gifts love grief she does disdain Grief love gifts vows prayers art ye all are spent in vain Damon 9 Algon oft hast thou fisht but sped not straight With hook and net thou beat'st the water round Oft-times the place thou changest oft the bait And catching nothing still and still dost wait Learn by thy trade to cure thee time hath found In desp'rate cures a salve for every wound The fish long playing with the baited hook At last is caught Thus many a Nymph is took Mocking the strokes of Love is with her striking strook Algon 10 The marbles self is pierc't with drops of rain Fires soften steel and hardest metals try But she more hard then both such her disdain That seas of tears Aetna's of love are vain In her strange heart weep I burn pine or die Still reignes a cold coy carelesse apathie The rock that bears her name breeds that hard stone With goats bloud onely softned she with none More precious she and ah more hard then diamond 11 That rock I think her mother thence she took Her name and nature Damon Damon see See where she comes arm'd with a line and hook Tell me perhaps thou think'st in that sweet look The white is beauties native tapestrie 'T is crystall friend yc'd in the frozen sea The red is rubies these two joyn'd in one Make up that beauteous frame the difference none But this she is a precious living speaking stone Damon 12 No gemme so costly but with cost is bought The hardest stone is cut and fram'd by art A diamond hid in rocks is found if sought Be she a diamond a diamond's wrought Thy fear congeales thy fainting steels her heart I 'le be thy Captain boy and take thy part Alcides self would never combat two Take courage Algon I will teach thee woo Cold beggars freez our gifts thy faint suit breeds her no. 13 Speak to her boy Al. Love is more deaf then blinde Damon She must be woo'd Al. Love's tongue is in the eyes Damon Speech is Love's dart Al. Silence best speaks the minde Damon Her eye invites Al. Thence love and death I finde Damon Her smiles speak peace Al. Storms breed in smiling skies Damon Who silent loves Al. Whom speech all hope denies Damon Why should'st thou fear Al. To Love Fear 's neare akinne Damon Well if my cunning fail not by a gin Spite of her scorn thy fear I 'le make thee woo and winne 14 What ho thou fairest maid turn back thine oare And gently deigne to help a fishers smart Nicaea Are thy lines broke or are thy trammels tore If thou desir'st my help unhide the sore Ah gentlest Nymph oft have I heard thy art Can soveraigne herbs to every grief impart So mayst thou live the fishers song and joy As thou wilt deigne to cure this sickly boy Unworthy they of art who of their art are coy 15 His inward grief in outward change appeares His cheeks with sudden fires bright-flaming glow Which quencht end all in ashes storms of teares Becloud his eyes which soon forc't smiling cleares Thick tides of passions ever ebbe and flow And as his flesh still wastes his griefs still grow Nicaea Damon the wounds deep rankling in the minde What herb could ever cure what art could finde Blinde are mine eyes to see wounds in the soul most blinde Algon 16 Hard maid t' is worse to mock then make a wound Why should'st thou then fair-cruel scorn to see What thou by seeing mad'st my sorrows ground Was in thy eye may by thy eye be found How can thy eye most sharp in wounding be In seeing dull these two are one in thee To see and wound by sight thy eye the dart Fair-cruel maid thou well hast learn'd the art With the same eye to see to wound to cure my heart Nicaea 17 What cures thy wounded heart Algon Thy heart so wounded Nicaea Is 't love to wound thy love Algon Loves wounds are pleasing Nicaea Why plain'st thou then Al. Because thou art unwounded Thy wound my
greedie minde The sad Hungarian fears his tried might And waning Persia trembles at his sight His greener youth most with the heathen spent Gives Christian Princes justest cause to fear His riper age whose childhood thus is bent A thousand trophies will he shortly rear Unlesse that God who gave him first this rage Binde his proud head in humble vassalage To Mr. Jo. Tomkins THomalin my lief thy musick strains to heare More raps my soul then when the swelling windes On craggie rocks their whistling voices tear Or when the sea if stopt his course he findes With broken murmures thinks weak shores to fear Scorning such sandie cords his proud head bindes More then where rivers in the summers ray Through covert glades cutting their shadie way Run tumbling down the lawns with the pebles play Thy strains to heare old Chamus from his cell Comes guarded with an hundred Nymphs around An hundred Nymphs that in his rivers dwell About him flock with water-lilies crown'd For thee the Muses leave their silver well And marvel where thou all their art hast found There sitting they admire thy dainty strains And while thy sadder accent sweetly plains Feel thousand sugred joyes creep in their melting veins How oft have I the Muses bower frequenting Miss'd them at home and found them all with thee Whether thou sing'st sad Eupathus lamenting Or tunest notes to sacred harmonie The ravisht soul with thy sweet songs consenting Scorning the earth in heav'nly extasie Transcends the starres and with the angels train Those courts survaies and now come back again Findes yet another heav'n in thy delightfull strain Ah! could'st thou here thy humble minde content Lowly with me to live in countrey cell And learn suspect the courts proud blandishment Here might we safe here might we sweetly dwell Live Pallas in her towers and marble tent But ah the countrey bowers please me as well There with my Thomalin I safe would sing And frame sweet ditties to thy sweeter string There would we laugh at spite and fortunes thundering No flattery hate or envy lodgeth there There no suspicion wall'd in proved steel Yet fearfull of the arms her self doth wear Pride is not there no tyrant there we feel No clamorous laws shall deaf thy musick eare They know no change nor wanton fortunes wheel Thousand fresh sports grow in those daintie places Light Fawns Nymphs dance in the woodie spaces And little Love himself plaies with the naked Graces But seeing fate my happie wish refuses Let me alone enjoy my low estate Of all the gifts that fair Parnassus uses Onely scorn'd povertie and fortunes hate Common I finde to me and to the Muses But with the Muses welcome poorest fate Safe in my humble cottage will I rest And lifting up from my untainted breast A quiet spirit to heav'n securely live and blest To thee I here bequeath the courtly joyes Seeing to court my Thomalin is bent Take from thy Thirsil these his idle toyes Here I will end my looser merriment And when thou sing'st them to the wanton boyes Among the courtly lasses blandishment Think of thy Thirsil's love that never spends And softly say his love still better mends Ah too unlike the love of court or courtly friends Go little pipe for ever I must leave thee My little little pipe but sweetest ever Go go for I have vow'd to see thee never Never ah never must I more receive thee But he in better love will still persever Go little pipe for I must have a new Farewell ye Norfolk maids and Ida crue Thirsil will play no more for ever now adieu To Thomalin THomalin since Thirsil nothing ha's to leave thee And leave thee must pardon me gentle friend If nothing but my love I onely give thee Yet see how great this Nothing is I send For though this love of thine I sweetest prove Nothing 's more sweet then is this sweetest love The souldier Nothing like his prey esteems Nothing toss'd sailers equal with the shore Nothing before his health the sick man deems The pilgrim hugges his countrey Nothing more The miser hoording up his golden wares This Nothing with his precious wealth compares Our thoughts ambition onely Nothing ends Nothing fills up the golden-dropsied minde The prodigall that all so lavish spends Yet Nothing cannot Nothing stayes behinde The King that with his life a kingdome buyes Then life or crown doth Nothing higher prize Who all enjoyes yet Nothing now desires Nothing is greater then the highest Iove Who dwells in heav'n then Nothing more requires Love more then honey Nothing more sweet then love Nothing is onely better then the best Nothing is sure Nothing is ever blest I love my health my life my books my friends Thee dearest Thomalin Nothing above thee For when my books friends health life fainting ends When thy love fails yet Nothing still will love me When heav'n and aire the earth and floating mains Are gone yet Nothing still untoucht remains Since then to other streams I must betake me And spitefull Chame of all ha's quite bereft me Since Muses selves false Muses will forsake me And but this Nothing nothing els is left me Take thou my love and keep it still in store That given Nothing now remaineth more Against a rich man despising povertie IF well thou view'st us with no squinted eye No partiall judgement thou wilt quickly rate Thy wealth no richer then my povertie My want no poorer then thy rich estate Our ends and births alike in this as I Poore thou wert born and poore again shalt die My little fills my little-wishing minde Thou having more then much yet seekest more Who seeks still wishes what he seeks to finde Who wishes wants and who so wants is poore Then this must follow of necessitie Poore are thy riches rich my povertie Though still thou gett'st yet is thy want not spent But as thy wealth so growes thy wealthy itch But with my little I have much content Content hath all and who hath all is rich Then this in reason thou must needs confesse If I have little yet that thou hast lesse What ever man possesses God hath lent And to his audit liable is ever To reckon how and where and when he spent Then this thou bragg'st thou art a great receiver Little my debt when little is my store The more thou hast thy debt still growes the more But seeing God himself descended down T' enrich the poore by his rich povertie His meat his house his grave were not his own Yet all is his from all eternitie Let me be like my Head whom I adore Be thou great wealthie I still base and poore Contemnenti COntinuall burning yet no fire or fuel Chill icie frosts in midst of summers frying A hell most pleasing and a heav'n most cruel A death still living and a life still dying And whatsoever pains poore hearts can prove I feel and utter in one word I LOVE Two fires of love and grief each upon
either And both upon one poore heart ever feeding I hill cold despair most cold yet cooling neither In midst of fires his ycie frosts is breeding So fires and frosts to make a perfect hell Meet in one breast in one house friendly dwell Tir'd in this toylsome way my deep affection I ever forward runne and never ease me I dare not swerve her eye is my direction A heavie grief and weighty love oppresse me Desire and hope two spurres that forth compell'd me But awfull fear abridle still withheld me Twice have I plung'd and flung and strove to cast This double burden from my weary heart Fast though I runne and stop they sit as fast Her looks my bait which she doth seld ' impart Thus fainting still some inne I wish and crave Either her maiden bosome or my grave A vow BY hope and fear by grief and joy opprest With deadly hate more deadly love infected Without within in body soul distrest Little by all least by my self respected But most most there where most I lov'd neglected Hated and hating life to death I call Who scorns to take what is refus'd by all Whither ah whither then wilt thou betake thee Despised wretch of friends of all forlorn Since hope and love and life and death forsake thee Poore soul thy own tormenter others scorn Whither poore soul ah whither wilt thou turn What inne what host scorn'd wretch wilt thou now chuse thee The common host and inne death grave refuse thee To thee great Love to thee I prostrate fall That right'st in love the heart in false love swerved On thee true Love on thee I weeping call I who am scorn'd where with all truth I served On thee so wrong'd where thou hast so deserved Disdain'd where most I lov'd to thee I plain me Who truly lovest those who fools disdain thee Thou never-erring Way in thee direct me Thou Death of death oh in thy death engrave me Thou hated Love with thy firm love respect me Thou freest Servant from this yoke unslave me Glorious Salvation for thy glory save me So neither love nor hate scorn death shall move me But with thy love great Love I still shall love thee On womens lightnesse VVHo sowes the sand or ploughs the easie shore Or strives in nets to prison in the winde Yet I fond I more fond and senselesse more Thought in sure love a womans thoughts to binde Fond too fond thoughts that thought in love to tie One more inconstant then inconstancie Look as it is with some true April day Whose various weather stores the world with flowers The sunne his glorious beams doth fair display Then rains and shines again and straight it lowres And twenty changes in one houre doth prove So and more changing is a womans love Or as the hairs which deck their wanton heads Which loosely fly and play with every winde And with each blast turn round their golden threads Such as their hair such is their looser minde The difference this their hair is often bound But never bonds a woman might impound False is their flattering colour false and fading False is their flattering tongue false every part Their hair is forg'd their silver foreheads shading False are their eyes but falsest is their heart Then this in consequence must needs ensue All must be false when every part 's untrue Fond then my thoughts which thought a thing so vain Fond hopes that anchour on so false a ground Fond love to love what could not love again Fond heart thus fir'd with love in hope thus drown'd Fond thoughts fond heart fond hope but fondest I To grasp the winde and love inconstancie A reply upon the fair M. S. A Daintie maid that drawes her double name From bitter sweetnesse with sweet bitternesse Did late my skill and faulty verses blame And to her loving friend did plain confesse That I my former credit foul did shame And might no more a poets name professe The cause that with my verse she was offended For womens levitie I discommended Too true you said that poet I was never And I confesse it fair if that content ye That then I playd the poet lesse then ever Not for of such a verse I now repent me Poets to feigne and make fine lies endeavour But I the truth truth ah too certain sent ye Then that I am no poet I denie not For when their lightnesse I condemne I ly not But if my verse had ly'd against my minde And praised that which truth cannot approve And falsly said they were as fair as kinde As true as sweet their faith could never move But sure is linkt where constant love they finde That with sweet braving they vie truth and love If thus I write it cannot be deni'd But I a poet were so foul I ly'd But give me leave to write as I have found Like ruddy apples are their outsides bright Whose skin is fair the core or heart unsound Whose cherry-cheek the eye doth much delight But inward rottennesse the taste doth wound Ah! were the taste so good as is the sight To pluck such apples lost with self same price Would back restore us part of paradise But truth hath said it truth who dare denie Men seldome are more seldome women sure But if fair-sweet thy truth and constancie To better faith thy thoughts and minde procure If thy firm truth could give firm truth the lie If thy first love will first and last endure Thou more then woman art if time so proves thee And he more then a man that loved loves thee An Apologie for the premises to the Ladie Culpepper WHo with a bridle strives to curb the waves Or in a cypresse chest locks flaming fires So when love angred in thy bosome raves And grief with love a double flame inspires By silence thou mayst adde but never lesse it The way is by expressing to represse it Who then will blame affection not respected To vent in grief the grief that so torments him Passion will speak in passion if neglected Love that so soon will chide as soon repents him And therefore boyish Love's too like a boy With a toy pleas'd displeased with a toy Have you not seen when you have chid or fought That lively picture of your lovely beauty Your pretty childe at first to lowre or pout But soon again reclaim'd to love and duty Forgets the rod and all her anger ends Playes on your lap or on your neck depends Too like that pretty childe is childish Love That when in anger he is wrong'd or beat Will rave and chide and every passion prove But soon to smiles and fawns turns all his heat And prayes and swears he never more will do it Such one is Love alas that women know it But if so just excuse will not content ye But still you blame the words of angry Love Here I recant and of those words repent me In signe hereof I offer now to prove That changing womens love is
kisse his rod 17 My deare once all my joy now all my care To these my words these my last words apply thee Give me thy hand these my last greetings are Shew me thy face I never more shall eye thee Ah would our boyes our lesser selves were by thee Those my ' live pictures to the world I give So single onely die in them twice-two I live 18 Your little souls your sweetest times enjoy And softly spend among your mothers kisses And with your prettie sports and hurtlesse joy Supply your weeping mothers grievous misses Ah while you may enjoy your little blisses While yet you nothing know when back you view Sweet will this knowledge seem when yet you nothing knew 19 For when to riper times your yeares arrive No more ah then no more may you go play you Lancht in the deep farre from the wished hive Change of worlds tépests through blinde seas will sway you Till to the long-long'd haven they convey you Through many a wave this brittle life must passe And cut the churlish seas shipt in a bark of glasse 20 How many ships in quick-sands swallow'd been What gaping waves whales monsters there expect you How many rocks much sooner felt then seen Yet let no fear no coward fright affect you He holds the stern and he will safe direct you Who to my sails thus long so gently blew That now I touch the shore before the seas I knew 21 I touch the shore and see my rest preparing Oh blessed God! how infinite a blessing Is in this thought that through this troubled faring Through all the faults this guiltie age depressing I guiltlesse past no helplesse man oppressing And coming now to thee lift to the skies Unbribed hands cleans'd heart and never tainted eyes 22 Life life how many Sylla's dost thou hide In thy calm streams which sooner kill then threaten Gold honour greatnesse and their daughter pride More quiet lives and lesse with tempests beaten Whose middle state content doth richly sweeten He knows not strife or brabling lawyers brawls His love and wish live pleas'd within his private walls 23 The King he never sees nor fears nor prayes Nor sits court-promise and false hopes lamenting Within that house he spends and ends his dayes Where day he viewed first his hearts contenting His wife and babes nor sits new joyes inventing Unspotted there and quiet he remains And 'mong his duteous sonnes most lov'd and fearlesse reignes 24 Thou God of peace with what a gentle tide Through this worlds raging tempest hast thou brought me Thou thou my open soul didst safely hide When thousand crafty foes so nearely sought me Els had the endlesse pit too quickly caught me That endlesse pit where it is easier never To fall then being fall'n to cease from falling ever 25 I never knew or want or luxurie Much lesse their followers or cares tormenting Or ranging lust or base-bred flatterie I lov'd and was belov'd with like consenting My hate was hers her joy my sole contenting Thus long I liv'd and yet have never prov'd Whether I lov'd her more or more by her was lov'd 26 Foure babes the fift with thee I soon shall finde With equall grace in soul and bodie fram'd And left these goods might swell my bladder'd minde Which last I name but should not last be nam'd A sicknesse long my stubborn heart hath tam'd And taught me pleasing goods are not the best But most unblest he lives that lives here ever blest 27 Ah life once vertues spring now sink of evil Thou change of pleasing pain and painfull pleasure Thou brittle painted bubble shop o' th' devil How dost thou bribe us with false gilded treasure That in thy joyes we finde no mean or measure How dost thou witch I know thou dost deceive me I know I should I must and yet I would not leave thee 28 Ah death once greatest ill now onely blessing Untroubled sleep short travel ever resting All sicknesse cure thou end of all distressing Thou one meals fast usher to endlesse feasting Though hopelesse griefs crie out thy aid requesting Though thou art sweetned by a life most hatefull How is 't that when thou com'st thy coming is ungratefull 29 Frail flesh why would'st thou keep a hated guest And him refuse whom thou hast oft invited Life thy tormenter death thy sleep and rest And thou poore soul why at his sight art frighted Who clears thine eyes and makes thee eagle-sighted Mount now my soul seat thee in thy throne Thou shalt be one with him by whom thou first wast one 30 Why should'st thou love this star this borrow'd light And not that Sunne at which thou oft hast guessed But guess'd in vain which dares thy piercing sight Which never was which cannot be expressed Why lov'st thy load joy'st to be oppressed Seest thou those joyes those thousand thousand graces Mount now my soul leap to those outstretcht embraces 31 Deare countrey I must leave thee and in thee No benefit which most doth pierce and grieve me Yet had not hasty death prevented me I would repay my life and somewhat give thee My sonnes for that I leave and so I leave thee Thus heav'n commands the lord outrides the page And is arriv'd before death hath prevented age 32 My dearest Bettie my more loved heart I leave thee now with thee all earthly joying Heav'n knows with thee alone I sadly part All other earthly sweets have had their cloying Yet never full of thy sweet loves enjoying Thy constant loves next heav'n I did referre them Had not much grace prevail'd 'fore heav'n I should preferre them 33 I leave them now the trumpet calls away In vain thine eyes beg for some times reprieving Yet in my children here immortall stay In one I die in many ones am living In them and for them stay thy too much grieving Look but on them in them thou still wilt see Marry'd with thee again thy twice-two Antonie 34 And when with little hands they stroke thy face As in thy lap they sit ah carelesse playing And stammering ask a kisse give them a brace The last from me and then a little staying And in their face some part of me survaying In them give me a third and with a teare Shew thy deare love to him who lov'd thee ever deare 35 And now our falling house leans all on thee This little nation to thy care commend them In thee it lies that hence they want not me Themselves yet cannot thou the more defend them And when green age permits to goodnesse bend them A mother were you once now both you are Then with this double style double your love and care 36 Turn their unwarie steps into the way What first the vessel drinks it long retaineth No barres will hold when they have us'd to stray And when for me one asks and weeping plaineth Point thou to heav'n and say he there remaineth And if they live in grace grow and persever There shall they
live with me els shall they see me never 37 My God oh in thy fear here let them live Thy wards they are take them to thy protection Thou gav'st them first now back to thee I give Direct them thou and help her weak direction That reunited by thy strong election Thou now in them they then may live in thee And seeing here thy will may there thy glorie see 38 Bettie let these last words long with thee dwell If yet a second Hymen do expect thee Though well he love thee once I lov'd as well Yet if his presence make thee lesse respect me Ah do not in my childrens good neglect me Let me this faithfull hope departing have More easie shall I die and sleep in carelesse grave 39 Farewell farewell I feel my long long rest And iron sleep my leaden heart oppressing Night after day sleep after labour's best Port after storms joy after long distressing So weep thy losse as knowing 't is my blessing Both as a widow and a Christian grieve Still live I in thy thoughts but as in heav'n I live 40 Death end of old joyes entrance into new I follow thee I know I am thy debtour Not unexpect thou com'st to claim thy due Take here thine own my souls too heavie fetter Not life lifes place I change but for a better Take thou my soul that bought'st it cease your tears Who sighing leaves the earth himself and heaven fears 41 Thus said and while the bodie slumbring lay As Theseus Ariadne's bed forsaking His quiet soul stole from her house of clay And glorious Angels on their wings it taking Swifter then lightning flew for heaven making There happie goes he heav'nly fires admiring Whose motion is their bait whose rest is restlesse giring 42 And now the courts of that thrice blessed King It enters and his presence sits enjoying While in it self it findes an endlesse spring Of pleasures new and never weary joying Ne're spent in spending feeding never cloying Weak pen to write for thought can never feign them The minde that all can hold yet cannot half contain thē 43 There doth it blessed sit and looking down Laughs at our busie care and idle paining And fitting to it self that glorious crown Scorns earth where even Kings most serve by reigning Where men get wealth and hell so loose by gaining Ah blessed soul there sit thou still delighted Till we at length to him with thee shall be united 44 But when at last his Lady sad espies His flesh of life her self of him deprived Too full of grief closing his quenched eyes As if in him by him for him she lived Fell dead with him and once again revived Fell once again pain wearie of his paining And grief with too much grief felt now no grief remaining 45 Again reliev'd all silent sat she long No word to name such grief durst first adventer Grief is but light that floats upon the tongue But weightie sorrow presses to the center And never rests till th' heavie heart it enter And in lifes house was married to life Grief made life grievous seem and life enlivens grief 46 And from their bed proceeds a numerous presse First shrieks then tears sighs the hearts ground renting In vain poore Muse would'st thou such dole expresse For thou thy self lamenting her lamenting And with like grief transform'd to like tormenting With heavie pace bring'st forth thy lagging verse Which cloath'd with blackest lines attends the mournfull herse 47 The cunning hand which that Greek Princesse drew Readie in holy fires to be consum'd Pitie and sorrow paints in divers hue One wept he pray'd this sigh'd that chaf'd and fum'd But not to limme her fathers look presum'd For well he knew his skilfull hand had fail'd Best was his sorrow seen when with a cloth 't was vail'd 48 Look as a nightingale whose callow young Some boy hath markt and now half nak'd hath taken Which long she closely kept and foster'd long But all in vain she now poore bird forsaken Flies up and down but grief no place can slaken All day and night her losse she fresh doth rue And where she ends her plaints there soon begins anew 49 Thus sat she desolate so short a good Such gift so soon exacted sore complaining Sleep could not passe but almost sunk i' th' floud So high her eye-banks swell'd with endlesse raining Surfet of grief had bred all meats disdaining A thousand times my Antonie she cried Irby a thousand times and in that name she died 50 Thus circling in her grief it never ends But moving round back to it self enclineth Both day and night alike in grief she spends Day shews her day is gone no sun there shineth Black night her fellow mourner she defineth Light shews his want and shades his picture draw Him nothing best she sees when nothing now she saw THou blacker Muse whose rude uncombed hairs With fatal eugh and cypresse still are shaded Bring hither all thy sighs hither thy teares As sweet a plant as fair a flower is faded As ever in the Muses garden bladed While th' owner haplesse owner sits lamenting And but in discontent grief findes no contenting 2 The sweet now sad Elisa weeping lies While fair Alicia's words in vain relieve her In vain those wells of grief she often dries What her so long now doubled sorrows give her What both their loves which doubly double grieve her She carelesse spends without or end or measure Yet as it spends it grows poor grief can tell his treasure 3 All as a turtle on a bared bough A widow turtle joy and life despises Whose trustie mate to pay his holy vow Some watchfull eye late in his roost surprises And to his God for errour sacrifices She joylesse bird sits mourning all alone And being one when two would now be two or none 4 So sat she gentle Lady weeping sore Her desert self and now cold lord lamenting So sat she carelesse on the dusty floor As if her tears were all her souls contenting So sat she as when speechlesse griefs tormenting Locks up the heart the captive tongue enchaining So sat she joylesse down in wordlesse grief complaining 5 Her chearfull eye which once the crystall was Where Love and Beautie dress'd their fairest faces And fairer seem'd by looking in that glasse Had now in tears drown'd all their former graces Her snow-white arms whose warm sweet embraces Could quicken death their now dead lord infold And seem'd as cold and dead as was the flesh they hold 6 The roses in her cheek grow pale and wan As if his pale cheeks livery they affected Her head like fainting flowers opprest with rain On her left shoulder lean'd his weight neglected Her dark-gold locks hung loosly unrespected As if those fairs which he alone deserv'd With him had lost their use and now for nothing serv'd 7 Her Lady sister sat close by her side Alicia in whose face Love proudly lorded Where Beauties self and Mildnesse sweet
reside Where every Grace her naked sight afforded And Majestie with Love sat well accorded A little map of heav'n sweet influence giving More perfect yet in this it was a heaven living 8 Yet now this heav'n with melting clouds was stain'd Her starry eyes with sister grief infected Might seem the Pleiades so fast they rain'd And though her tongue to comfort she directed Sighs waiting on each word like grief detected That in her face you now might plainly see Sorrow to sit for Love Pitie for Majestie 9 At length when now those storms she had allay'd A league with grief for some short time indenting She 'gan to speak and sister onely said The sad Elisa soon her words preventing El. In vain you think to ease my hearts tormenting Words comforts hope all med'cine is in vain My heart most hates his cure loves his pleasing pain Al. 10 As vain to weep since fate cannot reprieve El. Teares are most due when there is no reprieving Al. When doom is past weak hearts that fondly grieve El. A helplesse griefs sole joy is joylesse grieving Al. To losses old new losse is no relieving You lose your teares El. When that I onely fear For ever now is lost poore losse to lose a teare Al. 11 Nature can teach that who is born must die El. And Nature teaches teares in griefs tormenting Al. Passions are slaves to Reasons monarchie El. Reason best shews her reason in lamenting Al. Religion blames impatient discontenting El. Not passion but excesse Religion branded Nor ever countermands what Natures self commanded Al. 12 That hand which gave him first into your hand To his own hand doth now again receive him Impious and fond to grudge at his command Who once by death from death doth ever reave him He lives by leaving life which soon would leave him Thus God and him you wrong by too much crying Who living dy'd to life much better lives by dying El. 13 Not him I plain ill would it fit our loves In his best state to shew my hearts repining To mourn at others good fond envy proves I know his soul is now more brightly shining Then all the starres their light in one combining No dearest soul so lifting up her eyes Which shew'd like watry suns quench't in the moister skies 14 My deare my dearest Irby at that name As at a well-known watch-word forth there pressed Whole flouds of teares and straight a suddain quame Seizing her heart her tongue with weight oppressed And lockt her grief within her soul distressed There all in vain he close and hidden lies Silence is sorrows speech his tongue speaks in her eyes 15 Till grief new mounted on uneven wings Of loud-breath'd sighs his leaden weight up sending Back to the tongue his heavie presence brings His usher teares deep grones behinde attending And in his name her breath most gladly spending As if he gone his name were all her joying Irby I never grudg'd thee heav'n and heav'ns enjoying 16 'T is not thy happinesse that breeds my smart It is my losse and cause that made me lose thee Which hatching first this tempest in my heart Thus justly rages he that lately chose thee To live with him where thou might'st safe repose thee Hath found some cause out of my little caring By spoiling thine to spare and spoil my life by sparing 17 Whither ah whither shall I turn my head Since thou my God so sore my heart hast beaten Thy rods yet with my bloud are warm and red Thy scourge my soul hath drunk my flesh hath eaten Who helps when thou my Father so dost threaten Thou hid'st thy eyes or if thou dost not hide them So dost thou frown that best I hidden may abide them 18 I weeping grant what ever may be dreaded All ill thou canst inflict I have deserved Thy mercy I I mercie onely pleaded Most wretched men if all that from thee swerved By merit onely in just weight were served If nought thou giv'st but what desert doth get me Oh give me nothing then for nothing I intreat thee 19 Ah wherefore are thy mercies infinite If thou dost hourd them up and never spend them Mercy 's no mercy hid in envious night The rich mans goods while in his chest he penn'd them Were then no goods much better to misspend them Why mak'st thou such a rod so fierce dost threat me Thy frowns to me were rods thy forehead would have beat me 20 Thou seiz'd my joy ah he is dead and gone That might have dress'd my wounds when thus they smarted To all my griefs I now am left alone Comfort 's in vain to hopelesse grief imparted Hope comfort joy with him are all departed Comfort hope joy lifes flatterers most I flie you And would not deigne to name but naming to defie you Al. 21 Sister too farre your passions violent heat And griefs too headlong in your plaint convay you You feel your stripes but mark not who does beat 'T is he that takes away who can repay you This grief to other rods doth open lay you He bindes your grief to patience not dejection Who bears the first not well provokes a new correctiō El. 22 I know 't is true but sorrows blubber'd eye Fain would not see and cannot well behold it My heart surround with grief is swoll'n so high It will not sink till I alone unfold it But grows more strong the more you do withhold it Leave me a while alone griefs tide grows low And ebs when private tears the eye-banks overflow 23 She quickly rose and readie now to go Remember measure in your griefs complaining His last his dying words command you so So left her and Elisa sole remaining Now every grief more boldly entertaining They flock about her round so one was gone And twentie fresh arriv'd ' Lone grief is least alone 24 Thus as she sat with fixt and setled eye Thousand fond thoughts their wandring shapes depainted Now seem'd she mounted to the crystall skie And one with him and with him fellow-sainted Straight pull'd from heav'n then again she fainted Thus while their numerous thoughts each fancie brought The minde all idle sat much thinking lost her thought 25 And fancy finding now the dulled sight Idle with businesse to her soul presented While th' heavy minde obscur'd his shaded light Her wofull body from her head absented And suddain starting with that thought tormented A thing impossible too true she found The head was gone and yet the headlesse body sound 26 Nor yet awake she cries ah this is wrong To part what Natures hand so neare hath tied Stay oh my head and take thy trunk along But then her minde recall'd her errour spied And sigh'd to see how true the fancy lied Which made the eye his instrument to see That true which being true it self must nothing be 27 Vile trunk saies she thy head is ever gone Vile headlesse trunk why art thou not engraved One wast thou once with him now art