share the ioyes that euer shall indure My bodie I bequeath vnto the earth The common Mother that first brought it forth My blessing I bequeath vnto the blade That makes the breach for grislie death to enter She shall not ride my patience like a iade If death-wrought resolution may preuent her O welcome engine of my cares releasing That kill'st Despaire to make my hopes increasing My sorrowes cares hart-breaking sighes and crosses Woes lamentations pining and despaires My teares complaints foule iniuries and losses Griefs shame misfortune and my daily feares I giue to her that now giues me this fall The sole efficient of my Funerall Let her haue time to rent her Amber haire Lether haue time to thinke on me and raue Let her haue time of fauour to despaire And skorn'd of all to liue Affections slaue Let her haue time to beg and none relieue her And euery day bring crosses more to grieue her Let her haue time to proue her friends her foes And see her olde acquaintance all forsake her Let her haue time her honest name to lose Abhorr'd of men and cursed of her Maker And euery minute let her finde a time To rue my death her vnrecalling crime My Halcyon daies of blisse and happines The milde forerunners of this fearefull storme I giue to those whom better starres doe blesse Which neuer felt the sting of womans skorne What euer else is mine disbursed be To those that liue and thinke no harme of me Come gentle knife why lingrest thou so long Come ease my sorrowes with thy fatall stroke My heart is resolute my hand is strong My lingring life more torment doth prouoke O King of graues why killst thou them abhor thee And turnst from me that now am readie for thee Auaunt thou viper I thy spite defie Where life is lou'd thou readie art to kill But neuer once thy weapons wilt applie To the redressing of a wretches ill Come trustie hand for thou must doe the deede Since other friends are fled in time of neede The Starre that first made entrance in mine eye And thence departing strooke my senses blinde Then led my heart in base captiuitie Yet to her prisoner proueth most vnkinde Witnes faire heauens she she t' is onely she That guides this hand to giue this wound to me Eub. Stay stay thy hand O Natures prodigie If blood and death must expiate thy rage Pittie thy selfe foule beast and murther me My life for thine my selfe will be thy gage Ten thousand deaths my soule indures to see Gods image wrong'd in thy mortalitie In massak'ring thy selfe whom dost thou kill But with thy bodie that immortall soule For whose redemption Christ vouchsaft to spill Those purple drops to quench the liuing coale Of his deere Fathers deepe-deserued hate And to the heauens promote thy poore estate Think'st thou by dying to preuent the paine That seemes to pinch thee in this brittle life Alas this death begets thee life againe When with thy selfe thy selfe shall be at strife When thou wilt thinke all paines consort in one And that thy selfe sustain'st them all alone O Acolastus what foule fiend of Hell Would glut his fury with thy harmeles blood Watching thy death here in some shady cell To pray vpon thy soule thy soueraigne good Looke studie sigh for grace and flye from euill Grace and resistance driues away the deuill Acolast Art thou a God a Man or else a Ghost Com'st thou from heauen where blisse solace dwell Or from the ayrie could-ingendring coast Or from the darkesome dungeon-hole of hell Or from the secret chambers of the deepe Or from the graues where breathles bodies sleepe Art thou a Hermite in this wildernes Or else some Satyre maskt in ages weeds Or by the heauens I charge thee to confesse Art thou her shape for whom my poore hart bleeds I I t' is so thou art that cruell she That wrought my death now fain'st to pittie me What bloody scene hath crueltie to act Death is the worst thy malice can inflict And thou hadst seene my soules poore cittie sackt But thy deepe policie did contradict Knowing by death my troubles should haue end Which to prolong thou mainly dost intend O be content with robbing me of life Why dost thou triumph ouer fortunes wracke The death of men determinates their strife And warres are finisht with the Cities sacke The Elephant and Dragon mortall foes Bury their hate in mutuall ouerthrowes By life my soule was pind in little ease By death I seeke my thraldome to release Then let my life thy brutish hart appease And giue me leaue at least to dye in peace O let it not be said in time to come A womans hate suruiues till day of doome Eub. Fondling I am no God nor tempting friend Nor yet the woman that could wish thee dead Know me for Eubulus thy auncient friend Witnesse this snow-white fleece vpon my head Marke my complection habite tongue and yeares How euery thing in quondam sort appeares I am no flint-hart female bloody minded Mocking thy senses with a borrowed shape But one that sees thy sense through passion blinded And sighes and seekes away for thine escape Then charme this mad infection that doth raigne In beldam fury of thy witles braine Be not as sottish as the simple sort That wracke their wits vpon misfortunes shelfe Nor yeelde thy reasons beauty-battred for t Crying God helpe yet neuer helpe thy selfe Thy crazed Shipp's not so farre runne on shore But thou maist scape and flourish as before Acolast Et tu Brute wilt thou stab Caesar too Thou art my friend and wilt not see me wrong'd I pray thee leaue me without more adoo For with my life my sorrowes are prolong'd I know thou pleasurst not in my distresse Then rob me not of deaths true happinesse Yet since in sun-shine of my better daies Thou wast a Father to my head-strong youth Training my rash-braind thoughts in reasons waies Whose words I euer found the glasse of Truth My cares shall take a truce with death so long Till I haue made thee priuie to my wrong Loe here at hand a circle-braunching tree Whose leauie bosome makes a summer seate Nature hath raisd this arbour purposely To shroude our bodies from the parching heate Here while we sit within this gloomy shade I 'le tell my Loue and how it did inuade Eub. Then yeeld me vp this irefull instrument The destin'd engine of thy tragedie T' is wisdomes rule occasions to preuent And giue no ground to Sathans trecherie Well now begin and giue thy sorrowes vent I 'le sit and mourne with thee till day be spent Mcolast To shew the poyson of my endles pining The taske is long and tedious to expresse Bright Phaebus to the Westerne deepe declining And repetition neuer made thing lesse Who rippes the rancour of old-wounded flesh In steede of healing makes it bleede a fresh Yet since the heauens are so propitious To make my friend eye-witnesse to my fall Lysten kinde
extremitie But wisdome weake my Reasons force was small To conquer loue which conquers wit and all I know no bastard Hauke can soare so high As doth the Hobbie towring high by kind Nor Aegle-like behold the worlds faire eye But with his beames their sight is stricken blind I know gainst Nature actions are in vaine And high-pitcht thoughts reape nothing but disdaine Yet Phaebus shining little Gnats may play Small flies may pearch them by the Aegles side It lies in compasse of thy yea or nay To be my bane or to become my Bride Loue strikes a match t'wixt mortall men and Gods Sweete loue me then can be no greater oddes O be remembred was not Vulcan lame Yet was he Lord of louely Venus bed Or if he were not more his wife to blame That rul'd the raynes to make him beare the head Such Vulcanes now are ours who doting olde Marrie young Maids to keepe them from co-colde Diuine Aurora full as faire as she Whose heauen-di'de face the Graces still admire Lou'd gray-beard Tython as ill fac'te as he And in her choice so pleas'd her chast desire That oft she said when Beauties dowre is spent Mine old-mans loue shall yeeld me sweet content I will not muffle vp a meane estate As smoth-tongu'd sutors daily vse to doe Bragging of Birth of Friends of this and that Of money lands yea and of Vertue too Breathing vaine boasts of many a golden shower And things God wot were neuer in their power A shame to boast of bloods antiquitie Wherein no honour nor true Vertue lies Each Brute may bragge hereof as well as we One still succeeding as another dyes T' is Vertue Minion doth nobilitate And makes a Monarch of a meane estate Let others promise Mountaines if they list Intrapping fooles by false insinuations Till womens hopes doe end in Had I wist And make them say Mens words are but temptations I hate all shifts plaine dealing still is blest I like the meane and here set downe my rest My dwelling is within a countrie Farme My table richly furnisht with Content My robes are such as keepe my body warme My pleasures rate sits at an easie rent My cheere is great my charge is very small My fruits my flocks my foes are none at all My life is nothing but a world of Loue I loue my God and next I loue my King I loue my Caesars friends that sit aboue I honour Vertue aboue any thing I loue my countrey and my dearest kin Briefly I nothing hate but mizers sin I spend the day time on these pleasant Plaines And while my Lambes grow wanton with the spring Vpon an oaten pype I cheere my paines And being wearie straight I fall to sing This done I laugh againe and shake my crowne To see the world of late turn'd vpside downe Our Fathers plained in their weary daies How much the world was chang'd from that of yore We say of late t' is turned many waies Yet will not stand as Adams did before Each side is turn'd and yet it standeth wrong And will doe still I 'le tell thee wench how long While Kings do thirst for Countries and for Crownes And Princes pray vpon their Neighbour Landes Might treads down right and Treason selleth Townes Iustice lies fetterd in oppressions bandes So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe While Nobles vainely vaunting of their blood Doe sell themselues to sensuall appetite Neglecting time to doe their Countrey good To punish wrongs ayde the poore-mans right So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe While citties swim in Lucre Lust and Pride No art but craft no gainefull trade but sinne While veluet breeches is allow'd to ride And aged Wisdome walketh bare and thinne So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe While Leacherie and Lucar strike a match Making a compound of two deadly sinnes And or'e th' Hesperian fruite like dragons watch Or as the Eden-keeping Cherubims So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe While poore are pincht by grunting Auarice And Gentils forste their ioyntures for to sell To Father Grauity whose biting vice Will send his soule for handsill vnto hell So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe While younglings chuse their Louers by their coyne Seeking to graft vpon a golden tree Goods make the choice the diuell he must ioyne But ware their soules the Priest will haue his fee So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe Briefly while Vices maske in Vertues weed And Reason made a Baude to each abuse While Beasts are fatted good men suffer need And all things altered from their proper vse So long the righteous gods will surely frowne And we shall finde the world turn'd vpside downe Thus while the world in sinne is madly tost Some beare the purse but Iudas loues no poore The rest in pleasures Labyrinth are lost And would returne but Custome keepes the doore I sit aloofe and laugh the world to scorne Happie in this to be a Shepheard borne I am a King my Conscience is my Crowne My Court is thoughts enriched with Content My minde to me is as a walled Towne My Treasure Grace which neuer can be spent The want of worldly things is very small To him whose heart desires them not at all I make my power the limits to my will And count wel doing summe of all my wealth My wishes fewe and easie to fulfill My care is none but soule and bodies health In Heauen my happe on God my hopes relye Loe thus I liue and thus I meane to dye Say me then Sweeting dost thou like mine offer My loue my life and all at thy commaund Say canst thou stoope vnto a poore mans proffer Thou art my Iudge here I holde vp my hand Now passe the speedy doome of life or death Or cure my bane or kill me with a breath I had no sooner said but straight began The cloudes appeare that menaced a storme Her face faire skie being turned pale and wan What might I hope but tempest euery houre The cursed Fates haue cloud-ecclipst my Sun Whose light once lost of force my life is done First darts her amiable brow coy frownes And cruell hate inserted in disdaine Inthrones her selfe then scorne and wrath abounds And where before Loue-tempting lookes did raigne There proud Contempt arm'd with disdainfull ire Scornd proffer'd seruice of my poore desire Heart-slaine with lookes I fell vpon the ground Her meaning strooke me ere her words were done As weapons met before they make a sound Or as the deadly bullet of a gunne Yet all my passions had no power to moue her But thus she rates me that so much did loue her Presumptuous Swaine proud selfe-conceited
Father what I shall disclose How Loue became Disdaines vnhappie thrall And as I story my flint-mouing wrong Weepe thou to beare the burthen to my song Sic incipit Stultorum tragicomedia THree months agoe when Phaebus in his pride Had scal'd hot Cancers sunny-parched cell And Ceres cast her summers greene aside And flowres had chang'd their colour forme and smel When daies were long'st nights were waxen short And yonglings met to wanton and to sport About this time I singled out a day With merry consorts to delight my selfe I thought my ship might sometime roue astray And yet not run her selfe on euery shelfe What Syren plaid but I durst dance her measure Thinking to master Venus sonne at pleasure Fortune who long had ow'd my hap a grudge Summond wild younglings to a sommers drinking To which my merry mates and I did trudge Of such an accident full little thinking Where reuels raigne and dancing holds a day I'ts hard if Acolastus keepe away Well there was I and there was Fortune too Who had prepar'd baite to worke my bane There did I passe a pleasant houre or two In dauncing for the gloues and other gaine There did I gaze against that glorious Sunne By which my heart was fir'd my sight was done O giue me leaue to sigh a little while Before my hell of foule mishap breake loose But let not Fortune see me least she smile And say his mountaine thoughts end in a mouse Oh t' is a burthen that will breake the backe To see ones foe triumphing in his wracke Scarce had the Sunne attain'd his noon-tide pricke Gracing our pastimes with a sommers daie A traine of Ladies trouping very thicke Directly towards vs made their speedy way For want of worse our Musicke drewe them on Pans pype plaies sweete Apollo being gone Looke how astonisht in a qualmy traunce The man that meets a lothsome-visag'd Beare Struck with amazement of this suddaine chaunce Falls to the ground halfe slaine with very feare Within his heart and sences are at strife Past feare of death and yet past hope of life So was I daunted at mine eyes first gazing Sweeping they came and seemd to brush the ground Their tipto-tripping pace bred double mazing Their ratling silkes my senses did confound It seem'd Dianas Nymphes had left her Queene To sport themselues a while vpon this greene Or loue-sicke Venus in a huntresse weede Meaning to seeke Adonis in the wood Mounted vpon a snow-white coloured Steede From Pegasus proude race vaunting his blood Came marching onward with a mayden-pace A thousand Nimphes attending on her grace My mates all rauished with admiration Stood like the men which once Ioues golden sonne By his speares wonder-working Transformation Turn'd into semblance of a sencelesse stone Or as Actaeon standing at a Bay Finding Diana naked in his way Fortune and Loue chose me amongst the rest As sweetest linguist of perswading wit With modest motiues kindly to request These sinfull Saints a little while to sit And see how shepheards spend the holy-day In youth-bred sports and casting Care away Twixt hope and feare I marched on to meet them My rustick blush forbad me to dissemble Met face to face when I was ment to greete them My words were done and euery ioynt did tremble Till my poore heart rebuking much my blame Vntide my tongue and bad me speake for shame More faire and beautifull then were those three That found the golden fruite on Idas plaine Gods Angels Saints or whatsoe're you be Accept the proffer of a simple swaine Draw neere and till the heate of day be spent Looke on and laugh at Shepheards meriment We haue no thing of worth for to present We plead for pardon ere our sport begin Our boldnes springeth from a true intent Which makes an error oftentimes no sin We boast of naught saue that it shall goe hard But our good wils shall purchase your regard These words scarce past the limits of my lippes Sounding a parley to their modest eares A wanton youngling from her fellowes skippes Which like a Comet in my sight appeares Causing my silly wits and me to sunder Infusing me with prophesies of wonder For by this crosse aspect I gather'd well And yet not well because I could not shun it In her faire face my ioyes defac'd to spell My battaile lost before her words begin it For from her eyes a kinde looke did she dart Which through mine eyes diu'd down into my hart A prettie while this prettie creature stoode Before the engin of her thoughts began Seeming to sympathize my heauie moode Pittying my prone lookes and my colour wan Till blushing forth a pure vermilion dye With low-tun'd voice she made me this replie Shepheard we see you are disposde to flatter That frumpe vs with a false-supposed fayre Mens words are Metaphors it makes no matter You know poore women sir are made to beare But since you made so plausible a motion This day we consecrate to your deuotion Mistris quoth I if any take offence My heart makes good the trespasse of my tongue Humanitie full easily can dispence Where loue and zeale are authors of the wrong Good wine desires no bush to set it forth And I too meane to blaze your beauties worth But Ladie if a swaine may be so bold To craue admittance mong'st your other men My selfe will bring you where you shall behold Our rusticke reuels at your ease and when In Thetis lappe the Sunne shall drowne the day I le set you forward in your former way As fares the man conuict of Heresie Whose Iudgement doomes him death by cruell flame The world eye-witnesse of his infamie Bearing a fagot for his further shame Full faintly wending onward to the fier Where selfe opinion shall receiue his hire So marched I before this mayden-trayne Loue swore excuses should not serue my turne Quoth he Thou thinkest me by Reason slaine Thou holdst a false point now recant and burne I cry'd retyre and he inioynd this smart To beare fond fancies fagot in my hart Who so hath seene the tender Mary-gold Spreading her pride against the worlds faire eye But when the sunne his glorie doth infold This prettie Creature shuts and seemes to die So did I loue to gaze vpon my Sunne But when she turnd away my life was done Thus while my sight was surfetting on Beautie We sodainely surpriz'd the bashfull Swaynes Who shewed their harts-ioy by their homely dutie Kissing these louely Ladies for their paynes Seeking all meanes to farther their delight While thus I ruminate on Fortunes spight Inconstant minion mother of mischance True Vertues crosse delighting still in chang When most thou fawn'st thy fauour 's but a glance Thy naughtie nature loueth still to range Great pittie is it were there remedie That men are tyde to thine extremitie Thou art a stepdame to each honest thing Training vp vices like a louing Nurse Crowning the begger pulling downe the king What euer Nature made thou makest worse