THE MISTRESSE OR SEVERAL COPIES OF LOVE-VERSES Written by Mr. A. Cowley In his Youth and now since his Death thought fit to be published Haeret lateri lethalis arundo LONDON Printed for Rowland Reynolds at the Sun and Bible in Postern-Street neer More-Gate 1667. To the Reader A Correct Copy of these verses and as I am told written by the Authour himselfe falling into my hands I thought fit to send to the Presse chiefely because I heare that the same is like to bee done from a more imperfect one It is not my good fortune to bee acquainted with the Authour any further then his fame by which hee is well knowne to all Englishmen and to that I am sure I shall doe a service by this Publication Not doubting but that if these verses please his Mistresse but halfe so well as they will generally doe the rest the world hee will bee so well contented as to forgive at least this my boldnesse which proceedes onely from my Love of Him who will gaine reputation and of my Country which will receive delight from it I shall use no more preface nor 〈◊〉 one word besides these few lines to the Booke but faithfully and nakedly transmit it to thy view just as it came to mine unlesse perhaps some Typographicall faults get into it which I will take care shall be as few as may be and desire a pardon for them if there be any Farewell THE MISTRESSE OR SEUERALL COPIES OF LOVE VERSES The Request 1. I ' Have often wisht to love what shall I doe Me still the cruell Boy does spare And a double taske must beare First to wooe him then a Mistresse too Come at last and strike for shame If thou art any thing besides a name I le thinke Thee else no God to bee But Poets rather Gods who first created Thee 2. I aske not one in whom all beauties flow Let me but love what ere she bee Shee cannot seeme deform'd to mee And I would have her seeme to others so Desire takes wings and strait does fly It stayes not dully to inquire the why When I 'me that thing a Lover growne I shall not see with others Eyes scarce with mine owne 3. If shee bee coy and scorne my noble fire If her chill heart I cannot move Why I 'le enjoy the very Love And make a Mistresse of mine owne Desire Flames their most vigorous heat doe hold And purest light if compast round with cold So when sharpe Winter meanes most harme The spring Plants are by the Snow it selfe kept warme 4. But doe not touch my heart and so be gone Strike deepe thy burning arrowes in Lukewarmnesse I account a sinne As great in Love as in Religion Come arm'd with flames for I would prove All the extremities of mighty Love Th' excesse of heat is but a fable Wee know the torrid Zone is now found habitable 5. Among the Woods and Forrests thou art found There Bores and Lions thou dost tame Is not my heart a noble game Let Venus Men and Beasts Diana wound Thou dost the Birds thy Subjects make Thy nimble feathers doe their wings oretake At every spring they chant thy praise Make me but love like them I 'le sing thee better laies 6. What service can mute Fishes doe to Thee Yet against them by Dart prevailes Peircing the armour of their Scales And still thy sea-borne Mother lives i'th'Sea Dost thou deny only to mee The no-great priviledge of Captivity I beg or challenge here thy Bow Either thy pitty to mee or else thine anger show 7. Come or I 'le teach the world to scorne that Bow I 'le teach them thousand wholsome arts Both to resist and cure thy darts More then thy skilfull Ovid ere did know Musick of sighes thou shalt not heare Nor drinke no more on wretched Lovers Teare Nay unlesse soone thou woundest mee My Verses shall not only wound but murther Thee The Thraldome 1. I Came I saw and was undone The Lightning through my bones marrow run A poynted paine pierc't deep my heart A swift cold trembling seiz'd on every part My head turn'd round nor could it beare The Poyson that was enter'd there 2. So a destroying Angells breath Blowes in the Plague and with it hasty Death Such was the paine did so beginne To the poore wretch when Legion entred in Forgive me God I cri'd for I Flatter'd my selfe I was to dye 3. But quickly to my Cost I found 'T was cruell Love not Death had made the wound Death a more generous rage does use Quarter to all he conquers does refuse Whilst Love with barbarous mercy saves The vanquisht lives to make them slaves 4 I am thy slave then let me know Hard Master the great aske I have to doe Who pride and scorne doe undergoe In tempests and rough Seas thy Galleys row Thy part and groane and sigh but finde Thy sighs encrease the angry winde 5. Like an Aegyptian Tyrant some Thou weariest out in building but a Tombe Others with sad and tedious art Labour i' the Quarries of a stony Heart Of all the workes thou dost assigne To all the severall slaves of thine Employ me mighty Love to digge the Mine The Given Lover 1 I 'Le on for what should hinder me From Loving and Enjoying Thee Thou canst not those exceptions make Which thin-sould under-mortalls take That my Fate 's too meane and low 'T were pitty I should love thee so If that dull cause could hinder me In Loving and Enjoying thee 2. It does not me a whit displease That the rich all honours seise That you all Titles make your owne Are Valiant Learned Wise alone But if you claim o're Women too The power which over men ye doe If you alone must Lovers bee For that Sirs you must pardon mee 3. Rather then loose what does so neare Concerne my Life and Being here I 'le some such crooked waies invent As you or your Forefathers went I 'le flatter or oppose the King Turne Puritan or Any thing I 'le force my Mind to arts so new Grow Rich and Love as well as You. 4. But rather thus let me remaine As Man in Paradise did reigne When perfect Love did so agree With Innocence and Poverty Adam did no Joynture give Himselfe was Joynture to his Eve Untoucht with Av'arice yet or Pride The Rib came freely back to ' his side 5. A curse upon the man who taught Women that Love was to be bought Rather dote onely on your Gold And that with greedy av'arice hold For if Woman too submit To that and sell her selfe for it Fond Lover you a Mistress have Of her that 's but your Fellow slave 6. What should those Poets meane of old That made their God to wooe in God Of all men sure They had no cause To bind Love to such costly Lawes And yet I scarcely blame them now For who alas would not allow That Women should such gifts receive Could They themselves Be what They give 7.
happy call Till the cleft Foot discovers all Then they start from 't halfe Ghosts themselves with fear And Devill as 't is it does appear So since against my will I found Thee foul Deform'd and crooked in thy Soule My Reason strait did to my Senses shew That they might be mistaken too Nay when the world but knowes how false you are There 's not a man will think you fair Thy shape will monstrous in their fancies be They 'l call their Eyes as false as Thee Be what thou wilt hate will present thee so As Puritans do the Pope and Papists Luther do Platonick love 1. INdeed I must confesse When Souls mix 't is an happinesse But not compleat till Bodies too do joyne And both our Wholes into one Whole combine But halfe of Heaven the Soules in glory tast 'Till by Love in Heaven at last Their Bodies too are plac't 2. In thy immortall part Man as well as I thou art But something 't is that differs Thee and Me And we must one even in that difference be I Thee both as a man and woman prize For a perfect Love implies Love in all Capacities 3. Can that for true love passe When a faire woman courts her glass Something unlike must in Loves likenesse be His wonder is one and Variety For he whose soule nought but a Soule can move Does a new Narcissus prove And his own Image love 4. That soules do beauty know 'T is to the Bodies help they owe If when they ow't they strait abuse that trust And shut the Body from 't 't is as unjust As if I brought my dearest friend to see My Mistresse and at th' instant He Should steal her quite from Me. The Change 1. Love in her sunny Eyes does basking play Love walks the pleasant Mazes of her Haire Love does on both her Lips for ever stray And sows and reaps a thousand kisses there In all her outward parts Lov 's alwaies seen But oh He never went within 2. Within Loves foes his greatest foes abide Malice Inconstancy and Pride So the Earths face Trees Herbs and Flowers do dresse With other beauties numberlesse But at the Center Darknesse is and Hell There wicked Spirits and there the Damned dwell 3. With me alas quite contrary it fares Darknesse and Death lies in my weeping eyes Despair and Palenesse in my face appears And Grief and Fear Loves greatest enemies But like the Persian Tyrant Love within Keeps his proud Court and ne're is seeen 4. Oh take my Heart and by what means you 'l prove Within too stor'd enough of Love Give me but Yours I 'le by that change so thrive That Love in all my parts shall live So powerfull is this Change it render can My outside Woman and your inside Man Clad all in White 1. FAirest thing that shines below Why in this robe dost thou appear Wouldst thou a white most perfect show Thou must at all no garment wear Thou wilt seem much whiter so Then Winter when 't is clad with Snow 2. 'T is not the Linnen shewes so faire Her skinne shines through and makes it bright So Clouds themselves like Suns appear When the Sun pierces them with Light So Lillies in a glass inclose The Glasse will seem as white as those 3. Thou now one heap of beauty art Nought outwards or within is foule Condensed beams make every part Thy Body 's cloathed like thy Soule Thy soule which does it selfe display Like a starre plac'd i' th the Milky way 4. Such robes the Saints departed wear Wooven all with Light divine Such their exalted Bodies are And with such full glory shine But oh they ' tend not mortalls pain Men pray I fear to both in vaine 5. Yet seeing thee so gently pure My hopes will needs continue still Thou wouldst not take this garment sure When thou hadst an intent to kill Of Peace and yeelding who would doubt When the White Flags he sees hung out Leaving Me and then loving many SO Men who once have cast the truth away Forsook by God do strange wild lusts obey So the vain Gentiles when they left t' adore One Deity could not stop at thousands more Their zeal was sencelesse straight and boundlesse grown They worshipt many a Beast and many a Stone Ah faire Apostate couldst thou think to flee From Truth and Goodnesse yet keep Unity I reign'd alone and my blest Selfe could call The Universall Monarch of her All. Mine mine her fair East-Indies were above Where those Suns rise that chear the world of Love Where Beauties shine like gems of richest price Where Corall grows and every breath is spice Mine too her rich West-Indies were below Where Mines of gold and treasures grow But as when the Pellaean Conqueror di'd Many small Princes did his Crown divide So since my Love has vanquisht world forsook Murther'd by poisons from her falshoods took An hundred petty Kings claim each their part And rend that glorious Empire of her Heart My Heart discovered HEr body is so gently bright Clear and transparent to the sight Clear as fair Christall to the view Yet soft as that ere Stone it grew That through her flesh me thinks is seen The brightest Soule that dwels within Our eyes through th' radiant covering passe And see that Lilly through its Glasse I through her Breast her Heart espy As Soules in hearts do Soules descry I see 't with gentle Motions beat I see light in 't but find no heat Within like Angels in the sky A thousand gilded thoughts do fly Thoughts of bright and noblest kind Fair and chast as Mother Minde But oh what other heart is there Which sighs and crouds to hers so neer 'T is all on flame and does like fire To that as to it's Heaven aspire The wounds are many in 't and deep Still does it bleed and still does weep Whose ever wretched Heart it be I cannot chuse but grieve to see What pitty in my Breast does raigne Me thinks I feel all its pain So torn and so defac'd it lies That it could neera be known by th' eyes But Oh at last I heard it groan And knew by th'Voice that t' was mine owne So poor Alcione when she saw A shipwrackt body to'wards her draw Beat by the waves let fall a Tear Which only then did Pitty wear But when the Corps on shore were cast Which she her husband found at last What should the wretched widow do Grief chang'd her strait away she flew Turn'd to a Bird and so at last shall I Both from my Murther'd Heart and Murth'rer fly Answer to the Platonicks SO Angels love so let them for me When I 'me all Soule such shall my Love too be Who nothing here but like a Sp'rit would do In a short time beleeve'twill be one too But'shal our Love do what in Beasts we see Even Beasts eat too but not so wel as We. And you as justly might in thirst refuse The use of Wine because Beasts Water
Welcome 1. GO let the fatted Calfe be kill'd My Prodigall's come home at last With noble resolutions fill'd And filld with sorrow for the past No more will burn with Love or Wine But quite has left his Women and his Swine 2. Welcome ah welcome my poor Heart Welcome I little thought I 'le swear 'T is now so long since we did part Ever again to see thee here Dear wanderer since from me you fled How often have I heard that you were dead 3. Had it thou found each womans breast The Lands where thou hast travelled Either by Savages possest Or wild and uninhabited What joy couldst take or what repose In Countries so unciviliz'd as those 4. Lust the scorching Dog-starre here Rages with immoderate heat Whilst Pride the rugged Northern Bear In others makes the cold too great And where these are temperate known The Soil's all barren Land or rocky Stone 5. When once or twice you chanc'd to view A rich well-govern'd Heart Like China it admitted you But to the Frontiere-part From Paradise shut for evermore What good is't that an angell shut the Door 6. Welfare the Pride and the Disdain And Vanities with Beauty joyn'd I nere had seen this Heart again If any Faire one had been kind My Dove but once let loose I doubt Would ne're returne had not the Flood been out The Heart fled again 1. FAlse foolish Heart didst thou not say That thou wouldst never leave me more Behold again 't is fled away Fled as farre from me as before I strove to bring it again I cryed and hollowed after it in vain 2. Even so the gentle Tyrian Dame When neither Grief nor Love prevail Saw the dear object of her flame Th'ingratfull Trojan hoist his saile Aloud she call'd to him to stay The wind bore him and her lost words away 3. The dolefull Ariadne so On the wide shore forsaken stood False Theseus whither dost thou go A faire false Theseus cut the flood But Bacchus came to her reliefe Bacchus himselfe 's too weak to ease my griefe 4. Ah sencelesse Heart to take no rest But travail thus eternally Thus to be frozen in every brest And to be scorcht in every Eye Wandring about like wretched Caine Thrust out ill us'd by all but by none slaine 5. Well since thou wilt not here remaine I 'le even to live without Thee try My Head shall take the greater pain And all thy duties shall supply I can more eas'ly live I know Without Thee then without a Mistris thou Womens Superstition 1. OR I 'me a very Dunce or Woman-kinde Is a most unintelligible thing I can no Sence nor no Contexture finde Nor their loose parts to Method bring I know not what the Learn'd may see But they 'r strange Hebrew things to Me. 2. By Customes and Traditions they live And foolish Ceremonies of antick date We Lovers new and better Doctrines give Yet they continue obstinate Preach we Loves Prophets what we will Like Jews they keep their old Law still 3. Before their Mothers Gods they fondly fall Vain Idoll Gods that have no Sence nor Minde Honours their Ashtaroth and Pride their Baal The Thundring Baal of Woman-kind With twenty other Devills more Which They as we do Them adore 4. But then like Men both Covetous and Devout Their costly Superstition loath t'omit And yet more loath to issue Moneys out At their own charge to furnish it To these expensive Deities The Hearts of men they sacrifice The Soule 1. SOme dull Philosopher when he hears me say My Soule is from me fled away Nor has of late inform'd my Body here But in another's breast does lye That neither is nor wil be I As a Form Servient and Assisting there 2. Will cry Absurd and ask me how I live And Syllogismes against it give A curse on all your vain Philosophies Which on weak Natures Law depend And know not how to comprehend Love and Religion those great Mysteries 3. Her Body is my Soule laugh not at this For by my life I swear it is 'T is that preserves my Being and my Breath From that proceeds all that I doe Nay all my thoughts and speeches too And separation from it is my Death Eccho 1. TYred with the rough denialls of my prayer From that hard she whom I obey I come in and find a Nymph much gentler here That gives consent to all I say Ah gentle Nymph who lik'st so well In hollow solitary Caves to dwell Her Heart being such into it go And do but once from thence answer me so 2. Complaisant Nymph who dost thus kindly share In griefs whose cause thou dost not know Hadst thou but Eyes as well as Tongue and Eare How much compassion wouldst thou show Thy flame whilst living or a flower Was of lesse beauty and lesse ravishing power Alas I might as easilie Paint thee to her as describe Her to Thee 3. By repercussion Beams engender Fire Shapes by reflexion shapes beget The voice it selfe when stopt does back retire And a new voice is made by it Thus things by opposition The gainers grow my barren Love alone Does from her stony breast rebound Producing neither Image Fire nor Sound The rich Rivall 1. THey say you 'r angry and rant mightily Because I love the same as you Alas you 'r very rich 't is true But prithee Foole what 's that to Love and Mee You have Land and Money let that serve And know you have more by that then you deserve 2. When next I see my fair One we shall know How worthlesse thou art of her bed And wretch I le strike thee dumbe and dead With noble verse not understood by you Whilst thy sole Rhetorick shall be Joynture and Jewells and Our Friends agree 3. Pox o' your friends that dote and Domineere Lovers are better friends they they Let 's those in other things obey The Fates and Starres and Gods must govern here Vain names of Blood in Love let none Advise with any Blood but with their owne 4. 'T is that which bids me this bright Maid adore No other thought has had accesse Did she now begg I 'de love do lesse And were she'an Empresse I should love no more Were she as just and true to Mee Ah simple soule what would become of Thee Against Hope 1. HOpe whose weak Being ruin'd is Alike if it succeed and if it misse Whom Good or Ill does equally confound And both the Hornes of Fates Dilemma wound Vain shadow which dost vanish quite Both at full Noon and perfect Night The Starres have not a possibility Of blessing Thee If things then from their End we happy call 'T is Hope is the most hopelesse thing of all 2. Hope thou bold Taster of Delight Who whilst thou shouldst but tast devour'st it quite Thou bringst us an Estate yet leav'st us Poor By clogging it with Legacies before The Joyes which we entire should wed Come deflour'd Virgins to our bed Good fortunes without gain imported be