thou dost liue giue life vnto my pen Which when thou dyest will pay it the agen Epigr. 22. Ad Lectorem REader I grant I doe not keepe the lawes Of riming in my verse but I haue cause I turne the pleasure of the ende sometimes Least he that likes them not should call theÌ„ rymes Epigr. 23. De tribus pueris in fornace ignea WHat were the children Nabucadnessar Which walking in the fornace thou did'st see Was each an Angel or an heauenly starre Aboue the act of natures soueraigntie Were they three wedges of the finest goold Which the heauens treasurer doth so desire Or had they power to turne the heat to colde Were they three Salamanders in the fire The flame was martyred with her heat spent And the fire suffred for the innocent Epigr. 24. Epitaphum Cannij OF fighting Cannius here lye the bones Which neuer receiued the lye but ones He thought to auenge him he drew forth his sword He ventured his life vpon a bare word Now I say he lyeth in him the cause is Had he tane that lye he had not tane this Epigr. 25 OVr Water Drake long seas strange ieopardies Farr countries great attempts haue ouertane Hee payde his life there whence his glory came Adorne him India for in thee he lies We haue a worthier worthy of our state And would not leaue our Water for our Drake Epigr. 26. INdie which so long fearde now hath our Drake Her feare lyes buried in her golden sands Which we will oft reuisite for his sake Till we haue ransomde him out of her handes You which will venter for a goolden pray Go on braue lads by Water is your way Epigr. 27. In cultum reliquiarum TO seeke thee in thy Tombe sweete Iesu when The women with their oyntment hastened Two Angels did appeare forbidding them To seeke thee liuing there among the dead Did Rome by diuing in the tombes of saintes But seeke the liuing whence they now are sled Yet might they heare the Angels making plaint Seeke not the liuing Rome among the dead But to tye holy worshipp to dead bones To bowe religion to the wicked trust Of crosses reliques ashes flickes and stones To throwe downe liuing men to honour dust Is not to seeke but like Mezentius rather To ioyne the liuing and the dead together Epigr. 28. Epitap Richardi Pinuer HEre lyes Dicke Pinner O vngentle death Why didst thou rob Dick Pinner of his breath For liuing he by scraping of a pinn Made better dust then thou hast made of him Epigr. 29. Ad Lectorem REader but halfe my labour is expirde And Poet matter witt and all are tyrde Thrise fiftie labours haue worne out my veyne An hundred meanings and an halfe remayne Heere would I rest were my first worke to doe VVere the last at an end heere would I to Epigr. 30. MElus was taught to speake to read to write Yet clerkly sooth he can do none of these He learned Logicke and Arithmetique Yet neither brauls nor ciphers worth a peaze The musicke schoole did teach him her sweet art He dealt with Rhetorique and Astrologie Yet nether can he chaunt it for his part Ne can he tell a tale or prophesie And yet he â—ides as scholerlike tis thought As neuer any yet was neuer taught Epigr. 31. De Francisco Walsingham Philppo Sidneio Equit. SIr Francis and sir Philip haue no Toombe Worthy of all the honour that may be And yet they lye not so for want of roome Or want of loue in their posteritie Who would from liuing hearts vntombe such ones To bury vnder a fewe marble stones Vertue dyes not her tombe we neede not raise Let theÌ„ trust tombs which haue outliu'd their praise Epigr. 32. WHen I beholde with deepe astonishment To famous Westminster how there resorte Liuing in brasse or stony monyment The princes and the worthies of all sorte Doe not I see reformde Nobilitie Without contempt or pride or ostentation And looke vpon offenselesse Maiesty Naked of pompe or earthly domination And howe a play-game of a painted stone Contents the quiet now and silent spirites Whome all the world which late they stood vpon Could not content nor squench their appetites Life is a frost of cold felicity And death the thawe of all our vanitie Epigr. 33. THe first and riper world of men and skill Yeeldes to our later time for three inuentions Miracolously we write we saile we kill As neither ancient scroll nor story mentions The first hath open'd learnings old conceald And obscurde artes restored to the light The second hiddeÌ„ countries hath reuealed And sent Christes Ghospell to each liuing wight These we commend but O what needed more To teach death more skill then it had before Epigr. 34. Ad Iohannem Reynolds DOe I call iudgement to my foolish rimes And rarest art and reading them to viewe Reynoldes Religions Oracle most true Mirrour of arte and Austen of our times For loue of these I call thee which I pray That thou in reading these would'st put away Epigr. 35. I Sawe a naked corpse spread on the ground Ouer the dead I sawe the liuing fight If euer ought my senses did confound Or touch my heart it was this wofull sight To wound the graue to dare the dead to dye To sprinkle life on ashes putrifide To weepe with blood to mourne with villanie To looke on death and not be mortifide Such funerals if we sustaine to keepe I thinke the dead will rise and for vs weepe Epigr. 36. CHito and Trogus sinn th'extremitie Chito of pride Trogus of gluttonie Chito will weare his dinner on his backe Trogus will eate his shoes rather then lacke Chito hath earthen plate but golden cuts Tragus hath a freize coate but veluet guts Epigr. 37. De Gualtero Deurox in expeditione gallica caeso T'Honour and blisse Deurox thou didst aspyre By worthy means though fortune not thy friend Tooke from thy ioyes what vertue did desire To giue thy life but paide thee in thine ende Onely at this thy country doth repine That her reioycing is not ioynde with thine Epigr. 38. Ad Lectorem HAd I my wish contented I should be Though nether rich nor better then you see For tis nor wealth nor honour that I craue But a short life Reader and a long graue Epigr. 39. Ad Henricum Wottonem WOtton my little Beere dwels on a hill Vnderwhose foot the siluer Trowt doth swim The Trowt siluer without and goold within Bibbing cleere Nectar which doth aye destill From Nulams lowe head there the birds are singing And there the partiall Sunnne still giues occasion To the sweete dewes eternall generation There is greene ioy and pleasure euer springing O iron age of men O time of rue Shame ye not that all things are goold but you Epigr. 40. MY merry exercises of conceipt When I was once in a seuerer veyne Had felt one dash my fury was so great Vp was my pen and scarse
onely thou an Epigram dost season With a sweete tast and relish of enditing With sharpes of sense and delicates of reason With salt of witt and wonderfull delighting Form my iudgement him thou hast exprest In whose sweet mouth hony did build her nest Epigr. 28. Ad Guilielmum Suttonum WHen breath and life through my cold miserie Did euen fayle and hope had made an end Thou Sutton did'st put breath and life in me With the sweet comforts of a faithfull friend O that I likewise might keepe thee from death With my pens life and with my papers breath Epigr. 9. NEuer so many masters any knew And so fewe gentlemen in such a crewe Neuer so many houses so small spending Neuer such store of coyne so little lending Neuer so many cosins so fewe kynde Goodmorrowes plenty good wils heard to finde Neuer so many clerkes neere learning lesse Many religious but least godlinesse Iustice is banished lawe breeds such strife And trueth and why for swearing is so rife Thus in her strength of causes vertue dieth But vice without a cause still multiplieth Epigr. 30. Ad Cacum THere was presented you an odd Libell For which you knowe Cacus you payd me well But well I knowe of me sir you had none Remember then Cacus I owe you one Epigr. 31. In Libellum LIbel all rawe with indigested spite Whose witt doth droppe inuenymde iniurie Whose pen leakes blots of spitefull infamie Which the synke of thy paper doth receite Why dost thou boast for if thou had'st don well In naughty things twere easie to excell Epigr. 32. Ad Mathonem MAtho if common liking might suffice And temprate iudgement when you do repeat Then would I praise your verses once or twise But I must rage and cry and sweare and sweat I must condemne the writers of all ages And wrong diuiner wits which were before When hauing spent and consum'de all my praises Yet you reade on and yet you looke for more Henceforth looke for no praise at your recyting Wordes are but winde i'le set it downe in writing Epigr. 33. A Wealch and Englishman meete on the way Both poore both proud full of small courtesy They fall in talke till each of them display Both their great mindes and small abilitie The wealch man from one word of discontent Of an huge quarrell tooke occasion Telling the englishman he should repent For he should fight with all his nation The english man would put vp no disgrace But said I will doe you appoint the place Epigr. 34. in Thymum THymus is so enspirde so mortifide So pure a ghost so heauenly spirituall That all things else to God he hath deny'd Feete knees hands breast face eyes lips tongue all As false religion he doth reuile it Which loues the knees or any outward part With his stinking lounges will not defile it Nor with his purest blood nor with his heart In spirit he doth ride walkes eates and drinkes In spirit he hates he rayles I worse then this He cares not what the vulgar sort do thinke Alas they knowe not of what spirit he is Neyther know I yet thinke I of an euill And feare his spirit will turne into a deuill Epigr. 35. DAreus nose when time of death drew neere So hideously did swell none could suppose What was the cause two beds prepared were One for Daneus to'ther for his nose One said it bredd a wolfe againe an other Did iudge the tympany the cause of rising Some sayde it was tormented with the mother Some with the scurvies for not exercising Being ript vp the cause of death was spied Ten thousand iestes were found wherof it died Epigr. 36. THe peasant Corus of his wealth doth boast Yet he scarse worth twise twenty pounds at most I chanc'de to worde once with this lowsie swayne He calde me base and beggar in disdaine To try the trueth hereof I rate my selfe And cast the little count of all my wealth See how much Hebrew Greeke and Poetry Latin Rhetorique and Philosophye Reading and sense in sciences profound All valued are not worth forty pounds Epigr. 37. MAtho in wealth and ease at libertye Expresseth neither witt nor honesty But is secure and idle dull and vaine His pleasures man and his sweete fortunes swayne But when he is awakt with misery With executions and pouertie When he is quite vndonne and nothing worth Then like a viper his witt crawleth foorth Epigr. 38. In Seuerum SEuerus hates my pens lycentious grace He liked not of my gadding poetry He tearmes my writing like the wildgoose race In fine he saith that all is vanity Away saith he I like not this redundance Away with him a Poet is abundance Epigr. 39. Ad Essexiacomitem IF I could turne my verse into desart Or tune my sense to thy nobilitie Great Essex then should'st thou enioy my arte And chalenge me thy Poet worthely But since I cannot equall thee with art Take thy reward out of thine owne desart Finis Libri Tertij ΕΠΙΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΩΠLiber Quartus Epigr. 1. Ad Librum suum LYe not my booke for that were wickednes Be not too idle idle though thou be Eschewe scurrilitie and wantonnesse Temper with little mirth more grauity Rayle not at any least thy friends forsake thee In earnest cause of writing shew thy witt Touch none at all that no man may mistake thee But speake the best that all may like of it If any aske thee what I doe professe Say that of which thou art the idlenesse Epigr. 2. Ad Do. Mountioy MOuntioy among the labours of my pen Which my glad muse aspireth to present To thee as worthiest of all other men Of thee as patron and high president If any had these had bin worthy best But since all are these are vnworthy least Epigr. 3. Ad Librum suum MY booke some handes in Oxford wil thee take And beare thee home and louingly respect thee And entertaine thee for thy masters sake And for thy masters sake some will reiect thee But to my faithfull friendes commend I thee And to mine enemies commend thou me Epigr. 4. Ad vtranque Acadamiam YE famous sister Vniuersities Oxford and Cambridge whence proceeds your hate Brothers rare concord do ye imitate Each greeting each with mutuall iniuries Brothers fall out and quarrell I confesse But sisters loue for it becomes you lesse Epigr. 5. Ad easdem WHy striue ye sisters for antiquitie Can not your present honour you suffice VVhy striue ye sisters for that vanitie VVhich if ye sawe as twas you would despise You must make loue loue is your surest hold Others must honour you and make you olde Epigr. 6. De sua Clepsydra SEtting mine howre glasse for a witnesse by To measure studie as the time did fly A lingring muse posseste my thinking brayne My minde was reaching but in such a veyne As if my thoughtes by thinking brought a sleepe Winglesse footelesse now like snailes did creepe I eyde my
But we succeding husbands can haue none Which are so wicked husbands to our owne The wife tofore which many husbands had With their soft rayment and rich iewels clad Deckt with their comely loue and costly care Tyr'de like a Princesse and without compaire VVe haue cast of from her owne blood kinne To serue a stranger and to stoope to him And she alreadie groanes as thrall indeed And we yet liuing stinke of this foule deede VVhat should the enemie do with barbrous knife Learne of the husband to torment the wife Wolues to your selues vipers to your own mother And caterpillers eatinge one an other Epigr. 32 HOw deerly doth the simple husband buy His wiues defect of will when she doth dye Better in death by will to lett her giue Then let her haue her will while she doth liue Epigr. 33. De Poeta Martiali MArtiall in Rome full thirtie yeares had spent Then went he home was not that banishment Epigr. 34. In Laetum LEtus in vertuous manners may excell But what neede hath he so rath to be good His strength of body which he knowes to well His life forbids him and his youthly blood Thus vice and pleasure haue our strength prime And vertue hath the leauings of them both She hath the orts and parings of our time Then when euen sinne our carion course doth loath We may be good but must be aged surst Thus we are good neuer or at our worst Epigr. 35. Epitaph Iohannis Sande WHo would liue in others breath Fame deceiues the dead mans trust Since our names are chang'de in death Sand I was and now am dust Epigr. 36. De puero balbutiente ME thinkes tis pretie sport to heare a childe Rocking a worde in mouth yet vndefild The tender racket rudely playes the sound Which weakely banded cannot backe rebound And the soft ayre the softer roofe doth kisse With a sweete dying and a pretie misse Which heares no answere yet from the white ranke Of teeth not risen from their corall banke The alphabet is searcht for letters soft To trye a worde before it can be wrought And when it slideth forth is goes as nice As when a man doth walke vpon the yce Epigr. 37. SVch was my griefe vpon my fatall fall That all the world me thought was darke withall And yet I was deceiued as I knowe For when I proou'de I found it nothing so I shewde the Sunn my lamentable sore The Sunne did see and shined as before Then to the Moone did I reueale my plight She did deminish nothing of her light Then to the stars I went and lett them see No not a starre would shine the lesse for me Go wretched man thou seest thou art forlorne Thou seest the heauēs laugh while thou dost mourn Epigr. 38. YE Cookes and Pothecaries be my friend For ye of all my booke dares not offend I made him for the homely countries tast They loue not spice they vse not feede on past If he haue salt enough then let him go You haue no neede to put in pepper to Epigr. 39. Ad Do. Mountioy IF in these naked lines perhaps be ought Great Lord which your conceipt or sense may fit Then had that dy'de and perisht from your thought Had not audacious neede preserued it If neede haue well done I am glad therfore But I be seech you lett her do no more Epigr. 7. ad Lectorem IF my bookes easie of digestion be Thanke not my matter reader but thanke me How many verses haue I cancelled Howe many lompes of meaning seasoned I suffer Epigrams to sprowte forth when I vse mine arte and prune them with my pen. For he that will write Epigrams indeed Must vse to wring the meaning till it bleede Epigr. 41. in Sabellum BIting Sabellus hereat takes offence Because I lay not open all my sense All must be plaine and nothing I must hide There must be notes at ende and notes by side There must be nothing fett and nothing strayned The reader must delighted be not payned But I am of an other minde for why Should not he take some paines a well as I Epigr. 42. OVr vice is runne beyond all olde mens sawes And farre authenticall aboue our law S. And scorning vertues safe and goolden meane Sits vncontrolde vpon the high extreame Circes thynne monsters painted out the hue Of fayned filthinesse but ours is trewe Our vice puts downe all prouerbes and all theames Our vice excels all fables and all dreames Epigr. 43. WHē books poore men they their parish burned These their low houses raz'd ouerturned Are driuen to seeke changing their olde repayre They in the ground these dwelling in the ayre When sport is made of damned fornication And vsurie an honest occupation When dull cramde grosse and swollen gluttony Scornes wholsome temperance with leaden eye When pride like polling miller sits vpon The bated gryst of poore religion When holy tithes the highest callings price Make iags for coates and fuell for the dice May we not well O times on manners cry This were an ease it were no remedie Epigr. 44. In Brillum BRillus tolde such a tale as neuer man Did heare or thinke of since the world began Tw'as not of murther strange nor filthinesse Nor open wrong nor secret wickednesse Nor legend tale nor ancient poets fable Nor such as parasites do tell at table It was nor monstrous lie nor pleasant fiction Nor of affirming nor of contradiction All writers trauellers merchants are to seeke Yea Iohn deuiser neuer tolde the like It was a tale of oaths abhominable God was the iest and our dread Christ the fable Epigr. 45. LAetus did in his mistresse quarrell die Quintus was slayne defending of the lie Germanus in his friendes defence did fall Sakellus died striuing for the wall Merus did spend his life vpon a iest Sanmus lost it at a dronken feast Merus at Sundaies wake reueng'de the wrong Of his bull dogge vntill he lay along What sayst thou now contemn'de religion Vice hath her Saynts and martyrs thou hast none Epigr. 46. In Porum BItus desired Porus of his grace That in his seruice he might haue a place He sayde he was of of honest occupation He could no lye nor false dissimulation He knewe no wicked meanes to fill his purse But Porus answred he likes him the worse Epigr. 47. De Hominis Ortu sepultura NAture which head long into life doth thring vs with our feet forward to our graue doth bring vs What is lesse ours then this our borrowed breath We stumble into life we goe to death FINIS Printe Loade stone Gunne Herlilques