each of them endeuour'd to recall her And did at length but faint she was and weake And stil she sigh'd as sighs her heart should break Anon sayd thus but more she could not say Cupid kil'd Corauin woe's me for aye Cupid kil'd Corauin woe's me for aye For losse of him thus makes my life decay And so sunke downe vnto the earth againe The whilst the Shepheards did on Loue complaine And curst his Bow his arrowes and his quiuer And him the Wag that was their woes contriuer Cupid at this put finger in the eye And whilst they chid him wept most childishly Then babe-like said for Babes can do no other How you haue vs'd me I will tell my mother By this fayre Candida whom all thought dead Till the kind Swaines did eleuate her head Began to stir and rowle her radiant eyes Beauty dwells there euen when the body dyes And when sh 'ad suckt breath from the solid ayre Away from thence the Shepheards did conuay her With whom I 'le leaue her till she do recouer And learne to leaue lamenting for her Louer Lo now young Cupid seeing all were gone With many teares her wofull state did mone And to himselfe the silly god did say Kind Coraum I cruelly did slay And was the Author of her woes and cries Not willingly but through my want of eies Yea it was I and none but onely I That was the cause of her calamity And now it grieues me when it is too late Loue should so lucklesly gaine Louers hate And with his folly make the gods offended And mortals mourne thus but the Sceane b'ing ended In which my fact was punish'd with defame To the impeachment of my honor'd name I 'le get me gone from th' Arcadian Playnes And come no more amongst these mourning Swaines Till Candida her Corauin forget And loue another whom she knowes not yet Which to effect I 'le leaue expostulating And now go seeke where Death's negotiating To do the wretched and weake worldlings wrong With the golden arrowes that to Loue belong Which I 'le take from him as I 'm charg'd to do And giue him 's owne with all that longs thereto Therewith departs But oh not far goes he A foes found sooner then a friend can be E're he met Death who like an enuious slaue Exclaim'd on Loue and him ill speeches gaue Saying he was a couz'ning cheating mate Oh cruell Death th' art full of canker'd hate To take his Ebon Darts and stead thereof Leaue him Loues squilkers wherat old folks scoffe The young make songs on and the wise reiect For but with fondlings Lou's in no respect And therefore quoth he I in scorne deliuer Thy bable Arrowes and thy boyish Quiuer Heere take them Infant and giue me mine owne Wherewith to heau'n thou like a foole hast flowne And there hast done my engines so much grace As make show of them in that sacred place Whilst I haue borne thine all about the world And at the bosomes of the basest hurld By which of Death this slight thy shafts haue got They 'l kill sometimes though they by Loue be shot Then shall I laugh at Lady Venus child To thinke how Death the Boy-god hath beguild Making him helpe me fill vast Graues and Toombes That should make fertill barren womens wombes This said chang'd Quiuers and away went he Leauing young Cupid to complaine to me Of 's punishment for his rash ouersight To steale from heau'n and stay on earth one night From whence the death of Corauin did spring Which all this woe vnto the world did bring And shame to him on whom fell Death did rayle And Shepheards likewise thogh it nought auaile With bitter execrations did reiect As if his god-head were of no respect And thus he sayd I do perceiue quoth he Thou must the Pen-man of my Progresse be Fayre Candida hath chose thee and desir'd Not as a mercenarie basely hyr'd But as a true friend that compassionates All Loyall Louers lamentable states That thou would'st in some sad-tunde Elegy Tell how her Deare-lou'd Corauin did dye By my o'resight or rather want of sight For Loue would not kil Louers though he might How she laments and how the Shepheards weepe And what a sorrowing for one Swaine they keepe How gods inrag'd haue punish'd my offence And mortals here with too much insolence Exclaim'd on me and curs'd me to my face Why should a god indure so much disgrace How Death abusd me yet all this while I Did nought but weepe and durst not make reply Because the gods thought fit I should be shent And for m'offence ordain'd this punishment But as th'would'st haue my mother be thy friend So let this Story sparingly be pend Condemne not Loue much cause thou see'st hee 's blind As e're th'would'st fauour of a female find But write of him as th'would'st haue him to be In Venus Court a friend or foe to thee VVith that the Boy betooke him to his wings Loue when he list can soare ' boue earthly things And vp to heau'n did make his towring flight I then return'd these accidents to write VVhich as you see I haue expressed heere Though other Pastorals it comes not neere Yet let the world vouchsafe me this report My will is good although my wit comes short Sidney and Spencer be you aye renoun'd No time hath pow'r your Pastorals to confound Drayton and all the rest that wrote of yore Adorning time with your delicious store Be euer honor'd and till th' end of times On Fames peart tongue be praised for your Rimes You worthy ones oh do not you disdaine My mournfull Muse that in this humble vaine Dares for to sing considering these are dayes In which some Criticks will the best dispraise But pardon me should all be silent then VVho should praise Vertue or check Vice in men I know fayre Candida's complaint affords Matter inough had I but proper words T' expresse her griefs whose woes sighs teares wrongs Might taske all pens and almost tire all tongues But I alone doe of her sorrowes sing Till better wits thereof be warbling For suâ—e the worke deserues a worthy wit Though I the weak'st doe first imblazon it Amintas likewise told a sad-tun'd Tale For losse of 's Phillis long since set to sale And for Laceno and for all the rest Much sorrow by the Shepheards was exprest But I ore'slip it all for her sweet sake For whom too much paines I can neuer take And now I will conclude her mournefull song To whom I 'le sing a sweeter note e're long For whilst I liue I will tune all my Layes To comfort Candida and in her prayse FINIS
come And death vntimely there destroyeth some But Lou's too blame to be a Bawd to lust And death 's a Villaine to betray mens trust And there they two were Iouiall awhile Loue vpon death and death on Loue did smile And first the one then did the other boast Their mighty Conquests made in euery coast And laugh'd out-right in their relating how Both rich and poore must at their pleasures bow For from the King that sits vpon the Throne Vnto the meanest and most wretched one Loue made his brags none past their Infancy The power of his God-head could deny For with his arrowes he had wounded all Made strong ones stoope and stoutest minds most thrall Nor wise nor foolish Nobly borne nor base But first or last Loue hath had all in chase And made them all for to confesse that he Had as great power as in a God could be Then Death began qd he Loue brags too much Before sterne Death whose strength and power is such That all the earth doth tremble at my name For young and old the lusty and the lame All stoop to death who is impartiall And pittilesse not caring who doth fall Nor how nor when nor in what sort I take them If once I strike I euer conquer'd make them Whom Loue doth hit in passions long may languish But whom I strike I do set free from anguish Lou's but a child and wanton tricks doth vse But Death is dauntlesse and doth none excuse Folly blinds Loue so that he cannot see But shoots at randome and lets some goe free When some with often woundings are perplext Whilst they laugh at them for whom they are vext Oh partiall Loue vniust and cruell too Thou dost more harme then euer Death did doe Thou mak'st men loue those that do not affect them And seeke and sue to those that doe reiect them Thou mak'st the strong to stoope vnto the weake The weake insult and seeke their hearts to breake Thou dost besot the wise with womens lookes And work'st their bane with beauties baiting hookes Thou dost the foole with wits conceit inspire And Phaeton-like thou setst the world on fire Thou dost depriue men of their sweetest sleepe Thou murthrest mirth and mak'st the masker weepe Into fooles Paradice thou bringst wretched ones Then sit'st and smil'st to heare their sighes and grones And when they pule aye me what shall I doe Cupid's glad of it so 's proud Venus too Then vnto me the weake-made wood-cocks crye And say sweet Death come end my misery Death neuer doth thus indirectly deale Nor through the eye into the heart doth steale But like a Giant though I seeme not so I defie all and do no fauour show The young as well as old my name do feare Kings quake tremble when of me they hear I rid the world of those thou mak'st despaire I kill the rich and I destroy the faire Beauty and gold which all the world affects Death doth disdaine and both as doung reiects And euer did so from the first beginning Of my owne birth which was at Adams sinning Adam was first and I the last shall be All were his of-spring all shall end in me But I quoth Cupid can do more then thou My Bow doth make the very Gods to bow I made Alcides leaue his Lyons skinne And to gaine I-o'ls loue to sit and spinne I made Apollo weare a shepheards weed To court faire Daphne yet he could not speed I made the God of warre forsake the field And as my vassall to my mother yeeld Yea I made Ioue to lay aside his shape And amongst mortalls commit many a scape Is Loue a childe then all-abhorred Death That canst doe nothing but stop mortals breath In this vilde world Death only doth remaine But Loue in heav'n liues where the gods do raign Then can thy pow'r be compar'd to mine VVhen thine is hell-bred and mine most diuine But whil'st they two contended in this wise Death's sister sleep ceaz'd on their sight-lesse eyes And lo by this faire Venus miss'd her Sonne And to inquire him out to Vulcan run VVho with his Cyclops was at worke so hard That he nor Loue nor Loues god did regard And therefore told her if she meant to finde him She might goe looke him for he did not minde him Then vnto Mars the faire Queene made repaire And asked him for her young sonne and heire Who by his god-head and his sword did sweare He neither saw him nor of him did heare But for thy sake quoth he I 'le take some paines To seeke him out and see where he remaines Indeed I will I will indeed my Ioy I le do my best to helpe thee to thy boy Thy pretty little wagge thy curld-pate boy That fills the world with weale or with annoy I would be loth my Loue should lose her childe For he 's her best boy though the wagge be wild This sayd he col'd and clipp'd and kist her too And made an offer th' other thing to doe For Mars with Venus seldome times did meet But he did dally with his dainty sweet Which made the limping god to chase and fret And seeke to intrap them in an Iron net But Venus now sayd that should not be done By Mars nor any till she found her sonne Nor would she smile nor let him kisse her more But flung away and would to Ioue she swore Mars sigh'd at this but vainly sighs are spent When as a woman to her will is bent Then mounts his chariot and away goes hee To search abroad where her young son should be His whirling wheeles do rattle in the streetes And breed amazement amongst all he meetes To field he gets and there commands his drumme Should strike t' enquire where Cupid was become VVhil'st Venus past heauens-Christall-pointed gates And to great Ioue her grieuous losse relates VVho was exceeding wroth thereat and swore By Stix and Phlegeton and many more That heauen and earth and hell and all should rue The losse of Loues Queene if this tale were true Vowing to search their Centers euery one And therewith starting from his stately throne He call'd for Aeolus and bid him send Stiffe-blowing Boreas to the wide worlds end Charging him throw downe Castles Courts and Tow'rs And search for Cupid in their secret bow'rs But if he could not finde him quickly out Himselfe would throw his Thunder-bolts about Away goes Aeolus and out Boreas flies But findes not Cupid nor learnes where he lyes Then back returns with griefe and shame to Ioue And tells how much he to no purpose stroue The god being angry sets the Christall skie Vpon a burning fire instantly VVhose lightning strangely terrifi'd the Earth And on a suddaine marr'd all mortals mirth Then tooke he Thunder-bolts and them he hurl'd Into each corner of this canker'd world VVhich strook astonishment in all creatures eares Who doth not tremble that Ioues Thunder heares It made Romes Emp'ror hide his haughty head Great Heliogabalus vnderneath
loue and the paper zeale Wherewith the poore Swaine did his plaints reueale Pitty he pleaded for with 's soule and heart And with much weeping pray'd me ease his smart For by the paper I might eas'ly see That he did weep much when he wrot to mee Loue thou art powerfull I confesse it now Though of thy lawes I did not late allowe But if thy might to murther did extend Thou hast wrong'd him and also me his friend For I must thinke if he by loue was slaine Though thy hand did it 't was through my disdain Disdaine sayd I yea yea I did disdaine him Els I had pitty'd when he first did plaine him And therefore Loue I must hold thee excus'd For Loue not me but I haue Loue abus'd Then let me neuer thinke that Loue did ill him But rather yeeld that my disdaine did kill him 'T was so indeed in very deed 't was so 'T was my owne selfe that wrought my selfe this woe For had I been kind as I might haue been Still had I kept my comely Corauin Still had I kept my comely Corauin Had I been kinde as oh would I had been But wretched I would not be wonne too 't then Ah foolish Females why should we wrong men Why should a selfe-will'd woman work his death That loues her dearer then his deare-lifes breath VVhy should we prize Virginitie so hie That e're wee 'le lose it let our Louers die When th' one 's an Idoll that 's but good in name And nothing else how ere we prize the same Th' other is the rarest frame on earth From whose faire being first our selues took birth But I 'm vnwise as women aye haue bin And haue both wrong'd my selfe and Corauin Not onely in this but many other things Which now much sorrow by remembrance brings For had he sometimes proffer'd me a kisse Why should a true friend such a fauour misse I 'de frowne and say he was too peremptory Then he poore soule would straight-way say I 'm sorry If I offend you I le no more assay Yet as one iniur'd I would fling away And scarce come neere him of a good while after To make him grieue whilst I grew fat with laughter But weighing at length how hainously he tooke My sharpe rebuke I with a smiling looke Would comfort him and say Come Corauin Too much vnkindnes for one kisse hath bin To make amends with take thee two or three Though I seem'd coy I le not be so to thee And therefore come sweet-heart and take inow Mayds though th' are squeamish lou't as well as you VVhat 's hardly gotten men most highly deeme But what 's soone purchast slightly they esteeme Then blame me not although I seemed coy Louers like babes must beg for euery toy And in th'obtaining thinke th' are happy too By getting that which others cannot doe But whither am I carry'd with this veine Of my conceited counterfeit disdaine Since to be coy and something seeming nice Is not disdaine disdaine 's as cold as Ice But my affection like to coales of fire In ashes wrapt vp lest they should aspire Was inly hot with feruency of zeale Though to my selfe I did the same conceale Fire hid in ashes hardly is containd But loue inuelloped more hard restrain'd Then since I inwardly did hold him deare And inward passions penetrate most neere I must needs thinke my sorrow-tyred tongue Hath been o're apt to doe my owne selfe wrong In saying my disdaine should worke his woe Who was not loathed but beloued so That I esteemd him dearer then my life And onely hoped to haue been his wife And well I might for he deseru'd no lesse But to enioy the brauest Shepheardesse For oh he had such worthy qualities And was so faire well-fauour'd and so wise That euery Shepheardesse did like and loue him Althogh their beauties had no pow'r to moue him Onely my selfe sweet Corauin affected The rest he lou'd not nor their loues respected I know he lou'd mee and for euer will Resolue my selfe that he doth loue me still Loues me in death as dearely as in 's life And oh me thinks I heare him call me wife Wife was his word Wife would he euer call me Oh that no other title had befall me For then ah then I need not tell yee how I 'de bin as happy as i 'm haplesse now For now I 'm neither Widdow Mayd nor Wife And yet all three and so I 'le end my life I 'le end my life oh that it now were ended For then by Death I should be much befriended And with my Corauin should quickly be Whose hou'ring ghost now seems t' appeare to me And lookes as grimly as if some were heere That were the meanes to make away my Deare Or that his passage Caron hath deni'd To th' Eliz'an fields for Louers purifide Vntill the world takes notice of his wrongs By my complaint to whom it most belongs If it be so sweet Corauin be sure Thou shalt not long thy wandring course indure I 'le doe thee all the right that I can doe Which being done I will come to thee too But yet ah wretched and vnhappy I Though die I would as yet I cannot die Those that would liue Death quickly takes away But those that would die them he doth delay Iniurious Fates why should your Factor Death So forward be to suffocate the breath Of iocond Shepheards and of Iou'all spirits And flie from them that wretchednesse inherits But oh I now perceiue wherefore he flies me And why although intreated he denies me To end my daies Oh 't is because that hee Murther'd my Corauin for louing mee For if nor Loue nor my disdaine did slay him Surely 't was Death that did from hence conuay him Death yea 't was Death and none but Death did doe it Yet gods nor men ne're gaue consent vnto it Meager fac'd monster most enuious slaue With Natures best gift why didst fill a graue Thou vn-seene shaddow gastly and most grim VVhy hast thou fild a vasty vault with him With him that was Earths all-admired Creature And did surpasse all Shepheards for sweet feature VVith him that graced th' Arcadian Plaines And was the glory of their goodly Swaines With him that was the Mirror of all men That e're was seene or e're shall be agen VVith him that was indued from aboue VVith all the gifts that gods and men doe loue VVith him whose youth was vertuously inclin'd And as the Sun doth lights all Swaines out-shin'd VVith him that was belou'd of all saue thee And therefore slaine t'extract these teares from me Accursed Death most cruell and vnkind Hauing slaine him why leau'st thou me behind VVhy may not I that am his onely Wife Associate him as well in death as life VVhy should I liue and draw a loathed breath When my deare Loue lies in the lawes of Death Wee reade of VVomen throw themselues in fire When as their louing husbands liues expire Portia tooke burning Coales
and swallowed Hating to liue her husband being dead Cleopatra for Loue of Anthony With sting of Aspicks did most stoutly die And shall not I although a Shepheardesse Resolue like them since in the like distresse Shall I bee tim'rous and not imitate The worthy'st women for a worthy mate No I 'le not be diuorced from my Deare Since he is gone I 'le not sit grieuing heere Sweet Corauin I 'le come to thee ' ere night And giue my life to gaine my Louers sight But then ah then who shall thy death deplore These my laments doe make thy losse seeme more Therefore I 'le liue and let the world to ken How much I priz'd thee more then other men VVho although dead to others yet in mee Thou shalt liue still and still my True-loue be For so thou art in deed loh so thou art Thou onely holdst possession of my heart Possession of my heart thou holdst in deed And shalt for euer none shall thee succeed Then why should I imagine thou art slayne And why inueygh 'gainst Loue and Death in vayne Come Candida 't is folly thus to doe Thou iniur'st them both and thine owne selfe too They did not kill sweet Corauin Ah no. Some vncouth accident hath bred this woe Some qualme o're's heart or else some extasie Bred by conceit begot by ielousie Of griefe might kill him seeing many seeke me Lest some of them as well as he might leeke me Yea sure 't was so so did he die no doubt No death's vntimely but time brings it out Heauen will not haue a murther to be hid But first or last bewrayes the homicid But if griefe kild him 't is in vaine to weep For 't will kill all that doo 't long company keep Then Candida awhile lay teares aside And tell what loue-tricks did in 's life betide Tell how hee 'd sit and pipe so prettily That all Swaines ioy'd to heare his harmonie Each Nimph and Shepheardesse that now remains In any of these neighbouring Groues or Plains From Fountaines and from fieldes would flock with speed To heare him play vpon his Oeten Reed And as they daily vsed for to doe So would the Satyrs and the Dreiads too How oft haue I my milke-white flocke forsooke And slily stolne downe to a silent brooke My Corauins sweet Songs and Oads to heare When he poore soule thought little I was there Amongst the Reeds oh wherefore did he hide him At vnawares I oftentimes haue spyde him There would he sit and sometimes sing and play And sometimes weep and many woes bewray Sometimes his musicke did delight mine eare Sometimes I 'd sigh his sad complaints to heare And to my selfe say Lo I can relieue him But I 'le not doo 't 'cause purposely I 'le grieue him Tut let him languish pule and pine awhile Who sighs for loue makes his beloued smile For as the Adamant doth Diamonds drawe Or little Ieat extracts the longest strawe Euen so my beauty binds him to obey To seeke to sue and serue me euery way Faire women alwaies specially the witty Loue to be lou'd but loue not to shew pitty Though faire-fac'd foolish ones that do not know How to esteem the beauties that they owe May like a Puppy that is playd withall As oft as touch'd be apt to take a fall But we that know what pow'r our beauties haue Can at out Altars make them creepe and craue And thinke th' are happy too and if they may But get a kisse for courting vs all day For we doe vse to trie before we trust How should we else distinguish Loue from lust Men are deceitfull and will sweare they loue vs Calling to record gods and heau'n aboue vs When they intend no loue at all vnto vs But onely lust wherewith they lay t' vndoe vs Seeking to vndermine by subtill Arts The weake made fortresse of our feeble hearts For what i' st wit or Art or gold can doe But they will vse if not abuse them too Onely to gaine their wicked wils of vs Whom they 'l soone cast off if they conquer thus Ah beauty borne to multitudes of troubles How many wayes thy misery redoubles Subiect thou art vnto suspition still And art condemn'd thogh thou commit'st no ill Feare and foule Ielouzie thy attendants bee Sickenes and age doe each howre threaten thee Besides all this men both with gold and wit Seeke beauties ruine and lay siedge to it Nay more then thus it doth it selfe betray And to our foes our weakenes doth bewray No maruell then though faire ones feele much woe VVhen all these enemies assaile them so But in this case I wrong my Corauin Who giltlesse was of suche gregious sin For why his loue was most immaculate As free from folly as 't was far from hate For when vpon his pipe he did sit playing Or his sad passions seriously bewraying He did desire his Candida might heare Both what his pastimes and his plainings were His heart and tongue concurring both in one Made him wish audience when he was alone For Louers that do no dissembling vse Can make no faults but what Loue may excuse But flattring fellowes that come cogging to vs Surely they lou's not that with slights do wo vs Their praise and proffers are like lime-twigs laid Wherewith t' ensnare an vnsuspecting mayd But Corauin did loue vnfainedly Free were his thoughts from fraud and flattery For with his tongue his heart did speake to me Happy were mayds might all so wooed be Nothing but pure thoughts which proceeded still From true affection and intire good will Which made me loue him and oft times go looke Loue teacheth Louers to search euery nooke VVhether he were in flow'ry field or Groue Or to some fountaine had his fayre flocke droue Where if I found him as perhaps I did For Loue may lie close but not long be hid Like pretty Lambs wee 'd sport and play together VVooers are wags or wantons choose you whether Then though my Deare to my great griefe be dead Yet let our meetings be remembered Mickle good pastime had we two alone And oh most pleasing 'cause 't was seene to none Loue takes no liking where strange eies may see 't But where most secret there 't is still most sweet Oh how the kisses and the kind imbraces VVhich past betwixt vs twaine in priuate places Now being remembred rauisheth my sence And with my sorrowes seemeth to dispence Bidding me leaue my sad Laments awhile And with then amorous talke this time beguile Which for my Loues sake I am loth to doe But weak's our sexe and wandring-minded too VVe like the Moone our minds must often change All women vs't and therefore 't is not strange Then if one passion can expell another Loue for a while Deaths sad designements smother Whil'st I relate in this lamenting time Our pretty pastimes in Loue pleasant prime This is my lip kinde Corauin would say When on my soft lip his sweet finger lay This is not