Which by its strange horoscopic To the working whispering Bee What time of day 't was once did tell Now like the pretty Pimpernel When shut when open it shall lie Takes its direction from thine eye No nor the primrose though it be Modest and simper too like thee Which gladly spoiled of its balme Ravish't this morning in its bed Bequeath's thy hand its maiden-head No but the rarest of the bower Leap-up-come-kisse me is the flower I look to see how that lookes proud Made in thy bosome Cupids shroud Then whil'st you there those flowers strow My love doth in Procession go Cupid awakes and is not dead His shroud's a garland on his head Throu'dst make a posie fit for me Oh that my hand might gather thee Or could those flowers leave me when they die Those sweeter flower-pots a legacie To Amanda ouer-hearing her Sing HEark to the changes of the trembling aire What Nightingals do play in consort there See in the clouds the Cherubs listen you Each Angel with an Otocousticon Heark how she shakes the palsie element Dwells on that note as if 't would ne'er be spent What a sweer fall was there how she catch't in That parting aire and ran it o're agen In emulation of that dying breath Linnets would straine and sing themselves to death Once more to hear that melting Eccho move Narcissus-like who would not die in love Sing on sweet Chauntresse soul of melodie Closely attentive to thy harmonie The Heavens check't and stop't their rumbling spheres And all the world turn'd it self into eares But if in silence thy face once appear With all those jewels which are treasur'd there And shew that beautie which so farre out-vies Thy voice 't will quickly change its eares for eyes To Amanda Reading WHat Book or subject Fairest can it be Which can instruct delight or pleasure thee Poems Kisse me but once and I 'le out-vie The Authors Master-piece of Poetrie And rather then not win and please thee in 't All the nine Muses shall be drest in print I 'le quaffe Pyrene off and write a line Shall charm Amanda's heart and make her mine I 'le drink a Helicon of sack to thee And fox thy sense wieh Lovers stuponie Reade on my Fairest I am reading too A better book my Dear I 'm reading you A fine neat volume and full fraught with wit The womans best Encomium e're was writ Off of my book I never cast my eye A Scholar I shall be most certainly Nay who so er'e derives his learning hence Doctor of Civil Court-ship may commence For who my pretty Fancie reades but thee Reades o're a whole Vatican Librarie Of womans worth most women in compare But Ballads Pamphlets and Diurnals are The life and beauty of Art and Learning is I' th' very Preface and the Frontispice If in my Study reade thee o're I might Oh I could con my lesson day and night I and my book in all things treat of thee Then prethy dedicate thy book to me Make me the binding to 't I only plead I may be cover to the book I read On these my lines if e're thou chance to look Reade me Amanda when thou read'st my book If in the print there any errours be Accuse the carelesse Presse and blame not me To Amanda leaving him alone WHat businesse calls thee hence and calls not me My businesse ever is to wait on thee Therefore where e're you go I must go too What e're your businesse is Bee 't that or this Yet still my businesse is to wait on you Nay prethy my Dearest why So coy and shie Yes yes you 'l come agen But prethy when Here must I moap alone Whil'st you some other love Or in your Cabinet above Some letters doat upon Which teach you how to say me nay But know Amanda if too long you stay My soul shall vanish into aire And haunt and dodge thee ev'ry where 'T is sit when thou tak'st Heav'n from me Thou take at least my soul with thee A melancholly Fit SAd newes was sent me that a friend was dead It dash't my braines and my dull heavy head Drowsie with thoughts of death could hardly be Supported in its doleful agonie Nature was lost grief stop't my circling blood All things alike were ill and nothing good Awak't I dream't then round about I saw Death sable Curtains of confusion draw All things were black where e're I cast my eye The wainscot walls mourn'd in dark Ebonie My giddy fancie into th' earth did sink I wept and saw the clouds weep teares of ink Ruine and death me thoughts were penitent And did in sheers and vailes their sinnes lament Then ghosts and shades in mourning did I see All threw deaths-heads and dead mens bones at me But when the pale Idaea of my friend Past by I wish't my life were at an end And courting-night to shut my sullen eyes In came Amanda and did me surprise Taught me to live in death kist me and then Out of a Chaos made me man agen An Enthusiasm to Amanda feasting COme fill a glasse with the best blood o' th' Vine Troth it looks well 't is a fresh vaulting wine A perfum'd Nectar yet beyond compare Amanda's lips more brisk and lively are See see here 's pretty Hebe brings from Iove A golden Cup fill'd to the brims in love Amongst the tipling gods me thinks I see Blithe purple-fac't Augustus drink to thee Come ye immortal Feasters quaffe it round With heads in stead of hats Hung to the ground Lay down your godheads in idolatrie Turne Priests to my Amanda's Deity Ne'er fear to stoop and change your selves to men Amanda can create you gods agen To Amanda pledging him HOw the wine smiles and as she sips Tempts her most sweet coy modest lips The Claret friskes and faine it woo'd Help its pale colour in her blood And mingling spirits hopes to be Within her veines immortallie I envie it perhaps for ever It may dwell within her liver Howe're 't will be conveighed at least Through the chaste cloysters of thy breast And entertain'd before it part In both the chambers of thy heart Oh might I too obtaine my Faire Such friendly entertainment there Most happy man then should I be As thy heart-blood is dear to thee To Amanda drinking to him A Better Cordial Heaven cannot give Sprinkle a dead man with 't 't will make him live And force the soul hudling its atomes up To a retreat only to kisse the Cup 'T is a soul-saving kindnesse can recal Love to a frolick in its Funeral My heart shall ne'er be sad more through despair I feel a world of Heavens created there I conceive swarmes of Cupids newly born To which Amanda's Midwife I 'le be sworn My flesh turnes all to Cupids here and there How I engender Cupids ev'ry where Still I teem Cupid's Cupids chaste and pure I shall be eaten up with Cupids sure On my chap't heart I feel them creep about Like Emmets at their
crannies in and out More and more Cupids still are borne anew And all these Cupids are begot on you You are their Mother-nurse Dear prethy then Drink to thy Dearest once agen Then I 'le be all o're Cupidâ— my best blood Shall be their drink my heart their chiefest food Cupids shall eate me whil'st thou drink'st to me Eate whil'st I pledge thee too who would not be Meat for such pretty loving wormes my Faire Such loving wormes as these sweet Cupids are Whil'st me their feast these wormes these Cupids have Amanda shall interre me she 's my grave To Amanda not drinking off her wine 1. PIsh modest tipler to 't agen My sweetest joy The wine 's not coy As women are My Dearest puling prethie then Prethie My Faire Once more bedew those lips of thine Mend thy draught and mend the wine 2. Since it hath tasted of thy lip Too quickly cloy'd How overjoy'd It cheerfully Invites thee to another sip Me thinks I see The wine perfum'd by thee my Faire Bacchus himself is dabling there 3. Once more dear soul nay prethy trie Bathe that cherrie In the sherry The jocant wine Which sweetly smiles and courts thy eye As more divine Though thou take none to drink to me Takes pleasure to be drunk by thee 4. Nay my Fair off with 't off with 't clean Well I perceive Why this you leave My love reveales And makes me guess what 't is you mean Because at meales My lips are kept from kissing thee Thou need'st must kisse the glasse to me To Amanda upon her smile NOw in the joy of strength me thinks I finde Armies of pleasures troop and storme my mind How with a Giants armes I could embrace And closely clasp my sweet she Boniface Amanda gave a pleasant glance and while Her flowrie lips bloom'd in the modest smile Winter withdrew I felt a forward spring As when great Birtha doth Elixir bring To drench the boughs which by her Chymistrie Mantles i' th' blossomes of the Apple-tree Stil'd from the cloysters of the spungie earth Dead drunk I was and all embalm'd in mirth Heaven past through my soul th' Elysian fields Are but meer shadowes of the joy it yields My heart-strings move in tune to its Almains My panting breast keeps time through all my veins Bubling in wantonness now here now there My fresh blood frisks in circles every where Thus in the Court the fawning Favourite When from the King his Master he can get One pleasing look with vigour tuggs and hales Hope and Ambition hoist his full-cheek't sailes Top and top-gallant-wise worth or no worth Into preferments Ocean lancheth forth Thus the blithe Merchant when with even train His wealthie vessel glides through th' marble main Hugs his good fortune and begins to sport While Neptune kindly laughs him to the Port Propitious lights which at my birth did shine My starres speak dotage in this smile of thine To Amanda his friend desiring him to fall to A Thousand thanks good Sir thanks for you cheer And this good signe of welcome to your feast If you observe your guest How heartily he feeds On these delicious viands hâ—re You 'l finde his love no invitation needs Beleeve me Sir I do not spare 2. I am all appetite my hungry minde Feeds almost to a surfeit on desire This dish 't is I admire No cates so sweet as these Here here I feed here I am pin'd And starv'd with meat these juncates only please Hither my senses are confin'd 3. Here 's my rich banquet hither the little lad Cupid invites in sugar here are store Of sweet meats candid o're From those faire lips I see What choice of Conserves may be had The modest cherrie and the barberrie The best and sweetest marmalade 4. Here I can taste the grape and mulberrie No blush of fruits though served in they are In pure white China ware Is like those cheeks of thine Where the freshest straw-berries be Most finely tipled in brisk Claret-wine Me thinks they seem to swim to me 5. Beauty in stead of tempting sauce doth wooe Love feeds my heart love feeds my eyes I for no rarities Of quailes and phesants wish Sir I am well-com'd well by you Amanda is my first and second dish Would she would make me well-come too To Amanda desirous to go to bed SLeepie my Dear yes yes I see Morpheus is fall'n in love with thee Morpheus my worst of rivals tries To draw the Curtains of thine eyes And fanns them with his wing asleep Makes drowsie love play at hopeep How prettily his feathers blow Those fleshie shuttings to and fro Oh how he makes me Tantalize With those faire Apples of thine eyes Equivocates and cheats me still Opening and shutting at his will Now both now one the doting god Playes with thine eyes at even and odde My stamm'ring tongue doubts which it might Bid thee good-morrow or good-night So thy eyes twinkle brighter farre Then the bright trembling ev'ning starre So a waxe taper burnt within The socket playes at out and in Thus doth Morpheus court thine eye Meaning there all night to lie Cupid and he play hoop-all hid Thy eye 's their bed and cover-lid Fairest let me thy night-clothes aire Come I le unlace thy stomacher Make me thy maiden-chamber-man Or let me be thy warming-pan Oh that I may but lay my head At thy beds feet i' th' trundle-bed Then i' th' morning e're I rose I 'd kisse thy pretty pettitoes Those smaller feet with which i' th' day My love so neatly trips away Since you I must not wait upon Most modest Lady I 'le be gone And though I cannot sleep with thee Oh may my dearest dream of me All the night long dream that we move To the main centre of our love And if I chance to dream to thee Oh may I dream eternallie Dream that we freely act and play Those postures which we dream by day Spending our thoughts i th' best delight Chaste dreams allow of in the night To Amanda igoing to Prayer STay stay Amanda take a wish from me And blesse a cushion with thy softer knee Whither are all those Virgin Angels gone Who strew their wings for thee to kneel upon Those pretty pinion'd boyes fat plump and faire Who joy to be the Ecchoes of thy prayer Those golden Cupids fall'n in love with thee Thy little Nancioes to thy Deitie Prethy Amanda Dearest prethy stay The Cushion wench where art come bring 't away You use your Mistris kindly here my love Come kneel upon 't and kneel to none but Iove What o' th' bare boards no sure it cannot be Look how they sink and will not touch thy knee They dare not sinne so farre my Dear to presse That flesh and make it know their stubbornnesse Were there no bones within thou should'st command Under each tender knee thy lover's hand Nay my Amanda take my better part And at thy prayers kneel upon my heart On Amanda praying AManda kneel'd I straight a
and expect to see Daphne throw off her bark and follow thee Make old Endymion Pander and conferre With Luna till thou get new moones on her Surprize an Abbesse and her Nunnerie Reconcile love to its antipathie Go dive amongst the haddocks and the whales Make love to Mare-maids and their Conger-tailes Court some faire skillet-face and swear she 's neat For pricking skewers well and spitting meat Some greasie Cook-maid whose sweet dugs suck in Receive and mingle dripping with her chin Who nightly with her knife her smock put off Scrapes thence some pipkins full of kitchin-stuffe Or wooe some driv'ling Hag whose pitfal skin Makes lust mistake the wonted place of sinne On some thrum'd Baucis spend thy hopes and labour Where thou mayest bathe thy lips in slime and slabber Cuckold the devil get some Proserpine Some Succuba to be thy Concubine Engender with the night-mare and beget Dreams which may stang thy blood and jellie it This once accomplish't thou may'st freely ask Amanda's love but 'fore thou 'st done thy task If thou dare once come near this sacred Court Wherein my Princesse love and beauty sport I le stifle thy rebel heart in clotted gore Of blood with knives and daggers shroud thee o're And make thee bear i' th' face throat heart and back More signes then he in Swallows Almanack A game at Chesse with Amanda J And Amanda on a day Sat down a game at Chesse to play Passing my Bishops with their Lawnes She was still for taking pawnes She play'd I play'd she chect me straight She wish't I wish't it might be mate But then said I I must check you Or else you 'l check and beat me too To his most Noble Friend Sir T. L. B. of Shingle hall SIR THat th' only vertue is Nobility 'T was spoke in malice and you 'l prov 't a lie The Author of that sentence liv'd he now Would know his wit a scandal knew he you Nay Sir that Nobles are the better sort Alas the very times upbraid him for 't And yet some hope to see our Noblemen Some such as you consute the times agen Though in their wisdomes now they dormantly Hush't in their private mansions quietly Had they such Martial souls such fighting hands Redemption of their rights three and lands Were easie work and they might bravely get More honour then a bene latuit And th' Art of keeping heads on safe But I Intend no plots although a liberty Of tongue to speak in this and th' other sense Is safer farre then that of conscience Yet te'nt allow'd of but howe're 't is fit That Poets still should have their Quidlibet It is their charter notwithstanding now I 'le make no use on 't only thus to you Sir in each cast of your commanding eye Such reverend imperious glances flie Such royal stately looks so sweet a grace Of presence that when now there is no face Of Monarch in the land amongst so many Kings of the times if'twill agree to any Better I cannot make the Court-salute Then with your stature and your greatnesse suit Setting all Steeples and all Fat-guts by If 't please your Highnesse or your Majestie Such a well-timber'd man of such a height And yet your years be hardly ten and eight What ever Nature's second thoughts might be Her first allowance was for Gemini Sir there 's such mixture in your countenance Of Mars and Cupid such a ridling glance We doubt what in your eyes those sparklings move Or warlike lightnings or the flames of love Sometimes I 've seen you like Prince Paris stand Ready to kisse his Helens lilie-hand All smiles and then again me thinks I see Within your face a whole Artillerie Thus looks a bold advent'rous Amazon A Lady with Knight-Errant's armour on Sure that Greek Cavalier look't something like To you who 'mongst the Spinsters tost a pike Which you may be I doubt and pause upon 't A young Achilles or a Bradamant Would any see Venus and Mars embrace They meet and mingle loves upon your face By which I mean there 's to be seen in you Sir Thomas Leventhorp and Madam too Minos was such a Gallant sure had you been there Nisus had sooner lost his purple haire Sylla as love-sick and as mad to wed You 'd had a Kingdome and a Maiden-head Of all the beauties which in women shine Your Nature's ward-robe but yet masculine Sir in all this I must commend with you Your well-belov'd the Princely Mount ague To Mr. LILLY Musick-Master in Cambridge SIR I have seen your scip-jack singers flie As if their motion taugh't Ubiquitie I 've seen the trembling Cat'lin's smart and brisk Start from the frets dance leap and nimbly frisk In palsie capers pratling a most sweet Language of Notes Curranto's as they meet I 've heard each string speak in so short a space As if all spoke at once with stately grace The surley tenour grumble at your touch And th' ticklish-maiden treble laugh as much Which if your bowe-hand whip it wantonly Most pertly chirps and jabbers merrily Li'e frolic Nightingals whose narrow throats Suck Musick in and out and gargle notes Each strain makes smooth and curles the air agen Like currents suck't by narrow whirlepits in Sometimes they murmur like the shallow springs Whose hastie streams forc't into Crystal rings And check't by pebbles pretty Musick make In kisses and such language as they speak 'T is soft and easie Heaven can't out-do't That under Fairie-ground is nothing to 't Who e're that earthly mortal Cherub be Whose well-tun'd soul delights in melodie He ventures hard if for an houre he dares To your surprizing straines apply his eares We finde such Magick in your Harmony As if to hear you were to hear and die Were you a Batchelour and bold to trie Fortunes what Lady 's she though ne're so high And rich by birth should see the tickling sport Your finger makes and would not have you for 't Beyond those Saints who speak ex tempore Your well-spoke viol scornes tautologie And I in truth had rather hear you teach O' th' Lyra then the rarest tub-man preach In 's holy speeches he may strike my eares With more of Heav'n you with more o' th' spheres I 've heard your base mumble and mutter too Made angry with your cholerick hand while you With hastie jirks to vex and anger't more Correct its stubbornnesse and lash it o're I 've heard you pawse and dwell upon an aire Then make 't i' th' end as lost to part it were Languish and melt away so leasurely As if 't were pity that its Eccho die Then snatch up notes as if your viol broke And in the breaking every splinter spoke I 've seen your active hands vault to and fro This to give grace that to command your bowe As if your singers and your instrument By conspiration made you eminent We have good Musick and Musicians here If not the best as good as any where A brave old Irish Harper and
my soule yet ne'er consented to For through mine eyes had she her liking seen Such as my love such had my lover been True love is simple like his mother truth Kindly affection youth to love with youth No greater corsive to our blooming yeares Then the cold badge of winter-blasted haires Thy kingly power makes to withstand thy foes But cannot keep back age with time it growes Though honour our ambitious sexe doth please Yet in that honour age a sowle disease Nature hath her free course in all and then Age is alike in Kings and other men Which all the world will to my shame impute That I my self did basely prostitute And say that gold was fewel to the fire Gray haires in youth not kindling green desire O no that wicked woman wrought by thee My tempter was to that forbideen tree That subtile serpent that seducing devil Which bade me taste the fruit of good and evil That Circe by whose magick I was charm'd And to this monstrous shape am thus transform'd That viprous Hag that foe to her own kinde That devillish spirit to damne the weaker minde Our frailties plague our sexes only curse Hells deep'st damnation the worst evils worse But Henry how canst thou affect me thus T' whom thy remembrance now is odious My haplesse name with Henry's name I found Cut in the glasse with Henry's diamond That glasse from thence fain would I take away But then I feare the aire would me betray Then do I strive to wash it out with teares But then the same more evident appeares Then do I cover it with my guilty hand Which that names witnesse doth against me stand Once did I sinne which memory doth cherish Once I offended but I ever perish What grief can be but time doth make it lesse But infamie time never can suppresse Sometimes to passe the tedious irksom houres I climbe the top of Woodstocks mounting towers Where in a turret secretly I lie To view from farre such as do travel by Whither me thinks all cast their eyes at me As through the stones my shame did make them see And with such hate the harmlesse walls do view As ev'n to death their eyes would me pursue The married women curse my hateful life Wronging a faire Queen and a vertuous wife The Maidens wish I buri'd quick may die And from each place where my abode do flie Well knew'st thou what a Monster I would be When thou didst build this Labyrinth for me Whose strange Meanders turning ev'ry way Are like the course wherein my youth did stray Only a clue doth guide me out and in But yet still walk I circular in sinne As in the Gallerie this other day I and my woman past the time away 'Mongst many pictures which were hanging by The sillie girle at length hap't to espie Chaste Lucrece image and desires to know What she should be her self that murd'red so Why Girle quoth I this is the Romane Dame Not able then to tell the rest for shame My tongue doth mine own guiltinesse betray With that I sent the pratling wench away Lest when my lisping guilty tongue should hault My looks might prove the Index to my fault As that life-life-blood which from the heart is sent In beauties field pitching his crimson tent In lovely sanguine sutes thy lilie cheeke Whil'st it but for a resting place doth seek And changing oftentimes with sweet delight Converts the white to red the red to white The blush with palenesse for the place doth strive The palenesse thence the blush would gladly drive Thus in my breast a thousand thoughts I carry Which in my passion diversly do vary When as the Sun hales toward the western shade And the trees shadowes hath much taller made Forth go I to a little current neer Which like a wanton traile creeps here and there Where with mine Angle casting in my bait The little fishes dreading the deceit With fearful nibling flie rh ' inticing gin By nature taught what danger lies therein Things reasonlesse thus warn'd by nature be Yet I devour'd the bait was laid for me Thinking thereon and breaking into grones The bubling spring which trips upon the stones Chides me away lest sitting but too uigh I should defile the native pnritie Rose of the world so doth import my name Shame of the world my life hath made the same And to th' unchaste this name shall given be Of Rosamond deriv'd from sinne and me The Cliffords take from me that name of theirs Which hath been famous for so many yeares They blot my birth with hateful bastardie That I sprung not from their Nobilitie They my Alliance utterly refuse Nor will a Strumpet shall their name abuse Here in the garden wrought by curious hands Naked Diana in the fountain stands With all her Nymphs got round about to hide her As when Actaeon had by chance espi'd her This sacred image I no sooner view'd But as that metamorphos'd man pursu'd By his own hounds so by my thoughts am I Which chase me still which way so e're I flie Touching the grasse the honey dropping dew Which falls in teares upon my limber shoe Upon my foot consumes in weeping still As it would say why went'st thou to this ill Thus to no place in safety can I go But every thing doth give me cause of woe In that faire casket of such wondrous cost Thou sent'st the night before mine honour lost Amimone was wrought a harmlesse maid By Neptune that adult'rous god betraid She prostrate at his feet begging with prayers Wringing her hands her eyes swoln up with teares This was not an intrapping bait from thee But by thy vertue gently warning me And to declare for what intent it came Lest I therein should ever keep my shame And in this casket ill I see it now That Ioves love Io turn'd into a Cow Yet was she kept with Argus hundred eyes So wakeful still be Iuno's jealousies By this I well might have forewarned been T' have cleer'd my self to thy suspecting Queen Who with more hundred eyes attendeth me Then had poor Argus single eyes to see In this thou rightly imitatest Jove Into a beast thou hast transform'd thy love Nay worser farre beyond their beastly kinde A Monster both in body and in minde The waxen taper which I burne by night With the dull vaprie dimnesse mocks my sight As though the damp which hinders the clear flame Come from my breath in that night of my shame When as it look't with a dark lowring eye To see the losse of my Virginitie And if a starre but by the glasse appear I straight intreat it not to look in here I am already hateful to the light And will it too betray me to the night Then sith my shame so much belongs to thee Rid me of that by only murd'ring me And let it justly to my charge be laid That I thy person meant to have betray'd Thou shalt not need by circumstance t' accuse me If I