Recall one houre of thousands vainely spent Wherein I might my wretched age lament 'T were worth a Kingdome wert thou now my friend A dearer fauour Time could neuer lend Then would I purge the venome of my heart And beate my brest that did the viper keepe With sharpe compunction euery sense should smart My clouded braine with sad defluxion weepe And all my sinnes lie drown'd in sorrowes deepe So some few minutes might my losse repay And crowne a blacke night with a ioyfull day What heauy darknesse highest Lord of Light Doth thus oppresse me in this dreadfull place Ah! might I once enioy thy blisfull sight T' admire new worlds of wonder in thy face How were I happy in so high a grace Once to behold though then for euer blind In one blest knot all beauties sweete combin'd High-honour'd Victours ioyn'd in glorious Quiuers To sing his praises that your conquest crown'd Where hoasts of Angels like bright mounting fires Tread the dimn'd Stars in measure to the sound Whilst wretched I sighes plaints and cries confound T' haue lost at once both Crowne and State diuine For pleasures base for sinnes deceitfull shine If I haue mourn'd to see that Prince of day When the pale loue-sicke Lady of the maine In a kind treason clipt his golden ray But straight restor'd it to the world againe How should mine eyes these bitter floods refraine But weepe his absence at whose glory bright A thousand sunny Lampes their beauties light Haue I not seene a daring vapour rise High into ayre ambitious to ascend But straight imprison'd in the cloudy skies How it spittes lightning roares and seemes to rend Those glittering curtaines as at once to spend The angry engines of hot Heauen to fright And start old Chaos from the deepes of night How then must I for euer damned thrall Barr'd from my blisse and center of my rest The soueraigne prize and source of pleasures all That onely feast's the spirit fill's the brest In endlesse honours doth the soule inuest How must I here in woes that know no bound Then the whole world a dearer soule confound Those slumbering yeeres I did in pleasure spend Why did they wake in death in woe expire Or sith so soone they started to their end Stopping the torrent of my wild desire Why should my torments in this ruthlesse fire Suruiue all ages and my griefes amount To higher summes then euer time shall count Oft haue I knowne an exhalation trie The centers strength and trembled to behold How it shooke Mountaines and dranke Riuers dry Still thirsty of reuenge as if it would For false imprisonment the Earth haue rowl'd From her deepe seat the massie base vp-blowne And the huge frame to vaste confusion throwne And doe I here empal'd in floods of fire That trembles to behold the farthest light Struggle with dying panges and nere expire Yet arm'd with rage my miseries to right Confound not Heauen and Earth in fell despight That I might see though in â—he ruin'd skie Some sparkes of ioy before all comfort die Vp Snaky vengeance in a fiery storme Bring on thy Furies all the cursed band I shall out-face thee in thy vgliest forme Shake all thy whippes and kindle euery brand Thou shalt not fright nor force me from my stand Let me that here all hoasts of Heauen defie Thy Stygian troopes all plagues infernall trie Come griesly torturers of ruthlesse Hell My coale-blacke scorpions iâ— no blacker art Hath charm'd your rage that chain'd in darknesse dwell Fixe all your stinges in center of my heart With poinant anguish strike through euery part And where more strong some vitall force remaines Set to your tortures sharpen all my paines O for some pyramid to proudest fame Rear'd high as Babell on whose mounting spire Sith I must perish in a cursed flame Like some dire meteor streaming blood and ire I might stand centred in this hellish fire That with hot fury might his axell burne From the maine globe and all to cinders turne 'T were worth my ruine 'mongst the starres to fall Like Lucifer shot headlong for his pride To see the bolts of vengeance grind the ball Of the curst Earth benighted nature slide To her first dungeon and all creatures hide Their formes in darkenesse 't were a sport to make Confusion shout and hell with laughter shake But whither runnes my madnesse how I raue Must woe and mischiefe euer be my theame Still must I call for death yet keepe the graue Through rage and anguish must I still blaspheame And fry and freeze with heat and cold extreame Still must I howle at heauen and bite my chaine And gnash my teeth through horrour of my paine Were I more yeeres then time hath minutes spent Or this burst frame would into atomes fly In all the plagues deepe hell could ere inuent Adiudg'd to languish and vnpitied lie Yet lastly liue or lost in darkenesse die Still were my hope a Halcyon to appease These angry stormes and calme these boiling Seas Were the hot engines all that euer flew With red-wing'd lightning to my torture cast Vnto more flames then euer Aetna threw Were I condemn'd and yet releas'd at last When thousand myriads of slow yeeres were past 'T wâ—re yet a solace that in darkesome night Of heauiest woes would shew my sorrowes light But Oh the griefe this euer-raging fire Which the incensed breath of heauen doth feed Th' immortall death that on my heart doth tire This cursed heart that euermore must bleed How farre it doth the direst thought exceed How quite confound me in a state of woe That onely hell is deepe enough to know But stay what wonders doe mine eyes behold What strange impressions in so high a spheare Two sunnes at once embeam'd with flaming Gold Rather two Saints that in that State appeare What thrones they hold what Palmes in triumph beare What Diademes they weare what Roabes that shine Not like my purple but like rayes Diuine 'T is Abraham for Faith so farre renown'd With that Saint-begger was so low debas'd With wants and sores but now with glory Crown'd Blest Lazarus how highly is he grac'd With how deare armes of amity embrac'd His life 's poore stocke he might with comfort spend That was assur'd of such a bosome-friend I will assay what mercy raignes aboue That with some truce affliction may befriend Deare Patriarch if paine may pittie moue If sorest throwes that euer heart did rend If heauiest sorrowes may so high ascend To a sad captiue curst to blackest woe With fauour shine and some sweet comfort show Thou that enthron'd vpon the golden Poles Dost drinke rich Nectar from th' iâ—mortall spring To thy ioy'd children there triumphant soules So may fresh armies serue thy Heauenly King And vnto thee glad newes of conquest bring Doe not in honours happy court disdaine A wretches plaint the language of my pâ—ine Let from thy bosome Lazarus descend With one cold droppe my burning tongue to slake One droppe of water
THE GLVTTONS FEAVER VVritten by Thomas Bancroft LONDON Printed by Iohn Norton for William Cooke and are to be sold at his shop at Furniuals-Inne gate in Holborne 1633. To the nobly accomplisht Gentleman Wolstan Dixie Esquire NOt as enamour'd on the various plume Of a light phansie doe I here presume To your straight iudgement in an oblique line To make my flight addresse my first designe For as a vernall Larke but lately drest In her first Downe abandoning her nest Stretcheth her pinìons her small force assayes Flutters and fals before her flight shee raise Feares euery blast that scarce commit she dare A Walnuts waight to the light wafting ayre So fares my Muse yet scarcely got on wing Nor in the Region high enough to sing Such be the musters of her feares so much She doubts her strength and blasting enuies touch But the chast bay not euery songster weares Nor of Appollo's sonnes prooue all his heires 'T is not for all to reach at Shakespeares height Or thinke to grow to solid Iohnsons weight To bid so faire as Chapman for a fame Or match your family the Beaumonts name Whose grace due to the Muses is your claime Their height your honour and their worth your ayme Let such as these draw Nectar from the quill For freshest Garlands climbe the sacred Hill And with high verse the eares of greatnesse swell Whilst I scarce touching at their Thespian well With thirst zeale their happy draughts admire And but your censures truth no test desire Daigne you with clearer knowledge to refine This drossy ore rak'd from an empty Mine Daigne but to grace my verse and guild my lines With that faire splendour from your iudgement shines And then let enuie all her forces bring And feed on basiliskes and whet her sting She shall not wound me with her weapon'd rage But pricke me Poet for high vertues stage There to aduance ' boue wretched Enuies spight Mine eleuation with a sacred flight Next vnto heauen where pleasure's most of price The Muses Garden be my Paradise T. B. To his friend Mr. Bancroft on his Poeme stil'd The Gluttons Feauer BANCROFT the neate description of thy dreame Hath rouz'd my sleepy Muse vnto a theame That may deserue a Phaenix quill but mine 'S too dull to praise thy verse that 's rare diuine Me thinkes I may to DIVES Feast compare Thy wel-disht Poeme thou hast dainty fare As once he had the difference is this His niggardly was spar'd thine freely is Bestow'd on all but doth't in that alone Dissent no his had scrappes but thine hath none Which being compleat let them for euer fast And on the Sullen die that will not tast Thou wast asleepe thou say'st when that thy braine Did fancie this sleepe so yâ—t wake againe If thus thy Muse can warble on a dreame O how 't will rauish on a wakâ—ng theame When Sol salutes the Tropickes with a ray He straight withdrawes recoiles and glides away But that thy lustre may transcend the Sunne Goe on faire Muse that brauely hast begun THO DIXIE Gent. THE GLVTTONS FEAVER IT was in heate of summer height of noone When at the Sunne the Dog-starre seeme to bay Like Wolues of Syria at the shining Moone And with hot breath t'enflame the planets ray That flatter'd forth to pleasures of the day Where once vsurping Richard could not stand I chanc'd to walke in center of this Land The place did pleaâ—e â—o â—aâ—â—e was Ambeame hill That seem'd to swell as proud of royall blood Which on his border sharpest swords did spill Where liues aâ— cheape as leaues were in the Wood. When downe the Valley ranne a sanguine Flood As frighted with the horrour of the fight And Earth did blush at such a sauage sight Here pitcht my phansie on the Tyrants fate That for the poison'd dainties of a King Like a rowl'd serpent flew vpon the State As direly bent to ruine all to bring But here disarmed of ambitions sting Shot out his soule Who thus to reach a Crowne Through blood doth swim in blood doth iustly drowne Richard thought I thy purchase was too deare With thy soules quiet for a Crowne to part That lasht with scourges of a consâ—ious feare Whos 's euery stroke sent horrour to thy heart Didst at the glance of euery shadow start As thinking still the hasty fiends did striue To deepest Hell to hurry thee aliue But if these lightnings of infernall fire Thus blast the soule and strike all comforts dead Great Thunderer how heauy lights thine ire That when all proppes are shrunke all hopes are fled All painted cloudes of pleasure vanished Falls on the wretched soule and sinkes it low With stormes of horrour to eternall woe With these impressions in my cloudy thought I trauel'd on in birth of sad conceits As euery obiect on my phansie wrought Till neare dissolued in the melting heats Whose strong reflex on euery creature beats I made mine eyes my harbengers to take Some shady roome vp till the day did slake A neighbouring wood a noble Syluane owes Fresh in remembrance of this fatall field Which to adorne victorious Henries browes That Princely armes so royally did wield For Palme and Lawrell did tall poplar yeild Whose trembling leaues still cause of terror find As still there were some danger in the wind 'T was then the shelter to a panting heard Of falser hearts whose faces to the rere Had lost their Colours when the foe appear'd But here relieu'd with many a natiue speare Put courage on and 'mongst the thickest were In safety here the dainty Pheasant flies And timorous Hare may sleeping close her eyes Hither my waight of weary limbes inclin'd Where a quaint arbour by some louer made Of sharpe-set Holly with faint Iuie twin'd The embleme of his loue with loue repaid Sraight entertain'd me with a pleasing shade While the mou'd leaues seeme in the sunny ray Like guilded Laurell ore my head to play In such a Pallace might free pleasure raigne Which the plumâ—d courtiers of the ayre did haunt That proud of sunne-shine in a lofty straine Did their owne praises to their echoes chaunt Of highest worth did to their shadowes vaunt And those that seeme their symphony to hate Are Owles and Buzzards birds of wretched fate Here like a Corse bestucke with Cypresse boughes I hid my sorrowes while dull dreaming sleepe In a darke vapour stealing on my browes Did softly thence to euery member creepe In iuyce of Mandrake did my senses steepe That like deiected cowards now had left Their Fort besieg'd of succour quite berâ—ft Deepe was my sleepe and deepe me thought I went Into the bowels of a darke abysse That woe and horrour did as much present As highest Heauen doth happinesse and blisse To glorious â—aints that worldly snares did misse It was the caue where blacke Destruction lies Not fear'd because not seene with mortall eyes Here shall they languish in eternall night Whom prisoners he takes who nere tooke rest Nor flying Comfort nor
where heauenly glory flies What wonder doth her faculties surprize How doth she here extend her powers wide To drinke in pleasures from the boundlesse tide A glittering Ocean of cleare wauing glasse Melts from the Throne of Maiesty diuine That Edens floods in purenesse doth surpasse Where seuerall droppes the galaxy out-shine That mixt would change the brackish waues to Wine And the blacke lake where Sodome erst did burne To precious streames of liquid Crystall turne So when the planets louely Prince doth fixe His dazeling beauties on some spongy cloud Where the braue beames in gorgeous colours mixe The rorid vapor of such honour proud To be in Heauen so gloriously embow'd Dissolues in ioy and 'bout the burning skies In siluer droppes the melting treasure flies Here the glad pilgrime crown'd with lasting wealth Viewes his bath'd limbes from euery blemish cleare Nor cares to weed the wonted fields for health Here mounts that tree whose flourish all the yeere For sacred guests doth soueraigne banquets beare In whose rich tast delicious pleasure flowes Into all formes and heauens all sweetnesse showes Not Angels dainties in the Desert shar'd Nor honied milke of Cana'ns flowery brest Haue with this plants rare delicates compar'd Vnder whose shadowes sleepes eternall Rest With ioyes surcharg'd of treasur'd hopes possest Who tast this fruit the Serpent haue beguil'd Nor with foule lusts their shiny soules defil'd No thirst nor hunger shall their ioyes deuoure No wanes of sorrow shall their browes enfold No boisterous storme their vernant prime defloure Where beauty knowes not age nor age makes old O wondrous change of base inglorious mould Blest soules that in afflictions roughest maine Wracking their sinnes this heauenly Hauen gaine Here are no pageants to inuite the sight No syren-songs to rocke the slumbering eare No generous wines t' exalt the appetite No odorous fumes that spirits wont to cheare No amorous claspe to draw affection neare And yet a fulnesse where all faire and sweet All lines of life all pathes of pleasure meet A glorious triumph with high honours blest An aire of harmony that filles the quires A rich rare banquet an ambrosiacke feast A sweet perfume that with no time expires A ioy sublim'd in loues high sacred fires A pleasures maze an Ocean where to drowne Is depth of blisse a Kingdome and a Crowne Harke how these Hero's that in honour'd quest Of higest blisse did to this mount aspire Shout out their ioyes with language not exprest How Zealous Dauid clear'd with heauenly fire Shrilles out his ditties to his golden lyre Whilst the rapt Angells with immortall layes Make vp the musicke and their Makers praise Here may the souldier that with painefull march Did to such height of happinesse ascend Hang vp his armes in this triumphall arch And treasures share that time shall neuer spend The Sea-sicke voyager let hither bend A dextrous course though now he plow the maine A bounteous haruest shall reward his paine Who euer noone with midnight did compare A hallowed Temple with a pestred roome The beames of Maiesty with clouds of care A marriage-chamber with a fatall tombe Or to the spacious world the narrow wombe Let him to Heauen all earthly ioyes oppose And all his lines in deepes of wonder lose Were I againe to walke the worldly round A thousand hopefull Isa'cs would I slay Till with deare blood I had the Mountaines drown'd To gaine one glimpse of this eternall day Which might my faythfull sonnes but once suruay How would they impe their hearts with fleete desire To mount this pitch and to these ioyes aspire What is lifes winter to this spring of yeeres But a loose meteor in fraile beauties skies Disperst with sighes and dropt away in teares 'T is but a flourish 'fore the fall prize A knot of miseries that death vnties And what desire 's so impotent so base T' adore a cloud when Heauen presents his face In his prime vertues did the world consist All pretious bounties did the Earth afford Which off that stage the banefull Serpent hiss'd In all the wealth her ample wombe doth hord Were man ensphear'd and of great Nature Lord Were he new stampt and all his powers am'd By his sleepe fall in straight perfection fram'd Were all the sweets that euer Zephyre blew Wrapt in one cloud and for his solace brought All fruits and flowers that in Eden grew VVere they distill'd for his delicious draught VVere euery sense with highest rapture caught VVere his cleare heart to heauen erected right To measure heights of ioy and pure delight Yet were the ioyes of that delightfull state Though freed from bonds of misery and paine From times vicissitude and stroke of fate But as poore rivelets to the bondlesse Maine Of these high pleasures but as scattred graine To these large fields whose haruest doth abound That all the yeere is with rich plenty Crown'd If with iust wonder mortall eyes behold One rising planet his refulgent grace VVrapping the new-borne day in sheets of gold All Heauen enflaming with his loueliest face VVhilst from his throne he doth in conquest chace Vsurping darkenesse that with mournfull night Wing'd with blacke vapours sadly takes her flight VVhat height of rapture doth the soule surprize To see the Sun-shine of ten thousand dayes VVith all the splendour of th' illustrious skies Meet in full circle with vnited rayes That to the veiw all heauenly treasures layes How shall this glory blesse with vitall light Those longing eyes that hither bend their sight Into one Pandect were the spheares compil'd With Tropickes claspt with Hemicycles bound Were for my penns the Angells winges despoil'd Mine inke this Ocean pretious and profound My characters new Starres of Heauenly sound Should I more leaues then euer Autumne shooke With wonders fill in this Celestiall Booke Yet should I scarce these treasur'd ioyes vnfold In whose rich fulnesse Lazarus doth flow And farre beyond all flight of time shall hold Whilst thou damn'd Glutton in excesse of woe Shalt surfet still nor health nor comfort know Thou wouldst not giue one crumme all heauen to gaine Nor maist thou hope one droppe to ease thy paine From this bright Mount where happinesse doth sit ' Boue earthly change and heauenly motion plac'd To the deepe darkenesse of th' infernall pit The distance large the latitude is vast Nor euer embassie betwixt them past Cast is their lot vnchanged rests their state That once haue past the broad or narrow gate Droppe out thine eye-balls in a briny shower And beat thy heart that would no sooner mourne Though vast eternity shall time deuour And in one flame the generall machine burne Still shall thy wheele of torment sharply turne When thou hast wearied all the Starres in sky And sands on Earth to summe thy sorrowes by Here clos'd the musicke of that Heauenly tone When as in depth of Hinnons gloomy vale Some wretched infant on the Altar throwne The bloody Priests with sacred horrours pale Whilst the poore dying birth did shrieke
may each soule suffice That at iust rate doth heauenly treasures prize So strong is Truth that hath all fates withstood Such arteries of life it doth display Such nerues of power veines of deerest blood Of precious soule th'vnualued debt to pay So brightly shines that pure celestiall ray Sent from the fountaine of supernall light That springes the day and cleares the cloudy night That who against such euidence offend Such waight of sense such Maiesty despise VVould not to stranger embassies attend Though some pale prisoner from the graue should rise And rippe vp Hells blacke bosome 'fore their eyes Nere will they credit what the truâ—â— imparts Whose brests are ston'd with such obdurate hearts Should Heauen cracke thunder till the melting skies Should droppe their starres and threat an endlesse night Whilst ioy'd with mischiefe grimmest hell should rise With all her plagues and tortures brought to light That from the horrours of the dismall sight The Sunne should start and runne his golden head In pitchy cloudes whilst day to darkenesse fled Yet would the senslesse Earth as soone relent And weepe new springs for hopelesse humane kind As impious man his blackest crimes lament That had become with beames of knowledge blind Nor the high way to happinesse would find The Key of grace that should the heart vnlocke When sinne excludes it is but vaine to knocke As heauens high court so is that humbler way That thither tends bestarr'd with wondrous light Which through the world their vitall beames display God to his pallace euery soule invites Whilst man regardlesse of celestiall sights Neglects his call and barres vp euery sense As bent to keepe each heauenly blessing thence Tyrant of nature from his height depos'd To drowne his proud dust in a maine of teares What heâ—â—sh poison hath his senses clos'd That when high God doth from the burning Spheares Denounce hot vengeance neyther sees nor heares Nor feares his frowne all creatures else doth awe That with prone homage serue the heauenly Law Were he not fiercer then the sauage flockes Were he not colder then the stormy ayre Were he not harder then the flinty Rockes Or prouder then th' aspiring Cedars are He would with shame or sorrow quite despaire To finde himselfe more stupid growne then these Wilde beasts cold blasts hard stones and haughty trees Had those first mortals in the Deluge drown'd But diu'd to Hell and shortly rose againe To tell sad newes what woefull change they found To those proud builders vpon Shinar plaine Had they desisted from attempts so vaine No their fond thought had meant their Babell high'r Farther to climbe from that infernall fire Had those swift legates those celestiall scouts Whom Lots blest roofe with ioy did entertaine Onely of torments told those impious routs Nor burnt them downe to more infernall paine What had they done but with more fell disdaine Incenst their iusts that Heauen did most oppose So fire allaid more strong more raging growes What swarmes of insects stormes of flaming haile What pitchy fogges what waters sadly dy'd What sores what deaths stearne Aegypt did assaile That had those heauenly messengers defi'd Ere they could bend the stubborne Tyrants pride Who dauntlesse stood as gainst the Waues a Rocke That proudly seemes their foaming rage to mocke Looke how a Vessell neare some wrackfull strand â—usht by the rage of some impetuous blast Vpon an ambush of soft swallowing sand Whilst to her ayd the weeping surges hast Still lower sinkes and strikes more deepely fast Nor from that bed of ruine ere doth rise But in one graue both drown'd and buried lies So whilst fraile mortals in that worldly maine Where thousand Syrens chaunt their sweete deceit Doe wildly float in waues of errors vaine Though on their crimes the heauenly heralds beate With strokes redoubled and sharpe vengeance threate Yet sinke they will where heauen his â—â—nd withdrawes In sinnes as sands to Hels deuouring iawes As stony tables humane hearts containe The heauenly Law that euery soule commands And must be broke before they firme remaine Brooke by contrition knockt with mornefull hands For sinnes vnnumbred as the Libian sands Else be their breasts inscribed nere so deepe As Rockes their gemmes they vselesse treasure keepe Not all the sweetes of eloquence distill'd From precious flowers not all the charmes of art That euer soule with soâ—t affection fill'd Not Hels dire terrours nor the threatfull dart Of stearnest death can moue the sinners heart When sicke of wickednesse he senselesse growes And saddest symptomes of destruction showes That glorious Monarch at whose dread command Swift Heauen recoiles Earth to her center riues He that lockes Hell and chaines th' infernall band He he it is that frees from heauiest gyues The pittied thrall and gasping wretch reuiues 'T is he whose power numb'ds the hand of death That else strikes home nor leaues a liuing breath That Lord that doth to euery humane spheare Reason and Will as Luminaries lend As duller planets plants the senses there Directs their motions to their happiest end A headlong race else greatest sophies send To blacke confusion though aloft they dwell And shine neare Heauen their shades decline to Hell Thus farre my dreame vsurping reasons seate Playd in the working current of my blood When in loud thunder after scorching heat I starting found my phansie in a wood A key-cold gelly on my temples stood A stupid darknesse did be cloud my braine And starke as death did euery limbe remaine Like the pale Thracian comne from shades below I seemd a stranger to the face of light Yet found my way vnto that Towne to goe Fain'd by the Poets song and bloody fight My soules quicke iourney speedily to write That this deepe dreame vntill my latest sleepe Might in my minde a cleare impression keepe FINIS