enuide Nor yet so poore the world should pitie me Inter vtrumque tene medio tutissimus ibis Summer What doest thou with those ballances thou bearst Solstitium In them I weigh the day and night alike This white glasse is the houre-glasse of the day This blacke one the iust measure of the night One more then other holdeth not a grayne Both serue times iust proportion to mayntayne Summer I like thy moderation wondrous well And this thy ballance wayghing the white glasse And blacke with equall poyze and stedfast hand A patterne is to Princes and great men How to weigh all estates indifferently The Spiritualty and Temporalty alike Neyther to be too prodigall of smyles Nor too seuere in frowning without cause If you be wise you Monarchs of the earth Haue two such glasses still before your eyes Thinke as you haue a white glasse running on Good dayes friends fauour and all things at beck So this white glasse runne out as out it will The blacke comes next your downfall is at hand Take this of me for somewhat I haue tryde A mighty ebbe followes a mighty tyde But say Solstitium hadst thou nought besides Nought but dayes eyes and faire looks gaue I thee Solstitium Nothing my Lord nor ought more did I aske Summer But hadst thou alwayes kept thee in my sight Thy good deserts though silent would haue askt Solst. Deserts my Lord of ancient seruitours Are like old sores which may not be ript vp Such vse these times haue got that none must beg But those that haue young limmes to lauish fast Summer I grieue no more regard was had of thee A little sooner hadst thou spoke to me Thou hadst bene heard but now the time is past Death wayteth at the dore for thee and me Let vs goe measure out our beds in clay Nought but good deedes hence shall we beare away Be as thou wert best steward of my howres And so returne vnto thy countrey bowres Here Solstitium goes out with his musike as he comes in Will Summer Fye fye of honesty fye Solstitium is an asse perdy this play is a gally-maufrey fetch mee some drinke some body What cheere what cheere my hearts are not you thirsty with listening to this dry sport What haue we to doe with scales and hower-glasses except we were Bakers or Clock-keepers I cannot tell how other men are addicted but it is against my profession to vse any scales but such as we play at with a boule or keepe any howers but dinner or supper It is a pedanticall thing to respect times and seasons if a man be drinking with good fellowes late he must come home for feare the gates be shut when I am in my warme bed I must rise to prayers because the bell rings I like no such foolish customes Actors bring now a black Iack and a rundlet of of Renish wine disputing of the antiquity of red noses let the prodigall childe come out in his dublet and hose all greasy his shirt hanging forth and ne're a penny in his purse and talke what a fine thing it is to walke summerly or sit whistling vnder a hedge and keepe hogges Go forward in grace and vertue to proceed but let vs haue no more of these graue matters Summer Vertumnus will Sol come before vs Vertumnus Sol Sol vt re me fa sol come to church while the bell toll Enter Sol verie richly attir'de with a noyse of Musicians before him Summer I marrie here comes maiestie in pompe Resplendent Sol chiefe planet of the heauens He is our seruant lookes he ne're so big Sol. My liege what crau'st thou at thy vassals hands Summer Hypocrisie how it can change his shape How base is pride from his owne dunghill put How I haue rais'd thee Sol I list not tell Out of the Ocean of aduersitie To sit in height of honors glorious heauen To be the eye-sore of aspiring eyes To giue the day her life from thy bright lookes And let nought thriue vpon the face of earth From which thou shalt withdraw thy powerful smiles What hast thou done deseruing such hie grace What industrie or meritorious toyle Canst thou produce to proue my gift well plac'de Some seruice or some profit I expect None is promoted but for some respect Sol. My Lord what needs these termes betwixt vs two Vpbraiding ill beseemes your bounteous mind I do you honour for aduancing me Why t' is a credit for your excellence To haue so great a subiect as I am This is your glorie and magnificence That without stouping of your mightinesse Or taking any whit from your high state You can make one as mightie as your selfe Autumne O arrogance exceeding all beliefe Summer my Lord this sawcie vpstart Iacke That now doth rule the chariot of the Sunne And makes all starres deriue their light from him Is a most base insinuating slaue The sonne of parsimony and disdaine One that will shine on friends and foes alike That vnder brightest smiles hideth blacke showers Whose enuious breath doth dry vp springs and lakes And burnes the grasse that beastes can get no foode Winter No dunghill hath so vilde an excrement But with his beames hee will forth with exhale The fennes and quag-myres tithe to him their filth Foorth purest mines he suckes a gainefull drosse Greene Iuy-bushes at the Vintners doores He withers and deuoureth all their sap Autumne Lasciuious and intemperate he is The wrong of Daphne is a well knowne tale Eche euening he descends to Thetis lap The while men thinke he bathes him in the sea O but when he returneth whence he came Downe to the West then dawnes his deity Then doubled is the swelling of his lookes He ouer loades his carre with Orient gemmes And reynes his fiery horses with rich pearle He termes himselfe the god of Poetry And setteth wanton songs vnto the Lute Winter Let him not talke for he hath words at will And wit to make the baddest matter good Summer Bad words bad wit oh where dwels faith or truth Ill vsury my fauours reape from thee Vsurping Sol the hate of heauen and earth Sol. If Enuy vnconfuted may accuse Then Innocence must vncondemned dye The name of Martyrdome offence hath gaynd When fury stopt a froward Iudges eares Much I le not say much speech much folly shewes What I haue done you gaue me leaue to doe The excrements you bred whereon I feede To rid the earth of their contagious fumes With such grosse carriage did I loade my beames I burnt no grasse I dried no springs and lakes I suckt no mines I withered no greene boughes But when to ripen haruest I was forc'st To make my rayes more feruent then I wont For Daphnes wrongs and scapes in Thetis lap All Gods are subiect to the like mishap Starres daily fall t' is vse is all in all And men account the fall but natures course Vaunting my iewels hasting to the West Or rising early from the gray ei'de morne What do
toyling labourers My long dayes to bondmen and prisoners My short nights to young married soules My drought and thirst to drunkards quenchlesse throates My fruites to Autumne my adopted heire My murmuring springs musicians of sweete sleepe To murmuring male-contents with their well tun'de cares Channel'd in a sweete falling quaterzaine Do lull their eares asleepe listning themselues And finally O words now clense your course Vnto Eliza that most sacred Dame Whom none but Saints and Angels ought to name All my faire dayes remaining I bequeath To waite vpon her till she be returnd Autumne I charge thee when that I am dead Be prest and seruiceable at her beck Present her with thy goodliest ripened fruites Vnclothe no Arbors where she euer sate Touch not a tree thou thinkst she may passe by And Winter with thy wrythen frostie face Smoothe vp thy visage when thou lookst on her Thou neuer lookst on such bright maiestie A charmed circle draw about her court Wherein warme dayes may daunce no cold come On seas let winds make warre not vexe her rest Quiet inclose her bed thought flye her brest Ah gracious Queene though Summer pine away Yet let thy flourishing stand at a stay First droupe this vniuersals aged frame E're any malady thy strength should tame Heauen raise vp pillers to vphold thy hand Peace may haue still his temple in thy land Loe I haue said this is the totall summe Autumne and Winter on your faithfulnesse For the performance I do firmely builde Farewell my friends Summer bids you farewell Archers and bowlers all my followers A dieu and dwell with desolation Silence must be your masters mansion Slow marching thus discend I to the feends Weepe heauens mourne earth here Summer ends Heere the Satyres and Wood-nimphes carry him out singing as he came in The Song Autumne hath all the Summers fruitefull treasure Gone is our sport fled is poore Croydens pleasure Short dayes sharpe dayes long nights come on a pace Ah who shall hide vs from the Winters face Colde dooth increase the sicknesse will not cease And here we lye God knowes with little ease From winter plague pestilence good Lord deliuer vs London dooth mourne Lambith is quite forlorne Trades cry Woe worth that euer they were borne The want of Terme is towne and Cities harms Close chambers we do want to keepe vs warme Long banished must we liue from our friends This lowe built house will bring vs to our ends From winter plague pestilence good Lord deliuer vs WilSummer How is 't how is 't you that be of the grauer sort do you thinke these youths worthy of a Plaudite for praying for the Queene and singing of the Letany they are poore fellowes I must needes say and haue bestowed great labour in sowing leaues and grasse and strawe and mosse vpon cast suites You may do well to warme your hands with clapping before you go to bed and send them to the tauerne with merry hearts Here is a pretty boy comes with an Epilogue to get him audacity I pray you sit still a little and heare him say his lesson without booke It is a good boy be not afraide turne thy face to my Lord Thou and I will play at poutch to morrow morning for a breakfast Come and sit on my knee and I le daunce thee if thou canst not indure to stand Imberbis Apollo a beardles Poet Knockes the Iacke vpon his thumbe Enter a little boy with an Epilogue The Epilogue VLisses a Dwarffe and the prolocutor for the Graecians gaue me leaue that am a Pigmee to doe an Embassage to you from the Cranes Gentlemen for Kings are no better certaine humble Animals called our Actors commend them vnto you who what offence they haue committed I know not except it be in purloyning some houres out of times treasury that might haue beene better imployde but by me the agent for their imperfections they humbly craue pardon if happily some of their termes haue trodde awrye or their tongues stumbled vnwittingly on any mans content In much Corne is some Cockle in a heape of coyne heere and there a peece of Copper wit hath his dregs as well as wine words their waste Inke his blots euery speech his Parenthesis Poetical fury as well Crabbes as Sweetings for his Summer fruites Nemo sapit omnibus horis Their folly is deceased their feare is yet liuing Nothing can kill an Asse but colde colde entertainement discouraging scoffes authorized disgraces may kill a whole litter of young Asses of them heere at once that haue traueld thus farre in impudence onely in hope to sit a sunning in your smiles The Romanes dedicated a Temple to the feuer quartane thinking it some great God because it shooke them so and another to Ill fortune in Exquilliis a Mountaine in Roome that it should not plague them at Cardes and Dice Your Graces frownes are to them shaking feuers your least disfauours the greatest ill fortune that may betide them They can builde no Temples but themselues and their best indeuours with all prostrate reuerence they here dedicate and offer vp wholy to your seruice Sis bonus O faelixque tuis To make the gods merry the coelestiall clowne Vulcan tun'de his polt foote to the measures of Apolloes Lute and daunst a limping Gallyard in Ioues starrie hall To make you merry that are the Gods of Art and guides vnto heauen a number of rude Vulcans vnweldy speakers hammer-headed clownes for so it pleaseth them in modestie to name themselues haue set their deformities to view as it were in a daunce here before you Beare with their wants lull melancholie asleepe with their absurdities and expect hereafter better fruites of their industrie Little creatures often terrifie great beasts the Elephant flyeth from a Ramme the Lyon from a Cock and from fire the Crocodile from all Sea-fish the Whale from the noyse of parched bones light toyes chase great cares The great foole Toy hath marde the play Good night Gentlemen I go let him be carryed away WilSummer Is 't true Iackanapes doo you serue me so As sure as this coate is too short for me all the Points of your hoase for this are condemnde to my pocket if you and I e're play at spanne Counter more Valete spectatores pay for this sport with a Plaudite and the next time the winde blowes from this corner we will make you ten times as merry Barbarus hic ego sum quia non intelligor vlli FINIS
Summer and Winter and Autumne on the stage Will. Summer A couple of pratty boyes if they would wash their faces and were well breecht an houre or two The rest of the greene men haue reasonable voyces good to sing catches or the great Iowben by the fires side in a winters euening But let vs heare what Summer can say for himselfe why hee should not be hist at Summer What pleasure alway lasts no ioy endures Summer I was I am not as I was Haruest and age haue whit'ned my greene head On Autumne now and Winter must I leane Needs must he fall whom none but foes vphold Thus must the happiest man haue his blacke day Omnibus vna manes nox calcanda semel via laethi This month haue I layne languishing a bed Looking eche houre to yeeld my life and throne And dyde I had in deed vnto the earth But that Eliza Englands beauteous Queene On whom all seasons prosperously attend Forbad the execution of my fate Vntill her ioyfull progresse was expir'd For her doth Summer liue and linger here And wisheth long to liue to her content But wishes are not had when they wish well I must depart my death-day is set downe To these two must I leaue my wheaten crowne So vnto vnthrifts rich men leaue their lands Who in an houre consume long labours gaynes True is it that diuinest Sidney sung O he is mard that is for others made Come neere my friends for I am neere my end In presence of this Honourable trayne Who loue me for I patronize their sports Meane I to make my finall Testament But first I le call my officers to count And of the wealth I gaue them to dispose Know what is left I may know what to giue Vertumnus then that turnst the yere about Summon them one by one to answere me First Ver the spring vnto whose custody I haue committed more then to the rest The choyse of all my fragrant meades and flowres And what delights soe're nature affords Vertum. I will my Lord Ver lusty Ver by the name of lusty Ver come into the court lose a marke in issues Enter Ver with his trayne ouerlayd with suites of greene mosse representing short grasse singing The Song Spring the sweete spring is the yeres pleasant King Then bloomes eche thing then maydes daunce in a ring Cold doeth not sting the pretty birds doe sing Cuckow iugge iugge pu we to witta woo The Palme and May make countrey houses gay Lambs friske and play the Shepherds pype all day And we heare aye birds tune this merry lay Cuckow iugge iugge pu we to witta woo The fields breathe sweete the dayzies kisse our feete Young louers meete old wiues a sunning sit In euery streete these tunes our eares doe greete Cuckow iugge iugge pu we to witta woo Spring the sweete spring Will Summer By my troth they haue voyces as cleare as Christall this is a pratty thing if it be for nothing but to goe a begging with Summers Beleeue me Ver but thou art pleasant bent This humor should import a harmlesse minde Knowst thou the reason why I sent for thee Ver. No faith nor care not whether I do or no If you will daunce a Galliard so it is if not Falangtado Falangtado to weare the blacke and yellow Falangtado Falāgtado my mates are gone I le followe Summer Nay stay a while we must confer and talke Ver call to mind I am thy soueraigne Lord And what thou hast of me thou hast and holdst Vnto no other end I sent for thee But to demaund a reckoning at thy hands How well or ill thou hast imployd my wealth Ver. If that be all we will not disagree A cleane trencher and a napkin you shall haue presently Will Summer The truth is this fellow hath bin a tapster in his daies Ver goes in and fetcheth out the Hobby horse the morris daunce who daunce about Summer How now is this the reckoning we shall haue Winter My Lord he doth abuse you brooke it not Autumne Summa totalis I feare will proue him but a foole Ver. About about liuely put your horse to it reyne him harder ierke him with your wand sit fast sit fast man focle hold vp your ladle there Will Summer O braue hall O well sayd butcher Now for the credit of Wostershire The finest set of Morris-dauncers that is betweene this and Stretham mary me thinks there is one of them daūceth like a Clothyers horse with a wool-pack on his backe You friend with the Hobby-horse goe not too fast for feare of wearing out my Lords tyle-stones with your hob-nayles Ver. So so so trot the ring twise ouer and away May it please my Lord this is the grand capitall summe but there are certayne parcels behind as you shall see Summer Nay nay no more for this is all too much Ver. Content your selfe we 'le haue variety Here enter 3. Clownes 3. maids singing this song daunsing Trip and goe heaue and hoe Vp and downe to and fro From the towne to the groue Two and two let vs roue A Maying a playing Loue hath no gainsaying So merrily trip and goe Will Summer Beshrew my heart of a number of ill legs I neuer sawe worse daunsers how blest are you that the wenches of the parish doe not see you Summer Presumptuous Ver vnciuill nurturde boy Think'st I will be derided thus of thee Is this th' account and reckoning that thou mak'st Ver. Troth my Lord to tell you playne I can giue you no other account nam quae habui pordidi what I had I haue spent on good fellowes in these sports you haue seene which are proper to the Spring and others of like sort as giuing wenches greene gownes making garlands for Fencers and tricking vp children gay haue I bestowde all my flowry treasure and flowre of my youth Will Summer A small matter I knowe one spent in lesse then a yere eyght and fifty pounds in mustard and an other that ranne in det in the space of foure or fiue yeere aboue foureteene thousand pound in lute strings and gray paper Summer O monstrous vnthrift who e're heard the like The seas vast throate in so short tract of time Deuoureth nor consumeth halfe so much How well mightst thou haue liu'd within thy bounds Ver. What talke you to me of liuing within my bounds I tell you none but Asses liue within their bounds the silly beasts if they be put in a pasture that is eaten bare to the very earth where there is nothing to be had but thistles will rather fall soberly to those thistles and be hungerstaru'd then they will offer to breake their bounds whereas the lusty courser if he be in a barrayne plot and spye better grasse in some pasture neere adioyning breakes ouer hedge and ditch and to goe e're he will be pent in and not haue his belly full Peraduenture the horses lately sworne to be stolne carried that youthfull mind who if they had bene Asses would
nurst A subtill snake that after wrought his bane Autumne Seruos fideles liberalitaes facit Where on the contrarie seruitutem Those that attend vpon illiberall Lords Whose couetize yeelds nought els but faire lookes Euen of those faire lookes make their gainfull vse For as in Ireland and in Denmarke both Witches for gold will sell a man a wind Which in the corner of a napkin wrapt Shall blow him safe vnto what coast he will So make ill seruants sale of their Lords wind Which wrapt vp in a piece of parchment Blowes many a knaue forth danger of the law Summer Inough of this let me go make my will Ah it is made although I hold my peace These two will share betwixt them what I haue The surest way to get my will perform'd Is to make my executour my heire And he if all be giuen him and none els Vnfallibly will see it well perform'd Lyons will feed though none bid them go to Ill growes the tree affordeth ne're a graft Had I some issue to sit in my throne My griefe would die death should not heare mee grone But when perforce these must enioy my wealth Which thanke me not but enter 't as a pray Bequeath'd it is not but cleane cast away Autumne be thou successor of my seat Hold take my crowne looke how he graspes for it Thou shalt not haue it yet but hold it too Why should I keep that needs I must forgo Winter Then dutie laid aside you do me wrong I am more worthie of it farre then he He hath no skill nor courage for to rule A weather-beaten banckrout asse it is That scatters and consumeth all he hath Eche one do plucke from him without controll He is nor hot nor cold a sillie soule That faine would please eche party if so he might He and the spring are schollers fauourites What schollers are what thriftles kind of men Your selfe be iudge and iudge of him by them When Cerberus was headlong drawne from hell He voided a blacke poison from his mouth Called Aconitum whereof inke was made That inke with reeds first laid on dried barkes Seru'd men a while to make rude workes withall Till Hermes secretarie to the Gods Or Hermes Trismegistus as some will Wearie with grauing in blind characters And figures of familiar beasts and plants Inuented letters to write lies withall In them he pend the fables of the Gods The gyants warre and thousand tales besides After eche nation got these toyes in vse There grew vp certaine drunken parasites Term'd Poets which for a meales meat or two Would promise monarchs immortalitie They vomited in verse all that they knew Found causes and beginnings of the world Fetcht pedegrees of mountaines and of flouds From men and women whom the Gods transform'd If any towne or citie they pass'd by Had in compassion thinking them mad men Forborne to whip them or imprison them That citie was not built by humane hands T' was raisde by musique like Megara walles Apollo poets patron founded it Because they found one fitting fauour there Musaeus Lynus Homer Orpheus Were of this trade and thereby wonne their fame Will. Summer Famamalum quo non velocius vllum Winter Next them a company of ragged knaues Sun-bathing beggers lazie hedge-creepers Sleeping face vpwards in the fields all night Dream'd strange deuices of the Sunne and Moone And they like Gipsies wandring vp and downe Told fortunes iuggled nicknam'd all the starres And were of idiots term'd Philosophers Such was Pithagoras the silencer Prometheus Thales Milesius Who would all things of water should be made Anaximander Anaximenes That positiuely said the aire was God Zenocrates that said there were eight Gods And Cratoniates Alcmeon too Who thought the Sun and Moone stars were gods The poorer sort of them that could get nought Profest like beggerly Franciscan Friers And the strict order of the Capouchins A voluntarie wretched pouertie Contempt of gold thin fare and lying hard Yet he that was most vehement in these Diogenes the Cinicke and the Dogge Was taken coyning money in his Cell Wil Summer What an olde Asse was that Me thinks hee should haue coynde Carret rootes rather for as for money he had no vse for except it were to melt and soder vp holes in his tub withall Winter It were a whole Olimpiades worke to tell How many diuillish ergo armed arts Sprung all as vices of this Idlenesse For euen as souldiers not imployde in warres But liuing loosely in a quiet state Not hauing wherewithall to maintaine pride Nay scarce to finde their bellies any foode Nought but walke melancholie and deuise How they may cousen Marchants fleece young heires Creepe into fauour by betraying men Robbe churches beg waste toyes court city dames Who shall vndoe their husbands for their sakes The baser rabble how to cheate and steale And yet be free from penaltie of death So those word-warriers lazy star-gazers Vsde to no labour but to lowze themselues Had their heads fild with coosning fantasies They plotted how to make their pouertie Better esteemde of then high Soueraignty They thought how they might plant a heauē on earth Whereof they would be principall lowe gods That heauen they called Contemplation As much to say as a most pleasant slouth Which better I cannot compare then this That if a fellow licensed to beg Should all his life time go from faire to faire And buy gape-seede hauing no businesse else That contemplation like an aged weede Engendred thousand sects and all those sects Were but as these times cunning shrowded rogues Grammarians some and wherein differ they From beggers that professe the Pedlers French The Poets next slouinly tatterd slaues That wander and sell Ballets in the streetes Historiographers others there be And the like lazers by the high way side That for a penny or a halfe-penny Will call each knaue a good fac'd Gentleman Giue honor vnto Tinkers for good Ale Preferre a Cobler fore the Black prince farre If he bestowe but blacking of their shooes And as it is the Spittle-houses guise Ouer the gate to write their founders names Or on the outside of their walles at least In hope by their examples others moou'd Will be more bountifull and liberall So in the forefront of their Chronicles Or Peroratione operis They learnings benefactors reckon vp Who built this colledge who gaue that Free-schoole What King or Queene aduaunced Schollers most And in their times what writers flourished Rich men and magistrates whilest yet they liue They flatter palpably in hope of gayne Smooth-tounged Orators the fourth in place Lawyers our common-wealth intitles them Meere swash-bucklers and ruffianly mates That will for twelue pence make a doughtie fray Set men for strawes together by the eares Skie measuring Mathematicians Golde-breathing Alcumists also we haue Both which are subtill witted humorists That get their meales by telling miracles Which they haue seene in trauailing the skies Vaine boasters lyers make-shifts they are all Men that remoued from their inkehorne