This geer will soon be amended Upon them but frown VVhen you have them at home And all this quarrel is ended Sharp Hawks you are sure VVill come to the lure So for favours in private starve them And strait you 'll see In publick they 'll be More ready and glad to deserve them The Conclusion To his MAJESTY VOuchsafe great Sir on these to cast your sight Made chiefly for your Majesties delight By him has cast off all ambicion But onely the delighting you alone Counting it highest honour can befall To delight him who 's the delight of all EPIGRAMS DIVINE AND MORAL DEDICATED To Her Majesty Nunc cetera ludicra pono Hor. Printed in the Year 1670. TO Her MAJESTY CATHERINE of PORTVGAL Queen of Great Brittain c. MADAM AS never any Stranger was more oblig'd than I unto the King your Father of glorious Memory so never any had greater desire than I to make acknowledgement of it to your Majesty but living in obscurity retyr'd from the light of Court and making no Figure there I imagined it would have no Grace for such a shadow and Cypher as I to present my self unto your Majesty and other presents I had none but onely this which by its littleness shews the greatness of my desire to declare my self MADAM Your Majesties In all Humility and Devotion Richard Flecknoe Divine and Moral EPIGRAMS The Fourth BOOK To her MAJESTY Of the dignity and efficacy of prayer AS by the Sun we set our Dyals so Madam we set our Pietys by you Without whose light we shud in darkness be And nothing truely good nor vertuous see You in the Temple so assidual are Your whole Life seems but one continued Prayer And every place an Oratory you make When from the Temple y' are returned back Like vapours prayers ascend and heaven in rain Of blessings showers them down on us again And if Heaven suffers violence from whence But onely prayer proceeds this violence Fools were those Gyants then since if insteed Of heaping hills on hills as once they did They had but heapt up prayers on prayers as fast they might have easily conquer'd heaven at last O mighty prayer that canst such wonders do To force both Heaven and the Almighty too On these words of our B. S. O woman great is thy Faith O Lord when shall our Faith be praised thus And we deserve t' have thus much said of us Others count all things possible to thee We nothing possible but what we see They more to faith than sences credit give We more our sences than our faith believe They believe all we but believe by halfs Their Faiths are Gyants ours but onely dwarfs Why I write these pious Epigrams so short SInce long discources thou'lt not harken to I make these short to see what that will do On the Nativity of our B. S. AFter the Glory which to God on high Was given to day at his Nativity If piously curious you woud know What Peace it was was given to men below That peace of God infallibly it was All humane understanding does surpass Which whilst the high proud do seek in vainâ— The low and humble onely do obtain Seek then to know no farther but be wise This is the Mystery of Mysteries After which none that any Reason hath Can doubt of any mystery of Faith That God's a Man and 's Mother a Virgin is What can there be more wonderful than this Of the Circumcision of our B. S. HOw soon O Lord to day didst thou begin To shed thy blood for us when first was seen Spring forth the Fountain of thy pretious bloud Which at thy passion ended in a floud On the death and passion of our B. S. O Blessed God! and wouldst thou dye For such a wretched thing as I This of thy Love 's so great a proof Angels can ne'er admire enough And all the Love by far transcends Of Parents and of dearest friends T' have such a benefit bestow'd Woud undo any but a God And Love it self make Bankrout too By leaving't nothing more to do Had King or Prince done this for me What wondring at it woud there be And wondring at it now there 's none When by a God himself 't is done Strange blindness man shud more esteem Of any thing that 's given to him By earthly Kings than what is given Unto him by the King of heaven Of Iudgement DEath terriblest of terriblest they call But here behold the terriblest of all For none fear death but those who judgement fear For some offences th 'ave committed here Life 's but a prison we the prisoners are Death Iaylor or the Turnkey as it were Who but delivers us when Sessions come To the Tribunal to receive our doom When as we well or ill have lived here We shall be punisht or rewarded there And this now is the most that death can do The rest let each ones Conscience look unto Happy are those who in that dreadful day With good Hylarion confidently may say Go forth my soul this many and many a year Thou hast serv'd God now why shudst thou fear Leave that to those who whilst they made aboad In this world here did serve it more than God The good and vertuous wish for death the bad And vitious onely are of death affraid Death is the shadow of life and as in vain A beast shud look for th' shadow of a man So those who have not liv'd the life shud trust In vain at last to dye the death o'th'just Of Easter and Christmas OF Easter a great word was said This is the day the Lord hath made Of Christmas yet a greater word This is the day that made the Lord. On these words of our B. S. I am the Way the Truth and the Life Paraphrase THou art the Way the Truth and Life thou sayst As well thou mayst What Fool is he then woud forsake the way And go astray What Fool is he who woud the Truth refuse And falshood chuse But above all what fool and mad man's he Woud forsake thee Who art Eternal Life and chuse to dye Eternally On Gods beholding all we do THou fearst the sight of men when thou dost ill Why not the sight of God who sees thee still On our dependancy on the hands of Almighty God HAve you not markt how little puppets move By their dependanee from some hand above Just such is man i' th' hands of God if he But well consider'd his dependancy And who if this he well consider woud Shud ever dare to offend Almighty God Who gently leads those who his will obey And those who won't he hales and drags avvay Rebel and fool then struggle not in vain To flee the hand of God and break thy chain Which thou canst never do nor ever flee But from God pleas'd to God displeas'd with thee Struggle no longer with him then for woe Unto thee if he once but let thee go On these words of
all Cosmography And Cart or Map wher all the world you see Seeing what you do and being what you ar You are the onely great Cosmographer And if others like rowling Balls of Snow Travelling about the world still greater grow How great must you be who were great before And now by travelling still grow more more To the same On his coming into England COsmo whose thirst of seeing the world 's so great Shud the Creator more new worlds creat Till there were Globes enow for every Ball I' th' Mediceian Arms you 'd see them all Amongst the rest at last y' ar come to see This other world of ours Great Brittany And Princes like your self where ere they come This priviledge have th' ar every where at home Others are Citizens of the world but you Not onely Citizen but Prince of 't too Neerly by Birth and Parentage ally'd To most o' th' Princes of the world beside To the Lady M. N. Or the fair Daughter of as fair a Mother WHat you 'll be in Time we know By the Stock on which you grow As by Roses we may see What in time the Buds will be So in Flowers and so in Trees So in every thing that is Like its like does still produce As 't is Natures constant use Grow still then till you discover All the Beauties of your Mother Nothing but fair and sweet can be From so sweet and fair a Tree EPIGRAMS The second BOOK To his Royal Highness The Duke of York Returning from our Naval Victory Anno 65. MOre famous and more great then ere Caesar or Alexander were Who hath both done and outdone too What those great Heroes coud not do Till Empire of the Seas we get No Victory can be compleat For Land and Sea makes but one Ball They had but half thou hast it all Great Prince the glory of our days And utmost bound of humane praise Increast in stile we well may call Thee now the whole worlds Admiral Whilst might Charles with Trident stands And like some God the Sea commands Having so gloriously o'ercome What now remains but to come home And fixed in our Brittish Spher Shine a bright Constellation ther More famous and more great than ere Caesar or Alexander were To his Highness Prince Rupert on the same GReat and Heroick Prince surpassing far Him who was stil'd the Thunder-bolt of War The Belgick Lyon stands amaz'd to see A greater Lyon than it self in thee And Zealand on all trembling for fear Half sinks into the Waves and hides it there Ne'er since the Grecians cal'd the world their own Or Romans theirs was greater valour known And if there yet new worlds to conquer were Brave Rupert were the fittest Conqueror Greatest Example of Heroick worth As ever yet this latter Age brought forth As formerly the Land of Brittain was So now the Sea 's too narrow for thy praise And 't will in time become the work alon Of extasie and admiration Great and Heroick Prince surpassing far Him who was stil'd the Thunder-boult of War To Sir K. D. in Italy Anno 46. Recommending to him a certain Memorial I Must beg of you Sir nay what is more 'T is a disease so infectious to be poor Must beg you 'd beg for me which whilst I do What is' t but even to make you beggar too But poverty being as honourable now As 't was when Cincinnatus held the plough Senators Sow'd and Reap'd and who had been In Car of triumph fetcht the Harvest in Whilst mightiest Peers do want nay what is worse Even greatest Princes live on others purse And very Kings themselves are beggers made No shame for any Sir to be o' th' Trade To Sir Peter Collaton On the discovery and Plantation of Carolina in America BOrn for the Countries good and adding to 't New Countries and Plantations to boot Whilst others for themselves seem onely born Like Rats and Mice and but to eat up Corn If others so much prais'd and honour'd are For bringing home some forrain Countries ware Their praise compar'd to thine must needs be small Bringst home the ware the Country too and all On Mary Dutchess of Richmond WHether a cheerful air does rise And eleuate her fairer Eyes Or a pensive heaviness Her lovely Eye-lids does depress Still the same becoming Grace Accompanies her Eyes and Face Still you 'd think that habit best In which her countenance last was drest Poor Beauties whom a look or glance Can sometimes make look fair by chance Or curious dress or artful care Can make seem fairer then they are Give me the Eyes give me the Face To which no Art can add a Grace Give me the looks no garb nor dress Can ever make more fair or less On the Death Of Charles Lord Gerard of Bromley WHo alive so far had been He almost every land had seen And almost every thing did know A man could in this World below At last his knowledge to improve Is gone unto the World above Where his knowledge is so much And his happiness is such 'T would envie and not sorrow seem In those too much shud grieve for him On George Duke of Albemarle IF others have their honours well deserv'd Who nobly have their King Country serv'd What Honour ever can be worthy you Who have not onely serv'd but sav'd them too To a Lady Too curious of her Dress ANd why Clarissa so much pains and care To gain the reputation of fair When without all this care and all this pain You have already what you strive to gain Beauty and Truth need so small setting forth As all you add to 't take but from its worth And th' Sun and you need far more art to hide Your brighter beams then make them more espy'd All other Arts in you woud shew as poor As his shud go about to guild Gold o'er And you 'd appear as vain in it as they Shud seek by Art to Blanch the Milkie-way You 're fair enough Clarissa leave to those These petty arts whose Beautie 's onely Clothes And who need powdering patching painting too Or else they know their beauty'll hardly do So politicks when Lyons skin does fail Do use to pieâ—e it out with Foxes tail But when th 'ave Lyons skin enough 't is poor And beggerly to add a piece to 't more To Mr. Edward Howard Brother to the Duke of Norfolk IT is not Travel makes the man 't is true Unless a man could Travel Sir like you In putting off themselves and putting on The best of every Country where they come Their Language Fashions Manners their use Purg'd of the dross and stript of the abuse Whilst you pyed Traveller who nothing knows Of other Countries fashions but their clothes And learns their Language but as Parrots do Onely perhaps a broken word or two Goes and returns the same he went agen By carrying still himself along with him On the Dutchess of Newcastles Closset WHat place is this looks like some
OF this just mixture and equalitie Of water blood what shud the reason be Ans. The Reason's clear forced to part with her Each drop of bloud for grief did shed a tear On Cicilannas blushing When the King beheld her SO Roses blush when lookt on by the Sun As she when by the King she 's lookt upon And so of all fair things we nothing see More fair in Nature than the Sun and She. If things take name from their Original We well her blushes Royal ones may call And if w 'ave lost the Royal purple's stain It in her Cheeks may well be found again So as 't is signe the Sun is drawing near When fair Aurora blushing does appear To see her blushing when she sees him come You 'd say she were Aurora he the Sun In small-Beer NOw pox plague to boot on this same small Beer we may well the Divels Iulip call Distill'd from Lembeck of some Lapland witch With Northwinds bellows blowing in her breech Or stale of some cold Hag o' th' Marshes who Than water never better Liquor knew A penitential drink for none by right But those i' th' morning who were drunk o'er night Sure 't was the poyson as the Learned think They gave condemned Socrates to drink Or that the Macedonian drank so cold As nothing but an Asses houff coud hold They were deceiv'd it was not Niobes moan But drinking small-Beer turnd her unto stone And 't is that infallibly which now has made All Charity so cold and th' World so bad If then Divines woud mend it let them preach 'Gainst small-Beer onely and no Doctrine teach But drinking wine and then you soon shud see All in Religion easily woud agree This were a Doctrine worthy of their heat And furious beating th' Pulpit till they swear In the Small-pox THou greatest enemy that Beauty has The very Goth and Vandal of a face On which thou mak'st as foul or fouler work Than does thy cousen Meezles upon Pork One of those Devils which by power Divine Cast out of man once went to th'heard of Swine And giving them the Pox art come agen To play the Devil as thou didst with men To bid a Plague upon thee now that curse Thou anticipates already for th' art worse Or great Pox on thee we shud curse but ill For thou' rt more great in being the small Pox still But get thee gone and soon too or I know A way I 'm sure will quickly make thee go But send for Doctor and you 'll see We with a vengeance shall be rid of thee To Mis Davies On her excellent dancing Dear Mis WHo woud not think to see thee dance so light Thou wer 't all air or else all soul and spirit Or who 'd not say to see thee onely tred Thy feet were Feathers others feet but lead Athlanta well coud run and Hermes flee But none ere mov'd more gracefully than thee And Cicres charm'd with wand Magick Lore But none like thee ere charm'd with feet before Thou Miracle whom all men must admire To see thee move like air and mount like fire Those who woud follow thee or come but nigh To thy perfection must not dance but fly The Patrons Lives To the Lord of c. MY Lord if you 'll attention give I 'll tell you how the Patrons live First of all they neither care Nor for Clock nor Calender Next they ne'r desire to know How affairs o' th' world do go Above all they ne'r resort To the busie Hall nor Court Where most men do nothing else But trouble others and themselves All the business they look after Onely is their sport and laughter With a friend and cheerful cup Merily to dine and sup Hear good Musick see a Play Thus they pass the time away And if you like our living thus Come my Lord and live with us On a Hector Beaten and draged away by the Constable STill to be drag'd still to beaten thus Hector I fear thy name is ominous And thou for fighting didst but ill provide To take thy name thus from the beaten side To have Watchmen still like band of Mirmidons Beat thee with Halbards down and break thy boans And every petty Constable thou meets Achillis-like to drag thee through the Streets Poor Hector when th' art beaten blind and lame I hope thou 'lt learn to take another name Of an Epicure AN Epicure is one of those No God besides his belly knows And that Religion best does think Where a he findes best meat and drink Who for his Palate and his Gust Has quite forgot all other Lust And hugs a bottle as he woud A Mris when the Wine is good Who lays about him like a Gyant When he findes a morsel friand And so long has cram'd his gut He 's nothing else from head to foot When you such an one do meet Or in Tavern or in Street By his bulk you may be sure Such an one 's an Epicure To Misa made Anno 52. NOw what a Divel Misa makes Thee with such eyes behold me still 'Cause from thee Time thy good looks takes Must I therefore have thy ill I prethy Misa don't behold Me thus as if I were thy foe For howsoever thou art old I am not Time that made thee so So rather then to quarrel with me As if 't were I had done thee wrong Go quarrel with thy age I prithy Whose fault 't is thou hast liv'd so long Howe'er for me thou well mayst spare Thy Anger and thy frowns may cease Who for thy good looks little care Does for thy bad ones care much less To the same Whilst she 'd needs look fair and young LEt Autumns paint her wither'd leaves And Winter dye his Snowy hair Yet he 's a Fool that not perceives They either dyed and painted ar So while thou 'lt needs look young again And still seem fair unto the sight Misa thy labour 's all in vain Like his woud wash the Ethiope white Who lookt well in King Iames's raign And in King Charles's old appeard Will hardly now look young again When th' Common-wealth has got a beard Then Misa follow my advise And leaving off thy bootless care Strive rather to gain hearts than eyes And to appear more good than fair Good counsel to an Enemy NO more for shame but let 's be friends agen And let 's remember w'ar not beasts but men Beasts out of natural instinct fight but we Shud out of natural instinct now agree This baiting one another is but just Like Bear-baiting where those who seem the most Delighted with 't nor love the Dog nor Bear But onely th' sport to see them rend and tear Each other and themselves who 'd harm and hurt As beasts do onely to make others sport No more for shame then let 's be friends agen And still remember w' are not â—â—asts but men The Liberty FRee as I was born I 'll live So shud every wiseman do Onely Fools