war VVherein most perfect measure doth appeare VVhether their well-set ranks respected are In Quadrant forme or Semicircular Or else the March when all the troups aduaunce Vnto the Drum in gallant order daunce 88 And after warrs when white-wing'd victory Is with a glorious tryumph beautified And euery one doth Io Io cry VVhiles all in gold the Conquerour doth ride The solemne pompe that fils the Citty wide Obserues such ranke and measure euery where As if they altogether dauncing were 89 The like iust order Mourners doe obserue But with vnlike affection and attire VVhen some great man that nobly did deserue And whom his friends impatiently desire Is brought with honour to his latest fire The dead corps too in that sad daunce is mou'd As if both dead and liuing dauncing lou'd 90 A diuerse cause but like solemnitie Vnto the Temple leades the bashfull bride VVhich blusheth like the Indian Iuorie VVhich is with dip of Tyrian purple died A golden troope doth passe on euery side Of flourishing young men and Virgins gay Which keepe faire measure all the flowry way 91 And not alone the generall multitude But those choise Nestors which in counsell graue Of Citties and of Kingdomes doe conclude Most comly order in their Sessions haue Wherefore the wise Thessalians euer gaue The name of Leader of their Countries daunce To him that had their Countries gouernaunce 92 And those great Maisters of the liberall Arts In all their seuerall Schooles doe Dauncing teach For humble Grammer first doth set the parts Of congruent and well-according speach Which Rhetorick whose state y t clouds doth reach And heau'nly Poetry doe forward lead And diuers Measures diuersly doe tread 93 For Rhetorick clothing speech in rich aray In looser numbers teacheth her to range VVith twentie tropes and turnings euery way And various figures and licentious change But Poetry with rule and order strange So curiously doth moue each single pace As all is mard if she one foote misplace 94 These Arts of speach the guides and Marshals are But Logick leadeth Reason in a daunce Reason the Cynosure and bright Load-star In this worlds Sea t'auoid the rock of Chaunce For with close following and continuance One reason doth another so ensue As in conlusion still the daunce is true 95 So Musick to her owne sweet tunes doth trip VVith tricks of 3 5 8 15 and more So doth the Art of Numbring seeme to skip From eu'n to odd in her proportion'd score So doe those skils whose quick eyes doe explore The iust dimension both of earth and heau'n In all their rules obserue a measure eu'n 96 Loe this is Dauncings true nobilitie Dauncing the child of Musick and of Loue Dauncing it selfe both loue and harmony VVhere all agree and all in order moue Dauncing the Art that all Arts doe approue The faire Caracter of the worlds consent The heau'ns true figure and th'earths ornament 97 THE Queene whose dainty eares had borne too long The tedious praise of y t she did despise Adding once more the musick of the tongue To the sweet speech of her alluting eyes Began to aunswer in such winning wise As that forthwith Antinous tongue was tyde His eyes fast fixt his eares were open wide 98 Forsooth quoth she great glory you haue won To your trim Minion Dauncing all this while By blazing him Loues first begotten sonne Of euery ill the hatefull Father vile That doth the world with sorceries beguile Cunningly mad religiously prophane Wits monster Reasons canker Sences bane 99 Loue taught the mother that vnkind desire To wash her hands in her owne Infants blood Loue taught the daughter to betray her Sire Into most base vnworthy seruitude Loue taught the brother to prepare such foode To feast his brothers that the all-seeing Sun Wrapt in a clowd that wicked sight did shun 100 And euen this selfe same Loue hath dauncing taught An Art that sheweth th' Idea of his mind VVith vainesse frenzie and misorder fraught Sometimes with blood and cruelties vnkind For in a daunce Tereus mad wife did finde Fit time and place by murthering her sonne T'auenge the wrong his trayterous Sire had done 101 What meane the Mermayds when they daunce and sing But certaine death vnto the Marriner VVhat tydings doe the dauncing Dilphins bring But that some dangerous storme approcheth nere Then sith both Loue Dauncing lyueries beare Of such ill hap vnhappy may they proue That sitting free will either daunce or loue 102 YEt once againe Antinous did reply Great Queene condemne not Loue the innocent For this mischieuous Lust which traiterously Vsurps his Name and steales his ornament For that true Loue which dauncing did inuent Is he that tun'd the worlds whole harmony And linkt all men in sweet societie 103 He first extracted from th'earth-mingled mind That heau'nly fire or quintessence diuine VVhich doth such simpathy in beauty find As is betweene the Elme and fruitfull Vine And so to beautie euer doth encline Liues life it is and cordiall to the hart And of our better part the better part 104 Thys is true Loue by that true Cupid got VVhich daunceth Galliards in your amorous eyes But to your frozen hart approcheth not Onely your hart he dares not enterprize And yet through euery other part he flyes And euery where he nimbly daunceth now That in your selfe your selfe perceiue not how 105 For your sweet beauty daintily transfus'd VVith due proportion throughout euery part VVhat is it but a daunce where Loue hath vs'd His finer cunning and more curious Art VVhere all the Elements themselues impart And turne and wind mingle with such measure That th'eye that sees it surfeits with the pleasure 106 Loue in the twinckling of your eylids daunceth Loue daunceth in your pulses and your vaines Loue whe you sow your needles poynt aduaunceth And makes it daunce a thousand curious straines Of winding rounds whereof the forme remaines To shew that your faire hands can daunce y t Hey VVhich your fine seet would learne as wel as they 107 And when your Iuory fingers touch the strings Of any siluer-sounding instrument Loue makes the daunce to those sweet murmurings VVith busie skill and cunning excellent O that your feet those tunes would represent With artificiall motions to and fro That Loue this Art in euery part might shoe 108 Yet your faire soule which came from heau'n aboue To rule thys house another heau'n below VVith diuers powers in harmony doth moue And all the vertues that from her doe flow In a round measure hand in hand doe goe Could I now see as I conceiue thys Daunce VVonder and Loue would cast me in a traunce 109 The richest Iewell in all the heau'nly Treasure That euer yet vnto the Earth was showne Is perfect Concord th'onely perfect pleasure That wretched Earth-borne men haue euer knowne For many harts it doth compound in one That what so one doth will or speake or doe VVith one consent they all agree thereto 110 Concords true picture
ORCHESTRA OR A Poeme of Dauncing Iudicially proouing the true obseruation of time and measure in the Authenticall and laudable vse of Dauncing Ouid. Art Aman. lib. t. Si vox est canta si mollia brachia salta Et quacunque potes dote placere place At London Printed by I. Robarts for N. Ling. 1596. To his very Friend Ma. Rich Martin TO whom shall I this dauncing Poeme send This suddaine rash halfe-capreol of my wit To you first mouer and sole cause of it Mine-owne-selues better halfe my deerest frend O would you yet my Muse some Honny lend From your mellifluous tongue whereon doth sit Suada in maiestie that I may fit These harsh beginnings with a sweeter end You know the modest Sunne full fifteene times Blushing did rise and blushing did descend While I in making of these ill made rimes My golden howers vnthriftily did spend Yet if in friendship you these numbers prayse I will mispend another fifteene dayes ORCHESTRA OR A Poeme of Dauncing 1 WHere liues the man that neuer yet did heare Of chast Penelope Vlisses Queene VVho kept her faith vnspotted twenty yeere Till he returnd that far away had beene And many men and many townes had seene Ten yeere at siedge of Troy he lingring lay And ten yeere in the Midland-sea did stray 2 Homer to whom the Muses did carouse A great deepe cup with heauenly Nectar filld The greatest deepest cup in Ioues great house For Ioue himselfe had so expresly willd He dranke of all ne let one drop be spilld Since when his braine that had before been dry Became the welspring of all Poetry 3 Homer doth tell in his aboundant verse The long laborious trauailes of the man And of his Lady too he doth reherse How shee illudes with all the Art she can Th'vngratefull loue which other Lords began For of her Lord false Fame long since had sworne That Neptunes Monsters had his carcasse torne 4 All this he tells but one thing he forgot One thing most worthy his eternall song But he was old and blind and saw it not Or else he thought he should Vlisses wrong To mingle it his Tragick acts among Yet was there not in all the world of things A sweeter burden for his Muses wings 5 The Courtly loue Antinous did make Antinous that fresh and iolly Knight Which of the gallants that did vndertake To win the Widdow had most wealth and might VVit to perswade and beautie to delight The Courtly loue he made vnto the Queene Homer forgot as if it had not beene 6 Sing then Terpsichore my light Muse sing His gentle Art and cunning curtesie You Lady can remember euery thing For you are daughter of Queene Memorie But sing a plaine and easie Melodie For the soft meane that warbleth but the ground To my rude care doth yield the sweetest sound 7 One onely nights discourse I can report VVhen the great Torch-bearer of heauen was gone Downe in a maske vnto the Oceans Court To reuell it with Tethis all alone Antinous disguised and vnknowne Like to the spring in gaudie Ornament Vnto the Castle of the Princesse went 8 The soueraigne Castle of the rocky Ile VVherein Penelope the Princesse lay Shone with a thousand Lamps which did exile The dim darke shades turn'd the night to day Not Ioues blew Tent what time the Sunny ray Behind the bulwarke of the earth retires Is seene to sparkle with more twinckling fiers 9 That night the Queene came forth from far within And in the presence of her Court was seene For the sweet singer Phemius did begin To praise the Worthies that at Troy had beene Somwhat of her Vlisses she did weene In his graue Hymne the heau'nly man would sing Or of his warres or of his wandering 10 Pallas that houre with her sweet breath diuine Inspir'd immortall beautie in her eyes That with coelestiall glory she did shine Brighter then Venus when she doth arise Out of the waters to adorne the skies The wooers all amazed doe admire And check their owne presumptuous desire 11 Onely Antinous when at first he view'd Her stâ—â— bright eyes that with new honour shind Was not dismayd but there-with-all renew'd The noblesse and the splendour of his mind And as he did sit circumstances sind Vnto the Throne he boldly gan aduance And with faire maners wooed y t Queene to dance 12 GOddesse of women sith your heau'nlinesse Hath now vouchsaft it selfe to represent To our dim eyes which though they see the lesse Yet are they blest in their astonishment Imitate heau'n whose beauties excellent Are in continuall motion day and night And moue thereby more wonder and delight 13 Let me the mouer be to turne about Those glorious ornaments that Youth and Loue Haue fixed in you euery part throughout VVhich if you will in timely measure moue Not all those precious Iemms in heau'n aboue Shall yield a sight more pleasing to behold VVith all their turnes and tracings manifold 14 WIth this the modest Princesse blusht and smil'd Like to a cleare and rosie euentide And softly did returne this answere mild Faire Sir you needs must fairely be denide VVhere your demaund cannot be satisfied My feete which onely nature taught to goe Did neuer yet the Art of footing know 15 But why perswade you me to this new rage For all disorder and misrule is new For such misgouernment in former age Our old diuine Forefathers neuer knew VVho if they liu'd and did the follies view Which their sond Nephews make their chiefe assaires Would hate themselues that had begot such heires 16 Sole heire of Vertue and of Beautie both VVhence commeth it Antinous replies That your imperious vertue is so loth To graunt your beautie her chiefe exercise Or from what spring doth your opinion rise That Dauncing is a frenzie and a rage First knowne and ys'd in this new-fangled age 17 Dauncing bright Lady then began to be When the first seedes whereof the world did spring The Fire Ayre Earth and water did agree By Loues perswasion Natures mighty King To leaue their first disordred combating And in a daunce such measure to obserue As all the world their motion should preserue 18 Since when they still are carried in a round And changing come one in anothers place Yet doe they neyther mingle nor confound But euery one doth keepe the bounded space VVherein the daunce doth bid it turne or tracc This wondrous myracle did Loue deuise For Dauncing is Loues proper excrcise 19 Like this he fram'd the Gods eternall bower And of a shapelesse and confused masse By his through-piercing and digesting power The turning vault of heauen framed was VVhose starrie wheeles he hath so made to passe As that their mouings doe a musick frame And they themselues still daunce vnto the same 20 Or if this All which round about we see As idle Morpheus some sicke braines hath taught Of vndeuided motes compacted bee How was this goodly Architecture wrought Or by what meanes were
they together brought They erre that say they did concur by chaunce Loue made them meete in a well-ordered daunce 21 As when Amphion with his charming Lire Begot so sweet a Syren of the ayre That with her Rethorike made the stones conspire The mines of a Citty to repayre A worke of wit and reasons wise affayre So Loues smooth tongue the motes such measure taught That they ioyn'd hands so y t world was wrought 22 How iustly then is Dauncing termed new VVhich with the world in point of time begun Yea Time it selfe whose birth Ioue neuer knew And which is far more auncient then the Sun Had not one moment of his age outrunne When out leapt Dauncing frō the heape of things And lightly rode vpon his nimble wings 23 Reason hath both their pictures in her Treasure VVhere Time the measure of all mouing is And Dauncing is a mouing all in measure Now if you doe resemble that to this And think both one I think you think amis But if you judge them Twins together got And Time first borne your judgment erreth not 24 Thus doeth it equall age with age inioy And yet in lustie youth for euer flowers Like Loue his Sire whom Paynters make a Boy Yet is he eldest of the heau'nly powers Or like his brother Time whose winged howers Going and comming will not let him dye But still preserue him in his infancie 25 This sayd the Queene with her sweet lips diuine Gently began to moue the subtile ayre VVhich gladly yielding did it selfe incline To take a shape betweene those rubies fayre And being formed softly did repayre With twenty doublings in the emptie way Vnto Autinous eares and thus did say 26 WHat eye doth see the heau'n but doth admire When it the mouings of the heau'ns doth see My selfe if I to heau'n may once aspire If that be dauncing will a Dauncer be But as for this your frantick iollitie How it began or whence you did it learne I neuer could with reasons eye discerne 27 Antinous aunswered Iewell of the Earth Worthie you are that heau'nly Daunce to leadc But for you think our dauncing base of birth And newly borne but of a brainsick head I will forthwith his antique Gentry read And for I loue him will his Herault be And blaze his armes and draw his Petigree 28 Whē Loue had shapt this world this great faire wight That all wights else in his wide womb containes And had instructed it to daunce aright A thousand measures with a thousand straines VVhich it should practise with delightfull paines Vntill that fatall instant should reuolue VVhen all to nothing should againe resolue 29 The comly order and proportion faire On euery side did please his wandring eye Till glauncing through the thin transparent fire A rude disordered rout he did espie Of men and women that most spightfullie Did one another throng and crowd so sore That his kind eye in pitty wept therefore 30 And swister then the Lightning downe he came Another shapelesse Chaos to digest He will begin another world to frame For Loue till all be well will neuer rest Then with such words as cannot be exprest He cutts the troups that all a sunder fling And ere they wist he casts them in a ring 31 Then did he rarifie the Element And in the center of the ring appeare The beames that from his forehead shining went Begot an horrour and religious feare In all the soules that round about him weare VVhich in their eares attentiuenesse procures While he with such like sounds their minds allures 32 How doth Confusions Mother headlong Chance Put reasons noble squadron to the rout Or how should you that haue the gouernance Of Natures children heauen and earth throughout Prescribe them rules and liue your selues without VVhy should your fellowship a trouble be Since mans chiefe pleasure is societie 33 If sence hath not yet taught you learne of me A comly moderation and discreet That your assemblies may well ordered be VVhen my vniting power shall make you meet VVith heau'nly tunes it shall be tempered sweet And be the modell of the worlds great frame And you Earths children Dauncing shall it name 34 Behold the world how it is whirled round And for it is so whirl'd is named so In whose large volume many rules are found Of this new Art which it doth fairely show For your quick eyes in wandring too and fro From East to West on no one thing can glaunce But if you marke it well it seemes to daunce 35 First you see fixt in this huge mirrour blew Of trembling lights a number numberlesse Fixt they are nam'd but with a name vntrue For they are moued and in a Daunce expresse That great long yeare that doth containe no lesse Then threescore hundreths of those yeares in all Which the Sunne makes with his course naturall 36 VVhat if to you these sparks disordered seeme As if by chaunce they had been seattered there The Gods a solemnemeasure doe it deeme And see a iust proportion euery where And know y t points whence first their mouings were To which first points when all returne againe The Axeltree of Heau'n shall breake in twaine 37 Vnder that spangled skye fiue wandring flames Besidos the King of Day and Queene of Night Are wheel'd around all in their sundry frames And all in sundry measures doe delight Yet altogether keepe no measure right For by it selfe each doth it selfe aduaunce And by it selfe each doth a Galliard daunce 38 Venus the Mother of that bastard Loue Which doth vsurpe the worlds great Marshals name Iust with the Sunne her dainty seete doth moue And vnto him doth all her iestures frame Now after now asore the flattering Dame VVith diuers cunning passages doth erre Still him respecting that respects not her 39 For that braue Sunne the Father of the Day Doth loue this Earth the Mother of the Night And like a reuellour in rich aray Doth daunce his Galliard in his Lemmans sight Both back and forth and side-wayes passing light His gallant grace doth so the Gods amaze That all stand still and at his beautie gaze 40 But see the Earth when she approcheth neete How she for ioy doth spring and sweetly smile But see againe her sad and heauie cheere When changing places he retires a while But those black clouds he shortly will exile And make them all before his presence flye As mists consum'd before his cheerfull eye 41 VVho doth not see the measures of the Moone Which thirteene times she daunceth euery yeare And ends her pauine thirteene times as soone As doth her brother of whose golden heire She borroweth part and proudly doth it weare Then doth she coylieturne her faoe aside That halfe her cheeke is scarce somtimes discride 42 Next her the purt subtile and cleansing fire Is swistly carried in a circle euen Though Vukan be pronounst by many a lyer The onely halting God that dwells in heauen But that foule name may be more fitly giuen
shineth in thys Art VVhere diuers men and women ranked be And euery one doth daunce a seuerall part Yet all as one in measure doe agree Obseruing perfect vniformitie All turne together all together trace And all together honor and embrace 111 If they whom sacred Loue hath link't in one Doe as they daunce in all theyr course of life Neuer shall burning griefe not bitter mone Nor factious difference nor vnkind strise Arise betwixt the husband and the wife For whether forth or back or round he goe As the man doth so must the woman doe 112 VVhat if by often enterchange of place Sometime the woman get the vpper hand That is but done for more delightfull grace For on that part shee doth not euer stand But as the Measures law doth her commaund Shee wheeles about and ere the daunce doth end Into her former place shee doth transcend 113 But not alone this corespondence meet And vniforme consent doth dauncing praise For-Comlines the chyld of order sweet Enamels it with her eye-pleasing raies Faire Comlines ten hundred thousand waies Through dauncing shedds it selfe makes it shine VVith glorious beauty and with grace diuine 114 For Comlines is a disposing faire Of things and actions in fit time and place VVhich doth in dauncing shew it selfe most cleere VVhē troopes confus'd which here there do trace VVithout distingushment or bounded space By dauncing rule into such ranks are brought As glads the eye and rauisheth the thought 115 Then why should reason iudge that reasonles VVhich is wits of-spring and the worke of Art Image of concord and of comlines VVho sees a clock moouing in euery part A sayling Pinneste or a wheeling Cart But thinks that reason ere it came to passe The first impulsiue cause and mouer was 116 VVho sees an Armie all in ranke aduaunce But deemes a wise Commaunder is in place Which leadeth on that braue victorious daunce Much more in dauncings Art in dauncings grace Blindnes it selfe may reasons footstep trace For of Loues Maze it is the curious plot And of mans fellowship the true-true-loue knot 117 But if these eyes of yours Load starrs of loue Shewing the worlds great daunce to your minds eye Cannot with all theyr demonstrations moue Kind apprehension in your fantasie Of Dauncings vertue and nobilitie How can my barbarous tongue win you thereto which heau'n earths faire speech could neuer do 118 O Loue my King if all my wit and power Haue done you all the seruice that they can O be you present in this present hower And helpe your seruant and your true Leige-man End that perswasion which I earst began For who in praise of dauncing can perswade With such sweet force as Loue w c dauncing made 119 LOue heard his prayer and swifter then the wind Like to a Page in habit face and speech He came and stood Antinous behind And many secrets to his thoughts did teach At last a christall Mirrour he did reach Vnto his hands that he with one rash view All formes therein by Loues reuealing knew 120 And humbly honoring gaue it to the Queene With this faire speech See fairest Queene quoth he The fairest sight that euer shall be seene And th'onely wonder of posteritie The richest worke in Natures treasury VVhich she disdaines to shew on this worlds stage And thinks it far too good for our rude age 121 But in another world deuided far In the great fortunate triangled Ile Thrise twelue degrees remou'd from the North stat Shee will this glorious workmanship compile Which shee hath been conceiuing all thys while Since the worlds birth will bring forth at last When sixe and twenty hundreth yeeres are past 122 PEnelope the Queene when she had view'd The strange-eye-dazeling-admirable sight Faine would haue praisd the state and pulchritude But she was stroken dumbe with wonder quite Yet her sweet mind retayn'd her thinking might Her rauisht minde in heau'nly thoughts did dwel But what she thought no mortall tongue can tell 123 You Lady Muse whom Ioue the Counsellour Begot of Memorie wisdoms Treasuresse To your diuining tongue is giuen a power Of vttering secrets large and limitlesse You can Penelopes strange thoughts expresse Which she conceiu'd thē would faine haue told VVhen shee the wondrous Christall did behold 124 Her winged thoughts bore vp her minde so hie As that shee weend shee saw the glorious throne VVhere the bright Moone doth sit in maiestie A thousand sparkling starres about her shone But she herselfe did sparkle more alone Then all those thousand beauties would haue done If they had been confounded all in one 125 And yet she thought those starrs mou'd in such measure To doetheir Soueraigne honor delight As sooth'd her minde w t sweet enchanting pleasure Although the various change amaz'd her sight And her weake iudgement dyd entangle quite Beside theyr mouing made thē shine more cleere As Diamonds mou'd more sparkling do appeare 126 Thys was the Picture of her wondrous thought But who can wonder that her thought was so Sith Vulcan King of fire that Mirrour wrought Which things to come present past doth know And there did represent in liuely show Our glorious English Courts diuine Image As it should be in this our golden age 127 Away Terpsichore light Muse away And come Vrame Prophetesse diuine Come Muse of heau'n my burning thirst allay Euen now for want of sacred drinke I tine In heau'nly moysture dip thys Pen of mine And let my mouth with Nectar ouerflow For I must more then mortall glory show 128 O that I had Homers aboundant vaine I would heereof another Ilias make Or els the man of Mantuus charmed braine In whose large throat great Ioue the thunder spake O that I could old Gefferies Muse awake Or borrow Colins sayre heroike stile Or smooth my times with Delias seruants file 129 O could I sweet Companion sing like you VVhich of a shadow vnder a shadow sing Or like faire Salues sad louer true Or like the Bay the Marigolds darling VVhose suddaine verse Loue couers with his wing O that your braines were mingled all with mine T'inlarge my wit for this great worke diuine 130 Yet Astrophell might one for all suffize VVhose supple Muse Camelion-like doth change Into all formes of excellent deuise So might the Swallow whose swift Muse doth range Through rare Idaeas and inuentions strange And euer doth enioy her ioyfull spring And sweeter then the Nightingale doth sing 131 O that I might that singing Swallow heare To whom I owe my seruice and my loue His sugred tunes would so enchant mine eare And in my mind such sacred fury moue As I should knock at heau'ns great gate aboue With my proude rimes while of this heau'nly state I doe aspire the shadow to relate FINIS