endlesse rest it giues No rest it yeelds but kils both Man and Beast Yet rest it giues by reaving of their liues So kniues bereaue their rest that rest by kniues Men go to bed as to their graue with breath Where Death vnwares of breath theÌ„ oft depriues So while they sleepe in life they sleepe in death True Image of the life in Hell beneath For if in that Hell be degrees of Woes As Truth it selfe affirmes with voice divine Then may these seeme to be the worst of those That lowest Hell doth in it selfe confine For weeping and Teeth-gnashing that Hels Signe Is seene each where where civill Swords doe rage VVhich do the best-backt states in sunder chine And with Hell-like confusion doe engage The brightest Empires to darke Vassallage As when the might'st Baiazeth is come Into the clawes of some rude Tamburlaine Hee 's vsd more basely then the basest Groome Till he be forc'd to beate out his owne Braine Against the cage of his hard Harts disdaine So when the civill Swords vncivilliz'd In mightist Empires there it runnes amaine Through all till all be with Contempt surpriz'd Or all doe end ere so will be dispisde Thus whiles Athalia hath her owne bloud suckt And Achaz in the fire his Flesh did frie Yea whiles Samaria on her Walles hath pluckt Her childrens Limbes in sunder savagely Devouring them with hunger greedily Our Milke and hoony-flowing Palestine Hath overflowne withall felicitie Whiles Envie sought but could not saue repine To hale vs from this Sea with Hooke and Line So wee alone orewhelm'd in Earthlie Blisse Still diue in Pleasures Streames to finde new Ioies Not knowing once what Sword or Famine is Nor the least thing that Nature ought annoyes Saue when we list to make them sporting Toies VVhat are we Lord or what our Fathers house That it by thee such vvelfare still enioies As it doth seeme thy vvhole care 's cast on vs And to vs only wert most gracious VVhat endlesse Peales of Praise are due to thee From those to whom as to vnworthy vs Thou leavest not an headlesse Anarchee As to the Caniballs prodigious A Government more then most monsterous Nor as to the Tartarian Herdes of Cham Nor Swarmes of Tubal-gog most ravenous But with thy powre divine them vp didst dam Farre off from Albion in the Land of Ham Our present happinesse shall more appeere And long may it bee present and to come Compared with the state wherein we were At our grand Ancestors first calling home To civill life that long did rudely rome Their common-weale if so it may bee call'd VVas like to Romes when Sylla rag'd in Rome VVith Rage and Wronge and lawlesse might enthrall'd And by each savage Furie ever galld The greate devour'd the meane the meane the lesse VVho could gripe hardest held all as he would VVho crost his will the law did then transgresse For which he dide or dying liue he should So strongest Theeues themselues did Princes hold All was worse then it seem'd yet seem'd all woe For t was a Nation which this Land did hold That liv'd by one anothers overthro Yet for they liu'd togither seem'd not so I could although my Muse were neere so dull Be endlesse in this infinite discourse But now Decorum hy the eare doth pull My forward Muse and staies her in her course Lest that a Booke her Preface wax perforce It is ynough my Booke doth ore abound VVith tedious lines if not with lines farre worse Yet in well-borne Prolixitie is found That which abortiue Breefenesse cannot bound And for a tast God graunt it may prooue tastie Of what the Muse can doe now thou art come That which ensues though shee were over-hastie Is her first speach since Musing made her dombe This Brat conceaved in her barraine Wombe Was made to moue by the all-movers aide And if both moue thee to like all or some I shall account my Muse the blessedst Maide That ever for an Husband so long staide Yet shee that next to God and thee hath right My service to command commandeth me To be hir Mouth to vtter what shee might vnto hir great'st Protector next to thee Ere that my short wing'd Muse doo further flee My deerest Country VVales commandeth this That in the depth of all humilitee I let hir Prince to know how ill shee is For want of him hir Loue hir Life hir blisse VVhat shall I say deere Liege I 'm at a stand That haue so much with little skill to say Heau'n Earth Men Beasts Fish Fowle yea Sea and Land Exults with vs insults on those that may And will not curst be those I cursing pray To curse Gods foes and youres is but to blesse Those that be his and yours and both obay David did so and Davies doth no lesse Amen saie all that loue true blessednesse Iohn Davies CAMBRIA To the high and mighty Henâ—y by the grace of God Prince of Wales GReat Grandame Wales from whom these Ancestors Descended from whom I poore I descend I owe so much to my Pregeniâ—ors And to thee for them that vntill mine end Thy name and fame I le honor and defend Sith Ioy doth pasâ—age to thy speech deny For that thy Prince â—hine honor doth commend Lest that thy silence might be tane awrie Mine Artlesse Pâ—n shall thy Tongues want supply Did Curtius more for Rome then I for thee That willingly to saue thee from annoy Of dire dislike for ingratuitee Do take vpon me to expresse thy ioy And so my Muse in boundlesse Seas destroie Yet lo deere Grandame how myne active Loue My little All doth more then all imploy For thee that thou by me thy Prince maist moue To louethee for the ioy he makes thee proue O then most gracious Sonne vnto that Sire VVhose grace doth glorifie both Sire Sonnâ— Of thy great grace I prostrate thee desire To cast thine Eye on mine intention Rather then on my Muses action The Burden's waighty which shee vndergoes And shee is VVeake and Dull in motion Then let thy lively Soule hir Soule inclose And giue hir youth and Spright that aged groes As when a yongling lieth by the syde Of some old Sire his age doth vertue draw From his deere youth that makes Age longer bide So mine invention old cold rude and raw Not able to disgest ought in hir maw May by the quicke hereditary heate Of thy yong Muse that yâ—iest thoughts can thaw In VVales my Countries name performe this feare And welcome thee to thy long empty Seatâ— But ô I feele but with the thought of thee My frozen thoughts to melt as with a Sunne Whose comfort Brutes Remayne doth long to see And through my Nerues I feele the warme bloud runne FroÌ„ hart to braines to heat invention Mount Muse vpon the winges of high desire Runn Numbers now my swistest thoughts outruÌ„ne That prostrate on my face while you aspire I may salute thie Prince VVales and his Sire
thou in vs we hope shalt shortly proue For with thy becke thou shalt vs stay or moue If thou wilt come to vs thou well shalt see Wee le spare no paine that may effect thy pleasure For each one will be busie as a Bee To yeeld thee honied ioie by waight and measure And shunne as Hell the cause of thy displeasure Wee le plant our Mountaines with the rarest Trees That may be culled from Pomonas Treasure And all our hedge-roâ—s shall be ranckt with these To please thine eie with what with taste agrees Wee le root vp all our roughes our heath's our furs And in their place make grasse cowslips gro VVe will remoue what thy dislike incurs And with the Mountaines fill the Vales below If by Mans powre and paine they may be so Nought shall offend thee be it what it will Be it but mortall if we it may know For vvee le bring downe the prowdest He or Hill That thou shalt doome to be scarse good or ill Then liue with vs deere Prince and we vvill make Our wildest Wasts Iett-coulored Garden-Plots So Flora will her flowred Meades forsake To set flowres there in many curious knots To please thee and our other selues the Scots VVee le turne our Villages to Citties faire And share them twixt the Scots and vs by lots VVhereto both one and other may repaire To interchange Commodities or Aire VVee le cleeue the Mountaines Neptune to let in That Ships may floate where now our Sheepe do feedeâ— And whatso-ere industrious hands may win Shall not be lost that may thy pleasure breede Or richer make our intermixed Seede And whereas now two Townes doe scarse appeere Within the largest Prospect then with speede They shall be built as if one Towne they were That we may be to each as neere as deere Those pleasant Plots where erst the Romaines built Faire Citties for their Legions to liue in VVhose gorgeous Architecture was oreguilt That by the civill Sword haue ruin'd bin Which Ruines are the Monuments of sinne These will we now repaire faire as before That Scots and Brittaines may mixt liue therein Caerleon where king Arthure liu'd of yore Shall be rebuilt and double gilt once more And all along her gaudy gallant Streetes VVee le go in Triumph singing once a day God and our Princes praises sweete of sweetes Vpon our Harpes like Angels all the way For that our Prince is pleasd with vs to stay VVhat i st that loiall thankefull Harts can doe But we will doe nay do much more then thay Thus doe we Brittaines our Prince kindly woo To rule vs ere misrule doth vsâ— vndoo If prowde we be as Pride perhaps vvill say How can wee choose now we haue such a Prince Yet shall we prowder be him to obey Then prowde of our dominion long since VVhen with our Swordes we did the Land convince Wee were a People free and freely fought For glorie freedome and preheminence But now our totall glory shall be sought In this that we will serue thee as we ought Beleeue not Envy Prince that vs pursues Because shee knowes our Race is halfe divine That will perhaps say we our selues misuse And to contention over-much incline This may be put on any mortall line By Envies malice but thou shalt perceaue Our vice is Wit and Courage-masculine With constant kindnesse mixt which Brute did leaue To Camber from whom we did it receiue Nor may it be harmonious to thine Eares To heare our stocke deprau'd by Iniurie For thy deer'st bloud as to the World appeares Is soild thereby with odious obloquie Then stop their mouthes that breath such blasphemie Let not our plainenesse be their common-place To make them sport in bitter foolery For we hold planenesse to be no disgrace How ere false-harted Fiends may deeme it base I doe confesse vvee open-harted are Scorning Italian-hollow-hartednesse Where we dislike there shew the same we dare And where we loue we loue for nothing lesse Then that which tasts of base vnworthinesse Troy had no Sinen though the Greekes had store Nor can her Ofspring their croâ—fe fortunes blesse VVith creeping to a Devill or adore A senslesse Blocke â—hough double-gilt or more VVe like Civilitie when it is dide In coulor which vvill take no hue but one That 's Blacke which still vvill like it selfe abide Aswell in raging stormes as shining Sunne Till it doth change by dissolution VVe hate as Hell the fovvle bi-formed face Because it alters its creation And thinke that glorie hath her greatest grace In vniformitie and keeping place VVe are whole chested and our Breastes doe hold A single Hart that is as good as great And that doth make vs in our actions bold For Innocence with feare doth never sweate How ill so ere the World doth her intreate Our Kith Kinne and Aliance with our friends VVe by the measure of kinde nature meate If so we needs must loue thee for these ends And for our happinesse on thee depends O could I tune my Tongue vnto thine Eare â— That so my Words might musicke seeme to it That so thou might'st alone the Burden beare VVhich it requires as it is requisit Then should my Note be noted to be fit I speake for those whose Tongues are strange to thee In thine owne Tongue if my words be vnfit That blame be mine but if Wales better be By my disgraâ—e I hold that grace to me And better shall it be if my weake lines Shall draw thee but one furlong thetherward For as when in the Morne Sol farre-off shines Yet cheeres vs with approaching hetherward But makes vs heavie going from-vs-ward So Wales will much reioice vvhen thy svveete face Doth though farre off with favour her regard Thine only countenance shall giue her grace And make her deeme her seâ—fe in blessed case But ten times blest if shee might thee embrace None otherwise then as a widow poore Vext with oppressions and adversity If some great Prince doo match with hir therfore To shield hir so from woes and iniuries Shee 'l kisse his feete in loues humility So shee that like a widow long hath liv'd VVithout a Prince our Principalitie VVill kisse thy feete and be halfe dead reviv'd If such an honyed Husband she had wiv'd Shee good old Ladie then with youth renew'd VVould foote it finely in blith Roundâ—laies No Bellamoure should then be better hu'd For hir Harts mirth in hir face bloud would raise That would deserue thy Loue thy grace thy praise And as inspired with a courtly Spright Vpon the soddaine would spend Nights daies As Dido entertain'd the Troian Knight In all that should or thee or thine delight Thou shalt perceave though she be far froÌ„ Courts Clos'd in a Cantone of this blessed Land Yet shee hath in hir Trayne some of all sorts Of either Sex whereof some vnderstand The Dialect of Court and Courts command To whom shee giues most royall Maintenance For pettie Kiâ—gdoms some Squires haue in hand VVho will
rag'd being racked most And with their losse the King lost many frends VVhich were as Fortes to guard his Kingdoms coast But ill beginnings haue vnlucky ends And worse proceeding worse in fine offends In the last Richard may be liuely seene Ambition really annatomiz'd VVhich orelookes all and yet is overseene Advising all yet none more vnadvis'd Destroying all till shee be sacrifiz'd Shee Faith Sex Age Bloud State and Contery Divine and humane lawes immortaliz'd Respects not in respect of Empery All which appeer'd in this King copiouslie In his Successor Englands Salomon Are diverse things well worth the imitation In our states policie for he alone Bent all his powres to benefit this Nation He saw our forraine Conquests ill probation And that for Islanders it was vnmeete To spend their wealth for forraine domination Which was no sooner fixed but did fleete And did this state with ill Salutes regreete He thought it losse to purchase warre and hate Where loue and Traficke might be helde with gaine He well remembred how each Runnagate And wandring Nation here ran in amaine Making their profit of this Nations paine He saw the safetie and weale of this state Rested in wealth and peace and quiet raigne And not in forraine Conquests and debate VVhich haue as short as most vncertaine date Through Peace and perfect government this Land May in her rich Commodities abound Which may coÌ„firme the Neighbor-friendships band And intertrafficke with them tunne for pound So make the Landes adiacent to her bound Thus God is pleasd and King and Contrey eas'd The Tradsmen thriue that dearth wars coÌ„found The People are as with great profit pleas'd And none but those that liue by spoile displeas'd This prudent Prince perceav'd this Common-weale To be by Trafficke strong made in the backe So as an head that Members wants doth feele He leagu'd him where might be suppli'd their lacke Or be as walls to keepe the Realme from wrack He seeing that which he did often trie The Money-Sacke best kept the Land from sack Therefore the Angells which from him did fly Had but short wings and lighted but hard by Among the things which he did least regard His Belly and his Backe were more then least He fared wel when so his Commons far'd Although his commons were not of the best Yet fared like a Kinge without a feast He rather chose to haue Exchequers rich Then wealthy VVardropps yet would well be drest When it his Maiestie and State did touch Yet held save Common-wealth all wealth too much Where Kings be not in ceasselesse guard of Armes Like these of ours the State lying open so T' invasion and Rebellions soddaine harmes Let not the Kinge looke Friends should â—oile the Foe At their owne charge for feare of overthro And in tumultuous times to breake their backs Will make them from their Necks the yoke to thro And to be freed from such tormenting Racks Wil ruine all though them with al it wracks Such great improvidence and want of heede vnseasonable Taxing Tempting rather Hath made the Soveraigne with the Subiect bleede Witnesse the two last Richards among other That knew how greevous then it was to gather Store is no Sore they say except of Sores Yet t is sore store with hate to heape togither Hate havocks in each hole in al vprores As VVater havocks life through all the Pores This spectacle of Kingly providence Nere cloi'd the subiect with too great estate Nor would he of a Pesaunt make a Prince His best belov'd he held in sober state That he might liue with them without debate Of all the Kings that ere this Land possest For government discreete and temperate This King deseruedly is deemed best And to be imitated worthiest In his Triumphant most victorious Son Henry the last in name and first in fame Is to be seene great wisedome vsd to shun Crosse Accidents and courage in the same Yet some suppose that he incurred blame For be'ng too open-handed in expence And giftes excessiue but it is a shame For Kings not roially to recompence The rich desert of any Excellence Ingratitude in all 's most monsterous But most of all in roiall Maiestie Wherein it s more then most prodigious Munificence makes great Authoritie And standes with Greatnesse in great policie The force of Guifts doth offer violence Even to savage Inhumanity Forcing therefrom such loues obedience As singlie workes with double diligence His forraine Conquests much more famous were Then any way commodious to this state Yet â—hem his actiue sp'rite could not forbeare For Caesar-like he would predominate VVhere he had least iust coulor of estate In raising lowest shrubs to Cedars hie He from his sage Sire did degenerate Yet vertue though it nere so low doth lie Is vvorthy of high praise and dignitie In the last Edwards and Queene Maries raigne Is seene what to those states is incident VVhere subiects doe not feare their Soveraigne But striue to liue beside their Regiment Contemning so their too-weake government This made the Rebell rise in strength and pride From Sov'raignes weaknesse taking couragement T' assault their Gates led by a feeble Guide Shaking their Thrones a while from side to side In our Queenes no lesse long then peacefull reigne Blest as appeer'd by that blest Prince of Peace VVas seene much more then wisedome feminine If wee respest how soone shee made to cease The olde Religion for the oldes increase That suddaine change that did the soule acquite Of olde devotion which none will release Vpon the suddaine still to stand in might May make a Newter deeme sh'was in the right And now descend yee spirites Angelicall That chargde doe guard th' Anointed of your Lorde Crowne my Liege Lord with crowne imperiall And put into his hand the awfull Sword Of Iustice so the good shall bee assur'd And so may yee bee freed from your charge VVhereby the good are evermore secur'd For hee that office will for you discharge Sith Iustice goodmens surance doth inlarge Blesse him ô ever-blessed Vnion Making a no lesse blessed Trinitie Blesse him as thou hast never blessed one That ever did possesse this Monarchy Showre downe thy blessings on his family The blessings of the womb giue to his Queene And let them as the Sea-sand multiplie That froÌ„ their roiall loines may still be seene Heires as the starres of heau'n for store and sheene Thus haue I breath'd my Muse in Policie Or rather runne her out of breath therein That so shee may with more facility Runne ore the rest lesse difficult vvherein Shee hath much more then much delighted bin But Policie is but abus'd by me I doe but mangle her and make her sinne But were shee whollie seene as shee should be Sh'would seeme no daughter of Mortalitee REturne my Muse froÌ„ whence thou hast digrest To toile thy selfe in