if thou should'st depart Leaving thee living in posterity Be not selfe-wild for thou art much too faire To be deaths conquest and make wormes thine heire An invitation to Marriage MVsick to heare why hear'st thou musick sadly Sweets with sweets warre not joy delights in joy Why lov'st thou that which thou receavst not gladly Or else receiv'st with pleasure thine annoy If the true concord of well tuned sounds By unions married do offend thine eare They do but sweetly chide thee who confounds In singlenesse the parts that thou should'st beare Marke how one string sweet husband to another Strikes each in each by mutuall ordering Resembling â—ier and child and happy mother Who all in one one pleasing note do sing Whose speechlesse song being many seeming one Sings this to thee thou single wilt prove none It is for feare to wet a widdowes eye That thou consum'st thy selfe in single life Ah if thou issuleâ—â—e shalt hap to die The world will waile thee like a makelesse wife The world will be thy widdow and still weepe That thou no forme of thee hast left behind When every privat widdow well may keepe By childrens eyes her husbands shape in minde Looke what an unthrift in the world doth spend Shifts but his place for still the world enjoyes it But beauties waste hath in the world an end And kept unus'd the user so destroyes it No love toward others in that bosome sits That on himselfe such murdrous shame commits For shame dâ—â—y that thou bear'st love to any Who for thy selfe art so unprovident Grant if thou wilt thou art belov'd of many But that thou none lov'st is most evident For thou art so possest with murdrous hate That gainst thy selfe thou stickst not to conspire Seeking that beautious roofe to ruinate Which to repaire should be thy chiefe desire O change thy thought that I may change my minde Shall hate be fairer log'd then gentle love Be as thy presence is gracious and kind Or to thy selfe at least kind hearted prove Make thee another selfe for love of me That beautie still may live in thine or thee As fast as thou shalt wane so fast thou grow'st In one of thine from that which thou departest And that fresh blood which yongly thou bestow'st Thou maist call thine when thou from youth convertest Herein lives wisedome beautie and increase Without this folly age and cold decay If all were minded so the times should cease And threescore yeares would make the world away Let those whoâ— nature hath not made for store Harsh featurelesse and rude barrenly perish Looke whom she best indow'd she gave the more Which bountious gift thou shouldst in bountie cherrish She carv'd thee for her seâ—le and ment thereby Thou shouldst print more not let that coppy die When I doe count the clock that tels the time And see the brave day sunck in hidious night When I behold the violet past prime And sable curls or silver'd ore with white When loftie trees I see barren of leaves Which erst from heat did canopiâ— the herd And Sommers greene all girded up in sheaves Borne on the beare with white and bristly beard Then of thy beautie doe I question make That thou among the wasts of time must goe Since sweets and beauties doe themselves forsake And die as fast as they see others grow And nothing gainst Times sithe can make defence Save bread to brave him when he takes thee hence False beleefe WHen my Love sweares that she is made of truth I doe beleeve her though I know she lies That she might thinke me some untutor'd youth Vnskilfull in the worlds false forgeries Thus vainly thinking that she thinkes me young Although I know my yeares be past the best I smiling credit her false speaking tongue Outfacing faults in Love with loves ill rest But wherefore sayes my love that shee is young And wherefore say not I that I am old O Loves best habit is a soothing tongue And Age in love loves not to have yeares told Therefore I le lie with Love and Love with me Since that our faults in Love thus smother'd be A Temptation TWo loves I have of Comfort and Despaire That like two Spirits doe suggest me still My better Angell is a Man right faire My worser spirit a Woman colour'd ill To winne me soone to hell my Female evill Tempteth my better Angell from my side And would corrupt my Saint to be a Divell Wooing his puritie with her faire pride And whether that my Angell be turnd feend Suspect I may yet not directly tell For being both to me both to each friend I ghesse one Angell in anothers hell The truth I shall not know but live in doubt Till my bad Angell fire my good one out Fast and loose DId not the heavenly Rhetoricke of thine eye Gainst whom the world could not hold argument Perswade my heart to this false perjurie Vowes for thee broke deserve not punishment A woman I forswore but I will proue Thou being a Goddesse I forswore not thee My vow was earthly thou a heavenly love Thy grace being gaind cures all disgrace in me My vow was breath and breath a vapour is Then thou faire Sun that on this earth doth shine Exhale this vapour vow in thee it is If broken thâ—n it is no fault of mine If by me broke what foole is not so wise To breake an Oath to win a Paradise True content SO is it not with me as with that Muse Stird by a painted beautie to his verse Who heaven it selfe for ornament doth use And every faire with his faire doth reherse Making a cooplement of proud compare With Sunne and Moone with earth and seas rich gems With Aprills first borne flowers and all things rare That heavens ayre in this huge rondure hems O let me true in love but truly write And then beleeve me my love is as faire As any mothers childe though not so bright As those gold candells fixt in heavens ayeâ— Let them say more that like of heare-say well I will not prayse that purpose not to sell A bashfull Lover AS an unperfect actor on the stage Who with his feare is put besides his part Or some fierce thing repleat with too much rage Whose strengths abnndance weakens his owne heart So I for feare of trust forget to say The perfect ceremony of loves right And in mine owne loves strength seeme to decay Ore-charg'd with burthen of mine owne loves might O let my books be then the eloquence And domb presagers of my speaking brest Who pleade for love and looke for recompence More then that tongue that more hath more exprest O learne to read what silent love hath writ To heare with eyes belongs to loves fine wit Strong conceite MY glasse shall not perswade me I am old So long as youth and thou art of one date But when in thee times forrowes I behold Then looke I death my dayes should expiate For all that beautie that doth cover
pride The argument all bare is of more worth Then when it hath my added praise beside Oh blame me not if I no more can write Looke in your glasse and there appeares a face That overgoes my blunt invention quite Dulling my lines and doing me disgrace Were it not sinfull then striving to mend To marre the subject that before was well For to no other passe my verses tend Then of your graces and your gifts to tell And more much more thâ—n in my verse can sit Your owne glasse showes you when you looke in it A Lovers excuse for his long absence O Never say that I was false of heart Though absence seem'd my flame to quallifie As easie might I from my selfe depart As from my soule which in thy brest doth lye That is my home of love if I have rang'd Like him that travels I returne againe Iust to the time not with the time exchang'd So that my selfe bring water for my staine Never beleeve though in my nature raign'd All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood That it could so prâ—posterously be stain'd To leave for nothing all thy summe of good For nothing this wide Vniverse I call Save thou my Rose in it thou art my all Alas 't is true I have gone here and there And made my selfe a motley to the view Gor'd mine owne thoughts sold cheape what is most deare Made old offences of affections new Most true it is that I have lookt on truth Asconce and strangely But by all above These blenches gave my heart another youth And worse affaies prou'd thee my best of love Now all is done have what shall have no end Mine appetite I never more will grinde On newer proofe to trie an older friend A God in love to whom I am confin'd Then give me welcome next my heaven the best Even to thy pure and most most loving brest A complaint OFor my sake doe you wish fortune chide The guiltie goddesse of my harmelesse deeds That did not better for my life provide Then publick meanes which publicke manners breeds Thence comes it that my name receives a brand And almost thence my nature is subdu'd To what it workes in like the Dyers hand Pitty me then and wish I were renu'de Whilst like a willing patient I will drinke Potions of Eysell gainst my strong infection No bitternesse that I will bitter thinke Nor double pennance to correct correction Pittie me then deare friend and I assure yee Even that your pittie is enough to cure me Your love and pittie doth th' impression fill Which vulgar scandall stampt upon my brow For what care I who calls me well or ill So you ore-greene my bad my good alow You are my All the world and I must strive To know my shames and prayses from your tongue None else to me nor I to none alive That my steel'd sence or changes right or wrong In so profound Abisme I throw all care Of others voyces that my Adderssence To cryttick and to flatterer stopped are Marke how with my neglect I doe dispence You are so strongly in my purpose bred That all the world beside me thinkes y' are dead Selfe flattery of her beautie SInce I left you mine eye is in my minde And that which governes me to goe about Doth part his function and is partly blind Seemes seeing but effectually is out For it no forme delivers to the heart Of birds or flower or shape which it doth lack Of his quick objects hath the mind no part Nor his owne vision houlds what it doth catch For if it see the rud'st or gentlest sight The most sweet favour or deformedst creature The mountaine or the sea the day or night The Crow or Dove it shapes them to your feature Incapable of more repleat with you My most true minde thus maketh mine untrue Or whether doth my minde being crown'd with you Drinke up the monarchs plague this flattery Or whether shall I say mine eye saith true And that your love taught it this Alcumie To make of monsters and things indigest Such cherubins as your sweet selfe resemble Creating every bad a perfect best As fast as objects to his beames assemble Oh t is the first t is flattry in my seeing And my great mind most kindly drinkes it up Mine eye well knowes what with his gust is greeing And to his pallat doth prepare the cup If it be poison'd t is the lesser sinne That mine eye loves it and doth first beginne Those lines that I before have writ doe lie Even those that said I could not love you deerer Yet then my judgement knew no reason why My most full flaâ—e should afterwards burne clearer But reckoning time whose milliond accidents Creepe in twixt vowes and change decrees of Kings Tan sacred beautie blunt the sharp'st intents Divert strong minds to th' course of altring things Alas why fearing of times tiranny Might I not then say now I love you best When I was certaine ore in-certaintie Crowning the present doubting of the rest Love is a Babe then might I not say so To give full growth to that which still doth grow Tryall of loves constancy ACcuse me thus that I have scanted all Wherein I should your great deserts repay Forgot upon your dearest love to call Whereto all bonds doe tie me day by day That I have frequent binne with unknowne minds And given to time your owne deare purchas'd right That I have hoysted saile to all the winds Which should transport me farthest from your sight Booke both my wilfulnesse and errour downe And on just proofe surmise accumilate Bring me within the levell of your frowne But shoote not at me in your wakened hate Since my appeale sayes I did strive to proove The constancy and vertue of your love Like as to make our appetites more keene With eager compounds we our pallat urge As to prevent our malladies unseene We sicken to shun sicknesse when we purge Even so being full of your neare cloying sweetnesse To bitter sawces did I frame my feeding And sicke of wel-fare found a kinde of meetnesse To be discas'd ere that there was true needing Thus pollicie in love t' anticipate The ills that were not grew to faults assured And brought to medicine a healthfull state Which ranke of goodnesse would by ill be cured But thence I learne and find the lesson true Drugs poyson him that so fell sicke of you What potions have I drunke of Syren teareâ— Distil'd from Limbecks foule as hell within Applying feares to hopes and hopes to feares Still loosing when I saw my selfe to win What wretched errors hath my heart committed Whilst it hath thought it selfe so blessed never How have mine eyes out of their Spheares beene fitted In the distraction of this madding fever O benefit of ill now I finde true That better iâ— by evill still made better And ruin'd love when it is built anew Growes fairer then at first more strong far greater So I returne
And flattering joy wee le have to recite their playes Shakespeare and Beamond Swannes to whom the Spheareâ— Listen while they call backe the former yeare To teach the truth of Scenes and more for thee There yet remaines brave soule than thou canst see By glimmering of a fancie doe but come And there I le shew thee that illustrous roome In which thy father Iohnson shall be plac'd As in a Globe of radiant fire and grac'd To be of that high Hyrarchy where none But brave soules take illumination Immediatly from heaven but harke the Cocke The Bell-man of the night proclaimes the Clocke Of late strucke one and now I feele the prime Of day breake through the pregnant East t is time I vanish more I had to say But night determines here away Lavinia walking in a frosty Morning I' th nonnage of a Winters day Laviâ—ia glorious as May To give the morne an earlier birth Paced a mile of crusted earth When each place by which she came From her veines conceived flame The amorous plant began to strive Which should first be sinsitive Every hoary headed twâ—gge Drop'd his Snowy Periwigge And each bough his Icy beard On either side his walkes was heard Whispers of decreped wood Calling to their rootes for blood The gentle Soyle did mildely greete The welcome kisses of her feete And to retaine such a Treasure Like waxe dissolving tooke her measure Lavinia stood amaz'd to see Things of yearely certaintie Thus to rebell against their Season And though a stranger to the Reason Backe retiring quench'd their heate And Winter tooke his former Seate A Sigh sent to his Mistresse I Sent a Sigh unto my Mistresse Eare Which went her way and ne're came there I hasted after least some other faire Should mildly entertaine this travelling Ayre Each flowry garden I did search for feare It might mistake a Lilly for her Eare And having there tooke lodging still might dwell Hous'd in the Concave of Christall Bell I sought amongst the Birds thinking it might Resort for company the wing'd flight And so play Truant but alas each note They merrily did warble in the throate Told me it was but the mirthy signe If one were there I knew t was none of thine At last one frosty morning I did spie The subtill wanderer in the skie At sight of me it trembled and for feare I bare it to my Saint and pray'd her take This new borne off-spring for the Masters sake Which she perceiving granted me her lippe And so preferr'd it to her softer tippe And now this pendant burthen now doth heare Each thing that 's whispr'd in her Eare I grieve cause I have lost a teare and she With sorrow is more happier farre than me Yet there is remedy left to ease me Give me but one of hers and so shee le please me An Allegoricall allusion of melancholy thoughts to Bees COme you swarmes of thoughts and bring to this crazie Hive of mine Not your hony but your sting naked I my heart resigne To your Lanclets therefore sticke Every part and parsell thicke From the garden of her face where these Bees were wont to finde Amber sweets in every place scattered by a chiding winde Hie you home for now you are Marchants turn'd to men of warre Some brought me incense from her breath some the Velvet of her brow Some a smile some underueath tincture of lippe curroll now Every one that thence doth â—â—ie Brings a needle from her eye Register the breach of peace for the time is not expir'd 'T was for life but if it cease amity being still required As you write it on my heart Print it with your little dart Leave not so but straight torment Hope whose chiefe adventures chose And for more though now content to draw backwards and depose And from all dominion fling As a Drone though once your King Let him bare his vast designes to desires as vast as they High-roofe thoughts and spacious mindâ— are not for Cottages of clay Monarchies will fit them best Petty States affect but rest Keepe you in for if you stray from your holds no other feares Neede afflict you night or day but by scalding water teares For she vowes in Loves defence Love no more shall fire you hence All the doubt is as you grow Waspes because your bagges are drie So as you your stings forgoe you will turne to arrant Flies And when Summer sets you free Trouble her as well as me Yet beware the baites are laid nets are spread the flames are high You had neede to be afraid for there 's lightning in her eye Every hair's sleeve of silke And each breast a wave of milke Therefore circumspectly light on her hand for Suger growes All the Countrey over quite Feed and say but in the close To the Waspe the Bee the Flie All 's provided for but I. I. G. The Primrose ASke me why I send you here This firstling of the Winter yeere Aske me why I send to you This Primrose all bepearl'd with dew I straight will whisper in your eares The sweets of Love are wash'd with teares Aske me why this flower doth show So yellow greene and sickly too Aske me why the stalke is weake And bending yet it doth not breake I must tell you these discover What doubts and feares are in a Lover A Sigh GOe thou gentle whispering winde Beare this Sigh and if thou finde Where my cruell faire doth rest Cast it in her Snowy breast That inflam'd by my desire It may set her heart on fire Taste her lippe and then confesse If Arabia doe possesse Or that hony Hybla Hill Sweets like those which thence distill Those sweete kisses thou shalt gaine Shall reward thee for thy paine Boldly light upon her lippe There sucke odours and thence skippe To her bosome lastly fall Downe and wander over all Range about those Ivory hills From whose every part distills Amber dew these spices grow There pure streames of Nectar flow There perfume thy selfe and bring All those sweets upon thy wing As thou return'st change by thy power Every weede into a flower Turne every Thistle to a Vine And make the Bramble Eglantine For so rich a booty made Doe but this and I am paide Thou canst with thy powerfull blast Heate apace and coole as fast Thou canst kindle hidden flame And againe destroy the same Then for pitty either stirre Vp the flames of love in her That alike both flames may shine Or else quite extinguish thine A Blush STay lusty blood where canst thou seeke So blest a place as in her cheeke How canst thou from that place retire Where beauty doth command desire But if thou canst not stay then flow Downe to her panting pappes below Flow like a deluge from her Breast Where Venus Swans hath built their nest And so take glory to disdaine With Azure blew each swelling veine Then run boyling through each part Till thou hast warm'd her frozen heart If from love it would retire