Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	great_a	see_v	stand_v	1,629	5	5.1656	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16815	The vvorkes of a young wyt, trust vp with a fardell of pretie fancies profitable to young poetes, preiudicial to no man, and pleasaunt to euery man, to passe away idle tyme withall. Whereunto is ioyned an odde kynde of wooing, with a banquet of comfettes, to make an ende withall. Done by N.B. Gentleman.	Breton, Nicholas, 1545?-1626?	1577 (1577)	STC 3715; ESTC S104671	43,127	80

¶ The vvorkes of a young wyt trust vp with a Fardell of pretie fancies profitable to young Poetes preiudicial to no man and pleasaunt to euery man to passe away idle tyme withall Whereunto is ioyned an odde kynde of wooing with a Banquet of Comsettes to make an ende withall Done by N. B. Gentleman ¶ The Letter 〈◊〉 to the Reader I Haue both heard read oft tymes that Bookes and Cheeses may very well be likened one to the other in this poynt for the diuersitie of mens iudgementes giuen of them For they are wares both to be looked on for loue and bought for money The Cheese once out of the Presse shortly after comes to market to be solde where perhaps it is tasted of many before it be bought And bookes once imprinted are presently in shoppes where many peruse them ere they be solde Nowe ▪ some that haue tasted the Cheese wil say perchaunce t is too drye an other wyl say t is too ful of whaye ▪ the third wyll say the meate is good but it is yll handled the fourth wil contrary say it lookes better then it is Come another he wyl say Berlady t is prety good meate Some wyl say It is litle worth and some wyll say It is starke naught but that is an euyl toungd felow Some wyl say T is Cheese that 's a blunt whorson Some wyl say T wil serue he is to be borne withal Some wyl say T is good meate when one is hungry he is woorthy to haue a peece of it if he can get it when he hath nothing els to dynner Some wyl like it very well and giue money for it he is most worthy to haue it much good may it doo hym And thus of Bookes and so of this my booke among others Some wyl say It is too dry it wants the sap of Sapience neither hath it yenough of the Runnet of Reason Some other wyl say It is too sul of the whay of wantonnesse which in wise mens taste seemes very sowre Some wyll say The inuention is prety but it is yll pend Some other wyll more commend the pennyng then the matter Some wyl say It is prety Poetrie Some wyl say It is meane stuffe And some perhaps wyl say It is bald ryme not worth the reading but that is a malicious Lob for my lyfe Some wyll say T is verse he speakes his mynd plainly Some wyl say T wil passe for Poaetrie let hym passe for cetera Some wyl say It is good enough to reade when a man hath nothing els to doo he may reade it if he can come by it in such idle tyme Some perhaps wyll prayse it more then it deserues and geue coyne for it rather then goe without it Such are best woorthy to haue it and wel may it like them when they haue bought it Well such as like it not I pray you beare a good tongue and let it alone and God be with you I wish you well and perhaps I wyl agaynst the next Terme prouide you some other newe ware for your olde golde Tyll when and euer I wish you all with my selfe the grace of God and well to fare From my lodgyng this .xiiii. of May. Anno Domini 1577. Your poore Countreyman N. B. ✚ The woorkes of a young wit. Primordium The Farmer he that newe breakes vp a ground and dooth not know what fruit the soyle will yeelde The cheapest seede that lyghtly may be found be commonly bestowes vpon that fielde For tryall first as best for his behoue by proofe of that how better graine wil prooue And as I thinke the cheapest kynde of grayne on newe digd grounde the Farmer can bestowe Whereof to reape some profit for his payne are Otes a grayne which euery man dooth knowe Which proouing yll his losse can be but small if well such gaynes as he may lyue withall What sayd I otes Why Otes there are I see of diuers kyndes as some are counted wylde And they are light and yet with them some be in steed of better many tymes beguyld And sure I thinke that wylde lyght kynde of grayne my selfe haue sowne within my barren brayne But t is no matter smal hath been my cost and this is first tyme that I sturd my brayne Besydes I haue but little labour lost in idle tyme to take a little payne And though I loose both payne and grayne in deede my ground I crowe will serue for better seede For as the Farmer though his croppe be yll the seede yet lost will fatten well the grounde And when he seekes for better grayne to tyll and sowes good grayne then is the profit found For all the first that good was for no grayne will beare good fruite but with a little payne So my rude brayne that at the fyrst God wote was good for naught no kynd of fruite would yeelde New broken vp will now yet beare an Ote and as I hope wil prooue a prety field I lyke it tothe better that I fynd the Otes so sowne do not come vp in kynd For surely all the Otes I sowed were wilde and light God wote and cheape they cost me nought ▪ And now if that I be not much beguild they prooue good Otes and will be quickely bought Mary my croppe I reape is very small but what is lost my ground is made withall And when I till and sow a better grayne mine Otes so lost I shall not then repent My profite then will so requite my payne as I shall thinke my labour pretly spent And eke in time I hope with taking payne to make it fit to beare a right good grayne These Otes alas are fonde and foolish toyes which often tymes doo enter in the minde The thoughtes of which giue cause of griefe or ioyes which are so lighte as turne with euery winde And suche wilde Otes I meane wilde thoughts God knowes are all the grayne that in my ground now growes But yet I see that all the Otes I sowde I meane the thoughts that enter in my minde Are not come vp not halfe of them is showde and some come vp are blowen away with wynde The rest that stand are such as here you see which if you lyke then take them as they be These thoughts in deede were causes of such crimes as in my bookes here playne apparant be Which as I sat halfe idle many tymes I wrote God wote at randon as you see Which though they be but wilde lyght Otes in deede will make my ground yet fit for better seede Now I haue thought on thousand causes mo then I haue showne as well of griefe as ioye Some are forgot and those I cannot showe and when I wrote vpon too fond a toye And that withall my selfe mislykte the same strayght to the fyre for feare of further blame But such as these which by desert in deede I here doo terme toyes of an idle head● Are all the croppe that yet of al my seede

gramarian but a scoller small Yet doo the poore a penny somewhat finde and ABC doooth trouble a childes mynde And though the Baker count a Lofe no bredde and Uintner count good Beere no drinke at all And in comparison of a deepe hedde a right good wit haue vnderstanding small Yet poore chawe crusts and sup worse Broth then Beere and wit must serue where wisedome is not neere And though the man that sees with both his eyes dooth thinke a man with one eye sees but ill And he that hath his limmes all sound likewise may thinke the lame on ground must needes ly still Yet one eye sees one legge may helpe to stand and he may sturre that hath but o●e good hand But this I graunt a penny sure to be but little coyne to make a mery hart And so I thinke the childrens ABC but little knowledge to a learned arte And small in deede the sauour is I know that by these two is likely for to grow And crustes I thinke doo lend reliefe but hard and cold the comfort that dooth water yeeld And wisdome too from wit may not be spard two strokes in swimming saues a man but seelde One eie sees ill one legge but lamely standes he numly sturres that lackes one of his handes And thus I graunt and therefore now agayne I thinke these summes as good as nought at all I craue and haue my penny for my payne and yet God wot it lendes me comfort small I can ech letter in my Christes crosse rowe and yet in deede me thinkes I nothing knowe I chaw on crust yet ready am to starue I water drinke which makes me cold at hart My wit I see from wisedome quite dooth swarue I striue to swim but cannot learne that art Dimme is my sight I stifely sturre my handes and on my limmes my body numly standes But as I first begun I end agayne somewhat doth well although the summe be small A little plaster doth aswage much payne hee onely blest that needeth nought at all Who countes al summes on earth a summe but small to heauenly ioyes which summe God send vs all Finis ¶ This discourse ended and perused my Lord was somwhat earnest with me ere I should depart from him to write in lyke manner some discourse vppon Nihil and let Aliquid alone which though it seemed vnto me heard at the first yer minding to do my Lord any seruice I could I tooke in hand with the helpe of my Muse to write these verses following VVHat must I doo write nothing no not so of nothing I must somewhat seeke to wryte Of nothing Why What can I write I trowe nothing yeeldes nothing whereon to endite But there are choise of nothings now I see of which I knowe not which is giuen to me But let me see what these new nothings be what matter too they giue to write vppon One nothing is as I remember me a new nothing which many a day agen Children were woont to hang vpon their sleeues now let me see what this new nothing giues Ah now I find it showes a prety iest when children cry be it or Gyrle or boy To still them strayght and make them be at rest new nothing is a pleasant prety toy So new nothing I see when children cry is a fit member in the nursery No more of new nothings but now againe an old nothing there is and what is that That men doo vse and some vnto their payne doo learne to know the meaning of that what Twixt creditours it is as some men say a few fayre woordes where is no coyne to pay Besydes these nothings now a thyrd there is which some doo nothing to the purpose call That nothing to the purpose now is this when wisemen fall in talke among them all If some odde foole doo seeme to prate and clatter and all his talke tend nothing to the matter Now a fourth nothing I doo call to mynd and that is nothing in comparison The meaning of which nothing this I find an entrance nothing to that which is done A penny to a pound will seeme so smal as in manner seemeth naught at all Another nothing now is nothing thought as when a man that hath a thing to doo Dooth thinke it easie as a thing of nought and yet when that he sets himselfe thereto He findes his nothing such a some in deede as more then he can well dispatch with speede One nothing more that nothing is in deede where credit coyne nor wit nor wisedome is New nothing old nothing nothing to stand in steede nor nothing in comparisson I wis These nothings now my selfe I thinke possesse and I beleeue fewe men that can haue lesse Now nothing thought is this my fond discourse of all these nothings clapt together so Then which I thinke there can be nothing worse and may therefore for nothing iustly goe Yet who the like dooth set himselfe vnto shall finde a foolishe peece of woorke to doe And thus my Lorde I must confesse in deede I showe my nought or no capacitie To giue your Lordship such a toye to reede as dooth coutanei nothing but vanitie Yet since to write of nothing I was wild your Lordshippes hest I hope I haue fulfild If not so well as dooth in deede content I pardon craue my will did wishe the best If I had knowne what had your lordship ment To haue had done I should haue soone been prest To beate my braines according to my skill for to haue writ according to your will. But since my theame was nothing els but this a ba●e nothing for to endite vpon If I by chaunce haue wrote somewhat amisse And haue besides the rules of reason gon I stande in hope your Lordshippes noble minde will pardon all which nothing worth you finde Finis ¶ This discourse finished and deliuered vnto my Lorde after some talke had with his Lordship I tooke my leaue of him and returnde home to my lodging but by the way I chaunced to passe by three or foure gardens loking ouer a Pale into one of the sayd gardens to take the sweete ayre of diuers floures and herbes that grue neere vnto the pale Iespyed sitting on a Cammamell bancke vnder two or three trees to shade them from the parching heate of the sunne three gallant ladyes of which one so farre in beautie excelled the rest as my thought I could not content my selfe enough with the singular comforte of her sweete countenaunce but let this suffice that I stoode there gazing til the sweete soule to my extreme sorrow and hartes griefe departed the place and then wyth a heauie hart as I coulde I returnde to my lodging where long I had not been but my Muse came to me and seeing me sit in that solempne sort wyld mee write somewhat of the cause of my dumpes I not knowing what to write in that perplexitie of mynde wrote as my Muse bad me in praise of the garden for the

I came Which Heth was cald the Heth of heauines and sure me thought might right wel beare that name For on the same I could see no such thing as any way myght any comfort bring The ground al bare without or hedge or tree saue here and there a Breere or Nettle bush No fruite nor floure nor hearbe that I could see nor Grasse almost but here and there a rush And Mosse and Bents and full of ragged stone and dwelling houses neare it nere a one Well walking long vpon this Heth alone at last I stayd whereas I heard me thought The voyce of one that made a piteous mone and this he sayd too long I wretch haue sought For some relief but now too late I see there is no hope of comfort left for me And therefore home I backwardes will returne and draw my dayes in dole out as I can And stand content perforce to wayle and mourne in endlesse griefe aye me poore wretched man And with that woord he fetcht a sigh so deepe as would haue made the hardest hart to weepe Now hearing thus this waylfull ●oyce at last I cast about his person to espie And by and by with looke more halfe agast al skinne and bones as one at poynt to die This woful wight me thought in pitious plight plodding alone appeared to my sight And towardes me me thought he drewe so neere as I mought plaine ech part of him descrye And viewing wel his sad and mournfull cheere with heauie looke leane face and hollowe eye With Lathlike legges and carkas worne to bones I heard hym fetch ful many greeuous grones And downe he sate vpon a ragged stone and sighd and sobd in such a piteous sort As credit me of but halfe his mone it were a world in kinde to make report But to be short his bitter teares did showe his heauy hart abode a world of woe Well with this sight in mynde I heauy greue yet heauy so I thought to go and see What he myght ayle and yet to tell you true his onely syght had halfe appauled me Yet neerthelesse with much adoo at last vnto the place whereas he sat I past And comming to the place whereas he sat I spake to him and tooke him by the hand My friende quoth I I pray thee tel me what may cause thee thus in such sad plight to stande Alas quoth he againe with heauy cheere what doo I ayle foud wretch what doost thou heere My seely selfe am driune by destinie in doleful dumpes to spend my weery dayes In places voyde of pleasaunt company Opprest with griefe a thousand sundry wayes But how camst thou vnto this luckelesse land And to this place where now I see thee stand I wayle thy case but thou wilt wayle it more ere that thou doest get out hence againe Heere is no salue to heale the smallest fore nor any helpe to ease the lyghtest paine But whosoeuer heere doth catch a griefe let him be sure to die without reliefe Heere is no comfort for the heauy hart nor sparke of ioy to cheere the mourning mynde Causes enow to breede an endlesse smart but healing helpes but fewe or none to finde Heere nothing is but sorrow care and griefe and comfort none nor hope to finde reliefe Aie me thought I what kynde of speeche is this how might I doe to get me hence againe With that quod hee come wretched wyght Iwis thou little know●●e as yet god wot the paine That thou art lyke and that ere long to knowe For thou shalt come into a world of woe At which his woordes more halfe amazde in minde I drouping stood as one at poynt to dye And therewith all me thought I gan to fynde more inward griefe then now I can descrie In which sadde plight as I a whyle dyd stande he rose me thought and tooke me by the hande And ledde me on along this peuishe plaine vntill at last we came vnto a hill And there forsoothe me thoughte we stayde agayne wherewith quoth he awhile now staye heere stil And view the heapes of harmes that day by daye doe fall to men to bringe them to decay And there me thoughte he shewde me firste a knight a gallant youthe and sprong of noble race That went to warres and being foilde in fighte was captiue tane vnto his great disgrace And being had downe streight the hill was ledde bounde hande and foote and hanginge downe his hedde Whyther hee wente that shall you know anon For I in order meane eche thing to show And therfore well when this same knighte was gon there came a sight of rouers on a row Late ta●e at sea and there no remedy were brought perforce vpon three trees to dy They once dispatcht I saw a battel foughte a town was sackte and man and childe was slaine The weemen there the souldiours besought to saue their childrens liues but all in vaine They still were slaine and they that fledde away ranne downe the hill me thought an other way Thus gazyng long I caste mine eies about vpon the hill me thought an other way And there me thought I saw a lusty route of gallante youthes cladde all in riche araye And suddenly me thought a fray began and one againste an other fiercely ranne Anon me thought one had his eyes thruste out an other los●e a legge and half a hande The thirde was shrowdely wounded rounde about another loste both legges and could not stand Some slayne outright and they that could away ranne downe the hill and so gan ende the fray These youthes thus gonne me thought I saw hard by a table stande and thereon cardes and dise To which me thought came gallants presently and drew their bagges and to ●t with a trise Anon me thought some chafde lyke men half madde and lost almoste eche crosse of coine they had And they that thus had lost their coine at playe with heauy harte gan leaue the company And downe the hill me thought they tooke their waye and looking after them so by and by He thought the rest were gon all euery one and Cardes or Dise or Tables there was none These men thus gone me thought I saw alone a propre man of personage but poore In beauy plight goe making piteous mone halfe lyke a man that begde from doore to doore And yet a man might finde well by his face that he was sure sprong of no rascall race Hee lykewise tooke his waie downe streighte the hill ploddinge alone God wo● in heauy plighte But let him goe as I thus stayed stil me thought it grew somwhat darke towardes night And stayinge so the wretche that stoode by me thus sayde to me marke heere what thou dost see But there I saw harde happes a thousand more then heere I can almost well call to minde But with those syghts in hart ag●ieue● sore and yet in 〈◊〉 more such sad sights to finde Amazd I stood as one more halfe

Ladyes sake whom I had seene there and yet for letting her goe so soone fell out a little with it in verse as followeth IF one may praise a place for harbouring a guest in whom the stay of his delight and chiefest ioye dooth rest And eke may curse the place that harbouring her so vnto his dolour deepe againe to soone did lether goe Then let me praise the place where lodged my delight And curse it to that let her goe so soone out of my sight Short was the tyme God wote I did her sight enioy by want of which I feare long tyme to liue in great anoye Foure or fiue houres were all that I and that but feeld this gallant Lady now and than by fits sometyme beheeld But from the 〈◊〉 first that I beheld her face God knowes within my wretched hart how beautie hers tooke place Mine eye grue bladshed strayght for Cupid hit the vaine that goes downe strayght vnto my hart and there begunne my paine Then gan my stomacke worke my braine distempred to thus greeued in eye head and hart I knew not what to doo But to content my selfe with comfort now and than of her sweet lookes aright reliefe for such a wofull man Which came alas but seeld yet euer when they came God knowes I cannot shewe the ioyes I reaped by the same But what I goe too farre I ment to prayse a place for harbouring a heauenly dame for beautie and good grace And I am telling of the fran●icke fittes of loue and of the hurt I caught thereby and pangs that I doo proue But I will leaue it now and speake somewhat in prayse of such a place as dooth deserue due prayse a thousand waies What place is chose as chiefe to breede the minds delyght that was the place wherin I first did gayne this Ladies sight Some thinke for gallant show the Court can haue no peere but I more gallant count the place where first I saw my deere For gold and Iewels rich some speake much of Cheapside but there a Iewel that may make them all their Iewels hide Some loue in Paules Churchyarde to spend ech day by day to see of learned vertues lawes what auncient writers say The vertues of my booke I cannot well declare but I beleeue what so they be it showes them all that are It prudence playne descries it loues no wrong at all it Fortitude dooth much commend but temperate withall I tell you of a booke but trust me t is a dame who what I say in ech respect dooth well approue the same By vertuous noble mynd by comely courtly grace blest be the booke woorthy the wight and happy be the place Some counts the Painters shop for pictures fayre and bright and fine proportions a place the minde for to delight Then come and heere behold no foolish painted peece but liuely dame that soone may staine Appelles work in Greece Some thinke where Musicke is that place for to be best the doleful minde for to delight and set the hart at rest For musicke sweete alas no melodie I deeme so sweet as my sweet mistresse voyce that musicke I esteeme Some thinke that Gardens sweet with flowres hearbes trees with knots and borders sets slips such like toyes as these To be the chiefest place for to delight the minde and there doo seeke in saddest moods some solace for to finde Their Iudgements like I wel for trust me I thinke so that such a place wyl soonest rid the mournyng minde of wo. And in such place I meane in Garden sweete I founde by sight the chiefe of my delight yet causer of my wounde My mistresse deere I meane the comfort of my hart and yet againe by absence now the causer of my smart By her againe I sawe in Garden where shee sat fayre flowres sweet hearbes braue trees fine knots borders too but what Upon my mistresse stil was fixd my stedfast eye no flowre nor hearbe knot border tree coulde make me looke awry Untyl at last too soone alas shee went away and then for sorow howe I sighd for shame I may not say But should I shame my selfe thus much I would protest her then departure from my sight yet breedes my harts vnrest Ha gallant Garden yet which once with sweets didst hold so braue a dame whose worthy prayse can neuer wel be told It 〈◊〉 gramercy yeeld that with the pleasaunt smel of thy sweete flowres couldst finde the meane to keepe her there so wel But hadst thou kept her stil where now I geue thee praise I would in hart haue honord thee til death should end my daies What could no gallant ant tree nor yet the pleasaunt ayre of s●me sweete flowre make her desire againe to thee repayre Surely some stinking weede among thy hearbes doth grow that giues y●● sent that caused her for to mistike thee so Or from some fruitlesse tree some Catterpiller fell vpon her lap to her mislike somewhat she likd not wel I knowe not what it was but many things I doubt but what it was what so it was I would it had been out If that it were a weede God soone destroy the roote if noysome sight of fruitlesse tree God lay it vnder foote If Catterpiller fel to woorke her harts annoy I craue of God through all the world such vile wormes to destroy And chiefely in that place that none may there remayne if euer she to my delyght doo chaunce to come agayue If neyther these was cause I know not what to say but curse thee in my hart for that thou letst her go away But since that shee is gon to thee a flat farewell and I my selfe from pleasant sweetes in dolefull de● will dwel And thus till she returne quight voyde of all delight adue to thee farewell to her and foule fall fortunes spight Finis ¶ Now by that tyme this discourse was full finished it grue somewhat late in the nyght wherevppon I growing somewhat drousy had rather desire to rest then write any more wherupon my Muse left me and I layd me down to sleep and being a sleepe I sodaynly fell into a most straunge dreame which in the morning awake I cald to mynde and as I could I put it into verse in order as followeth A peece of a Preface before the dreame Straunge are the sights that some in sleepe shall see and straunger much then haue been seene by day For proofe whereof you heere shall heare of me as I of late halfe in a slumber lay A most strange dreame I sodaynly fell in which dolefull dreame marke well did thus begin The dreame followes IN lucklesse land a wofull tale to tell where neuer griefe of any pleasure grue Where dire disdayne and foule despight doo dwell and of such churles a currish kinde of crue It was my hap me thought not long agoe to trauayle through the wildernes of woe And walking long about this wildernes at last vnto a huge great Heth