raile with foule-mouth'd Mantuan Some sharpe witted only in speaking euill Would proue a woman worse then any diuell With prating Picus though that women be Fram d with the same parts of the minde as we Nay Nature triumpht in their beauteous birth And women made the glorie of the earth The life of Beautie in whose supple breasts As in her fairest lodging vertue rests Whose towring thoughts attended with remorce Doe make their fairenesse be of greater force But of this subiect euerie day who reades not Which is so praised as it praises needs not And my conceite not able for to reach them Might bring forth words for praise which might impeach them And so with loue t is easie to find fault Yet not so easie when it giues assault Then to resist his force whose excellence Is to transforme the verie soule and essence Of the louer into the thing beloued This heauenly loue no doubt young Faunus moued But all this while being dumbe Faunus replide Vnto his father and withall denide He louâ—d a woman then his father knew From whence his griefe and melancholy grew And that he was by some wood-Nymph accosted Because the pleasure of the woods he boasted And Latian mountes Then Picus thus againe Sharply rebukte his sonne but all in vaine Thou art no souldier for Dianaes garison Nor twixt her Nymphes and Faunus is comparison Nymphes are like Poets full of wit but poore Vnto thy kingdome adde a kingdome more By marriage let Pycus counsel thee Looke not my boy at wit and Poetrie Faunus no reckning of such counsell makes Light is that loue which any counsell takes Then like Hermocrates the Phisitian Seeing his patient with an incision Sore vext in steede of ministring to the sore Began to chide bade him be ficke no more Or like a friend that visiting his friend Loaden with fetters in darke prison pend With vnkind words and bitter termes doth moue him To leaue those fetters or he would not loue him This other way from loue would Pycus reaue him And bade him leaue to loue or loue to leaue him Or if such loue made Loue not to regard him His loue would loue with hatred to reward him Remember loue and Pycus would the rather Forget his sonne he should forgoe his father Loue all this while on Faunus ey-balls stood Whose Enuie palenesse Anger caused blood In Faunus cheekes to heare such blasphemie Pronouncâ—d by Pycus gainst his deitie With that he leapes from Faunus face and flies Vnto the self-preuented Destinies He found them busie at a Parliament Vnder their feete relentlesse Adamant Aboue their heads the marble was for teele The ribs of yron and the raftrie steele The walls of flint and brazen was the gate And euery one vpon a wooll-packe â—ate Whose sterne austere lookes neuer mou'de to ruth By gold nor fauour beauty age nor youth Yet when loue came what hearts though made of stone In which Loue cannot make impression Welcome he was Loue then his speech began To shew th'vnmanlike crueltie of man How Nature first ordaining one for one Made woman chiefe for procreation But men like drudges not content to vse them In blows sometimes and speeches will abuse them Loue 's will was this that maides should haue their will Not ouermuch but to restraine from ill Ill kept-in-thoughts with vertuous companie Restraining not from well-rulde libertie For maides were made to make such harmlesse plaies Such honest sports as daunce vpon the laies The hey-de-guise and run the wild-goose chace And trie the keeles the â—arlibreake and base But with a barly when the pastimes end And maides must needes for milking homewards wend As some depart some are constraind to stay For when they end then Loue begins to play His play is paine but yet a paine with ease His keeles are coales whose fire doth grieue and please From play for pray Loue takes two louing freeres Traind vp alike perhaps of equall yeeres Yet such is loue of parents such begot That wealth nor worth true loue considers not Sometime a King dotes on a countrie swaine Sometime a Lady loues a lad againe Sometime the meaner will the greatst reiect No not a person Loue'will once respect And hauing pearc'd the soule 's seuen-doubled shield Loue makes the one vnto the other yeeld They yeeld kind soules but parents will not grant With tedious brawlings still they finde a want One is too rich the other is too poore So then twixt Faunus and faire Melliflore Loue told the Loue and fearing fathers ire Loue is defeated of his chiefe desire This kind vnkindnesse children yet must take Vntill their parents price of them do make As in a market then what man wil craue them And giue the most he shal be sure to haue them Thus from Loues mouth the honnie as he spoke 〈◊〉 as from the brode-leau'd builder oake And opall pearle from his lippes did fall The Destinies began to gather all Such pretious iewells if they fell but neare them And prowd of such loue-tokens yet do weare them His sugred tale thus sweetned by his mouth The Destinies did somewhat pittie youth With one consent and voice they all agreed These statutes should for euer be decreed That man for his vnmanlike treacherie Should be tormented with vile iealousie That maids from honest libertie restrained Should alway thinke from what they thus refrained That t was some treasure from the which th' are tide Some Indian iewell which men vse to hide Some strange conserue sweete deare and pretious And women are by nature licorous These thoughtes awaked women growe manwood Nor can these thoughts from actions be withstood What bird is pleasde though in a siluer cage A dogge tide vp in golden chaines will rage That market marriages euermore should be Content the best the worst to disagree That shrewdnesse should possesse the womans heart In stubbornnesse the husband act his part Thus drawing opposite in one yoke aliue Long might they liue but they should neuer thriueâ— And since that time all marriages enforced Neuer agree vntill they be deuorced This sentence giuen Loue then backe returned To louely Faunus who in Loues fire burned But ere he came Faunus had turnd to hate His fathers speeches and grew passionate Who in the night the best meanes for desire Got vp and darklings only his attire And naked beautie with a tresse of Amber Gaue a resplendance to the purle-hung Chamber Sought for a suite yet could not well deuise What garment best might please his faire Nimphs eies If costly then for woddy Nimphs too curious If gay or gawdie that was but penurious This was too olde the other was not new This the Tailer Tailers will not be true Had cut too short that hee might haue a sharing A garment then hee tooke more rich then glaring Of gold beat Samite to his heeles which rought With knoppes and broches birdes and beasts ywrought In tuffes of Cypresse hung the Topaze stone Which through the Cypresse
FAVNVS and Melliflora OR THE ORIGINAL of our English Satyres Iohn Weeuer Sit voluisse Sat valuisse LONDON Printed by Valentine Simmes 1600. TO THE RIGHT Valorous and excellent accomplisht Gentleman Maister Edward Stanley of Winwicke Esquire all fortunes sutable to the auncient woorth of the Stanleyes HOwsoeuer most bounteous Sir this subiect which I present may be either disagreeing to your disposition or being but a Shepheards lowly pastorall farre vnworthie so worthie a Patron yet the willingness of my soule to shew some signe of good will to my countrymen enforceth mee to consecrate my cheefest studies to the setting forth of their admired vertues which considered I doubt not but your Worship with curtesie will accept my rusticke inciuilitie and with fauourable Patronage pardon my wood-borne imperfections Yours in all Iohn Weeuer Of the Author THe Greeke Comadian fitly doth compare Poets to Swannes for both delitious Both in request both white both pretious are Both sing alike and both melodious I but the swanne remaineth dumbe so long As though her Musike were too good to spend That so at last her soule-enchanting song Is but a funerall dirge to her end Weeuer herein aboue the Swanne I praise Which freely spends his sweete melodious dittie Now in the budding of his youthful daies Delightsome pleasant full of Art and wittie Yet heauens forbid he should be neare his death Though like the dving Swanne he sweetly breath M. D. In Laudem Authoris TExuit eximio Weuerus carmina cultâ— Texuiâ— magni grande stuporis opusâ— Si peterem meritis meritas expromere laudes Vox raucisset iners arida penna foret Te decorat Pallas te lauro cinxit Apollo â—e gaudent Charites â—â—eridumâ—ue chorus Dum cupimus musis vestras mulcere camaenas Fâ—ndimus in pelagi flumina flumen inops R. H. MEthinks I heare some foule-mouth'd Memus say What haue we here a shepheards roundelay More loue-truks yet will this geare neuer end But slight lasciuious toyes must still bee pend Content thee Mâ—mus thou hast lost thy sight For this is neither vaine obsceane nor slight If for to write o' Loue and Loues delights Be not fit obiects for the grauer sights Then stil admired Chaucer thou maist rue And write thy auncient stories all anew And that same Fayry Muse may rise aâ—aine To blot those works that with vs do remaine Then feare not Weeuer let thy Muse go on Thy maâ—den Muse thy chaste Endimeon To blazon forth the loue of shepheard swaines As well in Cottage as in Court Loue raines And whosoeuer shall chance thy booke to see In it shall reade ripe wit sweet Poetrie I. F. FAunus a siluan god and Mellislora A sacred Nymph that vsde among the woods Rose euery morning with the bright Aurora To gather garlands made of musk-rose buds In loue they liude long and in loue they dide O wonder not that gods and Nymphes can perish Obliuion buried them in their chiefe pride So all men die whom no sweete Muse doth cherish This Aesculapius by his cunning pen Reuines the dead from their obscured graue Such sacred skill hath Art unspir'd in men And such a sweete reuiuing may I haue All Poets with greene Luirell crowne his head Whose pen makes liue such as haue long bin dead T. H. To the true fauorite of Heroicall Poetry M. Thomas Bromley of Deeresolde Esquire SIth that the Author and the Authors pen At thy command are both as much as mine Thou maist demand and iustly wonder then Aboue all other why this booke is thine Or why this Poem to a Poet send J Whose quicke inuention iudgement learning wit Wil soone perceiue and see wherein offend I And where I might more scholler-like haue writ The Sunne guides altogether yet alone And singular the seate is of the Sunne To celebrate and praise all is not one I striue to stirre before I stirre to runne And Melliflâ—ra for the name is meete For thee whose pen is slower and honnie sweete I. W. FAVNVS and Melliflora VVHen Ioue ambitious by his former sinnes From him al Muses so my Muse beginnes Deposde his Syre Saturnus from the throne And so vsurpt the Diadem alone Some higher power for aged Saturne stroue Gaue him a gift which angred lust-stung loue A louely boy whose beautie at his birth Made poore the heau'ns to enrich the earth When Ioue no beautie in the heauens found Was he not angry yea and to the ground Sent Mercurie to wooe a shepheards swaine Whilst he himselfe came in a showre of raine Whose drizling drops fell into Danaes lappe Which to receiue maides wil receiue such happe She held hir skirt Ioue such abundance powred Twentie to one but Dance was deflowred His name was Pycus yet surnam'd the Faire Whom Circe chaunted in her scorne-gold haire Whom Ladies lou'd and loued of so many The wood-Nymphes woo'd him yet not won of any Till Canens came who when she gan to sing The ayrie Bird would hoouer with her wing To heare her notes for Canens she was call'd Of singing sweete and Pycus heart enthrall'd Not married long but Canens did enioy Of fairest father farre more faire a boy That heau'n earth in bringing forth these two Made a great bragge that so much they could do Faunus a boy whose amber-stragling haires So strangely trammeld all about his eares The crispe disheuel'd playing with the winde Among the thickest neuer way could finde But sweetest flowers would leape from Floraes lap And so themselues within his tresses wrap That glad he was those lockes those lockes alone Those lockes that lockt in bondage many one With carelesse art or artlesse care infolde And draw them in a coronet of golde If bashfulnesse enveloped his face A prettie palenesse damask't such sweet grace Like Daisie with the Gilliflower distill'd Or Roses on a bed of Lillies spill'd Or rather when the wood-Nimphs gazing stood Loue like a tyrant therein threatned blood His eies were such my Muse yet hardly can Emblazon forth the beutie of a man My dullard muse to sing it may suffize Of his rich coate he wore in wondrous guize The ground whereof was veluet white as snow Reaching vnto the ankles downe below With buttons made of Diamonds vpon Such as our knights of th' order first put on Vpon the left side it no fastning had But on the right side with a pearle staide Vpon th one shoulder where the two ends met Were both together with a iewell set On top whereof in liuely forme did stand Great Hercules with distaffe in his hand To euery seame were fastned ribonings With stories wrought of Emperours and Kings And at each ribbon hung a pretious stone Loues chiefe disport consists in these alone Which were faire Ladies costly Amatists Tide to the tender small leau'de ozear twists That so they might his ribbons enterlace When he pursude the nimble Hart in chace And she grew prowd and held the rest in scorne That knew her fauour by yong Faunus worne
for this time make an end Some other play some other sport begin That standers by and lookers on be in It ended thus the other play began Some fiftie maides too many for one man Tooke hand in hand which made a spherie round Or globe the perfect st figure to be found Then one whose lot is first among them all Must goe about and let a napkin fall And whom foe re it heth next behind So soone as euer she the cloth doth find Must with swift-running foote the other chace Vntill she come vnto her ranke and place If catch before the fliers forfeit is To gratifie the follower with a kisse The sport begins and Arethusa first Would haue drop-napkin'd Faunus if she durst But she tooke Dorâ—s Doris at next bout Kist Melliflora she fetcht Faunus out She fled yet tooke he follow'd not forsaken She ran yet caught he follow'd and was taken Vpon the backe part fixed she he her eies So firmely that before she nothing sees Put downe she falls the â—ymphes began to wonder 〈◊〉 aboue â—â—t women will he vnder â—â—e her the kisse she willingly though tooke it Gaue it againe the nouice then forsooke it White Nisaeâ— next for Deiopeia prest And she at Faunus he could neuer rest But either catcht or else was to be cought Vntill the freshman faunt and breathlesse brought With tracing was the Nymphes much swifter were For loue is heaâ—enly light compact of aire So that the slow'st among them neuer misses But casts him downe and smothers him with kisses These gamesome Nimphs wÌ„elnere seu'n daies had spent In such like plaies aâ—d sportfull merritment Faunus thought oft Loues fire for to display Desire was bolde but Shamefastnesse said nay If he began to come but somewhat neare her His body quak't as though his heart did feare her All that he said was Nimph when you are at leasure Faine would I speak he might haue spoke his pleasure She found this means only that he might wooe her To loose her Necklace let her Caule forgo her Within the woods that well she could not weare Vntill she found them her loose dangling haire And as she sought them softly thus would say I prethee Faunus helpe me come away If thou shouldst goe into these woods alone Thy Melliflore would follow thee anone Wilt thou not come beleeue me I must chide Yet he in loue for all this would abide When for his loue Loue fram'de the time most fit â—oyes loue is foolish Loue to youth brings wit Then to the hedges walke they on a row To plucke the sweetes how sharply sweetes wil grow From sharpest stinging hawthorne as they go Fortune to turne their mirth to sodaine woe From out the woods did send a fierce wild boare Which seene such beasts they neuer saw before A care or feare or both did make them trudge Some to the woods and some towards the lodge Some vnder hedges some to holes would runne This way and that the best the beast to shunne But Melliflore whose beautie by that passe Like a rubd rubie much augmented was Like muske or ciuit kept in bosome hot Her breath most sweete by running sweetnes got Kept on her course yet neuer lookt behind Whom Faunus follow'd whilst a wanton wind Like to some pleasant ciuit smelling breath Would gently play him with her vaile beneath And come and go heaue vp throw downe to show Twise-wounded Faunus what he did not know Something he staid his swift pursute with leasure Fearing to be depriued of such pleasure But what he saw t is needlesse for to say Heere shall your thoughts and not my pen bewray But as he gan his swifter running slacke The anger-froathing boare was at his backe Which made him turne and at the boare to thrust Into whose heart his hand he guided iust He was but armed with a little knife Some desâ—iny belike preseru'd his life Yet by this fight he Melliflora lost So Faunus thought him worse then euer crost In th'unknowne woods then vp and downe he rangeth This way for that that for another changeth Losing himselfe within a groue he found Loue-sicke Adonis lying on the ground For hating Loue and saying Venus nay Yet meeting Melliflora in his way Loue made Loue weepe to see thy tyrannie Adonis frustrate his vow'd chastitie Whilst narrowly vpon her lookes he spide Strooke with loues arrow he fell downe and dide For by the Bore as all our Poets faine He was not kilde Faunus the Bore had slaine But tracing further who but Venus met him Thinking he had beene Adon thus she gret him Welcome Adonis in thy louelie breast Now do I see remorse and pitie rest Which to returne my deare Adonis moued Venus perswades her selfe she is beloued Hoping to haue some water from the rocke Which shee had pierst she stript her to the sinocke Wrought all in flames of Chrisolite and gold And bout his necke her armes she did enfold So at the least shee meaning to haue kist him He turn'de aside then sorie cause shee mist him To Faunus said faire Saint shun not such kindnesse Can these bright eies be blemisht with such blindnesse If thou wert blind and Venus could not see Yet in the darke best sighted louers be Or giue or take or both relent be kind Locke not Loue in the paradize of thy mind Is Venus louely then Adonis loue her Is she the Queene of loue then what should moue her To sue and not command Is shee loues mother Shall she be loath'd which brings loue to all other With that she dost all to the Iuorie skinne Thinking her naked glorie would him winne The shamefac't Faunus thereat something smiled Venus lookt on him knew shee was beguiled Yet would haue lou'd him for Adonis sake Thus women will one for another take Faunus resisted Venus would no more Sollicite him but mounted as before In her light Chariot drawne with milke-white Doues Away she flies Faunus left in the groues No sooner had the wood him passage lent But home to see his father Faunus went Picus much wondred where his sonne had beene Whom of seuen daies and more he had not seene But sleeplesse nights his being soone reuealed With sighes and teares Loue cannot be concealed His father by his countenance espide him To be in loue and mildely thus gan chide him Fond Boy quoth hee and foolish cradle witted To let base loue with thy yong yeares be fitted This vpstart loue bewitcher of the wit The scorne of vertue vices parasite The slaue to weakenesse friendships false bewrayer Reasons rebell Fortitudes betraier The Church-mens scoffe court camp and countrie 's guiler Arts infection chaste thoughts and youth's defiler And what are women painted weathercocks Natures ouersight wayward glittring blocks True true-bred cowards proude if they by coide A seruile sex of wit and reason voide Shall women moue thee whom so many loathes In gaudie plumes trickte and new-fangled cloathes Thus in our find-fault age many a man Will fondly