should gee But whē this youth had once atchiude the state He scornde the Queene al her friends forgate Puft vp with princely pride he wore the crown And lawlesse liude so neare his brothers trade As needefull was to seeke to put him downe And thereupon the Queene this practise made She hirde for coyne a noble man at armes To slay her sonne to salue her countries harmes This warlike Captaine came from Libie lande Who tooke by force this tyrant coward king And gaue him vp into his mothers hande A Noble dame that compast twice to bring Her realme to reste and rigour to subdewe Lo here the summe the processe doth ensewe VVIthin Cyrene earst there dwelling was a Dame Namde Aretafila of birthe and noble bloud she came Elator was her Syre a man of great renowme Sir Faedimus her husband hight the chiefe in all the towne For noble minde and wealth this Ladie was so well With bewtie dighte as she the reste not onely did excell For feature of her face that was full fayre to looke But eke for graue Mineruas giftes and cunning in her booke Her sacred giftes were great her wisdome was as rare As was her face for fewe with her in learning might compare What time this Ladie liude a tyrant fierce and fell Nicocrates possest the lande where did this matron dwell Who many of the men that in the Citie were Did do to fowle and shamefull death he kept them all in seare In colour of the dead who cause he did not trust The bearers with his naked sworde the bodies vsde to thrust Through coffin where they lay to make the matter sure This great outrage of his the Queine no longer coulde endure But verie much mislikte these Tyrants trickes and had Compassion of her natiue soyle and woulde béen very glad With hazard of her life to rid this monster quight For hatred which shée hare to him that murthred so the knight Whom shée full dearely loude and albeit the king Made very great account of her yet did shée minde the thing Which shée concerude before and purposde in her breast And till shee had atchieude the same could neuer liue at rest And though the Prince his power this dayly greater grewe Had bred the Subiects to dispayre their fréedome to reuewe Or euer safe to liue within their natiue land VVhere such a cruell king did holde the scepter in his hand Yet did this noble dame conceiue a greater trust To finde a time to worke her feate which eyther doe shée must And so at fréedome set her countrie men againe And venge her louing husbands death or let them all be slaine As hée good knight had béene To pricke her on the more Shée cald to minde the practise of a Theban dame before That wise Faeraea hight for doing of the which The valiant women wan renowme and was commended much VVhom shée had great desire to follow in this déede But when shée saw for lack of aide and helping hands at ueed VVhich the the Theban had shée could not doe the léeke Shée meant to doe it with a thing that was not farre to séeke Deuising by a driuke to rid the Tyrants life Who siue her busband by deceite and forst her to his wife A poyson she preparde whereby as I shall tell In present perill of her life this ventrous Ladie fell For still her purpose failde and being in the end Discouered and the matter found which shée did then pretende Dissembling could not serue to salue the sore againe For what good heart she bare the king did then appeare too plaine The Tyrants mother eke that Madame Caluia hight Not louing Aretafila a dame of great despight Full fit to bréede a babe of such a blooddie minde For children commonly are like vnto the mothers kinde Perswaded that to death this Ladie should be done As one that did pretend the spoyle and slaughter of her sonne But what the great good will to her the Prince did beare And answere bold that shée had made with vsage voyde of feare Before the mother Quéene who there in open place Accusde her of her murther ment there standing face to face Did quit her from the death But when the proofe was such And euidence so plaine appearde so that shée mought not much Excuse her of the fact but that the poysoned cup Was made by her and meant vnto the king to drinke it vp There Aretafila before the Iudges face In presence of the Prince her spouse did thus declare the case My Soueraigne Lord and Loue I cannot doe no lesse But that this cup I did procure before thée now confesse My selfe the syrrope made and meant to giue it thee But this I will protest againe not knowing it to be A venim rancke and vile but verily did thinke By cunning to deuise this cup and make a craftie drinke To cause a man to loue for knowe you this that I Am spited at of sundrie that my marriage doe enuie It gréeues a number that you beare me such good will It is a gall to some to see that I shoulde haue my fill Of treasure and attyre and be a Prince his wife And they themselues to liue vnknowne and lead a priuate life I knowe they cannot well my haphy state endure But that they will at length deuise your friendship to allure And cause you cast me off which was the cause that I Did brewe this drinke to kéepe good wil. I thought it good to trye By art to stay a friend whom I by fortune wonnes And if so be I did offend you cannot deeme it donne For malice but good will for hatred but for zeale VVhy should I then condemned be that neuer meant to deale But as a louing wife And if your pleasure be I shall bée punisht for my fault yet doeaccount of me Not as a witch that woulde bereaue you of your life But one that by enchauntment thought to make your Loue your wife And match her in good will that doth extréemely loue And who to be belovde alike dyd meane this sleight to proue VVhen thus the Matron had with manly mouth and grace Ypleaded for her selfe the Prince to whom pertaind the case VVell liking this excuse woulde not in any wise That shée who was his wife shoulde die but this he did deuise That there shée should be rackt till time shée would confesse The truth and what shée meant thereby in open place expresse When torment readie was and rack there set in place Then cankred Caluia plaide her part and laid her on a pace Vntill shée wearie woxe shée longed for her blood Which made her earnest in the case and plague the Quéene a good But Aretafila as one that forced nought Of all the paines shée had indurde discouered not her thought She nothing would confesse but kept it in her minde And hereupon deliuerde was Nicocrates could finde No due desart of death Then grew within his breast A great remorse for rigour showne
The Author being in Moscouia wrytes to certaine his frendes in Englande of the state of the place not exactly but at all aduentures and minding to haue descrybed all the Moscouites maners brake off his purpose vpon some occasion The three Epistles followe To his especiall frende master Edwarde Dancie My Dancie déere when I recount within my brest My London frends and wonted mates and thée aboue the rest I feele a thousand fittes of deepe and deadly woe To thinke that I from sea to land from blisse to bale did goe I left my natiue soyle ful like a retchlesse man And vnacquainted of the coast among the Russies ranne A people passing rude to vices vile enclinde Folke fitte to be of Bacchus traine so quaffing is their kinde Drinke is their whole desire the pot is all their pride The sobrest head doeth once a day stand néedeful of a guyde If he to banquet bid his frends he wil not shrinke On them at dinner to bestow a dosen kindes of drinke Such licour as they haue and as the countrey giues But chéefly two one called Kuas whereby the Musick liues Small ware and waterlike but somewhat tart in taste The rest is Meade of hony made wherewith their lips they baste And if he goe vnto his neighbour as a guest He cares for litle meate if so his drinke be of the best Perhaps the Mausick hath a gay and gallant wife To serue his beastly lust yet he will leade a bowgards life The monster more desires a boy within his bed Then any wench such filthy sinne ensues a drunken head The woman to repay her drousie husbands dettes From stinking stoue vnto her mate to baudy banquet gets No wonder though they vse such vile and beastly trade Sith with the hatchet and the hand their chiefest Gods be made Their Idolles haue their hearts on God they neuer call Vnlesse it be Nichola Bough that hangs against the wall The house that hath no God or painted saint within Is not to be resorted to that roofe is full of sinne Besides their priuate Gods in open places stand Their crosses vnto which they crouch and blesse themselues with hand Deuoutly downe they ducke with forhead to the ground Was neuer more deceit in ragges and greasie garments found Almost the meanest man in all the countrey rides The woman eke against our vse her trotting horse bestrides In sundry colors they both men and women go In buskins all that money haue on buskins to bestow Eche woman hanging hath a ring within hir eare Which all of ancient vse and some of very pride do weare Their gate is very graue their countenance wise and sad And yet they follow fleshly lusts their trade of liuing bad It is no shame at all accounted to destle Anothers bed they make no care their follies to concile Is not the meanest man in all the land but he To buy hir painted colours doth allow his wife a fée Wherewith she decks hir selfe and dies hir tawnie skin She prancks and paints hir smokie face both browe lip chéeke and chin Yea those that honest are if any such there vee Within the land do vse the like a man may plainly sée Vpon some womens chéekes the painting how it lies In plaster sort for that too thicke hir face the harlot dies But such as skilfull are and cunning dames in déed By daily practise do it well yea sure they do excéed They lay their colours so as he that is full wise May easily be deceiued therein if he do trust his eies I not a little muse what madnesse makes them paine Their faces waying how they keepe the stoue by méere constraint For seldom when vnlesse on church or mariage day A man shall sée the dames abrode that are of best aray The Russie means to reape the profit of hir pride And so he mewes hir to be sure she lie by no mans side Thus much friend Dancie I did meane to write to thée To let thée wite in Russia land what men and women hée Hereafter I perhaps of other things will write To thée and other of my friends which I shall sée with sight And other fluffe befides which true report shall tell Meane while I end my louing liues and bid thée now farewell To Spencer IF I should now forget or not remember thée Thou Spencer mightst a foule rebuke and shame impute to mée For I to open shew did loue thée passing well And thou were he at parture whom I loathd to bid farewell And as I went thy friend so I continue still No better proofe thou canst desire than this of true good will I do remember well when néeds I should away And that the poast would licence vs no longer time to stay Thou wroongst me by the fist and holding fast my hand Didst craue of me to send thée newes and how I likte the land It is a sandie soyle no very fruitfull vaine More wast and wooddie grounds there are than closes fit for graine Yet graine there growing is which they vntimely take And cut or ere the corne be ripe they mowe it on a stake And laying sheafe by sheafe their haruest so they drie They make the greater hast for feare the frost the corne destrie For in the winter time so glarie is the ground As neither grasse nor other graine in pastures may be found In comes the cattell then the shéepe the colt the cowe Fast by his bed the Mawsicke then a lodging doth alowe Whom he with fodder féeds and holds as deare as life And thus they weare the Winter with the Mowsicke and his wife Eight monthes the Winter dures the glare it is so great As it is May before he turne his ground to sowe his wheate The bodies eke that die vnburied lie till then Laid vp in coffins made of firre as well the poorest men As those of greater state the cause is lightly found For that in winter time they cannot come to breake the ground And wood so plenteous is quite throughout all the land As rich and poore at time of death assured of coffins stand Perhaps thou musest much how this may stand with reason That bodies dead can vncorrupt abide so long a season Take this for certaine troth as soone as heate is gone The force of cold the body bindes as hard as any stone Without offence at all to any liuing thing And so they lie in perfit state till next returne of spring Their beasts be like to ours as far as I can sée For shape and show but somwhat lesse of bulke and bone they bée Of watrish taste the flesh not firme like English biefe And yet it serues them very well and is a good reliefe Their shéep are very small sharpe singled handfull long Great store of fowle on sea and land the moorish reeds among The greatnes of the store doth make the prices lesse Besides in all the land they know not how good meat to dresse They vse neither broach
aliue For being matched so It did not only grieue her that Shée was compeld to go So farre away from Gorbin but The thing that nipte her nere Was that she feard she neuer should Haue séene her louer deare Once being pâ—ried from the place In all her life againe And hereupon she willing was And would bene very fayne To scape the King her fathers handes And liude with Gerbin aye She beate her braynes deuising meanes By stealth to runne away Likewise the knight was cloyd with care And liude a wofull man Her mariage knowen his valiant brest To throbbe and ake began Was neuer wight in greater woe Nor angry moode than he At length when care was somewhat past He thought his helpe to be And only ayde to rest in force Wherefore he did entend By strength of hand to win his lone When so the king should send Her home vnto her husbandes reahne Loue had possest him so As he the Princesse to enioye Through fire and floudes would goe The king of Tunise hauing heard Some inckling of good will That was betwixt the knight and her And doubting of some ill That Gerbin would pretend befides Well knowing that he was A valiant wight and one that did Full manly prowesse passe When time was come to send the quéene Vnto her husbands land By letters which he sent hée let King William vnderstand His meaning and his full inteent And did request beside To haue assurance at his hands That he would so prouide That not a man within his Realme Should hinder his pretence Nor Gerbin make resistance when He sent his Ladie thence The hoarie graue Cicilian king That loden was with age And wist not of his daughters idue Nor yet Gerbinos rage Nor déeming that the kings demaunde Did tend to such effect Did frankly yeld his sute as one That did no ill suspect And for assuâ—ance of the fame To rid the prince of feare He sent his Gentlet for a pledge That things confirmed were Who hauing such assurance made Let builde a mightie barks In Carthage Haueâ— and did riâ— The same with earnst carke And finely finisht vp the ship In minde without delay Vnto Granata by the Seas To send the Quéene away He wanted nothing saue the time To complish his intent Meane while the wantâ—n Princes that Knew her father ment And smelling out his purpose causde Her man in poast to goe Vnto Palermo couertly To let Gerbino knowe Both of the Ladieâ— late contract And that by ship shée must Within a while to Granat got To serue her husbands lusâ— Wherefore tell Gorbine if he hée The man in deed quoth shée And such a valiant Knight at armes As he hath bragd to mée And often boasted of himselfe Or beare me halfe the loue He made in wise he knowes my minde I shall his courage proue The messenger that had the charge Did as the Quéene had wild And made returne to Tunise when He had her hest fulfild When Gerbin had receiude the newes Both of her going thence And also that his Granstre gaue His gloue for their defence That should coâ—â—ey the Princesse home Vnto her husbands land He doubtfull woxe and wist not what Was best to take in hand But waying well the Ladies wordes Whom he did most imbrace To make a proofe of faithfull loue In such a doubtfull case Vnto Messina streight he went And there two Gallies made And armde them well with valiant men And skilde in Rouers trade And to Sardinia did conuey Him selfe and all his route Entending there to make his stay And linger thereabout Till time the Quéen by shipping came Which was within a space For why Gerbino had not long Continude in the place But that he might perceiue aloofe One vnder saile that came And had but slender gale he knew It streight to be the same Wherin the Quéene his mistresse went The Gods would haue it so For at that instant slender was The winde that there did blow Then quoth Gerbino to his mates If you be valiant men As I haue thought you all to bee And doe account you then There is not one among you all I dare auowe but earst Hath béen in loue or presently With Cupids shaft is pierst And certainely withouten loue Within the breast of man No goodnesse growes as I doe déeme Nor any vertue can And if you loue or euer did Then lightly may you gesse The great desire and burning loue That doth my heart oppresse I doe confesse I am in loue And Cupid causer was That I procurde you hither now To bring my will to passe And vndertake this present toyle The yonder ship you see And in the ship doth rest a dame The only ioy of mée And eke besides my Ladie deare Whom I would haue so faine Great wealth there is to quit your toiles An easie thing to gaine Small fight no doubt will serue the turne If you will play the men Which bootie if wée may atchieue My mates assure you then I only will the Ladie gaine That is my only care As for the goods I am content Among your selues to share Wherefore my friends attempt the fight Let courage neuer faile The Gods you sée are willing that We should the ship assaile You see she hath no gale to goe She can not passe away Fight fréely all the spoyle is yours You shall be made to day There néeded not so many wordes Their willing hearts to win For why encountring ratâ—er than Their liues they would haâ—â— bin The bootie bred the great desire They thought his tale too long The gréedie lust of pray did pricke Those lustie Lads along Wherefore as soone as he had told His tale the trumpets blewe And euery man his weapon caught And to the oares they flewe And to the shipwarde on they weat With all the speede they might The men aboord that see them come Preparde them selues to fight For why they could not scape away The Gallies were so neare And eke the winde so slender was To cause the ship to steare When Gerbin did approch the barke He wild the chiefest men That were the guides and rulde the ship To come aboord him then Vnlesse they ment to fight it out The Sarizens that saw Both who they were what they would Said that they brake the law Which earst the Prince of Cicill made Vnto their Soueraigne and To make the mattir plaine they shewde The Gantlet of his hand Loe here King Williams Glone quoth they Behold it here in sight This is your Pasport nought yée get Vnlesse it be by sight Gerbino hauing earst descride The beautie of the dame Aloft the Poope began to frie And melt with greater flame Than euer he had done before For then her feature séemde Farre fresher than in all his life The lustie louer déemde And there upon inraged thus By beautie of the Quéene He gaue his froffing answere when He had the Gantlet séene Good faith quoth hée I neede no gloue My
themselues in string VVHat time the proude and puisant Prince Antigonus in hande The Macedonian Scepter held And gouernd all the land There livde one Aristotimus A beast of blooddie kinde That all to monstrous murther did Imploy his Tigres minde Who when by fauour and by force Of Antigon the King The state of Elyesus to His yoke and becke did bring Full tyrantlike he strake the stroke And hauing got the crowne Gaue vp himselfe to loathsome lust And brought the subiects downe That earst in fréedome long had livde So mightie was his raigne As to resist his cruell parts Men thought it all in vaine What foul abuse was then vnwrought What rigor left vntride What wicked prancks pageants plaide whilst he the realme did gide His cankred nature all inclinde To slaughter and to blood To kill the poore and giltlesse soules It did this monster good And to this murthring minde of his He ioynde the vile aduise Of barbarous people that to blood This tyrant did entise The beastliest men that liuing were Alone he did not place In office to controle the rest Which was a cursed case That such vnciuill brutish beasts Should rule a Princes land But choze them for his persons garde To haue them neare at hand Of all the vile vnkindlie partes That he aliue did play I note but one aboue the rest Wherein I minde to stay To set this viper out to viewâ— That all the world may see What plagues in store for cruell Kings By Gods reserued be Who though to drinke in golden cup And feast with daintie fare And for a time abound in blisse Yet end their liues in care And steed of former sugred sops They swallow bitter gall And from the top of kingly throne Abide the shamefull fall There dwelt within this tyrants realm A Citizen of fame A man of wealth and great estate Phylodimus by name Who father was vnto a wench For feature that did passe An A perse among the rest And nurtred well she was Faire Micca was this maidens name Whose beautie did excell This Tyrant had a Souldier who Did like the virgin well One Luzio a roysting Roague In fauour with the king That to the end he might the maid Vnto his bias bring A messenger dispatcht vnto The father straight to will Him yéeld his daughter to his hands His pleasure to fulfill He let him vnderstand his lust The father séeing such A foule demaund and shamefull sute Was vexed very much And gripte with anguish of the minde But hauing wayde the case And knowing that this ruffian stoode So in the princes grace And highly was estéemde of him Be gonne to be afraide And thereupon his wife and he Thought good to send the maide Whom they perswaded as they might For safetie of her life To yéelde the Souldier vp the fort Withouten farther strife But shée good heart that lesse esteemde Her life than spotlesse name Well nurtred vp from tender youth And aye in feare of shame Fell prostrate at her fathers foote Vpon her fainting knées Imbracing him with bitter teares The sutes she made were these That he would neuer see her spoilde Of such a varlet vile Nor let a cutthrote souldier so His daughter to defile But rather let her die the death With fathers willing knife Than yéeld her vp to Luzios lust To leade a strumpets life She was content with any lot So she might scape his hands Whilst hearing thus his daughters plaints The wofull father standes And with the mother wayles the hap And pities of the maide Not knowing what to doe therein The Leacher that had staide And lookt for Miccas comming long Impacient of his flame And beastly heat to fet the wench Himselfe in person came Puft vp with déepe distaine and wrath And fiild with enuious yre That she did linger there so long VVhom he did so desire VVho béeing come vnto the house VVhere did this damsell dwell And seeing her at fathers foote For rage began to swell And much misliking her delay VVith fierce and frowning face Controlde the wench and bid her rise And follow him a pace And must I Damsell come quoth hée Mought message not suffice Doe way delayes leaue of those teares And wype your wantons eyes Dipatch and come along with me Doe linger on no more VVhereat the wench renude her plaints As she had done before And made no hast at all to ryse But sate vpon her knées Which Luzio séeing all in rage Vnto the mayden flées And strips her naked as his nayle And beate her round about A thousand stripes he gaue the girle That had not on a cloute To saue the burthen of a blowe From off her tender corse But shâ—ée continde on her minde For all the villaynes force Not weying all his blowes a beane A mayde of manly harte For though the beast had beate her sore Shée made no shewe of smarte Nor yelded any sighing sobbes In proofe of inward payne But valiantly abid the scurge And ready was againe To doe the like more rather than To yelde to such a slaue Or make him owner of the holde Which he did long to haue The wofull parentes vie wing this With griefe and dewed eyes Were greatly tho to pitie moude And out they made their cryes With sute of Luzio there to leaue And beate the mayde no more But when they sawe they nought preuaild Their aged lockes they core And out on God and man they call Their daughter voyde of blame To succour being sore distrest Euen then at point of shame Which sute and yelling crye of theirs Did make the monster mad And set him farther in a rage That earst so plagued had The mayden Micca voyd of gilt With that he drawes his knife And in the aged fathers sight Bereaues the wench of life Out gusht apace the purple blood From Miccas tender limmes In such abundance as about The place the mayden swimmes A perfit proofe that all the zeale Which Luzio bore the wench Did only growe of Leachers lust Whom wrath so soone could quench For had he grounded lust on loue Or fanside Micca well He would not so haue slaine a mayd Whose bewtie did excell Farewell to thée Dianas Nimphe Thy vertue was so great As well thou didst among the gods Deserue to haue a seate For Lucrece could haue done no more Than yeld her selfe to dye And in defence of spotlesse fame A tyrants hand to trye What kingly hart what princely brest Nay more what manly mynde Could sée or suffer such a facte Against the lawes of kynde Would any man of womans milke Endure so foule a déede Not yelding him that playd the parte A gibbot for his méed And yet this butchers bloody rage This tyrant could not moue To hate him ought the more but eke The good that did reproue The filthy villayne for his vice The Prince did make away For some of them with cruell sworde He out of hand did slaye And other some he forste abrode
almost the simplest wil Both geue a checke and eke a mate by practise comes their skil Againe the dice as fast the poorest roges of all Wil sit them downe in open field and there to gaming fall Their dice are very small in fashion like to those Which we doe vse he takes them vp and ouer thumbe he throwes Not shaking themâ—a whit they cast suspiciously And yet I déeme them voyd of arte that dicing most apply At plaxe when siluer lackes goes saddle horse and all And each thing els worth siluer walkes although the price be small Because thou louest to play frend Parker otherwhile I wish thée there the weary day with dicing to beguile But thou were better farre at home I wist it wel And wouldst béen loath among such loutes so long a time to dwel Then iudge of vs thy frends what kind of life we had That néere the frozen pole to wast our weary dayes were glad In such a sauage soyle where lawes doe beare no sway But all is at the King his wil to saue or els to slay And that saunce cause God wot if so his minde be such But what meane I with kings to dealt we ought no Saints to touch Conceaue the rest your selfe and déeme what liues they leade Where lust is law and subiectes liue continually in dread And where the best estates haue none assurance good Of lands of liues nor nothing falles vnto the next of bloud But all of custome doeth vnto the Prince redowne And all the whole reuenue comes vnto the king his crowne Good faith I sée thée muse at what I tel thée now But true it is no choyce but all at Princes pleasure bowe So Tarquine ruled Rome as thou remembrest well And what his fortune was at last I know thy selfe canst tell Where will in common weale doth beare the onely sway And lust is law the prince and realme must néeds in time decay The strangenesse of the place is such for sundry things I sée As if I would I cannot write each priuate point to thée The cold is rare the people rude the prince so full of pride The realm so stord with monks nunnes and priests on euery side The maners are so Turkylike the men so full of guile The women wanton temples stuft with idols that destle The seats that sacred ought to be the customs are so quaint As if I would describe the whole I feare my pen would faint In summe I say I neuer saw a prince that so did raigne Nor people so beset with Saints yet all but vile and vaine Wild Irish are as ciuil as the Russies in their kind Hard choice which is the best of both each bloodie rude and blind If thou be wise as wise thou art and wilt be rulde by mée Liue still at home and couet not those barbarous coasts to sée No good befals a man that seekes and finds no better place No ciuil customs to be learnd where God bestowes no grace And truly ill they do deserue to be beloued of God That neither loue nor stand in awe of his assured rod. Which thogh be long yet plagues at last the vile and beastly sort Of sinfull wights that all in vice do place their chiefest sport Adieu friend Parker if thou list to know the Russies well To Sigismundus booke repaire who all the truth can tell For he long earst in message went vnto that sauage king Sent by the Pole and true report in each respect did bring To him I recommend my selfe to ease my pen of paine And now at last do wish thée well and bid farewell againe To his friend Nicholas Roscarock to induce him to take a wife ROscarocke sith my raging prime is past And riper age with reasons learned lore Well staied hath my wits that went so saft And coold the heat that hent my brest of yore I cannot choose but write some solemne stuffe For thée to read when thou art in thy ruffe I sée thée muse what should the matter be Whereof I meane to treate thou bitest thy lip And bendst thy browe as though I were not he That had a tricke my Cornish friend to trip Well to be short it toucheth mariage vow An order which my selfe haue entred now A sacred yoke a state of mickle praise A blessed band belikt of God and man And such a life as if in former dayes I had but knowen as now commend I can Good faith I would not wasted so my prime In wanton wise and spent an idle time An idle time as sundry gallants vse I meane my London mates that tread the stréete And golden wits with fond conceits abuse And base deuises farre for such vnméet Leauing the law and casting bookes aside Wherby in time you mought your countries guide Your daily practise is to beat the bush Where beauties birds do lodge themselues to lie You shoote at shapes and faces deare a rush And bend your bowes your féeble strengths to trie Of closure you somtimes do common make And where you list abroad your pleasures take You count it but a game to graffe the horne That inward growes and seldom shewes without The silly man you skoffe and laugh to skorne And for his pacience déeme him but a lout By day you gaze vpon your Ladies lookes By night you gad to hang your baited hookes Thus do you lauish frolike youth away With idle words not woorth a parched pease And like to wanton colts that run astray You leape the pale and into euery lease Where fitter far it were to marry wiues And well disposd to lead more sober liues Reuolt in tyme least time repentance bring Let each enioy his lawfull wedded mate Or else be sure your selues in time shall sing The selfesame note and rue your harmes too late For commonly the wrong that we entend Lights on our heads and shoulders in the end Perhaps thou wouldst as willing wedded be As I my selfe and many other moe But that thou canst no perfit beautie sée For which thou wilt thy single life forgoe Both yoong faire with wealth goods thou séekst Such one she is whom thou Roscarocke léekst Be rulde by me let giddy fansie go Imbrace a wife with wealth and coyne enough Force not the face regard not feature so And aged grandame that maintains the plough And brings thée bags is woorth a thousand peates That pranck their pates liue by Spanish meates That one contents hir self with now and than Right glad if she might sit at Venus messe Once in the moneth the youthfull Damsell can Not so be pleasd hir rage must haue redresse As oft as pleasure pricks hir lims to lust Els all the matter lies amid the dust Wherfore I iudge the best and wisest way Were wife to wed and leaue to range at will In maried life there is assured stay Where otherwise to follow euery Gill Bréeds wracke of wealth of credit ease and blisse And makes men run their races quite
amisse Experto credere tutum est A gentlewomans excuse for executing vnlawfull partes of loue EArst Sylla tooke no shame for Minos sake Hir father Nysus purple pate to sheare Medea for the loue of Iason brake The bands of kind and slew hir brother deare Forwent hir worthy Sire and kingly crowne And followed him the rouer vp and downe For Theseus when in Labirinth he lay In dread of death the monster was so nie Faire Ariadna did deuise a way To saue his life vnlesse that Ouid lie And yet the beast hir brother was in déed Whom Theseus slue and sprang of Minos séed At siege of Troy whilest Agamemnon fought Aegistheus wan Quéene Clitemnestras hart So as when he returnd and little thought Of death this dame began to play hir part She slew the prince to folow former lust And thought the fact to be excéeding iust Faire Phyllis slew hire selfe vnhappy dame Through loue and did not Dydo do the like For Prince Aeneas who to Carthage came When he was forst by showres the shore to séeke What more vnkindly parts can man deuise Than Quéens for loue their honors to despise◠Now iudge my case my fault vprightly scan Déeme my desart by this it may be gest I am by nature made to loue a man As Sylla Phyllis Dido and the rest If they and I haue done amisse for loue Let kind be blamd that thereunto did mooue The wisest men as farre as I can see Haue been enthrald through loue as well as we Amor vince ogni cosa Of his Constancie WE way not waxe for all his gallant hew Bicause it vades and melts against the fire We more regard a rocke of marble blew For that no force doth cause it to retire The builder makes his full account that it Will firmly stand at a stay and neuer flit So may you swéete be sure that my good will Is no good will of waxe to waste away When fond desire of fansie hath his fill My loue is like the marble for his stay Build thereupon and you shall surely find No blast of chance to change my stedfast mind Blacke shall you sée the snow on mountains hie The fish shall féed vpon the barren sand The sea shall shrinke and leaue the Dolphins dry No plant shall prooue vpon the sencelesse land The Tems shal turne the Sunne shal lose his light Ere I to thée become a faithlesse wight I neither am nor meane to bee None other than I seeme to thee The Authors Epilogue LO here the end of all my worke behold the thréed I drew Is wrought to cloth accomplisht now you sée this slender clew A peece God wot of little price scarce woorth the Readers paine And in mine owne conceit a booke of barren verse and vaine I blush to let it out at large for Sages to peruse For that the common custome is in bookes to gape for newes And matter of importance great which either may delite By pleasure or with sad aduise the readers paynes requite But this of mine so maymed is for lacke of learned stile And stately stuffe as sure I shall the readers hope beguile Who doth expect some rare report of former ancient déedes Or new deuice but lately wrought that breatheth yet and bléedes But truely none of both in these my verses is to finde My slender ship hath kept the shore for feare of boystrous winde I bore my simple sayles but lowe I dreaded sodaine showers Which sundry times from hauty skies the puisant ruler powers I durst not stir amid the streame the chanel was too déepe Which made me haue the more regard about the bankes to kéepe It is for mighty hulkes to dare aduenture out so farre And barkes of biggest sise and such as builded be for warre I write but of familiar stuffe because my stile is lowe I feare to wade in weighty works or past my reach to rowe Which if I should the Reader might as boldly blame my quil As now I trust he shal accept my shew of great good wil. Though diuers write with fuller phrase and farre more hawty stile And burnish out their golden bookes with fine and learned file Yet meaner Muses must not lurke but each in his degrée That meaneth wel and doth his best must wel regarded be Though Nilus for his bignes beare away the greatest name Whose seuēfold stream hath gaind the gulfe of such a lasting fame Yet must not lesser lakes be lost nor had in vile account That serue for vse and ease of man though Nilus doe surmount Great Alexander mighty was and dreadful in the warre Yet that 's no cause why Rome should not of Caesar boast as farre The Planets are the pride of heauen and chéefest lampes of light Yet other starres doe yelde a shew and helpe to cléere the night Likewise though diuers write in verse and doe excéeding wel The remnant must not be refusde because they doe excell Ill may we misse the slender shrubs for all the princely Pine No more we scorne the baser drinkes though most we way the wine Which makes me hope that though my Muse doth yelde but slender sound And though my Culter scarcely cuts or breakes the marble ground Yet sithens that I meant with verse to féede the Readers eyes And to that purpose bent my braines these fancies to deuise I trust he takes it wel in worth and beares with what he findes And thereunto the Reader aye the writers trauaile bindes Which if he doe I haue my hire who happy then but I That wrote this worke for grateful men to vewe with thankfull eye And so I giue the congée now with wish that this my booke Be such as may thy sprites delight that hapnest here to looke Ill were my fortune if in all this treatise as it standes There should be nothing worth the vew when so it comes to hand Roscarockes warrant shal suffise who likle the writing so As did embolden me to let the leaues at large to goe If il succéede the blame was his who might haue kept it backe And frendly tolde me that my booke his due deuise did lacke But as it is loe there it goes for euery one to vew The man that each ones humor pleasde as yet I neuer knew Sufficeth if the courtly sort whose doome is déepe in déede Accompt it ought with baser wits I care not how it spéede The courtier knowes what best becomes in euery kind of case His nature is what so he doth to decke with gallant grace The greatest clarkes in other artes can hardly doe the léeke For learning sundry times is there where iudgement is to séeke The Authors excuse for writing these and other fancies with promise of grauer matter hereafter LOrdings allow my light and lewde deuise And Ladies ye that are of greatest state Beare with my bookes imputing nought to vice That I haue pende in youth nor now of late My prime prouokt my hasty idle quil To write of loue when