war VVherein most perfect measure doth appeare VVhether their well-set ranks respected are In Quadrant forme or Semicircular Or else the March when all the troups aduaunce Vnto the Drum in gallant order daunce 88 And after warrs when white-wing'd victory Is with a glorious tryumph beautified And euery one doth Io Io cry VVhiles all in gold the Conquerour doth ride The solemne pompe that fils the Citty wide Obserues such ranke and measure euery where As if they altogether dauncing were 89 The like iust order Mourners doe obserue But with vnlike affection and attire VVhen some great man that nobly did deserue And whom his friends impatiently desire Is brought with honour to his latest fire The dead corps too in that sad daunce is mou'd As if both dead and liuing dauncing lou'd 90 A diuerse cause but like solemnitie Vnto the Temple leades the bashfull bride VVhich blusheth like the Indian Iuorie VVhich is with dip of Tyrian purple died A golden troope doth passe on euery side Of flourishing young men and Virgins gay Which keepe faire measure all the flowry way 91 And not alone the generall multitude But those choise Nestors which in counsell graue Of Citties and of Kingdomes doe conclude Most comly order in their Sessions haue Wherefore the wise Thessalians euer gaue The name of Leader of their Countries daunce To him that had their Countries gouernaunce 92 And those great Maisters of the liberall Arts In all their seuerall Schooles doe Dauncing teach For humble Grammer first doth set the parts Of congruent and well-according speach Which Rhetorick whose state y t clouds doth reach And heau'nly Poetry doe forward lead And diuers Measures diuersly doe tread 93 For Rhetorick clothing speech in rich aray In looser numbers teacheth her to range VVith twentie tropes and turnings euery way And various figures and licentious change But Poetry with rule and order strange So curiously doth moue each single pace As all is mard if she one foote misplace 94 These Arts of speach the guides and Marshals are But Logick leadeth Reason in a daunce Reason the Cynosure and bright Load-star In this worlds Sea t'auoid the rock of Chaunce For with close following and continuance One reason doth another so ensue As in conlusion still the daunce is true 95 So Musick to her owne sweet tunes doth trip VVith tricks of 3 5 8 15 and more So doth the Art of Numbring seeme to skip From eu'n to odd in her proportion'd score So doe those skils whose quick eyes doe explore The iust dimension both of earth and heau'n In all their rules obserue a measure eu'n 96 Loe this is Dauncings true nobilitie Dauncing the child of Musick and of Loue Dauncing it selfe both loue and harmony VVhere all agree and all in order moue Dauncing the Art that all Arts doe approue The faire Caracter of the worlds consent The heau'ns true figure and th'earths ornament 97 THE Queene whose dainty eares had borne too long The tedious praise of y t she did despise Adding once more the musick of the tongue To the sweet speech of her alluting eyes Began to aunswer in such winning wise As that forthwith Antinous tongue was tyde His eyes fast fixt his eares were open wide 98 Forsooth quoth she great glory you haue won To your trim Minion Dauncing all this while By blazing him Loues first begotten sonne Of euery ill the hatefull Father vile That doth the world with sorceries beguile Cunningly mad religiously prophane Wits monster Reasons canker Sences bane 99 Loue taught the mother that vnkind desire To wash her hands in her owne Infants blood Loue taught the daughter to betray her Sire Into most base vnworthy seruitude Loue taught the brother to prepare such foode To feast his brothers that the all-seeing Sun Wrapt in a clowd that wicked sight did shun 100 And euen this selfe same Loue hath dauncing taught An Art that sheweth th' Idea of his mind VVith vainesse frenzie and misorder fraught Sometimes with blood and cruelties vnkind For in a daunce Tereus mad wife did finde Fit time and place by murthering her sonne T'auenge the wrong his trayterous Sire had done 101 What meane the Mermayds when they daunce and sing But certaine death vnto the Marriner VVhat tydings doe the dauncing Dilphins bring But that some dangerous storme approcheth nere Then sith both Loue Dauncing lyueries beare Of such ill hap vnhappy may they proue That sitting free will either daunce or loue 102 YEt once againe Antinous did reply Great Queene condemne not Loue the innocent For this mischieuous Lust which traiterously Vsurps his Name and steales his ornament For that true Loue which dauncing did inuent Is he that tun'd the worlds whole harmony And linkt all men in sweet societie 103 He first extracted from th'earth-mingled mind That heau'nly fire or quintessence diuine VVhich doth such simpathy in beauty find As is betweene the Elme and fruitfull Vine And so to beautie euer doth encline Liues life it is and cordiall to the hart And of our better part the better part 104 Thys is true Loue by that true Cupid got VVhich daunceth Galliards in your amorous eyes But to your frozen hart approcheth not Onely your hart he dares not enterprize And yet through euery other part he flyes And euery where he nimbly daunceth now That in your selfe your selfe perceiue not how 105 For your sweet beauty daintily transfus'd VVith due proportion throughout euery part VVhat is it but a daunce where Loue hath vs'd His finer cunning and more curious Art VVhere all the Elements themselues impart And turne and wind mingle with such measure That th'eye that sees it surfeits with the pleasure 106 Loue in the twinckling of your eylids daunceth Loue daunceth in your pulses and your vaines Loue whe you sow your needles poynt aduaunceth And makes it daunce a thousand curious straines Of winding rounds whereof the forme remaines To shew that your faire hands can daunce y t Hey VVhich your fine seet would learne as wel as they 107 And when your Iuory fingers touch the strings Of any siluer-sounding instrument Loue makes the daunce to those sweet murmurings VVith busie skill and cunning excellent O that your feet those tunes would represent With artificiall motions to and fro That Loue this Art in euery part might shoe 108 Yet your faire soule which came from heau'n aboue To rule thys house another heau'n below VVith diuers powers in harmony doth moue And all the vertues that from her doe flow In a round measure hand in hand doe goe Could I now see as I conceiue thys Daunce VVonder and Loue would cast me in a traunce 109 The richest Iewell in all the heau'nly Treasure That euer yet vnto the Earth was showne Is perfect Concord th'onely perfect pleasure That wretched Earth-borne men haue euer knowne For many harts it doth compound in one That what so one doth will or speake or doe VVith one consent they all agree thereto 110 Concords true picture
ORCHESTRA OR A Poeme of Dauncing Iudicially proouing the true obseruation of time and measure in the Authenticall and laudable vse of Dauncing Ouid. Art Aman. lib. t. Si vox est canta si mollia brachia salta Et quacunque potes dote placere place At London Printed by I. Robarts for N. Ling. 1596. To his very Friend Ma. Rich Martin TO whom shall I this dauncing Poeme send This suddaine rash halfe-capreol of my wit To you first mouer and sole cause of it Mine-owne-selues better halfe my deerest frend O would you yet my Muse some Honny lend From your mellifluous tongue whereon doth sit Suada in maiestie that I may fit These harsh beginnings with a sweeter end You know the modest Sunne full fifteene times Blushing did rise and blushing did descend While I in making of these ill made rimes My golden howers vnthriftily did spend Yet if in friendship you these numbers prayse I will mispend another fifteene dayes ORCHESTRA OR A Poeme of Dauncing 1 WHere liues the man that neuer yet did heare Of chast Penelope Vlisses Queene VVho kept her faith vnspotted twenty yeere Till he returnd that far away had beene And many men and many townes had seene Ten yeere at siedge of Troy he lingring lay And ten yeere in the Midland-sea did stray 2 Homer to whom the Muses did carouse A great deepe cup with heauenly Nectar filld The greatest deepest cup in Ioues great house For Ioue himselfe had so expresly willd He dranke of all ne let one drop be spilld Since when his braine that had before been dry Became the welspring of all Poetry 3 Homer doth tell in his aboundant verse The long laborious trauailes of the man And of his Lady too he doth reherse How shee illudes with all the Art she can Th'vngratefull loue which other Lords began For of her Lord false Fame long since had sworne That Neptunes Monsters had his carcasse torne 4 All this he tells but one thing he forgot One thing most worthy his eternall song But he was old and blind and saw it not Or else he thought he should Vlisses wrong To mingle it his Tragick acts among Yet was there not in all the world of things A sweeter burden for his Muses wings 5 The Courtly loue Antinous did make Antinous that fresh and iolly Knight Which of the gallants that did vndertake To win the Widdow had most wealth and might VVit to perswade and beautie to delight The Courtly loue he made vnto the Queene Homer forgot as if it had not beene 6 Sing then Terpsichore my light Muse sing His gentle Art and cunning curtesie You Lady can remember euery thing For you are daughter of Queene Memorie But sing a plaine and easie Melodie For the soft meane that warbleth but the ground To my rude care doth yield the sweetest sound 7 One onely nights discourse I can report VVhen the great Torch-bearer of heauen was gone Downe in a maske vnto the Oceans Court To reuell it with Tethis all alone Antinous disguised and vnknowne Like to the spring in gaudie Ornament Vnto the Castle of the Princesse went 8 The soueraigne Castle of the rocky Ile VVherein Penelope the Princesse lay Shone with a thousand Lamps which did exile The dim darke shades turn'd the night to day Not Ioues blew Tent what time the Sunny ray Behind the bulwarke of the earth retires Is seene to sparkle with more twinckling fiers 9 That night the Queene came forth from far within And in the presence of her Court was seene For the sweet singer Phemius did begin To praise the Worthies that at Troy had beene Somwhat of her Vlisses she did weene In his graue Hymne the heau'nly man would sing Or of his warres or of his wandering 10 Pallas that houre with her sweet breath diuine Inspir'd immortall beautie in her eyes That with coelestiall glory she did shine Brighter then Venus when she doth arise Out of the waters to adorne the skies The wooers all amazed doe admire And check their owne presumptuous desire 11 Onely Antinous when at first he view'd Her stâ—â— bright eyes that with new honour shind Was not dismayd but there-with-all renew'd The noblesse and the splendour of his mind And as he did sit circumstances sind Vnto the Throne he boldly gan aduance And with faire maners wooed y t Queene to dance 12 GOddesse of women sith your heau'nlinesse Hath now vouchsaft it selfe to represent To our dim eyes which though they see the lesse Yet are they blest in their astonishment Imitate heau'n whose beauties excellent Are in continuall motion day and night And moue thereby more wonder and delight 13 Let me the mouer be to turne about Those glorious ornaments that Youth and Loue Haue fixed in you euery part throughout VVhich if you will in timely measure moue Not all those precious Iemms in heau'n aboue Shall yield a sight more pleasing to behold VVith all their turnes and tracings manifold 14 WIth this the modest Princesse blusht and smil'd Like to a cleare and rosie euentide And softly did returne this answere mild Faire Sir you needs must fairely be denide VVhere your demaund cannot be satisfied My feete which onely nature taught to goe Did neuer yet the Art of footing know 15 But why perswade you me to this new rage For all disorder and misrule is new For such misgouernment in former age Our old diuine Forefathers neuer knew VVho if they liu'd and did the follies view Which their sond Nephews make their chiefe assaires Would hate themselues that had begot such heires 16 Sole heire of Vertue and of Beautie both VVhence commeth it Antinous replies That your imperious vertue is so loth To graunt your beautie her chiefe exercise Or from what spring doth your opinion rise That Dauncing is a frenzie and a rage First knowne and ys'd in this new-fangled age 17 Dauncing bright Lady then began to be When the first seedes whereof the world did spring The Fire Ayre Earth and water did agree By Loues perswasion Natures mighty King To leaue their first disordred combating And in a daunce such measure to obserue As all the world their motion should preserue 18 Since when they still are carried in a round And changing come one in anothers place Yet doe they neyther mingle nor confound But euery one doth keepe the bounded space VVherein the daunce doth bid it turne or tracc This wondrous myracle did Loue deuise For Dauncing is Loues proper excrcise 19 Like this he fram'd the Gods eternall bower And of a shapelesse and confused masse By his through-piercing and digesting power The turning vault of heauen framed was VVhose starrie wheeles he hath so made to passe As that their mouings doe a musick frame And they themselues still daunce vnto the same 20 Or if this All which round about we see As idle Morpheus some sicke braines hath taught Of vndeuided motes compacted bee How was this goodly Architecture wrought Or by what meanes were
To your false fier that far from heau'n is fall And doth consume wast spoile disorder all 43 And now behold your tender Nurse the ayre And common neighbour that ay runns around How many pictures and impressions faire Within her emptie regions are there found Which to your sences Dauncing doe propound For what are breath speech Ecchos musick winds But Dauncings of the ayre in sundry kinds 44 For when you breath the ayre in order moues Now in now out in time and measure trew And when you speake so well the dauncing loues That doubling oft and oft redoubling new With thousand formes she doth her selfe endew For all the words that from your lips repaire Are naught but tricks and turnings of the aire 45 Hence is her pratling daughter Eccho borne That daunces to all voyces she can heare There is no sound so harsh that she doth scorne Nor any time wherein she will forbeare The aiery pauement with her feete to weare And yet her hearing sence is nothing quick For after time she endeth euery trick 46 And thou sweet Musick Dauncings only life The eares sole happines the ayres best speach Loadstone of followship charming rod of strife The soft minds Paradice the sick minds Leach With thine owne tongue y u trees stones canst teach That whē the Aire doth daunce her finest measure Then art y u borne the Gods mens sweet pleasure 47 Lastly where keepe the winds their reuchy Their violent turnings and wild whirling hayes But in the Ayres tralucent gallery Where she her selfe is turnd a hundreth wayes While with those Maskers wantonly she playes Yet in this misrule they such rule embrace As two at once encomber not the place 48 If then fier ayre wandring and fixed lights In euery prouince of imperiall skye Yeald perfect formes of dauncing to your sights In vaine I teach the eare that which the eye With certaine view already doth descne But for your eyes perceiue not all they see In this I will your sences maister bee 49 For loe the Sea that fleets about the Land And like a girdle clips her solide wast Musick and measure both doth vnderstand For his great Christall eye is alwayes cast Vp to the Moone and on her fixed fast And as she daunceth in her pallid spheere So daunceth he about the Center heere 50 Somtimes his proud greene waues in order set One after other flow vnto the shore Which when they haue with many kisses wet They ebb away in order as before And to make knowne his Courtly Loue the more He oft doth lay aside his three-forkt Mace And with his armes the timerous Earth embrace 51 Onely the Earth doth stand for euer still Her rocks remoue not nor her mountaines meete Although some witts enricht with Learnings skill Say heau'n stands firme that the Earth doth sleete And swiftly turneth vnderneath their feete Yet though the Earth is euer stedfast seene On her broad breast hath Dauncing euer beene 52 For those blew vaines that through her body spred Those saphire streams which frō great hils do spring The Earths great duggs for euery wight is fed With sweet fresh moisture from them issuing Obserue a daunce in their wild wandering And still their daunce begets a murmur sweete And still the murmur with the daunce doth meete 53 Of all their wayes I loue Meanders path Which to the tunes of dying Swans doth daunce Such winding sleights such turnes and tricks he hath Such Creekes such wrenches and such daliaunce That whether it be hap or heedlesse chaunce In his indented course and wringling play He seemes to daunce a perfect cunning Hay 54 But wherefore doe these streames for euer runne To keepe themselues for euer sweet and cleare For let their euerlasting course be donne They straight corrupt and foule with mud appeare O yee sweet Nimphs that beauties losse doe feare Contemne the Drugs that Phisick doth deuise And learne of Loue this dainty exercise 55 See how those flowers that haue sweet Beauty too The onely Iewels that the Earth doth weare VVhen the young Sunne in brauery her doth woo As oft as they the whistling wind doe heare Doe waue their tender bodies here and there And though their daunce no perfect measure is Yet oftentimes their musick makes them kis 56 VVhat makes the Vine about the Elme to daunce With turnings windings and imbracements round What makes the Load-stone to the North aduaunce His subtile point as if from thence he found His chiefe attractiue Vertue to redound Kind Nature first doth cause all things to loue Loue makes them daunce and in iust order moue 57 Harke how the Birds doe sing and marke then how Iumpe with the modulation of their layes They lightly leape and skip from bow to bow Yet doe the Cranes deserue a greater prayse Which keepe such measure in their ayrie wayes As when they all in order ranked are They make a perfect forme triangular 58 In the chiefe angle flyes the watchfull guide And all the followers their heads doe lay On their forgoers backs on eyther side But for the Captaine hath no rest to stay His head forwearied with the windy way He back retires and then the next behind As his Lieuetenaunt leads them through the wind 59 But why relate I euery singular Since all the worlds great fortunes and affaires Forward and backward rapt and whitled are According to the musick of the spheares And Chaunce her selfe her nimble feete vpbeares On a round slipperie wheele that rowleth ay And turnes all states with her impetuous sway 60 Learne then to daunce you that are Princes borne And lawfull Lords of earthly creatures all Imitate them and thereof take no scorne For thys new Art to them is naturall And imitate the starres caelestiall For when pale Death you vitall twist shall seuer Your better parts must daunce with the for euer 61 Thus Loue perswades and all the crowne of men That stands around doth make a murmuring As when the wind loosd from his hollow den Among the trees a gentle base doth sing Or as a Brooke through peebles wandering But in their lookes they vttered this plaine speach That they wold learn to daunce if loue wold teach 62 Then first of all hee doth demonstrate plaine The motions seauen that are in nature found Vpward and downward forth and back againe To this side and to that and turning round VVhereof a thousand brawles he doth compound VVhich he doth teach vnto the multitude And euer with a turne they must conclude 63 As when a Nimph arysing from the Land Leadeth a daunce with her long watery traine Downe to the Sea she wries to euery hand And euery way doth crosse the fertile plaines But when at last she falls into the maine Then all her trauerses concluded are And with the Sea her course is circulate 64 Thus when at first Loue had them marshalled As earst he did the shapelesse masse of things He taught them rounds and winding Heyes to tread