this base world vnto thy heauens hight Where I may see those admirable things Which there thou workest by thy soueraine might Farre aboue feeble reach of earthly sight That I thereof an heauenly Hymne may sing Vnto the god of Loue high heauens king Many lewd layes ah woe is me the more In praise of that mad fit which fooles call loue I haue in th' heat of youth made heretofore That in light wits did loose affection moue But all those follies now I do reproue And turned haue the tenor of my string The heauenly prayses of true loue to sing And ye that wont with greedy vaine desire To reade my fault and wondring at my flame To warme your selues at my wide sparckling fire Sith now that heat is quenched quench my blame And in her ashes shrowd my dying shame For who my passed follies now pursewes Beginnes his owne and my old fault renewes BEfore this worlds great frame in which al things Are now containd found any being place Ere flitting Time could wag his eyas wings About that mightie bound which doth embrace The rolling Spheres parts their houres by space That high eternall powre which now doth moue In all these things mou'd in it selfe by loue It lou'd it selfe because it selfe was faire For faire is lou'd and of it selfe begot Like to it selfe his eldest sonne and heire Eternall pure and voide of sinfull blot The firstling of his ioy in whom no iot Of loues dislike or pride was to be found Whom he therefore with equall honour crownd With him he raignd before all time prescribed In endlesse glorie and immortall might Together with that third from them deriued Most wise most holy most almightie Spright Whose kingdomes throne no thought of earthly wight Can cōprehēd much lesse my trēbling verse With equall words can hope it to reherse Yet ô most blessed Spirit pure lampe of light Eternall spring of grace and wisedome trew Vouchsafe to shed into my barren spright Some little drop of thy celestiall dew That may my rymes with sweet infuse embrew And giue me words equall vnto my thought To tell the marueiles by thy mercie wrought Yet being pregnant still with powrefull grace And full of fruitfull loue that loues to get Things like himselfe and to enlarge his race His second brood though not in powre so great Yet full of beautie next he did beget An infinite increase of Angels bright All glistring glorious in their Makers light To them the heauens illimitable hight Not this round heauē which we frō hence behold Adornd with thousand lamps of burning light And with ten thousand gemmes of shyning gold He gaue as their inheritance to hold That they might serue him in eternall blis And be partakers of those ioyes of his There they in their trinall triplicities About him wait and on his will depend Either with nimble wings to cut the skies When he them on his messages doth send Or on his owne dread presence to attend Where they behold the glorie of his light And caroll Hymnes of loue both day and night Both day and night is vnto them all one For he his beames doth still to them extend That darknesse there appeareth neuer none Ne hath their day ne hath their blisse an end But there their termelesse time in pleasure spend Ne euer should their happinesse decay Had not they dar'd their Lord to disobay But pride impatient of long resting peace Did puffe them vp with greedy bold ambition That they gan cast their state how to increase Aboue the fortune of their first condition And sit in Gods owne seat without commission The brightest Angell euen the Child of light Drew millions more against their God to fight Th' Almighty seeing their so bold assay Kindled the flame of his consuming yre And with his onely breath them blew away From heauens hight to which they did aspyre To deepest hell and lake of damned fyre Where they in darknesse and dread horror dwell Hating the happie light from which they fell So that next off-spring of the Makers loue Next to himselfe in glorious degree Degendering to hate fell from aboue Through pride for pride and loue may ill agree And now of sinne to all ensample bee How then can sinfull flesh it selfe assure Sith purest Angels fell to be impure But that eternall fount of loue and grace Still flowing forth his goodnesse vnto all Now seeing left a waste and emptie place In his wyde Pallace through those Angels fall Cast to supply the same and to enstall A new vnknowen Colony therein Whose root from earths base groundworke shold begin Therefore of clay base vile and next to nought Yet form'd by wondrous skill and by his might According to an heauenly patterne wrought Which he had fashiond in his wise foresight He man did make and breathd a liuing spright Into his face most beautifull and fayre Endewd with wifedomes riches heauenly rare Such he him made that he resemble might Himselfe as mortall thing immortall could Him to be Lord of euery liuing wight He made by loue out of his owne like mould In whom he might his mightie selfe behould For loue doth loue the thing belou'd to see That like it selfe in louely shape may bee But man forgetfull of his makers grace No lesse then Angels whom he did ensew Fell from the hope of promist heauenly place Into the mouth of death to sinners dew And all his off-spring into thraldome threw Where they for euer should in bonds remaine Of neuer dead yet euer dying paine Till that great Lord of Loue which him at first Made of meere loue and after liked well Seeing him lie like creature long accurst In that deepe horror of despeyred hell Him wretch in doole would let no lenger dwell But cast out of that bondage to redeeme And pay the price all were his debt extreeme Out of the bosome of eternall blisse In which he reigned with his glorious syre He downe descended like a most demisse And abiect thrall in fleshes fraile attyre That he for him might pay sinnes deadly hyre And him restore vnto that happie state In which he stood before his haplesse fate In flesh at first the guilt committed was Therefore in flesh it must be satisfyde Nor spirit nor Angell though they man surpas Could make amends to God for mans misguyde But onely man himselfe who selfe did slyde So taking flesh of sacred virgins wombe For mans deare sake he did a man become And that most blessed bodie which was borne Without all blemish or reprochfull blame He freely gaue to be both rent and torne Of cruell hands who with despightfull shame Reuyling him that them most vile became At length him nayled on a gallow tree And slew the iust by most vniust decree O huge and most vnspeakeable impression Of loues deepe wound that pierst the piteous hart Of that deare Lord with so entyre affection And sharply launching euery inner part Dolours of death into his soule did
dight With chearefull grace and amiable sight For of the soule the bodie forme doth take For soule is forme and doth the bodie make Therefore where euer that thou doest behold A comely corpse with beautie faire endewed Know this for certaine that the same doth hold A beauteous soule with faire conditions thewed Fit to receiue the seede of vertue strewed For all that faire is is by nature good That is a signe to know the gentle blood Yet oft it falles that many a gentle mynd Dwels in deformed tabernacle drownd Either by chaunce against the course of kynd Or through vnaptnesse in the substance fownd Which it assumed of some stubborne grownd That will not yield vnto her formes direction But is perform'd with some foule imperfection And oft it falles ay me the more to rew That goodly beautie albe heauenly borne Is foule abusd and that celestiall hew Which doth the world with her delight adorne Made but the bait of sinne and sinners scorne Whilest euery one doth seeke and sew to haue it But euery one doth seeke but to depraue it Yet nathemore is that faire beauties blame But theirs that do abuse it vnto ill Nothing so good but that through guilty shame May be corrupt and wrested vnto will Nathelesse the soule is faire and beauteous still How euer fleshes fault it filthy make For things immortall no corruption take But ye faire Dames the worlds deare ornaments And liuely images of heauens light Let not your beames with such disparagements Be dimd and your bright glorie darkned quight But mindfull still of your first countries sight Doe still preserue your first informed grace Whose shadow yet shynes in your beauteous face Loath that foule blot that hellish fierbrand Disloiall lust faire beauties foulest blame That base affectiōs which your eares would bland Commend to you by loues abused name But is indeede the bondslaue of defame Which will the garland of your glorie marre And quēch the light of your bright shyning starre But gentle Loue that loiall is and trew Will more illumine your resplendent ray And adde more brightnesse to your goodly hew From light of his pure fire which by like way Kindled of yours your likenesse doth display Like as two mirrours by opposd reflexion Doe both expresse the faces first impression Therefore to make your beautie more appeare It you behoues to loue and forth to lay That heauenly riches which in you ye beare That men the more admyre their fountaine may For else what booteth that celestiall ray If it in darknesse be enshrined euer That it of louing eyes be vewed neuer But in your choice of Loues this well aduize That likest to your selues ye them select The which your forms first sourse may sympathize And with like beauties parts be inly deckt For if you loosely loue without respect It is no loue but a discordant warre Whose vnlike parts amongst themselues do iarre For Loue is a celestiall harmonie Of likely harts composd of starres concent Which ioyne together in sweete sympathie To worke ech others ioy and true content Which they haue harbourd since their first descēt Out of their heauenly bowres where they did see And know ech other here belou'd to bee Then wrong it were that any other twaine Should in loues gentle band combyned bee But those whom heauen did at first ordaine And made out of one mould the more t' agree For all that like the beautie which they see Streight do not loue for loue is not so light As streight to burne at first beholders sight But they which loue indeede looke otherwise With pure regard and spotlesse true intent Drawing out of the obiect of their eyes A more refyned forme which they present Vnto their mind voide of all blemishment Which it reducing to her first perfection Beholdeth free from fleshes frayle infection And then conforming it vnto the light Which in it selfe it hath remaining still Of that first Sunne yet sparckling in his sight Thereof he fashions in his higher skill An heauenly beautie to his fancies will And it embracing in his mind entyre The mirrour of his owne thought doth admyre Which seeing now so inly faire to be As outward it appeareth to the eye And with his spirits proportion to agree He thereon fixeth all his fantasie And fully setteth his felicitie Counting it fairer then it is indeede And yet indeede her fairenesse doth exceede For louers eyes more sharply sighted bee Then other mens and in deare loues delight See more then any other eyes can see Through mutuall receipt of beames bright Which carrie priuie message to the spright And to their eyes that inmost faire display As plaine as light discouers dawning day Therein they see through amorous eye-glaunces Armies of loues still flying too and fro Which dart at them their litle fierie launces Whom hauing wounded backe againe they go Carrying compassion to their louely foe Who seeing her faire eyes so sharpe effect Cures all their sorrowes with one sweete aspect In which how many wonders doe they reede To their conceipt that others neuer see Now of her smiles with which their soules they feede Like Gods with Nectar in their bankets free Now of her lookes which like to Cordials bee But when her words embassade forth she sends Lord how sweete musicke that vnto them lends Sometimes vpon her forhead they behold A thousand Graces masking in delight Sometimes within her eye-lids they vnfold Ten thousand sweet belgards which to their sight Doe seeme like twinckling starres in frostie night But on her lips like rosy buds in May So many millions of chaste pleasures play All those ô Cytherea and thousands more Thy handmaides be which do on thee attend To decke thy beautie with their dainties store That may it more to mortall eyes commend And make it more admyr'd of foe and frend That in mens harts thou mayst thy throne enstall And spred thy louely kingdome ouer all Then Iotryumph ô great beauties Queene Aduance the banner of thy conquest hie That all this world the which thy vassals beene May draw to thee and with dew fealtie Adore the powre of thy great Maiestie Singing this Hymne in honour of thy name Compyld by me which thy poore liegeman am In lieu whereof graunt ô great Soueraine That she whose conquering beautie doth captiue My trembling hart in her eternall chaine One drop of grace at length will to me giue That I her bounden thrall by her may liue And this same life which first fro me she reaued May owe to her of whom I it receaued And you faire Venus dearling my deare dread Fresh flowre of grace great Goddesse of my life Whē your faire eyes these fearefull lines shal read Deigne to let fall one drop of dew reliefe That may recure my harts long pyning griefe And shew what wōdrous powre your beauty hath That can restore a damned wight from death FINIS AN HYMNE OF HEAVENLY LOVE LOue lift me vp vpon thy golden wings From
kindled flame in all their inner parts Which suckes the blood and drinketh vp the lyfe Of carefull wretches with consuming griefe Thenceforth they playne make ful piteous mone Vnto the author of their balefull bane The daies they waste the nights they grieue and grone Their liues they loath and heauens light disdaine No light but that whose lampe doth yet remaine Fresh burning in the image of their eye They deigne to see and seeing it still dye The whylst thou tyrant Loue doest laugh scorne At their complaints making their paine thy play Whylest they lye languishing like thrals forlorne The whyles thou doest triumph in their decay And otherwhyles their dying to delay Thou doest emmarble the proud hart of her Whose loue before their life they doe prefer So hast thou often done ay me the more To me thy vassall whose yet bleeding hart With thousand wounds thou mangled hast so sore That whole remaines scarse any little part Yet to augment the anguish of my smart Thou hast enfrosen her disdainefull brest That no one drop of pitie there doth rest Why then do I this honor vnto thee Thus to ennoble thy victorious name Since thou doest shew no fauour vnto mee Ne once moue ruth in that rebellious Dame Somewhat to slacke the rigour of my flame Certes small glory doest thou winne hereby To let her liue thus free and me to dy But if thou be indeede as men thee call The worlds great Parent the most kind preseruer Of liuing wights the soueraine Lord of all How falles it then that with thy furious feruour Thou doest afflict as well the not deseruer As him that doeth thy louely heasts despize And on thy subiects most doest tyrannize Yet herein eke thy glory seemeth more By so hard handling those which best thee serue That ere thou doest them vnto grace restore Thou mayest well trie if they will euer swerue And mayest them make it better to deserue And bauing got it may it more esteeme For things hard gotten men more dearely deeme So hard those heauenly beauties be enfyred As things diuine least passions doe impresse The more of stedfast mynds to be admyred The more they stayed be on stedfastnesse But baseborne mynds such lamps regard the lesse Which at first blowing take not hastie fyre Such fancies feele no loue but loose desyre For loue is Lord of truth and loialtie Lifting himselfe out of the lowly dust On golden plumes vp to the purest skie Aboue the reach of loathly sinfull lust Whose base affect through cowardly distrust Of his weake wings dare not to heauen fly But like a moldwarpe in the earth dothly His dunghill thoughts which do themselues enure To dirtie drosse no higher dare aspyre Ne can his feeble earthly eyes endure The flaming light of that celestiall fyre Which kindleth loue in generous desyre And makes him mount aboue the natiue might Of heauie earth vp to the heauens hight Such is the powre of that sweet passion That it all sordid basenesse doth expell And the refyned mynd doth newly fashion Vnto a fairer forme which now doth dwell In his high thought that would it selfe excell Which he beholding still with constant sight Admires the mirrour of so heauenly light VVhose image printing in his deepest wit He thereon feeds his hungrie fantasy Still full yet neuer satisfyde with it Like Tantale that in store doth steruedly So doth he pine in most satiety For nought may quench his infinite desyre Once kindled through that first conceiued fyre Thereon his mynd affixed wholly is Ne thinks on ought but how it to attaine His care his ioy his hope is all on this That seemes in it all blisses to containe In sight whereof all other blisse seemes vaine Thrise happie man might he the same possesse He faines himselfe and doth his fortune blesse And though he do not win his wish to end Yet thus farre happie he him selfe doth weene That heauens such happie grace did to him lend As thing on earth so heauenly to haue seene His harts enshrined saint his heauens queene Fairer then fairest in his fayning eye Whose sole aspect he counts felicitye Then forth he casts in his vnquiet thought What he may do her fauour to obtaine What braue exploit what perill hardly wrought What puissant conquest what aduenturons paine May please her best and grace vnto him gaine He dreads no danger nor misfortune feares His faith his fortune in his breast he beares Thou art his god thou art his mightie guyde Thou being blind letst him not see his feares But cariest him to that which he hath eyde Through seas through flames through thousand swords and speares Ne ought so strong that may his force withstand With which thou armest his resistlesse hand Witnesse Leander in the Euxine waues And stout AEneas in the Troiane fyre Achilles preassing through the Phrygian glaiues And Orpheus daring to prouoke the yre Of damned fiends to get his loue retyre For both through heauen hell thou makest way To win them worship which to thee obay And if by all these perils and these paynes He may but purchase lyking in her eye What heauens of ioy then to himselfe he faynes Eftsoones he wypes quite out of memory What euer ill before he did aby Had it bene death yet would he die againe To liue thus happie as her grace to gaine Yet when he hath found fauour to his will He nathemore can so contented rest But forceth further on and striueth still T' approch more neare till in her inmost brest He may embosomd bee and loued best And yet not best but to be lou'd alone For loue can not endure a Paragone The feare whereof ô how doth it torment His troubled mynd with more then hellish paine And to his fayning fausie represent Sights neuer seene and thousand shadowes vaine To breake his sleepe and waste his ydle braine Thou that hast neuer lou'd canst not beleeue Least part of th'euils which poore louers greeue The gnawing enuie the hart-fretting feare The vaine surmizes the distrustfull showes The false reports that flying tales doe beare The doubts the daungers the delayes the woes The fayned friends the vnassured foes With thousands more then any tongue can tell Doe make a louers life a wretches hell Yet is there one more cursed then they all That cancker worme that monster Gelosie Which eates the hart and feedes vpon the gall Turning all loues delight to miserie Through feare of loosing his felicitie Ah Gods that euer ye that monster placed In gentle loue that all his ioyes defaced By these ô Loue thou doest thy entrance make Vnto thy heauen and doest the more endeere Thy pleasures vnto those which them partake As after stormes when clouds begin to cleare The Sunne more bright glorious doth appeare So thou thy folke through paines of Purgatorie Dost beare vnto thy blisse and heauens glorie There thou them placest in a Paradize Of all delight and ioyous happie rest Where they doe feede
dart Doing him die that neuer it deserued To free his foes that from his heast had swerued What hart can feele least touch of so sore launch Or thought can think the depth of so deare wound Whose bleeding sourse their streames yet neuer staunch But stil do flow freshly still redound To heale the sores of sinfull soules vnsound And clense the guilt of that infected cryme Which was enrooted in all fleshly slyme O blessed well of loue ô floure of grace O glorious Morning starre ô lampe of light Most liuely image of thy fathers face Eternall King of glorie Lord of might Meeke lambe of God before all worlds behight How can we thee requite for all this good Or what can prize that thy most precious blood Yet nought thou ask'st in lieu of all this loue But loue of vs for guerdon of thy paine Ay me what can vs lesse then that behone Had he required life of vs againe Had it beene wrong to aske his owne with gaine He gaue vs life he it restored lost Then life were least that vs so litle cost But he our life hath left vnto vs free Free that was thrall and blessed that was band Ne ought demaunds but that we louing bee As he himselfe hath lou'd vs afore hand And bound therto with an eternall band Him first to loue that vs so dearely bought And next our brethren to his image wrought Him first to loue great right and reason is Who first to vs our life and being gaue And after when we fared had amisse Vs wretches from the second death did saue And last the food of life which now we haue Euen himselfe in his deare sacrament To feede our hungry soules vnto vs lent Then next to loue our brethren that were made Of that selfe mould and that selfe makers hand That we and to the same againe shall fade Where they shall haue like heritage of land How euer here on higher steps we stand Which also were with selfe same price redeemed That we how euer of vs light esteemed And were they not yet since that louing Lord Commaunded vs to loue them for his sake Euen for his sake and for his sacred word Which in his last bequest he to vs spake We should them loue with their needs partake Knowing that whatsoere to them we giue We giue to him by whom we all doe liue Such mercy he by his most holy reede Vnto vs taught and to approue it trew Ensampled it by his most righteous deede Shewing vs mercie miserable crew That we the like should to the wretches shew And loue our brethren thereby to approue How much himselfe that loued vs we loue Then rouze thy selfe ô earth out of thy soyle In which thou wallowest like to filthy swyne And doest thy mynd in durty pleasures moyle Vnmindfull of that dearest Lord of thyne Lift vp to him thy heauie clouded eyne That thou his soueraine bountie mayst behold And read through loue his mercies manifold Beginne from first where he encradled was In simple cratch wrapt in a wad of hay Betweene the toylefull Oxe and humble Asse And in what rags and in how base aray The glory of our heauenly riches lay When him the silly Shepheards came to see Whom greatest Princes sought on lowest knee From thence reade on the storie of his life His humble carriage his vnfaulty wayes His cancred foes his fights his toyle his strife His paines his pouertie his sharpe assayes Through which he past his miserable dayes Offending none and doing good to all Yet being malist both of great and small And looke at last how of most wretched wights He taken was betrayd and false accused How with most scornefull taunts fell despights brused He was reuyld disgrast and foule abused How scourgd how crownd how buffeted how syde And lastly how twixt robbers crucifyde With bitter wounds through hands through feet Then let thy flinty hart that feeles no paine Empierced be with pittifull remorse And let thy bowels bleede in euery vaine At sight of his most sacred heauenly corse So torne and mangled with malicious forse And let thy soule whose sins his sorrows wrought Melt into teares and grone in grieued thought With sence whereof whilest so thy softened spirit Is inly toucht and humbled with meeke zeale Through meditation of his endlesse merit Lift vp thy mind to th' author of thy weale And to his soueraine mercie doe appeale Learne him to loue that loued thee so deare And in thy brest his blessed image beare With all thy hart with all thy soule and mind Thou must him loue and his beheasts embrace All other loues with which the world doth blind Weake fancies and stirre vp affections base Thou must renounce and vtterly displace And giue thy selfe vnto him full and free That full and freely gaue himselfe to thee Then shalt thou feele thy spirit so possest And rauisht with deuouring great desire Of his deare selfe that shall thy feeble brest Inflame with loue and set thee all on fire With burning zeale through euery part entire That in no earthly thing thou shalt delight But in his sweet and amiable sight Thenceforth all worlds desire will in thee dye And all earthes glorie on which men do gaze Seeme durt and drosse in thy pure sighted eye Compar'd to that celestiall beauties blaze Whose glorious beames all fleshly sense doth daze With admiration of their passing light Blinding the eyes and lumining the spright Then shall thy rauisht soule inspired bee With heauēly thoughts farre aboue humane skil And thy bright radiant eyes shall plainely see Th'Idee of his pure glorie present still Before thy face that all thy spirits shall fill With sweete enragement of celestiall loue Kindled through sight of those faire things aboue FINIS AN HYMNE OF HEAVENLY BEAVTIE RApt with the rage of mine own rauisht thought Through cōtemplation of those goodly sights And glorious images in heauen wrought Whose wōdrous beauty breathing sweet delights Do kindle loue in high conceipted sprights I faine to tell the things that I behold But feele my wits to faile and tongue to fold Vouchsafe then ô thou most almightie Spright From whom all guifts of wit and knowledge flow To shed into my breast some sparkling light Of thine eternall Truth that I may show Some litle beames to mortall eyes below Of that immortall beautie there with thee Which in my weake distraughted mynd I see That with the glorie of so goodly sight The hearts of men which fondly here admyre Faire seeming shewes and feed on vaine delight Transported with celestiall desyre Of those faire formes may lift themselues vp hye◠And learne to loue with zealous humble dewty Th' eternall fountaine of that heauenly beauty Beginning then below with th' easie vew Of this base world subiectro fleshly eye From thence to mount aloft by order dew To contemplation of th' immortall sky Of the soare faulcon so I learne to fly That flags awhile her fluttering wings
most fit For so great powre and peerelesse maiesty And all with gemmes and iewels gorgeously Adornd that brighter then the starres appeare And make her natiue brightnes seem more cleare And on her head a crowne of purest gold Is set in signe of highest soueraignty And in her hand a scepter she doth hold With which she rules the house of God on hy And menageth the euer-mouing sky And in the same these lower creatures all Subiected to her powre imperiall Both he auen and earth obey vnto her will And all the creatures which they both containe For of her fulnesse which the world doth fill They all partake and do in state remaine As their great Maker did at first ordaine Through obseruation of her high beheast By which they first were made and still increast The fairenesse of her face no tongue can tell For she the daughters of all wemens race And Angels eke in beautie doth excell Sparkled on her from Gods owne glorious face And more increast by her owne goodly grace That it doth farre exceed all humane thought Ne can on earth compared be to ought Ne could that Painter had he liued yet Which pictured Venus with so curious quill That all posteritie admyred it Haue purtrayd this for all his maistring skill Ne she her selfe had she remained still And were as faire as fabling wits do fayne Could once come neare this beauty souerayne But had those wits the wonders of their dayes Or that sweete Teian Poet which did spend His plenteous vaine in setting forth her prayse Seene but a glims of this which I pretend How wondrously would he her face commend Aboue that Idole of his fayning thought That all the world shold with his rimes be fraught How then dare I the nouice of his Art Presume to picture so diuine a wight Or hope t' expresse her least perfections part Whose beautie filles the heauens with her light And darkes the earth with shadow of her sight Ah gentle Muse thou art too weake and faint The pourtraict of so heauenly hew to paint Let Angels which her goodly face behold And see at will her soueraigne praises sing And those most facred mysteries vnfold Of that faire loue of mightie heauens king Enough is me t'admyre so heauenly thing And being thus with her huge loue possest In th' only wonder of her selfe to rest But who so may thrise happie man him hold Of all on earth whom God so much doth grace And lets his owne Beloued to behold For in the view of her celestiall face All ioy all blisse all happinesse haue place Ne ought on earth can want vnto the wight Who of her selfe can win the wishfull sight For she out of her secret threasury Plentie of riches forth on him will powre Euen heauenly riches which there hidden ly Within the closet of her chastest bowre Th' eternall portion of her precious dowre Which mighty God hath giuen to her free And to all those which thereof worthy bee None thereof worthy be but those whom shee Vouchsafeth to her presence to receaue And letteth them her louely face to see Wherof such wondrous pleasures they conceaue And sweete contentment that it doth bereaue Their soule of sense through infinite delight And them transport from flesh into the spright In which they see such admirable things As carries them into an extasy And heare such heauenly notes and carolings Of Gods high praise that filles the brasen sky And feele such ioy and pleasure inwardly That maketh them all worldly cares forget And onely thinke on that before them set Ne from thenceforth doth any fleshly sense Or idle thought of earthly things remaine But all that earst seemd sweet seemes now offense And all that pleased earst now seemes to paine Their ioy their comfort their desire their gaine Is fixed all on that which now they see All other sights but fayned shadowes bee And that faire lampe which vseth to enflame The hearts of men with selfe consuming fyre Thenceforth seemes fowle full of sinfull blame And all that pompe to which proud minds aspyre By name of honor and so much desyre Seemes to them basenesse and all riches drosse And all mirth sadnesse and all lucre losse So full their eyes are of that glorious sight And senses fraught with such satietie That in nought else on earth they can delight But in th' aspect of that felicitie Which they haue written in their inward ey On which they feed and in their fastened mynd All happie ioy and full contentment fynd Ah then my hungry soule which long hast fed On idle fancies of thy foolish thought And with false beauties flattring bait misled Hast after vaine deceiptfull shadowes sought Which all are fled and now haue left thee nought But late repentance through thy follies prief Ah ceasse to gaze no matter of thy grief And looke at last vp to that soueraine light From whose pure beams alperfect beauty springs That kindleth loue in euery godly spright Euen the loue of God which loathing brings Of this vile world and these gay seeming things With whose sweete pleasures being so possest Thy straying thoughts henceforth for euer rest Daphnaida AN ELEGIE VPON THE DEATH OF THE NOBLE AND VERTVOVS DOVGLAS Howard daughter and heire of Henry Lord Howard Viscount Byndon and wife of Arthur Gorges Esquier Dedicated to the Right honorable the Ladie Helena Marquesse of Northampton By Ed. Sp. ANCHORA SPEI AT LONDON Printed for William Ponsonby 1596. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND VERtuous Lady Helena Marquesse of North-hampton I Haue the rather presumed humbly to offer vnto your Honour the dedication of this little Poëme for that the noble and vertuous Gentlewomā of whom it is written was by match neere alied and in affection greatly deuoted vnto your Ladiship The occasion why I wrote the same was aswell the great good fame which I heard of her deceassed as the particular good will which I beare vnto her husband Master Arthur Gorges a louer of learning and vertue whose house as your Ladiship by mariage hath honoured so doe I find the name of them by many notable records to be of great antiquitie in this Realme and such as haue euer borne themselues with honoarable reputation to the world vnspotted loyaltie to their Prince and Countrey besides so lineally are they descended from the Howards as that the Lady Anne Howard eldest daughter to Iohn Duke of Norfolke was wife to Sir Edmund mother to Sir Edward and grandmother to Sir William and Sir Thomas Gorges Knightes And therefore I doe assure my selfe that no due honour done to the white Lyon but will be most gratefull to your Ladiship whose husband and children do so neerely participate with the bloud of that noble family So in all dutie I recommende this Pamphlet and the good acceptance thereof to your honourable fauour and protection London this first of Ianuarie 1591. Your Honours humbly euer Ed. Sp. DAPHNAIDA WHat euer man he be whose heauie
mynd With griefe of mournefull great mishap opprest Fit matter for his cares increase would fynd Let reade the rufull plaint herein exprest Of one I weene the wofulst man aliue Euen sad Alcyon whose empierced brest Sharpe sorrowe did in thousand peeces riue But who so else in pleasure findeth sense Or in this wretched life dooth take delight Let him be banisht farre away from hence Ne let the sacred Sisters here be hight Though they of sorrowe heauilie can sing For euen their heauie song would breede delight But here no tunes saue sobs and grones shall ring In stead of them and their sweete harmonie Let those three fatall Sisters whose sad bands Doe weaue the direfull threeds of destinie And in their wrath breake off the vitall bands Approach hereto and let the dreadfull Queene Of darkenes deepe come from the Stygian strands And grisly Ghosts to heare this dolefull teene In gloomie euening when the wearie Sun After his dayes long labour drew to rest And sweatie steedes now hauing ouer run The compast skie gan water in the west I walkt abroad to breath the freshing ayre In open fields whose flowring pride opprest With early frosts had lost their beautie faire There came vnto my mind a troublous thought Which dayly doth my weaker wit possesse Ne lets it rest vntill it forth haue brought Her long borne Infant fruit of heauinesse Which she conceiued hath through meditation Of this worlds vainnesse and lifes wretchednesse That yet my soule it deepely doth empassion So as I muzed on the miserie In which men liue and I of many most Most miserable man I did espie Where towards me a sory wight did cost Clad all in black that mourning did bewray And Iaakob staffe in hand deuoutly crost Like to some Pilgrim come from farre away His carelesse lockes vncombed and vnshorne Hong long adowne and beard all ouer growne That well he seemd to be some wight forlorne Downe to the earth his heauie eyes were throwne As loathing light and euer as he went He sighed soft and inly deepe did grone As if his heart in peeces would haue rent Approaching nigh his face I vewed nere And by the semblant of his countenaunce Me seemd I had his person seene else where Most like Alcyon seeming at a glaunce Alcyon he the iollie Shepheard swaine That wont full merrilie to pipe and daunce And fill with pleasance euery wood and plaine Yet halfe in doubt because of his disguize I softlie sayd Alcyon There withall He lookt a side as in disdainefull wise Yet stayed not till I againe did call Then turning back he saide with hollow sound Who is it that dooth name me wofull thrall The wretchedst man that treads this day on groūd One whom like wofulnesse impressed deepe Hath made fit mate thy wretched case to heare And giuen like cause with thee to waile and wepe Griefe finds some ease by him that like does beare Then stay Alcyon gentle shepheard stay Quoth I till thou haue to my trustie care Committed what thee dooth so ill apay Cease foolish man saide he halfe wrothfully To seeke to heare that which cannot be told For the huge anguish which dooth multiplie My dying paines no tongue can well vnfold Ne doo I care that any should bemone My hard mishap or any weepe that would But seeke alone to weepe and dye alone Then be it so quoth I that thou art bent To die alone vnpitied vnplained Yet ere thou die it were conuenient To tell the cause which thee thereto constrained Least that the world thee dead accuse of guilt And say when thou of none shalt be maintained That thou for secret crime thy blood hast spilt Who life dooes loath and longs to be vnbound From the strong shackles of fraile flesh quoth he Nought cares at all what they that liue on ground Deeme the occasion of his death to bee Rather desires to be forgotten quight Than question made of his calamitie For harts deep sorrow hates both life and light Yet since so much thou seemst to rue my griefe And car'st for one that for himselfe cares nought Signe of thy loue though nought for my reliefe For my reliefe exceedeth liuing thought I will to thee this heauie case relate Then harken well till it to end be brought For neuer didst thou heare more haplesse fate Whilome Ivsde as thou right well doest know My little flocke on westerne downes to keepe Not far from whence Sabrinaes streame doth flow And flowrie bancks with siluer liquor steepe Nought carde I then for worldly change or chaūce For all my ioy was on my gentle sheepe And to my pype to caroll and to daunce It there befell as I the fields did range Fearelesse and free a faire young Lionesse White as the natiue Rose before the chaunge Which Venus blood did in her leaues impresse I spied playing on the grassie plaine Her youthfull sports and kindlie wantonnesse That did all other Beasts in beawtie staine Much was I moued at so goodly sight Whose like before mine eye had seldome seene And gan to cast how I her compasse might And bring to hand that yet had neuer beene So well I wrought with mildnes and with paine That I her caught disporting on the greene And brought away fast bound with siluer chaine And afterwards I handled her so sayre That though by kind shee stout and saluage were For being borne an auncient Lions hayre And of the race that all wild beastes do feare Yet I her fram'd and wanso to my bent That shee became so meeke and milde of cheare As the least lamb in all my flock that went For shee in field where euer I did wend Would wend with me and waite by me all day And all the night that I in watch did spend If cause requir'd or els in sleepe if nay Shee would all night by me or watch or sleepe And euermore when I did sleepe or play She of my flock would take full warie keepe Safe then and safest were my fillie she epe Ne fear'd the Wolfe ne fear'd the wildest beast All were I drown'd in carelessequiet deepe My loucly Lionosse without beheast So careful was for them and for my good Thta when I waked neither most nor least I found miscaried or in plaine or wood Oft did the Shepheatils which my hap did heare And oft their lasses which my lack enuyde Daylie resort to my from farre and neare To see my Lyonesse whose prailes wyde Where spred abroad and when her worthinesse Much greater than the rude report they try'de They her did praise and my good fortune blesse Long thus Lioyed in my happinesse And well did hope my ioy would haue no end But oh fond man that in worlds ficklenesse Reposedst hope or weenedst her thy frend That glories most in mortall miseries And daylie doth her changefull counfels bend To make new matter fit for Tragedies For whilest I was thus without dread or dout A cruell Satyre with his murdrous dart Greedie of mischiefe