gilded bookes View not the out-side then but looke within Trie ere you trust and if all things be true Locke hands in hands and seeke not for a new I must confesse and will I am but poore But rich I am in loue perhaps you know But if you to some higher region soare Disdaining for to take your flight so low Take heed lest by some veh'mencie of weather You chaÌ„ce to burne some or scorch some other But tell me sweete if that thy mind be set Vpon some other man or if you know What thing this Loue should be if not as yet I le teach you what a thing is loue O no What thing is loue how can you learne of me When first I learn'd to loue by seeing thee The prettie winding of thy comely head The decent rowling of thy liuely eye Thy tender Lilly hand hath strucke me dead Without a touch No what is Loue 'T is I 'T is you 't is you 't is both together You loue I loue both loues sweete loue come hither I cast an eye vpon you yester-night But Phoebus Horses went too great a pace Vnwilling to afford me so much light Wherein I plainely might discerne your face In spight of Phoebus nay in spight of you I 'le looke I 'le loue 't is somewhat strange but true Desiring an answer from his Loue. IF that I an vnworthy of your loue Let me be worthy of your answer yet That I may know whether I must remoue My deare affection from you now and set My mind vpon my bookes which now I feare I spend in Loue-toyes and am ne'r the neere Prethee sweet Loue some pretty thing indite Let those thy pretty fingers hold a Pen Vpon some pretty piece of paper write Nature made Maidens pretty and not men What Midas toucht was gold you are so witty That what you write or touch or do t is pretty If you want Paper Paper will I send you If you want Inke I le likewise send you Inke If that you want a Pen a pen I le send you What ere you want if that I can but thinke What t is I 'de freely giue it to you so You would but send an answere I or no I doe not write to thee for hope of gaines But onely for to gaine thy loue for then I prethee Rosa take a little paines Once more I prethee Rosa hold a Pen I long to heare from thee I faine would know An answere from thee quickly I or no If it be I then Rosa thou art mine Then wil we spend our youthfull daies in pleasure If it be No yet Rosa am I thine What ere thy answer is thou art my treasure If that sweet heart youl 'd know the reason why It is because a Majdens No is I. An Answer to her Answer SWeet Mistris Rosa for whose onely sake I 'de run through fiâ—e and water nay I 'de make A iourney through the dangerous vncouth places I 'de measure all the world with weary paces To doe you good nay more I 'de lose my heart Rather then haue your little finger smart But when you chance to read the same I flatter You then will say but oh it is no matter Mocke flout neglect disdaine spit spite coÌ„temne I needes must loue my earthly Diadem I flouted others once in misery But other men may now well flout at me This is that drie and cursed punishment Which all the gods aboue to me haue sent For all my faults O see with pitty see Sweete Loue thy Loue in wofull misery Whose eyes ne'r sleep whose fancie still is doing Since that he knew what did belong to wooing Thou art the Clothâ— that hath spun my thred By which I seeme to liue but yet am dead But prethee Rosa if thou 'lt stop my breath Kill quicke let me not liue a lingring death Pitty pitty pitty pitty pitty Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty Sweete golden lilly liuely tender maide Looke like liue loue me well and I am made To his second Loue. Twixt hope feare I feare sweet loue I liue Thinking my heart was giuen long agoe Being one man ha's but one heart to giue How can you looke for mine yet thinke not so But trye me trust me and sweet heart you 'l see I haue a heart that 's onely kept for thee Misdoubt me not although I lou'd before Misdoubt me not but I lou'd faithfully Experience makes me now loue ten times more I haue my lesson now without booke I When first I lou'd I was a fondling foole Now I am a Captaine made in Cupids schoole You smilde on me but if you le smile no more What will those men that know me now surmise Being I was forsaken once before They le thinke me hatefull in a Maidens eyes They le thinke all hate me or suppose indeed I onely came to woo but not to speed O how much am I bound to Nature now For making thee that dost so farre excell Her whom I thought excell'd all others how Am I bound to Nature prethee tell The difference twixt my first loue and you Is this shee 's faire and false thou faire and true Misdoubt me not for by the Heauens aboue Thou shalt not finde me with a double tongue For if I am the man thou canst not loue I am the man that will doe thee no wrong For if I speake by thee but any euill Count me no more a Man count me a Diuell Of the burning of his Letter LIke as the Moth about the candle flies Hoping to haue some comfort from the light Scorcheth her wings and on a sudden lies Panting vpon the ground or burned quite So I still hoping thee sweete heart to moue Consume my selfe in burning flames of loue Alas alas thy beauty shines so bright It duls and dazels all that doe come nie thee This is the cause I neuer come but write Without an Eagles eye how dare I eye thee Cupid is blinde then I in louing thee And looking too should be more blind then he Why doe I sigh and sob and broyle and burne Why doe I seeke to striue against the streame Letters nor loue nor lookes thy heart can turne Why doe I then make loue my onely theame I loue you hate I write but what the better I burne in loue and you doe burne my letter Poore harmelesse verses what did ye commit Hard-hearted Flora how did they offend thee More verses haue I made for thee but yet I le sweare thou shalt not burne the next I le send thee Burning's too base a death therefore the rest If they deserue to die they shall be prest Master Iohnsons answer to Master Withers Withers SHall I wasting in despaire Die because a woman's faire Or my cheekes make pale with care Cause anothers Rosie are Be she fairer then the day Or the flowry Meades in May If she be not so to me What care I how faire she be Iohnson Shall I mine affections slacke Cause I see a
A DESCRIPTION OF LOVE With certaine Epigrams Elegies and Sonnets AND Also Mast. IOHNSONS Answere to Master WITHERS With the Crie of Ludgate and the SONG of the Begger The sixth Edition LONDON Printed by M. F. for Francis Coules at the vpper end of the Old-Baily neere Newgate 1629. The Author to the Booke IT is no little Cottage that containes Wild wandring youth or giddy headed brains Their soft downe beds at home or daintie fare Contents them not they loue the open Ayre They among themselues expostulâ—ting say Shall we like Snailes liue in our shelâ—â— Away To Sea for shame to Ship let 's goe aboord And see what other Countries can affoord But being pincht with cold or parcht with heat Ready to die with thirst or starue for meat When they grow leane and lowsie tatterd torne When they be curbd mockt scoft contemnd forlorne Seeing their folly then they sigh cry Oh what a happy thing it is to die Euen so my gadding Muse and running braine Not witting what it was to passe the Maine In a mad humor once or merry fit Would needs goe wander without feare or wit But being tost in the tempestuous Seas Hauing no friend no comfort rest or ease She vow'd if e're shee set a foote on shore Ne're to see Sea or once take shipping more Like a drownd Mouse at last to land shee got And being wounded weake and full of shot Crept in a corner choosing there to lie Rather then once Peepe out of doore and die But yet alas within a yeare or twaine Newes came my Muse must to the Sea againe Shee being full of griefe and quite dismaid Flies vnto me and cries to me for aid But all in vaine for succour did she craue I could not helpe her then selfe doe selfe haue I told her plaine my minde what I thought best To arme her selfe and goe since shee was prest So to the Sea the second time shee went Against all wind and weather being bent Let Critickes crake and crow let Roysters raile No storme said she shall make me now strike saile A little wetting shall not make me shrinke I le hoyst vp saile though I be sure to sinke Then to her tacklings did she stoutly stand The second voyage till shee came to land Good gentle Sirs let me now beg this boone That she ne're passe the Seas as she hath done The Seas are dangerous and the Ocean rough And since that shee hath seruice done enough Now let her rest seeke not her heart to breake She 's weather-beaten old and springs a leake The Pitcher be it framed ne're so strong Comes broken home going to water long Now let her rest giue her a little breath Presse her no more lest shee be prest to death But shee is bound the sixth time to the Seas Shee must not lie at harbour or at ease I cannot for my life her voyage stay Shee 's bound and being bound shee must obey Farewell deare Muse I thought ere this to see Thee wearie of the World or that of thee To the Booke MY little ship doth on the Ocean fleet That euery circumspecting eye may see 't Now in her iourney lest she chance to faile Lâ—â— Printers pray she may haue happy saile To the Reader SOme men there be that praise what 's good they heare And some there are that carpe what ere it be Some men in Zoilus ghost will soone appeare And some with Aristippus flattery But carpe at what you can dispraise back-bite I le neuer hide my Poems from the light To the enuious Reader PAle faced Enuy aimes at greatest men And by her nature euer seekes to clime If it be so surely she will not then Looke downe so low as for to view my Rime But if against her nature she will see 't Her face to face my verse shall dare to meet A Description of LOVE NE're toucht my lips the Heliconian Well Mine eies ne're gaz'd vpon Parnassus hill My tongue did neuer ancient Stories tell My hand did neuer hold a curious quill Yet write I must but if I barren be And shew no wit I le shew my industry Where is that mortall man that can define The thing cald loue which all the gods do honor Her greatnesse goes beyond the wit of mine I goe beyond my witts to thinke vpon her The more I thinke what this same loue should be The lesse I doe conceiue what thing is she A taske most weightie doe I vndergoe By vndertaking for to speake of Loue Whose bare description I did neuer know Whose definition pose the gods aboue She s deafe yet heares she s dumb yet speaks she s blind Yet Ianus like she seeth before behind Like vnto Summers grasse shee s fresh and greene Sh'adornes the body as the flowers the field She in a Begger liues as in a Queene She conquers Mars and yet to Mars shee 'l yeeld She 's white she 's red she 's yellow as the gold She 's euer liuing yet is neuer old Inuisible she is yet her we see Both heauen and earth this goddesse doth inherit She 's flesh she 's bloud she 's bone as well as wee Yet can she nothing doe but with a spirit She is a ponderous feather witty folly A quicke thing slow a merry melancholy Shee 'l soone be angry Shee 'l be pleasd as soone Maliciousnesse ne'r harbours in her minde She 's hot i' the morning but she 's cold ere noone She 's rough she 's calm she 's hoggish yet she s kind Shee l sing shee l sob so that the curious fiction May terme and call her well a contradiction She is a restlesse rest a feruent cold A wholesome poyson she 's a painfull pleasure Exceeding shame fast shee 's exceeding bold Shee 's bitter hony shee 's a gainelesse treasure Shee 's too too loose yet too too fast a knot She is a hellish Heauen what is she not She made Leander passe the raging Seas His louing Hero that he might enioy Faire Helean did Paris better please Then all his kinsfolks or the wealth in Troy She 's such a thing that we so much respect That we our friends forget our selues neglect Our natiue Countrey doe we quite forsake Our prudent parents will we disobey Through desart places iournies doe we make And so become some lurking Lions prey Nay more then this down quick to hell we go As Orpheus did if loue would haue it so Whilst on the key-cold earth our loue doth lie The ground sends forth a comfortable heat Forgetting of her owne propriety The stones seemes soft whilst loue makes them her seat Down on the downs whilst Louers lie together The down seems down euery stone a fether Who her enioyes enioyes all earthly pleasure Who her enioyes can feele no cold nor heat Who her enioyes enioyes a world of treasure Who her enioyes enioyes his drinke his meat She s hony sweet her selfe not mixt with gall Who her enioyes enioyeth all in all But if
the goddesse Loue should changed be And not perpetually abide the same She headlong fals into extremitie She takes vpon her then another name Her white is blacke her smilings changed are She is a fury growne which once was faire Her golden haires are turnd to slimy snakes Her eyes like fire her touch doth poyson spit Most grim and dreadfully her head she shakes Which on her shoulders once did finely sit Her pretty lisping tongue wanton speeches Are turn'd to yelling howling and to screeches She whom the gods did loue to looke vpon Makes Pluto quiuer at her odious sight Who was a Mate most meete for Loue alone Is now become a Fiend of darksome night Who once was louely and in rich estate Is wretched hurtfull and is turnd to hate Your youthfull Youths will not so often knocke And beate their tender fists against the doore But rust and canker now consumes the locke For want of vse which shin'd with vse before She keepâ— her home and lurking there doth lie In holes and corners free from company Speake what shee will she may there 's none that heares Let her bite back-bite slander or reuile Weepe whilst she s wearie noÌ„e respects her teares We know they come but from a Crocodile We know her arts her cunning charmes skill Who can seeme kind to those she meanes to kil Then why for Rosa should I carke and care Why for my Rosa should I sorrow feele Being shee s false as much as shee is faire What once lay at my heart lies at my heele For why a foole I should accounted be To die for her that scornes to liue with me Farewell my Rosa fickle as the wind Yet read these verses which I make of you Scan them vpon your fingers and you le find That euery staffe and line of these be true The since that you and I are now apart My verses feet be truer then thy heart Cursed be that beautie which was once my blisse Cursed bee those twinkling star-like eyes of thine Cursed be those lips which gaue me kisse for kisse Cursed be the tong which told me thou wert mine Cursed be those armes which once did hold me fast And ten times cursed be what ere thou hast Now to some vncouth desart will I goe There will I lay me downe in melancholy Where croaking toades lie throtling out my woe Or where some snakes lye hissing at my folly There will I lay me downe there will I stay And neuer turne vntill I turne to clay But soft what slumber hath mine eyes opprest What idle fantasies disturbe my braines What is it makes me raile amidst my rest In slumber sweet what makes me talke of paines Pardon sweet Loue on me compassion take For this I dreaming or in passion spake The Helitropium makes no shew at night The proudest Peacocke hath no pleasing crie The glittering Sunne reserues his totall light Though misty clouds may keepe it from our eye Pardon sweet Loue once more I pardon aske Faire is not foule although she weares a maske He sometimes feeles the pricks that puls the Rose Who hony takes may somtimes touch the sting The fairest flowers may offend the nose Dâ—â—th may be neere although the Swan doth sing Châ—cks from such cheeks frowns from such a face Sweet loue I like so I may thee imbrace Then promise me I may enioy thy sight And faithfully thy word and promise keepâ— Lest I lie tumbling all the irkesome night Telling the tedious minutes wanting sleepe For when ones loue doth stay a while away Each minute seemes an houre each houre a day Seeing What if I walke most richly through the towne What if I be ador'd like Mahomet What if I take my rest on beds of downe What if I doe enioy whole Kingdoms yet All this is nought vnlesse my Rosa be In presence to behold my brauerie Hearing What if the best Musitians that be Take in their hands a seuerall instrument And play to me the sweetest harmony That euer was yet were it no content The sweetest tunes seeme harsh vnto mine eare Vnlesse my Rosa be in place to heare Smelling What if my skin should be by nature sweet Like Alexanders what if by perfumes Each man should smell me passing through the street What if my smell make sweet il-smelling roomes These smels these odors little will content me Vnlesse my Rosa be in place to sent me Tasting What if my table be most richly spread With the best â—unkets can be made for mâ—â— If Nectar be my drinke if that my bread Be of the purest Mancheâ— made what then All these delights will not my palate please ' Lesse my Rosa be in place to taste of these Feeling What if the fairest Damsels in the Land With soft silke skin and Alablaster white Should all at once before me naked stand To touch they neither please my touch or sight Rosa is she like whom there is none such She is my eye eare smell my taste my touch All the Senses Her voyce is pleasant musicke to the eare Her lookes doe like our sight exceeding well Feed on her lips she is the daintiest cheare Mongst all perfumes she is the sweetest smell Our hot desire her water onely quenches She is the touch the very sense of Senses She is the Star by which the Shipmen sayle She is the hatches she wherein they rest She is the wind which makes the prosperous gale She is the hauen she which pleaseth best She is the Dolphin which Arion did Preserue from danger whilst he plaid and rid Then be my Pilot to direct my Ship Be thou the onely house where I may dwell Be thou the onely cup to touch my lip Be thou my heauen and I shall feele no hell Be thou my winde in spite of Aeolus My iourney then must needs be prosperous Now what is Loue or what may we it call Tell me O thou that triest I doe beseech You see that onely shee 's the senses all I thinke shee 's also all the parts of Speech To call her first a Noune I thinke it good What can be felt seene heard or vnderstood Noune She is a Noune and a Noune substantiue And by that name I may her rightly call Who stands her selfe vnlesse another striue To fling her downe and force her for to fall An Adiectiue she may be also said Who sometime doth require anothers aid But of Noune substantiues there are two sorts Some Nounes are proper others common be The best of all Gramarians reports If it be so yet both of these is she She 's proper small and of but slender bone She 's doubtfull common yet to moe then one A Pronoune She is a Pronoune like vnto a Noune A Pronoune now she may be called well For she what ere is done throughout the towne To euery one that comes will shew and tell She busie is like Poets that be versing She doth delight in shewing and rehearsing A Verbe She 's a Verbe Actiue
say Hee 's a drie fellow that doth preach to day But hee s a drier fellow sure I thinke That ne'er has from his nose a pot of drinke Of the same Gnatho did sweare that he would drinke no more Flinging the beere away cause it ran low Nay faith saies one it is a sinne to spil't For that is noble beere that runs at Tilt. Of chast Loue. Many accuse me cause I could doe nothing Many accuse me cause I was a slow thing But soft my Masters I was politicke For had not I beene slow she had beene quicke To a Cuckold Cornutus calld his Wise both Whore and Slut Quoth she you l neuer leaue your brawling but But what quoth he quoth she the post or doore For you haue hornes to but if I me a whore An Epigram The Shopmen gallant goe and spruse they are And giue their workmen what they list for ware They drink good wine they feed vpon Anchoues Sic vos non vobis fertis aratra bones An Epigram WheÌ„ I in presse saw these things not long since I iudgd they had beene tried by the bench For if the Iury once had gone vpon them Lesse they 'd bin hangd or burnd what had come on them To G.F. Since you your selfe did breake you cunning are Coozning your kindred thus with broken ware To M. P. Sixe yeares I was a Seruant vnto thee Had I seru'd one yeare more I had beene free But since you got me once vpon the hip You turnd me off before my Prentiship An Epigram Cinna loued Rosa well thinking her pure And was not quiet till he made her sure She married yet another but the end Is this she 's Cinnaes wife the others friend To certaine Academians You that so many precious houres loose Fall close vnto my studie let your Muse Thinke vpon nought but goodnes starue pine Before an houre passe without a line For euen as the Riuer ebs and flowes This trash and earthly treasure comes and goes But learning lasts vntill the day of doome Sea cannot sinke it nor fire it consume What if thy friends thee meat nor money send Spend thy time well thou hast enough to spend What if thou beest by chance in prison cast Mongst those that are in want thou 'lt find a wast Nay one may come thy face that ne'r did see And set thee out as one deliuer'd me A Loue Sonnet I Loued a Lasse a faire one As faire as e're was seene Shee was indeed a rare one Another Sheba Queene But foole as then I was I thought shee lou'd me too But now alas sha's left me Falero lero loo Her haire like gold did glister Each eye was like a starre Shee did surpasse her sister Which past all others farre Shee would me honie call She 'd ô she 'd kisse me too But now alas sha's left me Falero lero loo In Summer-time to Medley My loue and I would goe The boat-men there stoode readie My loue and I to rowe For Creame there would we call For Cakes and for Prunes too But now alasse sha's left me Falero lero loo Many a merry meeting My loue and I haue had She was my only sweeting She made my heart full glad The teares stood in her eies Like to the morning dew But now alasse sha's left me Falero lero loo And as abroad we walked As Louers fashion is Oft we sweetly talked The Sun should steale a kisse The winde vpon her lippes Likewise most sweetly blew But now alas sha's left me Falero lero loo Her cheekes were like the Cherrie Her skin as white as snow When shee was blyth and merrie She Angel-like did show Her wast exceeding small The fiues did fit her shooe But now alasse sha's left me Falero lero loo In Summer time or winter She had her hearts desire I still did scorne to stint her From sugar sacke or fire The world went round about No cares we euer knew But now alasse sha's left me Falero lero loo As we walked home together At midnight through the towne To keepe away the weather O're her I 'de cast my gowne No cold my Loue should feele What ere the heauens could doe But now alasse sh 'as left me Falero lero loo Like Doues we would be billing And clip and kisse so fast Yet she would be vnwilling That I should kisse the last They 're Iudas kisses now Since that they prou'd vntrue For now alasse sh 'as left me Falero lero loo To Maidens vowes and swearing Henceforth no credit giue You may giue them the hearing But neuer them beleeue They are as false as faire Vnconstant fraile vntrue For mine alasse has left me Falero lero loo T was I that paid for all things T was others dranke the wine I cannot now recall things Liue but a foole to pine T was I that beat the bush The bird to others flew For she alasse hath left me Falero lero loo If euer that Dame Nature For this false Louers sake Another pleasing creature Like vnto her would make Let her remember this To make the other true For this alasse hath left me Falero lero loo No riches now can raise me No want makes me despaire No miserie amaze me Nor yet for want I care I haue lost a world it selfe My earthly heauen adue Since shee alas hath left me Falero lero loo To his Loue fearing a Corriuall THe poys'nous Spider and the lab'ring Bee The one and selfesame flower daily suckes But yet in nature much they disagree For poyson one the other honie pluckes You are the flower you know my meaning he The poys'nous Spider is and I the Bee But if you like that swelling creature best Whose onely trap can but in snare a flie I 'le leaue my writing and I 'le liue in rest Vntill another Loue can like my eie But if you leauing me me none can please I 'le lingring liue in paine I 'le pine in ease I am the Bee if thou wilt be the Hiue Wherein no blacke nor poys'nous moisture lies I 'le be a painfull Bee I 'le daily striue Home to returne to thee with loaden thighes And in the winter when all flowers perish The hiue the Bee the Bee the hiue shall cherish T is not your fringe your gloues your bands your lace Your gold your fathers goods that I desire But t is your golden haire your comely face T is that O that that sets my heart on fire your hands your heart your loue your comly hue Makes me forget me selfe remembring you O that I were a Hat for such a Head O that I were a Gloue for such a Hand O that I were your Sheets within your Bed O that I were your shoo whereon you stand To be your very smocke I 'de daily seeke So that you would not shift me once a weeke Another to his Loue seeing her walke in twilight THe deepest waters haue the smoothest lookes The fairest shirt may hide the foolest skin â—ad lines are often writ in