lights his fire Oft shrouds his golden flame in likest hair Oft in a soft-smooth skin doth close retire Oft in a smile oft in a silent tear And if all fail yet Vertue 's self he 'l hire Himself 's a dart when nothing els can move Who then the captive soul can well reprove When Love and Vertue 's self become the darts of Love Thom. 14 Sure Love it is which breeds this burning fever For late yet all too soon on Venus day I chanc't Oh cursed chance yet blessed ever As carelesse on the silent shores I stray Five Nymphs to see five fairer saw I never Upon the golden sand to dance and play The rest among yet farre above the rest Sweet Melite by whom my wounded breast Though rankling still in grief yet joyes in his unrest 15 There to their sportings while I pipe and sing Out from her eyes I felt a firie beam And pleasing heat such as in first of Spring From Sol inn'd in the Bull do kindly stream To warm my heart and with a gentle sting Blow up desire yet little did I dream Such bitter fruits from such sweet roots could grow Or from so gentle eye such spite could flow For who could fire expect hid in an hill of snow 16 But when those lips those melting lips I prest I lost my heart which sure she stole away For with a blush she soon her guilt confest And sighs which sweetest breath did soft convey Betraid her theft from thence my flaming breast Like thundring Aetna burns both night and day All day she present is and in the night My wakefull fancie paints her full to sight Absence her presence makes darknes presents her light Thirsil 17 Thomalin too well those bitter sweets I know Since fair Nicaea bred my pleasing smart But better times did better reason show And cur'd those burning wounds with heav'nly art Those storms of looser fire are laid full low And higher love safe anchours in my heart So now a quiet calm does safely reigne And if my friend think not my counsel vain Perhaps my art may cure or much asswage thy pain Thom. 18 Thirsil although this witching grief doth please My captive heart and Love doth more detest The cure and curer then the sweet disease Yet if my Thirsil doth the cure request This storm which rocks my heart in slumbring ease Spite of it self shall yeeld to thy behest Thirsil Then heark how Tryphons self did salve my paining While in a rock I sat of love complaining My wounds with herbs my grief with counsel sage restraining 19 But tell me first Why should thy partial minde More Melite then all the rest approve Thom. Thirsil her beautie all the rest did blinde That she alone seem'd worthy of my love Delight upon her face and sweetnesse shin'd Her eyes do spark as starres as starres do move Like those twin-fires which on our masts appear And promise calms Ah that those flames so clear To me alone should raise such storms of hope and fear Thirsil 20 If that which to thy minde doth worthiest seem By thy wel-temper'd soul is most affected Canst thou a face worthy thy love esteem What in thy soul then love is more respected Those eyes which in their spheare thou fond dost deem Like living starres with some disease infected Are dull as leaden drosse those beauteous rayes So like a rose when she her breast displayes Are like a rose indeed as sweet as soon decayes 21 Art thou in love with words her words are winde As flit as is their matter flittest aire Her beautie moves can colours move thy minde Colours in scorned weeds more sweet and fair Some pleasing qualitie thy thoughts doth binde Love then thy self Perhaps her golden hair False metall which to silver soon descends Is 't pleasure then which so thy fancie bends Poore pleasure that in pain begins in sorrow ends 22 What is 't her company so much contents thee How would she present stirre up stormy weather When thus in absence present she torments thee Lov'st thou not one but all these joyn'd together All 's but a woman Is 't her love that rents thee Light windes light aire her love more light then either If then due worth thy true affection moves Here is no worth Who some old hagge approves And scorns a beauteous spouse he rather dotes then loves 23 Then let thy love mount from these baser things And to the highest love and worth aspire Love 's born of fire fitted with mounting wings That at his highest he might winde him higher Base love that to base earth so basely clings Look as the beams of that celestiall fire Put out these earthly flames with purer ray So shall that love this baser heat allay And quench these coals of earth with his more heav'nly day 24 Raise then thy prostrate love with towring thought And clog it not in chains and prison here The God of fishers deare thy love hath bought Most deare he loves for shame love thou as deare Next love thou there where best thy love is sought My self or els some other fitting peer Ah might thy love with me forever dwell Why should'st thou hate thy heav'n and love thy hell She shall not more deserve nor cannot love so well 25 Thus Tryphon once did wean my fond affection Then fits a salve unto th' infected place A salve of soveraigne and strange confection Nepenthe mixt with Rue and Herb-de-grace So did he quickly heal this strong infection And to my self restor'd my self apace Yet did he not my love extinguish quite I love with sweeter love and more delight But most I love that Love which to my love ha's right Thom. 26 Thrice happy thou that could'st my weaker minde Can never learn to climbe so lofty flight Thirsil If from this love thy will thou canst unbinde To will is here to can will gives thee might 'T is done if once thou wilt 't is done I finde Now let us home for see the creeping night Steals from those further waves upon the land To morrow shall we feast then hand in hand Free will we sing and dance along the golden sand FINIS ECLOG VII The PRIZE Thirsil Daphnis Thomalin AVrora from old Tithons frosty bed Cold wintry wither'd Tithon early creeps Her cheek with grief was pale with angerred Out of her window close she blushing peeps Her weeping eyes in pearled dew she steeps Casting what sportlesse nights she ever led She dying lives to think he 's living dead Curst be and cursed is that wretched fire That yokes green youth with age want with desire Who ties the sunne to snow or marries frost to fire 2 The morn saluting up I quickly rise And to the green I poste for on this day Shepherd and fisher-boyes had set a prize Upon the shore to meet in gentle fray Which of the two should sing the choicest lay Daphnis the shepherds lad whom Mira's eys Had kill'd yet with such wound he gladly dies Thomalin
either And both upon one poore heart ever feeding I hill cold despair most cold yet cooling neither In midst of fires his ycie frosts is breeding So fires and frosts to make a perfect hell Meet in one breast in one house friendly dwell Tir'd in this toylsome way my deep affection I ever forward runne and never ease me I dare not swerve her eye is my direction A heavie grief and weighty love oppresse me Desire and hope two spurres that forth compell'd me But awfull fear abridle still withheld me Twice have I plung'd and flung and strove to cast This double burden from my weary heart Fast though I runne and stop they sit as fast Her looks my bait which she doth seld ' impart Thus fainting still some inne I wish and crave Either her maiden bosome or my grave A vow BY hope and fear by grief and joy opprest With deadly hate more deadly love infected Without within in body soul distrest Little by all least by my self respected But most most there where most I lov'd neglected Hated and hating life to death I call Who scorns to take what is refus'd by all Whither ah whither then wilt thou betake thee Despised wretch of friends of all forlorn Since hope and love and life and death forsake thee Poore soul thy own tormenter others scorn Whither poore soul ah whither wilt thou turn What inne what host scorn'd wretch wilt thou now chuse thee The common host and inne death grave refuse thee To thee great Love to thee I prostrate fall That right'st in love the heart in false love swerved On thee true Love on thee I weeping call I who am scorn'd where with all truth I served On thee so wrong'd where thou hast so deserved Disdain'd where most I lov'd to thee I plain me Who truly lovest those who fools disdain thee Thou never-erring Way in thee direct me Thou Death of death oh in thy death engrave me Thou hated Love with thy firm love respect me Thou freest Servant from this yoke unslave me Glorious Salvation for thy glory save me So neither love nor hate scorn death shall move me But with thy love great Love I still shall love thee On womens lightnesse VVHo sowes the sand or ploughs the easie shore Or strives in nets to prison in the winde Yet I fond I more fond and senselesse more Thought in sure love a womans thoughts to binde Fond too fond thoughts that thought in love to tie One more inconstant then inconstancie Look as it is with some true April day Whose various weather stores the world with flowers The sunne his glorious beams doth fair display Then rains and shines again and straight it lowres And twenty changes in one houre doth prove So and more changing is a womans love Or as the hairs which deck their wanton heads Which loosely fly and play with every winde And with each blast turn round their golden threads Such as their hair such is their looser minde The difference this their hair is often bound But never bonds a woman might impound False is their flattering colour false and fading False is their flattering tongue false every part Their hair is forg'd their silver foreheads shading False are their eyes but falsest is their heart Then this in consequence must needs ensue All must be false when every part 's untrue Fond then my thoughts which thought a thing so vain Fond hopes that anchour on so false a ground Fond love to love what could not love again Fond heart thus fir'd with love in hope thus drown'd Fond thoughts fond heart fond hope but fondest I To grasp the winde and love inconstancie A reply upon the fair M. S. A Daintie maid that drawes her double name From bitter sweetnesse with sweet bitternesse Did late my skill and faulty verses blame And to her loving friend did plain confesse That I my former credit foul did shame And might no more a poets name professe The cause that with my verse she was offended For womens levitie I discommended Too true you said that poet I was never And I confesse it fair if that content ye That then I playd the poet lesse then ever Not for of such a verse I now repent me Poets to feigne and make fine lies endeavour But I the truth truth ah too certain sent ye Then that I am no poet I denie not For when their lightnesse I condemne I ly not But if my verse had ly'd against my minde And praised that which truth cannot approve And falsly said they were as fair as kinde As true as sweet their faith could never move But sure is linkt where constant love they finde That with sweet braving they vie truth and love If thus I write it cannot be deni'd But I a poet were so foul I ly'd But give me leave to write as I have found Like ruddy apples are their outsides bright Whose skin is fair the core or heart unsound Whose cherry-cheek the eye doth much delight But inward rottennesse the taste doth wound Ah! were the taste so good as is the sight To pluck such apples lost with self same price Would back restore us part of paradise But truth hath said it truth who dare denie Men seldome are more seldome women sure But if fair-sweet thy truth and constancie To better faith thy thoughts and minde procure If thy firm truth could give firm truth the lie If thy first love will first and last endure Thou more then woman art if time so proves thee And he more then a man that loved loves thee An Apologie for the premises to the Ladie Culpepper WHo with a bridle strives to curb the waves Or in a cypresse chest locks flaming fires So when love angred in thy bosome raves And grief with love a double flame inspires By silence thou mayst adde but never lesse it The way is by expressing to represse it Who then will blame affection not respected To vent in grief the grief that so torments him Passion will speak in passion if neglected Love that so soon will chide as soon repents him And therefore boyish Love's too like a boy With a toy pleas'd displeased with a toy Have you not seen when you have chid or fought That lively picture of your lovely beauty Your pretty childe at first to lowre or pout But soon again reclaim'd to love and duty Forgets the rod and all her anger ends Playes on your lap or on your neck depends Too like that pretty childe is childish Love That when in anger he is wrong'd or beat Will rave and chide and every passion prove But soon to smiles and fawns turns all his heat And prayes and swears he never more will do it Such one is Love alas that women know it But if so just excuse will not content ye But still you blame the words of angry Love Here I recant and of those words repent me In signe hereof I offer now to prove That changing womens love is
coast And let that double-headed mountain hallow No more the honour'd name of great Apollo And may the Pegasean spring that uses To cheer the palats of the thirstie Muses Drie up and let this happie Isle of thine Preserve Apolloes harp where every line Carries a Suada with 't and doth display The banners of heav'n-born Urania Henceforth let all the world thy verse admire Before that Thracean Orpheus charming lyre He but enchanted Beasts but thy divine And higher aires bring Deities to this Isle of thine A. C. MAns Bodie 's like a house his greater bones Are the main timber and the lesser ones Are smaller splints his ribs are laths daub'd o're Plaister'd with flesh and bloud his mouth 's the doore His throat 's the narrow entrie and his heart Is the great chamber full of curious art His midriffe is a large partition-wall 'Twixt the great chamber and the spacious hall His stomack is the kitchin where the meat Is often but half sod for want of heat His splene's a vessell nature does allot To take the skumme that rises from the pot His lungs are like the bellows that respire In ev'ry office quickning ev'ry fire His nose the chimney is whereby are vented Such fumes as with the bellows are augmented His bowels are the sink whose part 's to drein All noisome filth and keep the kitchin clean His eyes are crystall windows cleare and bright Let in the object and let out the sight And as the timber is or great or small Or strong or weak 't is apt to stand or fall Yet is the likeliest building sometimes known To fall by obvious chances overthrown Ofttimes by tempests by the full-mouth'd blasts Of heav'n sometimes by fire sometimes it wastes Through unadvis'd neglect put case the stuffe Were ruine-proofe by nature strong enough To conquer time and age put case it should Ne're know an end alas our leases would What hast thou then proud flesh and bloud to boast Thy dayes are evil at best but few at most But sad as merriest and but weak at strongest Vnsure at surest and but short at longest FRAN. QUARLES THE PURPLE ISLAND OR THE ISLE OF MAN CANT I. STAN I. THe warmer Sun the golden Bull outran And with the Twins made haste to inne and play Scatt'ring ten thousand flowres he new began To paint the world and piece the length'ning day The world more aged by new youths accrewing Ah wretched man this wretched world pursuing Which still grows worse by age older by renewing 2 The shepherd-boyes who with the Muses dwell Met in the plain their May-lords new to chuse For two they yearely chuse to order well Their rurall sports and yeare that next ensues Now were they sat where by the orchyard walls The learned Chame with stealing water crawls And lowly down before that royall temple falls 3 Among the rout they take two gentle swains Whose sprouting youth did now but greenly bud Well could they pipe and sing but yet their strains Were onely known unto the silent wood Their nearest bloud from self-same fountains flow Their souls self-same in nearer love did grow So seem'd two joyn'd in one or one disjoyn'd in two 4 Now when the shepherd-lads with common voice Their first consent had firmly ratifi'd A gentle boy thus 'gan to wave their choice Thirsil said he though yet thy Muse untri'd Hath onely learn'd in private shades to feigne Soft sighs of love unto a looser strain Or thy poore Thelgons wrong in mournfull verse to plain 5 Yet since the shepherd-swains do all consent To make thee lord of them and of their art And that choice lad to give a full content Hath joyn'd with thee in office as in heart Wake wake thy long thy too long sleeping Muse And thank them with a song as is the use Such honour thus conferr'd thou mayst not well refuse 6 Sing what thou list be it of Cupids spite Ah lovely spite and spitefull lovelinesse Or Gemma's grief if sadder be thy sprite Begin thou loved swain with good successe Ah said the bashfull boy such wanton toyes A better minde and sacred vow destroyes Since in a higher love I setled all my joyes 7 New light new love new love new life hath bred A life that lives by love and loves by light A love to him to whom all loves are wed A light to whom the Sunne is darkest night Eyes light hearts love souls onely life he is Life soul love heart light eye and all are his He eye light heart love soul he all my joy blisse 8 But if you deigne my ruder pipe to heare Rude pipe unus'd untun'd unworthy hearing These infantine beginnings gently bear Whose best desert and hope must be your bearing But you O Muses by soft Chamus sitting Your daintie songs unto his murmures fitting Which bears the under-song unto your chearfull dittying 9 Tell me ye Muses what our father-ages Have left succeeding times to play upon What now remains unthought on by those Sages Where a new Muse may trie her pineon What lightning Heroes like great Peleus heir Darting his beams through our hard-frozen aire May stirre up gentle heat and vertues wane repair 10 Who knows not Iason or bold Tiphys hand That durst unite what Natures self would part He makes Isles continent and all one land O're seas as earth he march'd with dangerous art He rides the white-mouth'd waves and scorneth all Those thousand deaths wide gaping for his fall He death defies fenc't with a thin low wooden wall 11 Who ha's not often read Troyes twice-sung fires And at the second time twice better sung Who ha's not heard th' Arcadian shepherds quires Which now have gladly chang'd their native tongue And sitting by slow Mincius sport their fill With sweeter voice and never equall'd skill Chaunting their amorous layes unto a Romane quill 12 And thou choice wit Loves scholar and Loves master Art known to all where Love himself is known Whether thou bidd'st Vlysses hie him faster Or dost thy fault and distant exile moan Who ha's not seen upon the mourning stage Dire Atreus feast and wrong'd Medea's rage Marching in tragick state and buskin'd equipage 13 And now of late th' Italian fisher-swain Sits on the shore to watch his trembling line There teaches rocks and prouder seas to plain By Nesis fair and fairer Mergiline While his thinne net upon his oars twin'd With wanton strife catches the Sunne and winde Which still do slip away and still remain behinde 14 And that French Muses eagle eye and wing Hath soar'd to heav'n and there hath learn'd the art To frame Angelick strains and canzons sing Too high and deep for every shallow heart Ah blessed soul in those celestiall rayes Which gave thee light these lower works to blaze Thou sitt'st emparadis'd and chaunt'st eternall layes 15 Thrice happy wits which in your springing May Warm'd with the Sunne of well deserved favours Disclose your buds and your fair blooms display Perfume the aire
to the sunnie ray With gold enamels fair the silver white There heav'nly loves their prettie sportings play Firing their darts in that wide flaming light Her daintie neck spread with that silver mold Where double beautie doth it self unfold In th' own fair silver shines and fairer borrow'd gold 86 His breast a rock of purest alabaster Where Loves self sailing shipwrackt often sitteth Hers a twinne-rock unknown but to th' ship-master Which harbours him alone all other splitteth Where better could her love then here have nested Or he his thoughts then here more sweetly feasted Then both their love thoughts in each are ever rested 87 Runne now you shepherd-swains ah run you thither Where this fair Bridegroom leads the blessed way And haste you lovely maids haste you together With this sweet Bride while yet the sunne-shine day Guides your blinde steps while yet loud summons call That every wood hill resounds withall Come Hymen Hymen come drest in thy golden pall 88 The sounding Echo back the musick flung While heav'nly spheres unto the voices playd But see the day is ended with my song And sporting bathes with that fair Ocean Maid Stoop now thy wing my Muse now stoop thee low Hence mayst thou freely play and rest thee now While here I hang my pipe upon the willow bough 89 So up they rose while all the shepherds throng With their loud pipes a countrey triumph blew And led their Thirsil home with joyfull song Mean time the lovely Nymphs with garlands new His locks in Bay and honour'd Palm-tree bound With Lilies set and Hyacinths around And Lord of all the yeare and their May-sportings crown'd FINIS PISCATORIE ECLOGS AND OTHER POETICALL MISCELLANIES By P. F. ¶ Printed by the Printers to the UNIVERSITIE of CAMBRIDGE 1633. Anag Edward Benlowes Sun-warde beloved While Panses Sun = ward look that glorious Light With gentle Beames entring their purple Bowers Shedds there his Love heat and fair to sight Prints his bright forme within their golden flowers Look in their Leaves and see begotten there The Sun̄es lesse Son̄e glitring in acure sphere So when from Shades of superstitious night Mine eye turn'd to the Sun his heavnly powers Stampt on my new-born spirit his Image bright And Love Light Life into my bosome Showers This difference They in themselves have moving But his sweet Love mee dead and Sensles proving First Loves and drawes to Love Then Lover my Soule for Loving P. F ΑΛΙΕΓΤΙΚΟ'ΠOR PISCATORIE ECLOGUES ECLOG I. AMYNTAS IT was the time faithfull Halcyone Once more enjoying new-liv'd Ceyx bed Had left her young birds to the wavering sea Bidding him calm his proud white-curled head And change his mountains to a champian lea The time when gentle Flora's lover reignes Soft creeping all along green Neptunes smoothest plains 2 When haplesse Thelgon a poore fisher-swain Came from his boat to tell the rocks his plaining In rocks he found and the high-swelling main More sense more pitie farre more love remaining Then in the great Amyntas fierce disdain Was not his peer for song 'mong all the lads Whole shrilling pipe or voice the sea-born maiden glads 3 About his head a rocky canopie And craggy hangings round a shadow threw Rebutting Phoebus parching fervencie Into his bosome Zephyr softly flew Hard by his feet the sea came waving by The while to seas and rocks poore swain he sang The while the seas rocks answ'ring loud echoes-rang 4 You goodly Nymphs that in your marble cell In spending never spend your sportfull dayes Or when you list in pearled boats of shell Glide on the dancing wave that leaping playes About the wanton skiffe and you that dwell In Neptunes court the Oceans plenteous throng Deigne you to gently heare sad Thelgons plaining song 5 When the raw blossome of my youth was yet In my first childhoods green enclosure bound Of Aquadune I learnt to fold my net And spread the sail and beat the river round And withy labyrinths in straits to set And guide my boat where Thames and Isis heire By lowly Aeton slides and Windsor proudly fair 6 There while our thinne nets dangling in the winde Hung on our oars tops I learnt to sing Among my Peers apt words to fitly binde In numerous verse witnesse thou crystall Spring Where all the lads were pebles wont to finde And you thick hasles that on Thamis brink Did oft with dallying boughs his silver waters drink 7 But when my tender youth 'gan fairly blow I chang'd large Thames for Chamus narrower seas There as my yeares so skill with yeares did grow And now my pipe the better sort did please So that with Limnus and with Belgio I durst to challenge all my fisher-peers That by learn'd Chamus banks did spend their youthfull yeares 8 And Ianus self that oft with me compared With his oft losses rais'd my victory That afterward in song he never dared Provoke my conquering pipe but enviously Deprave the songs which first his songs had marred And closely bite when now he durst not bark Hating all others light because himself was dark 9 And whether nature joyn'd with art had wrought me Or I too much beleev'd the fishers praise Or whether Phoebus self or Muses taught me Too much enclin'd to verse and Musick playes So farre credulitie and youth had brought me I sang sad Telethusa's frustrate plaint And rustick Daphnis wrong and magicks vain restraint 10 And then appeas'd young Myrtilus repining At generall contempt of shepherds life And rais'd my rime to sing of Richards climbing And taught our Chame to end the old-bred strife Mythicus claim to Nicias resigning The while his goodly Nymphs with song delighted My notes with choicest flowers garlands sweet requited 11 From thence a Shepherd great pleas'd with my song Drew me to Basilissa's Courtly place Fair Basilissa fairest maid among The Nymphs that white-cliffe Albions forrests grace Her errand drove my slender bark along The seas which wash the fruitfull Germans land And swelling Rhene whose wines run swiftly o're the sand 12 But after bold'ned with my first successe I durst assay the new-found paths that led To slavish Mosco's dullard sluggishnesse Whose slothfull Sunne all winter keeps his bed But never sleeps in summers wakefulnesse Yet all for nought another took the gain Faitour that reapt the pleasure of anothers pain 13 And travelling along the Northern plains At her command I past the bounding Twead And liv'd a while with Caledonian swains My life with fair Amyntas there I led Amyntas fair whom still my sore heart plains Yet seem'd he then to love as he was loved But ah I fear true love his high heart never proved 14 And now he haunts th' infamous woods and downs And on Napaean Nymphs doth wholly dote What cares he for poore Thelgons plaintfull sounds Thelgon poore master of a poorer boat Ianus is crept from his wont prison bounds And fits the Porter to his eare and minde What hope Amyntas love a fisher-swain should finde
While smiling heav'ns spread round a canopie Now tost with blasts and civil enmitie While whistling windes blow trumpets to their fight And roaring waves as drummes whet on their spite 8 Such cruel storms my restles heart command Late thousand joyes securely lodged there Ne fear'd I then to care ne car'd to fear But pull'd the prison'd fishes to the land Or spite of windes pip't on the golden sand But since love sway'd my breast these seas alarms Are but dead pictures of my raging harms 9 Love stirres desire desire like stormy winde Blows up high swelling waves of hope and fear Hope on his top my trembling heart doth bear Up to my heav'n but straight my lofty minde By fear sunk in despair deep drown'd I finde But ah your tempests cannot last for ever But ah my storms I fear will leave me never 10 Haples and fond too fond more haples swain Who lovest where th' art scorn'd scorn'st where th' art loved Or learn to hate where thou hast hatred proved Or learn to love where thou art lov'd again Ah cease to love or cease to woo thy pain Thy love thus scorn'd is hell do not so earn it At least learn by forgetting to unlearn it 11 Ah fond and haples swain but much more fond How canst unlearn by learning to forget it When thought of what thou should'st unlearn does whet it And surer ties thy minde in captive bond Canst thou unlearn a ditty thou hast con'd Canst thou forget a song by oft repeating Thus much more wilt thou learn by thy forgetting 12 Haplesse and fond most fond more haplesse swain Seeing thy rooted love will leave thee never She hates thy love love thou her hate for ever In vain thou hop'st hope yet though still in vain Joy in thy grief and triumph in thy pain And though reward exceedeth thy aspiring Live in her love and die in her admiring 13 Fair-cruel maid most cruel fairer ever How hath foul rigour stol'n into thy heart And on a comick stage hath learnt thee art To play a Tyrant-tragical deceiver To promise mercy but perform it never To look more sweet maskt in thy looks disguise Then Mercy self can look with Pities eyes 14 Who taught thy honied tongue the cunning slight To melt the ravisht eare with musicks strains And charm the sense with thousand pleasing pains And yet like thunder roll'd in flames and night To break the rived heart with fear and fright How rules therein thy breast so quiet state Spite leagu'd with mercy love with lovelesse hate 15 Ah no fair Coelia in thy sunne-like eye Heav'n sweetly smiles those starres soft loving fire And living heat not burning flames inspire Love's self enthron'd in thy brows ivorie And every grace in heavens liverie My wants not thine me in despairing drown When hell presumes no mar'l if heavens frown 16 Those gracefull tunes issuing from glorious spheares Ravish the eare and soul with strange delight And with sweet Nectar fill the thirsty sprite Thy honied tongue charming the melted eares Stills stormy hearts and quiets frights and fears My daring heart provokes thee and no wonder When earth so high aspires if heavens thunder 17 See see fair Coelia seas are calmly laid And end their boisterous threats in quiet peace The waves their drummes the windes their trumpets cease But my sick love ah love full ill apayd Never can hope his storms may be allayd But giving to his rage no end or leisure Still restles rests Love knows no mean or measure 18 Fond boy she justly scorns thy proud desire While thou with singing would'st forget thy pain Go strive to empty the still-flowing main Go fuell seek to quench thy growing fire Ah foolish boy scorn is thy musicks hire Drown then these flames in seas but ah I fear To fire the main and to want water there 19 There first thy heav'n I saw there felt my hell There smooth-calm seas rais'd storms of fierce desires There cooling waters kindled burning fires Nor can the Ocean quench them in thy cell Full stor'd with pleasures all my pleasures fell Die then fond lad ah well my death may please thee But love thy love not life not death must ease me 20 So down he swowning sinks nor can remove Till fisher-boyes fond fisher-boyes revive him And back again his life and loving give him But he such wofull gift doth much reprove Hopelesse his life for hopelesse is his love Go then most loving but most dolefull swain Well may I pitie she must cure thy pain FINIS ECLOG IIII. CHROMIS Thelgon Chromis Thel CHromis my joy why drop thy rainie eyes And sullen clouds hang on thy heavie brow Seems that thy net is rent and idle lies Thy merry pipe hangs broken on a bough But late thy time in hundred joyes thou spent'st Now time spends thee while thou in vain lament'st Chrom 2 Thelgon my pipe is whole and nets are new But nets and pipe contemn'd and idle lie My little reed that late so merry blew Tunes sad notes to his masters miserie Time is my foe and hates my rugged rimes And I as much hate both that hate and times Thel 3 What is it then that causeth thy unrest Or wicked charms or loves new-kindled fire Ah! much I fear love eats thy tender breast Too well I know his never quenched ire Since I Amyntas lov'd who me disdains And loves in me nought but my grief and pains Chrom 4 No lack of love did ever breed my smart I onely learn'd to pity others pain And ward my breast from his deceiving art But one I love and he loves me again In love this onely is my greatest sore He loves so much and I can love no more 5 But when the fishers trade once highly priz'd And justly honour'd in those better times By every lozel-groom I see despis'd No marvel if I hate my jocond rimes And hang my pipe upon a willow bough Might I grieve ever if I grieve not now Thel 6 Ah foolish boy why should'st thou so lament To be like him whom thou dost like so well The Prince of fishers thousand tortures rent To heav'n lad thou art bound the way by hell Would'st thou ador'd and great and merry be When he was mockt debas'd and dead for thee 7 Mens scorns should rather joy then sorrow move For then thou highest art when thou art down Their storms of hate should more blow up my love Their laughters my applause their mocks my crown Sorrow for him and shame let me betide Who for me wretch in shame and sorrow died Chrom 8 Thelgon 't is not my self for whom I plain My private losse full easie could I bear If private losse might help the publick gain But who can blame my grief or chide my fear Since now the fishers trade and honour'd name Is made the common badge of scorn and shame 9 Little know they the fishers toilsome pain Whose labour with his age still growing spends not His care and watchings
cloth of gold aspires In hundred-colour'd silks the Tulip playes Th' Imperiall flower his neck with pearl attires The Lily high her silver Grogram reares The Pansie her wrought Velvet garment bears The red Rose Scarlet and the Provence Damask wears 70 How falls it then that such an heav'nly light As this great Kings should sink so wondrous low That scarce he can suspect his former height Can one eclipse so dark his shining brow And steal away his beautie glittering fair One onely blot so great a light empair That never could he hope his waning to repair 71 Ah! never could he hope once to repair So great a wane should not that new-born Sun Adopt him both his brother and his heir Who through base life and death and hell would run To seat him in his lost now surer cell That he may mount to heav'n he sunk to hell That he might live he di'd that he might rise he fell 72 A perfect Virgin breeds and bears a Sonne Th' immortall father of his mortall mother Earth heav'n flesh spirit man God are met in one His younger brothers childe his childrens brother Eternitie who yet was born and di'd His own creatour earths scorn heavens pride Who th' deitie inflesht and mans flesh deifi'd 73 Thou uncreated Sunne heav'ns glory bright Whom we with knees and hearts low bent adore At rising perfect and now falling light Ah what reward what thanks shall we restore Thou wretched wast that we might happy be Oh all the good we hope and all we see That we thee know and love comes from thy love and thee 74 Receive which we can onely back return Yet that we may return thou first must give A heart which fain would smoke which fain would burn In praise for thee to thee would onely live And thou who sat'st in night to give us day Light and enflame us with thy glorious ray That we may back reflect and borrow'd light repay 75 So we beholding with immortall eye The glorious picture of thy heav'nly face In his first beautie and true Majestie May shake from our dull souls these fetters base And mounting up to that bright crystal sphere Whence thou strik'st all the world with shudd'ring fear May not be held by earth nor hold vile earth so deare 76 Then should thy shepherd poorest shepherd sing A thousand Canto's in thy heav'nly praise And rouze his flagging Muse and flutt'ring wing To chant thy wonders in immortall laies Which once thou wrought'st when Nilus slimie shore Or Iordans banks thy mighty hand adore Thy judgements thy mercies but thy mercies more 77 But see the stealing night with softly pace To flie the Western Sunne creeps up the East Cold Hesper 'gins unmask his evening face And calls the winking starres from drouzie rest Home then my lambes the falling drops eschew To morrow shall ye feast in pastures new And with the rising Sunne banquet on pearled dew CANT VII THe rising morn lifts up his orient head And spangled heav'ns in golden robes invests Thirsil up starting from his fearlesse bed Where uselesse nights he safe and quiet rests Unhous'd his bleating flock and quickly thence Hasting to his expecting audience Thus with sad verse began their grieved mindes incense 2 Fond man that looks on earth for happinesse And here long seeks what here is never found For all our good we hold from heav'n by lease With many forfeits and conditions bound Nor can we pay the fine and rentage due Though now but writ and seal'd and giv'n anew Yet daily we it break then daily must renew 3 Why should'st thou here look for perpetuall good At every losse against heav'ns face repining Do but behold where glorious Cities stood With gilded tops and silver turrets shining There now the Hart fearlesse of greyhound feeds And loving Pelican in safety breeds There shrieching Satyres fill the peoples emptie steads 4 Where is th' Assyrian Lions golden hide That all the East once graspt in lordly paw Where that great Persian Beare whose swelling pride The Lions self tore out with ravenous jaw Or he which 'twixt a Lion and a Pard Through all the world with nimble pineons far'd And to his greedy whelps his conquer'd kingdomes shar'd 5 Hardly the place of such antiquitie Or note of these great monarchies we finde Onely a fading verball memorie And empty name in writ is left behinde But when this second life and glory fades And sinks at length in times obscurer shades A second fall succeeds and double death invades 6 That monstrous beast which nurst in Tibers fenne Did all the world with hideous shape affray That fill'd with costly spoil his gaping denne And trode down all the rest to dust and clay His batt'ring horns pull'd out by civil hands And iron teeth lie scatter'd on the sands Backt bridled by a Monk with sev'n heads yoked stands 7 And that black Vulture which with deathfull wing O're-shadows half the earth whose dismall sight Frighted the Muses from their native spring Already stoops and flagges with weary flight Who then shall look for happines beneath Where each new day proclaims chance change and death And life it self 's as flit as is the aire we breathe 8 Ne mought this Prince escape though he as farre All these excells in worth and heav'nly grace As brightest Phoebus does the dimmest starre The deepest falls are from the highest place There lies he now bruis'd with so sore a fall To his base bonds and loathsome prison thrall Whom thousand foes besiege fenc'd with frail yeelding wall 9 Tell me oh tell me then thou holy Muse Sacred Thespio what the cause may be Of such despite so many foemen use To persecute unpiti'd miserie Or if these cankred foes as most men say So mighty be that gird this wall of clay What makes it hold so long and threatned ruine stay 10 When that great Lord his standing Court would build The outward walls with gemmes and glorious lights But inward rooms with nobler Courtiers fill'd Pure living flames swift mighty blessed sprites But some his royall service fools disdain So down were flung oft blisse is double pain In heav'n they scorn'd to serve so now in hell they reigne 11 There turn'd to serpents swoln with pride and hate Their Prince a Dragon fell who burst with spight To see this Kings and Queens yet happy state Tempts them to lust and pride prevails by slight To make them wise and gods he undertakes Thus while the snake they heare they turn to snakes To make them gods he boasts but beasts and devils makes 12 But that great Lion who in Iudahs plains The awfull beasts holds down in due subjection The Dragons craft and base-got spoil disdains And folds this captive Prince in his protection Breaks ope the jayl brings the prisoners thence Yet plac't them in this castles weak defence Where they might trust and seek an higher providence 13 So now spread round about this little hold With armies
around Their heads much lighter then their nimble heels Silenus old in wine as ever drown'd Clos'd with the ring in midst though sitting reels Under his arm a bag-pipe swoln he held Yet wine-swoln cheeks the windie bag out-swell'd So loudly pipes his word But full no mirth I yeeld 77 Insatiate sink how with so generall stain Thy spu'd-out puddles court town fields entice Ay me the shepherds selves thee entertain And to thy Curtian gulph do sacrifice All drink to spue and spue again to drink Sowre swil-tub sinne of all the rest the sink How canst thou thus bewitch with thy abhorred stink 78 The eye thou wrong'st with vomits reeking streams The eare with belching touch thou drown'st in wine The taste thou surfet'st smell with spuing steams Thou woundest foh thou loathsome putrid swine Still thou increasest thirst when thirst thou slakest The minde and will thou wits bane captive takest Senseles thy hoggish filth sense thou senseles makest 79 Thy fellow sinnes and all the rest of vices With seeming good are fairly cloath'd to sight Their feigned sweet the bleare-ey'd will entices Coz'ning the daz'led sense with borrow'd light Thee neither true nor yet false good commends Profit nor pleasure on thy steps attends Folly begins thy sinne which still with madnesse ends 80 With Methos Gluttonie his gutling brother Twinne parallels drawn from the self-same line So foully like was either to the other And both most like a monstrous-panched swine His life was either a continu'd feast Whose surfets upon surfets him opprest Or heavie sleep that helps so great a load digest 81 Mean time his soul weigh'd down with muddie chains Can neither work nor move in captive bands But dull'd in vaprous fogges all carelesse reignes Or rather serves strong appetites commands That when he now was gorg'd with cramm'd-down store And porter wanting room had shut the doore The glutton sigh'd that he could gurmandize no more 82 His crane-like neck was long unlac'd his breast His gowtie limbes like to a circle round As broad as long and for his spear in rest Oft with his staffe he beats the yeelding ground Wherewith his hands did help his feet to bear Els would they ill so huge a burthen stear His clothes were all of leaves no armour could he wear 83 Onely a target light upon his arm He carelesse bore on which old Gryll was drawn Transform'd into a hog with cunning charm In head and paunch and soul it self a brawn Half drown'd within without yet still did hunt In his deep trough for swill as he was wont Cas'd all in loathsome mire no word Gryll could but grunt 84 Him serv'd sweet-seeming lusts self-pleasing lies But bitter death flow'd from those sweets of sinne And at the Rear of these in secret guise Crept Theeverie and Detraction neare akinne No twinnes more like they seem'd almost the same One stole the goods the other the good name The latter lives in scorn the former dies in shame 85 Their boon companions in their joviall feasting Were new-shapt oaths and damning perjuries Their cates fit for their taste profanest jesting Sauc'd with the salt of hell dire blasphemies But till th' ambitious Sunne yet still aspiring Allayes his flaming gold with gentler firing We 'l rest our wearie song in that thick groves retiring CANT VIII THe Sunne began to slack his bended bow And more obliquely dart his milder ray When cooler ayers gently 'gan to blow And fanne the fields parcht with the scorching day The shepherds to their wonted seats repair Thirsil refresht with this soft-breathing aire Thus 'gan renew his task and broken song repair 2 What watchfull care must fence that weary state Which deadly foes begirt with cruell siege And frailest wall of glasse and trait'rous gate Strive which should first yeeld up their wofull leige By enemies assail'd by friends betray'd When others hurt himself refuses aid By weaknesse self his strength is foil'd and overlay'd 3 How comes it then that in so neare decay We deadly sleep in deep securitie When every houre is ready to betray Our lives to that still-watching enemie Wake then thy soul that deadly slumbereth For when thy foe hath seiz'd thy captive breath Too late to wish past life too late to wish for death 4 Caro the Vantguard with the Dragon led Cosmos the battell guides with loud alarms Cosmos the first sonne to the Dragon red Shining in seeming gold and glitt'ring arms Well might he seem a strong and gentle Knight As e're was clad in steel and armour bright But was a recreant base a foul false cheating sprite 5 And as himself such were his arms appearing Bright burnisht gold indeed base alchymie Dimme beetle eyes and greedy worldlings blearing His shield was drest in nights sad liverie Where man-like Apes a Gloworm compasse round Glad that in wintrie night they fire had found Busie they puffe blow the word Mistake the ground 6 Mistake points all his darts his sunshines bright Mistaken light appeare sad lightning prove His clouds mistook seem lightnings turn to light His love true hatred is his hatred love His shop a Pedlers pack of apish fashion His honours pleasures joyes are all vexation His wages glorious care sweet surfets woo'd damnation 7 His lib'rall favours complementall arts His high advancements Alpine slipp'ry straits His smiling glances deaths most pleasing darts And what he vaunts his gifts are gilded baits Indeed he nothing is yet all appeares Haplesse earths happy fools that know no tears Who bathes in worldly joyes swimmes in a world of fears 8 Pure Essence who hast made a stone descrie 'Twixt natures hid and check that metals pride That dares aspire to golds high soveraigntie Ah leave some touch-stone erring eyes to guide And judge dissemblance see by what devices Sinne with fair glosse our mole-ey'd sight entises That vices vertues seem to most and vertues vices 9 Strip thou their meretricious seemlinesse And tinfold glitt'ring bare to every sight That we may loath their inward uglinesse Or else uncloud the soul whose shadie light Addes a fair lustre to false earthly blisse Thine and their beauty differs but in this Theirs what it is not seems thine seems not what it is 10 Next to the Captain coward Deilos far'd Him right before he as his shield projected And following troops to back him as his guard Yet both his shield and guard faint heart suspected And sending often back his doubtfull eye By fearing taught unthought of treacherie So made him enemies by fearing enmitie 11 Still did he look for some ensuing crosse Fearing such hap as never man befell No mean he knows but dreads each little losse With tyrannie of fear distraught as hell His sense he dare not trust nor eyes nor eares And when no other cause of fright appeares Himself he much suspects and fears his causelesse fears 12 Harnest with massie steel for fence not fight His sword unseemly long he ready drew At sudden shine of his own armour
point unbreasts the naked hearts 64 The Dragon wounded with this flaming brand They take and in strong bonds and fetters tie Short was the fight nor could he long withstand Him whose appearance is his victorie So now he 's bound in adamantine chain He storms he roars he yells for high disdain His net is broke the fowl go free the fowler ta'ne 65 Thence by a mighty Swain he soon was led Unto a thousand thousand torturings His tail whose folds were wont the starres to shed Now stretcht at length close to his belly clings Soon as the pit he sees he back retires And battel new but all in vain respires So there he deeply lies flaming in icie fires 66 As when Alcides from forc't hell had drawn The three-head dog and master'd all his pride Basely the fiend did on his Victour fawn With serpent tail clapping his hollow side At length arriv'd upon the brink of light He shuts the day out of his dullard sight And swelling all in vain renews unhappie fight 67 Soon at this sight the Knights revive again As fresh as when the flowers from winter tombe When now the Sunne brings back his nearer wain Peep out again from their fresh mothers wombe The primrose lighted new her flame displayes And frights the neighbour hedge with firie rayes And all the world renew their mirth sportive playes 68 The Prince who saw his long imprisonment Now end in never-ending libertie To meet the Victour from his castle went And falling down clasping his royall knee Poures out deserved thanks in gratefull praise But him the heav'nly Saviour soon doth raise And bids him spend in joy his never spending dayes 69 The fair Eclecta that with widowed brow Her absent Lord long mourn'd in sad aray Now silken linnen cloth'd like frozen snow Whose silver spanglets sparkle 'gainst the day This shining robe her Lord himself had wrought While he her love with hundred presents sought And it with many a wound many a torment bought 70 And thus arayd her heav'nly beauties shin'd Drawing their beams from his most glorious face Like to a precious Jasper pure refin'd Which with a Crystall mixt much mends his grace The golden starres a garland fair did frame To crown her locks the Sunne lay hid for shame And yeelded all his beams to her more glorious flame 71 Ah who that flame can tell ah who can see Enough is me with silence to admire While bolder joy and humbe majestie In either cheek had kindled gracefull fire Long silent stood she while her former fears And griefs ran all away in sliding tears That like a watrie Sunne her gladsome face appeares 72 At length when joyes had left her closer heart To seat themselves upon her thankfull tongue First in her eyes they sudden flashes dart Then forth i' th' musick of her voice they throng My Hope my Love my Joy my Life my Blisse Whom to enjoy is heav'n but hell to misse What are the worlds false joyes what heav'ns true joyes to this 73 Ah dearest Lord does my rapt soul behold thee Am I awake and sure I do not dream Do these thrice blessed arms again infold thee Too much delight makes true things feigned seem Thee thee I see thou thou thus folded art For deep thy stamp is printed in my heart And thousand ne're-felt joyes stream in each melting part 74 Thus with glad sorrow did she sweetly plain her Upon his neck a welcome load depending While he with equall joy did entertain her Her self her Champions highly all commending So all in triumph to his palace went Whose work in narrow words may not be pent For boundlesse thought is lesse then is that glorious tent 75 There sweet delights which know nor end nor measure No chance is there nor eating times succeeding No wastfull spending can empair their treasure Pleasure full grown yet ever freshly breeding Fulnesse of sweets excludes not more receiving The soul still big of joy yet still conceiving Beyond slow tongues report beyond quick thoughts perceiving 76 There are they gone there will they ever bide Swimming in waves of joyes and heav'nly loves He still a Bridegroom she a gladsome Bride Their hearts in love like spheres still constant moving No change no grief no age can them befall Their bridall bed is in that heav'nly hall Where all dayes are but one and onely one is all 77 And as in state they thus in triumph ride The boyes and damsels their just praises chaunt The boyes the Bridegroom sing the maids the Bride While all the hills glad Hymens loudly vaunt Heav'ns winged shoals greeting this glorious spring Attune their higher notes and Hymens sing Each thought to passe each did passe thoughts loftiest wing 78 Upon his lightning brow Love proudly sitting Flames out in power shines out in majestie There all his loftie spoils and trophies fitting Displayes the marks of highest Deitie There full of strength in lordly arms he stands And every heart and every soul commands No heart no soul his strength and lordly force withstands 79 Upon her forehead thousand cheerfull Graces Seated in thrones of spotlesse ivorie There gentle Love his armed hand unbraces His bow unbent disclaims all tyrannie There by his play a thousand souls beguiles Perswading more by simple modest smiles Then ever he could force by arms or craftie wiles 80 Upon her cheek doth Beauties self implant The freshest garden of her choicest flowers On which if Envie might but glance ascant Her eyes would swell and burst and melt in showers Thrice fairer both then ever fairest ey'd Heav'n never such a Bridegroom yet descri'd Nor ever earth so fair so undefil'd a Bride 81 Full of his Father shines his glorious face As farre the Sunne surpassing in his light As doth the Sunne the earth with flaming blaze Sweet influence streams from his quickning sight His beams from nought did all this All display And when to lesse then nought they fell away He soon restor'd again by his new orient ray 82 All heav'n shines forth in her sweet faces frame Her seeing Starres which we miscall bright eyes More bright then is the mornings brightest flame More fruitfull then the May-time Geminies These back restore the timely summers fire Those springing thoughts in winter hearts inspire Inspiriting dead souls and quickning warm desire 83 These two fair Sunnes in heav'nly sphere are plac't Where in the centre Joy triumphing sits Thus in all high perfections fully grac't Her mid-day blisse no future night admits But in the mirrours of her Spouses eyes Her fairest self she dresses there where lies All sweets a glorious beautie to emparadize 84 His locks like ravens plumes or shining jet Fall down in curls along his ivory neck Within their circlets hundred Graces set And with love-knots their comely hangings deck His mighty shoulders like that Giant Swain All heav'n and earth and all in both sustain Yet knows no wearinesse nor feels oppressing pain 85 Her amber hair like
15 Yet once he said which I then fool beleev'd The woods of it and Damon witnesse be When in fair Albions fields he first arriv'd When I forget true Thelgons love to me The love which ne're my certain hope deceiv'd The wavering sea shall stand and rocks remove He said and I beleev'd so credulous is love 16 You steady rocks why still do you stand still You fleeting waves why do you never stand Amyntas hath forgot his Thelgons quill His promise and his love are writ in sand But rocks are firm though Neptune rage his fill When thou Amyntas like the fire-drake rangest The sea keeps on his course when like the winde thou changest 17 Yet as I swiftly sail'd the other day The setled rock seem'd from his seat remove And standing waves seem'd doubtfull of their way And by their stop thy wavering reprove Sure either this thou didst but mocking say Or else the rock and sea had heard my plaining But thou ay me art onely constant in disdaining 18 Ah! would thou knew'st how much it better were To ' bide among the simple fisher-swains No shrieching owl no night-crow lodgeth here Nor is our simple pleasure mixt with pains Our sports begin with the beginning yeare In calms to pull the leaping fish to land In roughs to sing and dance along the golden sand 19 I have a pipe which once thou lovedst well Was never pipe that gave a better sound Which oft to heare fair Thetis from her cell Thetis the Queen of seas attended round With hundred Nymphs and many powers that dwell In th' Oceans rocky walls came up to heare And gave me gifts which still for thee lie hoarded here 20 Here with sweet bayes the lovely myrtils grow Where th' Oceans fair-cheekt maidens oft repair Here to my pipe they dancen on a row No other swain may come to note their fair Yet my Amyntas there with me shall go Proteus himself pipes to his flocks hereby Whom thou shalt heare ne're seen by any jealous eye 21 But ah both me and fishers he disdains While I sit piping to the gadding winde Better that to the boysterous sea complains Sooner fierce waves are mov'd then his hard minde I 'le to some rock farre from our common mains And in his bottome learn forget my smart And blot Amyntas name from Thelgons wretched heart 22 So up he rose and lancht into the deep Dividing with his oare the surging main Which dropping seem'd with teares his case to weep The whistling windes joyn'd with the seas to plain And o're his boat in whines lamenting creep Nought feared he fierce Oceans watry ire Who in his heart of grief and love felt equall fire FINIS ECLOG II. THIRSIL Dorus Myrtilus Thomalin Thirsil Dorus. MYrtil why idle sit we on the shore Since stormy windes and waves intestine spite Impatient rage of sail or bending oare Sit we and sing while windes waters fight And carol lowd of love and loves delight Myrtil 2 Dorus ah rather stormy seas require With sadder song the tempests rage deplore In calms let 's sing of love and lovers fire Tell we how Thirsil late our seas forswore When forc't he left our Chame and desert shore Dorus. 3 Now as thou art a lad repeat that lay Myrtil his songs more please my ravisht eare Then rumbling brooks that with the pebles play Then murmuring seas broke on the banks to heare Or windes on rocks their whistling voices teare Myrtil 4 Seest thou that rock which hanging o're the main Looks proudly down there as I under lay Thirsil with Thomalin I heard complain Thomalin who now goes sighing all the day Who thus 'gan tempt his friend with Chamish boyes to stay Thom. 5 Thirsil what wicked chance or lucklesse starre From Chamus streams removes thy boat and minde Farre hence thy boat is bound thy minde more farre More sweet or fruitfull streams where canst thou finde Where fisher-lads or Nymphs more fair or kinde The Muses selves sit with the sliding Chame Chame and the Muses selves do love thy name Where thou art lov'd so dear so much to hate is shame Thirsil 6 The Muses me forsake not I the Muses Thomalin thou know'st how I them honour'd ever Not I my Chame but me proud Chame refuses His froward spites my strong affections sever Else from his banks could I have parted never But like his Swannes when now their fate is nigh Where singing sweet they liv'd there dead they lie So would I gladly live so would I gladly die 7 His stubborn hands my net hath broken quite My fish the guerdon of my toil and pain He causelesse seaz'd and with ungratefull spite Bestow'd upon a lesse deserving swain The cost and labour mine his all the gain My boat lies broke my oares crackt and gone Nought ha's he left me but my pipe alone Which with his sadder notes may help his master moan Thom. 8 Ungratefull Chame how oft hath Thirsil crown'd With songs and garlands thy obscurer head That now thy name through Albion loud doth sound Ah foolish Chame who now in Thirsils stead Shall chant thy praise since Thelgon's lately dead He whom thou lov'st can neither sing nor play His dusty pipe scorn'd broke is cast away Ah foolish Chame who now shall grace thy holy-day Thirsil 9 Too fond my former hopes I still expected With my desert his love should grow the more Ill can he love who Thelgons love rejected Thelgon who more hath grac'd his gracelesse shore Then any swain that ever sang before Yet Gripus he prefer'd when Thelgon strove I wish no other curse he ever prove Who Thelgon causelesse hates still may he Gripus love Thom. 10 Thirsil but that so long I know thee well I now should think thou speak'st of hate or spite Can such a wrong with Chame or Muses dwell That Thelgons worth and love with hate they'quite Thirsil Thomalin judge thou and thou that judgest right Great King of seas that grasp'st the Ocean heare If ever thou thy Thelgon lovedst deare Though thou forbear a while yet long thou canst not bear 11 When Thelgon here had spent his prentise-yeares Soon had he learnt to sing as sweet a note As ever strook the churlish Chamus eares To him the river gives a costly boat That on his waters he might safely float The songs reward which oft unto his shore He sweetly tun'd Then arm'd with sail and oare Dearely the gift he lov'd but lov'd the giver more 12 Scarce of the boat he yet was full possest When with a minde more changing then his wave Again bequeath'd it to a wandring guest Whom then he onely saw to him he gave The sails and oares in vain poore Thelgon strave The boat is under sail no boot to plain Then banisht him the more to eke his pain As if himself were wrong'd did not wrong the swain 13 From thence he furrow'd many a churlish sea The viny Rhene and Volgha's self did passe Who sleds doth suffer on his watry
lea And horses trampling on his ycie face Where Phoebus prison'd in the frozen glasse All winter cannot move his quenched light Nor in the heat will drench his chariot bright Thereby the tedious yeare is all one day and night 14 Yet little thank and lesse reward he got He never learn'd to sooth the itching eare One day as chanc't he spies that painted boat Which once was his though his of right it were He bought it now again and bought it deare But Chame to Gripus gave it once again Gripus the basest and most dung-hil swain That ever drew a net or fisht in fruitfull main 15 Go now ye fisher-boyes go learn to play To play and sing along your Chamus shore Go watch and toyl go spend the night and day While windes waves while storms tempests roar And for your trade consume your life and store Lo your reward thus will your Chamus use you Why should you plain that lozel swains refuse you Chamus good fishers hates the Muses selves abuse you Thomal 16 Ah Thelgon poorest but the worthiest swain That ever grac't unworthy povertie How ever here thou liv'dst in joylesse pain Prest down with grief and patient miserie Yet shalt thou live when thy proud enemie Shall rot with scorn and base contempt opprest Sure now in joy thou safe and glad dost rest Smil'st at those eager foes which here thee so molest Thirsil 17 Thomalin mourn not for him he 's sweetly sleeping In Neptunes court whom here he sought to please While humming rivers by his cabin creeping Rock soft his slumbering thoughts in quiet ease Mourn for thy self here windes do never cease Our dying life will better fit thy crying He softly sleeps and blest is quiet lying Who ever living dies he better lives by dying Thomal 18 Can Thirsil then our Chame abandon ever And never will our fishers see again Thirsil Who 'gainst a raging stream doth vain endeavour To drive his boat gets labour for his pain When fates command to go to lagge is vain As late upon the shore I chanc't to play I heard a voice like thunder lowdly say Thirsil why idle liv'st Thirsil away away 19 Thou God of seas thy voice I gladly heare Thy voice thy voice I know I glad obey Onely do thou my wandring whirry steer And when it erres as it will eas'ly stray Upon the rock with hopefull anchour stay Then will I swimme where 's either sea or shore Where never swain or boat was seen afore My trunk shall be my boat my arm shall be my oare 20 Thomalin me thinks I heare thy speaking eye Woo me my posting journey to delay But let thy love yeeld to necessitie With thee my friend too gladly would I stay And live and die were Thomalin away Though now I half unwilling leave his stream How ever Chame doth Thirsil lightly deem Yet would thy Thirsil lesse proud Chamus scorns esteem Thom. 21 Who now with Thomalin shall sit and sing Who left to play in lovely myrtils shade Or tune sweet ditties to as sweet a string Who now those wounds shall ' swage in covert glade Sweet-bitter wounds which cruel love hath made You fisher-boyes and sea-maids dainty crue Farewell for Thomalin will seek a new And more respectfull stream ungratefull Chame adieu Thirsil 22 Thomalin forsake not thou the fisher-swains Which hold thy stay and love at dearest rate Here mayst thou live among their sportfull trains Till better times afford thee better state Then mayst thou follow well thy guiding fate So live thou here with peace and quiet blest So let thy love afford thee ease and rest So let thy sweetest foe recure thy wounded breast 23 But thou proud Chame which thus hast wrought me spite Some greater river drown thy hatefull name Let never myrtle on thy banks delight But willows pale the badge of spite and blame Crown thy ungratefull shores with scorn and shame Let dirt and mud thy lazie waters seise Thy weeds still grow thy waters still decrease Nor let thy wretched love to Gripus ever cease 24 Farewell ye streams which once I loved deare Farewell ye boyes which on your Chame do float Muses farewell if there be Muses here Farewell my nets farewell my little boat Come sadder pipe farewell my merry note My Thomalin with thee all sweetnesse dwell Think of thy Thirsil Thirsil loves thee well Thomalin my dearest deare my Thomalin farewell Dorus. 25 Ah haplesse boy the fishers joy and pride Ah wo is us we cannot help thy wo Our pity vain ill may that swain betide Whose undeserved spite hath wrong'd thee so Thirsil with thee our joy and wishes go Myrtil 26 Dorus some greater power prevents thy curse So vile so basely lives that hatefull swain So base so vile that none can wish him worse But Thirsil much a better state doth gain For never will he finde so thanklesse main FINIS ECLOG III. MYRTILVS A Fisher-lad no higher dares he look Myrtil sat down by silver Medwayes shore His dangling nets hung on the trembling oare Had leave to play so had his idle hook While madding windes the madder Ocean shook Of Chamus had he learnt to pipe and sing And frame low dirties to his humble string 2 There as his boat late in the river stray'd A friendly fisher brought the boy to view Coelia the fair whose lovely beauties drew His heart from him into that heav'nly maid There all his wandring thoughts there now they staid All other fairs all other love defies In Coelia he lives for Coelia dies 3 Nor durst the coward woo his high desiring For low he was lower himself accounts And she the highest height in worth surmounts But sits alone in hell his heav'n admiring And thinks with sighs to fanne but blows his firing Nor does he strive to cure his painfull wound For till this sicknesse never was he sound 4 His blubber'd face was temper'd to the day All sad he look't that sure all was not well Deep in his heart was hid an heav'nly hell Thick clouds upon his watrie eye-brows lay Which melting showre and showring never stay So sitting down upon the sandy plain Thus 'gan he vent his grief and hidden pain 5 You sea-born maids that in the Ocean reigne If in your courts is known Loves matchlesse power Kindling his fire in your cold watry bower Learn by your own to pity others pain Tryphon that know'st a thousand herbs in vain But know'st not one to cure a love-sick heart See here a wound that farre outgoes thy art 6 Your stately seas perhaps with loves fire glow And over-seeth their banks with springing tide Mustring their white-plum'd waves with lordly pride They soon retire and lay their curl'd heads low So sinking in themselves they backward go But in my breast full seas of grief remain Which ever flow and never ebbe again 7 How well fair Thetis in thy glasse I see As in a crystal all my raging pains Late thy green fields slept in their even plains
cure on this my plaint is grounded Nicaea Cures are diseases when the wounds are easing Why would'st thou have me please thee by displeasing Algon Scorn'd love is death loves mutuall wounds delighting Happie thy love my love to thine uniting Love paying debts grows rich requited in requiting Damon 18 What lives alone Nicaea starres most chaste Have their conjunctions spheares their mixt embraces And mutuall folds Nothing can single last But die in living in increasing waste Nicaea Their joyning perfects them but us defaces Algon That 's perfect which obtains his end your graces Receive their end in love She that 's alone Dies as she lives no number is in one Thus while she 's but her self she 's not her self she 's none Nicaea 19 Why blam'st thou then my stonie hard confection Which nothing loves thou single nothing art Algon Love perfects what it loves thus thy affection Married to mine makes mine and thy perfection Nicaea Well then to passe our Tryphon in his art And in a moment cure a wounded heart If fairest Darwin whom I serve approve Thy suit and thou wilt not thy heart remove I 'le joyn my heart to thine and answer thee in love 20 The sunne is set adieu Algon 'T is set to me Thy parting is my ev'n thy presence light Nicaea Farewell Algon Thou giv'st thy wish it is in thee Unlesse thou wilt haplesse I cannot be Damon Come Algon cheerly home the theevish night Steals on the world and robs our eyes of sight The silver streams grow black home let us coast There of loves conquest may we safely boast Soonest in love he winnes that oft in love hath lost FINIS ECLOG VI. THOMALIN Thirsil Thomalin A Fisher-boy that never knew his peer In daintie songs the gentle Thomalin With folded arms deep sighs heavy cheer Where hundred Nymphs hundred Muses inne Sunk down by Chamus brinks with him his deare Deare Thirsil lay oft times would he begin To cure his grief and better way advise But still his words when his sad friend he spies Forsook his silent tongue to speak in watrie eyes 2 Under a sprouting vine they carelesse lie Whose tender leaves bit with the Eastern blast But now were born and now began to die The latter warned by the formers haste Thinly for fear salute the envious skie Thus as they sat Thirsil embracing fast His loved friend feeling his panting heart To give no rest to his increasing smart At length thus spake while sighs words to his grief impart Thirsil 3 Thomalin I see thy Thirsil thou neglect'st Some greater love holds down thy heart in fear Thy Thirsils love and counsel thou reject'st Thy soul was wont to lodge within my eare But now that port no longer thou respect'st Yet hath it still been safely harbour'd there My eare is not acquainted with my tongue That either tongue or eare should do thee wrong Why then should'st thou conceal thy hidden grief so long Thom. 4 Thirsil it is thy love that makes me hide My smother'd grief from thy known faithfull eare May still my Thirsil safe and merry ' bide Enough is me my hidden grief to bear For while thy breast in hav'n doth safely ride My greater half with thee rides safely there Thirsil So thou art well but still my better part My Thomalin sinks loaden with his smart Thus thou my finger cur'st and wound'st my bleeding heart 5 How oft hath Thomalin to Thirsil vowed That as his heart so he his love esteem'd Where are those oaths where is that heart bestowed Which hides it from that breast which deare it deem'd And to that heart room in his heart allowed That love was never love but onely seem'd Tell me my Thomalin what envious thief Thus robs thy joy tell me my liefest lief Thou little lov'st me friend if more thou lov'st thy grief Thom. 6 Thirsil my joyous spring is blasted quite And winter storms prevent the summers ray All as this vine whose green the Eastern spite Hath di'd to black his catching arms decay And letting go their hold for want of might Mar'l winter comes so soon in first of May. Thirsil Yet see the leaves do freshly bud again Thou drooping still di'st in this heavie strain Nor can I see or end or cause of all thy pain Thom. 7 No marvel Thirsil if thou dost not know This grief which in my heart lies deeply drown'd My heart it self though well it feels his wo Knows not the wo it feels the worse my wound Which though I rankling finde I cannot show Thousand fond passions in my breast abound Fear leagu'd to joy hope and despair together Sighs bound to smiles my heart though prone to either While both it would obey 'twixt both obeyeth neither 8 Oft blushing flames leap up into my face My guiltlesse cheek such purple flash admires Oft stealing tears slip from mine eyes apace As if they meant to quench those causelesse fires My good I hate my hurt I glad embrace My heart though griev'd his grief as joy desires I burn yet know no fuel to my firing My wishes know no want yet still desiring Hope knows not what to hope yet still in hope aspiring Thirsil 9 Too true my fears alas no wicked sprite No writhel'd witch with spells or powerfull charms Or hellish herbs digg'd in as hellish night Gives to thy heart these oft and fierce alarms But Love too hatefull Love with pleasing spite And spitefull pleasure thus hath bred thy harms And seeks thy mirth with pleasance to destroy 'T is Love my Thomalin my liefest boy 'T is Love robs me of thee and thee of all thy joy Thomal 10 Thirsil I ken not what is hate or Love Thee well I love and thou lov'st me as well Yet joy no torment in this passion prove But often have I heard the fishers tell He 's not inferiour to the mighty Iove Iove heaven rules Love Iove heav'n earth and hell Tell me my friend if thou dost better know Men say he goes arm'd with his shafts and bow Two darts one swift as fire as lead the other slow Thirsil 11 Ah heedlesse boy Love is not such a lad As he is fancy'd by the idle swain With bow and shafts and purple feathers clad Such as Diana with her buskin'd train Of armed Nymphs along the forrests glade With golden quivers in Thessalian plain In level race outstrips the jumping Deer With nimble feet or with a mighty spear Flings down a bristled bore or els a squalid bear 12 Love 's sooner felt then seen his substance thinne Betwixt those snowy mounts in ambush lies Oft in the eyes he spreads his subtil ginne He therefore soonest winnes that fastest flies Fly thence my deare fly fast my Thomalin Who him encounters once for ever dies But if he lurk between the ruddy lips Unhappie soul that thence his Nectar sips While down into his heart the sugred poison slips 13 Oft in a voice he creeps down through the eare Oft from a blushing cheek he
the fisher in whose heart did reigne Stella whose love his life and whose disdain Seems worse then angry skies or never quiet main 3 There soon I view the merry shepherd-swains March three by three clad all in youthfull green And while the sad recorder sweetly plains Three lovely Nymphs each several row between More lovely Nymphs could no where els be seen Whose faces snow their snowy garments stains With sweeter voices fit their pleasing strains Their flocks flock round about the horned rammes And ewes go silent by while wanton lambes Dancing along the plains forget their milky dammes 4 Scarce were the shepherds set but straight in sight The fisher-boyes came driving up the stream Themselves in blue and twenty sea-nymphs bright In curious robes that well the waves might seem All dark below the top like frothy cream Their boats and masts with flowres and garlands dight And round the swannes guard them with armies white Their skiffes by couples dance to sweetest sounds Which running corners breath to full plain grounds That strikes the rivers face and thence more sweet rebounds 5 And now the Nymphs and swains had took their place First those two boyes Thomalin the fishers pride Daphnis the shepherds Nymphs their right hand grace And choicest swains shut up the other side So sit they down in order fit appli'd Thirsil betwixt them both in middle space Thirsil their judge who now 's a shepherd base But late a fisher-swain till envious Chame Had rent his nets and sunk his boat with shame So robb'd the boyes of him and him of all his game Thirsil 6 So as they sit thus Thirsil 'gins the lay You lovely boyes the woods and Oceans pride Since I am judge of this sweet peacefull fray First tell us where and when your Loves you spied And when in long discourse you well are tried Then in short verse by turns we 'l gently play In love begin in love we 'l end the day Daphnis thou first to me you both are deare Ah if I might I would not judge but heare Nought have I of a judge but an impartiall eare Daph. 7 Phoebus if as thy words thy oaths are true Give me that verse which to the honour'd bay That verse which by thy promise now is due To honour'd Daphne in a sweet tun'd lay Daphne thy chang'd thy love unchanged aye Thou sangest late when she now better staid More humane when a tree then when a maid Bending her head thy love with gentle signe repaid 8 What tongue what thought can paint my Loves perfection So sweet hath nature pourtray'd every part That art will prove that artists imperfection Who when no eye dare view dares limme her face Phoebus in vain I call thy help to blaze More light then thine a light that never fell Thou tell'st what 's done in heav'n in earth and hell Her worth thou mayst admire there are no words to tell 9 She is like thee or thou art like her rather Such as her hair thy beams thy single light As her twin-sunnes that creature then I gather Twice heav'nly is where two sunnes shine so bright So thou as she confound'st the gazing sight Thy absence is my night her absence hell Since then in all thy self she doth excell What is beyond thy self how canst thou hope to tell 10 First her I saw when tir'd with hunting toyl In shady grove spent with the weary chace Her naked breast lay open to the spoil The crystal humour trickling down apace Like ropes of pearl her neck and breast enlace The aire my rivall aire did coolly glide Through every part such when my Love I spi'd So soon I saw my Love so soon I lov'd and di'd 11 Her face two colours paint the first a flame Yet she all cold a flame in rosie die Which sweetly blushes like the mornings shame The second snow such as on Alps doth lie And safely there the sunne doth bold defie Yet this cold snow can kindle hot desire Thou miracle mar'l not if I admire How flame should coldly freez and snow should burn as fire 12 Her slender waste her hand that dainty breast Her cheek her forehead eye and flaming hair And those hid beauties which must sure be best In vain to speak when words will more impair Of all the fairs she is the fairest fair Cease then vain words well may you shew affection But not her worth the minde her sweet perfection Admires how should it then give the lame tongue direction Thom. 13 Unlesse thy words be flitting as thy wave Proteus that song into my breast inspire With which the seas when loud they rore and rave Thou softly charm'st and windes intestine ire When 'gainst heav'n earth and seas they did conspire Thou quiet laid'st Proteus thy song to heare Seas listning stand and windes to whistle fear The lively Delphins dance and brisly Seales give eare 14 Stella my starre-like love my lovely starre Her hair a lovely brown her forehead high And lovely fair such her cheeks roses are Lovely her lip most lovely is her eye And as in each of these all love doth lie So thousand loves within her minde retiring Kindle ten thousand loves with gentle firing Ah let me love my Love not live in loves admiring 15 At Proteus feast where many a goodly boy And many a lovely lasse did lately meet There first I found there first I lost my joy Her face mine eye her voice mine eare did greet While eare eye strove which should be most sweet That face or voice but when my lips at last Saluted hers those senses strove as fast Which most those lips did please the eye eare touch or taste 16 The eye sweares never fairer lip was eyed The eare with those sweet relishes delighted Thinks them the spheares the taste that nearer tried Their relish sweet the soul to feast invited The touch with pressure soft more close united Wisht ever there to dwell and never cloyed While thus their joy too greedy they enjoyed Enjoy'd not half their joy by being overjoyed 17 Her hair all dark more clear the white doth show And with its night her faces morn commends Her eye-brow black like to an ebon bow Which sporting Love upon her forehead bends And thence his never-missing arrow sends But most I wonder how that jetty ray Which those two blackest sunnes do fair display Should shine so bright night should make so sweet a day 18 So is my love an heav'n her hair a night Her shining forehead Dian's silver light Her eyes the starres their influence delight Her voice the sphears her cheek Aurora bright Her breast the globes where heav'ns path milkie-white Runnes 'twixt those hills her hand Arions touch As much delights the eye the eare as much Such is my Love that but my Love was never such Thirsil 19 The earth her robe the sea her swelling tide The trees their leaves the moon her divers face The starres their courses flowers their springing pride Dayes
fast-imprinted fashion Of every place and now I fully eye it And though with fear yet cannot well denie it Till the morn bell awakes me then for spite I shut mine eyes again and wish back such a night But in the day my never-slak't desire Will cast to prove by welcome forgerie That for my absence I am much the nigher Seeking to please with soothing flatterie Love's wing is thought and thought will soonest fly Where it findes want then as our love is dearer Absence yeelds presence distance makes us nearer Ah! might I in some humble Kentish dale For ever eas'ly spend my slow-pac't houres Much should I scorn fair Aeton's pleasant vale Or Windsor Tempe's self and proudest towers There would I sit safe from the stormie showers And laugh the troublous windes and angrie skie Piping ah might I live and piping might I die And would my luckie fortune so much grace me As in low Cranebrook or high Brenchly's hill Or in some cabin neare thy dwelling place me There would I gladly sport and sing my fill And teach my tender Muse to raise her quill And that high Mantuan shepherd self to dare If ought with that high Mantuan shepherd mought compare There would I chant either thy Gemma's praise Or els my Fusca fairest shepherdesse Or when me list my slender pipe to raise Sing of Eliza's fixed mournfulnesse And much bewail such wofull heavinesse Whil'st she a dear-lov'd Hart ah lucklesse slew Whose fall she all too late too soon too much did rue But seeing now I am not as I would But here among th'unhonour'd willows shade The muddy Chame doth me enforced hold Here I forsweare my merry piping trade My little pipe of seven reeds ymade Ah pleasing pipe I 'le hang upon this bough Thou Chame and Chamish Nymphs bear witnesse of my vow To E. C. in Cambridge my sonne by the University WHen first my minde call'd it self in to think There fell a strife not easie for to end Which name should first crown the white papers brink An awing father or an equall friend Fortune gives choice of either to my minde Both bonds to tie the soul it never move That of commanding this of easie love The lines of love which from a fathers heart Are draw'n down to the sonne and from the sonne Ascend to th'father draw'n from every part Each other cut and from the first transition Still further wander with more wide partition But friends like parallels runne a level race In just proportion and most even space Then since a double choice double affection Hath plac't it self in my twice-loving breast No title then can adde to this perfection Nor better that which is alreadie best So naming one I must implie the rest The same a father and a friend or rather Both one a father-friend and a friend-father No marvel then the difference of the place Makes in my minde at all no difference For love is not produc'd or penn'd in space Having i' th' soul his onely residence Love's fire is thought and thought is never thence Where it feels want then where a love is deare The minde in farthest distance is most neare Me Kent holds fast with thousand sweet embraces There mought I die with thee there with thee live All in the shades the Nymphs and naked Graces Fresh joyes and still-succeeding pleasures give So much we sport we have no time to grieve Here do we sit and laugh white-headed caring And know no sorrow simple pleasures marring A crown of wood-nymphs spread i' th' graffie plain Sit round about no niggards of their faces Nor do they cloud their fair with black disdain All to my self will they impart their graces Ah! not such joyes finde I in other places To them I often pipe and often sing Sweet notes to sweeter voices tempering And now but late I sang the Hymen toyes Of two fair lovers fairer were there never That in one bed coupled their spousall joyes Fortune and Nature being scant to neither What other dare not wish was full in either Thrice happie bed thrice happie lovers firing Where present blessings have out-stript desiring And when me list to sadder tunes apply me Pasilia's dirge and Eupathus complaining And often while my pipe lies idle by me Read Fusca's deep disdain and Thirsil's plaining Yet in that face is no room for disdaining Where cheerfull kindnesse smiles in either eye And beauty still kisses humilitie Then do not marvel Kentish strong delights Stealing the time do here so long detain me Not powerfull Circe with her Hecate rites Nor pleasing Lotos thus could entertain me As Kentish powerfull pleasures here enchain me Mean time the Nymphs that in our Brenchly use Kindly salute your busy Cambridge Muse. To my beloved Thenot in answer of his verse THenot my deare how can a lofty hill To lowly shepherds thoughts be rightly fitting An humble dale well fits with humble quill There may I safely sing all fearlesse sitting My Fusca's eyes my Fusca's beauty dittying My loved lonenesse and hid Muse enjoying Yet should'st thou come and see our simple toying Well would fair Thenot like our sweet retired joying But if my Thenot love my humble vein Too lowly vein ne're let him Colin call me He while he was was ah the choicest swain That ever grac'd a reed what e're befall me Or Myrtil so'fore Fusca fair did thrall me Most was I know'n or now poore Thirsil name me Thirsil for so my Fusca pleases frame me But never mounting Colin Colin's high stile will shame me Two shepherds I adore with humble love Th' high-towring swain that by slow Mincius waves His well-grown wings at first did lowly prove Where Corydon's sick love full sweetly raves But after sung bold Turnus daring braves And next our nearer Colin's sweetest strain Most where he most his Rosalind doth plain Well may I after look but follow all in vain Why then speaks Thenot of the honour'd Bay Apollo's self though fain could not obtain her She at his melting songs would scorn to stay Though all his art he spent to entertain her Wilde beasts he tam'd yet never could detain her Then sit we here within this willow glade Here for my Thenot I a garland made With purple violets and lovely myrtil shade Upon the picture of Achmat the Turkish tyrant SUch Achmat is the Turks great Emperour Third sonne to Mahomet whose youthly spring But now with blossom'd cheek begins to flowre Out of his face you well may read a King Which who will throughly view will eas'ly finde A perfect Index to his haughty minde Within his breast as in a palace lie Wakefull ambition leagu'd with hastie pride Fiercenesse alli'd with Turkish Majestie Rests hate in which his father living dy'd Deep in his heart such Turkish vertue lies And thus looks through the window of his eyes His pleasure farre from pleasure is to see His navie spread her wings unto the winde In stead of gold arms fill his treasurie Which numberlesse fill not his
greedie minde The sad Hungarian fears his tried might And waning Persia trembles at his sight His greener youth most with the heathen spent Gives Christian Princes justest cause to fear His riper age whose childhood thus is bent A thousand trophies will he shortly rear Unlesse that God who gave him first this rage Binde his proud head in humble vassalage To Mr. Jo. Tomkins THomalin my lief thy musick strains to heare More raps my soul then when the swelling windes On craggie rocks their whistling voices tear Or when the sea if stopt his course he findes With broken murmures thinks weak shores to fear Scorning such sandie cords his proud head bindes More then where rivers in the summers ray Through covert glades cutting their shadie way Run tumbling down the lawns with the pebles play Thy strains to heare old Chamus from his cell Comes guarded with an hundred Nymphs around An hundred Nymphs that in his rivers dwell About him flock with water-lilies crown'd For thee the Muses leave their silver well And marvel where thou all their art hast found There sitting they admire thy dainty strains And while thy sadder accent sweetly plains Feel thousand sugred joyes creep in their melting veins How oft have I the Muses bower frequenting Miss'd them at home and found them all with thee Whether thou sing'st sad Eupathus lamenting Or tunest notes to sacred harmonie The ravisht soul with thy sweet songs consenting Scorning the earth in heav'nly extasie Transcends the starres and with the angels train Those courts survaies and now come back again Findes yet another heav'n in thy delightfull strain Ah! could'st thou here thy humble minde content Lowly with me to live in countrey cell And learn suspect the courts proud blandishment Here might we safe here might we sweetly dwell Live Pallas in her towers and marble tent But ah the countrey bowers please me as well There with my Thomalin I safe would sing And frame sweet ditties to thy sweeter string There would we laugh at spite and fortunes thundering No flattery hate or envy lodgeth there There no suspicion wall'd in proved steel Yet fearfull of the arms her self doth wear Pride is not there no tyrant there we feel No clamorous laws shall deaf thy musick eare They know no change nor wanton fortunes wheel Thousand fresh sports grow in those daintie places Light Fawns Nymphs dance in the woodie spaces And little Love himself plaies with the naked Graces But seeing fate my happie wish refuses Let me alone enjoy my low estate Of all the gifts that fair Parnassus uses Onely scorn'd povertie and fortunes hate Common I finde to me and to the Muses But with the Muses welcome poorest fate Safe in my humble cottage will I rest And lifting up from my untainted breast A quiet spirit to heav'n securely live and blest To thee I here bequeath the courtly joyes Seeing to court my Thomalin is bent Take from thy Thirsil these his idle toyes Here I will end my looser merriment And when thou sing'st them to the wanton boyes Among the courtly lasses blandishment Think of thy Thirsil's love that never spends And softly say his love still better mends Ah too unlike the love of court or courtly friends Go little pipe for ever I must leave thee My little little pipe but sweetest ever Go go for I have vow'd to see thee never Never ah never must I more receive thee But he in better love will still persever Go little pipe for I must have a new Farewell ye Norfolk maids and Ida crue Thirsil will play no more for ever now adieu To Thomalin THomalin since Thirsil nothing ha's to leave thee And leave thee must pardon me gentle friend If nothing but my love I onely give thee Yet see how great this Nothing is I send For though this love of thine I sweetest prove Nothing 's more sweet then is this sweetest love The souldier Nothing like his prey esteems Nothing toss'd sailers equal with the shore Nothing before his health the sick man deems The pilgrim hugges his countrey Nothing more The miser hoording up his golden wares This Nothing with his precious wealth compares Our thoughts ambition onely Nothing ends Nothing fills up the golden-dropsied minde The prodigall that all so lavish spends Yet Nothing cannot Nothing stayes behinde The King that with his life a kingdome buyes Then life or crown doth Nothing higher prize Who all enjoyes yet Nothing now desires Nothing is greater then the highest Iove Who dwells in heav'n then Nothing more requires Love more then honey Nothing more sweet then love Nothing is onely better then the best Nothing is sure Nothing is ever blest I love my health my life my books my friends Thee dearest Thomalin Nothing above thee For when my books friends health life fainting ends When thy love fails yet Nothing still will love me When heav'n and aire the earth and floating mains Are gone yet Nothing still untoucht remains Since then to other streams I must betake me And spitefull Chame of all ha's quite bereft me Since Muses selves false Muses will forsake me And but this Nothing nothing els is left me Take thou my love and keep it still in store That given Nothing now remaineth more Against a rich man despising povertie IF well thou view'st us with no squinted eye No partiall judgement thou wilt quickly rate Thy wealth no richer then my povertie My want no poorer then thy rich estate Our ends and births alike in this as I Poore thou wert born and poore again shalt die My little fills my little-wishing minde Thou having more then much yet seekest more Who seeks still wishes what he seeks to finde Who wishes wants and who so wants is poore Then this must follow of necessitie Poore are thy riches rich my povertie Though still thou gett'st yet is thy want not spent But as thy wealth so growes thy wealthy itch But with my little I have much content Content hath all and who hath all is rich Then this in reason thou must needs confesse If I have little yet that thou hast lesse What ever man possesses God hath lent And to his audit liable is ever To reckon how and where and when he spent Then this thou bragg'st thou art a great receiver Little my debt when little is my store The more thou hast thy debt still growes the more But seeing God himself descended down T' enrich the poore by his rich povertie His meat his house his grave were not his own Yet all is his from all eternitie Let me be like my Head whom I adore Be thou great wealthie I still base and poore Contemnenti COntinuall burning yet no fire or fuel Chill icie frosts in midst of summers frying A hell most pleasing and a heav'n most cruel A death still living and a life still dying And whatsoever pains poore hearts can prove I feel and utter in one word I LOVE Two fires of love and grief each upon
constant ever And men though ever firm are constant never For men that to one fair their passions binde Must ever change as do those changing fairs So as she alters alters still their minde And with their fading Loves their love impairs Therefore still moving as the fair they loved Most do they move by being most unmoved But women when their lovers change their graces What first in them they lov'd love now in others Affecting still the same in divers places So never change their love but change their lovers Therefore their minde is firm and constant prov'd Seeing they ever love what first they lov'd Their love ty'd to some vertue cannot stray Shifting the outside oft the inside never But men when now their Loves dissolv'd to clay Indeed are nothing still in love persever How then can such fond men be constant made That nothing love or but a nothing shade What fool commends a stone for never moving Or blames the speedie heav'ns for ever ranging Cease then fond men to blaze your constant loving Love's firie winged light and therefore changing Fond man that thinks such fire and aire to fetter All change men for the worse women for better To my onely chosen Valentine and wife Anagram MAYSTRESS ELISABETH VINCENT IS MY BRESTS CHASTE VALENTINE THink not fair love that Chance my hand directed To make my choice my chance blinde Chance hands Could never see what most my minde affected But heav'n that ever with chaste true love stands Lent eyes to see what most my heart respected Then do not thou resist what heav'n commands But yeeld thee his who must be ever thine My heart thy altar is my breast thy shrine Thy name for ever is My brests chaste Valentine A translation of Boëthius the third book and last verse HAppie man whose perfect sight Views the over-flowing light Happie man that canst unbinde Th' earth-barres pounding up the minde Once his wives quick fate lamenting Orpheus sat his hair all renting While the speedie woods came running And rivers stood to heare his cunning And the lion with the hart Joyn'd side to side to heare his art Hares ran with the dogs along Not from dogs but to his song But when all his verses turning Onely fann'd his poore hearts burning And his grief came but the faster His verse all easing but his master Of the higher powers complaining Down he went to hell disdaining There his silver lute-strings hitting And his potent verses fitting All the sweets that e're he took From his sacred mothers brook What his double sorrow gives him And love that doubly-double grieves him There he spends to move deaf hell Charming divels with his spell And with sweetest asking leave Does the lords of ghosts deceive The dog whose never quiet yell Affrights sad souls in night that dwell Pricks up now his thrice two eares To howl or bark or whine he fears Struck with dumbe wonder at those songs He wisht more eares and fewer tongues Charon amaz'd his oare foreslowes While the boat the sculler rowes Tantal might have eaten now The fruit as still as is the bough But he fool no hunger fearing Starv'd his taste to feed his hearing Ixion though his wheel stood still Still was rapt with musicks skill At length the Judge of souls with pitie Yeelds as conquer'd with his dittie Let 's give back his spouses herse Purchas'd with so pleasing verse Yet this law shall binde our gift He turn not till ha's Tartar left Who to laws can lovers draw Love in love is onely law Now almost he left the night When he first turn'd back his sight And at once while her he ey'd His Love he saw and lost and dy'd So who strives out of the night To bring his soul to joy in light Yet again turns back his eye To view left hells deformitie Though he seems enlightned more Yet is blacker then afore A translation of Boëthius book 2 verse 7. WHo onely honour seeks with prone affection And thinks that glory is his greatest blisse First let him view the heav'ns wide-stretched section Then in some mappe the earths short narrownesse Well may he blush to see his name not able To fill one quarter of so brief a table Why then should high-grow'n mindes so much rejoyce To draw their stubborn necks from mans subjection For though loud fame stretch high her pratling voice To blaze abroad their vertues great pefection Though goodly titles of their house adorn them With ancient Heraldrie yet death doth scorn them The high and base lie in the self same grave No difference there between a King and slave Where now are true Fabricius bones remaining Who knowes where Brutus or rough Cato lives Onely a weak report their names sustaining In records old a slender knowledge gives Yet when we reade the deeds of men inhumed Can we by that know them long since consumed Now therefore lie you buried and forgotten Nor can report frustrate encroaching death Or if you think when you are dead and rotten You live again by fame and vulgar breath When with times shadows this false glory wanes You die again but this your glorie gains Upon my brother Mr G. F. his book entituled Christs Victorie and Triumph FOnd lads that spend so fast your posting time Too posting time that spends your time as fast To chant light toyes or frame some wanton rhyme Where idle boyes may glut their lustfull taste Or else with praise to clothe some fleshly slime With virgin roses and fair lilies chaste While itching blouds and youthfull eares adore it But wiser men and once your selves will most abhorre it But thou most neare most deare in this of thine Hast prov'd the Muses not to Venus bound Such as thy matter such thy Muse divine Or thou such grace with Mercie 's self hast found That she her self deignes in thy leaves to shine Or stoll'n from heav'n thou brought'st this verse to ground Which frights the nummed soul with fearfull thunder And soon with honeyed dews thawes it'twixt joy and wonder Then do not thou malicious tongues esteem The glasse through which an envious eye doth gaze Can eas'ly make a mole-hill mountain seem His praise dispraises his dispraises praise Enough if best men best thy labours deem And to the highest pitch thy merit raise While all the Muses to thy song decree Victorious Triumph Triumphant Victorie Upon the B. of Exon. Doct. Hall his Meditations MOst wretched soul that here carowsing pleasure Hath all his heav'n on earth and ne're distressed Enjoyes these fond delights without all measure And freely living thus is thus deceased Ah greatest curse so to be ever blessed For where to live is heav'n 't is hell to die Ah wretch that here begins hells miserie Most bessed soul that lifted up with wings Of faith and love leaves this base habitation And scorning sluggish earth to heav'n up springs On earth yet still in heav'n by meditation With the souls eye foreseeing th' heav'nly station Then
'gins his life when he 's of life bereaven Ah blessed soul that here begins his heaven Upon the Contemplations of the B. of Excester given to the Ladie E. W. at New-yeares-tide THis little worlds two little starres are eyes And he that all eyes framed fram'd all others Downward to fall but these to climbe the skies There to acquaint them with their starrie brothers Planets fixt in the head their spheare of sense Yet wandring still through heav'ns circumference The Intellect being their Intelligence Dull then that heavie soul which ever bent On earth and earthly toyes his heav'n neglects Content with that which cannot give content What thy foot scorning kicks thy soul respects Fond soul thy eye will up to heav'n erect thee Thou it direct'st and must it now direct thee Dull heavie soul thy scholar must correct thee Thrice happie soul that guided by thine eyes Art mounted up unto that starrie nation And leaving there thy sense entrest the skies Enshrin'd and sainted there by contemplation Heav'n thou enjoy'st on earth and now bereaven Of life a new life to thy soul is given Thrice happie soul that hast a double heaven That sacred hand which to this yeare hath brought you Perfect your yeares and with your yeares his graces And when his will unto his will hath wrought you Conduct your soul unto those happie places Where thousand joyes and pleasures ever new And blessings thicker then the morning dew With endlesse sweets rain on that heav'nly crue These Asclepiads of Mr. H. S. translated and enlarged Nè Verbum mihi sit mortua Litera Nec Christi Meritum Gratia vanida Sed Verbum fatuo sola Scientia Et Christus misero sola Redemptio UNletter'd Word which never eare could heare Unwritten Word which never eye could see Yet syllabled in flesh-spell'd character That so to senses thou might'st subject be Since thou in bread art stampt in print art read Let not thy print-stampt Word to me be dead Thou all-contriving all-deserving Spirit Made flesh to die that so thou might'st be mine That thou in us and we in thee might merit We thine thou ours thou humane we divine Let not my dead lifes merit my dead heart Forfeit so deare a purchas'd deaths desert Thou Sunne of wisdome knowledge infinite Made folly to the wise night to prophane Be I thy Moon oh let thy sacred light Increase to th' full and never never wane Wise folly set in me fond wisdome rise Make me renounce my wisdome to be wise Thou Life eternall purest blessednesse Made mortal wretched sinne it self for me Shew me my death my sin my wretchednesse That I may flourish shine and live in thee So I with praise shall sing thy life deaths storie O thou my Merit Life my Wisdome Glorie Certain of the royal Prophets Psalmes metaphrased Psalm 42. which agrees with the tune of Like the Hermite poore LOok as an hart with sweat and bloud embrued Chas'd and embost thirsts in the soil to be So my poore soul with eager foes pursued Looks longs O Lord pines pants and faints for thee When O my God when shall I come in place To see thy light and view thy glorious face I dine and sup with sighs with grones and teares While all thy foes mine eares with taunting load Who now thy cries who now thy prayer heares Where is say they where is thy boasted God My molten heart deep plung'd in sad despairs Runnes forth to thee in streams of teares and prayers With grief I think on those sweet now past dayes When to thy house my troops with joy I led We sang we danc'd we chanted sacred layes No men so haste to wine no bride to bed Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest My famisht soul driv'n from thy sweetest word From Hermon hill and Jordans swelling brook To thee laments sighs deep to thee O Lord To thee sends back her hungrie longing look Flouds of thy wrath breed flouds of grief and fears And flouds of griefbreed flouds of plaints and teares His early light with morn these clouds shall clear These drearie clouds and storms of sad despairs Sure am I in the night his songs to heare Sweet songs of joy as well as he my prayers I 'le say My God why slight'st thou my distresse While all my foes my wearie soul oppresse My cruel foes both thee and me upbraid They cut my heart they vant that bitter word Where is thy trust where is thy hope they said Where is thy God where is thy boasted Lord Why droop'st my soul why faint'st thou in my breast Wait still with praise his presence is thy rest Psal. 63. which may be sung as The widow or mock-widow O Lord before the morning Gives heav'n warning To let out the day My wakefull eyes Look for thy rise And wait to let in thy joyfull ray Lank hunger here peoples the desert cells Here thirst fills up the emptie wells How longs my flesh for that bread without leaven How thirsts my soul for that wine of heaven Such oh to taste thy ravishing grace Such in thy house to view thy glorious face Thy love thy light thy faces Bright-shining graces Whose unchanged ray Knows nor morns dawn Nor evenings wane How farre surmount they lifes winter day My heart to thy glorie tunes all his strings My tongue thy praises cheerly sings And till I slumber and death shall undresse me Thus will I sing thus will I blesse thee Fill me with love oh fill me with praise So shall I vent due thanks in joyfull layes When night all eyes hath quenched And thoughts lie drenched In silence and rest Then will I all Thy waies recall And look on thy light in darknesse best When my poore soul wounded had lost the field Thou wast my fort thou wast my shield Safe in thy trenches I boldly will vant me There will I sing there will I chant thee There I 'le triumph in thy banner of grace My conqu'ring arms shall be thy arms embrace My foes from deeps ascending In rage transcending Assaulting me sore Into their hell Are headlong fell There shall they lie there howl and roare There let deserv'd torments their spirits tear Feel they worst ills and worse yet fear But with his spouse thine anointed in pleasure Shall reigne and joy past time or measure There new delights new pleasures still spring Haste there oh haste my soul to dance and sing PSAL. 127. To the tune of that Psalme IF God build not the house and lay The ground-work sure who ever build It cannot stand one stormie day If God be not the cities shield If he be not their barres and wall In vain is watch-tower men and all Though then thou wak'st when others rest Though rising thou prevent'st the Sunne Though with lean care thou daily feast Thy labour 's lost and thou undone But God his childe will feed and keep And draw the curtains to
kisse his rod 17 My deare once all my joy now all my care To these my words these my last words apply thee Give me thy hand these my last greetings are Shew me thy face I never more shall eye thee Ah would our boyes our lesser selves were by thee Those my ' live pictures to the world I give So single onely die in them twice-two I live 18 Your little souls your sweetest times enjoy And softly spend among your mothers kisses And with your prettie sports and hurtlesse joy Supply your weeping mothers grievous misses Ah while you may enjoy your little blisses While yet you nothing know when back you view Sweet will this knowledge seem when yet you nothing knew 19 For when to riper times your yeares arrive No more ah then no more may you go play you Lancht in the deep farre from the wished hive Change of worlds tépests through blinde seas will sway you Till to the long-long'd haven they convey you Through many a wave this brittle life must passe And cut the churlish seas shipt in a bark of glasse 20 How many ships in quick-sands swallow'd been What gaping waves whales monsters there expect you How many rocks much sooner felt then seen Yet let no fear no coward fright affect you He holds the stern and he will safe direct you Who to my sails thus long so gently blew That now I touch the shore before the seas I knew 21 I touch the shore and see my rest preparing Oh blessed God! how infinite a blessing Is in this thought that through this troubled faring Through all the faults this guiltie age depressing I guiltlesse past no helplesse man oppressing And coming now to thee lift to the skies Unbribed hands cleans'd heart and never tainted eyes 22 Life life how many Sylla's dost thou hide In thy calm streams which sooner kill then threaten Gold honour greatnesse and their daughter pride More quiet lives and lesse with tempests beaten Whose middle state content doth richly sweeten He knows not strife or brabling lawyers brawls His love and wish live pleas'd within his private walls 23 The King he never sees nor fears nor prayes Nor sits court-promise and false hopes lamenting Within that house he spends and ends his dayes Where day he viewed first his hearts contenting His wife and babes nor sits new joyes inventing Unspotted there and quiet he remains And 'mong his duteous sonnes most lov'd and fearlesse reignes 24 Thou God of peace with what a gentle tide Through this worlds raging tempest hast thou brought me Thou thou my open soul didst safely hide When thousand crafty foes so nearely sought me Els had the endlesse pit too quickly caught me That endlesse pit where it is easier never To fall then being fall'n to cease from falling ever 25 I never knew or want or luxurie Much lesse their followers or cares tormenting Or ranging lust or base-bred flatterie I lov'd and was belov'd with like consenting My hate was hers her joy my sole contenting Thus long I liv'd and yet have never prov'd Whether I lov'd her more or more by her was lov'd 26 Foure babes the fift with thee I soon shall finde With equall grace in soul and bodie fram'd And left these goods might swell my bladder'd minde Which last I name but should not last be nam'd A sicknesse long my stubborn heart hath tam'd And taught me pleasing goods are not the best But most unblest he lives that lives here ever blest 27 Ah life once vertues spring now sink of evil Thou change of pleasing pain and painfull pleasure Thou brittle painted bubble shop o' th' devil How dost thou bribe us with false gilded treasure That in thy joyes we finde no mean or measure How dost thou witch I know thou dost deceive me I know I should I must and yet I would not leave thee 28 Ah death once greatest ill now onely blessing Untroubled sleep short travel ever resting All sicknesse cure thou end of all distressing Thou one meals fast usher to endlesse feasting Though hopelesse griefs crie out thy aid requesting Though thou art sweetned by a life most hatefull How is 't that when thou com'st thy coming is ungratefull 29 Frail flesh why would'st thou keep a hated guest And him refuse whom thou hast oft invited Life thy tormenter death thy sleep and rest And thou poore soul why at his sight art frighted Who clears thine eyes and makes thee eagle-sighted Mount now my soul seat thee in thy throne Thou shalt be one with him by whom thou first wast one 30 Why should'st thou love this star this borrow'd light And not that Sunne at which thou oft hast guessed But guess'd in vain which dares thy piercing sight Which never was which cannot be expressed Why lov'st thy load joy'st to be oppressed Seest thou those joyes those thousand thousand graces Mount now my soul leap to those outstretcht embraces 31 Deare countrey I must leave thee and in thee No benefit which most doth pierce and grieve me Yet had not hasty death prevented me I would repay my life and somewhat give thee My sonnes for that I leave and so I leave thee Thus heav'n commands the lord outrides the page And is arriv'd before death hath prevented age 32 My dearest Bettie my more loved heart I leave thee now with thee all earthly joying Heav'n knows with thee alone I sadly part All other earthly sweets have had their cloying Yet never full of thy sweet loves enjoying Thy constant loves next heav'n I did referre them Had not much grace prevail'd 'fore heav'n I should preferre them 33 I leave them now the trumpet calls away In vain thine eyes beg for some times reprieving Yet in my children here immortall stay In one I die in many ones am living In them and for them stay thy too much grieving Look but on them in them thou still wilt see Marry'd with thee again thy twice-two Antonie 34 And when with little hands they stroke thy face As in thy lap they sit ah carelesse playing And stammering ask a kisse give them a brace The last from me and then a little staying And in their face some part of me survaying In them give me a third and with a teare Shew thy deare love to him who lov'd thee ever deare 35 And now our falling house leans all on thee This little nation to thy care commend them In thee it lies that hence they want not me Themselves yet cannot thou the more defend them And when green age permits to goodnesse bend them A mother were you once now both you are Then with this double style double your love and care 36 Turn their unwarie steps into the way What first the vessel drinks it long retaineth No barres will hold when they have us'd to stray And when for me one asks and weeping plaineth Point thou to heav'n and say he there remaineth And if they live in grace grow and persever There shall they