yet obscurely shone As when wee see a thinne blacke cloudie clustre Through which the stars do yeeld a darksome lustre A gorgeous choller of deare cheuaâ—all Set with a white embrodered Pyronall And Margarites with workmans rare deuise It seemed like vnto a shining Ice That night adorned in this princely sort Faunus departed from his fathers Court And went vntill for wearines he was Constrainde to lie downe on the yeelding grasse And recommended his faire bodies breath To Morpheus the elder borne of death There Faunus lie and cease my pen to tell What paine those Nimphes abode for thy farewell How sops of sorrow drencht in cups of care In steede of Nectar and Ambrosia were Greefe great in all yet great'st in Melliflore Who thought her Faunus murdred by the Bore She cut the trees and caru'de the tender graffes With dolefull Sestines mourning Epitaphes And stopt with sighs and drownd in kisse-cheeke teares Her halfe-spoke words A garment now she weares Right Rauen-blacke like sorrowes liuerie Cut all in rags yet ioynde so cunningly As by her clothes poore raggednesse was braâ—ed And pouertie no greater riches craued The Sun this morne before hee did appeare Got two houres iourney in his Hemisphere And Melliflora at the Sunnes first peeping With loues sharpe-sighted eie the thickets creeping Vnder the broad head of a Pine-tree spies Faunus asleepe whose face to heaun-ward lies She shrunke aside aside againe she started Thinking he had beene Adon she departed But comes againe for loue lept from his eies And puld her backe t was Faunus then she sees She knew and feared feare she knew before Fearing he had beene murdered by the Bore She layd her eie-liddes to his eies and wept Then she perceiude her dearest Faunus slept With that she ioynd her corrall lips to his Sucking his breath and stealing many a kisse Wishing the life of a Camelion That she might onely liue his breath vpon Which all vnwilling his faire body left And would not from that paradise be rest Or heauenly mansion which he did retaine But there in hope to be enclosde againe This soft sound sleepe to Melliflore gane leysure To see to feele to smell to taste such pleasure As none but onely she could euer know And none but Faunus on the earth could show Oh for how oft whilst loue her marrow warmes Would she embrace twixt Alablaster armes And hugge and cull the snow-white fronted Boy Call him her loue her life her soule her ioy Then pry more nearely on his necke with oft Quicke mouing lookes and with her fingers soft Dimple his breast and hanging ore his shoulder Hold Faunus downe thrise blest with such an holder And then againe though yet he sleeping is Thus she beganne to woe him for a kisse More gratious farre then-dawning of the day Then Venus starre or purple coloured Maie Let not my begging dearest Faunus grieue thee Vpon a note ten thousand kisses giue mee And then as many busses ouerplus As Cinthâ—â— gaue her loue Propentius How many Cupids with the Graces trippe Vpon thy left cheeke and thine vpper lippe How many lifes deaths ioves hopes cares and feares Thy quicker mouing eie-balles Faunus beares So many collings with kind clippings giue mee As Cupids golden headed arrowes grieue me And adde enticements twixt thine amorous kisses And pleasant murmures with sweete sounding hisses As Doues by turnes be either other nibbing And louingly in blither words be snibbing And bloudlesse in my bosome when thou lies And I turne vp my watrie swimming eies Then will I glew thee in my limber arme If cold as lead my breast shall make thee warme And Melliflora with her kisses breath Shall giue her Faunus life in lookt-for death Vntill my spirit in dewie kisses altring Within my body faint and fall a faultring Then take me Faunus twixt thy naked armes And vse thy hugging and thy kissing charmes And in thy hearts spoone coll me least I perish As twixt thy breasts my frozen bloud I le cherish And then like mine thy moistie kisses dew At po ynt of death life will againe renew Thus shall we enioy the heauen of our age And both together both our liues will swage This said she gathered fragrant smelling posies And strewd him o're with violets and roses Then with a kisse faine would she him haue raised Yet stood stone still and wishly on him gazed And forth his sleepe as though she feard to feare him She fixt her kisses to the roses neare him The roses warme by Mellifloraes mouth A whispering gale of wind came West by South How many roses then before she kist If she had knowne this none she would haue mist Her former kisses kisses gainde such plentie That she receiu de for one kisse more then twentie Such store of kisses on the sodaine found Some slipping from her fell vpon the ground That such an haruest came vpon the earth As since we had of kisses neuer dearth But stirring once his pillow made of grasse Faunus awakt and Venus thought she was With that he rose and like the blushing morne Hauing all night the loathsome burden borne Of aged Tython old men do no good Yet will be fumbling angrie then and wood Among the clowdes herselfe shee headlong throwes To meete with Phaebus what they do all knowes Headlong he ran such gamesome loue he scorned As Venus lou'd to haue his loue suborned But Melliflora ranne and ouertooke him And held him hard and neuer once forsooke him Vntil his name was honour'd by her tongue As one that findes great treasure standeth long Doubting hee sleepes so stood the louely boy Loue-sicke amaz'd and surfeited with ioy But when he knew her O what amorous greeting Faunus deuisde to entertaine his sweeting Like to the elme enclaspt with wanton vine Or as the ivie doth the oake combine About her necke his ivorie armes did twine Faint feeble weake and languishing in fine A moystie kisse seald vp their lippes as neuer Iniurious death should their embracements seuer But with their kisses make two bodies one And so their hearts with kisses liue alone Some teares betwixt them teares of ioy againe Did fall like siluer drops in sun-shine raine Then Faunus told her how he scapt the bore And both related th accidents before His ey-browes touch her roundie speaking eyne Kissing her necke and lippes like Corraline Then busseth she his cheeke his chin and brow Red comely-short and like to Cupids bow Yet in this vnion thus displeasde they be Because themselues they kissing cannot see Then like two culuers once againe they cleaue Hugge cull and clippe and sory for to leaue She carries kisses on her doubtfull eies In those two Diamonds prettie babes he spies Vntill they smile which as the sunne doth chace The mist-hung clowdes then shewes his cheerefull face From eies and cheekes did driue away the teares The sighes the sobs the cares and doubtfull feares Faunus resolu'd now had intention To wooe how loue refines inuention And thus he
vpon a bed of roses Your sheetes white lillies pillowes fragrant poses Your blankets flowerdeluces shall be drawne With prety pinkes your curtaines leasie lawne And in my bed My vnawares out slipt Her face bewraide how that her tongue had tript Which Faunus seeing would haue kist her then To hide those blushes oh how kind are men Fresh she begins thinking that word to alter The more she speakes the more her tongue doth falter And gainst her will that My she spoke againe Loue will not let such words be spoke in vaine This past as vnregarded Faunus said I were inhumane if this were denaid Orecome with ioy they in the mid rancke set him He thought their arbour in the midway met him Such force of Musicke conquerd length of way With torches making artificiall day Aboue all trees in th odoriferous meades With greene vine branches curling their prowd heades And honni-suckles at their lodging doore Doth grow the pleasing brode leau'de Sycamore Her entrances adornd with pretious stone Built in the forme of a pauillionâ— Ridings cut out so that the eie might iudge What Angells did inhabite in the lodge And like a comet yet more pretious farre Stretching her tale vnto a lesser starre He pointed at a pleasant summer hall Wherein the Nymphes did vse to banquet all The coloured marble beautified the top Whose pillars seru'de the house to vnderprop And vnderneath whereas a riuer rode Was minerall her streames an handfull broade Her shaking Christall was a perfect mirrour To all the beauties in the garden neare her Whose water washt them rather they did wash it For when their snow-white â—uorie hands would plash it Like honie-bubbling Ladon or Pâ—reâ—e Cleare Castalie or luke-warme Hippocrene Vpon her face she makes ten thousand lines Ten thousand Saphir coloured bubbles shines As not content in large to haue their pinctures In each of them sets forth their liuely tinctures And comes againe to play embrace and threaten And laughes and smiles and leapes to be so beaten Behind this brooke or thicket was a greene Whereas fiue hundred grasie rounds had beene Made one in one like to these water rings Thence to a gallerie Melliflora him brings There was Dâ—ana when Acteou saw her Bathing her selfe alas he did not know her A goldsmiths wife once nakt without her pearle Hard to be knowne is from a countrie gerle A foolish Nimph sate weeping for loue can Make goddesses like women loue a man The posture of whose limmes so liuely seated As Art and Nature Loue and Anger â—reated Within this gallerie when as Faunus comes The grapes with childe and diuers coloured plums Gaue to the eie a pleasant taste before Vnto the mouth they came and euermore The cooâ—â— wine sild into the goblet skips And laughes for ioy to come vnto such lips As Faunus drunke still would he steale a looke Thus Faunus swallowed Cupids golden hooke Then laide his eies wide ope his loue to view Thus he receiu'd the darts which Cupid threw Then closde his eie-lids from that glorious light Thus he preseru'd the riches of his sight And thus faire words and power attractiue beuty Bring men to women in subiectiue duety But supper ends and all the Nymphes expected Some amorous talke of Faunus he neglected Vntiil a Nymph this order yet we vse Sayd let vs husbands in the ashes chuse In louers rites Faunus though rude and raw It was no dallying yet with Nimphs he saw Then smiling said Faire Nymphs the shepheards lasses Thus chuse them husbands turning crabs in ashes If in these woods good husbands be so scant Will you sweete Nymphes with me supplie some want But some said nothing these gaue ful consent And some said twice No which affirmes content And some said once No these would grant and giue In womens mouths No is no negatiue Whereat he blusht and fearing to offend The fondling thus abruptly made an end Sorie God knowes the Nymphes were hee had done Then Deiopeia mongst them all begun To speake whose words to Beril straight distilld As from her lippes the orient peade trilld Looking at Faunus smilingly then said A cumbersome companion to a maid Is modesty our elders all contemn'd it For cowardize most valiant men condemn'd it Blushing and sighing Thesens neuer stroue To woe and winne Aâ—tiope his loue Nor would hee haue his time so spent and lauisht But laid her downe and some say shee was rauisht And so she was but rauisht with content And got with childe belike both did consent Stout Hercules yong loles father slew And then by force his force faire Iole knew Yet this vnfathered Ladie would beginne Most sportfully put on the Lions skinne And tooke his clubbe betwixt her hands and viewd it Though shee was rauisht yet she neuer rewd it Soft Menelaâ—s Helen could not brooke Yet what inforcing Paris gaue she tooke Women are seruants seruants vnto men But praise your seruants what will follow then A readie horse straight yeeldes when he hath found One that will haue him yeeld else falles to bound And thus she parl'de thus she plainely woode Yet childish Faunus hardly vnderstood Vntill to bedward all the Nimphes them drest To take their rest yet tooke no ease in rest The night beginnes be angrie when she sees She can distill no sleepe in louers eies Tossing her selfe among the cloudes now hath Sent the red morne as Herald of her wrath Whose louer Phoebus rising from his bed With his dewie mantle hath the world ouer-spread Shaking his tresses ouer Neptunes ebbe And giuing tincture to the Spiders webbe These faire Nimphes rose seeing the light did call them And fairest Faunus equipaged all them A fairer beuie of faire virgines neuer The worlds faire eie the Sunne could yet disseuer Their prettie pastimes and their plates begunne At Barlibreake yong Faunus needes must runne In couples three the mid place called Hell But since that time the play is knowne too well With Deiopeia it was Faunus lot First to be Hell they ran and Syrinx got Syrinx and Spio so pursude the chase That Melliflora had the middle place Her partner Atte at Deiopeia ran But first for Faunus she her course beganne He ran but ranne with eie cast o're his shoulder Not caring how so that hee might behold her She tooke him straight about his necke she clang And on the grassie carpet Faunus flang Willing he was yet wrastled stroue and fought And fell to feele and said hee was not cought By law of Barlibreake because hee fell It was his heau'n though thus to be in Hell For many one for Hell not Heauen would pray If such shee diuels were in Hell to play Longer hee stroue that longer hee might stay But Deiopeia bade her come away For shee poore soule was huer-sicke of loue And â—ear'd such strife another strife would moue And yeeld to Faunus then she parts him froe Though she from him nor he from hir could goe Let vs she feard againe they would contend Of Barhbreake
raile with foule-mouth'd Mantuan Some sharpe witted only in speaking euill Would proue a woman worse then any diuell With prating Picus though that women be Fram d with the same parts of the minde as we Nay Nature triumpht in their beauteous birth And women made the glorie of the earth The life of Beautie in whose supple breasts As in her fairest lodging vertue rests Whose towring thoughts attended with remorce Doe make their fairenesse be of greater force But of this subiect euerie day who reades not Which is so praised as it praises needs not And my conceite not able for to reach them Might bring forth words for praise which might impeach them And so with loue t is easie to find fault Yet not so easie when it giues assault Then to resist his force whose excellence Is to transforme the verie soule and essence Of the louer into the thing beloued This heauenly loue no doubt young Faunus moued But all this while being dumbe Faunus replide Vnto his father and withall denide He louâ—d a woman then his father knew From whence his griefe and melancholy grew And that he was by some wood-Nymph accosted Because the pleasure of the woods he boasted And Latian mountes Then Picus thus againe Sharply rebukte his sonne but all in vaine Thou art no souldier for Dianaes garison Nor twixt her Nymphes and Faunus is comparison Nymphes are like Poets full of wit but poore Vnto thy kingdome adde a kingdome more By marriage let Pycus counsel thee Looke not my boy at wit and Poetrie Faunus no reckning of such counsell makes Light is that loue which any counsell takes Then like Hermocrates the Phisitian Seeing his patient with an incision Sore vext in steede of ministring to the sore Began to chide bade him be ficke no more Or like a friend that visiting his friend Loaden with fetters in darke prison pend With vnkind words and bitter termes doth moue him To leaue those fetters or he would not loue him This other way from loue would Pycus reaue him And bade him leaue to loue or loue to leaue him Or if such loue made Loue not to regard him His loue would loue with hatred to reward him Remember loue and Pycus would the rather Forget his sonne he should forgoe his father Loue all this while on Faunus ey-balls stood Whose Enuie palenesse Anger caused blood In Faunus cheekes to heare such blasphemie Pronouncâ—d by Pycus gainst his deitie With that he leapes from Faunus face and flies Vnto the self-preuented Destinies He found them busie at a Parliament Vnder their feete relentlesse Adamant Aboue their heads the marble was for teele The ribs of yron and the raftrie steele The walls of flint and brazen was the gate And euery one vpon a wooll-packe â—ate Whose sterne austere lookes neuer mou'de to ruth By gold nor fauour beauty age nor youth Yet when loue came what hearts though made of stone In which Loue cannot make impression Welcome he was Loue then his speech began To shew th'vnmanlike crueltie of man How Nature first ordaining one for one Made woman chiefe for procreation But men like drudges not content to vse them In blows sometimes and speeches will abuse them Loue 's will was this that maides should haue their will Not ouermuch but to restraine from ill Ill kept-in-thoughts with vertuous companie Restraining not from well-rulde libertie For maides were made to make such harmlesse plaies Such honest sports as daunce vpon the laies The hey-de-guise and run the wild-goose chace And trie the keeles the â—arlibreake and base But with a barly when the pastimes end And maides must needes for milking homewards wend As some depart some are constraind to stay For when they end then Loue begins to play His play is paine but yet a paine with ease His keeles are coales whose fire doth grieue and please From play for pray Loue takes two louing freeres Traind vp alike perhaps of equall yeeres Yet such is loue of parents such begot That wealth nor worth true loue considers not Sometime a King dotes on a countrie swaine Sometime a Lady loues a lad againe Sometime the meaner will the greatst reiect No not a person Loue'will once respect And hauing pearc'd the soule 's seuen-doubled shield Loue makes the one vnto the other yeeld They yeeld kind soules but parents will not grant With tedious brawlings still they finde a want One is too rich the other is too poore So then twixt Faunus and faire Melliflore Loue told the Loue and fearing fathers ire Loue is defeated of his chiefe desire This kind vnkindnesse children yet must take Vntill their parents price of them do make As in a market then what man wil craue them And giue the most he shal be sure to haue them Thus from Loues mouth the honnie as he spoke 〈◊〉 as from the brode-leau'd builder oake And opall pearle from his lippes did fall The Destinies began to gather all Such pretious iewells if they fell but neare them And prowd of such loue-tokens yet do weare them His sugred tale thus sweetned by his mouth The Destinies did somewhat pittie youth With one consent and voice they all agreed These statutes should for euer be decreed That man for his vnmanlike treacherie Should be tormented with vile iealousie That maids from honest libertie restrained Should alway thinke from what they thus refrained That t was some treasure from the which th' are tide Some Indian iewell which men vse to hide Some strange conserue sweete deare and pretious And women are by nature licorous These thoughtes awaked women growe manwood Nor can these thoughts from actions be withstood What bird is pleasde though in a siluer cage A dogge tide vp in golden chaines will rage That market marriages euermore should be Content the best the worst to disagree That shrewdnesse should possesse the womans heart In stubbornnesse the husband act his part Thus drawing opposite in one yoke aliue Long might they liue but they should neuer thriueâ— And since that time all marriages enforced Neuer agree vntill they be deuorced This sentence giuen Loue then backe returned To louely Faunus who in Loues fire burned But ere he came Faunus had turnd to hate His fathers speeches and grew passionate Who in the night the best meanes for desire Got vp and darklings only his attire And naked beautie with a tresse of Amber Gaue a resplendance to the purle-hung Chamber Sought for a suite yet could not well deuise What garment best might please his faire Nimphs eies If costly then for woddy Nimphs too curious If gay or gawdie that was but penurious This was too olde the other was not new This the Tailer Tailers will not be true Had cut too short that hee might haue a sharing A garment then hee tooke more rich then glaring Of gold beat Samite to his heeles which rought With knoppes and broches birdes and beasts ywrought In tuffes of Cypresse hung the Topaze stone Which through the Cypresse
courted Faunus thus begunne To wooe a Nymph who was already wonne Sweete namelesse Saint no name can set thee forth All titles are but staines to such thy worth Whose ornaments and beautie pure diuine Do make the cittie at these woods repine If that great highnesse can discend so low Vouchsafe those eies to see their ouerthrow Disdaine him not whose wit whose life whose daies Doth studie liue and serue to shew thy praise Thinke not my sute of small weight in thine eares Nor lesse regarded for my boyish yeares With that in his he tooke her moisty hand How white God knowes and gently did demand Shall these white hands quoth he and then he kist them And turnde and lookte as though his kisses mâ—st them Become as withered grasse drie leane and yellow And these ripe yeeres be fruitlesse rotten mellow Shall such a field lie leyes and not be tilled Shall such rare sweetes be spent and neuer spilled Shall beautie fade and earth enioy this couer And not remaine and flourish in your louer The heauens preuent from woman-kind that fall Women were borne to beare and borne withall That burdens borne that they might beare another A mothers childe must be a childes faire mother Deare Nymph enioy the spring-tide of your age These Aprill flowers in winter will asswage Spend that you cannot keepe it is not best That death should take his ayme from beauties rest Beautie faire Nymph is womans golden crowne Mans conqueresse and feminine renowne Not ioynde with loue who deare yet euer solde it For Beautie 's cheape except Loues eie beholde it You haue the beautie Faunus heart to moue You haue the body to reward his loue Impart them both vnto the longest liuer It 〈◊〉 a gift which will enrich the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it sues it offers to be taken High I sue and would not be forsaken If Beautie smile then Faunus thinkes him blessed Then Melliflora with a smile expressed How hard it is true loue not to discouer With that not coy nor lauish to her louer She said who taught thee eloquence and witte Conceit was quickned and his words made fitte She knew by loue whose force might wel perswade And make thee bragge the conquest of a maide Small were that boast and smaller is my beautie The smallest praise deseruing and lesse dutie You talke of beauty if the truth were knowne Because so well acquainted with your owne For mine or any other excellence Were all imparted to me by your presence Which if I were sole mistris of my mind I would repay and be to you as kind But such a vow deuoutly haue I made To die a virgin scarce the halfe word said His wit and senses by desire set open Sweete Saint quoth he that vow must needes be broken It is not lawfull you should make a vow The which Religion cannot wel allow Our pure Precisians thinke themselues most wife Yet in this one point are they not precise No doubt they marrie when they feele the motion Vntimely timely subiect to deuotion Are then your yeeres to what end were you borne Remember but and you wil be forsworne A cloister woman mewd vp in a cell To die a maide and then leade apes in hell A Votaresse a Secluse and a Nunne Nay you must be forsworne when all is done For can you study fast and pray among No no faire nymph your stomacke is too yong Your beautie will dispense with this decree You must be periurde of necessitie If you but come your Orizons to say Dianaes Hunts-men will forget to pray Or rather leaue before they do beginne Are you not then the Autresse of this sinne Or if her priests such fairenesse do espie They will be conquerd by your lookes and die Committing murder what wil follow then This odious name The Murdresse of men Which is flat treason gainst all Deitie For murder is much worse than periurie Saue then my soule and thousands more from spilling You get no praise my Melliflore by killing Such coy account such nicenesse of an oath But they espide not fully ended both Cleare Deiopeia comming from her sport Loue saw his iourney long and time but short In fewer wordes he sealed vp the match And that though Argoes hundred eies did watch They should depart those Nymphs and flie away Faunus kind entertainement spent the day So Melliflora in the tonguelesse night With snowie skinned Faunus tooke her flight Which when heauâ—n saw what doth not heauen see With raine of teares she shewes her dwellers be Rapt with that sight nor trees from mourning keepe But euery twig with dropping teares do weepe Such beauties past them then the clowdes gaue place That heauen might freely smile vpon her face The Moone at full was full prowd of that dutie That she might beare the torch to such rare beautie But to depriue the Moone of this her sight The Sun-set loue-sicke â—ose within the night With his approch they both lay downe oppressed Whose length the earth in beauties liuorie dressed Vnder an hill whose lifted bittle brow Would ouerlooke his prospect then below Whose prowd high Pines vnto this day are prowder They had the hap from summers sunne to shrowd her Now mong the Nymphes is Melliflora mist And also Faunus whither they went none wist They seeke the hills the valleys and plaine ground And this they find they were not to be found With eies with teares and tongue their errand showne And this they knew they were not to be knowne The more they thought they knew not what to thinke But Deiopeia from the rest gan shrinke Thought she was gone with Faunus was most likely Riualls in loue wil be suspitious quickly She offred incense to Dianaes shrine Euen as sweete I offer vnto thine But three dares rites and ceremonies ended Vnto Diana she her iourney tended With lowe obeisance to her deitie She told her Mellifloraes periurie That she and Faunus prince of Italic Were stolne away at such impietie Though Melliflore she loued dearely wroth And angrie was Diana with them both She sware her priests and huntsmen would not tarrie If thus her chastest Nymphes beganne to marrie No more they would but then incontinent Her purest priests and all a wooing went But Deiopeia her selfe banished Dianaes court and in loue languished Faunus alone with her alone required Alone with him which she alone desired Yet now she feares to be with him alone Because no further in loues office gone He would haue sealed with the cheefest armes Of his desire the waxe that Venus warmes But as she did the contrarie command He was afraide durst not her words withstand Did not the boy therein a coward proue Nay rather valiant to withstand such loue The marriage was by one of Vestaes Nuns Solemnized She Faunus neuer shuns He giues she takes and nothing is denide She his he her loue 's force and valor tride And still they striue but who obtainde the day Let him be iudge that er'e fought such a fray But
it on the Amphitheater And doth this language nothing thee ashame Will not gray haires thy greene affections tame And wilt thou euer be so couetous To heare this latine mingled barbarous Call Pedius Theefe then what will Pedius say He in smooth opposites will his trespasse way And for his sugred flowing eloquence Hee 's greatly praisde and held in reuerence O eloquent Apolâ—o robbing witte And is it so lasciuious Romanes yet Like fauning dogges this flattering do ye loue What shal a shipwrackt man to pittie moue My liberall mind some mony to bestow Whenas before me singing he doth goe Thy shipwracke on thy shoulders thou dost bring Vpon a table painted and dost sing But such a whining speech premeditate Cannot make me thy chance commiserate Yea but in verse there is a comely grace A secret couching of each word in place The Poet did the Poem finish thus Of Atis borne in Berecinthius And not vnlike the Poesie of him The Dolphin tooke Nerea for to swimme Thus haue I taken a part priuily Of Apenines mount diuiding Italie But like to these affecting euermore To speake by some odde foolish Metaphore Arma Virum what difference twixt them both Virgills beginning t is a barmie froth A grosse-puft stile like to some bough puld downe From the greene corke-tree dried in the sunne Then in thy iudgement what worth reading is What Poeme is most pleasing then Why this Of some wise Romane in his Nioblis Now they haue fild their writhen vnpleasing hornes With the hoarse sound of hissing Mimallones Taking away the painted head by this From the prowd heiter of priest Bassaris And Moenas wreathing thâ—ivie which alone Makes Linceus still redouble Euion And the new Eccho answeres ther evpon Could these be writ in vs Oh how I 'm grieu'd If any vertue from our fathers liu'd This nice effeminate mouing with our hippes This slime is euer swimming in our lippes Moenas and Atis euer in our mouth Whose wanton speech corrupts both age and youth Nor hath it yet a Poems triall biden Nor know what meanes a Poets nailes off bitten What neede haue we or what will it auaile's To pull our tender eares or bite our nailes Take heede be not so malapert and bold Least that thy Patrons entrance waxen cold Denying thee to come within their gates Some churlish Porter thy approachment waites To beate thee backe and euer as thou goes This dogged letter Râ—ounds through his nose I passe not for it for my part I praise Your amorous Poemâ— and your wanton laies O! all is good all excellent you write These these my words thou saist againe delight I do forbid now that there should be one Twixt thee and me to make dissention Paint here two Saints say children pisse without This place is holy sanctifide about I straight depart But Lucils libertie Did lash and scourge the best of Italie Blunting his teeth gainst thee Rutilius VVhetting them sharpe for wilful Mutius Slie subtile Horace taxed euerie sinne Vnto Mecoenas once admitted in Twixtiest and earnest wittâ—ly would forbid More secret vices in the heart-strings hid And craftily keepe the longing Audience With a gratious gesture euer in suspence And was it lawfull they their minds should vtter And such a hainous thing for me to mutter My halfe spoke word nor spake them priuilie Nor in a reede like Midaes familie Yet in my booke I le whisper secretly O little booke I haue seene openly My selfe hath seene which of the Romaine peeres But now adorn'd is with long asses eares This in my booke I insert couertly Yet would not change my smiling Poesie For Labeos Illiads Who delighted is To reade bold Cratine or crabd Eupoliâ— Vntill with old age he waxe bleakish wan Reade or'e my Satyres if by chance he can Some hidden knowledge find the reaâ—er than With feruent zeale my Satyres all will heare And reade me or'e with a prepared eare But such a reader such a tinckring slaue For to peruse my lines I do not craue VVhose dunghill Muse delights to looke so low As cauell at a Grecians crooked shooe Or that can say vnto the blinde thou' rt blind One which all faults in outward parts doth find Thinking himselfe one of authoritie Raisde to renowne perhaps and dignitie By bearing office late in Italie Because the false measures he hath broken Of Aretus Nor craue I him who takes his cheefe delight Numbers and figures in a boord to write Or in the dust as our Astromoners Reioycing much if from Philosophers Some shamelesse whore do pull away the beard But vnto these when th'officers they haue heard And Dinner ends in lustfull sort to liue The Curtizan Callirrhoe I giue The first Satyre of Iuuenall STill shall I then an hearer only bee And ne're put forth my hidden poesie With the bigge Theseods so often cumbred Of whuling Codrus and vnpunished Shall one recite alowâ—d his histories To me another his sadde Elegiâ—â— Huge Telepâ—us ought he t' haue spent the day Scotfree or on a ful-writ Margent â—stay Of all the booke with audience euer tended Orestes not as yet behind him ended Venus to whome it is daungerous denying any reasonable request hearing glowming Inuenall threaten so great a punishment entreates my Muse that for a while she would leaue him in his English tongue vnperfect yet to Venus she makes a vow that Iuuenal Horace and Persius shall hereafter all be translâ—ted LOues Queene faire Venus all this while attended Wishing they would their criticke stile haue ended Hearing them thus maligne snarle raile and bite Spewing the rancor of their enuious spight Her Godhead being most of all abused All possible meanes she for reuengement vsed Abhorring more their spightfull action That they exposde her to detraction Because she sau'd from Iunoes tyrannie Eneas sometimes prince of Italie Preseruing then Ascanius his bratte By sea and land from her malignant hate Thus much by much entreatie she obtainde Or by her owne powre she thus much then gainde I know not whether that for Satyres spight Italians should in fond loues take delight In stranger sinnes sinnes which she was ashamed Among th' Italians rightly should be named Sinnes scarlet sinnes sinnes who delights to vse In other regions thus we him abuse For through the world her wrath 's inueterate In odious termes Yon 's one Italionate And to be breefe that lustfull venerie Should be the downfall of all Italie This is the cause Italians to this day Are euer readie apt and prone that way Not hauing fully quencht the flaming fire Of vengeance with th' Italians Now in ire She mounts her Charriot swifter then the wind Or subtile comprehension of the mind Which by two nimble Cocksparrowes was drawne Caparisond but lightly with the lawne Tooke from the Flowerdeluces inner skin Trapt and embost with marigolds within Sits Venus naked holding in her hand A tumbling shel-fish with a mirtle wand Wearing a garland on her wimpled head Compacted of the white rose and the red None but the