am proofe against your Charmes You labour may To lead astray The heart that constant shall remaine And I the while Will sit and smile To see you spend your time in vaine Sonnet 3. WHen Philomela with her straines The Spring had welcom'd in And Flora to bestrow the Plaines With Daysies did begin My Loue and I on whom suspitious eyes Had set a thousand spies To cosen Argos stroue And seene of none We got alone Into a shady Grâ—â—e On euery Bush the Eglantine with leaues perfumed hung The Primrose made the â—edge-rowes fine The woods of Musicke rung The Earth the Aire all things did conspire To raise contentment higher That had I come to wooe Nor meanes of grace Nor time nor place Were wanting thereunto With hand in hand alone we walkt And oft each other â—yâ—e Of Loue and passions past we 〈◊〉 Which our poore hearts had tride Our soules infus'd into each other were And what may be her care Did my more sorrow breed One mind we bore One Faith we swore And both in one agreed Her dainty Palme I gently prest And with her Lips I plaid My Cheeke vpon her panting Brest And on her Necke I laid And yet we had no sence of wanton lust Nor did we then mistrust The poyson in the sweet Our Bodies wrought So close we thought Because our Soules should meet With pleasant toyle we breathles grew And kist in warmer blood Vpon her Lips the 〈◊〉 Like drops on Roses stood And on those 〈…〉 Whose sweets were such to me Them could I not 〈◊〉 No not to feast On Venus 〈◊〉 Whence Streames of sweetnesse flow But kissing and embracing we So long together lay Her touches all inflamed me And I began to stray My hands presum'd so farre they were too bold My tongue vnwisely told How much my heart was chang'd And Virtue quite VVas put to flight Or for the time estrang'd Oh! what are we if in our strength VVee ouer boldly trust The strongest forts will yeeld at length And so our Virtues must In Me no force of Reason had preuaild If shee had also faild But ere I further straid She sighing kist My naked wrist And thus in teares she said Sweet heart quoth she if in thy brest Those Virtues reall bee Which hitherto thou hast profest And I beleeu'd in thee Thy Selfe and Me oh seeke not to abuse Whilst Thee I thus refuse In hotter flames I frie Yet let vs not Our true loue spot Oh rather let mee die For if thy heart should fall from good What would become of mine As strong a passion stirres my blood As can distemper thine Yet in my brest this rage I smoother would Though it consume me should And my desires containe For where we see Such breaches be They seldome stop againe Are we the two that haue so long Each others loues imbrac't And neuer did Affection wrong Nor thinke a thought vnchast And shall oh shall we now our matchlesse Iay For one poore touch destroy And all content forgoe Oh no my Deare Sweet heart forbeare I will not loose thee so For should we doe a deed so base As it can neuer be I could no more haue seene thy face Nor wouldst thou looke on me I should of all our passions grâ—w asham'd And blush when thou art nam'd Yea though thou constant wert I being nought A iealous thought Would still torment my heart What goodly thing doe wee obtaine If I consent to thee Rare ioyes we loose and what we gaine But common pleasures be Yea those some say who are to lust enclind Driue Loue out of the mind And so much Reason misse That they admire What kind of fire A chast affection is No vulgar blisse I aymed at When first I heard thee wooe I le neuer prize a man for that Which euery Groome can doe If that be loue the basest men that be Doe loue as well as we Who if we beare vs well Doe passe them then As Angels men In glory doe excell Whilst thus she spake a cruell Band Of Passions ceazd my Soule And what one seemed to command Another did controule Twixt Good and Ill I did diuided lie But as I rais'd mine eye In her me thought I saw Those virtues shine Whose rayes diuine First gaue Desire a Law With that I felt the blush of shame Into my cheeke returne And Loue did with a chaster flame VVithin my Bosome burne My Soule her light of Reason had renew'd And by those Beames I view'd How slily Lust ensnares And all the fires Of ill Desires I quenched with my Teares Goe Wantons now and flout at this My coldnesse if you list Vaine fooles you neuer knew the blisse That doth in Loue consist You sigh and weepe and labour to enioy A Shade a Dreame a Toy Poore Folly you pursue And are vnblest Since euery beast In pleasure equals you You neuer tooke so rich content In all your wanton play As this to me hath pleasure lent That Chast she went away For as some sinnes which me committed haue Sharpe stings behind them leeue Whereby we vexed are So ill supprest Begetteth rest And peace without compare But least this Conquest slight you make Which on my selfe I wonne Twelue labors I will vndertake With Ioues victorious Sonne Er'e I will such another brunt endure For had Diana pure Thus tempted beene to sinne That Queene of Night With her chast light Had scarce a Maiden binne OH how honor'd are my Songs Grac't by your melodious tongues And how pleasing doe they seeme Now your voices Carroll them Were not yet that taske to doe Which my word inioynes me to I should begge of you to heare What your owne inuentions were But before I ought will craue What I promisd you shall haue And as I on mortall Creatures Cald to view her bodies features Shewing how to make the Senses Apprehend her excellences Now I speake of no worse subiect Then a Soules and Reasons obiect And relate a Beauties glories Fitting heauenly Auditories Therefore whilst I sit and sing Hemme me Angels in a Ring Come ye Spirits which haue eies That can gaze on Deityes And vnclog'd with bruitish sences Comprehend such excellences Or if any mortall eare Would be granted leaue to heare And find profit with delight In what now I shall indite Let him first be sure to season A prepared hart with reason And with Iudgement drawing nigh Lay all fond affections by So through all her vailings He Shall the Soule of beautie see But auoid you earth-bred Wights Cloid with sensuall appetites On bafe obiects glut your eies Till your starueling pleasure dies Feede your eares with such delights As may match you grosse conceits For within your muddie braine These you neuer can containe Thinke not you who by the sence Only iudge of excellence Or doe all contentment place In the beauty of a face That these higher thoughts of our Soare so base a pitch as your I can giue as well as you Outward Beauties
many frailties tempt vs might But by this meanes shall also scape the blot Wherwith i◠toungs our names would seek to spot Which if you feare and would auoyd the wrongs That may befall you by malicious tongues Then seeke my absence for I haue in that Vnto my friends been too vnfortunate Yet as I loue faire-virtue there is no man Ere heard me boast the fauours of a woman To her dishonour neither by my soule Was I ere guiltie of an Act so foule As some imagine Neither doe I know That woman yet with whom I might be so For neuer kindnesses to me were show'd Which I dar'd thinke for euill end bestow'd Nor euer to this present houre did I Turne friendship fauour opportunitie Or ought vouchsaft me thereby to acquire Those wicked ends which 〈◊〉 doe desire For whensoeuer lust begun to flame It was extinguisht by true loue and shame But what would this my innocence preuaile When your faire Name 〈◊〉 should assayle And how abhord should I hereafter be If you should suffer infamy by me You feare it not one halfe so much you say As you are loth I should depart away And hap what will you thinke to be content Whilst I am here and you still innocent Indeed those friends approue I not which may By euery slanderous tongue be talkt away But yet I like not him that will not striue As much as in him lyeth free to liue From giuing iust occasions of offence For else he vainely braggs of innocence And so doe we vnlesse that without blame We purpose with our loue to keepe our fame Then let vs pleased part and though the dearenes Of our affection couets both a nearenes In mind and body let vs willingly Beget a Virtue of necessitie And since we must compelled be to liue By time and place diuided let vs striue In the despight of time and distance so That loue of virtue may more perfect grow And that this seperation we lament May make our meeting fuller of content Betwixt our bodies this I le not deny There is a deare respectiue sympathy Which makes vs mutually both ioy and grieue As there is cause And farther I belieue That our contentment is imperfect till They haue each other in possession still But that which in vs two I Loue dare name Is twixt our Soules and such a powerfull flame As nothing shall extinguish nor obsure Whilst their eternall substance doth endure No not our absence nor that mightie space Betwixt my home and your abiding place For ere your Eyes my eyes had euer seene When many thousand furlongs lay betweene Our vnknowne bodies And before that you Had seene my face or thought the same to view You most entirely loued me you say Which shewes our soules had then found out the way To know each other And vnseene of vs To make our bodies meet vnthought of thus Then much lesse now shall hill or dale or groue Or that great tract of ground which must remoue My body from you there my soule confine To keepe it backe from yours or yours from mine Nay being more aquainted then they were And actiue spirits that can any where Within a moment meet They to and fro Will euery minute to each other go And we shall loue with that deare loue wherein Will neither be offence nor cause of sinne Yea whereas carnall loue is euer colder As youth decayes and as the flesh growes older And when the body is dissolued must Be buried with obliuion in the dust We then shall dearer grow and this our loue Which now imperfect is shall perfect proue For there 's no mortall power can rob true Friends Of that which noblest Amitie attends Nor any seperation that is able To make the virtuous Louers miserable Since when disasters threaten most deiection Their Goodnesse maketh strongest their affection And that which works in others loues deniall In them more noble makes it by the triall T is true that whē we part we know not whether These bodies shall for euer meet together As you haue said Yet wherefore should we grieue Since we a better meeting doe belieue If we did also know that when we die This loue should perish euerlastingly And that we must as bruitish creatures do Lose with our bodies all our dearnesse to Our seperation then a sorrow were Which mortall heart had neuer power to beare And we should faint and die to thinke vpon The passions would be felt when I were gone But seeing in the soule our loue is plac't And seeing soules of death shall neuer tast No Death can end our loue Nay when we dye Our soules that now in chaines and fettters lie Shall meet more freely to pertake that ioy Compard to which our friendship 's but a toy And for each bitternesse in this our loue We shall a thousand sweet contentments proue Meane while we that together liuing may Through humane weaknesses be led astray And vnawares make that affection foule Which virtue yet keeps blamelesse in the soule By Absence shall preserued be as cleane As to be kept in our best thoughts wee meane And in our Prayers for each other shall Giue and receiue more kindnesses then all The world can yeeld vs. And when other men Whose loue is carnall are tormented when Death calls them hence because they robbed be Of all their hope for euermore to see The obiect of their Loue we shall auoid That bitter anguish wherewith they are cloyd And whensoer'e it happens thou or I Shall feele the time approaching vs to dye It shall not grieue vs at our latest breath To mind each other on the bed of death Because of any ouersight or sinne Whereof we guiltie in our soules haue bin Nor will death feare vs cause we shall perceiue That these contentments which we had not leaue To take now we are liuing shall be gaind When our imprison'd soules shall be vnchaind Nay rather wish to dye we might possesse The sweet fruition of that happinesse Which we shall then receiue in the perfection Of Him that is the fulnesse of Affection If Time preuented not I had in store To comfort thee so many Reasons more That thou wouldst leaue to grieue although we should Each others persons neuer more behold But there is hope And then that know you may True Friends can in their absence find the way To compasse their contentments whom they loue You shall ere long the powre it hath approue Meane while you still are deare yea liue or dye My soule shall loue you euerlastingly And howsoere there seeme such cause of sorrow Yet those that part and thinke to meet to morrow Death may diuide to night And as before Their Feare was lesse their Griefe will be the more Since therefore whether far I liue or nigh There is in meeting an vncertaintie Let vs for that which surest is prouide Part like those Friends whom nothing can diuide And since we Louers first became that we Might to our power each others comfort be Let 's not the sweetnesse of our loue destroy But turne these weepings into teares of ioy On which condition I doe giue thee this To be both Mine and Sorrowes parting-kisse PHIL'ARETE FINIS The Stationers Postscript THere bee three or foure Songs in this Poeme aforegoing which were stollen from the Authour and heeretofore impertinently imprinted in an imperfect and erronious Copie foolishly intituled His Workes which the Stationer hath there falsely affirmed to bee Corrected and Augmented for his owne Aduantage and without the said Authours knowledge or respect to his credit If therfore you haue seene them formerly in those counterfet Impressions let it not be offensiue that you finde them againe in their proper places and in the Poeme to which they appertaine Vale. I. M.
Field Though they lend content to many Vnto me can comfort yeeld I haue wept and sighed to For compassion to make triall Yea done all that words can doe Yet hane nothing but denyall What way is there then to wooe Shall I sweare protest and vow So haue I done most extreamely Should I die I know not how For from all attempts vnseemely Loue and Virtue keepes me now I have heard that Time preuailes But I feare mee t is a fable Time and all endeavour failes To beare more my heart 's vnable Yet none careth what it ayles Lines to some haue op't the dore And got entrance for affection Words well spoken much implore By the Gestures good direction But a Looke doth ten times more T is the Eye that onely reades To the heart loues deepest Lectures By a moouing looke it pleads More then common sence coniectures And a way to pittie leades This I knowing did obserue both by Words Looks complayning Yet for pittie I may starue There 's no hope of my obtaining Till I better can deserue Yea and he that thinkes to winne By desert may bee deceiued For they who haue worthiest bin Of their right haue beene bereaued And a Groome admitted in Wherefore Muse to thee I call Thou since nothing else auailes me Must redeeme mee from my thrall If thy sweet enchauntment failes me Then adue loue life and all 2. TEll me my hart what Thoughts these pantings moue My Thoughts of LOVE What Flames are these that set thee so on fire Flames of DESIRE What Meanes hast thou contentments floure to crop No Meanes but HOPE Yet let vs feed on Hope and Hope the best For they amid their griefes are something blest Whose Thoughts Flames Meanes haue such free scope They may at once both LOVE DESIRE and HOPE But say what Fruit will loue at last obtaine Fruitlesse DISDAINE What will those Hopes proue which yet seeme so faire Hopelesse DESPAIRE What End shall runne those passions out of breath An endlesse DEATH Oh can there be such crueltie in Loue And doth my Fortune so vngentle proue Shee will no Fruit nor Hope nor End bequeath But cruellest DISDAIN DISPAIRE and DEATH Then what new Studie shall I now apply Studie to DIE. How might I end my Care and dye content Care to REPENT And what good Thoughts may make my end more holy Thinke on thy FOLLY Yes so I will and since my Fate can giue No Hope but euer without Hope to liue My Studies Cares and Thoughts I le all apply To weigh my FOLLY well REPENT and DIE. 3. SAD Eyes what doe you ayle To be thus ill disposed Why doth your sleeping faile Now all mens else are closed Wast I that nere did bow In any seruile dutie And will you make me now A slaue to Loue and Beautie What though thy Mistresse smile And in her loue affects thee Let not her eye beguile I feare shee disrespects thee Doe not poore heart depend On those vaine thoughts that fill thee They le faile thee in the end So must thy passions kill thee What hopes haue I that shee will hold her fauours euer When so few women be That constant can perseuer What ere shee doe protest When Fortunes doe deceiue me Then shee with all the rest I feare alas will leaue me Whil'st youth strength remains With art that may commend her Perhaps she nought disdaines Her seruant should attend her But it is one to ten If crosses ouertake me Shee will not know me then But scorne and so forsake mee Shall then in earnest truth My carefull eyes obserue her Shall I consurne my youth And short my time to serue her Shall I beyond my strength Let passions torments prooue me To heare her say at length Away I cannot loue thee Oh rather let me dye Whil'st I thus gentle finde her T were worse then death if I Should finde shee prooues vnkinder One frowne though but in iest Or one vnkindnes fained Would rob me of more rest Then ere could be regained But in her eyes I finde Such signes of pitie moouing Shee cannot be vnkinde Nor erre nor faile in louing And on her forehead this Seemes written to relieue me My heart no ioy shall misse That Loue or Shee can giue me Which if I finde I vow My seruice shall perseuer The same that I am now I will continue euer No others high degree Nor beautious looke shall change me My Loue shall constant bee And no estate estrange me When other noble Dames By greater men attended Shall with their Liues and Names Haue all their glories ended With fairest Queenes shall she Sit sharing equall glory And Times to come shall be Delighted with our Story In spight of others hates More honour I will doe her Then those that with Estates And helpes of Fortune wooe her Yea that true worth I spie Though Monarchs stroue to grace it They should not reach more hie Then I dare hope to place it And though I neuer vaunt What fauours are possessed Much lesse content I wan Then if they were expressed Let others make their mirth To blab each kisse or toying I know no blisse on earth Like seeret Loue enioying And this shall be the worst Of all that can betide me If I like some accurst Should finde my hopes deride me My Cares will not be long I know which way to mend them I le thinke who did the wrong Sigh breake my heart and end them HAile faire Beauties and againe Haile to all your goodly traine What I promisd yesterday If it please you heare yee may For now once begun haue I Sing I will though none were by And though freely on I runne Yet confused paths to shunne First that part shal be disclos'd That 's of Elements compos'd There the two vnequall paire Water Fire Earth and Ayre Each one suting a Complexion Haue so cunning a Commixtion As they in proportion sweet With the rarest temper meete Either in as much as needeth So as neither ought exceedeth This pure substance is the same Which the Body we doe name Were that of immortall stuffe T is resin'd and pure enough To be cald a Soule for sure Many Soules are not so pure I that with a serious looke Note of this rare Moddel tooke Find that Nature in their places So well couched all the Graces As the Curioust eies that be Can nor blot nor blemish see Like a Pine it groweth streight Reaching an approued height And hath all the choice perfections That inflame the best affections In the motion of each part Nature seemes to striue with Art Which her gestures most shall blesse With the guifts of Pleasingnesse When she sits me thinkes I see How all virtues fixed be In a frame whose constant mould Will the same vnchanged hold If you note her when she moues Cytherea drawne with doues May come learne such winning motions As will gaine to loues deuotions More then all her painted wiles Such as teares or
sighs or smiles Some whose bodies want true graces Haue sweete features in their faces Others that doe misse them there Louely are some other where And to our desires doe fitte In behauiour or in witte Or some inward worth appearing To the soule the soule endearing But in her your eie may find All that 's good in Womankind What in others we preferre Are but sundry parts of her Who most perfect doth present What might one and all content Yea he that in loue still ranges And each day or howrly changes Had he iudgement but to know What perfection in her grow There would find the spring of store Sweare a faith and change no more Neither in the totall frame Is she only void of blame But each part suruei'd a sunder Might beget both loue and wonder If you dare to looke so high Or behold such maiestie Lift your wondring eies and see Whether ought can better'd be Ther 's her Haire with which Loue angles And beholdes eies intangles For in those faire curled snares They are hampred vnawares And compeld to sweare a duty To her sweete inthrauling beauty In my mind t is the most faire That was euer called haire Somewhat brighter then a browne And her Tresses wauing downe At full length and so dispread Mantles her from foote to head If you saw her Arched Brow Tell me pray what Art knowes how To haue made it in a line More exact or more diuine Beauty there may be diseri'd In the height of all her pride T is a meanly rising plaine Whose pure white hath many a vaine Interlacing like the springs In the earths enamilings If the tale be not a toy Of the little winged Boy When he meanes to strike a heart Thence he throwes the fatall dart Which of wounds still makes a paire One of Loue one of Dispaire Round her visage or so neare To a roundnes doth appeare That no more of length it takes Then what best proportion makes Short her Chinne is and yet so As it is iust long enow Louelines doth seeme to glory In that Cyrcling Promontory Pretty mouing features skip Twixt that hillocke and the lip If you note her but the while She is pleas'd to speake oâ— smile And her Lips that shew no dulnes Full are in the meanest fulnes Those the leaues be whose vnfolding Brings sweete pleasures to beholding For such pearles they doe disclose Both the Indies match not those Yet are so in order placed As their whitenesse is more graced Each part is so well disposed And her dainty mouth composed So as there is no distortion Misbeseemes that sweete proportion When her Iuorie Teeth she buries Twixt her two enticing cherries There appeares such pleasures hidden As might tempt what were forbidden If you looke againe the whiles She doth part those lips in smiles T is as when a flash of light Breakes from heauen to glad the night Other parts my pencill craue But those lips I cannot leaue For me thinkes I should goe And forsake those Cherries so Ther 's a kind of excellence Holds me from departing hence I would tell you what it were But my cunning failes me there They are like in their discloses To the mornings dewie roses That beside the name of faire Cast perfumes that sweet the Aire Melting-soft her kisses be And had I now two or three More inspired by their touch I had praisd them twise asmuch But sweete Muses marke yee how Her faire eies doe checke me now That I seem'd to passe them so And their praises ouer goe And yet blame me not that I Would so faine haue past them by For I feared to haue seene them Least there were some danger in them Yet such gentle lookes they lend As might make her foe a friend And by their allurings moue All beholders vnto loue Such a power is also there As will keepe those thoughts in feare And command enough I saw To hold impudence in awe There may he that knowes to loue Read contents which are aboue Their ignoble aimes who know Nothing that so high doth grow Whilst she me beholding is My hart dares not thinke amisse For her sight most peircing cleare Seemes to see what 's written there Those bright Eies that with their light Often times haue blest my sight And in turning thence their shining Left me in sad darkenes pining Are the rarest loueliest gray And do cast forth such a ray As the man that black prefers More would like this gray of hers When their matchles beames she shrouds T is like Cynthia hid in Clouds If againe she shew them light T is like morning after night And t is worthy well beholding With how many a pretty folding Her sweet eye lids grace that faire Meanly fring'd with beaming haire Whereby neatly ouerspread Those bright lamps are shaddowed Twixt the Eyes no hollow place Wrinkle nor vndecent space Disproportions her in ought Though by Enuy faults were sought On those Eye-browes neuer yet Did disdainefull scowling sit Loue and Goodnesse gotten thither Sit on equall thrones together And doe throw iust scorne on them That their gouernment contemne Then almost obscur'd appeares Those her Iewell-gracing Eares Whose owne Beauties more adome Then the richest Pearle that 's worne By the proudest Persian Dames Or the best that Nature frames There the voice in loues Meanders Those their pretty cirklings wanders Whose rare turnings will admit No rude speech to enter it Stretching from mount Forhead lies Beauties Cape betwixt her eyes Which two Chrystall-passing lakes Loues delightfull Isthmus makes Neither more nor lesse extending Then most meriteth commending Those in whom that part hath beene Best deseruing praises seene Or surueid without affection Came the neerest to perfection Would scarce handsome ones appeare If with her compar'd they were For it is so much excelling That it passeth meanes of telling On the either side of this Loues most louely Prospect is Those her smiling Cheekes whose colour Comprehends true Beautie fuller Then the curioust mixtures can That are made by art of Man It is Beauties Garden plot Where as in a True-loue-knot So the Snowy Lilly growes Mixed with the Crimson Rose That as friends they ioyned be Yet they seeme to disagree Whether of the two shall raigne And the Lillies oft obtaine Greatest sway vnlesse a blush Helpe the Roses at a push Hollow fallings none there are Ther 's no wrinkle ther 's no scar Onely ther 's a little Mole Which from Venus cheeke was stole If it were a thing in Nature Possible that any Creature Might decaying life repaire Onely by the helpe of Aire There were no such Salue for death As the balme of her sweet breath Or if any humane power Might detaine the Soule an houre From the flesh to dust bequeathing It would linger on her breathing And be halfe in mind that there More then mortall pleasures were And whose fortune were so faire As to draw so sweet an ayre Would no doubt let sleighted lie The perfumes of Arabie
all their due I can most contentments see That in loue or women be Though I dote not on the features Of our daintiest female creatures Nor was ere so void of shames As to play their lawlesse games I more prize a snowye Hand Then the gold on Tagus strand And a daintie Lippe before All the greatest Monarcks store Yea from these I reape as true And as large contents as you Yet to them I am not tide I haue rarer sweets espide Wider prospects of true pleasure Then your curbed thoughts can measure In her Soule my Soule descries Obiects that may feede her eyes And the beauty of her mind Shewes my Reason where to finde All my former pleasure doubled Neither with such passion troubled As wherewith it oft was crost Nor so easie to be lost I that rauisht lay wel-nigh By the lustre of her eye And had almost sworne affection To the fore exprest perfection As if nothing had been higher Whereunto I might aspire Now haue found by seeking nearer Inward worth that shining clearer By a sweet and secret mouing Drawes me to a dearer louing And whilst I that loue conceiue Such impressions it doth leaue In the Intellectiue part As defaceth from my hart Eu'rie thought of those delights Which allure base appetits And my mind so much imploies In contemplating those ioyes Which a purer sight doth find In the beauty of her Mind That I so thereon am set As me thinkes I could forget All her sweetest outward graces Though I lay in her imbraces But some thinking with a smile What they would haue done the while Now suppose my words are such As exceed my power too much For all those our Wantons hold Void of Vigor dull and cold Or at best but fooles whose flame Makes not way vnto their shame Though at length with griefe they see They the fooles doe proue to be These the body so much minded That their Reason ouer-blinded By the pleasures of the Sence Hides from them that excellence And that sweetnes whose true worth I am here to blazon forth T is not t is not those rare graces That doe lurke in womens faces T is not a displayd perfection Youthfull eyes nor cleare complexion Nor a skin smooth-satten like Nor a daintie Rosie cheeke That to wantonnesse can moue Such as vertuously doe loue Beautie rather gently drawes Wild Desires to Reasons Lawes And oft frights men from that sin They had else transgressed in Through a sweet amazement stroke From an ouer-ruling looke Beautie neuer tempteth men To lasciuiousnes but when Carelesse Idlenesse hath brought Wicked longings into thought Nor doth youth or heat of blood Make men prooue what is not good Nor the strength of which they vaunt T is the strength and power they want And the basenesse of the Mind Makes their bruit desires enclind To persue those vaine delights Which affect their Appetites And so blinded doe they grow Who are ouertaken so As their dulnes cannot see Nor beleeue that better be Some haue blood as hot as their Whose affections loosest are Bodies that require no art To supply weake Natures part Youth they haue and sure might to Boast of what some shamelesse doe Yet their Minds that aime more high Then those baser pleasures lye Taught by Virtue can suppresse All attempts of wantonnesse And such powerfull motiues frame To extinguish Passions flame That by Reasons good direction Quallifying loose affection Thei le in midst of Beauties fires Walke vnscorcht of ill Desires Yet no such as stupid shame Keeps from actions worthy blame But in all so truly Man That their apprehensions can Prize the bodies vtmost worth And find many pleasures forth In those Beauties more then You That abuse them euer knew But perhaps her outward grace Here discrib'd hath tane such place In some ore-enamourd breast And so much his hart possest As He thinkes it passeth telling How shee may be more excelling Or what worth I can prefer To be more admir'd in Her Therefore now I will be briefe To preuent that misbeliefe And if there be present here Any one whose nicer eare Taskes my Measures as offending In too seriously commending What affects the Sense or may Iniure Virtue any way Let them know t is vnderstood That if they were truly good It could neuer breed offence That I shewd the excellence With the power of God and Nature In the beauty of his Creature They from thence would rather raise Cause to meditate his praise And thus thinke How faire must He That hath made this Faire-one be That was my proposed End And to make them more attend Vnto this so much excelling As it passeth meanes of telling But at worst if any Straine Makes your Memories retaine Sparks of such a banefull fire As may kindle ill desire This that followes after shall Not alone extinguish all But eu'n make you blush with shame That your thoughts were so to blame Yet I know when I haue done In respect of that bright Sunne Whose inestimable light I would blazon to your sight These ensuing flashes are As to Cynthia's beames a Starre Or a petty Comets ray To the glorious Eye of Day For what power of words or Art Can her worth at full impart Or what is there may be found Plac'd within the Senses bound That can paint those sweets to me Which the Eyes of Loue doe see Or the Beauties of that Mind Which her body hath enshrin'd Can I thinke the Guide of Heauen Hath so bountifully giuen Outward features cause he meant To haue made lesse excellent Her diuine part Or suppose Beautie Goodnesse doth oppose Like those fooles who doe despaire To find any Good and Faire Rather There I seeke a mind Most excelling where I find God hath to the body lent Most-beseeming Ornament But though he that did inspire First the true Promethean fire In each seuerall soule did place Equall Excellence and Grace As some thinke yet haue not they Equall Beauties euery way For they more or lesse appeare As the outward Organs are Following much the temp'rature Of the Body grosse or pure And I doe beleeue it true That as we the Body view Nearer to perfection grow So the Soule her selfe doth show Others more and more excelling In her powre as in her dwelling For that purenesse giueth way Better to disclose each Ray To the Dull conceit of man Then a grosser substance can Thus through spotlesse Christall wee May the Dayes full glory see When if clearest Sunbeames passe Through a foule polluted glasse So discollerd the 'il appeare As those Staines they shone through were Let no Critticke cauill then If I dare affirme agen That her Minds perfections are Fairer then her Bodie 's farr And I need not proue it by Axioms of Philosophy Since no proofe can better be Then their rare effect in me For while other men complaining Tell their Mistresses disdaining Free from care I write a storie Only of her worth and glory While most Louers pining sit