c 
 
University of California • Berkeley 
 
 w^- 
 
/ 
 
THE POEMS 
 
 & 
 
 SONNETS 
 
 OF 
 
 HENRY CONSTABLE 
 
THE 
 
 SHEEPHEARD'S 
 
 SONG 
 
 OF 
 
 VENUS 6- ADONIS 
 
 H. C 
 
 ENUS 
 FAIRE 
 DID 
 RIDE. 
 SILVER 
 DOVES 
 THEY 
 DREW 
 HER, 
 BY THE 
 PLEASANT LAWNDS, 
 ERE THE SUNNE DID 
 RISE; 
 
 VESTA'S BEAUTIE RICH 
 OPEN'D WIDE TO VIEW 
 HER; 
 
 PHILOMEL RECORDS 
 PLEASING HARMONIES. 
 
Every bird of spring 
 
 Chccrcfully did sing ; 
 
 Paphos' goddcssc they salute; 
 
 Now Love's Queene so faire 
 
 Had of mirth no care, 
 
 For her sonne had made her mute. 
 
 In her breast so tender 
 
 He a shaft did enter, 
 
 When her eyes beheld a boy; 
 
 Adonis was he named, 
 
 By his mother shamed; 
 
 Yet he now is Venus' joy. 
 
 Him alone she met 
 
 Ready bound for hunting; 
 
 Him she kindly greetes, 
 
 And his journey stayes; 
 
 Him she seekes to kisse, 
 
 No devises wanting; 
 
 Him her eyes still wooe; 
 
 Him her tongue still prayes. 
 
 He w^ith blushing red 
 
 Hangeth downe the head; 
 
 Not a kisse can he afford; 
 
 His face is turn'd away; 
 
 Silence sayd her nay; 
 
 Still she woo'd him for a w^ord. 
 
 Speake, she said, thou fairest; 
 
 Beautie thou impairest. 
 
 See me, I am pale and wan; 
 
 Lovers all adore mee, 
 
 I for love implore thee. 
 
 Christall teares w^ith that downe ran. 
 
 IV 
 
Him hccrc'-with shcc forc'd 
 
 To come sit downc by her; 
 
 Shcc his neck embraced, CAot. 
 
 Gazing in his face; g 
 
 Hee, like one transformed, . : 
 
 Stir'd no looke to eye her; "^^ 
 
 Every hearbe did wooe him 
 
 Growring in that place, 
 
 Each bird with a dittie 
 
 Prayed him for pitty 
 
 In behalfe of Beautie's Queene. 
 
 Water's gentle murmour 
 
 Craved him to love her. 
 
 Yet no liking could be seene. 
 
 Boy, she sayd, looke on mee. 
 
 Still I gaze upon thee; 
 
 Speake, I pray thee, my delight! 
 
 Coldly hee replyed, 
 
 And in breefe denyed 
 
 To bestow on her a sight: 
 
 I am now too young 
 
 To be wunne by beauty; 
 
 Tender are my yeeres, 
 
 I am yet a bud. 
 
 Fay re thou art, shee said; 
 
 Then it is thy dutie, 
 
 Wert thou but a blossome. 
 
 To effect my good. 
 
 Every beauteous flow^er 
 
 Boasteth in my power; 
 
 Byrds and beasts my lawes effect; 
 
 Mirrha, thy faire mother, 
 
 Most of any other 
 
Did my lovely hcsts respect. 
 Be with me delighted, 
 Xhou shalt be requited: 
 Every Nimph on thee shall tend, 
 All the Gods shall love thee, 
 Man shall not reprove thee, 
 Love himselfe shall be thy freend. 
 Wend thee from mee, Venus; 
 I am not disposed; 
 Thou wringst mee too hard; 
 Pre'-thee let me goe. 
 Fie! what a paine it is 
 Thus to be enclosed! 
 If love begin w^ith labour 
 It w^ill end in woe. 
 Kiss me, I w^ill leave. 
 Heere a kisse receive: 
 A short kisse I doe it find; 
 Wilt thou leave me sor^ 
 Yet thou shalt not goe. 
 Breathe once more thy balmie w^ind; 
 It smelleth of the mirh-tree 
 That to the w^orld did bring thee. 
 Never wras perfume so sw^eet. 
 When she thus had spoken 
 Shee gave him a token, 
 And theyr naked bosoms meet. 
 Now^, hee sayd, let's goe; 
 Harke, the hounds are crying, 
 Grieslie Boare is up, 
 Hunts-men follow fast. 
 At the name of Boare 
 Venus seemed dying, 
 vi 
 
Deadly coloured pale, 
 
 Roses over '-cast. 
 
 Speake, sayd shee, no more 
 
 Of following the Boar e, 
 
 Xhou unfit for such a chase; 
 
 Course the fearefuU Hare, 
 
 Venson do not spare. 
 
 If thou wilt yeeld Venus grace. 
 
 Shun the Boare, I pray thee; 
 
 Else I still will stay thee. 
 
 Herein he vowed to please her minde. 
 
 Then her armes enlarged; 
 
 Loth shee him discharged; 
 
 Forth he w^ent as sw^ift as w^inde. 
 
 Thetis Phoebus* steedes 
 
 In the w^est retained, 
 
 Hunting sport w^as past; 
 
 Love her love did seeke. 
 
 Sight of him too soone. 
 
 Gentle Queene, shee gained. 
 
 On the ground he lay; 
 
 Blood had left his cheeke; 
 
 For an orpedJS swine 
 
 Smit him in the groyne; 
 
 Deadly w^ound his death did bring. 
 
 Which when Venus found, 
 
 She fell in a s wound; 
 
 And aw^akt, her hands did wring. 
 
 Nimphs and Satires skipping. 
 
 Came together tripping; 
 
 Eccho every cry exprest. 
 
 ^orped: fierce. 
 
 Vll 
 
Venus, by her powrer , 
 
 Turn'd him to a flo\vcf , 
 
 Which shcc wear cth in her creast. 
 
 THE END 
 
 vm 
 
DAMELUS'SONGTOHISDIAPHENIA, 
 
 lAPHENIA.likcthcDaffadown- 
 
 dillic, 
 White as the sunne, fair e as the 
 
 liUie, 
 Heigh hoe, ho\v I doo love thee! 
 I doo love thee as my lambs 
 Are beloved of their Dams; 
 How blest \vere I if thou would'st proove me! 
 
 Diaphenia, like the spreading Roses, 
 
 That in thy s\veetes all s>veetes incloses, 
 
 Faire sweete, how I doo love thee! 
 
 I doo love thee as each flower 
 
 Loves the sunne's lifc'- giving power; 
 
 For dead, thy breath to life might moove me. 
 
 Diaphenia, like to all things blessed, 
 When all thy praises are expressed, 
 Deare Joy, how I doo love thee! 
 As the Birds doo love the spring. 
 Or the Bees their carefuU King; 
 Then in requite, sw^eet Virgin, love me. 
 
 IX 
 
^ A PASTORALL SONG BETWEENE 
 PHILLIS AND AMARILLIS, TWO NIM- 
 PHES, EACH AUNSWERING OTHER 
 LINE FOR LINE. 
 
 IE on the sleights that men 
 
 devise, 
 Heigh hoe, sillie sleights! 
 When simple Maydes they 
 
 would entice; 
 Maides are yong men's 
 
 chiefe delights. 
 Nay, wromen they \vitch with 
 their eyes, 
 Eyes like beames of burning sunne; 
 And men once caught they soone despise; 
 So are Sheepheards oft undone. 
 
 If any young man w^in a maide, 
 
 Happy man is he ; 
 
 Bv trusting him she is betraide; 
 
 Fie upon such treacherie. 
 
 If Maides win young men with their guiles, 
 
 Heigh hoe, guilefuU greefe! 
 
 They deale like weeping Crocodiles, 
 
 That murther men w^ithout releefe. 
 
 I know^ a simple country Hinde, 
 
 Heigh hoe, sillie sw^aine! 
 
 To w^hom faire Daphne prooved kinde. 
 
 Was he not kinde to her againe.'' 
 
 He vow^ed by Pan with many an oath, 
 
 Heigh hoe, Sheepheards' God is he! 
 
Yet since hath chang'd, and broke his troath, 
 Troth-plight broke will plagued be. 
 
 She had deceaved many a swaine, 
 Fie on false deceite! 
 And plighted troath to them in vaine, 
 There can be no greefe more great. 
 Her measure was with measure paide, 
 Heigh hoe, heigh hoe, equall meede! 
 She was beguil'd that had betraide, 
 So shall all deceavers speede. 
 
 If every Maide were like to me, 
 Heigh hoe, hard of hart! 
 Both love and lovers scorn'd should be, 
 Scorners shall be sure of smart. 
 If every Maide were of my minde, 
 Heigh hoe, heigh hoe, lovely sweete! 
 They to their lovers should proove kinde, 
 Kindnes is for maydens meete. 
 
 Me thinks love is an idle toy, 
 Heigh hoe, busie paine! 
 Both wit and sence it dooth annoy. 
 Both sence and wit thereby we gaine. 
 Tush, Phillis! cease, be not so coy; 
 Heigh hoe, heigh hoe, coy disdaine! 
 I know^ you love a Sheepheard's boy, 
 Fie, that Maydens so should faine! 
 
 Well, Amarillis, now I yeeld; 
 
 Sheepheards, pipe aloude! 
 
 Love conquers both in towne and field, 
 
 xi 
 
Like a tirant fierce and proude. 
 The evening starre is up, ye see; 
 Vesper shines; we must away. 
 Would every Lover might agree, 
 So we end our Roundelay. 
 
 Xll 
 
I" 
 
 » 
 
 TO HIS FLOCKS, 
 
 EEDE on, my Flocks, securely, 
 Your Sheepheard watcheth surely. 
 Runne about, my little Lambs, 
 Skip and wanton with your Dam'- 
 mes. 
 
 Your loving Heard w^ith care w^ill tend ye. 
 
 Sport on, faire flocks, at pleasure, 
 
 Nip Vesta's flowring treasure; 
 
 I my self will duely harke. 
 
 When my w^atchfuU dogge dooth barke, 
 
 From Woolfe and Foxe I will defend ye. 
 
 xm 
 
TO 
 HIS MISTRISSE 
 
 XIV 
 
RACE full of grace, though 
 
 in these verses heere 
 My love complaynes of others 
 
 then of thee, 
 Yet thee alone I lov'd, Cjthey 
 
 bymee 
 (Thow yet unknowne) only 
 
 mistaken were. 
 
 Like him which feeles a heate, now heere, now 
 
 there, 
 Blames now this cause, now that, untill he see 
 The fire indeed from whence they caused bee; 
 Which fire I now doe know^e is you, my deare! 
 
 Thus diverse loves, dispersed in my verse, 
 In thee alone for ever I unite. 
 But foUie unto thee more to rehearse: 
 To him I flye for grace that rules above, 
 That by my grace I may live in delight, 
 Or by his grace I never more may love. 
 
 XV 
 
E SOLVED to love, unworthy to 
 
 obtainc, 
 I doc no favour crave; but humble 
 
 -wise 
 To thee my sighes in verse I sacri- 
 fise, 
 Onely some pitty and no hclpc to gainc. 
 
 Heare then; and as my hart shall aye remaine 
 A patient object to thy lightning eyes, 
 A patient care bring thou to thundring cryes; 
 Fear not the cracke, \vhen I the blow sustains 
 
 So, as thine eye bred mine ambitious thought, 
 So shall thine care make proud my voyce for joy; 
 Lo (Deere) what wonders great by thee are 
 
 w^rought, 
 When I but little favours doe enjoy; 
 The voyce is made the care for to rejoyce. 
 And your eare giveth pleasure to my voyce. 
 
 XVi 
 
LY low, dccf c Love, thv Sunnc 
 
 doost thou not sec r 
 Take heede; do not so neare his 
 
 rayes aspyre, 
 Least (for thy pride, inflam'd with 
 wreakful ire) 
 It burne thy w^ings, as it hath burned me. 
 
 Thou (haply) saist thy wings immortall bee, 
 And so cannot consumed be with fire; 
 The one is Hope, the other is Desire, 
 And that the heavens bestow'd them both on 
 thee» 
 
 A Muse's w^ords made thee w^ith Hope to flye. 
 An Angel's face Desire hath begot. 
 Thy selfe engendred of a Goddesse'eye: 
 Yet for all this, immortall thou are not. 
 Of heavenly eye though thou begotten art, 
 Yet art thou borne but of a mortall hart. 
 
 xvu 
 
HINE eye, the glasse 
 where I behold my 
 hart; 
 
 Mine eye, the wrindovsr 
 through the which 
 thine eye 
 
 May see my hart, ©'there 
 thy selre espy 
 In bloody cuUours how thou painted art; 
 
 Thine eye the pyle is of a murdring dart. 
 Mine eye the sight thou tak'st thy levell by 
 To hit my hart, and never shootes awry; 
 Mine eye thus helpes thine eye to w^orke my 
 smart; 
 
 Thine eye a fire is, both in heate and lighte; 
 Mine eye of teares a river doth become. 
 Oh, that the w^ater of mine eye had might 
 To quench the flames that from thine eye doth 
 
 come; 
 Or that the fire kindled by thine eye 
 The flowing streames of mine eyes could make 
 
 drie* 
 
 XVlli 
 
ELIGHT In yourc bright eyes my 
 
 death did breede, 
 As light and glittering weapons 
 
 babes allure 
 To play with fire and sworde, and 
 so procure 
 Them to be burnt and hurt ere they take heed. 
 
 Thy beautie so hath made me burne and bleed; 
 Yet shall my ashes and my bloud assure 
 Thy beauty's fame for ever to endure; 
 For thy fame's life from my death doth proceed; 
 
 Because my hearte, to ashes burned, giveth 
 Life to thy fame, thou right a phoenix art; 
 And like a pellican thy beautie liveth 
 By sucking bloud oute of my breast and 
 
 hearte. 
 Loe! w^hy w^ith w^onder w^e may thee compare 
 Unto the pelican and phoenix rare. 
 
 XIX 
 
HEN youre perfections to my 
 
 thoughts appear e, 
 They say among themselves: O 
 
 happy wee 
 Which ever shall so rare an ob'- 
 ject see! 
 But happy hart, if thoughts lesse happy were* 
 
 For their delights have cost my hart full dere, 
 In w^hom of love a thousand causes be, 
 And each cause breeds a thousand loves in me, 
 And each love more then thousand harts can 
 beare. 
 
 How can my hart so many loves then hold, 
 Which yet (fcy heapes) increase from day to dayr' 
 But, like a shyp that's overcharged v/ith gold. 
 Must either sinke, or hurle the gold away* 
 But hurle out love; thou canst not, feeble hart! 
 In thine ow^ne blood thou therefore drowned art* 
 
 XX 
 

 Tmay be Love my death 
 
 doth not pretend, 
 Ahhough he shoots at 
 
 mee; but thinks it fit 
 Thus to bewitch thee for 
 
 my benefit. 
 Causing thy will to my 
 
 wish condiscend. 
 
 For witches which some murther doe intend 
 Doe make a picture and doe shoote at it; 
 And in that part w^here they the picture hit 
 The party's selfe doth languish to his end. 
 
 So Love, too w^eake by force thy hart to taint, 
 Within my hart thy heavenly shape doth paint, 
 Suffring therein his arrowes to abide; 
 Onely to th'end he might, by witches' arte, 
 Within my hart pierce through thy picture's side. 
 And through thy picture's side might wound thy 
 hart» 
 
 zxi 
 
LAME not my hart for flying up 
 
 too hie, 
 Sith thou art cause that it this flight 
 
 begunne; 
 For earthly vapours, drawne up by 
 the Sunne, 
 Comets begun, and night sunnes, in the skie. 
 
 Mine humble hart, so with thy heavenly eie 
 Drawne up aloft, all low desires doth shunne; 
 Raise then me up, as thou my hart hast done; 
 So, during night, in heaven remaine may I. 
 
 I say againe: Blame not my high desire; 
 Sith of us both the cause thereof depends; 
 In thee doth shine, in mee doth burne, a fire. 
 Fire draw^es up other and it selfe ascends: 
 Thine eye a fire, and so drawes up my love; 
 My love a fire, and so ascends above. 
 
 xxu 
 
YES cufiousc to behold 
 \vhat nature can cre- 
 ate, 
 
 Come see, come see, and 
 write what w^onder 
 yow doe see. 
 
 Causing by true reporte 
 our nexte posteritye 
 
 Curse Fortune for that 
 
 they were borne so late. 
 
 Come then and come ye all; come soone, least 
 
 that 
 The tyme should be to shorte and men to few 
 
 should be: 
 For all be few to write her least part's historic, 
 Though they should ever w^rite, and never w^rite 
 
 but that. 
 
 Millions looke on her eyes, millions thinke on her 
 
 witte. 
 Millions speake of her, millions write of her 
 
 hand. 
 The w^hole eye or the lip I doe not understand, 
 Millions to few to prayse but some one part of it» 
 As eyther of her eye or lip or hand to write, 
 The light or blacke, the tast or red, the soft or 
 
 wmte. 
 
 XXlil 
 
ADIE ! in bcautie and in favour 
 
 rare, 
 Of favour (not of due) I favour 
 
 crave; 
 Nature to thee beauty and favour 
 gave; 
 Faire then thou art, and favour thou maist spare; 
 
 Nor \vhen on mee bestowr'd your favours are, 
 Lesse favour in your face you shall not have; 
 If favour then a wounded soule may save, 
 Of murther's guilt (deare Lady) then beware. 
 
 My losse of life a million fold were lesse 
 
 Than the least losse should unto you befall; 
 
 Yet graunt this gyft; which gift when I possesse, 
 
 Both I have life, and you no losse at all. 
 
 For by your favour onely I doe live; 
 
 And favour you may w^ell both keepe and give. 
 
 XXIV 
 
ADIE of ladies, the delight alone 
 For which to heaven earth doth 
 
 no envie beare; 
 Seeing and hearing thee -wc see 
 
 and heare 
 Such voice, such light, as never sunge nor shone. 
 
 The vsrant of heaven, I grant, yet we may moane, 
 Not for the pleasure of the angells there, 
 As though in face or voyce they like thee were, 
 But that they many bee and thow but one» 
 
 The basest notes w^hich from thy voyce proceed 
 The treble of the angells doe exceed. 
 So that I feare theyre quire to beautifie. 
 Lest thow^ to some in heaven shall singe G- shine; 
 Loe! w^hen I heare thee singe, the reason w^hy 
 Sighes of my breast keepe tyme w^ith notes of 
 thine. 
 
 XXV 
 
OT that thy hand is soft, is swccte, 
 
 is white, 
 Thy lippcs sweet roses, breast 
 
 sweet lylye is, 
 That love esteemes these three the 
 chiefest blisse 
 Which nature ever made for lipps' delight; 
 
 But w^hen these three, to shew theyre heavenlye 
 
 might. 
 Such w^onders doe, devotion then for this 
 Commandeth us with humble zeale to kisse 
 Such thinges as w^orke miracles in oure sight. 
 
 A lute of senselesse woode, by nature dumbe, 
 Toucht by her hand doth speak devinelye well; 
 And from thy lips and breast sweet tunes doe 
 
 come 
 To my dead hearte, the w^hich new^ life doe give. 
 Of greater w^onders heard w^e never tell 
 Then for the dumbe to speak, the dead to live. 
 
 XXVI 
 
WEETE Sovcraignc! sith 
 
 so many minds remainc 
 Obedient subjects at thy 
 
 beauty's call, 
 So many harts bound in thy 
 
 haires as thrall, 
 So many eyes die with one 
 
 look's disdaine; 
 
 Goe seeke the honour that doth thee pertaine, 
 That the fift Monarchic may thee bemll; 
 Thou hast such meanes to conquer men withall, 
 As all the world must yeeld or els be slaine. 
 
 To fight thou need'st no w^eapons but thine 
 
 eyes; 
 Thine haire hath gold enough to pay thy men; 
 And for their foode thy beauty will suffise, 
 For men and armour (Lady) care have none; 
 For one will sooner yeeld unto thee then 
 When he shall meete thee naked all alone. 
 
 xxvii 
 
HEN bcautictothcworld vouch'- 
 
 safes this blissc, 
 To shew the one vsrhose other 
 
 there is not, 
 The whitest skinnes red blushing 
 shame doth blot, 
 And in the reddest cheekes pale envie is. 
 
 The fayre and fow^le come thus alike by this; 
 For when the sun hath oure horizon gott, 
 Venus her selfe doth shine no more (God wot) 
 Then the least starre that take the light from his* 
 
 The poore in beautie thus content remayne 
 To see theyre jealouse cause revenged in thee, 
 And theyre fayre foes afflicted w^ith the payne; 
 Loe, the cleare proofe of thy devinitye ! 
 For unto God is only dew^ this prayse: 
 The highest to pluck downe, the low to rayse. 
 
 xxvui 
 
ALSLYdtoth cnvic of your praises 
 
 blame 
 My tongue, my pen, my hart, of 
 
 flattery; 
 Because I said there was no sunne 
 but thee, 
 It caird my tongue the partiall trumpe of Fame; 
 
 And saith my pen hath flattered thy name, 
 Because my pen did to my tongue agree; 
 And that my hart must needs a flattrer bee. 
 Which taught both tongue and pen to say the 
 same* 
 
 No, no, I flatter not, when thee I call 
 The sunne, sith that the sunne was never such; 
 But w^hen the sunne thee I compared withall 
 Doubtles the sunne I flattered too much. 
 Witnes mine eyes, I say the trueth in this: 
 They have scene thee, and know^ that so it is. 
 
 XXIX 
 
Y Lady's presence makes the 
 
 Roses red, 
 Because to see her lips they blush 
 
 for shame; 
 The Lyllies' leaves (for envy) 
 pale became, 
 And her white hands in them this envie bred. 
 
 The Marigold the leaves abroad doth spred, 
 Because the sunne's and her powrer is the same; 
 The Violet of purple cuUour came, 
 Di'd in the blood shee made my hart to shed. 
 
 In briefe, all flowers from her their vertue take; 
 From her sw^eet breath their sw^eet smels do 
 
 proceede; 
 The living heate w^hich her eye beames doth 
 
 make 
 Warmeth the grounde, 6jquickeneth the seede. 
 The raine wherev^ith shee w^atereth the flow^ers 
 Falls from mine eyes, w^hich she dissolves in 
 
 showers* 
 
 XXX 
 
WEET hand! the sweet but cruell 
 
 bowe thou art, 
 From whence at mee five yvorie 
 
 arrowesflie; 
 So w^ith five woundes at once I 
 wounded lie, 
 Bearing my brest the print of every dart. 
 
 Saint Fraunces had the like, yet felt no smart, 
 Where I in living torments never die; 
 Hisw^oundes were in his hands and feete, where I 
 All these five helplesse w^ounds feele in my hart. 
 
 Now (as Saint Fraunces) if a Saint am I, 
 The bowe that shot these shafts a relique is; 
 I meane the hand; w^hich is the reason w^hy 
 So many for devotion thee would kisse; 
 And some thy glove kisse, as a thing divine: 
 This arrow^es' quiver, and this relique's shrine. 
 
 XXXI 
 
HE Fouler hides, (as 
 
 closely as he may) 
 The net where caught the 
 
 sillie bird should be; 
 Least he the threatning 
 
 pry son shouldbut see, 
 And so for feare be forc'd 
 
 to flye a^vay. 
 
 My Ladye so, the while shee doth assay 
 In curled knots fast to entangle me. 
 Puts on her vaile, to th'end 1 should not flee 
 The golden net w^herein I am a ptay. 
 
 Alas (most sw^eet!) w^hat neede is of a net 
 
 To catch a byrd that is already tamer' 
 
 Sith with your hand alone you may it get, 
 
 For it desires to flie into the same; 
 
 What needes such arte, my thoughts then to in* 
 
 trap. 
 When of themselves they flye into your lapr' 
 
 xxxii 
 
TO HIS MISTRISSE UPONTHE OCCA- 
 SION OF A PETRARCH HE GAVE HER. 
 IRACLE of the world! I never 
 
 will denye 
 That former poets prayse the 
 
 beautie of theyre dayes; 
 But all those beauties were but 
 figures of thy prayse, 
 And afl those poets did of thee but prophecye. 
 
 Thy coming to the world hath taught us to des*- 
 
 crie 
 What Petrarch's Laura meant, for truth the lips 
 
 bewrayes, 
 Loe! w^hy th* Italians, yet w^hich never saw^ thy 
 
 rayes, 
 To finde oute Petrarch's sence such forged 
 
 glosses trye. 
 
 The beauties w^hich he in a vayle enclos'd be-- 
 
 held 
 But revelations w^ere within his secreat heart, 
 By w^hich in parables thy coming he foretold; 
 Hissongesw^ere hymnes of thee, w^hich only now 
 
 before 
 Thy image should be sunge; for thou that god*- 
 
 desse art 
 Which onlye we withoute idolatrye adore. 
 
 XXXlll 
 
FRIEND of mincpitty'- 
 
 ing my hopelcsse 
 
 love, 
 Hoping (by killing hope) 
 
 my love to slay, 
 Let not (quoth he) thy 
 
 hope thy hart betray, 
 Impossible it is her hart 
 
 to move, 
 
 But, sith resolved love cannot remove 
 As long as thy divine perfections stay, 
 Thy Godhead then he sought to take away. 
 Deere! seeke revenge, and him a lyar prove; 
 
 Gods onely doe impossibilities. 
 Impossible (saith he) thy grace to gaine. 
 Show then the power of thy divinities 
 By graunting me thy favour to obtaine; 
 So shall thy foe give to himselfe the lie, 
 A Goddesse thou shalt prove, and happy L 
 
 xxxiv 
 
AIRE Sunnct if you would have 
 
 mc praise your light, 
 When night approcheth, where- 
 fore doe you flie.^ 
 Time is so short, beauties so many 
 be, 
 That I have neede to see them day and night; 
 
 That by continuall view^ my verses might 
 Tell all the beames of your divinitie; 
 Which praise to you, and joy should be to mee: 
 You living by my verse, I by your sight. 
 
 I by your sight, but not you by my verse; 
 Neede mortall skill immortall praise rehearser' 
 No, no; though eyes w^ere blinde, G* verse w^ere 
 
 dumb, 
 Your beautie should be seene, 6>y6ur fame 
 
 know^n; 
 For by the winde which from my sighes doe 
 
 come 
 Your praises round about the world be blowne. 
 
 XXXV 
 
HE sunnc, his journey ending in 
 
 the West, 
 Taking his lodging up in Thetis' 
 
 bed, 
 Though from our eyes his beames 
 he banished, 
 Yet writh his light th' antipodes be blest. 
 
 Nowr when the sun-time brings my sunne to 
 
 rest, 
 (Which mee too oft of rest hath hindered) 
 And wrhiter skinne 'with w^hite sheetes covered, 
 And softer cheeke doth on soft pillow^ rest; 
 
 Then I (oh sunne of sunnes, and light of lights!) 
 Wish mee w^ith those Antipodes to be, 
 Which see and feele thy beames and heate by 
 
 nights. 
 Well though the night both cold and darksome 
 
 is; 
 Yet halfe the day's delight the night graunts 
 
 mee: 
 I feele my sunne's heate though his light I misse. 
 
 xxxvi 
 
TOOVREQi. ' 
 AND 
 THE K. OF SCOTS. 
 
 XXXVIl 
 
TO THE Q^ AFTER HIS RETURNE 
 OUTEOFITALYE. 
 
 OT longc agoe, in Poland tr aveil'- 
 
 ing, 
 Changing my tongue, my nation 
 
 and my weedc, 
 Mayne wor dcs I heard from for*- 
 reyne mouth proceed, 
 Theyre wonder and thy glorie witnessing; 
 
 How from thy wisdome did those conquests 
 
 spring 
 Which ruin'd them thy ruine w^hich decreed. 
 But such as envyed thee in this agreed: 
 Thy iland's seate did thee most succoure bring; 
 
 So, if the sea by miracle were drye, 
 Easie thy foes thy kingdome might invade. 
 Fooles, which know^enotthepow^er of thyneeye! 
 Thine eye hath made a thousand eyes to w^eepe, 
 And every eye a thousand seas hath made, 
 And each sea shall thyne ile in safetie keepe« 
 
 XXXVlll 
 
TO THE QU EENE : TOUCHING THE 
 CRUELL EFFECTS OF HER PERFEC- 
 TIONS. 
 
 O ST sacred Prince! why should 
 
 I thee thus prayse 
 Which both of sin and sorrowe 
 
 cawse has beene : 
 Proude hast thowr made thy land 
 of such a Queene ; 
 Thy neighboures enviouse of thy happie dayes. 
 
 Whoe never saw the sunshine of thy rayes, 
 An everlasting night his life doth w^een; 
 And he w^hose eyes thy eyes but once have 
 
 scene 
 A thousand signes of burning thoughts bew^rayes* 
 
 Thus sin thow caus'd, (envye, I meane, 6> pride) 
 Thus sin and darknesse doe proceed from thee; 
 The very paynes w^hich men in hell abide. 
 Oh no; not hell, but purgatorie this, 
 Whose sowles some say by angells punish'd be, 
 For thou art shee from w^home this torment is. 
 
 XXXIX 
 
TO THE Q.: UPON OCCASION OF A 
 BOOKE HE WROTE, IN AN ANSWER 
 TO CERTAYNE OBJECTIONS AGAIN- 
 STHER PROCEEDINGS INTHE LOW- 
 COUNTRYES. 
 
 HE love wherewith 
 
 youre ver tues chayne 
 
 my sprite 
 Envyes the hate I beare 
 
 unto your foe; 
 Since hatefull pen had 
 
 meanes his hate to 
 
 showe, 
 
 And love like means had not of love to wryte; 
 
 I meane, write that your vertues doe endite, 
 From w^hich spring all my conceyts doe flow, J0 
 And of my pen my sword doth enviouse growe, 
 That pen before my sword youre foes should 
 smite. 
 
 And to my inke my bloud doth envie beare, 
 That in youre cause more inke then bloud I shed; 
 Which envie, though it be a vice, yet heere 
 'Tis vertue, sith youre vertues have it bred. 
 Thus powerfuU youre sacred vertues be, 
 Which vice it selfe a vertue makes in me. 
 
 ja a word is wanting. 
 
TO THE K. OF SCOTS, WHOME AS 
 YET HE HAD NOT SEENE. 
 
 LOOME of the rose! I hope those 
 
 hands to kisse 
 Which yonge a scepter, wrhich 
 
 olde wisdome bore; 
 And offer up joy^'sacrifice before 
 Thy altar^'throne for that receaved blisse. 
 
 Yet, prince of hope! suppose not for all this 
 That I thy place and not thy guifts adore; 
 Thy scepter, no, thy pen, I honoure more; 
 More deare to me then cro\vne thy garland is; 
 
 That laurell garland vsrhich, if hope say true, 
 
 To thee for deeds of prowesse shall belong, 
 
 And now allreadie unto thee is due. 
 
 As to a David for a kinglie throne. 
 
 The pen wherewith thou dost so heavenly^ singe 
 
 Made of a quill pluckt from an angelFs w^mge. 
 
 xU 
 
TO THE K, OF SCOTS, TOUCHING 
 THE SUBJECT OF HIS POEMS DEDI- 
 CATED WHOLIE TO HEAVENLY 
 MATTERS. _ 
 
 HERE others hooded with 
 
 blind love doe flie 
 Low on the ground w^ith buz*- 
 
 zard Cupid's wings, 
 A heavenlie love, from love of 
 love thee brings, 
 And makes thy Muse to mount above the skie; 
 
 Young Muses be not w^ont to flie too hie. 
 Age taught by Time such sober ditties sings; 
 But thy youth flies from love of youthfuU things, 
 And so the wrings of Time doth overflies 
 
 Thus thou disdainst all worldlie things as slow; 
 Because thy Muse, with Angel's wings, doth 
 
 leave 
 Time's wings behind, and Cupid's wings below; 
 But take thou heed, least Fame's wings thee 
 
 deceave. 
 With all thy speede from Fame thou canst not 
 
 flee. 
 But more thou flees, the more it foUowes thee* 
 
 xlii 
 
TO THE K. OF SCOTS, UPON OCCAS^ 
 ION OF A SONNET THE K. WROTE 
 IN COMPLAINT OF A CONTRARIE 
 WIND WHICH HINDRED THE ARRI- 
 VALLOFTHEQUEENEOUTEOFDEN- 
 MARK. MDLXXXIX. 
 
 F I durst sigh still as I had 
 
 begun, 
 Or durst shed teares in 
 
 such abundant store, 
 You should have need to 
 
 blame the sea no 
 
 more, 
 Nor call upon the wind 
 
 
 as you have done; 
 
 For from myne eyes an ocean-sea should run 
 
 Which the desired ships should carrie o'r, 
 
 And my sighes blowre such winde from northern 
 
 shore 
 As soone you should behold youre wished sun. 
 
 But with those sighes my deare displeased is. 
 Which should both hast your joye and slake my 
 
 payne; 
 Yet for my good w^ill, O kinge! grant me this: 
 When to the winds yow sacrifice agayne, 
 Sith I desir'd my sighes should blow^ for thee. 
 Desire thou the winds to sigh for me. 
 
 xliii 
 
TO THE K. OF SCOTS UPON OCCA^ 
 SION OF HIS LONGE STAY IN DEN- 
 MARKE BY REASON OFTHE COLD- 
 NESSE OFTHE WINTER AND FREE- 
 ZING OFTHE SEA. 
 
 F I durst love as hccr tofor c I have, 
 Of that my heart durst flame as it 
 
 doth Durne, 
 The ice should not so longe stay 
 youre returne, 
 My heart should easely thaw the frozen wave; 
 
 But when my payne makes me for pittie crave, 
 The blindest see with what just cause I mourne; 
 So least my torment to his blame should turne. 
 My hearte is forc'd to hide the fire she gave. 
 
 But what doth neede the sea my heart at allr' 
 Thow^ and the spouse be suns; in beautye shee, 
 In wisdome thow; the sun we Phoebus cali^ 
 And Phoebus for thy wisdome we call thee; 
 Now if the sun can thaw the sea alone, 
 Cannot two suns supplie the want of oner' 
 
 xliv 
 
TO 
 
 PARTICULAR LADIES 
 
 WHOME 
 
 HE 
 
 MOST HONOURED. 
 
 xlv 
 
TO THE PRINCESS OF ORANGE. 
 
 F nature for her workes 
 
 proud ever were, 
 It was for this: that she 
 
 created yow^; 
 Youre sacred head, w^hich 
 
 w^isdome doth indue, 
 Is only fitte a diademe to 
 
 weare. 
 
 Your lilie hand, which fayrer doth appeare 
 Then ever eye beheld in shape and hue, 
 Vnto no other use by right is due 
 Except it be a scepter for to beare. 
 
 Your cherrie lips by Nature framed be 
 Hearts to commaund; youre eye is only fitte 
 With his vv^ise lookes kingdomes to oversee; 
 O happie land, w^hose soveraigne thou hadst 
 
 beene! 
 But God on earth full blisse will not permitte, 
 And this is only cause: yow^ are no Qjjeene. 
 
 xlvi 
 
TO THE COUNTESSE OF SHREWS- 
 BURYE.^ 
 
 LAYNLIE I write because I will 
 
 write true; 
 If ever Marie but the Virgin were 
 Meete in the realme of heaven a 
 crow^ne to beare, 
 I, as my creed, believe that it is you! 
 
 And for the world this He and age shall rue 
 The bloud and fire was shed and kindled heere, 
 When w^oemen of youre name the crowne did 
 
 beare, 
 And youre high worth not crownd with honoure 
 
 due. 
 
 But God, which meant for rebell fayth and sin 
 His foes to punish, and his owne to trye, 
 Would not youre sacred name imploy therein; 
 For good and bad he w^ould should you adore^ 
 Which never any burnt but with youre eye, 
 And maketh them you punish love you more. 
 
 xlvii 
 
TO THE COUNTESSES OF CUMBER- 
 LAND AND WARWICK, SISTERS. 
 
 OU sister Muses! doe not ye re*- 
 
 pine 
 That I two sisters doe with nyne 
 
 compare; 
 For eyther of these sacred two 
 more rare 
 In vertue is then all the heavenly nyne. 
 
 But if ye aske w^hich one is more devine, 
 I say: like to theyre owne twin-'eyes they are. 
 Where eyther is as cleere as clearest starre, 
 Yet neyther doth more cleare then other shine. 
 
 Sisters of spotlesse fame! of whome alone 
 Malitiouse tongues take pleasure to speake w^ell; 
 How^ should I yow commend, when eyther one 
 All things in heaven and earth so far excell.^ 
 The highest prayse that I can give is this: 
 That one of you like to the other is. 
 
 xlviii 
 
TO MY LADIE ARBELLA, 
 
 HAT wrof thic Marques- 
 
 sc, pride of Italic! 
 Whoe for all worth, and 
 
 for her wit G- phrase, 
 Both best deserved, and 
 
 best desert could 
 
 prayse, 
 Immortall Ladie! is re^- 
 
 viv'd in thee. 
 
 But thinke not strange that thy divinitie 
 
 I by some goddesse' title doe not blaze, 
 
 But through a woeman's name thy glorie rayse; 
 
 For things unlike of unlike prayses be. 
 
 When w^e prayse men, we call them gods; but 
 
 when 
 We speake of gods we liken them to men; 
 Not them to prayse, but only them to knowe. 
 Not able thee to prayse, my drift w^as this: 
 Some earthlye shado we of thy w^orth to show^e, J0 
 Whose heavenly selfe above world's reason is. 
 
 J0 Evidently "showe"; Park has^shame." 
 xlix g 
 
TO THE LADYARBELLA. 
 
 NLY hope of oufc age! that ver*- 
 
 tues dead 
 By youre sweet breath should be 
 
 reviv'd againe; 
 Learning, discourag d longe by 
 rude disdaine, 
 By youre white hands is only cherished* 
 
 Thus others' w^orth by yow is honoured; 
 
 But w^hoe shall honoure youres; poore w^its! in 
 
 vayne 
 We seeke to paye the debts which you pertayne, 
 Till from youre selfe some w^ealth be borrow^ed. 
 
 Lend some youre tongues, that every nation may 
 In his owne heare youre vertuous prayses blaz'd; 
 Lend them youre wit, youre judgment, memorye, 
 Least they themselves should not know^e w^hat to 
 
 say; 
 And, that thow mayst be lov'd as much as 
 
 prays'd, 
 My hearte thow^ mayst lend them, which I gave 
 
 thee. 
 
TO MY LADIE RICH. 
 
 THAT my songc like to a 
 
 ship might be, 
 To bear e aboute the wrorld 
 
 my Lady's fame; 
 That, charged with the 
 
 riches of her name, 
 The Indians might oure 
 
 country's treasure see! 
 
 No treasure, they vv^ould say, is rich but she; 
 Of all theyre golden parts they would have 
 
 shame, 
 And hap'lye, that they might but see the same, 
 To give theyre gold for nought they w^ould 
 
 agree. 
 
 This wished voyage, though it I begin, 
 Withoute youre beauty's helpe cannot prevayle; 
 For as a ship doth beare the men therein. 
 And yet the men doe make the ship to sayle, 
 Your beauties so, w^hich in my verse apeare, 
 Doe move my verse and it your beauties beare. 
 
 li 
 
 if 
 
TO THE LADIE RICH. 
 
 ERAULDS at armcs doc three 
 
 perfections quote, 
 To wit: most faire, most ritch, 
 
 most glittering; 
 So, when those three concurre 
 within one thing, 
 Needes must that thing of honor be a note. 
 
 Lately I did behold a ritch, faire coate, 
 Which w^ished Fortune to mine eyes did bring, 
 A lordly coate, yet w^orthy of a King, 
 In w^hich one might all these perfections note: 
 
 A field of lyllies roses proper bare, 
 
 Tw^o starres in chief e; the Crest w^as w^aves of 
 
 The lillies made it faire for to behold; 
 And ritch it w^as, as by the gold appeareth. 
 But happy he that in his armes it weareth. 
 
 ill 
 
 il 
 
TO 
 
 SEVERALL PERSONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 SUNDRYE OCCASIONS. 
 
 liii m 
 
TOTHE PRINCESSE OFORANGE, UP- 
 ON OCCASION OFTHEMURTHEROF 
 HER FATHER AND HUSBAND. 
 
 HEN mufdfing hands, 
 to quench the thirst 
 of tyrannie, 
 Theworld'smostwof- 
 thy e i' thy spouse & 
 father slew, 
 Wounding thy heart 
 through theyres, a 
 double yveli they 
 drew, 
 A w^ell of bloud from them, a w^ell of teares from 
 thee. 
 
 So in thyne eyes at once we fire and water see; 
 Fire doth of beautie spring, water of griefe ensue; 
 Whoe fire and water yet together ever knew. 
 And neyther water dry'd, nor fire quencht to bet^ 
 
 But w^onder it is not thy water and thy fyre 
 Vnlike to others' be; thy w^ater fire hath bred. 
 And thy fire w^ater makes, for thyne eyes' fire 
 
 hath shed 
 Teares from a thousand hearts melted w^ith love's 
 
 desire; 
 And griefe to see such eyes bathed in teares of 
 
 woes, 
 A fire of revenge inflames against thy foes. 
 
 IV 
 
TothcCOUNTESSEofSHREWSBURYE, 
 UPONOCCASIONOFHISDEARE MIS- 
 TRESSE.WHO LIV'DUNDERHERGO- 
 VERNMENT. 
 
 RUE, worthic Dame! if I thcc 
 
 chicftaync call 
 Of Venus' host, let others think no 
 
 ill; 
 I graunt that they he fayrc, but 
 what prince will 
 Chuse onlie by the force a generallr' 
 
 Beauties be but the forces w^herew^ithall 
 Ladies the hearts of private persons kill; 
 But these fayre forces to conduct w^ith skill 
 Venus chose yow the chiefest of them all. 
 
 To yow then, yow, the fayrest of the w^ise, 
 And w^isest of the fayre, I doe appeale. 
 A warrioure of youre campe by force of eyes 
 Mee prisoner tooke, and w^ill w^ith rigor deale, 
 Except yow^ pity in youre heart w^ill place; 
 At w^nose white hands I only seeke for grace. 
 
 Iv 
 
TOTHE COUNTESSE OFPEMBROKE. 
 
 AD IE ! whomc by rcportcs I only 
 
 knowc, 
 Yet knowr so well, as I must thee 
 
 adore; 
 To honour e thee what neede I 
 seeke for more. '^ 
 Thou art his Sister w^hom I honoured so. 
 
 Yet million tongues' reporte doth further showe 
 Of thy perfections, both such w^orth and store, 
 As wante of seeing thee paynes me sore, J£I 
 As sight of others hath procured my w^oe. 
 
 All parts of beautie, meeting in one place. 
 Doe dazle eye, feed love, and ravish w^itte; 
 Thy perfect shape envies thy princely grace. 
 Thy minde all say like to thy brother is. 
 What neede I then say more to honoure it.^ 
 For I have praysed thyne by praysing his. 
 
 ^ a w^ord seems w^anting. 
 Ivi 
 
TOTHECOUNTESSEofESSEX,UPON 
 OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF HER 
 FIRST HUSBAND, SIR PHILIP SYD^ 
 NEY. 
 
 WEETEST of ladies! if 
 
 thy pleasure be 
 To mufther hearts, stay not 
 
 in England still; 
 Revenge on Spaine thy 
 
 husband's death, G-kill 
 His foes, not them that love 
 
 both him and thee. 
 
 O sound revenge, that I desire to see; 
 
 If they be fooles wrhich wrish vv^ith theyre o>vne 
 
 will 
 Hurt to theyre foes; then what be they that w^ill. 
 With theyre ow^ne hurte, w^ish good to enemye.^ 
 
 And thus doe I; and thus ambitiouse Spaine 
 Vnsatisfied the new'-found world to gayne, 
 Tw^o better w^orlds should have; I mean thyne 
 
 eyes. 
 And w^e oure w^orlde, oure w^orlde his sun should 
 
 misse^ 
 Oure sun his heaven, thyne eye oure want sup-* 
 
 lies, 
 Oure w^orlde, oure sun, oure heaven, oure all 
 
 it is* 
 
 Ivii 
 
TO THE LADIE CLINTON, 
 
 INCE onlycI,swcctLadic! ye be- 
 held, 
 Yet then such love I in your e looke 
 
 didfinde, 
 And such sweet gesses of youre 
 gratiouse mynd 
 As never a shorte tyme more happie held. 
 
 Forewarning vision which even then foretold 
 Th' eternall cheynes which since my heart did 
 
 binde, 
 Even there where first youre beames into me 
 
 shin'd, 
 The fatall prison w^here my heart I held. 
 
 And how came thisi^ It w^as thy lovely looke 
 Which doth perfume each place it sees vv^ith love, 
 As though from yow, my Deare, this sweetnesse 
 
 tooke, 
 Because w^here I saw her I yow^ had seen; 
 Yet every w^here, if any sight me move, 
 I know^e it is some place where yow^ have been. 
 
 Iviii 
 
A CALCULATION UPON THE BIRTH 
 OF AN HONOURABLE LADY'S Jgl 
 DAUGHTER, BORNE IN THE YEERE 
 MDLXXXVIII, AND ON A FRIDAY^ 
 
 AYRE by inheritance, whom | 
 
 borne wee see 
 Both in the wondrous yeere, and 
 on the day 
 
 Wherein the fairest Planet beareth 
 
 sway, 
 The heavens to thee this fortune doe decree: 
 
 Thou of a world of harts in time shalt be 
 A Monarch great, and w^ith one beauty's ray 
 So many hoasts of harts thy face shall slay 
 As all the rest (for love) shall yeeld to thee. 
 
 But even as Alexander (w^hen he knew^c 
 His Father's conquests) wept least he should 
 
 leave 
 No Kingdome unto him for to subdue, 
 So shall thy mother thee of praise bereave; 
 So many harts already shee hath slaine 
 As few behind to conquer shall remaine. 
 
 JZI Lady Rich, 
 lix 
 
TO MR. MILLIARD, UPON OCCASION 
 OFA PICTURE HE MADE OFMYLADIE 
 RICH, 
 
 F Michacll the arch*- 
 
 paintcr nowr did live, 
 Because that Michaell he 
 
 an angell hight, 
 As par tiall for his fellow'- 
 
 angells, might 
 To Raphaell's skill much 
 
 prayse and honoure 
 
 ^s55l 
 
 give. 
 
 But if in secreat I his judgment shrive, 
 It would confesse that no man knew aright 
 To give to stones and pearles true die and light, 
 Till first youre art with orient nature strive. 
 
 But thinke not yet yow did that art devise; 
 Nay, thank my Ladie that such skil you have; 
 For often sprinckling her black sparckling eyes. 
 Her lips and breast, taught you the . . . J0 
 To diamonds, rubies, pearles, the w^orth of which 
 Doth make the jew^ell v^rhich you paynt seeme 
 Rich. 
 
 J0 Words w^anting like "form you gave'' 
 Ix 
 
COMPLAYNTS 
 
 OF 
 
 MISFORTUNES 
 
 IN 
 
 LOVE. 
 
 Ixi 
 
OW, now I love indeed, and suffer 
 
 more 
 In one day now then I did in a 
 
 yeare; 
 Great flames they be w^hich but 
 small sparkles were, 
 And w^ounded now^, I w^as but prickt before. 
 
 No mervayle then, though more then heretofore 
 I w^eepe and sigh : how^ can great w^ounds be 
 
 there 
 Where moysture runs not oute ^ and ever w^here 
 The fire is great of smoke there must be store. 
 
 My heart was hetherto but like green wood, 
 Which must be dry'd before it w^ill burn bright; 
 My former love served but my heart to drye; 
 Now^ Cupid for his fire doth find it good; 
 For now it burneth cleare, and shall give light 
 For all the w^orlde youre beautie to espie. 
 
 Izii 
 
ONDER it is, and pittic is't 
 
 that shce 
 In whom all beauty's treasure 
 
 we may finde 
 That may enritch the body and 
 the mind, 
 Tow^ards the poore should use no charitie. 
 
 My love is gone a begging unto thee; 
 And if that Beauty had not beene more kind 
 Then pittie, long ere this he had beene pinde; 
 But Beautie is content his foode to bee. 
 
 Oh, pittie have, w^hen such poore Orphans beg: 
 Love (naked boy) hath nothing on his backe. 
 And though he wanteth neither arme or leg. 
 Yet maim d he is, sith he his sight doth lacke; 
 And yet (though blinde) he beautie can behold; 
 And yet (though nak'd) he feeles more heate than 
 cold. 
 
 Ixiii 
 
ITTY refusing my poor c Love to 
 
 feede, 
 A beggar starved for want of heipe 
 
 he lies, 
 And at your mouth (the doore of 
 Beauty) cries; 
 That thence some almes of s\veete grants might 
 proceede* 
 
 But as he wraiteth for some almes-deede 
 A cherrie tree before the doore he spies. 
 Oh deare (quoth he) two cherries may suffise, 
 Tw^o only may save life in this my neede. 
 
 But beggars, can they naught but cherries eate ^ 
 Pardon my Love, he is a Goddesse' sonne, 
 And never feedeth but on daintie tneate, 
 Els neede he not to pine as hee hath done; 
 For onely the swreet fruite of this sweete tree 
 Can give food to my Love, and life to mee. 
 
 Ixiv 
 
If that one care had ourc tw^o hearts 
 
 possest, 
 Or you once^what I long suffered, 
 Then should thy heart accuse in my 
 heart's stead 
 The rigor of it selfe for myne unrest; 
 
 Then should thyne arme upon my shoulder rest, 
 And weight of griefe sway downe thy troubled 
 
 head; 
 Then should thy teares upon my sheet be shed, 
 And then thy heart should pant upon my breast. 
 
 But when that other cares thy heart doe seaze, 
 Alas! what succoure gayne 1 then by this, 
 But double griefe for thine and myne unease r' 
 Yet when thow seest thy hurts to w^ound my 
 
 heart. 
 And so art taught by me what pitye is, 
 Perhaps thy heart w^ill learne to feele my smart. 
 
 J0 a w^ord is w^anting; perhaps "felt' 
 Ixv i 
 
NCIVILL sickness! hast thou no 
 
 regard, 
 But doost presume my deerest to 
 
 molest r' 
 And, without leave, dar*st enter in 
 that brest 
 Whereto sweet Love approch yet never dar'dr^ 
 
 Spare thou her health, which my life hath not 
 
 spar'd; 
 Too t)itter such revenge of my unrest, 
 Although with wrongs my thought shee hath op- 
 
 prest. 
 My w^rongs seeke not revenge; they crave rC'- 
 
 w^ard. 
 
 Cease Sicknesse, cease in her then to remaine, 
 And come and welcome, harbour thou in me. 
 Whom Love long since hath taught to suffer 
 
 paine; 
 So shee which hath so oft my paine increast, 
 (O God, that I might so revenged be!) 
 By my poore paine might have her paine releast. 
 
 Ixvi 
 
E ARE ! though from mc yourc 
 
 gratiousc lookcs depart, 
 And of that comfort doc my sclfc 
 
 bereave, 
 Which both I did deserve and did 
 rcceave; 
 Triumph not overmuch in this my smarte. 
 
 Nay, rather they which now enjoy thy heart 
 For feare just cause of mourning should con*- 
 
 ceave, 
 Least thow inconstant shouldst theyre trust de^ 
 
 ceave 
 Which like unto the w^eather changing art. 
 
 For in foule weather byrds sing often w^ill 
 In hope of fayre, and in fayre tyme will cease, 
 For feare fayre tyme should not continue still; 
 So they may mourne which have thy heart pos- 
 
 sest 
 For feare of change, and hope of change may 
 
 ease 
 Theyre hearts w^home griefe of change doth now^ 
 
 molest* 
 
 Ixvii 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 F ever any justlye might 
 
 complayne 
 Of unrequited service, it 
 
 is I; 
 Change is the thanks I 
 
 have for loyahye, 
 And onlye her rewarde is 
 
 her disdayne* 
 
 So as just spight did almost me constrayne, 
 Through torment, her due prayses to denye; 
 For he which vexed is w^ith injurye 
 By speaking ill doth ease his heart of payne. 
 
 But v/hat, shall tortor make me wrong her namer^ 
 No, no, a prisoner constant thinkes it shame. 
 Though he be rackt, his first truth to gaynsay.^ 
 Her true given prayse my first confession is. 
 Though her disdayn doe rack me night and day, 
 This I confest, and wrill denye in this. 
 
 ^ "be" conjectured. 
 Ixviii 
 
OF v''^' 
 
 THE END 
 
 AND 
 
 DEATH OF HIS 
 
 LOVE. 
 
 Ixiz 
 
UCH sorrow in it sclfc my love 
 
 doth move; 
 Moremydispaire^tolove ahope-- 
 
 lesse blisse; 
 My folly most, to love whom 
 sure to misse* 
 Oh, helpe me but this last greefe to remove; 
 
 All paines, if you commaund, it joy shall prove, 
 And wisedome to seeke joye; then say but this: 
 Because my pleasure in thy torment is, 
 I doe commaund thee writhout hope to love* 
 
 So when this thought my sorrow shall augment. 
 That mine owrne folly did procure my paine. 
 Then shall I say, to give my selfe content: 
 Obedience onely made me love in vaine; 
 It was your will, and not my want of writ; 
 I have the paine; beare you the blame of it* 
 
 Ixx 
 
EEDES must I leave, and yet 
 
 nccdcs must I love, 
 In vaine my wit doth tell in verse 
 
 my woe; 
 Dispaire in me, Disdaine in thee 
 dooth shoe 
 How^ by my wit I doe my folly prove. 
 
 All this my hart from love can never move; 
 Love is not in my hart; no. Lady, no; 
 My hart is love it selfe; till I foregoe 
 My hart, I never can my love remove. 
 
 How can I then leave love.'' I doe intend 
 Not to crave grace, but yet to wish it still ; 
 Not to prayse thee, but beauty to commend; 
 And so by beauty's praise, praise thee I will. 
 For as my hart is love, love not in mee; 
 So beauty thou, beauty is not in thee. 
 
 bad 
 
Y Reason, absent, did mine eyes 
 
 require 
 To watch and ward, and such 
 
 foes to descrie 
 As they should, neere my hart 
 approaching, spie. 
 But traitor eyes my hart's death did conspire; 
 
 (Corrupted with Hope's gyfts)let in Desire 
 To burne my hart, and sought no remedy, 
 Though store of water were in eyther eye 
 Which, well imployde, might w^el have quencht 
 the fire. 
 
 Reason returned. Love and Fortune made 
 Judges, to judge mine eyes to punishment: 
 Fortune, sith they by sight my hart betraid. 
 From w^ished sight adjudg d them banishment; 
 Love, sith by fire murdred my hart w^as found, 
 Adjudged them in teares for to be drow^nd. 
 
 Ixxii 
 
ACH dayncwpfoofcs of 
 
 ncwc dispairc I findc, 
 Thatis.newcdcathcs; no 
 
 marvel! then though I 
 Make exile my last helpe, 
 
 to th' end mine eye 
 Should not behold the 
 
 death to me assignd* 
 
 Not that from death absence might save my 
 
 minde, 
 But that it might take death more patiently; 
 Like him the which, by Judge condemnd to die, 
 To suffer -with more ease his eyes doth blind. 
 
 Your lippes(in scarlet clad) my Judges be, 
 Pronouncing sentence of eternall No ; 
 Dispaire, the hangman that tormenteth me ; 
 The death I suffer is the life I have; 
 For onely life doth make me die in woe, 
 And onely death I for my pardon crave. 
 
 Ixxiis 
 
INE eye with all the deadly sin-- 
 nes is fraught: 
 
 First proud, sith it presum'd to 
 looke so hie, 
 A watchman being made, stoode gazing by; 
 IL 
 And idle, tooke no heede till I vv^as caught; 
 
 IIL 
 
 And envious, beares envie that by thought 
 
 Should in his absence be to her so nie. 
 
 To kill my hart, mine eye let in her eye, 
 
 IV. 
 
 And so consent gave to a murther wrought; 
 
 V. 
 
 And covetous, it never would remove 
 
 From her faire haire, gold so doth please his 
 
 sight; 
 VL 
 
 Vnchast, a baude betw^eene my hart and love; 
 VIL 
 
 A glutton eye, with teares drunke every night* 
 These sinnes procured have a Goddesse' ire, 
 Wherfore my hart is damnd in Love's sweet fire. 
 
 Ixxiv 
 
F true love might true fove's fC'- 
 
 ward obtainc, 
 Dumbc wonder onely might 
 
 speake of my joy ; 
 But too much worth hath made 
 thee too much coy, 
 And told me long agoe I sigh'd in vaine. 
 
 Not then vaine hope of undeserved gaine 
 Hath made me paint in verses mine annoy, 
 But for thy pleasure, that thou might*st enjoy 
 Thy beauty's praise, in glasses of my paine. 
 
 See then thy selfe (though me thou wilt not 
 
 heare). 
 By looking on my verse : for paine in verse. 
 Love doth in paine, beautie in love, appeare. 
 So, if thou wouldst my verses' meaning see. 
 Expound them thus, w^hen I my love rehearse 
 None loves like him; that is, None faire like 
 
 mee. 
 
 Ixxv 
 
OMTIMES in verse I praisd, 
 
 somtime I sigh'd, 
 No more shal pen with love and 
 
 beauty mell, 
 [But to my hart alone my hart shall 
 tell 
 How unseene flames doe burne it day and night; 
 
 Lest flames give light, light bring my love to 
 
 sight, 
 And my love prove my foUie to excelL 
 Wherefore my love burnes like the fire of hell, 
 Wherein is fire, and yet there is no light. 
 
 For if one never lov'd like mee, then why 
 Skillesse blames hee the thing hee doth not 
 
 knowt^ 
 And hee that so hath lov'd should favour show^, 
 For hee hath been a foole as well as I ; 
 Thus shall hence'-forth more pain more folly 
 
 have, 
 And folly past may justly pardon crave. 
 
 Ixxvi 
 
I 
 
 FOURE SONNETS 
 
 TO 
 
 SIR PHILLIP SIDNEY'S SOULE, 
 
 Ixxvii 
 
IVE pardon (blessed soule) to my 
 
 bold cryes 
 If they (impof tun'd) interrupt thy 
 song, 
 
 Which nowe with joyfuU notes 
 
 thou sing'st, among 
 The angel '-quiristers of heav'nly skyes. 
 
 Give pardon eake (sweet soule) to my slow- 
 eyes,^ 
 That since I saw^ thee now^ it is so long, 
 And yet the teares that unto thee belong 
 To thee as yet they did not sacrifice. 
 
 I did not know^ that thou w^ert dead before, 
 I did not feel the griefe I did susteine; 
 The greater stroke astonisheth the more. 
 Astonishment takes from us sence of paine; 
 I stood amaz'd w^hen others* teares begun, 
 And now begin to w^eepe, when they have 
 doone. 
 
 ^The Apologie for Poetrie has ''cries,'' which, 
 though it has never been challenged, is clearly an 
 error. 
 Ixxviii 
 
there to excell; 
 
 WEETsoule! which 
 now with heavenly 
 songs doost tel 
 
 Thy deare Redeemer's glo- 
 ry, and his prayse, 
 
 No mervaile though thy 
 skilful! Muse assayes 
 
 The songs of other soules 
 
 For thou didst learne to sing divinely w^ell, 
 Long time before thy fayre and glittering rayes 
 Encreas'd the light of heav'n, for even thy layes 
 Most heavenly were, w^hen thou on earth didst 
 dw^eL 
 
 When thou didst on the earth sing Poet'-wise, 
 Angels in heav'n pray'd for thy company; 
 And now^ thou sing st with Angels in the skies, 
 Shall not all Poets praise thv memory ^ 
 And to thy name shall not their works give fame 
 When as their works be sweetned by thy namer' 
 
 Ixxix 
 
VEN as when great men's heires 
 
 cannot agree, 
 Soev'ry vertueno\vfor part of thee 
 
 doth sue; 
 Courage prooves by thy death thy 
 hart to be his due, 
 Eloquence claimes thy tongue, and so doth 
 courtesy; 
 
 Invention knowledge sues, judgment sues me*- 
 
 mory, 
 Each saith thy head is his, and w^hat end shall 
 
 ensue 
 Of this strife know^ I not; but this I know^ for 
 
 true, 
 That w^hosoever gaines the sute, the losse have 
 
 wee; 
 
 Wee (I meane all the w^orld) ; the losse to all per-- 
 
 taineth; 
 Yea they w^hich gaine doe loose, and onely thy 
 
 soule gaineth; 
 For loosing of one life, two lives are gained then* 
 Honor thy courage mov'd, courage thy death 
 
 did give; 
 Death, courage, honor, makes thy soule to live, 
 Thy soule to live in Heav'n, thy name in tongues 
 
 of men* 
 
 Ixxx 
 
RE AT Alexander then did well 
 
 declare 
 How great was his united King- 
 denies might, 
 When ev'ry Captaine of his Army 
 might 
 After his death with mighty Kings compare; 
 
 So now^ we see after thy death, how^ far 
 Thou dost in worth surpasse each other Knight, 
 When we admire him as no mortall w^ight 
 In w^hom the least of all thy vertues are; 
 
 One did of Macedon the King become. 
 Another sat in the Egiptian throne, 
 But onely Alexander s selfe had all. 
 So curteous some, and some be liberall. 
 Some witty, wise, valiaunt, and learned some, 
 But King of all the vertues thou alone. 
 
 Ixxxi 
 
TO THE DIVINE PROTECTION OF 
 THE LADIE ARBELLA,THE AUTHOR 
 COMMENDETH BOTH HIS GRACE'S 
 HONOUREANDHIS MVSE'SiETER^ 
 NITIE. 
 
 I Y Mistfissc' worth gave wings 
 
 unto my Muse, 
 And my Muse wings did give 
 unto her name ; 
 
 So, like twin byrds, my Muse 
 
 bred with her fame, 
 Together now^ doe learne theyre wings to use. 
 
 And in this booke, w^hich heere you may peruse, 
 Abroad they flye, resolved to try the same 
 Adventure in theyre flight; and thee, sweet 
 
 dame! 
 Both she and I for oure protectoure chuse; 
 
 I by my vow, and she by farther right, 
 Vnder youre Phoenix ja presume to flye; 
 That from all carrion beakes in saftie might 
 By one same w^ing be shrouded, she and I. 
 O happie if I might but flitter there. 
 Where yow^ and shee and I should be so neare! 
 
 J0 a word is w^anting: perhaps ''wing*' 
 Ixxxii 
 
OFTHE DEATH OF MY LADIE RICH'S 
 DAUGHTER. SHEWING THE REAS- 
 ON OF HER UNTIMELY DEATH HIN- 
 DRED HER EFFECTINGTHOSE 
 THINGS WHICH BY THE FORMER 
 CALCULATION OF HER NATIVITYE 
 HE FORETOLD. 
 
 E that by skill of stars doth fates 
 
 foretell, 
 If reason give the verdit of his 
 
 side, 
 Though by mischance things 
 otherwise betyde 
 Then he foretold, yet doth he calcule wrell. 
 
 A Phoenix, if she live, must needs excell; 
 And this, by reason's lawes, should not havedy'd; 
 But thus it chanct: nature cannot abyde 
 More than one Phoenix in the world to dw^elL 
 
 Now as the mother Phoenix death should slay, 
 Her beauty's light did dazle so his eye. 
 As, w^hile he blindfold let his arrow^e flye. 
 He slew the yonge one w^hich stood in the w^ay* 
 Thus did the mother scape; and thus did I, 
 By good ill hap, fayle of my prophecie. 
 
 Ixxxiii 
 
SPIRITUALL SONNETTES 
 
 TO 
 
 THE HONOUR OF 
 
 GOD 
 
 e- 
 
 HYS SAYNTES. 
 
 BY 
 
 H. C. 
 
 Ixxxiv 
 
TO GOD THE FATHER 
 
 RE ATE God, within whose 
 
 sympic essence wee 
 Nothyng but that w^hich ys thy 
 
 selfe can fynde, 
 When on thy self thou dydd'st re- 
 flect thy mynde, 
 Thy thought was God, which tooke the forme 
 of thee; 
 
 And when this God, thus borne, thou lov'st, and 
 
 hee 
 Lov'd thee agayne, w^ith passion of lyke kynde, 
 (As lovers' syghes, which meete become one 
 
 w^ynde), 
 Both breathed one spryght of aequall Deitye. 
 
 ^ternall Father, whence theis twoe doe come, 
 And wil'st the tytle of my Father have, 
 An heavenly knowledge in my minde engrave. 
 That yt thy Sonne's true Image may become; 
 And sente my hart with syghes of holy Love, 
 That yt the temple of the Spright may prove. 
 
 Ixxxv 
 
TO GOD THE SONNE. 
 
 RE ATE Pryncc of heaven, be*- 
 
 gotten olF that Kyng 
 Who rules the kyngdome that 
 
 himself dyd make; 
 And of that vyr gyn'-Queene man's 
 shape did take, 
 Which from kynge Davyd's royal stock dyd 
 sprynge; 
 
 No mervayle though thy byrth mayd angells 
 
 synge. 
 And angells* dyttes shepehyrdes' pipes awake; 
 And kynges lyke shepehyrdes, humbled for thy 
 
 sake, 
 Kneele at thy feete, Or guyftes of homage brynge. 
 
 For heaven & earth, the hyghe Gr lowre estate, 
 As partners of thy byrth make aequall clayme: 
 Angells, because in heaven God the begatt, 
 Sheepehyrdes €r kynges, because thy mother 
 
 came 
 From pryncely race, & yet, by povertye, 
 Mayd glory shyne in her humillityc. 
 
 bcxxvi 
 
TO GOD THE HOLY^GHOST. 
 
 TERNALL Spryght: 
 which art in heaven 
 the Love 
 With which God and his 
 Sonne ech other 
 kysse; 
 And who, to shewe who 
 God's beloved ys, 
 
 The shape and wynges 
 
 took'st of a loving dove; 
 
 When Chryste, ascendyng, sent the from above 
 In fyery tongues, thou cam'st dow^ne unto hys, 
 That skyll in utteryng heavenlv mysteryes, 
 By heate of zeale, both faith 6- love myght move* 
 
 True God of Love, from w^hom all true love 
 
 sprynges, 
 Bestowe upon my love thy wynges & fyre, 
 My sow^le a spyrytt ys, G* with thy wynges 
 May lyke an aungell fly from earth's desyre; 
 And w^ith thy fyre a hart inflam'd may beare, 
 And in thy syght a Seraphin appeare. 
 
 Ixxxvii 
 
TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 
 
 HEN thee (o holy sacrificed 
 
 Lambe) 
 In severed sygnes I whyte & 
 
 liquid see, 
 As in thy body slayne I thynke 
 on thee, 
 Which pale by sheddyng of thy bloode became. 
 
 And \vhen agayne I doe behold the same 
 Vayled in wrhyte to be receav'd of mee, 
 Thou seemest in thy syndon wrapt to bee 
 Like to a corse, whose monument I am. 
 
 Buryed in mee, unto my soule appeare, 
 Pryson'd in earth, Gr bannisht from thy syght, 
 Lyke our forefathers w^ho in lymbo were, 
 Cleere thou my thoughtes, as thou did'st gyve 
 
 them light, 
 And as thou others freed from purgyng fyre 
 Quenche in my hart the flames of badd desyre. 
 
 Ixxxviii 
 
TO OUR BLESSED LADY. 
 
 N that (O Quccnc of Qucenes) thy 
 
 byr th was free 
 From guylt, which others do of 
 
 grace bereave, 
 When in theyr mother's w^ombe 
 they lyfe receave, 
 God as his solc'-borne daughter loved thee. 
 
 To matche thee, lyke thy byrth's nobillitye, 
 He thee hys Spyryt for thy spouse dyd leave, 
 Of whome thou dydd'st his onely Sonne con- 
 
 ceave. 
 And so w^ast lynk'd to all the Trinitye. 
 
 Cease then, O Queenes who earthly crownes do 
 
 weare. 
 To glory in the pompe of worldly thynges; 
 If men such hyghe respect unto yow beare 
 Which daughters, wyves, & mothers ar of 
 
 kynges. 
 What honour should unto that Queene be donne 
 Who had your God for father, spouse Gr sonne ! 
 
 Ixxxix 
 
 m 
 
To ST. MYCHAELLTHE ARCH ANGEL. 
 HEN as the pryncc of angcUs, 
 
 puff d with prydc, 
 Styrr'd his seditious spyrittes to 
 rebell, 
 ^ God choose for cheife his cham- 
 pion Michaell; 
 And gave hym charge the hoste of heaven to 
 guyde. 
 
 And vv^hen the Angells of the rebells' syde 
 Vanquisht in battayle from theyr glory fell, 
 The pryde of heaven became the drake of hell, 
 And in the dungeon of dispayre was tyed. 
 
 Thys dragon, synce lett loose, God's Church 
 
 assaird. 
 And shee by helpe of Mychaell's swroarde pre- 
 
 vail'd. 
 Who ever try'd adventures lyke thys knyght; 
 Which, generall of heaven, hell overthrew^er' 
 For such a lady as God's spouse dyd fyght. 
 And such a monster as the Dyvell subdue r' 
 
 xc 
 
TO ST. IHON BAPTIST 
 
 S Anne, longc barren, 
 
 Mother dyd become 
 Of hym who last was 
 
 Judge in Israeli, 
 Thou, last of prophetts 
 
 borne, lyke Samuell, 
 Dydd'st from a w^ombe 
 
 past hope of issue 
 
 come< 
 
 Hys mother sylent spake; thy father, dombe, 
 Recoveryng speache, God's w^onder dyd foretell ; 
 He after death a prophet was in hell; 
 And thou unborne within thy mother's wombe. 
 
 He dyd annoynte the kynge, w^hom God dyd 
 
 take 
 From charge of sheepe to rule his chosen land; 
 But that highe Kynge w^ho heaven & earth did 
 
 make 
 Receav'd a holyer lyquour from thy hand. 
 When God his flocke in humayne shape did 
 
 feede. 
 As Israeli's kynge kept hisinsheepehird'sw^eede. 
 
 xci 
 
TO ST. PETER AND ST PAUL. 
 
 E that for fcarc hys maystcr dyd 
 
 dcnyc, 
 And at a mayden's voycc amazed 
 
 stoodc, 
 The myghtyest monarche of the 
 earth withstoode, 
 And on his mayster's crosse rejoyc'd to dye. 
 
 He vv^hose blynde zeale dyd rage with cruehye, 
 And helpt to shedd the fyrst of martyrs' bloode, 
 By lyght from heaven hys blyndenesse under-- 
 
 stoode, 
 And with the cheife Apostle slayne doth lye. 
 
 O three tymes happy tw^oe; O golden pay re! 
 Who with your bloode dyd lay the church's 
 
 grounde 
 Within the fatall tow^ne w^hich tw^ynnes did 
 
 founde, 
 And setled there the Hebrew fisher's chayre, 
 Where fyrst the Latyn sheepehyrd rais'd his 
 
 throne, 
 And synce the world Gr church were rul'd by 
 
 one. 
 
 xcii 
 
TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN, 
 
 OR fc>vc nyghtcs solace in 
 
 dclitious bcdd, 
 Where heate of luste dyd kyndle 
 
 flames of hell, 
 Thou nak'd on naked rocke in 
 desert cell 
 Lay thirty yeares, and teares of grief dyd shedd. 
 
 But for that tyme thy hart there sorrowed, 
 Thou now in heaven aeternally dost dw^ell; 
 And for ech teare w^hich from thyne eyes then 
 
 fell 
 A sea of pleasure now ys rendered. 
 
 If short delyghtes entyce my hart to straye, 
 Lett me by thy longe pennance learne to knowe 
 How dear I should for triflyng pleasures paye ; 
 And if I vertue's roughe beginnyng shunne, 
 Lett thy aeternall joyes unto me showe 
 What hyghe rew^arde by lyttle paine ys w^onne. 
 
 XClll 
 
TO ST. KATHARYNE. 
 
 ECAUSE thou wast the daughter 
 
 of a kyng, 
 Whose beautye dyd all nature's 
 
 workes exceede, 
 And wyssdome wonder to the 
 world dyd breede, 
 A muse myght rayse yt self on Cupid's w^ynge. 
 
 But syth theys graces w^hich from nature sprynge 
 Were graced by those which from grace dyd 
 
 proceede, 
 And glory haith deserved, my Muse doth neede 
 An angell's feathers w^hen thy prayse I synge; 
 
 For all in thee became angelycall; 
 
 An angeirs face had angells' puritye ; 
 
 And thou an angelFstonguedid'stspeakewithalL 
 
 Loe w^hy thy sowle, sett free by martyrdome, 
 
 Was croun'd by God in angells' company, 
 
 And angells' handes thy body dyd intombe. 
 
 xciv 
 
TO ST. MARGARETT. 
 
 AYRE Amazon of heaven, 
 
 -who took'st in hand 
 St. Mychaell Gr St. George 
 
 to imitate, 
 And for a tyrant's love trans'- 
 
 form'd to hate. 
 Wast for thy lylly faith re^- 
 
 tayn'd in bande ; 
 
 Alone on foote, & with thy naked hande 
 Thou dydd'st lyke Mychaell & his hoste; & that 
 For which on horse arm'd George we celebrate; 
 Whylst thou, lyke them, a dragon dydd'st with'- 
 stand. 
 
 Behold my sowle shutt in my body's jayle, 
 The w^hich the drake of hell gapes to devoure ; 
 Teache me, (o virgyn), how thou dydd'st pre- 
 
 vayle. 
 Virginity, thou saiest, was all thy ayde; 
 Gyve me then purity in steade of power, 
 And let my soule, mayd chaste, passe for a Mayde. 
 
 xcv 
 
TO OUR BLESSED LADY. 
 
 :yngcs 
 
 OVEREIGNE of Qycc^ 
 ncs ! if vaync ambition 
 move 
 My hart to scckc an earthly 
 
 pry nee* s grace; 
 Sheweme thy Sonne in his 
 imperiall place, 
 
 Whose servants reigne our 
 
 queenes above. 
 
 And if alluryng passions I doe prove 
 By pleasyng sighes, shewe me thy lovely face; 
 Whose beames the angells' beuty do deface, 
 And even inflame the seraphins with love. 
 
 So by ambition I shall humble bee, 
 
 When in the presence of the highest kynge 
 
 I serve all his, that he may honour mee. 
 
 And love my hart to chaste desyres shall brynge, 
 
 When fayrest queene lookes on me from her 
 
 throne. 
 And, jealous, byddes me love but her alone. 
 
 xcvi 
 
TO OUR BLESSED LADY. 
 
 HYshouldlanylove^OQuccnc, 
 
 but thcc ^ 
 If favour past a thankful! love 
 
 should breed, 
 Thy wombe dyd beare, thy 
 brest my Saviour feede; 
 And thou dyddest never cease to succour me. 
 
 If love doe foUowe worth and dignitye, 
 Thou all in thy perfections doest exceede ; J£I 
 If Love be ledd by hope of future meede, 
 What pleasure more then thee in heaven to see ^ 
 
 An earthly syght doth onely please the eye, 
 And breedes desyre, but does not satisfye; 
 Thy sight gyves us possession of all joye, 
 And with such full delyghtes ech sence shal fyll, 
 As harte shall wyshe but for to see thee styll, 
 And ever seyng, ever shall injoye. 
 
 fi- "thy*' conjectured 
 xcvii n 
 
TO OUR BLESSED LADY. 
 
 I WEETE Quccne, although thy 
 
 beuty raysc upp mcc 
 From syght of baser bcutyes here 
 
 belowe, 
 Yett lett me not rest there, but 
 _ joe 
 
 To hym, who tooke hys shape from God & 
 thee. 
 
 And if thy forme in hym more fayre I see, 
 What pleasure from his deity shall flowe, 
 By ^vhose fayre beames his Joeutye shineth so, 
 When I shall yt behold aeternally. 
 
 Then shall my love of pleasure have his fyll. 
 When beuty self, in wrhom all pleasure ys, 
 Shall my enamored sowle embrace Cr kysse; 
 And shall newe loves, Gr newe delyghtes distyll. 
 Which from my sowle shall gushe into my hart, 
 And through my body flowe to every part. 
 
 XCVlll 
 
TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN. 
 
 LESSED offcndour, who thy self 
 
 haist try'd 
 How faff a synncf dyffcf s ff om a 
 
 Saynt, 
 Joync thy w^ctt eyes w^ith teaf es 
 of my complaint, 
 While I sighe fof that gf ave fof which thou cfy'd. 
 
 No longer let my synfuU sowle abyde 
 
 In feaver of thy fif st desyf es faynte ; 
 
 But lett that love which last thy haft did taynt 
 
 With panges of thy f epentance pief ce my syde. 
 
 So shall my sowle no foolysh vvfgyn bee, 
 With empty lampe; but lyke a Magdalen beefe, 
 For oyntment boxe, a breast w^ith oyle of grace ; 
 And so the zeale w^hich then shall burne in mee 
 May make my hart lyke to a lampe appere, 
 And in my spouse's pallace gyve me place. 
 
 xcix 
 
TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN, 
 
 UCH as fctyr'd from sight 
 
 of men, lykc thcc 
 By pcnnancc scckc the joy'- 
 
 es of heaven to wynne, 
 In desartes make theyr par »- 
 
 adyce begynne, 
 And even amongst wylde 
 
 beastes do angells see. 
 
 In such a place my sowrle doth seeme to bee 
 When in my body she laments her synne; 
 And none but brutall passions fyndes therin, 
 Except they be sent down from heaven to mee, 
 
 Yett if those graces God to me impart 
 Which He inspyr'd thy blessed brest withall, 
 I may fynde heaven in my retyred hart; 
 And if thou change the object of my love, 
 The wyng'd affection which men Cupid call 
 May gett his syght, & like an angell prove. 
 
TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN. 
 
 WEETE Saynt,thow better canst 
 
 declare to me 
 What pleasure ys obteyn'd by 
 
 heavenly love 
 Then they whych other loves dyd 
 never prove, 
 Or which in sexe ar differyng from thee. 
 
 For lyke a woman spowse my sow^le shal bee, 
 Whom synfuU passions once to lust did move, 
 And synce betrothed to God's sonne above, 
 Should be enamored w^ith his deitye. 
 
 My body ys the garment of my spryght, 
 Whyle as the day tyme of my lyre doth last; 
 When death shall brynge the nyght of my 
 
 delight, 
 My soule, uncloth'd, shall rest from labours past; 
 And, clasped in the armes of God, injoye, 
 By sw^eete conjunction, everlastyng joye. 
 
 g^ Amen. (^ Amen. ^^ Amen. 
 
 ci 
 
J|!HERE ENDS THIS EDITION OF 
 POEMS AND SONNETS BY HENRY 
 CONSTABLE, EDITED FROM EARLY 
 EDITIONS AND MANUSCRIPTS BY 
 JOHN GRAY, WITH WOOD CUT BOR- 
 DER 6- DECORATIONS EXECUTED 
 BY CHARLES RICKETTS, UNDER 
 WHOSE SUPERVISIONTHE BOOK 
 HAS BEEN PRINTED AT THE 
 BALLANTYNE PRESS. 
 
 JlSSold by Messrs. Hacon Gr Ricketts at the sign 
 of the Dial, lii Warwick Street, Regent Street. 
 
 LONDON 
 mdcccxcvii i^S'^ 
 
Two hundred 
 
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M529X254 
 
 
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