University of Virginia Library

The fifth weeke.

Epig. 1 Ad Petrum Leigh de Vnderline Militem

The ancient acts lou'd Leigh, yet vndergoes
Of his forefathers, Vnder whose old Line
Haue beene kept vnder Englands chiefest foes:
But if Death do not Vndergo the Line
Of life; which now so long and true spun, shows
Hee'le ouergo the Knights of Vnder-line:
And vnder few thus much I doe diuine,
His name will be call'd Leigh of Ouer-line.

Epig. 2 In Rufum

Some say the soule within the braine close lies,
Some in the head, in th' hart some, som in the eies,
Others affirme it harbours in the breast,
Others wil haue it in the blood to rest:
Gainst all Philosophers I do suppose,
Rufus red soule lies hid in his red nose.

Epig. 3 In Stellam

Virginitie doth Stella still commend,
That for a virgine so she may be counted;
Virginitie she might though reprehend,
Since she with Rufus in the coach was mounted:
For tell me Stella virgine as thou art,
To beare a virgin, is 't a virgins part?

Epig. 4 In Iscum.

Iscus, invite your friends vnto good cheare,
When they before invited are you heare:
But else invite them not in one whole yeare.

Epig. 5 In Charin vestium ostentatorem.

Charis doth change his raiment thrice a day,
Belike because the weather is so hot,
Nay tis to shew his needle wrought array,
His golden breeches, and his cordwaine coate:
I haue beene with him, neuer saw him sweate,
But once at table when he was at meate.

Epig. 6 Ad Quintum.

Thou askt one thing of me which I denied,
That one thing nothing was, then thou replied,
If it was nothing which thou askt of me,
Then nothing Quintus I denied to thee:
Now yet for nothing, one thing Quintus know,
For nothing something Quintus thou dost ow.

Epig. 7 In Braggadochionem.

Did Braggadochio meete a man in field?
Tis true, he did, the way he could not shun:
And did he force great Brundon weapons yeeld;
Nay there he lies. To vntrusse when he begun,
He stole his weapons and away did run:
Vaine is thy vaunt, and victorie vniust,
Thou durst not stay till he his points vntrust,

Epig. 8 In Rubrionem.

Rubrio followes learning, followes mony;
He followes pleasure, and doth folow glorie,
He followes goods, would follow God also,
He followes Thetis, Galetæa too:
So let him follow follies iourney make,
He may long follow e're he ouertake.

Epig. 9 In Cumberlandiæ Comitem.

Is't true which saith the Pythagorean,
One soule doth animate another man?
Then doth Couragious Cumberland enioy
Ulysses soule th' eternall scourge of Troy:
For at his becke the windes commander bendeth
And on his full saile fortune still attendeth.
Wherfore his name & his al-conquering hand,
A fatall cvmber to our enemies land.

Epig. 10 Ad Nathanielem Fletcher.

If Iudgement, Wit, and Learning I would call,
My simple worke of Epigrams to view,
For Iudgement, Wit, and Learning, Fletcher shal
Be cal'd to reade my Epigrams anew:
But iudgement, wit, & learning shal not see them,
Lest iudgement, wit, nor learning he find in them.

Epig. 11 In Lippum.

You say he spendes all, nothing meanes to purse,
Yet for this fault most men excusde wil hold him
You spend iust nought; he ill doth, you do wurse;
And as your neighbours (Lippus) of late told him,
You spend your selfe vpon an errand whore,
He doth spend much, but Lippus, you spend more.

Epig. 12 In Othonem.

I pray you (maisters) do but Otho note,
How for his lies he doth an Author quote,
Thus he begins; Tis true yea in good faith,
For as They say, and as the Fellow saith:
But who e're heard of any that could tell,
Where Othoe's (they) or (fellow) yet did dwell.

Epig. 13 In Galbum.

Who sees not Galbus both to bow and crouch
Vnto my Lo.[OMITTED] horses and his coach:
And saies (God blesse them) when they do come forth,
And thou (fair coach) proud of my L. great worth,
He giues him noght: here Galbus heare we shal
Curse his great horses, coach, my Lo. and all.

Epig. 14 In Pontum.

This golden Foole, and silken Asse you see,
In euery point a woman faine would be:
He weares a fanne, and shewes his naked brest,
And with a partlet his Cranes necke is drest:
Giue him a maske, for certes hee's afeard,
Lest sun, or wind, should weather-beat his beard:
Thus when he weares a partlet, maske, and fan,
Is Pontus then a woman, or a man?

Epig. 15 In Næuium

Great Næuius still bids many vnto meate,
His meate is raw that no man can it eate:
All in a chafe, findes fault and strikes the Cooke,
That to his meate he did no better looke.
Yet this poore Cooke is in no fault I know,
For certes Neuius bade him rost it raw.

Epig. 16 Ad Thomam Holecroft De Vaile Roiall. Armig.

Doth Ualorous Holecroft royalize Uaile Roiall,
Or doth Vaile Royall royalize his name?
His deedes too great vnuail'd to shew his triall,
Then through a Vaile Ile royalize his fame:
Thus from Vaile Royal borrow I the vaile,
To hide his vertues when my wit doth faile.

Epig. 17 In Iellam

Thou hast a vice if I may call it one,
Nor good, nor honest, yet a vice alone,
To come from London thou wilt neuer misse,
Only thy friends to fauour with a kisse:
But Iella thou dost only that man fauor,
Thou dost not kisse nor trouble with thy slauor.

Epig. 18 De Rollo.

Perforce (Roll said) from Sull a kisse he tooke,
And twixt her lips his soul (not knowing) left him
But then he sent his heart his soule to looke,
And her bright ey-beams of his heart bereft him:
If with that kisse he had not drawn a breath,
Whereby sustaind his soulelesse body is,
That day had beene his dismall day of death,
Wherein he snatcht from chased Sull a kisse:
Tis strange her kisse was then so pleasing cold,
When with the best she burnt the boy of old.

Epig. 19 In Uulpem puritanum.

Whose lauish-tongu'd precisme will not spare,
The chiefest pillars of our cleargie men,
But to a cast of counters them compare,
Giuing no count with Counters nor with pen:
Nor can I count the waies he doth abuse them,
Though late he had beene in the Counter cast,
If that his cheefe cast had not bin to vse them,
And craue their frendship, for his words or epast:
And if cast counters yet he be not giuing,
His cast of counters casts away his liuing.

Epig. 20 De Mella.

From one eie alwaies Mellaes teares do fall.
And what's the cause? She hath but one in all.

Epig. 21 In Sippum.

Thou cal'st thy selfe Knight, Sippus of the Poste,
But on the pillor-I say knighthoods lost,
Yet as thou dost for six pence cut a throate,
At Westminster be periur'd for a groate:
Cheate and Cros-bite, to all men do but euill,
Thou maist be knight, and ride poste to the deuil.

Epig. 22 Ad Gulielmum Grantam.

Suffize it Grantam that I Grantam name
And say yong Grantam wil keep Grantams fame:
Thy very name Antiquitie sets forth,
And Grantam proues a man of noble worth:
Thus do I glaunce at Grantam; Grantam then
Doth grant too great a subiect for my pen.

Epig. 23 Ad Iohannem Egerton.

He that would garnish with a seuerall light
Thy seuerall vertues, and in praise them dight:
He should not want that wittie treasures store,
Which Muses gaue to Homer once of yore:
But wit I want, therefore Ile spare my song,
Lest poore in praise, thou count me rich in wrong

Epig. 24 Ad Henricum Porter.

Porter, I durst not mell with sacred Writ,
Nor woe the Mistris fore I win the maide,
For my yong yeeres are taskt, its yet vnsitte
For youth, as eld is neuer halfe so staid,
Thy selfe which hath the summe of Art and Wit
Thus much I know vnto me would haue said:
Thy siluer bell could not so sweetly sing,
If that too soone thou hadst begun her ring.