 | The Italian Taylor, and his Boy |  |
Cant. 7.
Argument
Despaire, that towers vp so hie,In mayden griefe and feare:
Lights low through loue, and doth defie
The danger that sits neare:
For from the earth springs vp a shape,
That frees the feare of such a rape:
And rubie beautie in this Ring,
Transformes to loue man, any thing.
But presently doth change
Into his former shape profound,
To iudgement passing strange.
More louely then before:
In loue exceeding his degree,
For it was ten times more.
“Now sweete (sayes he) why are you sad?
“Why is your beautie paile?”
“You know (quoth she) it makes me mad
“And they will both preuaile.”
“I pre'thee Princesse, speake thy minde,
“Though I change shape (sayes hee:)
“Yet Nature is not all so kinde,
“To graunt that guift to mee:
“Thus can I heare, and iudge a thing,
“Because my senses bee:
“But when I am your Rubie Ring,
“What liuing's then in mee?
“I pre'thee let me heare thy griefe
“I know my Maisters spight
“Pursues me, and is too too briefe,
“This very instant night:
“But in what shape I do not know,
“Yet still my heart perswades,
“Some transformation he doth show
“In day and nights blacke shades:
“And sure I am he vnderstands,
“It cannot be denide,
“How like a Rubie on these hands,
“My mortall shape doth bide
“Haue you not heard of such a man
“As seekes your Ring to win?”
“Yes, yes (sayes she) and told him than,
“What leuell-coyle had bin;
“Requesting but that guift:
“Which being by the King assurde
“T'was gone, no other shift.
“She had stood out to th' vttermost,
“And more then did beseeme:
“A child against her father lost
“A King of such esteeme:
“But now my stoutnes stoopes perforce;
“For who is't will not yeeld?
“When parents praiers prouokes remorce,
“To win the glorious field:
“And I haue parted in defence,
“Till composition spake,
“And bade me beg for my pretence
“A Pardon for loue's sake.
“I did it; and he graunted truce
“Conditionally, that hee
“Should haue this Ring, and all abuse
“Was pardoned in mee.
“I chaleng'd till the morrow next
“And I would answere them:
“But now stand I the most perplext,
“For I must yeeld the Iem.
“But when my heart fore-thinkes againe
“Thy danger; and now know
“It is thy Maisters Furie then
“That thus pursues thee so:
“I now make protestation,
“It shall neuer bee;
“Ile loose my life before such fashion,
“Wronges my Loue and mee.”
Stroke vp their foreheads hie,
Or men amazde, their sorrow flouts,
By squeaning with the eye:
Or as the Mayde surcharg'd with woe,
Shewes water in her eyes,
Or as the Schoole-boy loth to goe
Doth trueant scuse deuise;
Or as a Wanton in her muse,
Doth stand and bite the lip;
Or as the Prisoner cannot chuse,
But stayes to take the whip:
Euen so stood he, all spent and gone,
Solemne deepe possest;
Anone he walkes aside alone,
And shewes his heart's vnrest
By sigths and looking vp to heauen,
And beating of his hands.
The Princesse griefe not much vneuen,
His sadnes vnderstands,
And sorrow can of sorrow iudge,
When meditations by,
For silence is a common drudge
To inward pollicie;
She thus salutes him “Gentle loue,
“Mistrust not my true heart;
“Tis thine for euer: which to approue,
“This Ring shall neuer part,
“I'le die imbracing thee (I sweare)
“As thou shalt compasse mee:
“Nor let it grieue thy minde to heare
“This sodaine extasie;
“Which promises to earth,
“Though cloudy tempest much vnfit
“Will come a time of wirth;
“And so in vs: haue patience then
“These ambiguities
“Will with the Doctors skill to men,
“Threaten vncertainties:
“But more extortion of the ill,
“Will turne to after good.”
All this she spake with hearts good will;
But t'was not vnderstood,
He musde on matter of more waight,
How best he might preuent
With tricke for tricke his Maisters pate,
Which hammer'd ill intent.
“Art come? (sayes he) and is it knowne
“How I escapt thy ire,
“And fled the water, kept my owne,
“To hinder thy desire?
“Alacke poore life, how art thou sought,
“What traps are layde for thee?
“And now I see tis not for nought,
“My Maister iniures mee:
“Since I not onely am escapt,
“But thus am hie in fauour;
“By meanes and art I'me double shapt,
“Of value and behauour.
“Come, doe thy worst, I haue deuis'd:
“Thy welcome is but woe:
“Fore-warn'd, fore-arm'd; and I am wis'd,
“Thy hate to vnder-goe.
“Doth all the Comets dimme;
“Whose blaze makes Metures force decline,
“Being deckt so heauenly trimme.
“Giue hearing now, or neuer, sweete,
“It stands vs both vpon;
“This cunning Doctor wee'le regreete
“With like for like, anone:
“I will assume my last disguise,
“In likenes of the Ring,
“Which thou shalt bring in louing wise;
“Present it to the King.”
“O no (quoth shee) I made an oth,
“That I would neare doe so;
“Nor thou nor it, neither of both,
“I neuer will forgoe:”
“Nor neuer shall you, heare me yit,
“Marke how the deed shall be;
“Such deeds must haue a reach of wit
“To baffill such as he:
“When thou in humblenes of heart,
“Makst proffer of the same,
“Confesse tis duetie to impart,
“To shun a Fathers blame:
“But churlish cast it on the earth,
“Which be you sure it tucht,
“Or all we do is little worth,
“Although we venture much.
“And for the morall, giue me leaue
“To iudgle, with the Diuell:
“I will explaine, that he'le perceaue,
“His welcome is but euill.”
Desirous to be briefe,
Applaudes his bidding, will do so,
To cheate this phisicke thiefe,
Attires her in her costly weedes,
More ritch then euer yit;
And to her Father she proceedes,
Desirous all should fit.
More like a Goddesse lookes she now,
Then Princesse made of earth:
To whom her Fathers subiectes bow,
And blest her hower of birth;
Repeating to her as she goes,
Her welcome was but ill:
But now the Court and Country knowes
Shee's blest i'th Kings good-will.
These busie Subiectes, such they are,
As be in other lands,
That carpe at state; and do declare,
What no man vnderstands:
They'le seeme to know, and what they thinke
Is Chronicle for truth:
The Prince fils out, and they will drinke,
Both sawcie, age and youth:
Well, leaue them to their vulgar prate,
And come we to our storie,
The Princesse came, the King in state,
Salutes her Virgin glorie:
Sees in her eyes, the will consent,
And welcomes her with smiles.
Sayes, “daughter, heauen and earth are bent
“To blesse vs both the whiles,
“Of art and secret skill,
“Hath rais'd an old and ruind fence,
“To stand most strongly still:
“And now no doubt, thou art resolu'd
“To graunt him his request:
“I know thy loue is more reuolu'd
“And lou'st that Iewell best:
“But I haue lent thee long a Iemme,
“Of hie and greater wirth;
“My heart, my child, this royall stemme,
“Hath blest thee from thy birth.”
With this, such teares the King let fall,
The christall drops so shine,
As it did woe and pittie call,
Their duties to resigne,
Like Diamonds lookt his pearly teares;
For such they were of beautie:
Who pitties not his crest falne yeares,
And balmes them with their duetie.
Euen so doth she and smilingly
Like children to their mother,
Once beaten for their foolery,
Yet they can do no other,
But have the water in their eyes;
Although to please the time,
They laugh and smile, t'is but disguise,
To coulour out their crime.
T'is thus with her whose heart was bent
Still to detaine the Ring,
Yet weeping ripe, in merriment,
Consented to the King:
And Loue with Anger ioynde:
She thus dissembling, nesteled,
And this excuse was coynde.
“Sir, as your bidding gaue commaund,
“I come, in humble sort,
“Obedient both in heart and hand,
“To yeeld the conquer'd fort:
“To shew my dutie to your Grace,
“My hearts-hate to this man
“Who in respect of time and place,
“I brooke as best I can:
“Yet who is't hath possesion
“Of value and of wirth,
“That giues it intercession
“To one of baser birth,
“But gals at heart, and grieues at soule,
“To let such value goe?
“Did not your Maiestie controule,
“And sayd, it should be so?
“Whereto I am a willing child;
“Confessing what I haue,
“Is dedicate, and thus compilde
“Vnto your iudgement graue:
“And heere it is; I kisse it yit,
“Next lay it at your feete,
“To shew my loue, as doth befit
“To one of such estate.
“But as it is the price of cure,
“I willingly resigne,
“And do my mayden life assure
“I owe, what else is mine.
“My Father and my King:
“My coynesse more and more doth striue,
“To part with Life and Ring.
“So much for that: now sir to you
“That challenge at my hand
“A payment royall, ritch, and true,
“And done by great commande:
“Promise me yet before the King,
“As you are what you seeme,
“Not for to wrong this Rubie Ring,
“But hold it in esteeme:
“For many such as you (I know)
“Like Æsops Cocke, i'th dust,
“Had rather haue a Corne to owe,
“Then Stone of such a trust:
“You'le weare it in some abiect sort,
“Or change the propertie,
“To make your idle iudgement sport,
“Not like a Lapidarie:
“But as an Alien foolish proud.
“With whom such pretious glorie,
“Yet neuer was in thought aloud,
“Or trim'd by cunning for yee.”
The Doctor now at hob-man blinde,
Begins to cast about,
Why she should thinke him so vnkinde,
Begins to quele the doubt
With protestations, that he would
Loue, like it, as it ought:
As if of twentie Kings it should
Be highly ouer-bought.
“Vpon this Pretious stone,
“As I esteeme my venture got,
“Is seconded by none.
“And as my cure is past compare
“For any else to know:
“So my rewards, beyond it farre,
“I loue, and like it so.”
“Come, come (sayes she) thou hipocrite,
“Dissembler of thy kinde,
“I know thy heart, and can recite
“Thy person and thy minde.
“But thinke not (Sir) the damned Diuell,
“Who you so dayly serue,
“Will buckler out this common euill,
“But lets your Vertue starue:
“Tis this you seeke, and there it is;
“Stoope yit and take the paine,
“You little can affoord, I wis,
“If not such toyle, for gaine.
“My heart doth stoope to your request,
“And you shall stoope thus loe;
“The ground shall yeeld what I loue best:
“And thus I let it goe.”
But as the Doctor greedily,
Doth bend him to the earth
To catch the Rubie speedily,
Begins a worke of worth,
Euen in the moment on the ground,
Whereas the Ring did fall:
Sproung a Pomegranet faire and round;
Which sight amazed all.
| The Italian Taylor, and his Boy | |