University of Virginia Library

Sundrie sweete Sonnets written by the same Gent.

1

[A verie Phœnix, in her radiant eies]

A verie Phœnix, in her radiant eies
I leaue mine age, and get my life againe;
True Hesperus, I watch her fall and rise:
And with my teares extinguish all my paine,
My lips for shadowes shield her springing roses,
Mine eies for watchmen guard her while shee sleepeth,
My reasons serue to quite her faint supposes:
Her fancie, mine; my faith her fancie keepeth;
She flowre, I branch; her sweetes my sowres supporteth,
O happie Loue, where such delights consorteth.

2

[I vow but with some griefe henceforth to shunne the place]

I vow but with some griefe henceforth to shunne the place,
Where beautie casts her scortching lookes to feed me with disgrace.
And since I was so fond to build on such amolde,
As euery waue of vaine conceit the substance may vnfolde;
I will repent with teares the errors of my mind,
And leaue to tie my thoghts to like of wanton womankind.
Whose wayward wiles I spie how full of sleights they be,
The heart delights in others choise, the hand yet faunes on me,
And faine she would forsake, yet followes if I shunne,
And with her tung repents the time that ere the fact was done.
And yet she will be thought as constant as the best;
Yet scornes the mā that beareth faith & courage in his crest.
Whom if she list to knowe, his colour sable is;
A mournful colour meete for those whose eyes haue gaz'd amis:
His colour pale for woe, his courage all forlorne;
His hart confirm'd to shun the sex that holds his faith in scorne.
Willing all men to learne, least they be forst to proue,
That women alter with the wind, and haue no hold in loue.

3

[The heauens inclinde to change, are passing cleere]

The heauens inclinde to change, are passing cleere,
Their showres restraind make billowes of mine eies,
Their windes made calme within my breast appeere,
Which dims the aire with sighs and heauie cries.
My frozen loue hath laid the frost adowne,
These snowes restraind serue to congeale my heart,
This pleasant spring my stormie sorrowes frowne:
Goe lying bookes, cease fooles to boast your art,
And marke the cause: my Mistres smiles and lowres
Makes cleere the heauens, & clowdes my heart with showers.

4

[I will become a Hermit now]

I will become a Hermit now,
and doo my penance straight
For all the errors of mine eyes
with foolish rashnes fild:
My hermitage shall placed be,
where mellancholies waight,
And none but loue alone shall knowe
the bower I meane to build.
My daylie diet shall be care,
made calme by no delight:
My dolefull drinke my drierie teares,
amidst the darkesome place
The fire that burnes my heedles heart
shall stand in stead of light,
And shall consume my wearie life
mine errors to deface.
My gowne shall be of spreding gray
to clad my limmes withall:
My late repent vpon my browe
shall plainlie written be.
My tedious griefe and great remorse
that doth my soule enthrall,
Shall serue to plead my wearie paines
and pensiue miserie.
Of faintfull hope shall be my staffe,
and daylie when I pray,
My mistris picture plac't by loue
shall witnes what I say.

5

[If that I seeke the shade, I sodeinlie doo see]

If that I seeke the shade, I sodeinlie doo see
The God of Loue forsake his bow, and sit me by:
If that I thinke to write, his Muses pliant be:
If that I plaine my griefe, the wanton boy will crie.
If I lament my cares, he dooth increase my paine:
If teares my cheeks attaint, his cheeks be moyst with mone:
If I disclose the wounds the which my heart hath slaine,
He takes his Fascia off, and wipes them drie anone.
If that I walke the woods, the woods are his delight:
If I my selfe torment, he bathes him in my blood:
He will my Souldier be if once I wend to fight:
If seas delight, he steeres my barke amid the floud:
In briefe, the cruell God dooth neuer from me goe,
But makes my lasting loue eternall by my woe.

6

[VVearie am I to wearie Gods and men]

VVearie am I to wearie Gods and men,
Wearie am I to weep so manie teares
without some succor:
Wearie am I my wretched state to ken,
Wearie am I to see my wofull yeares
consume with dolor.
These mounts, these fields, these rocks, these waues, these woods
Resigne their ecchoes to my wofull cries,
too much disdained:
These lambes, these kidds, these bullockes, leaue their foods,
These flowers, this grasse, with mourning parched lies
to see me pained.
Naught vnder Sunne that hath not tasted change,
My bitter griefe alone abideth still
without departure.
Accurst be Loue, that wrought this wonder strange,
Boading my sorowes by my wanton will
that causde my smarting.
O quiet life forepast, why hast thou left
The wofull shepheard wearie of his paine
to feed on sorrow?
Oh weeping eies of wonted ioyes bereft,
Why leaue you him whom lucklesse Loue hath slaine
to view the morrow?
My faintfull flocke dooth languish and lament,
To see their master mourning his mischance
this iolly season:
My bagpip's broke, my roundelaies are blent,
My rebecke now my solace to aduance
accounts it geason:
Yet not alone sheepe, lambes, kidds weep my woe:
But rockes for ruth, and birds for sorow plaine
my wofull wending:
Then cruell Loue vouchsafe me to forgoe
My wretched life, the cause of mickle paine,
and make mine ending.
The rockes their brookes with murmuring noyse shall weepe,
The birds their songs with warbling notes shall sing:
and full of pleasure
My flockes shall feed, although their master sleep,
And to my graue their falling fleeces bring,
their natiue treasure.
Solace each where shall raigne when I am dead,
No care, no woe, no sorrow shall preuaile:
but well contented
Poore I shall sleep, when cursed Loue is fled,
That first with furie did the fields assaile
where I frequented.

7

[The earth late choakt with showers]

The earth late choakt with showers
Is now araid in greene:
Her bosome springs with flowers,
The aire dissolues her teene,
The heauens laugh at her glorie:
Yet bide I sad and sorie.
The woods are deckt with leaues,
And trees are cloathed gaie,
And Flora crownd with sheues
With oaken boughs dooth play:
Where I am clad in blacke,
The token of my wracke.
The birds vpon the trees
Doo sing with pleasant voices,
And chaunt in their degrees
Their loues and luckie choices:
When I, whilst they are singing.
With sighs mine armes am wringing.
The Thrushes seeke the shade,
And I my fatall graue:
Their flight to heauen is made,
My walke on earth I haue:
They free, I thrall: they ioylly,
I sad and penciue wholly.

8

[VVhen with aduice I weigh my yeares forepast]

VVhen with aduice I weigh my yeares forepast,
And count the course that in my youth I kept:
How my fond eies on garish beautie plast,
Dimde by desires in vaine opinion slept:
For euerie looke and thought with teares I crie,
I loath the faults and follies of mine eie.
By which my heart was burnt with scorching flame,
Growing to head by stealth of idle time,
Whom oft my lookes with blushing red did blame;
But follie fixt before, it grew to prime:
So for my wanton lookes with teares I crie,
I loath the faults and follies of mine eie.
Oh wanton looks, yee foes of sad forecast,
That wept the teares of will, and not repent:
Now see the end how fickle faire is past,
And crimson cheekes with crooked yeares are spent:
And blame your selues, and helpe my carefull crie,
Who loath the faults and follies of mine eye.

9

[Hand, heart, and eye; toucht, thought, and did behold]

Hand, heart, and eye; toucht, thought, and did behold
A lock, a ioye, a looke of great delight,
Lookes sweet, ioyes rare, but lockes of beaten gold,
Hearts ioye, eyes lookes, hands touch so pleasde my sight;
That what I would, by eye, hand, heart I trie,
And what I am, is but hand, heart, and eye.

10

[If hollowe eyes, if wan and wearish face]

If hollowe eyes, if wan and wearish face,
If scalding sighes my secret suites bewray:
Loe (loue) those lookes that want their former grace,
And dying thoughts which secret ioyes betray.
And grant me this that either death may ease,
Or humble suite my mistris wrath appease.
Whose dire disdaine more pines my fainting heart,
Than Ætnaes flame that fumes both night and day:
Whose wisedome when it measures by desart,
Dissolues my doubts and driues my woes away:
Whose lookes if once they yeeld me beames of grace,
Discharge the furrowes that befret my face.
Twixt hope and happe my shippe doth beare a saile,
The Seas are sighes, the Ancker slipper ioye;
Would Sea and Ancker both, and tacke might faile,
So land of loue were gain'd to foile annoye.
I say no more, the teare that last did fall
On latter line, can shewe and open all.

11

[A Satyre sitting by a riuer side]

A Satyre sitting by a riuer side,
Foreworne with care that hardlie findes recure:
A straying Nymph in passion did deride
His teares, his care, her smiles her scornes assure:
He wept, she wisht, and all their thoughts among,
Fancie beheld and sung this carefull song.
Perhaps the furrowes in thy wrinckled face.
Growne by thy griefe, abate thy wonted forme:
Perhaps her eye was formde to yeeld disgrace,
And blemisht that which wit may not reforme.
Perhaps she will if so thou list to proue,
Perhaps she likes, and yet she dares not loue.
But if (perhaps) thy fortune be so faire,
Laugh Satyre then it proues a pretie prize:
And if thou wilt, so liue to shunne dispaire
As looking long thou keepe thy proper eyes.
This said she ceast: the Nymph she fled away,
And good perswasion causde the Satyre play.

12

[Faire Phœbus flowre vpon a sommer morne]

Faire Phœbus flowre vpon a sommer morne,
Gan proud with loue to shewe her painted pride,
And gay with glorie with a curious scorne,
Disdainde those buds that blossom'd her beside.
When Rose and Lillies, Uiolets and Balme,
(Scarce warm'd to worke their beauties to a flowre)
With enuious wrath neere to a water calme,
Beheld my Phillis in a happie howre.
Not wak't nor wonne too much with solemne sleepe,
But sweethe slombring they beheld my Saint,
The Rose and Lillies both together creepe;
The one her lip, the next her cheeke did taint.
And both they spread: the Violet consum'd
To gentle ayre her amber breath fulfilled:
Apollo feeling all the aire perfumde,
With gentle beames into her eyes distilled.
His flowre amaz'd, gaue Rose and Lillies place,
The Sunne his shine within her eyes containeth,
The Rose her lips, the Lillies decke her face,
The Violet within her breath remaineth.

Lenuoy.

[Then cease (fond men) henceforth to boast your flowers]

Then cease (fond men) henceforth to boast your flowers,
Since Roses, Lillies, Violets are ours:
And Phœbus flowre doth homage to their powers,
And Phillis eye his glorious beames deuours.