University of Virginia Library

Egloga septima.

Siluan. Sirenus. Seluagla.
Siren.
Thou eyther art siluan borne,
Example for to gyue,
To vs that know not how,
whan Fortune frownes to lyue,
Or els hath Nature placed in the
so strong and stoute a mynde.
Suffysynge not, thyne yls alone
to beare, but meanes to fynde,
That may the Griefes of others help,
I se thou art so bent,
That Fortune can the not amase,
for all her mysciefes ment,
I promys the siluan heare,
tyme playne in the doth show,
How dayly she discouers things,
that erst dyd men not know.
I can not beare the Gryefes I feale,
my force is all to faynt,
I neuer could as thou canst stynt,
the teares of my complaynt.
Diana hath procured the paynes,
that I shall neuer ende,
When fyrst she falst her troth to me,
she kyld a faythfull frende.

Siluan.
I meruayle how she could so soone,
put the out of her mind,
A well remembre synce thou wentste
alone I dyd her fynd.
In place that sorow semde to shape,
where no man stood her nye,
But onely (I vnhappy wretche,)
that herd her wofull crye,
And this with teares alowde she sayd,
O wretche in yll tyme borne.
What chaūce hast thou? that thus thou hast
Sirenus swete forlorne.
Gyue ouer pleasures now,
Let neuer Ioye the please,
Seke all the cruell meanes thou canst
that may thy hart dysease.
Whan thou doste hym forget I wysh,
all mischifes on the lyght,
And after death, the Fendes of Hell,
torment thy lyuyng spryght.

Siren.
What man wold here beleue?
that she that thus could speake,
In so shorte tyme as I haue bene
awaye. wolde promys breake.
O stedfastnes and Constancy,
how seldome are you founde:
In womens harts to haue your seats,
Or long abydyng ground?
Who looke how much more earnest they,
at fyrst theyr hearts do set,
So much more sooner euer more,
where late they loued, forget:
Full well could euer I beleue,
all women gylty of this:
Saue her alone, in whom I iudge,
neuer nature wrought amis:
But sins her maryage how she speeds
Siluan I pray the tell?

Siluan.
Some say she lykes it very ill,
and I beleue it well:
For Delius he that bath her now,
although he welthy be,
Is but a lout and hath in hym,
no hansome qualytie:
For as for all, suche thynges wherin,
we Shepeheardes haue delyght,
As in Quaiting, Leaping, Singing or
to sound a Bagpype ryght:
In all these thinges he is but an Asse,
and nothynge do he can,
They saye tys quallities but tush,
Its ryches makes a man:

Siren.
What woman is that yt cōmeth here,
Siluan canst thou tell?

Siluan.
Its one hath sped as well in Loue,
as we, I knowe her well:
She is one of fayre Dianas frendes,
who keeps her beasts below,
Not far from hence bi her thou maist,
Dianas State wel know.
She loued hear a Shephearde cald,
Alanius longe a go:
Who fauers one ysmenia now,
the cause of al her wo:

Siluag.
No place so fyt for the as this,
Lo heare Siluan stands,
Who hath receaued lyke luck to thine
at cruel Fortunes hands,
This company besemes the well,
Fayr Shepheards both good deane,

Silua.
To the Seluagia eke of Hope,
whom Loue hath spoyled cleane:
A thousande better dayes I wysh,
than thou hast had before,

Seluag.
At length may better Fortune fall,
For worse can not be more.
To truste the fayned words of men,
Loe, thus poore womens speeds,

Siluan.
And men do smarte not through your words
but your vnconstant deeds.
For you whan earnestlyest you loue,
no thyng can chaunce so lyght.
But yf a toye com in your Brayne,
your mynde is altered quyght.
If we but ones, absent our selues,
the shortest tyme we maye,
So muche vnconstant is your minds
Loue soreth strayght awaye,
Example take Sirenus here,
whom once Diana lovd,
As all we know, and looke how soone
her mynd is now removd:
No, no, there is not one of you,
that constant can remayne:

Siluag.
You iudge but of malicious hart,
and of a Ialouse brayne.
All thyngs you do your selues esteme,
and men must beare no blame.
Of your dissemblyng noughty deeds,
we women beare the shame.

Siren.
Fayre Damesell yf you can perceyue
Siluan true doth saye
There is not one amongst you all,
but doth from reason straye.
What is the cause that women thus?
in theyr vnconstancye,
Do cast a man from hyest hap,
to deepest myserye?
Its nothyng els, I you assure,
but that you know not well,
What thing is loue, & what you haue,
in hand you can not tell.
Your symple wyts are all to weake,
Unfayned loue to know,
And therof doth forgetfulnes,
in you so shortly grow.

Seluag.
Sirenus iudge not so of vs,
our wyts be not so base,
But that we know as well as you,
whats what in euery case.
And women eke, there are ynow
that could yf they were brought
Teache men to lyue, & more to loue,
yf loue myght well be tought,
And for all this, yet do I thynke,
no thyng can worser be.
Than womens state. it is the worst,
I thynke of eche degree.
For yf they show but gentle words
you thynke for loue they dye.
And yf they speake not whan you list,
than strayght you say, they are hye.
And that they ar, disdainfull Dames,
and yf they chaunce to talke.
Thā cownt you thē for chatring Pies
whose tongs must alwayes walke.
And yf perhaps they do forbeare,
and Sylence chaunce to keepe,
Than tush, she is not for company,
she is but a symple sheepe.
And yf they beare good wyll to one,
thē strayght they are iudged nought
And yf yll name to shun they leaue,
Unconstant they are thought.
Who nowe can please these Ialouse heads,
the faute is all in you,
For women neuer wold chaūge theyr minds
yf men wold styll be true,

Siren.
To this, I well could answere you,
but tyme doth byd me staye,
And women must the last worde haue
no man may say them naye.
Passe ouer this, and let vs here,
what lucke you haue had in loue,
And showe yf euer loue of man,
your constaunt hart could moue.
No fytter place can be than this,
here maye you safely rest,
Thus syttyng here, declare at large,
the secretes of your brest.

Siluag.
Naye: lenger here we maye not byde,
but home we must awaye,
Loe how the Son denies his Beames
depriuyng vs of daye.