The plays & poems of Robert Greene Edited with introductions and notes by J. Churton Collins |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
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| V. |
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| VII. |
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| IX. |
| X. | X VERSES WRITTEN VNDER THE PROTRAITVRE OF VENVS. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
| XLIII. |
| XLIV. |
| XLV. |
| XLVI. |
| XLVII. |
| XLVIII. |
| XLIX. |
| L. |
| LI. |
| LII. |
| LIII. |
| LIV. |
| LV. |
| LVI. |
| LVII. |
| LVIII. |
| LIX. |
| LX. |
| LXI. |
| LXII. |
| LXIII. |
| LXIV. |
| LXV. |
| LXVI. |
| LXVII. |
| LXVIII. |
| LXIX. |
| LXX. |
| LXXII. |
| LXXIII. |
| LXXIV. |
| LXXV. |
| LXXVI. |
| LXXVII. |
| LXXVIII. |
| LXXIX. |
| LXXX. |
| LXXXI. |
| LXXXII. |
| LXXXIII. |
| LXXXIV. |
| LXXXV. |
| LXXXVI. |
| LXXXVII. |
| LXXXVIII. |
 | The plays & poems of Robert Greene |  |
241
X
VERSES WRITTEN VNDER THE PROTRAITVRE OF VENVS.
When Nature forged the faire vnhappy mould,
Wherein proud beauty tooke her matchlesse shape:
She ouer-slipt her cunning and her skill,
And aym'd to faire, but drew beyond the marke;
For thinking to haue made a heauenly blisse,
For wanton gods to dally with in heauen,
And to haue fram'd a precious iem for men,
To solace all their dumpish thoughts with glee,
Shee wrought a plague, a poyson, and a hell
For gods, for men; thus no way wrought she well.
Venus was faire, faire was the queene of loue,
Fairer then Pallas, or the wife of Ioue:
Yet did the Gigglets beauty greeue the Smith,
For that she brau'd the Creeple with a horne.
Mars said, her beauty was the starre of heauen,
Yet did her beauty staine him with disgrace:
Paris for faire, gaue her the golden ball;
And bought his, and his fathers ruine so:
Thus nature making what should farre excell,
Lent gods, and men, a poison and a hell.
| The plays & poems of Robert Greene | |