University of Virginia Library

[The coole fresh winde, Taurisus, that inuiting vs]

Berardus.
The coole fresh winde, Taurisus, that inuiting vs
Amongst the trees, the leaues is gently shaking,
Our sences ioying, and with case delighting vs:
The Cotes, and Sicamours sweete shadowes making:
The Cristall fountaines, that in copious swelling
Doe flowe, our thirst with sauourie liquours slaking:
The coloured flower, whose sweete and fragrant smelling
To banish melancholie greefes sufficeth,
Which makes the hart from sweete content rebelling,
His might, that all despiseth,
Cannot subdue, nor malice, nor the brauerie,
Of that most cruell king, whose sway doth wearie vs,
Whose punishment, and slauerie
Is absolute, vniust, and meere imperious.
For amorous greefes, to hels of paines that ferrie vs,
No remedies haue yet beene salutiferous,
But still the poison fuming
Infects my soule with torments most pestiferous.

Taurisus.
He that in loue is euermore consuming,
Is neuer glad, for such an euill tires him,
Liuing in greefe, in greefe his death resuming:
Loue giues him paines, and most with torments fires him,
When most he seekes his pastime and his pleasure;
For then with furious thoughts he most inspires him:
Those few times when a soule enioies her treasure,
Greefe doth succeede in place, whose balefull souenaunce
Makes it returne to playning without measure:
Loue will enioy his couenants:
And whom he conquers, kils, or prisoner taketh,
He thinkes by him to get most famous glorie:
His prisoner now, that quaketh,
He giues to Fortune, with his Fortune sorie,
Or sels to greefe, whom euermore it shaketh,
And paints in him her dire and tragicke storie,
And him thats burning in his hottest fires
He quite consumes, the cruell he retires.

Berardus.
The whole man waxeth sicke as he intreates him,
He turnes each hart from former ioy to sadnes,
Still killing him, that liuing is, and threates him,
That is most free, with bonds, the scourge of gladnes:
Since then (my soule) thou knowest too well how cruell
This Tyrant is, be patient, and content thee,
That such a place containes thy amorous fuell:
(So high a place) Take greefes, and now present thee
To all those harmes, and paines he shall enure thee:
Enioy thine ill, and in thy greefes maintaine thee,
Bicause by how much more thou shalt procure thee
A meanes, to rid thy selfe from that that paines thee,
The more thou shalt enwrap thee in his briers,
And shalt be furdest from thy cheefe desires:

Taurisus.
Loue findes in me so well disposed matter,
And such a minde to amplifie his glorie,
That mongst all those, whose mournfull flockes doe scatter
On both Hisperias plaines, in loue so sorie,
My daily greefes are euer more augmented:
Salt showers of teares mine eies haue euer rained:
And more, then wretched Biblis malcontented,
When turned to a fountaine she remained.
Strange is my good, my paine is proper to me,
Faine would I see Dianas face, but twenty,
And twenty deaths in seeing her vndoe me,
I die for want neere to the fount of plenty:
Her presence doth with paines and torments fill me,
Her absence doth with desperation kill me.

Berardus.
The woods doe murmur, and the meadow smileth,
And iugging nightingales are sweetely singing:
But death to thousand woes my hope exileth:

Taurisus.
The blooming trees smell sweete, that now are springing.
The grasse growes greene, with many a painted flower:
But I remaine (O woe) in sorrowes stinging:

Berardus.
My woes my wits haue slaine in such an hower,
That now I haue no power
To say by hart ten verses all along:

Taurisus.
My toong doth cleaue euen in my very song,
Wherefore (my friend) prolong
The time no more, but sing that sweetest dittie,
Which interrupted with thy sighes of pitie,
And teares, in euery citie
And countrie towne, so highly did commend thee.

Berardus.
Singing with thee, it shall no whit offend me,
But ease and pleasure lend me:
Then answer me. But now what shall I sing?

Taurisus.
Sing that that saieth. The radiant star doth bring?
Or that: Loues teares doe spring. &c.
Or that: I knowe not well how it doth say,
Which thou sung'st on a day,
Dauncing with faire Diana on a greene.

Berardus.
No Tigresse nor no lionesse haue beene,
But with compassion mooued
Of all my torments, able to despaire one:
But not that cruell faire one,
The fierce deuouresse of my life approoued.

Taurisus.
The fierce deuouresse of my life approoued,
My peerelesse Shepherdesse,
As fell in hart, as she is faire in face:
How then in such a case
Can I escape (O greefe) but die without redresse?

Berardus.
Can I escape (O greefe) but die without redresse
With deathes of racking passions?
But when I see Diana faire, her sight my griefes asswageth,
Yet then my soule enrageth:
The more I haue to doe with loue, the lesse I knowe his fashions.

Taurisus.
The more I haue to doe with loue, the lesse I knowe his fashions,
His seruants he neglecteth
And he, that flying seeketh to escape his mortall chaine,
With thrise redoubled paine
He wounds, and with his furious plagues his wretched soule infecteth.

Berardus.
Faire Shepherdesse, whose face the heauenly powers
Haue graced with more beautie, then the Roses:
And sweeter then the purple golden flowers,
That deckes our meades and virgins brestes with poses:
So may the heauens powre downe in copious plentie
Vpon thy flockes their fauours most abounding:
And thy faire ewes, with double twins not emptie,
In numbers swarme, in profit still redounding:
That to my soule, which my demerit pesters,
Thou wouldst not shew sterne lookes, nor angrie gestures.

Taurisus.
Faire Shepherdesse, that with thy neighbour dwelling,
Dost cleere thy fieldes bedight with Daffodillies,
The driuen snowe in whitenesse far excelling,
In beautie Gilloflowres, and stately lillies:
So prosper may thy fieldes in euery season
In corne, and fruit, which thou maist taste at pleasure:
Thy peares, and plums, and apricocks so geason
By handfuls maist thou pull in plentious measure:
That thou wouldst looke vpon thy swaine so sorie:
For of thy sight depends his cheefest glorie.