University of Virginia Library

Fyue dayes my promisse was to the
in countrye towne t'haue bene,
And now am wanted (false of worde)
all Auguste, as I wene.
If thou wouldste haue me safe at ease,
that nothinge should me greue,
What thou doste graunte me beinge sicke,
the verie selfe same leue
Thou wilte graunte me, that stande in dreade
of sicknes, more, and more.
Whilste sommer swage, and the figge tree
hyr pryme frute haue I bore:
Whilste the Indytors of the deade,
(For so theire name theye haue)
Be led by pompe wyth Sergeaunts sad
the Epigrammes to graue:
Whilste parentes paile, do dreade, and feare
theire children should be sicke:
Whilste busie toyle, and woorke abroade
make feuers greene to pricke:
Whilste heade doth rage and sicknesse raines,
and eche man breakes his will,
And makes a new, at pointe of death
(Syr) let me tary still,
On Albane hilles when wynter shall
spitte out his flaggie snowe,
Thy poete shall cumme to the sea
and soiorne there belowe.
Framinge him selfe to plye his booke
with lesser greefe of mynde
He will see the (my dulcet frinde)
with warmie westerne wynde:
And wyth the swallowe verye firste
that cummes into that place,
If he maye be safeconducted
and welcum to thy grace.
Mecenas thou haste made me ritche
not as the Calabere
Dothe rych his gueste, who when he cumes
doth set him downe a peare.
Fal to (saieth he) Gueste. I haue enough
Oste. well if you liste not eate,
Yet beare them to your babes at home
Perhappes a welcum cheate.

Guest.

Myne oste, I am as well contente
I thancke you to my paye
As if I shoulde eate all your fruite
and carrie it awaye.

Oste.

Sythens I can not rid them hence
and that you will forsake them,
I meane to geue them to the swyne
to see if theile forsake them.

Horace.

Of foolishe and of prodigall
this is the proper guyse
To geue such things as theye them selues
and others do dispise.
Those francklings who by such a sorte
perswade them to be francke,
Ne shal, ne haue at anye tyme
deserued anye thancke.
The wyseman knowes both what he geues,
how worthie that theye be
That take, and is discreate enoughe
the brasse from drosse to see.
I for my parte will neuer faile
to be a thankefull man:
Woorthie your praysed benefitts
by all the meanes I can.
If thou wouldste haue me kepe with the,
and neuer to departe,
Thou muste call backe my yeares of youth
my lustie sydes and harte.
Restore myne hayre, my foreheade once
with abrune haires yclad.
Where nothing now but scaulpe alone,
and baldnes can be had.
Restore to me my fyled speache,
the causes why I smyled
The doulefull dumpes in Bacchus feaste
whilste Cupid me begyled.
Once through a narrow rifte did creepe

Fable.

an emptie cub with paine,
Into a basket full of wheate:
and beinge faste, againe
With pragged paunche assayde to goe
out of the same in vaine.
To whom the wesell: to escape
quod she thine onelye shifte
Is, to creepe out as thou camste in
all emptie throughe the rifte:
This same, or such lyke parable
if thou applye to me,
I muste cum emptie from thyne howse
if thyne I leaue to the.
For all was thyne, throughe the came ease
to lyue at my desyer.
As cloyde with wealthe, or stryfe not I
this call my lyfe requyer.
And yet this ioy so cleare, so sounde
which in this lyfe I fynde,
I would not chaunge for all the gould
of Arabie, and Inde.
Ofte haste thou praisde my shamfastnes,
my father, and my kinge:
I haue praysde the before thy face
in absence eke the thinge.
If I thy bountye can acquyte
consider thou my beste,
With all my harte, what so I can
it euer shalbe preste.
Telemachus, Vlisses childe
the marke at full did hit,
Who vsde to saye that Ithacke grounde
for geldinges was not fit.
For that the grounde in houltes, and hilles
and dales consumed was,
Not euenlye stretched out in plaine
nor prodigall in grasse.
I leaue quoth he to the Atryde
the things that fitter be,
So I Mecenas graund affayres
leaue fullie vnto the.
Small men small iestes. Not regall Rome
standes now with me in grace:
But desert Tyber and Tarente
that sluggishe warlesse place

Fable.

Philippe a famouse counsailor
an hartie, and a stowte,
Came from the hall at eighte a clocke
to suppe, or there about.
And beinge now an aged man
and therefore not so stronge
Complainde, that from the hall to home
his iorney was so longe.
And spyinge in a barbars shop
a younge man in a chare
At ease yplasde, who quyetlye
his nailes did purge and pare:
Sir boy quoth he, goe learne, tell me,
(the boy did streight obey)
Who? whence he cam, what wealth, what frēds
what parentes, and what stay?
Goes, commes and brings him word, how that
Vulteus was his name
A prayser, hamsumlye to liue.
Whom no man can defame.
A speedie, and discret worker
in bountie franke, add free,
Fiew frendes, and commonly at home
he vseth for to be.
And when he hath dispatche himself,
of busnes for that day,
Then with a menny of his mates,
a brode he goes to playe.
This tale thus tolde Phillippus longde
With Vulte himselfe to talke.
And bad his boy incontinente
backe to the shop to walke,
To pray the younge man suppe with him,
The page returnes againe:
He halfe mistrustes the case, saithe he,
and thankes me for the paine,
But cannot cume: and as I gesse
by vysage made to me,
The horesonne eyther doth contempne,
or feare to mell with the.
Next day Philippus went to him
and founde him sellinge geare:
Ragges to the countrie rusticall.
approching very nere
Philippus firste saluted him:
Vultie himselfe did purge,
Because his busie bargaininge,
so dayly did him vrge,
That he ne came, and spake not first.

At supper when he had at full
Layde out his lauishe mynde,
At length to bed to take a nap
he fraighted, was assynde.
Next daye this Vultie cums againe
for lawe matters to looke.
When that the fishe was knowne to like
this secret hidden hooke,
They dubde him for a dayly gest.
next holly day abroade
To see the suburbs not far thence
with Philip forth he rode.
And comming to his iorneys ende
he gan to maruaile sore,
At Sauines pastures, at the ayre,
and praysde it more, and more.
Phillip he smyled in his sleeue,
and hopeth more to smyle,
Willing this Cokney to intrap,
With this same merrie wyle:
Hee geues to him seuen sextarcies,
and promiseth seuen more
To bye this ferme: with fayre swete wordes
he egges the cockescome so
That for to make the ambage shorte,
and not to draw it on
More then it needes, our cittizen
is now a Corridon.
He trimmes his vlmes, bosting of landes
and vyneyardes, he doth raue:
Consumes with carke, and waxeth ould
with couetose to haue.
But when his gotes through ill disease,
his sheepe decaid through theft,
His corne deceaude his gredie hope,
his oxe at ploughe dead left:
Displeased wt his damagies, at midnight on a iade
To Philippes house al sodainly
hee posteth in abrade.
Whom when Philipp see ouerspred
with scurfe, and busshie here,
You studie Vultie ouermuch
you toke to much of care,
Sayth he) forsouth quothe thother tho,
the name of wretch is due
To me (landes Lorde) cawle thou me wretch
if thou wilt cawle me true.
By thy good nature, thy right hande,
and househould goddes therefore,
Humblye I praye my former plighte
to me pore wretch restore.
He that doth se his owne offence
how that he did retyre
From better trade, and better things
then those hee did desyer:
Let him not shame, but streight returne
with all possible spede,
And willingly resume the trade,
and life, which he did leade,
This is from me the best aduise,
that he is like to gett,
Let eche man meysure out him selfe
with his owne foote, and met.