A Small Treatise betwixt Arnalte and Lucenda Entituled The Evill-intreated Lover, Or The Melancholy Knight Originally written in the Greeke Tongue, by an unknowne Author. Afterwards Translated into Spanish; after that, for the Excellency thereof, into the French Tongue by N. H. next by B. M. into the Thuscan, and now turn'd into English Verse by L. L. [i.e. Leonard Lawrence] a well-wisher to the Muses |
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 | A Small Treatise betwixt Arnalte and Lucenda Entituled The Evill-intreated Lover, Or The Melancholy Knight |  |
These Lines I having read deliberately,
We farther went, and my observing eye
Perceiv'd, that all things in that house so sad,
Of mourning griefe a representment had:
But though I sadnesse every where did see,
At that same time I would not curious bee
To aske the reason, I omitted it,
Till I should finde the time and place more fit.
Onward we walk't, and so we enter'd in
A spacious Hall, where when a while w'had bin,
Ceres and Bacchus, with their plenteous traine.
The Tables deck'd, and then went out againe:
But long they stay'd not, for they usher'd in
Plenty of Viands, which their Traines did bring,
Whereon we fed: then Supper being past,
The grieving Knight he caus'd me for to haste
Vnto my rest, and this kinde he did doe,
Because my Travailes and my paines he knew:
Which to refresh most courteously he lead
Me to a Chamber, where a sable bed
Did stand erected; where when I was brought,
He sighing left me, asking if that ought
I wanted; and sadly then retiring,
At these strange wonders left me there admiring:
Being alone, the bedde it standing nigh,
Vpon the Swanny Doune, I downe did lye:
And as I thought my quiet rest to take,
When silent Night doth suffer few to wake:
About the houre, when as the watchfull Cocke,
The nights shrill Bell-man, and the Pesants clock,
Doth give the signall by his early crowing,
That mid-night's past, the cheerefull day is growing.
I then did heare sad sorrow breath such groanes,
And sob such sighes, and utter forth such moanes,
That the strange noyse with wonder did confound,
M'amazed sence, but listning then I found
That 'twas the Knight, with his attendants, who
Breath forth those groans, and made that strange adoe,
For with sad Musicke they did shreeking plaine
Of their afflictions, and their smarting paine,
Wailing their sorrowes in nights darkest shade,
'Cause it to sadnesse some resemblance had;
The direfull Screetch-Owle, beare with them apart:
And from her screeking throat did shew her Art,
In keeping time with their sad strained moanes,
Or eccho like, in answering to their groanes:
Hearing this noyse, and in the dead of Night,
I doe protest, it did me sore affright:
And then I wonder'd more than e're before,
For strange it seem'd to heare them so deplore:
Imagination seiz'd on sleepe, caus'd Morpheus flye
And wip'd his Leaden slumbers from my eyes,
And did unlose those silken bands, wherein
The drowsie god had chain'd my eye-lids in:
For those sad tones, the which I heard that Night,
Refreshing sleepe did from my pores affright,
That I lay pausing in my naked bed;
Whilst thousand thoughts did traverse through my head,
But true report hath since informed me,
That ev'ry night the Knight did usually
Renew with passion his lamenting moanes,
Tort'ring his heart with endlesse sighes and groanes:
Which moov'd his servants to deplore his Fate,
And to bewaile his sad afflicted state:
For love and pitty did them joyntly binde,
To be conformed to his grieved minde:
Who now will doubt but that disturbed I,
Lay fraught with wonder, since their pittious cry
Chast sleepe away: for with their teares they past
The nights sad houres, grieving whilst they last:
But when the East 'gan vest himselfe with gray,
Which is the ensuing of a golden day,
All was in silence husht, they did lay by
Their dolefull tones, and their distracted cryes.
Rose-cheek'd Aurora, usher to the day,
Had now with-drawne Nights Curtaines, cald away
Gold-glistering Titan, from faire Tethis bed:
(To whose embraces he was lately fled)
Which when he heard, with speed and haste he hy'd
Vnto his Chariot, which he there espy'd:
Then mounting up his bright refulgent beames,
Guilded the mountaines, and the silver streames:
When stately riding through the Christall skye,
Vested in Gold, from forth a Church hard by
I heard a Saints-bell sound, whose Tones did call.
The circumjacent dwellers (great and small)
Vnto that Service, which is styl'd the Masse,
Or Mattins either: (well we'le let that passe,
And to the purpose) then I did espye
My Noble Host, the Knight, with weeping eyes
Enter my Chamber, where he did expresse
The selfe same Honour, and true Noblenesse,
Which he vouchsaf'd me, the last passed Night,
When Fortune brought me to his courteous sight:
For friendly grasping of my hand, he lead
Me to the place where Service then was read:
Where when arriv'd, my over-curious eye
Roving about, I chanc'd for to espye
A Monument, with sable blacke be-deck'd,
Which sorrowing griefe had caus'd the Knight erect:
And as I since have heard, he doth intend
Therein to rest, when Death shall give an end
To all his cares: observing it I found
This sad Inscription which engrav'd was round.
We farther went, and my observing eye
Perceiv'd, that all things in that house so sad,
Of mourning griefe a representment had:
But though I sadnesse every where did see,
At that same time I would not curious bee
To aske the reason, I omitted it,
Till I should finde the time and place more fit.
Onward we walk't, and so we enter'd in
A spacious Hall, where when a while w'had bin,
Ceres and Bacchus, with their plenteous traine.
The Tables deck'd, and then went out againe:
But long they stay'd not, for they usher'd in
Plenty of Viands, which their Traines did bring,
Whereon we fed: then Supper being past,
The grieving Knight he caus'd me for to haste
Vnto my rest, and this kinde he did doe,
Because my Travailes and my paines he knew:
Which to refresh most courteously he lead
Me to a Chamber, where a sable bed
Did stand erected; where when I was brought,
He sighing left me, asking if that ought
I wanted; and sadly then retiring,
At these strange wonders left me there admiring:
Being alone, the bedde it standing nigh,
Vpon the Swanny Doune, I downe did lye:
7
When silent Night doth suffer few to wake:
About the houre, when as the watchfull Cocke,
The nights shrill Bell-man, and the Pesants clock,
Doth give the signall by his early crowing,
That mid-night's past, the cheerefull day is growing.
I then did heare sad sorrow breath such groanes,
And sob such sighes, and utter forth such moanes,
That the strange noyse with wonder did confound,
M'amazed sence, but listning then I found
That 'twas the Knight, with his attendants, who
Breath forth those groans, and made that strange adoe,
For with sad Musicke they did shreeking plaine
Of their afflictions, and their smarting paine,
Wailing their sorrowes in nights darkest shade,
'Cause it to sadnesse some resemblance had;
The direfull Screetch-Owle, beare with them apart:
And from her screeking throat did shew her Art,
In keeping time with their sad strained moanes,
Or eccho like, in answering to their groanes:
Hearing this noyse, and in the dead of Night,
I doe protest, it did me sore affright:
And then I wonder'd more than e're before,
For strange it seem'd to heare them so deplore:
Imagination seiz'd on sleepe, caus'd Morpheus flye
And wip'd his Leaden slumbers from my eyes,
And did unlose those silken bands, wherein
The drowsie god had chain'd my eye-lids in:
For those sad tones, the which I heard that Night,
Refreshing sleepe did from my pores affright,
That I lay pausing in my naked bed;
Whilst thousand thoughts did traverse through my head,
But true report hath since informed me,
That ev'ry night the Knight did usually
Renew with passion his lamenting moanes,
Tort'ring his heart with endlesse sighes and groanes:
Which moov'd his servants to deplore his Fate,
And to bewaile his sad afflicted state:
8
To be conformed to his grieved minde:
Who now will doubt but that disturbed I,
Lay fraught with wonder, since their pittious cry
Chast sleepe away: for with their teares they past
The nights sad houres, grieving whilst they last:
But when the East 'gan vest himselfe with gray,
Which is the ensuing of a golden day,
All was in silence husht, they did lay by
Their dolefull tones, and their distracted cryes.
Rose-cheek'd Aurora, usher to the day,
Had now with-drawne Nights Curtaines, cald away
Gold-glistering Titan, from faire Tethis bed:
(To whose embraces he was lately fled)
Which when he heard, with speed and haste he hy'd
Vnto his Chariot, which he there espy'd:
Then mounting up his bright refulgent beames,
Guilded the mountaines, and the silver streames:
When stately riding through the Christall skye,
Vested in Gold, from forth a Church hard by
I heard a Saints-bell sound, whose Tones did call.
The circumjacent dwellers (great and small)
Vnto that Service, which is styl'd the Masse,
Or Mattins either: (well we'le let that passe,
And to the purpose) then I did espye
My Noble Host, the Knight, with weeping eyes
Enter my Chamber, where he did expresse
The selfe same Honour, and true Noblenesse,
Which he vouchsaf'd me, the last passed Night,
When Fortune brought me to his courteous sight:
For friendly grasping of my hand, he lead
Me to the place where Service then was read:
Where when arriv'd, my over-curious eye
Roving about, I chanc'd for to espye
A Monument, with sable blacke be-deck'd,
Which sorrowing griefe had caus'd the Knight erect:
And as I since have heard, he doth intend
Therein to rest, when Death shall give an end
9
This sad Inscription which engrav'd was round.
| A Small Treatise betwixt Arnalte and Lucenda Entituled The Evill-intreated Lover, Or The Melancholy Knight | |