University of Virginia Library

TEXTOR.

Praiers for the ded, nothyng profit.

Thou sowest in sāde, thou ploust ye plash,
thou anglest in the ayer:
If so thou goest about to helpe,
the soule deceast by praier.

An Epitaphe.

I laught , I wepe I was, but now
I nothyng am become:
I plaied, but now I ceasse to plaie:
I sang, but now am domme.
I wakt, I slepe: I studied once,
but loe I now am still:
My fleshe I fedde and pampred once,
but now the wormes I fill:
I welcomde all sometyme, but now
to all I bidde adue:
I caught, but now am caught my self:
now slaine, whiche sometyme slue.
Once faught I, now I peace enioye:
I life enioyed all right,
Of right againe I must therefore
yelde vnto Mors his might:
I yelde, and yelde I must of force:
yearth was I once certaine,
Yearth, duste, and now at laste I am
yearth, duste, become againe.
Yearth, duste, now naught at all: wherefore
worlde vaine adue to thee:
And sith I needes must hence awaie,
wormes welcome you to me.

To his Frende.

Thou wont wast often to demaunde,
when we should foes become:
And when the knot of frendship should,
betwene vs be vndoon.
Can Flint or Marble harde be made,
as yeldyng Butter softe?
Or can the lumpishe Oxe be made,
to mount and soar alofte?
Can Woulues and Lambes agree? or can
the scrawlyng Crab crepe right?
Or can the Night, as gladsome Daie
become so cleare and bright?
Can Catte forbeare to catche the Mouse?
can Henne and Kite agree?
Can Daie be darke? or can the Night
as cleare Aurora bee?
Can Crowes be made both faire and white,
and Swannes bothe foule and blacke?
Can colde congeled Ice, be hotte?
can Winter coldnesse lacke?
Can Fire then Water be more cold?
or can the Hare, delight
To plaie and dallie with the Dog?
can ought be emptie quight?
Can Winde from blowyng be restrainde?
can surgyng Seas bee still?
Can flotyng Fishe forsake the foorde?
can Death leaue of to kill?
Can Foxe and Henne, bothe in a Penne
agree together well?
Can peace abide with butteryng blowes?
can loue with discorde dwell?
Can seas be waterles and drie?
can hilles be dales without?
Can woods be voyd of trees? or skies,
deuoid of starres throughout?
Can one lone Emot drinke the seas?
can God be from an hie?
Can God haue euer any ende?
can mortalles shun to die?
Can ragged rockes be precious stones?
can Iron Gold excell?
Can drowsie drunkennes esteme,
sage sober manners well?
Can fame be husht and silence keepe:
can drabs their tattle ceasse?
Can Venus vicious vile be chast,
and leaue, her beastlines?
Whē thou canst bryng these things to passe,
eache one bothe more and lesse:
Or seest them to be brought to passe,
then shall our frendship ceasse.

To the Pope.

If that thou wilt not saue thy flocke,
from wolues deuouring throate:
At least be not a wolfe thy selfe,
clad in a sheepskin coate.

To spirituall pastors.

As pastor pure, preserue thy flocke,
haue Argus eyes to watche:
Lest that the feend the woulfe of hell,
doe thee and thine dispatche.
Thou oughtst their wooll and fleese to shere:
to shere, but not to shaue:
Haue Argus eyes I saie againe,
thy flocke to shield and saue.
No meruell now, though sickly sheepe,
and sore deseasd we see:
For who as nowadaies (God knowes)
but wolues their keepers be.

A woman.

A Woman fawnes, and doth intrap,
a woman wageth war:
She guiles the bodie she doth blind,
the members she doth mar.
She febles force, she drawes a man,
she burneth vp the bones:
She fawnes, giues, askes, she likes, she lothes
she merrie makes, she mones.
She wasteth wealth, though purse be stuft,
she crosses makes the same:
She fights, she throwes downe mighty walles,
strong Castelles she doth tame.
She posies beares: she glasses hath:
as pert as any Pie:
She smelles, she kisseth, and her corps
she loues excedyngly.
She tufts her heare, she frotes her face,
she idle loues to be:
She mincyng iets: to vertue slow,
but prone to vice is she.

How to get frendship.

Giue much, but little aske againe,
take heede thou nothyng take:
If muche thou giue, and little aske,
if guiftes thou doe forsake
Among the common people thou,
shalt beare away the bell:
And thicke and threefold frends will flocke,
with thee to byde and dwell.
But if thou nothyng giue at all,
then frends will from thee flie:
If much thou aske, then shalt thou be
repulsed by and by.
If much thou take, then couetous
and carle they will thee call:
Take naught, aske little, part from much,
and frends haue sure ye shall.

The properties of certaine birdes.

Of the Peacok.

When Argus with his hundred eyes,
Hermes had conquerd quight
By sweet melodyous harmony,
and Musyckes heauenly might.
Then Iuno tooke his watchfull eyes,
and brauely by and by,
She plast them in my traine, where now
they shine as sunne in skye.
My name hights Peacocke comonly,
I take a greate delight
In settyng vp my plumes alofte,
that brauely glister bright.
I haunt where princely buildings be,
I loth the Cottage base:
I haue a fearfull feendlike note,
a theuish softly pace.
My fleshe as hard as hard may be,
from Samos Ile I cam:
Iuno doth mee defend and keepe,
and Iunos byrd I am.

The Eagle.

From all the flocke of fliyng fowles
I beare away the bell:
I mount vp to the clusteryng clowdes,
I feare no lightnyngs fell.
Ioues iolly armiger am I,
as Poets pennes haue told:
Among all fethered foules am I,
the goodliest to behold.
Gay gallaunt golden Ganimed,
(in tallents clinched fast)
I carryed vnto Ioue on hye,
of whom he was embrast.
No byrd, no fowle there is, that dare
compare with mee to fly:
The Eagle onely seruaunt is,
to thundryng Ioue on hie.

The Swanne.

A Swanne my name doeth hight:
from forren coste I cam:
Dame Venus Charriot I derect,
and Venus birde I am.
Emong the Gods I am belovde,
like Syren sweete I syng:
I ioye to chaunt, before I feele
of Death the dreadfull styng.

The Voulter.

I called am the Voulter blacke:
I clawe myne enemie
With crooked cruell cratchyng clawes:
a filthie foule am I.
My foode is fulsome carrion foule,
with euery carkas dedde
That tumbled lies in stinkyng ditche,
I loue for to be fedde.
With euery writers penne pursued,
dispraised still am I:
The foulest foule I counted am,
of all the foules that fly.
Yet for the sence of smellyng sure,
no foule surpasse me can:
The Lion, Libarde, Egle, I
surmount, and also man.

The Partridge.

Emong all other birds,
moste mestfull birde am I:
Emong all fethered foules,
I first complaine and crie.
All in the night bothe ginnes and snares,
are laied poore soule for me:
Man spares no paine, but labours still
that I maie taken bee.
Wouldst knowe the cause why I am sought,
of euery Fouler sly?
The cause is this, emong all birds,
the finest fleshe haue I.
Thou seest the craftie carren Crowe,
Is neuer cared for:
Because his fleshe is fulsome vile,
all men doe hym abhorre.
But I am soft and delicate,
and therefore me they gette:
And for a princely dishe am I,
before greate princes sette.

The Sparrowe.

The fethered Sparrowe cald am I,
in swete and plaasaunt spryng
I greatly doe delight, for then
I chitter, chirpe, and syng.
I take delight in garnisht groues
to seke my liuyng still:
And though but little birde I am,
yet syng I swete and shrill.
Now thou that greate and mightie art,
despise and set not light
By little ones: small ones oftymes
subdue the greate of might.