The Works of William Fowler :: :: University of Virginia Library

So Muche my hart wes then amaised, so much of mervell full,
that I thair stoode, euen as a man that stupid stands and dull,
And can not speik, bot holdis his toung, and lwikis if anye man
be neir of yit him round about to giwe him counsell than,
When that my shaddow and my freind began thus for to say:
“quhat dois thow now, quhat looks thow on, quhairon thy thoughs dois stay?
Knawis thow not weill that I am one evin of this troupe and band
whome lowe dois leade, with whome I go, that can not him with stand?”
Than answered I: “my brother deir, thow best my state dois knaw,
and als the lowe that in my breist dois to suche kendling grow,
Whose force is suche that evin what thingis of the I suld requyre
togeather with suche lyke affairis ar stayid by greit desyre.”

Than he thus spak agane and said: “alreddie I hawe knawen,
thought thow through Silence speik no thing, what thow woldest hawe the shawen.
Sen thow wold know what folk be these and pepill thow hes spyed,
I will the tell if to my toung the vse be not denyed.

Behold that greit and glorious man so honoured of all,
he Pompei is, that leidis with him Cornelia with all,

Who with hir salt and wattrye teares condooles his dolent death,
which Ptolome that vyld did caus through terrour more then wreath.
He whome thow seis more farrer off is that greit valiant greik,
conductour of the valiant ost, And heir Egistus eik,
That murderer, adulterer, that poltroun, paliard preist.
This cruell Clytemnestra is, that cruell godles beist
Be whome it may now weill be knowen, and be thame we may fynde
if lowe inconstant be and vane, Incensat, furious, blynde.
Bot yit behold yon other Dame of gretar fayith and lowe,
that fayithfull Hypermestia fair, and so did Linus prowe.
See Pyramus and Thisbe both to stand the shadow by,
with Hero at the window, and in seis Leander ly.
This shaddow that thow pansiwe seis is that Vlisses whome
his chaistfull wyiff dois long exspect and prayeth to come home,
Bot Circes that enchantiress through lowe dois him detane,
and dois empesh his fordwart stepps, and maks him stay agane.
This other whome thow dois behold it is Amilcars sone,
bold Hanniball, who stoutlye did with the Romans conione,
Whome Rome thought not in manye yeares nor Italie might abaise,
yit hes ane abiect woman him of Pulia led in lace.

Sche that with hair both cutt and short dois follow so hir lord
was quene of Pontus, that for lowe dois now to this accord
With servile clothis and suche attyre Mithridates to serwe,
that in his Iornayis and conflicts from him did never swerwe.

This other Dame Is Portia bould, Brutus fayithfull wyiff,
that sharps hir sword hard by the coalis and ends by tham hir lyiff;
Thair also Iulia thow may sie, that weped for hir spous,
for that vnto his second flamms he more Inclynes and bowes.

Now turne thyne ene and thame conwert vnto that other syde,
whair our greit father, Iacob scorned, dois with these folke abyde,
And yit for all that dois not forthink or mened from hir to swerwe
for whome with constant loyall lowe he twyse sevin yeres did serwe.
O lywelie lowe! O force most strange that dois not only lest,
bot growis be griefis, and alwayis Is by troubles more encrest!
Behold the father of this man, with him his guidshir toe,
departing from his duelling place, and Sara lyk to doe.
Than after lwik how cruell lowe and weked Dauid wan,
enforceing him to do that work from whence he after than
Within a dark and secreit cawe, withdrawing him a part,
weipt for his faults and for his sinnis in anguish of his hart.

Behold also how suche a mist and suche lyke darkned clwde
dois so obscure his sone his face and darknes owershrude,
And cower the praise of all his witt, and mak the sam be smored,
which publisht wes through all the world by our supernall lord.
Than Amnon spye whoe at one tyme did Thamar lowe and hate,
and how she Then to Absalon hir brother did repeate,
Disdanefull and maist dolorous, the caus of all hir woe,
his raging lust and hate agane his kyndnes to ourthroe.

Before a litill thow may see one stronger more then wyse,
I Sampson meane, who with his wyiff did foolishly dewyse,
And through hir clattering trifling tryes than she did than delair,
did putt his heid within hir lappe, that cutt away his hair.

Beholde also how that amangis so manye speares and swordis,
loue, sleip, and als a wedow fair, with manie plesant wordis,
And with hir cumlye clenelye cheikis, accumpaned with hir maid,
hes killed holipherne the proude, and vengeance him repayid,
And thay returnyng to thair toun, and in thair handis his heid,
at midnyght gevin god the thankis, to which thay haist with speid.
See Sichem, and with him his bloode, how that the same is mixt
with circumcisioun and with death, and with the slaughter nixt
OF bothe his father and all these that pisht aganis the wall.
o force of lowe both strong and greit that maid suche suddane fall!
beholde Assuerus in what sort he begging seikis his lowe,
that he in peace may heir possess, and how he dois remowe
And so vnloose his former knottis, and frie him of these bandis
that bound him fast, I meane his wyiff that keipt not his commandis,
And how that be ane other knott agane he hes him bound,
whiche onlye is the salve that may in contrare lowe be found;
And all suche malice to efface thair is no better thing,
Euen as a wadge and other doith and nail and naill furth bring.

Now wold thow sie within one hart the bitter with the sweitt,
and lothesomnes with lowe agane evin in one mynd to fleit,

Behold Herodes, cruell, fearse, of kyndnes full and rage,
whome lowe with crueltie and hate so long tyme dois assuage;
Regaird how that the first dois burne and lye in fervent flame,
and after how he gnawes [his] hart in memorie of the same,
And calling for his Marion, which than dois not him heir,
To late he now repented him of suche his rage seveir.

Beholde agane these other thrie both good of lyfe and lowe,
Deidamia with Arthemise and Procris so did prowe;
Now sie lykwyse these thrie so curst and toucht with raging flame,
Semiramis, with Biblis eik, and Myrrha, voyde of Schame,
how ewerye one of thame appeiris for shame to blush and stay,
that thay can hawe no licence for to walk with tham that way,
But for to tak the throwen streit, and evin of that denyde.
beholde that Troupe that fillis with dreames the papers on all syd,
Quhose workis dois mak the vulgar sort to reid thame and requyre,
and vanelye through thair erring dreames so for thame haif desyre,
These ar the wandring loveing knights of Arthurs table round,
wheare Geneure with hir Lancelot with others may be found,
As Tristan with Isota fair, the king of Cornuallis wyiff,
And als that counte of Aremine who lost for lowe thair lyiff.”
Lord Paul of Matatestas houss, and Franschescina fair
in makking mone and sad lamentis and wailing marched thair.

Thus as my freind and shaddow spak I at that tyme did stand
Evin as a man that is afrayid for ill that is at hand,
And trembleth fast before he heir the Trumpet shaw his dome,
and feilis his dolent deathe befoir the same by sentence come:

So was my state evin at that tyme; my face such cullour keipt
as one drawin furth evin of his grawe wherin he long did sleip;
Quhen than with palish face and wan befoir me I espyde
a lywelye Nymphe, more fairer than a dow, stand by my syde,
Who thair me twik and captiwe led; and I who wold have sworne
To haif defended well my selff, and men of armes ourborne,
Was with the smyrcling of her eyes and smyling of hir face
and with hir plesant gracious words than snared in hir lace.

As I was thinking on this thing, and for the treuthe to shaw,
My freind more nerer did approche and towardis me did draw,
And lawghin rounded in my eare (whose laughter caused my wo
That at my losses he suld smyle) and thus began he so:
“Now hes thow licence for to speik evin quhat thow [ ] and pleis,
To shaw how lowe evin in his moode dois both the pane and eiss,
Sen now we both saill in one bark, and both one liquour lik,
and bothe Together marked lyke and touched with one pik.”
I Than becam as one of those who more is discontent
of others happ and better lwck and prosperous event
Than of my loss and haples chance, and so more grewed wes I
when as I did the Dame me led in peace and fredome spy;
And after as to late my loss and dommage I did knaw,
so from the bewtye of my dame I maid my death to grow.
For brunt with lowe and with his flame, and with Inwy enrage
And Ielousie was than my hart which no thing culd asswage;
Nor wold I turne my staring eyes away from hir fair face,
bot as a man by feawers weakt so semed I in that cace,

Who, thought he seik and feaverous be, yit hes a gredie will
For that whiche to his taist is sueit bot to his helth is Ill;
So that to anye other Ioy whiche more might glaid my mynde
my eares war deaffe and stopped bothe, my eyes wer shutt and blynde
In following hir whose steppis me led by manie doubtfull pace,
so that in thinking on the same I tremble yit, allace.

For ay since syne my eyes through teares wer on the ground fixt wak,
my hart was sad and pansiwe ay; the Ins that I did tak
And solitarye resting place was then the wellis and woods,
The fountanis, rivers, mountanis, hillis, the craggie rokkis, and floods;
Sensyne the Papers and the scrollis which I haif sperst alwayes
with thoughts, with teares, with Ink, to pen my panis and paint hir praise,
Sometymes through lowe, sometymes through wreath, I forced was and spyte
To teare them all in peaces small, and ower agane to wryte.

Sensyne I know how lowe retanis within his cloyster now
Doubt, dreid, dispair, and deip distrust, and hope with constant wow:
So that the man that weill wold knaw the feates and fruittis of lowe,
the panis, the plagues, the lingring tymes, that lowers hourlie prowe,
Gif he can reade, than lift his eyes vnto my forrett now,
whan he sall sie all these effectis fair writtin on my brow.
And hir I sie so cairles walk, that fair and gallant dame,
not toucht with rewth for all my panis, bot cairless of the same,

And rekles bothe of them and me, she taketh no account
Now whither I sink or yit I fleit, I fall or yit I mount;
Sic graces now dois grow in hir, such bewtye she dois shroude,
that of hir vertew now she gois and of my spuilȝei proude.

And on the other part I spy, and seis on other syde,
Evin lowe him self to stand in feare, and from hir him to hyd;
Althought he winneth all the world, he can not hir subdew,
so that past hope of help am I, nor lowe can mak reskew;
In my defence thair none that standis, no succour comes to me
and in my ayde no boldnes can nor force can mak supplie.
For lowe him self in whome I hoipe and confidence dois byde,
whose custume is most cruellie to flyte if lowers hyde,
And fleish with myne thair skin from thame, [dois] dalley with his dame,
and flattringlye carressis hir, yit cairis she not the same;
Nor anye be that more or less may force yit or constrane
This Rammage and rebelling mayde with lowe for to remane,
Bot going be hir self allone, and frie from lowe his lace,
with drawis hir from his enseingȝe a long and distant space.

And trewlye in hir bewtye shee, and in hir port and pace,
and in hir smyles and high disdanis, and in hir wordis and grace,
Sche in this sort surpassis so, compared with other dames,
evin as the sun the litill sparkis excedeth be his flames;
So fair appeiris hir hair to be that they do seme of goulde,
all shaking softlye by the winde which dois thair tress vnfoulde;
Her eyes lyke hevinlie lamps and lighs that so inflams my hart,
that through thair grace I am content that they incress my smart.
Quho can with hir behaviour and angelyke adress,
with maners meik and custumes high, compair or yit expres?

For he who would in poeme prease condinglie to report
hir vertewus deidis and glorious acts, I think he suld come short:
It far my learning dois surpass, my wawering pen dois shake,
my style, my verse, my voyce, my phraise ar owerbass and wake;
No pen can more depaint hir praise or yit aduance hir glore
than litill strandis the largest seis dois be thair course mak more.

O thingis most new, and never sene befoir vnto this day,
nor more bot ones, nor after sall thair glorye more bewray!
It is a thing sall never be, hir lyke sall never cume,
and on hir vertew and hir grace all voyces salbe dume.

So do I finde my self now bound, and she in fredome frie,
and I exclaming in this sort, “O starr, how gydis thow me?
O cursed starr! o fates vniust! what thingis do ye portend?
how chanseth It that for my panis I rype no fruit in end?”
I day and night bewaillis my woe, and ay dois call and pray
To hir quho cairis not for my moane, nor yit to heir will stay,
So that with grit difficultie, with trawell, toyle, and pane,
I skarslye for ten thousand wordis can one obtane agane.
O law seveir of Cupidis court! yit thought it crooked be
and inderect, yit must we all to follow it aggrie,
Becaus It is so ancient, so vniuersall ould,
that it conioynes to the heavin earth so law & could,
Whose potent power and strong effect not onlye men hes proven,
bot evin the Manhoode of the gods by it hes bene ourthrowen.

And now sen lowe hes me subdewed I knaw and haif espyed
how that he dois the hart of man far from his corss dewyid,

And how he can gif pane and peace, long lasting weiris with trewis,
and doolefull tydingis to dispair, and than more better newis,
And how he forces outwardly men for to hyde thair woe,
when Inwardly thair breistis brunt, suppose it seme not so;
And how evin in one instant tyme the blwid in haist departis,
and quiklye from his vanes dois rin and in his cheikis convertis,
If so it chance that anye feare dois than his mynde posses,
or shamefastnes constrane him blush or terrour him oppres.
I knaw how that the serpent lyis all hid within the floure,
The snaris, the girnis, the Nettis, and baitts, the loweris dois devoure;
And also how he Ielous walkis and sleipis in dreid and doubt,
suspecting ay his riwall foe by lowe shuld thrust him owt.
I also know how this my lyfe dois languish by dispair,
and how I dieing never die, nor death can end my cair;
I also know how for to trace the fitsteppis of my foe,
and how for feare to find hir syne I stand in dreid than goe;
I also know in quhat a sort and quhat a guyse so strange
the lingring lower in his lowe dois him transforme and change,
And how among so longsome sighs and shortned smylingis I
can change my state, my will, and hew, and cullour sone thairbye;
And how to liwe and stand but lyfe, when as my wofull hart
Is soundred from his spreit and soule, her lyiflie vitall part.
I also know how lowe hes led me in this danse this whyle
a thousand wayes and vane deceittis my selff for to beguyle;
I also know how for to burne in following so my fyre
wheare it dois flie, and how at hand so fresis my desyre,
And farder of dois rage agane, and burne in gretar flame,
and nearer than how I congeall and fresis in the same.
I also know how lowe dois bray and rout abowe the mynd,
and how it dois all reasoun smore and chaise vnto the mynd;

I also know the dywers artis that lowe through craft dois vse
For to subwert the lowers hart, and how him to abuse;
I know how that a gentle mynd Is suddanlie disgraist,
and how that be a litill Cord it stronglie Is vnlaist
When it is left vnto hir selff, disarmed of reason than,
and when none Is to mak defence aganis the lustis of man.
I also know how luiff dois shutt, and than dois flie away,
how that he boastis and stryketh both, and puttis all in a fray;
I also know how that he rubbis and playis the theif perforce,
how that he revis and spuilȝeis all his pillage but remorce;

And how instable is his wheill, how doubtfull is his hoipe,
how certan is his wrack and woe, and how his course and scope
Is for to mak such promesis that ar of fayith dewoide,
by which the trew and fayithfull hart is scorned and destroide.
I also know how in his bonis the raging flam dois lurk,
how in his vanis the hiddin hurt dois his consumptioun wurk,
From whence dois cum his oppin death and fyre through smoakis exprest,
that secreitlie in secreit did harbour in his breist.

In end, for one conclusioun, I know the lowers lyfe
to be inconstant, wandring, vane, and full of sturt and stryfe,
both feirfull and bothe hardye to, and how dois lowe repay
the litill sweit with bitterness so long to lest for ay;
I know thair custumes, maners, vse, thair sighis, thair gronis & song,
thair brokken words, thair suddane peace, thair silence, dombe and long,
Thair shortest smylis, thair long complaints, thair teares, þair grevous fall,
thair pleasouris with displeasour crost, thair honye mixt with gall.

Finis 3. cap.