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

Quhen after that my fortoun had and lowe me forwards thrust
within ane others force and strenght, and so had brought to dust
And cutt in two the vains, and nervis, and fredome of my will
and libertie, which long tyme I frie remaned still,
Than I who was afore als frie and wyld as hony hart
was quiklyie tamed and sone subdewed with litill pane and art,
And brought to knaw the lukles lott and vnexspected chanse
with these my marrowis miserable whome lowe led in his danse.
Than did I spye thair Trawell, panis, thair cummer, and lament,
The throwin wayes, the crwiked lanis, the paith, and stratis they went,
And be what art and laubour they conducted thairto wer,
quhair all that lowelie flok and troupe did then so wandring err.
And quhillis I rold in ewerye syd my gasing restles ene,
gif I culd spy thair any man whose fame so cleir hes bene
Be historeis of ancient tymes, or Poems in our dayes,
in whiche more late and recentlie included is his praise,

I saw evin then fair Orpheus, of him I first will tell,
who onelie lowed Euridices, and following hir to hell
Obtened hir with him agane, yit lost hir thane agane,
And being deid yit callis on her with toung most could in vane

I Alceus saw, so pregnant, promp, of lowe that culd indyte,
And Pindar with Anacreon that of the same did wryte,
Who had thair muse, thair rymes, and verse all penned in behowe
Of Cupids court, whose Poems lay within the Port of lowe.
I Virgill saw, and him about his brawe companions stwide,
brawe Poettis of ane high ingyne and of a mirrie mwide,
Whose works this world so estemes that they them first elect,
extolling thame in highest praise and honorable respect,
Ouidius with Corinna caught, and Tibull, Plania,
Propertius who so whotlie song in praise of Cynthia;
Catullus also thair I spyed, whome Lesbia led in lowe,
with hir that lerned Sapho greik, that passionis lyke did prowe,
Resounding with hir noble voyce, with Poettis who wer thair,
hir swetest songs, and shew hir style to gallant be and raire.

So lwiking heir and thair agane, to this and to that syid,
vpone ane flowrye plesant grene I quiklye than espyid
A Pepill speiking on to walk, and reasoning as they went:
and so I saw than first appeir evin Dant incontinent
With Beatrice, Seluaggia nixt, and Cin of pistol bred;
and Guido of Aresso was with thame in that trowpe led,
That semed for to be displeased, and angrie, malcontent,
that he was not thair first with lowe and formest with him went;
With them two other Guidos wer and those of Scicilie,
and that gude natured Bolonguese, a honest man was he;
Sennicio with Franceschin thair lykwyse did tham shaw,
the gentlest men and courtesest that evir men did knaw.
And after such a sort of folk In vulgar clothis I spyed,
and habittis of suche strange attyre that marched on that syd:
Amongst them first they wer in preiss Arnaldo Daniell,
a maister gritt in Cupids court that did in lowe excell,
Who yit dois by his plesant speiche and his Inventionis new
renown his natiwe countrey soyle by these thair sight and vew.

Thair also was whome lightlye lowe with litill pane ourcame—
on Peter, and Arnaldo wes the other of less fame.
Thair also was these sort of men subdewed by gretar war,
two of one name, Rombaldi cald, that song in mountferrar
Vpoun thair Dames, fair Beatrice; with him Giraldus, loe,
and aged Peter of Averne; with him was Felchetto
That gaue the name to Marseils toun, and did from Genis awfer,
and changed his countrye, clothes, and state, and better had for war.
Giaufre Ruda also was who more through lowe than wreath
did vse the speid of saillis and ores to speid his fereth death;
And also thair that William was who with his lowers songs
dois frie his name from all decay, that muche his praise prolongs;
Amerigus, and Bernard to, and Hugo with Arselme,
and thousand moe who vsed ther toungs for lanss, sword, bukler, helme.

And now since it is semelie than my dollour I dewyd,
I hawe conwert my daseled eyes all weryed to that syd,
Wheare I haif spyed my fayithfull freind, good Thomas that dois grace
Belongna toun with lasting fame, and makis his praise encress,
And by his songs and sonetts so Messina makis to grow
more fatt in praise, and ratcher more, and more in brawer show.
O fleing sueit! o faiding ioy! o weryed panefull Lyfe!
who is it that dois vnto me procure this sturt and stryfe?
Who is it hath than tane from me my freind and onelie Ioy?
who quiklye now befoir his tyme dois him to grawe conwoy,
But whome and but whose cumpanie, such now is my mishapp,
that I can nather space nor pase nor forther go a stapp?
Well now I knaw which thing I might hawe better knowen afore,
how that the lyfe of mortall men, whairin so muche we glore

And lyketh in the same to liue, is but a stage of noyes,
a seik mans dreame, or foolis conceat, and fable full of toyes.

I was a litill sumwhat furth owt of the vulgar way,
when Socrates and Lelius did first thame selfis bewray;
With thame it me behowed than to walk and farder go,
and searche for leirning in thair workis and for thair scyence know.

O what abundance of my freinds with vertew so decord
wes led at that Triumphant chair whose gifts non can record,
Whose ornat talk and eloquence nor witt can none reherse
in facill prose, in loftye style, in ryme, and staitlie verse!
And with these two I walking went, and searched dywers wayes,
to thame I opned wp my plaintis and hurt my hart assayes;
From thame no nather tyme nor place sall evir me dewyde,
bot as I wish to do I hoipe with tham so long to byde
Vnto the last gaspe of my breath, and never to reteir
vntill the Cynders of my corss be burned on the pire.
For with these two I hawe obtened that glorious laurell bough
which dois the Tempills of my heade environ and my brow,
Whiche hes perchance befoir the tyme my forrett so bedeckt,
in mynde of hir whome yit I lowe and dois so muche respect.
Bot yit of hir whose praise I paint and fillis my hart with thought,
I never culd get branche nor leaffe which I with service sought,
Nor anye pleasour culd obteane, so stable wes the rwit
and so vniust to which she leaned that I culd rype no fruitt;
From whense althought sumtymes my greiff and grevous doole did ryse,
as his who hes ressaued offence to stay his interpryse,
Yit she on whome my eyes did gase so rewled and ranged my will,
that now no more I do regrait that she refused me till

A mater swir of stately style and of heroicall verse
To which no dolts nor ignorantis can yit attane or perse,
Nor yit suche Poets of suche stuff of base and vulgar ryme,
may well conceawe how I did see Cupido tane that tyme.
But first to tell I will proceid, and first I will recount,
how lowe so leading ws in linkis did so ower ws surmount;
Than after this I sall furth shaw what he of hir sustaned,
and how my Dame did vanqueish lowe and all his artis disdaned.
This work and subiect is not myne, nor only maid by me,
bot long before by Orpheus pend and Homer semes to be.
Than followed we the noyse and sound of Cupids purple penns,
and of his fleing horss that ran through thousand dykis & denns,
And through a thousand hillis and daillis; at last in end we came
vnto his mothers countrie whair soiorned then that dame,
And in whiche way whair we through brayes, through brearis & busses went,
through montanis, medowis, hillis, and wooddis, our chaines did not relent,
Nor yit wer we vnloused of thame, but hurlet, meinȝeit, riwin,
as none of ws knew whair he was, nor wist how he wes drewin.

Beyond whair that Egeum sea dois sigh and murne so oft
thair lyes ane Ile delectable, more plesant, plane, and soft
Than anye vther Ile that is bothe wett and washt with see,
or warmed with the Sunnye beames or yit enflammed be.
In midst thairof thair is a hill of shaddow full and grene,
with sawour sweit and fragrant sent, with water sweit & clene,
Whose vertew is and whose effect to tak owt of the mynde
all sad and pansiwe blottis & markis that hes with greif it pynde.

This is the land wherwith so much fair Venus is content,
which consecrat was to that Quene that tyme be mens consent
Whillis as the treuth was lying hid and veritie vnshowen,
and chryist his incarnatioun was not reweilled nor knowen.
And yit albeit this day it be of vertew leane and bair,
yit dois it holde and it retenis some custumes keiped thair,
That seames to these whose reasoun lowe & vertew dois exclude
both pleasant, sweit, and verye douce, and bittar to the gude.

Thair than Triumphed ower ws that souerane gentle lord,
and caried at his golden chair thair coupled in a cord
These whome he twik in circling so the world round about
Evin from the Inds to Thule Ile, the westmest part without;
Thair in that place he did expose his spoyle, his pray, and gane,
and from his bosome pulled furth the Louers thoughtis most vane.
He had thair Vanitie in his armes, thair Sudden fleing Ioy,
thair constant woe, thair solide greiff, thair stable firme anoy,
Thair roses gathered in that tyme when wintaris blast dois boast,
Thair Ice evin on the hatest dayes, at Midsommer thair froist;
He also had before him than Distrust and doubtfull hope,
and bakward on his shulders than agane he caryed bound with rope
Repentance with displeasour sore, and anguish with anoy,
most lyke the same that wes in Rome & in the waisted Troy.
The valley quhair this Triumphe was with murmour did rebound
off watters, brookes, of Birdis and fowles, that gaif a clamorous sound,
Whose bankis wer all imbroudered with flouers of variant hew,
some whyte, some grene, and some agane red, ȝellow, & some blew;

And thair besydis cleir riwers from so lywelie fountanis ran,
whair than vpone the colde freshe herbis the Sunn to shyne began.
Thair also was a shaddow thick of Treis both high and fair,
owt of the which than did cum owt a sweit and breathing air;
And after when the wintar tyd dois mak the seasoun coulde,
yit thair the Sun so dois his flames most temperatlie vnfoulde,
And so dois mak the place and ground and meits almost lew warme,
and through a Idilnes all slow the simple hartis incharme.
And as that place so wes the tyme and seasoun than I say,
quhen as the Æquinoctiall lyne dois victor mak the Day,
And when that Progne laughs and chantis and dois at morning spring,
Returning to hir sister than on thair lowers to sing.
O trustles stay! o stayles fayithe of all our chanse and lott!
for to resist or to withstand that lord It vailed nott:
within that place, that seasoun, tyme, and in that instant hower,
whaire lowe required ws from our eyes at larger dew to power,
He in that hour that place and tyme whome vulgar dois adore
wald than Triumphe in chariot bright as victor full of glore.
So thair I saw what service he and servill death dois prowe,
and to what vengeance is he brought that is infect with lowe:
And sen the tyme and place is showen, so will I now declair
which things war than plaist round about his high Triumphant chair.
First Errour, nixt deluding dreames, and deadlie Shapes and paill,
And fals opinioun at the Port That dois ower myndis prewaill,

Than slipper hope and Slyding trust wes in the ladder stapps,
and Damned gane with ganing lost that castis men in mishapps.
The nature of the Greis was suche that they that highest went
The lawer and the deiper doun agane was thair dissent;
Than Weryed rest was on the heigh, and thair repose in pane
with oppin Shame and glore obscwre and duskish did remane
Vnfayithfull Fayithe, Disloyall lowe, and othes bot trew in shaw,
Solistfull furye, madfull cair, and reasoun, sweir and slaw.
Tuix these a preiss it was to which we cam by oppin way,
but narowlie with straitnes pane our owtgait did assay;
The steps thairof and enteres was both dounward sliding quik,
the passage owt and going furthe wes high and rair vnthik;
Within wes all confusioun, and trouble mixt with noy,
a fray of Certen Woe and doole and of incertan Ioy.
These Illis did never broyle so fast nor bray in burning rage
of Vulcan, ishia, lippari, whose flams non can asswage,
Nor Strombolis with Ætna, mount Montgibell cald by name,
as did that place and presoun strong combur in burning flame;
So that I think he hates him self, and less him self dois lowe,
that would be practise know that yok and by his perrell prowe.

Within that Cage and dungeoun dark, that preasoun stark & strong,
we captiuat wer prisoneris, and thair enclosed long,
Wheare that my hairis and wonnted flight wer turned be tymes ecclips,
and vnto pailnes all the fresh and rudenes of my lipps;
So that my soule, so toucht with cair for that hir fredome past,
which greit desyre makis prompt and light, was conforted at last,

When as it spyed (thought but in dreme) these thingis so hard & strange
coequall with my state and plagis, and so go in thair change.
Bot vewing thair so manye spreittis which in that pitt did wun,
my piteous hart did melt lyke snow so sett against the Sun;
And lyke as one who in short tyme dois vew sum picturis long,
wherin ar draught and variant lynes and storeis tham among,
With one fwte fordwart goeth on, yit after with his Ee
dois backwart lwkt with better sight the more to mark and see,
Evin so did I thair cast my eyes and roll thame round about
the more perfytlie for to vew that band agane and rowt.

Finis Triumphi amoris.