Natures Picture Drawn by Fancies Pencil To the Life Being several Feigned Stories, Comical, Tragical, Tragi-comical, Poetical, Romancical, Philosophical, Historical, and Moral: Some in Verse, some in Prose; some Mixt, and some by Dialogues. Written by the Thrice Noble, Illustrious, and most Excellent Princess, The Duchess of Newcastle [i.e. Margaret Cavendish]. The Second Edition |
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 | Natures Picture Drawn by Fancies Pencil To the Life |  |
In th' mean time his Mistress's made believe
That he was kill'd, for which she much did grieve:
For when she at the first the news did hear,
Her Face turn'd pale, like Death it did appear:
Then gently sinking, she fell to the ground;
Grief seiz'd her heart, and put her in a swound:
At last, life got the better, and then wept,
And wisht to Heaven, that she in death had slept.
But Melancholy her whole Soul possest,
And of all pleasing Thoughts it self divest:
All objects shuns, that pleasing were, and fair;
And all such sounds as were of a leight air:
The splendrous Light and glorious Sun shut out,
And all her Chamber hung with black about:
No other light but blinking Lamps would have:
Some Earth and Turf therein, like to a Grave,
The which she often view'd, or sate close by,
Imagining the Prince therein did lye;
And on that Grave, her Tears, like show'rs of rain,
Keep fresh the Turf, on the green Grass remain
As pearled dew before the Sun doth rise;
Or as refreshing show'rs from Cloudy Skies:
And often this supposed Grave doth dress
With such significant Flow'rs as did express
His Virtues, and his Dispositions sweet,
More than those Flowers when in Posies meet:
His various Virtues, known to all so well
More fragrant than those Flowers were for smell.
But first, she set a Lawrel-Garland green,
To shew that he a Victor once had been;
And in the midst a copious Branch did place,
For to express he dyed in the chace
Of his fierce Enemies; his Courage was so true,
That, after a long fight, away they flew.
Thus Melancholy past her time away,
Besides sad solemn Musick 'twice a day:
For ev'ry Sense with Melancholy fill'd,
And always dropping-tears from thence distill'd,
With which her Melancholy Soul did feed,
And Melancholy Thoughts her Mind did breed:
Then on the ground her Head aside-ways hung,
Would lye along whilst these sad Songs were sung.
That he was kill'd, for which she much did grieve:
For when she at the first the news did hear,
Her Face turn'd pale, like Death it did appear:
Then gently sinking, she fell to the ground;
Grief seiz'd her heart, and put her in a swound:
At last, life got the better, and then wept,
And wisht to Heaven, that she in death had slept.
But Melancholy her whole Soul possest,
And of all pleasing Thoughts it self divest:
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And all such sounds as were of a leight air:
The splendrous Light and glorious Sun shut out,
And all her Chamber hung with black about:
No other light but blinking Lamps would have:
Some Earth and Turf therein, like to a Grave,
The which she often view'd, or sate close by,
Imagining the Prince therein did lye;
And on that Grave, her Tears, like show'rs of rain,
Keep fresh the Turf, on the green Grass remain
As pearled dew before the Sun doth rise;
Or as refreshing show'rs from Cloudy Skies:
And often this supposed Grave doth dress
With such significant Flow'rs as did express
His Virtues, and his Dispositions sweet,
More than those Flowers when in Posies meet:
His various Virtues, known to all so well
More fragrant than those Flowers were for smell.
But first, she set a Lawrel-Garland green,
To shew that he a Victor once had been;
And in the midst a copious Branch did place,
For to express he dyed in the chace
Of his fierce Enemies; his Courage was so true,
That, after a long fight, away they flew.
Thus Melancholy past her time away,
Besides sad solemn Musick 'twice a day:
For ev'ry Sense with Melancholy fill'd,
And always dropping-tears from thence distill'd,
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And Melancholy Thoughts her Mind did breed:
Then on the ground her Head aside-ways hung,
Would lye along whilst these sad Songs were sung.
| Natures Picture Drawn by Fancies Pencil To the Life | |