University of Virginia Library

THOMAS MORVS.

Of an Astrologer, That was a Cuckold.

To thee thou ayrie Prophet, all
the starres them selues do show:
And do declare what destinies,
al men shal haue belowe.
But no starres (though they al things se)
admonishe thee of this,
That thy wife doth with euery man,
behaue her selfe amisse.
Saturnus stands far of, men say
that he long since was blinde,
And scantly could decern a child
and from a stone him finde.
Fayr Luna goes with shamfast eye,
A virgin naught will see
But such thinges as beseme a maid,
and lightnes all will flee.
Ioue to Europa gaue his hart:
To Mars did Venus cleaue:
And Mars agayne did Venus serue:
Sol would not Daphne leaue
His loue: and Mercury did call
to minde his Hyrce deer:
Hereof it comes to passe, oh thou
vnwise Astrologere,
That when thy wife delighted is
with lusty yonkers loue:
Thereof do nothing notifie
to thee the starres aboue.

Of Beuty. Dilemma.

In faith what beutie braue auailes,
at all I nothyng see:
If thou be feruent, hot, each doud
seemes fayre and fresh to thee:
If thou be out of courage, cold,
the loueliest lothsum be:
In faith what bewty braue auailes,
at all I nothyng see.

Against Wiuyng.

A misery to marry still,
thus euery one doth say:
Thus say they stll, yet wittingly
we wiuyng see each day.
Yea though one bury sixe, yet he
from wiuyng will not staye.

Againe of wiues.

Greefes greuous wiues are vnto men,
yet gladsome shall we finde them
And louyng: if so leuyng vs,
they leaue their goods behind them.

Of a Picture liuely described.

So well this table doth expresse,
the countenaunce of thee:
As sure it seemes no table, but
a glasse thy selfe to see.

Of a Niggard departing this life.

Rich Chrysalus at point of death,
doth morne, complaine and crie:
Was neuer man as he so loth
to leaue his life and dye.
Not for because he dyes, he cryes,
his death he doth not force:
This cuttes, his graue must cost a groate.
to shrowde his carrin corse.

The difference betwene a King and a Tyrant.

Betwene a Tyraunt and a Kyng,
would you the difference haue?
The Kyng each Subiect counts his child.
the Tyraunt eache his slaue.

A Tyrant in slepe, naught differeth from a common person.

Dost therefore swell and powt with pride,
and rear thy snout on hie:
Because the crowd doth crouch and couch,
wherso thou commest by?
Because the people bonnetles
before thee still do stand?
Because the life and death doth lye
of diuers in thy hand?
But when that drousie sleepe of thee,
hath euery part possest:
Tell then where is thy pompe and pride,
thy porte and all the rest?
Then snortyng lozzell as thou art,
then lyest thou like a block:
Or as a carrion corps late dead,
as sencelesse as a stock.
And if it were not that thou wert,
closd vp in walles of stone
And fenced round, thy life would be
in hands of euery one.

Of a good Prince and an euill.

A good prince what? the dog that keepes
his flocke aye safe in reste,
And hunts the Wolfe awaie: an ill?
hym self the rauenyng beaste.

Of a Theef and a Lawier.

A Theef ycleped Clepticus,
that did from one purloine:
Fearyng to be condemde, a pace
his Lawier fed with coine.
When Lawier his had turnd his bookes,
and red bothe night and daie:
He hoopt he tolde hym he should scape,
if he could run his waie.

A ridiculous pranke of a Priest.

A certaine guest the goblet clenzde
from flies, before he dranke:
And hauyng drunke, he caste againe
the flies in goblet franke.
And tolde the cause why so he did,
no flies quoth he loue I:
But whether you them loue or not,
I can not saie perdie.

Of a waterspaniell.

A Dog that had a Ducke in mouthe,
an other gapt to catche:
So loste he that he had, and that
whereafter he did snatche.
The churlishe chuffe that hath enough,
and sekes an others pelfe:
Doeth oftentymes, and worthely,
lose that he hath hym self.

A Cur by a crib, a couetous miser.

The cur that couchyng kepes the crib,
hym self doeth eate no Haie:
Ne letts the hungrie horse, that faine
thereon would feede and praie.
The Carle (like to the cruell Cur)
that plentie hath of pelfe:
Imparts no parte to other men,
nor spends vpon hym self.

Of a Beggar, bearyng hym self for a Phisition.

You Medicus your self doe terme,
but more you are saie I:

Mendicus.

One letter more then Medicus,
your name it hath perdy.

Of a dishonest wife.

Of children fruitfull, fruitfull, is
Aratus wife perdie:
For children three she brought hym forthe
and with hym did not lye.

To one whose wife was naught at home.

At home a naughtie wife thou hast,
if towards her thou be curst,
Then worse is she: if curtuous,
of all then is she worst.
Good will she bee if so she dye,
but better if she dye,
And thou suruiue: but best of all,
if hence in haste she hye.

Of Tyndarus

A wight whose name was Tyndar, would
haue kist a pretie lasse:
Her nose was long: (and Tyndar he
a floutyng fellowe was.)
Wherefore vnto her thus he saied,
I can not kisse you, sweete:
Your nose stands out so farre, that sure
our lippes can neuer meete.
The maiden nipt thus by the nose,
straight blusht as red as fire:
and with his girde displeased, thus
she spake to hym in ire.
Quoth she, if that my nose doe let
your lippes from kissyng myne:
You there maie kisse me where that I,
haue neither nose nor eyne.

To Sabinus: whose wife conceiued in his absence.

An helpe and comfort to thy life,
and to the age of thyne:
A goodly childe is borne to thee,
haste hye thee home Sabine.
Haste hye thee home to see thy wife,
the fruitfull wife of thine:
And eke thy blessed newe borne babe,
haste hye thee home Sabine.
Haste hye thee home in poste poste haste,
thou wilt be there in tyme:
Although thou hye thee nere so faste.
haste hye thee home Sabine.
Thy wife doeth lye and long for thee,
thy brat doeth braule and whine:
Bothe thinke thou tarriest ouerlong,
haste hye thee home Sabine.
Thou canst not be vnwelcome home,
when that a child of thine
Is borne, naie gotten to thy hands,
haste hie thee home Sabine.
Haste haste I saie that yet at lest,
at sacred Fant-deuine
Thou maiest see dipt thy dillying defte,
haste hye thee home Sabine.

Of Fuscus a drunkerd.

A certaine man in phisicke skild
to F. spake in this wise:
F. drinke not ouermuch (take heed)
for drinke will loose your eyes.
He pausd vppon this sentence giuen,
and pondered what was spoke:
And when he had bethought hym, thus
at last his mind he broke.
I will by drinkyng loose myne eyes
quoth he, tis better so.
Then for to keepe them for the worms
to gnaw them out below.

Of a Kyng and a Clowne.

A Clowne in forrest fostered vp,
the Citty came to see:
Then forrest Faune, or Satyre wood,
more homely rude was he.
Muche people all the streates about,
together thick did throng:
And nothing but the kyng doth come,
they cried the street along.
The seely rustick halfe amazd,
to heare so straunge a crie:
Muche muzd, and tarried there to see,
what should be ment therby.
At last vppon a sodaine comes,
the kyng with sumptuous train:
All braue bedeckt with glitteryng gold,
he gorgeous did remaine
On comely courser hoisted hie:
now euery where the croude
With strained throates God saue the kyng
they crie, and crie alowde.
The king, the king, O where is he,
the Clowne, began to crie:
(Quoth one) with finger pointed out
lo where he sitts on hye.
Tush that is not the kyng quoth he,
thou art deceued quight:
That seemeth but a man to mee,
in painted vesture dight.

Of an vnlearned Bishop.

The Letter killes, the Letter killes,
thus alwaies dost thou crie:
And nothyng saue the letter killes,
thou hast in mouth perdie.
But thou hast well prouided, that
no Letter thee shall kill:
For thou dost know no Letter, thou
in Letters hast no skill.

To one light minded.

If that thou wert as light of foot,
as thou art light of mynd:
Thou wouldst outrun the lightest Hare
and make hym come behind.

A Iest of a Iackbragger.

A Country clounish Coridon,
did vse abroad to rome:
And kept a bragging Thrasos wife,
while he was gonne from home.
When as the Souldier was returnd,
and heard this of the Clowne:
He stampt and stard, and swore gogsnownes,
Ile beat the villen downe.
And went well weponed into feeld,
to seeke his fellow out:
At last by chaunce he did hym finde,
raingyng the feeld about.
Ho sirra said the soldier, stay:
you rascall villen vile
I must you bob: the clowne did stay,
and tooke vp stones and Tyle.
Shaking his sword the souldier sayd,
you slaue you vsde my wife:
I did so said the clowne, what then?
I loue her as my life.
O doe you then confesse said he?
(by all the gods I swere)
If thou hadst not confest the fact,
it should haue cost thee dere.

Against a Parasite.

When Eutiches doth run a race,
he seemes to stand perdy:
But when he runnes vnto a feast,
then sure he seemes to flye.

Against Chelonus.

Why dost thou loth Chelonus so,
the name of lumpish asse?
The learned Lucius Appuley,
an asse he sometyme was.
But thou dost differ muche from hym,
(he had a learned head)
He was a golden asse perdy,
thou art an asse of Lead.
A manly mynd, and body of
an asse he had, we finde:
But thou a manlike body hast:
a doltishe asselike minde.

Of Sleep. The sentence of Aristotle

Halfe of our life is spent in sleape:
in sleepe no difference is
Betweene the wealthy wight, and hym
that welth doth want and misse.
Now Cræsus thou riche caitiffe king,
though huge thy substaunce were:
Yet Irus poore in halfe his life,
did like to thee appeere.

Desire of Dominion.

Amongest many kings,
skant one king shall you see
Content with kingdome one alone,
skant one, if one there be.
Amongest many kings,
skant one king shall you see
That rules one onely kingdome right,
skant one, if one there be.

Remedies, to take away a stinkyng breath occasioned by sundry meates.

To kill the stink of lothsom leekes,
thou must cranch Oynions fast:
If thou wilt not of Oynions stinke,
eate Garlike strong in tast.
If after thou of Garlike strong,
the sauour wilt expell:
A Mard is sure the onely meane,
to put away the smell.