University of Virginia Library

WEDNESDAY

Epitaphium (Eglogue 4) worthy Memory

Watty. Willy
Watty
O Willy! If thou canst to me declare
This ayre of life (or if it be not ayre
That life we call) then what should called be
So fickle thing, that hath no certaintie?
Or what offended hath the Destinies,
That they so most unsparingly surprize
Our freinds that we most sorrow to forgoe.
How great a strength has gastly death, that no
Humane authoritie can check his force,
Vertue, nor Beauty, moue him to remorse!
No age can dotage plead to his inquest,
Nor youth by nonage hinder his arrest;
No sex excuse, nor no excuse perswade;
No wisedome charme his sythe, nor teares his spade.
But that I see how quickly fades and dyes
All earthly pride, as flowers doe, mine eyes
Would on these flowers a drowning shower shed,
For Meredic, for Meredic, is dead.

Willy
O Wat! and so is rare Brianoled.
But know—There is no wit, no worth, nor skill,
That can withstand pale death's deserued ill.
Could mortall dayes prolonged be by Arts,
Or greedy Time sufficed with desarts;
Could mans acquain[tan]ce with the starres produce
The limits of his life, or treate a truce
With spinn[in]g Fates; could sage Philosophy
Prevaile with Death, or pleasant Poesy
Enchant his eare: I should almost with ruth
To image of old age transforme my youth
For my Brianoled that young did dye

Watty.
And so for my young Meredic should I.
For in yon Towne, that doeth with Cities sort,
Whose old foundations (as old times report)
On England's centre stand, and once the knowne
Metropolis vnto the Mercian throne,
Though now (alas!) disfigur'd with the scarres
Of Saxon tumultes, and of bloody warre[s]
With yellow Danes (that there were ouerthrowne)
Whose metamorphos'd blood to weeds is growne:
But whether that but fable be, or true,
The branch of both our garlands now is rue
For gentle Meredic, who there was sprung.

Willy
And sweet Brianoled, there nursed young

Watty
And that faire city, that as farre exceeds
Our towne as Cedars doe excell the reeds,
That famous Academ and happy Place
Belou'd of Phœbus and of Memories race,
That, fil'd with springes of more renown'd account
Then Aganippe or Libethris fount,
More rich in knowledge and deep learning flowes
Then others doe in mercenary showes,
Fill'd studious Meredic with store of arts.

Willy
And ripe Brianoled with wondrous parts.

Watty
Young Meredic, as he was freind to me,
So freinded by my greatest freind was he:
And there on Baliols and their bounty fed.

Willy
Great Maudlins streames refresh'd Brianoled.

Watty
Rare Meredic rankes early with Divines.

Willy
Rare wisdome in Brianoled so shines,
That he in Philosophique chaire doeth sit.

Watty
Sage Meredic expoundeth holy writ,
And like a Shep-heard true, the ioyfull fame
Of our redemption and Redeemers name
That there he learn'd in euery place he spred.

Willy
Brianoled fed flockes where he was fed,
And where the wondrous knowledge he did reach
Of Pipe, and starres, he did as freely teach.

Watty
But as the lambe that most maturely growes,
Vnhappy slaughter sooner undergoes:

Willy
As store of fruit makes the abounding tree
To stoop, and burthens bow the bearing knee:

Watty
As ripest eares of wheate doe soonest shed,
Is Meredic in early ripenes dead.

Willy
As fairest flower's soone blasted in his prime,
Brianoled fell in his flow'ring time.

Watty
What then avayles us more to waste our eyes
(Poore Swaynes) for them that wee, 'till all men rise,
No more shall see? Teares doe but wrong such men,
Who for no wages would liue here agen.
Wee that suruiue the losse of dead sustaine,
And Death to all that vertuous are is gaine.

Willy
I neither sing nor weepe to win from clay
Fraile bodies iustly doomed to decay:
I onely striue to memorize the best
Examples, of those mindes whose bodies rest.
And though the frame of mortall flesh doe dye,
Let's giue th' immortall minde her memory
Wee cannot keepe aliue what perish will:
What Death cannot, let not our silence kill.

Watty
If guiftes, entreates, or teares of freinds might saue,
I guesse so few had euer gone to graue
That, by this time, the whole Earths ample plaine
Had wanted roome the liuing to containe.
But if we should like savadges, or worse,
Interre each dead mans vertues with his corse,
I'me sure we should impouerish then too much
The world, that cannot be too rich in such.
But since true vertue never fades away,

Willy
Nor Fame, with forme, doth euer turne to clay,

Watty
So long as Piety is reverenc'd here,

Willy
Or Poesy is pleasing to the eare;

Watty
My gentle Meredic shall liue, though dead;

Willy
Though dead, shall liue my sweet Brianoled.

Watty
As glorious rose the Sun to day, and so
Continues still, and so is like to goe,
They two, by his example, both their dayes
Begun, and led, and ended, in their praise.

Willy
Then like th' example rare of two such freinds
Let be our liues, that like may be our ends:
So both our flocks let both our dayly cares
In proofe and safety keepe, as they did theirs:
And when we rest our selues, learne Death to keepe
In memory by her elder brother, Sleepe.

Wattyes Emblem
Longa dies struxit, destruit arcta dies.

Willies Emblem
Nulla quies primâ, vita secunda quies.

(Eglogue 5) of Temperance

Orpin. Clorus
Orpin
How sad and lonely (Clorus) doest thou stand!
Beware such vaine not melancholly bring.
Come, either take thy charmefull reed in hand,
Some wakefull note in Eccho's eares to ring;
Or with shrill bosome entertaine the spring,
If thou thy breast canst more then fingers use;
Or, be thy Muse not bent to pipe nor sing,
(Pitie so bent should euer be thy Muse)
Say (gentle Swayne) how thou the time hast spent,
The tedious time, since Pœmenarcha went.

Clorus

Orpin
That thou mayst tell thy greife: it is the way
The danger of it from thy heart to draw.

Clorus

Orpin
Well, Clorus, well: I finde thou doat'st on much,
Though dost but little good: and I confesse
Such passions may attend on causes such.
Some great felicities make mindes the lesse.
But what! doth vow thy solemne thoughts possesse?

Clorus
He parts the wed that vowes and thoughts doth seuer.

Orpin
Plac'd in one place, is thy hearts happiness?

Clorus
Hearts 'till so plac'd, (thou know'st), are happy never.

Orpin
Containes thy minde but one delight in all?
Then great is that delight or minde is small.
But that some one mans great delight I note
Is in his eye, some others in his breast;
And some doe ioy to thinke on joyes remote,
More then to bee of present joyes posses'd.
Art so vnbles't, or should I say so bles't,
Thou canst not loue? so dull thou canst not dance?
Nymphes neuer were more worthy thy request;
Nor did in any age more Bridalls chance.
Who sorrow can so out of sweetnes borrow,
Me thinks might steale some sweetnes out of sorrow.
When civill streame, diseas'd with storme, denyes
The patient hooke his siluer hopes by day;
Perhaps with plumed pris'ners smiling skyes
By night the Sprindge or lime-twig prosper may.
Our youngest lads, when lillyes fade away,
With Lady-gloues can deck their hoods againe;
And simple Shep-heardesse, that walkes in gray,
More then one suiter hath, if not then twaine.
If what I say thou thinks't is true to finde,
But will to joy, what ioy then wantes thy minde?

Clorus

Orpin
O sing it (though): 'Twill help the woe to vent
That doeth thy gentle heart too much possesse.

Clorus

Orpin
It is enough; Exceed not in complaint
To hurt thy selfe and doe thy freind no good.
Make vse of vertuous Temperance, that shou'd
The Mistresse bee of all our wordes and deeds.
And now the Sun in Tritons fomeing flood
Cooles the hot fet-locks of his yellow steeds,
Leade home thy Lambes with so much more good speed,
And sleepe, which thou a little seemes to need.

Clorus
Well fare thy heart, that mindes me Temperance,
Whose onely name mine eare doth so enchant
I wish that it may never be thy chance
The freindly counsell thou dost giue to want;
For thou (I know) canst not be ignorant
It is two vertues well to doe and teach.
But now, before the black Inhabitant
Of Cimeris shall this Horizon reach,
With thy faire Heardlem hye thee home apace.
Embrace my Counsell, I will thine embrace.

Orpins Emblem
Temperance tout asseure,
Violence nulle dure:

Clorus his Emblem
Amour loyal et ferme
N'a jamais fin, ne terme.