University of Virginia Library

Horace to his booke

Me thinkes my booke thou ginnes to looke,
to sayle for to be gone:
And now forsouthe to lye out sleakd
with printers poomise stone.
Thou hates for to be locked vp,
with claspe for to be shitte,
Though shamfast bokes haue wel estemed
and euer likd of it
Thou sorye to be shewed to fue
communitie dost praise:
Not so instructed Booke of me,
go flye thy fancyed waies,
Thou neuer must returne againe.
Ah wretche why did I long?
What haue I done? (thus wilt thou say)
when sum haue done the wrong.
This wel knowes thou, the reader cloyed.
wil eftsones at the snatche,
And thou by running thus abrode,
thine ill report dost hatche.
Except that I an Augur false
to rid the hence mistake me,
Thou shalt be dere to Rome a while,
whilst thy good dayes forsake the.
Then must thou be an obscure booke
for moughtes on the to eate,
A goodlie dishe, thou must becum
the sluggie mough her meate
A passinger through eche hobbes hand,
when thou ginst to be vile,
Thou must becum to wrap vp spice
to trudge abowt a while
On pedlers backe, from towne, to towne
and I that warnd the stil
To lurke with me, shall haue good cause
to lawght at the my fill.
As he that drew his asse vp th' hill
the auckward best drew backe,
Angerd at last, he cast him downe
to feele his fatal th wacke.
The practise knowne, the prouerb knowne
and talked on al the day,
Who can, or would hould backe the thing,
that nedes would be away?
And stamering age to petyte laddes
in corners al wil reede the,
This occupacion bides the to,
thou maist haue ioy to speede the,
On sum hote day when al thy frinds
are reeding the yfeare
Deliuer vp this speache to them
which I will tell the here.
My father but a bondman borne
and I at first but poore,
I stretchd my wings, and from my nest
did mount aloft, and sore,
That looke what praise from me for birth:
and base kind thou dost take:
So much praise pardie more is due
to me, for vertues sake.

Horace of himselfe.

Do tel them that I euer pleasde
at home, abrode those men
Which bare the cheefest swey in towne
and were the lode starres then.
Of stature smal, gray headed soone,
of sonning very faine,
Hastie to wrathe, but so that I
was straight way pleasde againe,
And let them knowe that I had lyud
fowre times eleauen yeres cleare
When Lollius and Lepidus
were Consuls in theire yere.