All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet Being Sixty and three in Number. Collected into one Volume by the Author [i.e. John Taylor]: With sundry new Additions, corrected, reuised, and newly Imprinted |
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The prayse of the Gray Goose wing.
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 | All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet |  |
The prayse of the Gray Goose wing.
The Winchester and Taylers Goose I see,Are both too heauy, and too hot for me:
I will returne the honour to Emblaze,
Of the Gray Goose that on the greene doth graze.
To speake of wandring Wild-geese in this place,
Were (like a Goose) to run the Wild-goose chase:
The Egyptians did obserue their wonted guise,
How in the Skie they flew triangle-wise,
Which with one Corner forward, is their drift,
Thus figured to cut the Ayre more swift.
For me the wilde-Goose is too high a game,
My minde is onely to the Goose that's tame,
I in her Fleshes prayse haue wrote before,
But yet her Feathers doe deserue much more.
They are of farre more est mate and price
Then th'Estrich, or the bird of Paradise,
The Rauen, the Crow, the Daw in mourning dight,
The prating Pye attyr'd in blacke and white,
The Buzzard, Redshanke, Kite, Owle, Gull, & Rook,
The fabled Phœnix that breedes where (goe looke,)
The Pheasant, Partridge, Turtle, Plouer, Pidgeon,
The Woodcock, Woodquist, Woodpecker, & Widgeō
The Iay, the Snipe, the Teale, the Cock, the Hen,
The Chogh, the Larke, the Lapwing, & the Wren,
The Falkon, the Gerfalkon, Hobby, Marlin,
The Sparrowhauke, the Goshauke, Tassell, Starlin,
The Haggard, Keistrell, Lanneret, Cormorant,
The Caperkelly, and the Termagant,
The Bunting, Heathcocke, Crane, and Pellican,
The Turkey, Mallard, Ducke, the Storke, the Swan,
The Pewet, Parrot, and the Popinjay,
The Eagle, and the Cassawaraway,
The Sheldrake, Bittour, Blackbird, Nightingale,
The Cuckow that is alwayes in one tale,
The Sparrow of the hedge, or of the house,
The Ringdoue, Redbrest, and the Tittimouse,
The Bulfinch, Goldfinch, Ringtaile, Wagtaile, and
The Hearne that liues by water and by land:
The Swallow, Martin, Lennet, and the Thrush,
The Mauis that sings sweetly in the bush;
The Morecoote, the Kingfisher, and the Quaile;
The Peacock, with his proud vaine-glorious taile.
These sorts of Birds that I haue nam'd before,
If they were thrice redoubled three times more,
And let men value them but as they are,
They cannot with the Goose (for worth) compare.
Many of these doe feed on Carrion still,
And still are Carrion, euer being ill,
Neither in flesh or feathers they affoord
To doe man seruice at his bed or boord.
And some of them yeeld Plumes, and ornaments
For Ladies, and for Knightly Tournaments:
But let these toyes be weigh'd but iust and right,
And thei'le be found as vaine as they are light.
Others there are, as Parrots, Stares, Pyes, Dawes,
Are mightily accounted of, because
They can speak perfect none-sence, prate & chatter,
Feeding the eare: these fowles makes fooles the fatter.
Then there are others great, and small in size,
But great all for the greatnesse of their price,
Most pleasantly their flesh men doe deuoure,
The sawce lyes in the reckoning, sharpe and sowre.
Some are to sing continually in Cages,
And get but bread and water for their wages.
And others, with great paines men doe procure
With cost of Manning, Diet, Hood, Bels, Lure;
107
A Goose for profit doth surpasse them all.
When with her flesh mans stomack she hath fed,
She giues him ease and comfort in his bed:
She yeelds no whim-whams wauering on his crest,
But she relieues him with repose and rest.
And though the world be hard, she layes him soft,
She beares the burthen, and he lyes aloft:
Let him be drunke, or weary, sicke or lame,
She's semper idem, alwayes one the same.
Thus to supply our wants, and serue our needes,
Good meate and lodging from a Goose procedes.
Besides she loues not farre abroad to gad,
But at all times she's easie to be had;
As if (to satisfie mans hungry gut)
She wayted still that he her throat should cut.
Men neede not be at charge for Hawkes and Dogs,
And ride, and run o're hedge, ditch, mires, & bogs:
She's quickly caught, and drest well, eates as pleasant
As (far fetch'd deere bought) Partridge or a Pheasāt.
Throughout the world the Trumpe of Fame loud rings,
T'emblaze the glory of the Gooses wings:
The Romane Eagle ne'r had spred so farre,
But that the gray Goose was the Conquerer.
Sosostris King of Egypt with her feather,
Rain'd stormes and showres of Arrowes, like foule weather,
And ouercame the Iewes, th'Assirians,
Th'Arabians, Scithians, Germanes, Thracians.
The Huns, the Gothes, the Vandals, and the Gals,
With Arrows made great Rome their seu'rall thrals:
The Philistines were mighty Bow-men all,
With which they got the conquest of King Saull.
Cyrus with thousands of his Persians
With Shafts were slaine by the Messagetans,
Turkes, Tartars, Troyans, and the Parthians,
Danes, Saxons, Sweuians, and Polonians;
Yea all the Nations the whole world around,
The gray-Goose-wing hath honour'd and renound.
But why should I roame farre and wide aloofe,
When our own Kingdome yeelds sufficient proofe?
But search the Chronicles, it is most plaine,
That the Goose-wing braue conquests did obtaine.
Remember valiant Edwards name (the third)
How with the wing of this deseruing Bird,
When to small purpose seru'd his Shield or Lance:
At Cressie he ore-top'd the pow'r of France.
And after that, remember but agen
That Thunder-bolt of warre, that Mars of men,
The black Prince Edward, his victorious sonne,
How he at Poictiers a braue battaile wonne,
Where the French King and many Peeres wer tane,
Their Nobles, and their Gentles most part slaine,
And thirty thousand of their Commons more,
Lay in the field all weltring in their gore.
Henry the fift (that memorable King)
All France did vnto his subiection bring,
When forty thousand of the French men lay
At Agincourt, slaine in that bloody fray.
And though true valour did that conquest win,
But for the Gooses wing it had not bin.
In these things, and much more then I can say,
The Gooses feather bore the prize away.
If I should write all in particular,
What this rare feather hath atchieu'd in war,
Into a sea of matter I should runne,
And so begin a worke will ne'r be done.
And thus from time to time it hath appear'd,
How the gray Goose hath brauely domineer'd:
With swiftly cutting through the empty skie,
Triumphantly transporting victorie
From land to land, offending and defending
The Conquest on the Arrowes still depending.
Our English Yeomen, in the dayes of old,
Their names and fames haue worthily extold
Witnesse that Leash, that stout admired three,
Braue Adam Bell, Clim Clough, Will Clowdeslee.
I could capitulate, and write vpon
Our English Robin Hood, and little Iohn,
How with this feather they haue wonne renowne,
That euermore their memories shall crowne.
And e'r the Deuill these damned Gunnes deuis'd,
Or hellish powder here was exercis'd,
With the Goose-wing we did more honour get,
More nobly gain'd, then Gunnes could euer yet.
And how hath Vice our worthy Land infected,
Since Archery hath beene too much neglected?
The time that men in shooting spent before,
Is now (perhaps) peruerted to a Whore,
Or bowling, swearing, drinke, or damned Dice,
Is now most Gentleman-like exercise.
But for these few that in those dayes remaine,
Who are addicted to this shooting veine,
Let men but note their worthy disposition,
And we shall see they are of best condition,
Free honest spirits, such as men may trust,
In all their actions, constant, true, and iust.
It is a thing I haue obserued long,
An Archers mind is cleare from doing wrong,
It is a note worthy respect, and marke,
An Archer is no base defamed Sharke,
Not giuen to pride, to couetousnesse, or
To swearing, which all good men doe abhorre,
Nor doth he exercise, or take delight,
To cheate, to cogge, to lye, and to backe-bite,
But with most louing friendly conuersation,
He practiseth this manly recreation.
There was a Statute in th'eight Henries raigne,
Which Statute yet doth in full force remaine,
108
Wish that it were obseru'd, and kept in vse.
Within these few yeeres (I to mind doe call)
The Yeomen of the Guard were Archers all,
A hundred at a time I oft haue seene,
With Bowes & Arrowes ride before the Queene,
Their Bowes in hand, their Quiuers on their shoulders,
Was a most stately shew to the beholders:
And herein, if men rightly doe obserue,
The Arrowes did for two good vses serue:
First for a shewe of great magnificence,
And trusty weapons for to guard their Prince.
Prince Charles (our hope of Britaines happinesse)
Doth his affection oftentimes expresse:
With many Noble men of worthy race,
Doe with their best performance, shooting grace:
And long may these superiour Worthies liue,
Example to th'inferiour sort to giue,
That though this exercise be much declin'd,
May some supporters and defenders find.
King Sauls braue sonne (true-hearted Ionathan)
Dauids true friend, a Prince, a valiant man,
Did in this noble quality excell,
As the true story of his life doth tell.
King Dauid made a Law, and did command,
That shooting should be taught within this land.
Thus from true Histories we plainely see,
That shooting is of great antiquity:
And that the glory of the Gooses wings
Hath beene aduanc'd by Princes, Lords, and Kings,
And that yet Princes, Peeres, and Potentates,
And best of all conditions, and estates,
Doe giue to Archery the praise and prise
Of the best, manly, honest exercise.
| All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet | |