 | The second book of ayres, and dialogues |  |
To my beloved Friend and Fellow, Mr. HENRY LAWES, On his Book of Ayres.
Now
I have view'd this Book of thine,
And find sweet Language, Notes more fine,
And see thy Fugues wrought in the Chime,
Thy weaving far excel's the Rhyme;
And still thy choice of lines are good,
Not like to those who get their food
As Beggars Raggs from Dunghills take,
(Such as comes next) ill Songs to make;
Who by a Witty blind pretense
Take Words that creep half way to sense;
Hippocrates or Galen's feet,
And sing them too with Notes as meet;
Songs as all th'way to Gam ut tend,
But in F Fa ut make an end;
With killing Notes, which ever must
Squeez the Sphears, and intimate the Dust:
These with their brave Chromaticks bring
Noise to the Ear, but mean No-thing:
Yet These will censure, when indeed
Shew Them good lines, They cannot read;
Or read them so, that in the close
You'll hardly judge them Rhyme from Prose.
And find sweet Language, Notes more fine,
And see thy Fugues wrought in the Chime,
Thy weaving far excel's the Rhyme;
And still thy choice of lines are good,
Not like to those who get their food
As Beggars Raggs from Dunghills take,
(Such as comes next) ill Songs to make;
Who by a Witty blind pretense
Take Words that creep half way to sense;
Hippocrates or Galen's feet,
And sing them too with Notes as meet;
Songs as all th'way to Gam ut tend,
But in F Fa ut make an end;
With killing Notes, which ever must
Squeez the Sphears, and intimate the Dust:
These with their brave Chromaticks bring
Noise to the Ear, but mean No-thing:
Yet These will censure, when indeed
Shew Them good lines, They cannot read;
Or read them so, that in the close
You'll hardly judge them Rhyme from Prose.
But why doe I write this to Thee?
This is for shop-sale Frippery;
Thy richer store hath truly hit
The whole Age for their want of Wit:
Live freely, and thy Phansie please,
[illeg.] shall be censur'd by such Things as these.
This is for shop-sale Frippery;
Thy richer store hath truly hit
The whole Age for their want of Wit:
Live freely, and thy Phansie please,
[illeg.] shall be censur'd by such Things as these.
John Wilson Doctor in Musick.
| The second book of ayres, and dialogues | |