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 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet |  |
49
TAYLORS PASTORALL, BEING BOTH HISTORICALL And Satyricall.
OR, The noble Antiquitie of Shepheards, with the profitable vse of Sheepe.
[Apollo (Father of the Sisters nine]
Apollo (Father of the Sisters nine,
I craue thy ayde t'inspire this Muse of mine,
Thou that thy golden Glory didst lay by
(As Ouid doth relate most wittily)
And in a Shepheards shape, didst deigne to keepe
Thy Loues beloued Sire, Admerus sheepe.
And rurall Pan, thy helpe I doe intreat,
That (to the life) the praise I may repeat
Of the contented life, and mightie stockes
Or happie Shepheards, and their harmlesse flockes,
But better thoughts my Errors doe controule
For an offence, most negligent and foule,
In thus inuoking, like a Heathen man,
Helpe, helplesse, from Apollo, or from Pan:
When as the subiect, which I haue in hand,
Is almost infinite, as Starres, or sand,
Grac'd with Antiquitie, vpon Record
In the Eternall, neuer-failing Word.
There 'tis ingrauen true and manifest,
That Sheep and Shepheards, were both best and blest.
I therefore inuocate the gracious aide
Of Thee, whose mightie Word hath all things made,
I Israels great Shepheard humbly craue
That his assur'd assistance I may haue:
That my vnlearned Muse no verse compile.
Which may bee impious, prophane or vile,
And though through Ignorance, or negligence,
My poore inuention fall into offence,
I doe implore that boundlesse Grace of his,
Not strictly to regard what is amisse:
But vnto me belongeth all the blame,
And all the Glory bee vnto his Name.
Yet as this Booke is verse, so men must know,
I must some fictions and Allusions show,
Some shreds, sow remnants, reliques, or some scraps.
The Muses may inspire me with perhaps.
Which taken literally, as lies may seeme,
And so mis-vnderstanding may misdeeme.
Of Sheepe therefore, before to worke I fall,
Ile shew the Shepheards first originall:
Those that the best Records will reade and marke,
Shall finde iust Abel was a Patriarke,
Our father Adams second sonne, a Prince,
(As great as any man, begotten since)
Yet in his function hee a Shepheard was:
And so his mortall Pilgrimage did passe.
And in the sacred Text it is compil'd,
That hee that's father of the Faithfull stil'd,
Did as a Shepheard, liue vpon th'increase
Of Sheepe, vntill his dayes on earth did cease:
And in those times it was apparent then
Abel and Abram both were Noble men:
The one obtain'd the tytle righteously
For his vnfeigned seruing the most High,
Hee first did offer Sheepe, which (on Record)
Was Sacrifice accepted of the Lord.
I craue thy ayde t'inspire this Muse of mine,
Thou that thy golden Glory didst lay by
(As Ouid doth relate most wittily)
And in a Shepheards shape, didst deigne to keepe
Thy Loues beloued Sire, Admerus sheepe.
And rurall Pan, thy helpe I doe intreat,
That (to the life) the praise I may repeat
Of the contented life, and mightie stockes
Or happie Shepheards, and their harmlesse flockes,
But better thoughts my Errors doe controule
For an offence, most negligent and foule,
In thus inuoking, like a Heathen man,
Helpe, helplesse, from Apollo, or from Pan:
When as the subiect, which I haue in hand,
Is almost infinite, as Starres, or sand,
Grac'd with Antiquitie, vpon Record
In the Eternall, neuer-failing Word.
There 'tis ingrauen true and manifest,
That Sheep and Shepheards, were both best and blest.
I therefore inuocate the gracious aide
Of Thee, whose mightie Word hath all things made,
I Israels great Shepheard humbly craue
That his assur'd assistance I may haue:
That my vnlearned Muse no verse compile.
Which may bee impious, prophane or vile,
And though through Ignorance, or negligence,
My poore inuention fall into offence,
I doe implore that boundlesse Grace of his,
Not strictly to regard what is amisse:
But vnto me belongeth all the blame,
And all the Glory bee vnto his Name.
Yet as this Booke is verse, so men must know,
I must some fictions and Allusions show,
Some shreds, sow remnants, reliques, or some scraps.
The Muses may inspire me with perhaps.
Which taken literally, as lies may seeme,
And so mis-vnderstanding may misdeeme.
Of Sheepe therefore, before to worke I fall,
Ile shew the Shepheards first originall:
Those that the best Records will reade and marke,
Shall finde iust Abel was a Patriarke,
Our father Adams second sonne, a Prince,
(As great as any man, begotten since)
Yet in his function hee a Shepheard was:
And so his mortall Pilgrimage did passe.
And in the sacred Text it is compil'd,
That hee that's father of the Faithfull stil'd,
Did as a Shepheard, liue vpon th'increase
Of Sheepe, vntill his dayes on earth did cease:
And in those times it was apparent then
Abel and Abram both were Noble men:
The one obtain'd the tytle righteously
For his vnfeigned seruing the most High,
Hee first did offer Sheepe, which (on Record)
Was Sacrifice accepted of the Lord.
Hee was (before the Infant world was ripe)
The Churches figure, and his Sauiours type.
A murdered Martyr, who for seruing God,
Did first of all feele persecutions rod.
And Abraham was in account so great,
Abimelech his friendship did intreat.
Faiths patterne, and Obedience sample, hee
Like Starres, or sand, was in posteritie:
In him the Nations of the Earth were blest,
And now his bosome figures heau'nly Rest.
His Sheepe almost past numbring multiply'd,
And when (as he thought) Isaac should haue dy'd,
Then by th' Almighties Mercies, Loue, and Grace
A Sheepe from out a Bush supply'd the place.
Lot was a Shepheard, (Abrams brothers sonne)
And such great fauour from his God he wonne,
That Sodom could not be consum'd with fire,
Till hee and his did out of it retire,
They felt no vengeance for their foule offence,
Till righteous Lot was quite departed thence.
And Iacob, as the holy Ghost doth tell,
Who afterwards was called Israel,
Who wrastled with his God, and (to his fame)
Obtain'd a Name, and Blessing for the same,
Hee (vnder Laban) was a Shepheard long,
And suffred from him much ingratefull wrong,
For Rachel and for Leah, hee did beare
The yoke of seruitude full twentie yeare,
Hee was a Patriarke, a Prince of might,
Whose wealth in Sheepe, was almost infinite,
His twice sixe sonnes (as holy writ describes,
Who were the famous Fathers, of twelue Tribes)
Were for the most part Shepheards, and such men
Whose like the world shall ne're containe agen.
Young Ioseph, 'mongst the rest, especially,
A constant mirrour of true Chastitie:
Who was in his affliction, of behauiour
A mortall Tipe of his immortall Sauiour:
And Truth his Mother Rachel doth expresse
To be her father Labans Shepheardesse.
Meeke Moses, whom the Lord of hosts did call
To leade his people out of Ægypts thrall,
Whose power was such, as no mans was before,
Nor since his time hath any mans beene more,
Yet in the Sacred text it plaine appeares,
That he was Iethroes Shepheard fortie yeares.
Heroycke David, Jshaies youngest sonne,
Whose acts immortall memorie hath wonne:
Whose valiant vigour did in pieces teare
A furious Lyon and a rauenous Beare:
Who (arm'd with Faith and fortitude alone)
Slew great Goliah, with a sling and stone,
Whose victories the people sung most plaine,
Saul hath a thousand, Hee ten thousand slaine.
Hee from the Sheepfold came to be a King,
Whose fame for euer through the world shall ring:
Hee was another Tipe of that blest Hee
That Was, and is, and euermore shall bee.
His vertuous Acts are writ for imitation,
His holy Hymnes and Psalmes for consolation,
For Reprehension and for Contemplation,
And finally to shew vs our saluation.
The Prophet Amos, vnto whom the Lord
Reueal'd the sacred secrets of his Word:
God rais'd him from the Sheepfold to foretell
What Plagues should fall on sinfull Israell.
True Patience patterne, Prince of his affections,
Most mightie tamer of his imperfections,
Whose guard was God, whose guide the holy Ghost,
Blest in his wealth, of which Sheepe was the most.
Iust Jobs lost riches doubled was agen,
Who liu'd belou'd of God, admir'd of men.
The Churches figure, and his Sauiours type.
A murdered Martyr, who for seruing God,
Did first of all feele persecutions rod.
And Abraham was in account so great,
Abimelech his friendship did intreat.
50
Like Starres, or sand, was in posteritie:
In him the Nations of the Earth were blest,
And now his bosome figures heau'nly Rest.
His Sheepe almost past numbring multiply'd,
And when (as he thought) Isaac should haue dy'd,
Then by th' Almighties Mercies, Loue, and Grace
A Sheepe from out a Bush supply'd the place.
Lot was a Shepheard, (Abrams brothers sonne)
And such great fauour from his God he wonne,
That Sodom could not be consum'd with fire,
Till hee and his did out of it retire,
They felt no vengeance for their foule offence,
Till righteous Lot was quite departed thence.
And Iacob, as the holy Ghost doth tell,
Who afterwards was called Israel,
Who wrastled with his God, and (to his fame)
Obtain'd a Name, and Blessing for the same,
Hee (vnder Laban) was a Shepheard long,
And suffred from him much ingratefull wrong,
For Rachel and for Leah, hee did beare
The yoke of seruitude full twentie yeare,
Hee was a Patriarke, a Prince of might,
Whose wealth in Sheepe, was almost infinite,
His twice sixe sonnes (as holy writ describes,
Who were the famous Fathers, of twelue Tribes)
Were for the most part Shepheards, and such men
Whose like the world shall ne're containe agen.
Young Ioseph, 'mongst the rest, especially,
A constant mirrour of true Chastitie:
Who was in his affliction, of behauiour
A mortall Tipe of his immortall Sauiour:
And Truth his Mother Rachel doth expresse
To be her father Labans Shepheardesse.
Meeke Moses, whom the Lord of hosts did call
To leade his people out of Ægypts thrall,
Whose power was such, as no mans was before,
Nor since his time hath any mans beene more,
Yet in the Sacred text it plaine appeares,
That he was Iethroes Shepheard fortie yeares.
Heroycke David, Jshaies youngest sonne,
Whose acts immortall memorie hath wonne:
Whose valiant vigour did in pieces teare
A furious Lyon and a rauenous Beare:
Who (arm'd with Faith and fortitude alone)
Slew great Goliah, with a sling and stone,
Whose victories the people sung most plaine,
Saul hath a thousand, Hee ten thousand slaine.
Hee from the Sheepfold came to be a King,
Whose fame for euer through the world shall ring:
Hee was another Tipe of that blest Hee
That Was, and is, and euermore shall bee.
His vertuous Acts are writ for imitation,
His holy Hymnes and Psalmes for consolation,
For Reprehension and for Contemplation,
And finally to shew vs our saluation.
The Prophet Amos, vnto whom the Lord
Reueal'd the sacred secrets of his Word:
God rais'd him from the Sheepfold to foretell
What Plagues should fall on sinfull Israell.
True Patience patterne, Prince of his affections,
Most mightie tamer of his imperfections,
Whose guard was God, whose guide the holy Ghost,
Blest in his wealth, of which Sheepe was the most.
Iust Jobs lost riches doubled was agen,
Who liu'd belou'd of God, admir'd of men.
The first of happie tydings on the earth,
Of our all onely Sauiours blessed birth,
The glorious Angels to the Shepheards told,
As Luke th'Euangelist doth well vnfold.
And should my verse a little but decline
To humane stories, and leaue diuine:
There are some mightie Princes I can name,
Whose breeding (at the first) from Shepheards came.
Romes founder (Romulus) was bred and fed,
Mongst Shepheards, where his youthfull dayes he led.
The Persian Monarch (Cyrus) hee did passe
His youth with Shepheards, and a Shepheard was,
The Terrour of the World, that famous man
Who conquer'd Kings, and kingdomes ouer ran
His stile was, (as some stories doe repeat)
The Scythian Shepheard, Tamberlaine the Great.
Of our all onely Sauiours blessed birth,
The glorious Angels to the Shepheards told,
As Luke th'Euangelist doth well vnfold.
And should my verse a little but decline
To humane stories, and leaue diuine:
There are some mightie Princes I can name,
Whose breeding (at the first) from Shepheards came.
Romes founder (Romulus) was bred and fed,
Mongst Shepheards, where his youthfull dayes he led.
The Persian Monarch (Cyrus) hee did passe
His youth with Shepheards, and a Shepheard was,
The Terrour of the World, that famous man
Who conquer'd Kings, and kingdomes ouer ran
His stile was, (as some stories doe repeat)
The Scythian Shepheard, Tamberlaine the Great.
Tis such a Tytle of preheminence,
Of reuerence, and such high magnificence,
That Dauid, (who so well his words did frame)
Did call our great Creator by that name.
Our blest Redeemer (Gods eternall Sonne)
Whose onely merits our Saluation wonne.
He did the harmlesse name of Shepheard take
For our protection, and his Merciss sake.
Those that will reade the sacred Text, and looke
With diligence, throughout that heauenly Booke,
Shall finde the Ministers haue Epithites,
And named Angels, Stewards, Watchmen, Lights,
Salt, Builders, Husbandmen, and Starres that shine,
(Inflamed with the Light which is Diuine)
And with these names, within that Booke compil'd,
They with the Stile of Shepheards are instil'd.
Thus God the Sire, and Sonne, the Scriptures call
Both Shepheards, mysticall and literall,
And by similitudes comparing to,
All Kings and Churchmen beare that tytle do.
Of reuerence, and such high magnificence,
That Dauid, (who so well his words did frame)
Did call our great Creator by that name.
Our blest Redeemer (Gods eternall Sonne)
Whose onely merits our Saluation wonne.
He did the harmlesse name of Shepheard take
For our protection, and his Merciss sake.
Those that will reade the sacred Text, and looke
With diligence, throughout that heauenly Booke,
Shall finde the Ministers haue Epithites,
And named Angels, Stewards, Watchmen, Lights,
Salt, Builders, Husbandmen, and Starres that shine,
(Inflamed with the Light which is Diuine)
And with these names, within that Booke compil'd,
They with the Stile of Shepheards are instil'd.
Thus God the Sire, and Sonne, the Scriptures call
Both Shepheards, mysticall and literall,
And by similitudes comparing to,
All Kings and Churchmen beare that tytle do.
Abel a Prince, a Patriarke, a figure of the true Church, a type of Christ, and a Shepheard. Abraham a Prince, a Patriarke, intituled with the Glorious tytle of Father of the Faithfull, a Shepheard.
51
[Wise and Inscrutable, Omniscient]
A. E. I. O. V. two Anagrams of the fiue Vowels, the one serues for the glorious name of GOD, and the other in the Spanish tongue is a Sheepe, which name the Prophet Esay doth figuratiuely or mystically call our Creator Ieova, or Iehovah, Oveia, is a Sheepe.
Wherein may bee perceiued, that there is no Word, Name or Action, in or vnder Heauen, but hath one or more of the fiue Vowels, and that no word or Name hath them all without other Letters, but Ieova, and Oveia. Which doth admonish vs in the feare and reuerence of the Almightie, because in all our thoughts, words and actions, some part of his wonderfull Name is infinitely included. And withall that Oveia or a Sheepe is a most significant Emblem, or signe of our God and Sauiours innocencie and patient sufferings.
Wise and Inscrutable, Omniscient,
Eternall, Gracious, and Omnipotent,
In Loue, in Iustice, Mercy & in Might
In Honour, Power and Glory infinite
In workes, in words, in euery Attribute
Almightie All commanding, Absolute;
For who so notes the Letters of the name
Iehovah, shall perceiue within the same,
The Vowels of all Tongues included be:
So hath no name that e're was nam'd but He.
And I haue heard some Schollers make Relation,
That H'is but a breathing Aspiration;
A letter that may be left out and spar'd,
Whereby is cleerely to our sight declar'd,
That Great Iehova may be written true
With onely Vowels, A, E, I, O, V:
And that there is no word or name but this,
That hath them all alone, but onely His.
So that the Heauens with all the mighty Host
Of Creatures there, Earth, Sea, or any Coast,
Or Climate, any Fish, or Fowle, or Beast,
Or any of His workes, the most and least,
Or thoughts, or words, or writing with the Pen,
Or deedes that are accomplished by men,
But haue some of these Letters in them all,
And God alone hath all in Generall.
By which we see, according to his will,
He is in all things, and doth all things fill,
And all things said or done, he hath ordain'd,
Some part of his great Name's therein contain'd,
All future, present, and all past things seeing,
In whom we liue, and moue, and haue our being.
Almightie, All in All, and euery where,
Eternall, in whom change cannot appeare,
Immortall, who made all things mortall else,
Omnipotent, whose Power all Power excels;
Vnited, Three in one, and one in Three,
Ieova: Vnto whom all Glory bee.
Eternall, Gracious, and Omnipotent,
In Loue, in Iustice, Mercy & in Might
In Honour, Power and Glory infinite
In workes, in words, in euery Attribute
Almightie All commanding, Absolute;
For who so notes the Letters of the name
Iehovah, shall perceiue within the same,
The Vowels of all Tongues included be:
So hath no name that e're was nam'd but He.
And I haue heard some Schollers make Relation,
That H'is but a breathing Aspiration;
A letter that may be left out and spar'd,
Whereby is cleerely to our sight declar'd,
That Great Iehova may be written true
With onely Vowels, A, E, I, O, V:
And that there is no word or name but this,
That hath them all alone, but onely His.
So that the Heauens with all the mighty Host
Of Creatures there, Earth, Sea, or any Coast,
Or Climate, any Fish, or Fowle, or Beast,
Or any of His workes, the most and least,
Or thoughts, or words, or writing with the Pen,
Or deedes that are accomplished by men,
But haue some of these Letters in them all,
And God alone hath all in Generall.
By which we see, according to his will,
He is in all things, and doth all things fill,
And all things said or done, he hath ordain'd,
Some part of his great Name's therein contain'd,
All future, present, and all past things seeing,
In whom we liue, and moue, and haue our being.
Almightie, All in All, and euery where,
Eternall, in whom change cannot appeare,
Immortall, who made all things mortall else,
Omnipotent, whose Power all Power excels;
Vnited, Three in one, and one in Three,
Ieova: Vnto whom all Glory bee.
Besides the learned Poets of all times,
Haue chanted out the praise, in pleasant rimes,
The harmelesse liues of rurall shepheards Swaines,
And beautious shepheardesses on the plaines,
In Odes, in Roundelaies, and Madrigals,
In Sonnets, and in well pen'd Pastorals:
They haue recorded, most delightfully,
Their loues, their fortunes, and felicitie,
And sure, if in this low terrestriall Round
Plaine honest happinesse is to be found;
It with the Shepheards is remaining still,
Because they haue least power to doe ill:
And whilst they on their feeding flockes attend,
They haue the least occasions to offend.
Haue chanted out the praise, in pleasant rimes,
The harmelesse liues of rurall shepheards Swaines,
And beautious shepheardesses on the plaines,
In Odes, in Roundelaies, and Madrigals,
In Sonnets, and in well pen'd Pastorals:
They haue recorded, most delightfully,
Their loues, their fortunes, and felicitie,
And sure, if in this low terrestriall Round
Plaine honest happinesse is to be found;
It with the Shepheards is remaining still,
Because they haue least power to doe ill:
And whilst they on their feeding flockes attend,
They haue the least occasions to offend.
Ambition, Pompe, and Hell begotten Pride,
And damned Adulation, they deride:
The complementall flatt'rie of Kings Courts,
Is neuer intermix'd amidst their sports;
They seldome enuie at each others state,
Their loue and feare is Gods, the deuil's their hate.
In weightie businesse they nor marre or make,
And cursed bribes they neither giue or take.
They are not guiltie (as some great men are)
T'vndoe their Mercer and Embroiderer,
Their Taylor, Butcher, Brewer, Baker, Powlter,
(For which there's some haue well deseru'd a halter)
Their Shoomaker and Silkman I forgot,
Though breaking, or else begg'rie be their lot,
Nor is't a Shepheards trade, by night or day
To sweare themselues in debt, and neuer pay.
Hee's no state-plotting Machinilian,
Or Proiect-monger Monopolitan:
Hee hath no trickes or wiles to circumuent,
Nor feares he when there comes a Parliament.
He neuer weares his cap, nor bends his knee
To feed Contention with a Lawyers fee:
He wants the art to Cog, Cheat, Sweare and Lie,
Nor feares the Gallowes, or the Pillorie.
Nor cares he if great men be fooles or wise,
If honour fall, and base dishonour rise,
Let fortunes mounted minions sinke or swim,
Hee neuer breakes his braines, all's one to him.
He's free from fearefull curses of the poore,
And liues and dies content, with lesse, or more.
He doth not waste the time as many vse,
His good Creators creatures to abuse,
In drinking sicke vngodly healths to some,
The veryest Cankerwormes of Christendome:
My Lord Ambition and my Lady Pride,
Shall with his quaffing not be magnifide:
Nor for their sakes will he carowse and feast,
Vntill (from man) he be turn'd worse then beast,
Whereby he scapes vaine oathes, and blasphemy,
And surfets, (fruits of drunken gluttony.)
He scapes occasion vnto lusts pretence,
And so escapes the Poxe by consequence.
Thus doth he scape the Parator and Proctor,
Th'Apothecary, Surgeon, and Doctor,
Whereby he this prerogatiue may haue,
To hold the laying in into his graue,
Whilst many, that his betters farre haue bin,
Will very hardly hold the laying in.
Thus Shepheards liue; and thus they end their liues,
Adorn'd and grac'd with these prerogatiues:
And when he dyes he leaues no wrangling heyres
To law till all be spent, and nothing theirs,
Hooke, Tar-box, Bottle, Bag, Pipe, Dog, and all,
Shall breed no iarres in Westminsters great Hall:
Peace and tranquility was all his life,
And (dead) his goods shall breed no cause of strife.
Thus Shepheards haue no places, meanes, or times,
To fall into these hell-deseruing crimes,
Which Courtiers, Lawyers, Tradesmen, men of arms.
Commit, vnto their Soules and Bodies harmes.
And from the Shepheards now ile turne my stile
To sundry sorts of Sheepe another while.
And damned Adulation, they deride:
The complementall flatt'rie of Kings Courts,
Is neuer intermix'd amidst their sports;
They seldome enuie at each others state,
Their loue and feare is Gods, the deuil's their hate.
In weightie businesse they nor marre or make,
And cursed bribes they neither giue or take.
They are not guiltie (as some great men are)
T'vndoe their Mercer and Embroiderer,
Their Taylor, Butcher, Brewer, Baker, Powlter,
(For which there's some haue well deseru'd a halter)
Their Shoomaker and Silkman I forgot,
Though breaking, or else begg'rie be their lot,
Nor is't a Shepheards trade, by night or day
To sweare themselues in debt, and neuer pay.
Hee's no state-plotting Machinilian,
Or Proiect-monger Monopolitan:
Hee hath no trickes or wiles to circumuent,
Nor feares he when there comes a Parliament.
He neuer weares his cap, nor bends his knee
To feed Contention with a Lawyers fee:
He wants the art to Cog, Cheat, Sweare and Lie,
Nor feares the Gallowes, or the Pillorie.
Nor cares he if great men be fooles or wise,
If honour fall, and base dishonour rise,
Let fortunes mounted minions sinke or swim,
Hee neuer breakes his braines, all's one to him.
He's free from fearefull curses of the poore,
And liues and dies content, with lesse, or more.
52
His good Creators creatures to abuse,
In drinking sicke vngodly healths to some,
The veryest Cankerwormes of Christendome:
My Lord Ambition and my Lady Pride,
Shall with his quaffing not be magnifide:
Nor for their sakes will he carowse and feast,
Vntill (from man) he be turn'd worse then beast,
Whereby he scapes vaine oathes, and blasphemy,
And surfets, (fruits of drunken gluttony.)
He scapes occasion vnto lusts pretence,
And so escapes the Poxe by consequence.
Thus doth he scape the Parator and Proctor,
Th'Apothecary, Surgeon, and Doctor,
Whereby he this prerogatiue may haue,
To hold the laying in into his graue,
Whilst many, that his betters farre haue bin,
Will very hardly hold the laying in.
Thus Shepheards liue; and thus they end their liues,
Adorn'd and grac'd with these prerogatiues:
And when he dyes he leaues no wrangling heyres
To law till all be spent, and nothing theirs,
Hooke, Tar-box, Bottle, Bag, Pipe, Dog, and all,
Shall breed no iarres in Westminsters great Hall:
Peace and tranquility was all his life,
And (dead) his goods shall breed no cause of strife.
Thus Shepheards haue no places, meanes, or times,
To fall into these hell-deseruing crimes,
Which Courtiers, Lawyers, Tradesmen, men of arms.
Commit, vnto their Soules and Bodies harmes.
And from the Shepheards now ile turne my stile
To sundry sorts of Sheepe another while.
The Lambs that in the Iewes passeouer dy'd,
Were figures of the Lambe that's crucifi'd
And Esay doth compare our heauenly food
T'a Sheepe, which dumb before the shearer stood:
Whose death, and merits, did this title win,
The Lambe of God, which freed the world from sin
Were figures of the Lambe that's crucifi'd
And Esay doth compare our heauenly food
T'a Sheepe, which dumb before the shearer stood:
Whose death, and merits, did this title win,
The Lambe of God, which freed the world from sin
Lambe Anagram's Blame. Balme.
The Anagram's of Lambe is Blame and Balme.
And Christ, the Lambe, vpon him tooke our Blame,
His precious Blood (Gods heauy wrath did calme)
'Twas th'onely Balme for Sinne to cure the same:
All power, and praise, and glory be therefore,
Ascribed to the Lambe for euermore.
And in the threescore nineteenth Psalme we read,
That like a Sheepe our God doth Joseph lead.
Againe, of vs he such account doth keepe,
That of his Pasture we are called Sheepe.
And euery day we doe confesse (almost)
That we haue err'd and stray'd like Sheepe that's lost.
Our Sauiour, (that hath bought our Soules so deare)
Hath said, his Sheepe his voice will onely heare:
And Thrice did Christ vnto Saint Peter call,
(In which he spake to his Disciples all)
If you doe loue me, feed my Sheepe (quoth he)
And feed my Lambs well, if you doe loue me.
Moreouer, in the final Iudgement day,
There is the right hand, and the left hand way,
Whereas the sheepe he to himselfe doth gather,
With saying, Come, ye blessed of my Father, &c.
And to the Goats, in his consuming ire,
He bids, Depart into eternall fire.
Thus our Redeemer, and his whole elect,
The name of Sheepe held euer in respect,
And the comparison holds reference
To profit, and to harmelesse innocence.
For of all beasts that euer were, or are,
None can (for goodnesse) with a Sheepe compare:
Indeed, for bone and burthen I must grant.
He's much inferiour to the Elephant,
The Dromedarie, Camell, Horse, and Asse,
For loade and carriage doth a Sheepe surpasse:
Strong Taurus, Eunuch sonne, the labouring Oxe,
The stately Stagge, the bobtaild craftie Foxe,
These, and all rauenous beasts of prey, must yeeld
Vnto the Sheepe, the honour of the field.
And Christ, the Lambe, vpon him tooke our Blame,
His precious Blood (Gods heauy wrath did calme)
'Twas th'onely Balme for Sinne to cure the same:
All power, and praise, and glory be therefore,
Ascribed to the Lambe for euermore.
And in the threescore nineteenth Psalme we read,
That like a Sheepe our God doth Joseph lead.
Againe, of vs he such account doth keepe,
That of his Pasture we are called Sheepe.
And euery day we doe confesse (almost)
That we haue err'd and stray'd like Sheepe that's lost.
Our Sauiour, (that hath bought our Soules so deare)
Hath said, his Sheepe his voice will onely heare:
And Thrice did Christ vnto Saint Peter call,
(In which he spake to his Disciples all)
If you doe loue me, feed my Sheepe (quoth he)
And feed my Lambs well, if you doe loue me.
Moreouer, in the final Iudgement day,
There is the right hand, and the left hand way,
Whereas the sheepe he to himselfe doth gather,
With saying, Come, ye blessed of my Father, &c.
And to the Goats, in his consuming ire,
He bids, Depart into eternall fire.
Thus our Redeemer, and his whole elect,
The name of Sheepe held euer in respect,
And the comparison holds reference
To profit, and to harmelesse innocence.
For of all beasts that euer were, or are,
None can (for goodnesse) with a Sheepe compare:
Indeed, for bone and burthen I must grant.
He's much inferiour to the Elephant,
The Dromedarie, Camell, Horse, and Asse,
For loade and carriage doth a Sheepe surpasse:
Strong Taurus, Eunuch sonne, the labouring Oxe,
The stately Stagge, the bobtaild craftie Foxe,
These, and all rauenous beasts of prey, must yeeld
Vnto the Sheepe, the honour of the field.
I could recount the names of many more,
The Lyon, Vnicorne, the Beare and Bore:
The Wolfe, the Tyger, the Rhinoscerot,
The Leopard, and a number more I wot.
But all these greedie Beasts, great Ouids pen
Doth say are metamorphos'd into men,
For Beast to Beast afford more conscience can,
And much losse cruelty, than man to man.
Ile therefore let such Beasts be as they be,
For feare they kicke, and snap and snarle at me.
Vnto the Sheepe againe my Muse doth flye,
For honest safetie, and commoditie,
He with his flesh and fleece, doth feed and clad,
All Languages and Nations, good and bad:
What can it more, but dye, that we may liue,
And euery yeare to vs a liuery giue?
'Tis such a bountie, and the charge so deepe,
That nothing can afford the like, but Sheepe.
For should the world want Sheepe but 5 whole yere.
Ten thousand millions would want cloathes to weare:
And wer't not for the flesh of this kind beast,
The world might fast, when it doth often feast.
There's nothing doth vnto a Sheepe pertaine,
But 'tis for mans commoditie and gaine:
For men to men so much vntrusty are,
To lye, to couzen, to forsweare and sweare:
That oathes, and passing words, and ioyning hands,
Is like assurance written in the sands,
To make men keepe their words, and mend all this.
The silly Sheepe-skin turn'd to parchment is.
There's many a wealthy man, whose whole tstate,
Lyes more in Parchment, then in coyne or Plate.
Indentures, Leases, Euidences, Wills,
Bonds, Contracts, Records, Obligations, Bils,
With these (although the sheepeskin is but weake)
It binds men strongly that they dare not breake.
But if a man eates Spiders now and then,
The oyle of Parchment cures him oft agen.
And what rare stuffes which in the world are fram'd,
Can be in value like to Parchment nam'd;
The richest cloth of gold that can be found,
A yard of it was nere worth fiftie pound:
And I haue seene two foot of Sheepeskin drest,
Which hath bin worth ten thousand pounds at least.
A peece of parchment well with Inke lac'd ouer,
Helps many a gallant to a Sattin couer:
Into the Mercer it some Faith doth strike,
It giues the Silkeman Hope of no dislike:
The Taylor it with Charitie assailes,
It thrusts him last betwixt his Bill and Uailes,
And by these meanes, a piece of parchment can
Patch vp, and make a Gull a Gentleman,
The Nature of it very strange I finde,
'Tis much like Physicke, it can loose and binde:
'Tis one mans freedome, and anothers noose,
And like the Pope it doth both binde and loose.
And as the Ram and Ewe doe fructifie,
And euery yeare a Lambe doth multiply:
So doth a sheepe-skin Bond make money breed,
And procreate, as feed doth spring from seed.
An hundred pounds the Ewe, which euery yeare
Doth breed a ten pound Lambe, (all charges cleare.)
Thus is a sheepe-skin prou'd the onely Tie,
And stay, whereon a world of men relye,
Which holds a crew of Earth wormes in more awe,
Then both the Tables of the sacred Law.
Past number, I could many functions name
Who (as 'tis parchment) liue vpon the same:
But 'tis sufficient this small homely touch,
Should all be writ, my Booke would swell too much.
Now for the Ram, the Ewe, the Lambs, and Weather,
Ile touch their skins as they are turn'd to Leather,
And made in Purses, Pouches, Laces, strings,
Gloues, Points, Book Couers, & ten thousand things.
And many Tradesmen liue and thriue thereby,
Which if I would, I more could amplifie.
Their Guts serue Instruments which sweetly sound,
Their Dung is best to make most fruitfull ground;
Their Hoofes burnt will most venom'd Serpents kill,
Their grated Hornes are good 'gainst poyson still:
Their Milke makes Cheese, mans hunger to preuent,
As I haue seene in Sussex and in Kent.
Their Trotters, for the healthy or the sicke,
(Drest as they should be) are good meat to picke.
The Cookes and Butchers with the Ioints doe gaine
And poore folkes eate the Gather, Head, and braine;
And though all wise mens iudgement will allow
A Sheepe to be much lesser then a Cow,
Yet in a Leg of Mutton I can see,
More meat then in a Leg of Beefe can be.
A line Sheepe hath one Necke, yet I perceiue,
Sheepe being dead, two neckes of Mutton haue.
Foure legs each liuing Sheepe hath, but once slaine,
(Although he loose none, yet) he hath but twaine.
Now for the honour of the valiant Ram,
If I were learn'd more treble then I am,
Yet could I not sufficiently expresse
His wondrous worth, and exc'llent worthinesse.
For by Astronomers 'tis verifide
How that the Ram in heauen is stellifide,
And (of the twelue is plac'd head signe of all,
Where Sol keepes first his Equinoctiall.
For, hauing at the Bull drunke Aprils showres,
And with ye Twins, May deck'd ye earth with flowers
And scorch'd the Crab in Iune with burning beames,
Made Julies Lyon chase with fierie gleames;
In August solace to the Virgin giuen
With Ballance in September made Time euen,
Octobers Scorpion with declining course,
And passing by Decembers Archers force,
Then hauing past Nouembers frozen Goate,
He next to Ianus Waterie Signe doth floate:
He to the Lenten Signe in February,
And so bright Phœbus ends his yeres vagarie.
Then, to the Ram, in March, in his careere,
He mounts, on which this Sonnet's written heere.
The Lyon, Vnicorne, the Beare and Bore:
The Wolfe, the Tyger, the Rhinoscerot,
The Leopard, and a number more I wot.
But all these greedie Beasts, great Ouids pen
Doth say are metamorphos'd into men,
For Beast to Beast afford more conscience can,
And much losse cruelty, than man to man.
Ile therefore let such Beasts be as they be,
For feare they kicke, and snap and snarle at me.
Vnto the Sheepe againe my Muse doth flye,
For honest safetie, and commoditie,
He with his flesh and fleece, doth feed and clad,
All Languages and Nations, good and bad:
What can it more, but dye, that we may liue,
And euery yeare to vs a liuery giue?
'Tis such a bountie, and the charge so deepe,
That nothing can afford the like, but Sheepe.
For should the world want Sheepe but 5 whole yere.
Ten thousand millions would want cloathes to weare:
And wer't not for the flesh of this kind beast,
The world might fast, when it doth often feast.
There's nothing doth vnto a Sheepe pertaine,
But 'tis for mans commoditie and gaine:
For men to men so much vntrusty are,
To lye, to couzen, to forsweare and sweare:
That oathes, and passing words, and ioyning hands,
Is like assurance written in the sands,
To make men keepe their words, and mend all this.
The silly Sheepe-skin turn'd to parchment is.
53
Lyes more in Parchment, then in coyne or Plate.
Indentures, Leases, Euidences, Wills,
Bonds, Contracts, Records, Obligations, Bils,
With these (although the sheepeskin is but weake)
It binds men strongly that they dare not breake.
But if a man eates Spiders now and then,
The oyle of Parchment cures him oft agen.
And what rare stuffes which in the world are fram'd,
Can be in value like to Parchment nam'd;
The richest cloth of gold that can be found,
A yard of it was nere worth fiftie pound:
And I haue seene two foot of Sheepeskin drest,
Which hath bin worth ten thousand pounds at least.
A peece of parchment well with Inke lac'd ouer,
Helps many a gallant to a Sattin couer:
Into the Mercer it some Faith doth strike,
It giues the Silkeman Hope of no dislike:
The Taylor it with Charitie assailes,
It thrusts him last betwixt his Bill and Uailes,
And by these meanes, a piece of parchment can
Patch vp, and make a Gull a Gentleman,
The Nature of it very strange I finde,
'Tis much like Physicke, it can loose and binde:
'Tis one mans freedome, and anothers noose,
And like the Pope it doth both binde and loose.
And as the Ram and Ewe doe fructifie,
And euery yeare a Lambe doth multiply:
So doth a sheepe-skin Bond make money breed,
And procreate, as feed doth spring from seed.
An hundred pounds the Ewe, which euery yeare
Doth breed a ten pound Lambe, (all charges cleare.)
Thus is a sheepe-skin prou'd the onely Tie,
And stay, whereon a world of men relye,
Which holds a crew of Earth wormes in more awe,
Then both the Tables of the sacred Law.
Past number, I could many functions name
Who (as 'tis parchment) liue vpon the same:
But 'tis sufficient this small homely touch,
Should all be writ, my Booke would swell too much.
Now for the Ram, the Ewe, the Lambs, and Weather,
Ile touch their skins as they are turn'd to Leather,
And made in Purses, Pouches, Laces, strings,
Gloues, Points, Book Couers, & ten thousand things.
And many Tradesmen liue and thriue thereby,
Which if I would, I more could amplifie.
Their Guts serue Instruments which sweetly sound,
Their Dung is best to make most fruitfull ground;
Their Hoofes burnt will most venom'd Serpents kill,
Their grated Hornes are good 'gainst poyson still:
Their Milke makes Cheese, mans hunger to preuent,
As I haue seene in Sussex and in Kent.
Their Trotters, for the healthy or the sicke,
(Drest as they should be) are good meat to picke.
The Cookes and Butchers with the Ioints doe gaine
And poore folkes eate the Gather, Head, and braine;
And though all wise mens iudgement will allow
A Sheepe to be much lesser then a Cow,
Yet in a Leg of Mutton I can see,
More meat then in a Leg of Beefe can be.
A line Sheepe hath one Necke, yet I perceiue,
Sheepe being dead, two neckes of Mutton haue.
Foure legs each liuing Sheepe hath, but once slaine,
(Although he loose none, yet) he hath but twaine.
Now for the honour of the valiant Ram,
If I were learn'd more treble then I am,
Yet could I not sufficiently expresse
His wondrous worth, and exc'llent worthinesse.
For by Astronomers 'tis verifide
How that the Ram in heauen is stellifide,
And (of the twelue is plac'd head signe of all,
Where Sol keepes first his Equinoctiall.
For, hauing at the Bull drunke Aprils showres,
And with ye Twins, May deck'd ye earth with flowers
And scorch'd the Crab in Iune with burning beames,
Made Julies Lyon chase with fierie gleames;
In August solace to the Virgin giuen
With Ballance in September made Time euen,
Octobers Scorpion with declining course,
And passing by Decembers Archers force,
Then hauing past Nouembers frozen Goate,
He next to Ianus Waterie Signe doth floate:
He to the Lenten Signe in February,
And so bright Phœbus ends his yeres vagarie.
Then, to the Ram, in March, in his careere,
He mounts, on which this Sonnet's written heere.
All the famous Poets and Poetesses of all tongues and nations, haue written vpon this worthy subiect.
If the Taylors Bill be out of measure to the Gentleman, then he can make a fit measure for him with his owne bond.
Sonnet.
[Now cheerefull Sol in his illustrious Carre]
Now cheerefull Sol in his illustrious Carre,
To glad the Earth, his Iourney gins to take;
And now his glorious beames he doth vnbarre,
What absence marr'd, his presence now doth make:
Now he Earths weeping visage gins to dry
With Eols breath, and his bright heauenly heat.
March dust (like clouds) through ayre doth march & fly:
Dead-seeming Trees and Plants now life doth get.
Thus when the Worlds eye dazler takes his Inne,
At the cœlestiall Ram, then Winter's done:
And then Dame Nature doth her liuerie spinne
Of flowers and fruits, which all the Earth puts on.
Thus when Apollo doth to Aries come,
The Earth is freed from Winters Martyrdome.
Thus haue I prou'd the Ram a luckie signe,
Wherein Heau'n, Earth, and Sun and Ayre combine,
To haue their vniuersall comforts hurld
Vpon the Face of the decaying world.
With twelae signes each mans body's gouerned,
And Aries or the Ram, doth rule the head,
Then are their iudgements foolish, fond, and base,
That take the name of Ramhead in disgrace;
'Tis honour for the head to haue the name,
Deriued from the Ram that rules the same:
And that the Ram doth rule the head, I know,
For euery Almanacke the same doth show.
He that sels wood, is call'd a Woodmonger;
He that sels fish is call'd a Fishmonger;
He that doth brew, is call'd a Brewer; and
He's call'd a Landlord, that takes rent for Land;
He that bakes Bread, scornes not the name of Baker;
He that makes Cuckolds, is a Cuckold-maker.
So as the Ram doth rule the head, I see,
By Constellation all men Ramheads be.
And as the twelue Celestiall signes beare sway,
And with their motions passe mans life away;
The Ram, the head, the Bull, the necke and throte,
Twins, shoulders, Crab, doth rule the brest, I note,
But 'tis the Lyons portion and his part,
To be the valiant ruler of the heart.
From whence such men may gather this reliefe,
That though a Ramhead may be cause of griefe,
Yet Nature hath this remedie found out,
They should haue Lyons hearts to beare it stout,
And to defend and keepe the head from harme,
The Anagram of Ram, I finde is; Arm.
Thus is a Ramhead arm'd against all feare,
He needs no helmet, or no head-piece weare.
To speake more, in the plurall number, Rams,
It yeilds signifique warre like Anagrams,
For Rams is Mars, Mars is the God of Warre,
And Rams is Arms, Arms warres munitions are;
And from the fierce encounters which they make,
Our Tilts and Tournyes did beginnings take,
For as the Rams retire and meet with rage,
So men doe in their warre-like equipage.
And long e're powder, (from Hels damned den,
Was monstrously produc'd to murther men,
The Ram, an Engine call'd a Ram, did teach,
To batter downe a wall, or make a breach.
And now some places of defence 'gainst shot,
Haue (from the Ram) the name of Rampiers got.
First warlike trumpets that I e're heard nam'd,
At Jericho, were all of Rams hornes fram'd:
For at the Rams horne Trumpets fearefull blast,
Their curled Walls were suddenly downe cast.
Thus is the Ram with many vertues stor'd,
And was in Ægygt for a God ador'd:
And like a Captaine he the flocke doth lead,
As fits their Generall their Prince or head:
Thus haue I prou'd a Sheepe, a beast of price,
Cleane, and reputed fit for Sacrifice:
And sleeping, waking, earely, or else late,
It still doth chew the cud and ruminate.
Of all Beasts in the worlds circumference,
For meekenesse, profit, and for innocence,
I haue approu'd a Sheepe most excellent,
That wich least cost doth giue man most content.
There's such instinct of Nature in the Lambe,
By bleating, Jt mongst thousands knowes the dam;
For which the name of Agnoscendo knowing,
Is giuen to a Lambe, its knowledge showing.
To glad the Earth, his Iourney gins to take;
And now his glorious beames he doth vnbarre,
What absence marr'd, his presence now doth make:
Now he Earths weeping visage gins to dry
With Eols breath, and his bright heauenly heat.
March dust (like clouds) through ayre doth march & fly:
Dead-seeming Trees and Plants now life doth get.
Thus when the Worlds eye dazler takes his Inne,
At the cœlestiall Ram, then Winter's done:
And then Dame Nature doth her liuerie spinne
Of flowers and fruits, which all the Earth puts on.
Thus when Apollo doth to Aries come,
The Earth is freed from Winters Martyrdome.
54
Wherein Heau'n, Earth, and Sun and Ayre combine,
To haue their vniuersall comforts hurld
Vpon the Face of the decaying world.
With twelae signes each mans body's gouerned,
And Aries or the Ram, doth rule the head,
Then are their iudgements foolish, fond, and base,
That take the name of Ramhead in disgrace;
'Tis honour for the head to haue the name,
Deriued from the Ram that rules the same:
And that the Ram doth rule the head, I know,
For euery Almanacke the same doth show.
He that sels wood, is call'd a Woodmonger;
He that sels fish is call'd a Fishmonger;
He that doth brew, is call'd a Brewer; and
He's call'd a Landlord, that takes rent for Land;
He that bakes Bread, scornes not the name of Baker;
He that makes Cuckolds, is a Cuckold-maker.
So as the Ram doth rule the head, I see,
By Constellation all men Ramheads be.
And as the twelue Celestiall signes beare sway,
And with their motions passe mans life away;
The Ram, the head, the Bull, the necke and throte,
Twins, shoulders, Crab, doth rule the brest, I note,
But 'tis the Lyons portion and his part,
To be the valiant ruler of the heart.
From whence such men may gather this reliefe,
That though a Ramhead may be cause of griefe,
Yet Nature hath this remedie found out,
They should haue Lyons hearts to beare it stout,
And to defend and keepe the head from harme,
The Anagram of Ram, I finde is; Arm.
Thus is a Ramhead arm'd against all feare,
He needs no helmet, or no head-piece weare.
To speake more, in the plurall number, Rams,
It yeilds signifique warre like Anagrams,
For Rams is Mars, Mars is the God of Warre,
And Rams is Arms, Arms warres munitions are;
And from the fierce encounters which they make,
Our Tilts and Tournyes did beginnings take,
For as the Rams retire and meet with rage,
So men doe in their warre-like equipage.
And long e're powder, (from Hels damned den,
Was monstrously produc'd to murther men,
The Ram, an Engine call'd a Ram, did teach,
To batter downe a wall, or make a breach.
And now some places of defence 'gainst shot,
Haue (from the Ram) the name of Rampiers got.
First warlike trumpets that I e're heard nam'd,
At Jericho, were all of Rams hornes fram'd:
For at the Rams horne Trumpets fearefull blast,
Their curled Walls were suddenly downe cast.
Thus is the Ram with many vertues stor'd,
And was in Ægygt for a God ador'd:
And like a Captaine he the flocke doth lead,
As fits their Generall their Prince or head:
Thus haue I prou'd a Sheepe, a beast of price,
Cleane, and reputed fit for Sacrifice:
And sleeping, waking, earely, or else late,
It still doth chew the cud and ruminate.
Of all Beasts in the worlds circumference,
For meekenesse, profit, and for innocence,
I haue approu'd a Sheepe most excellent,
That wich least cost doth giue man most content.
There's such instinct of Nature in the Lambe,
By bleating, Jt mongst thousands knowes the dam;
For which the name of Agnoscendo knowing,
Is giuen to a Lambe, its knowledge showing.
Strange mysteries in the words Ram or Rams: the Rams the first runners at Tilt, and first teachers of warlike battell. Josephus Bellar, lib. 3. cap. 9. Rams hornes the first Trumpets.
57
[This was a Lambe, whose like was neuer any]
This was a Lambe, whose like was neuer any,Whose loue and pitty fed and cloth'd so many:
And 'tis no doubt, but these good deeds of his,
Did helpe to lift his Soule to endlesse Blisse.
58
[And now from solid Prose I will abstaine]
Here followeth a touch of paultry Scabbed and infectious kinds of Sheepe, which J thinke fit to place by themselues in the lagge end of my Booke, as farre as J can from the cleaue, sound and profitable Sheepe before mentioned, for feare the bad should infect the good.
And now from solid Prose I will abstaine
To pleasant Poetrie, and mirth againe.
The Fable of the golden Fleece began,
'Cause Sheepe did yeeld such store of gold to Man:
For he that hath great store of woolly Fleeces,
May (when he please) haue store of golden peeces.
Thus many a poore man dying hath left a Sonne,
That hath tranform'd the Fleece to Gold like Iason:
And heere's a mystery profound and deepe,
There's sundry sorts of Mutton, are no Sheepe:
Lac'd Mutton which let out themselues to hire,
Like Hackneys, who'l be fir'd, before they tire.
The man or men which for such Mutton hungers,
Are (by their Corporation) Mutton mongers:
Which is a brother-hood so large and great,
That if they had a Hall, I would intreat
To be their Clarke, or keeper of accounts,
To shew them vnto what their charge amounts:
My braines in numbring then would grow so quicke
I should be Master of Arithmeticke:
All States, degrees, and Trades, both bad and good,
Afford some members of this Brotherhood;
Great therefore needs must be their multitude,
When euery man may to the Trade intrude;
It is no fredome, yet these men are free,
Not sauers, but most liberall spenders be:
For this is one thing that doth them bewitch,
That by their trading they waxe seldome rich:
The value of this Mutton to set forth,
The flesh doth cost more than the broth is worth:
They all are Ewes, yet are exceeding Ramish,
And will be dainty fed, whoso'uer famish.
Nor are they mark'd for any man, or no man.
As mine, or thine, but euery mans in common,
Fine heads, and neckes, and breasts, they yeeld some store,
But scarcely one good liuer in nine score:
The liuers being bad, 'tis vnderstood,
The veines are fild with putrified blood,
Which makes them subiect to the scab, and then
They proue most dangerous diet vnto men.
And then the prouerbe proues no lye or mocke,
One scabbed sheep's enough to spoyle a flocke.
But yet for all this, there is many a Gull,
Loues Mutton well, and dips his bread i' the wooll.
And were a man put to his choyce to keepe,
'Tis said, a Shrew is better then a Sheepe.
But if a man be yok'd with such an Eros,
She may be both a scabbed Sheepe and Shrew.
And he that is so match'd, his life may well
Compared be vnto an earthly hell.
But to my Theame which I wrote of before,
I at this Mutton must haue one cut more.
These kind of Sheepe haue all the world ore'growne,
And seldome doe weare fleeces of their owne:
For they from sundry men their pelts can pull,
Whereby they keepe themselues as warme as wooll.
Besides, in colours, and in shape, they varie
Quite from all profitable sheepe contrarie?
White, blacke, greene, tawny, purple, red, and blue,
Beyond the Raine-bow for their change of hue:
Came ion like in alteration,
But, that bare Ayre they cannot liue vpon.
The Moones mutation's, not more manifold,
Silke, Veluet, Tissue, Cloath, and cloath of Gold:
These are the Sheepe that Golden fleeces weare,
Who robe themselues with others wooll or haire:
And it may bee, 'twas such a Beast and Fleece,
Which Jason brought from Cholcos, into Greece.
To pleasant Poetrie, and mirth againe.
The Fable of the golden Fleece began,
'Cause Sheepe did yeeld such store of gold to Man:
For he that hath great store of woolly Fleeces,
May (when he please) haue store of golden peeces.
Thus many a poore man dying hath left a Sonne,
That hath tranform'd the Fleece to Gold like Iason:
And heere's a mystery profound and deepe,
There's sundry sorts of Mutton, are no Sheepe:
Lac'd Mutton which let out themselues to hire,
Like Hackneys, who'l be fir'd, before they tire.
The man or men which for such Mutton hungers,
Are (by their Corporation) Mutton mongers:
Which is a brother-hood so large and great,
That if they had a Hall, I would intreat
To be their Clarke, or keeper of accounts,
To shew them vnto what their charge amounts:
My braines in numbring then would grow so quicke
I should be Master of Arithmeticke:
All States, degrees, and Trades, both bad and good,
Afford some members of this Brotherhood;
Great therefore needs must be their multitude,
When euery man may to the Trade intrude;
It is no fredome, yet these men are free,
Not sauers, but most liberall spenders be:
For this is one thing that doth them bewitch,
That by their trading they waxe seldome rich:
The value of this Mutton to set forth,
The flesh doth cost more than the broth is worth:
59
And will be dainty fed, whoso'uer famish.
Nor are they mark'd for any man, or no man.
As mine, or thine, but euery mans in common,
Fine heads, and neckes, and breasts, they yeeld some store,
But scarcely one good liuer in nine score:
The liuers being bad, 'tis vnderstood,
The veines are fild with putrified blood,
Which makes them subiect to the scab, and then
They proue most dangerous diet vnto men.
And then the prouerbe proues no lye or mocke,
One scabbed sheep's enough to spoyle a flocke.
But yet for all this, there is many a Gull,
Loues Mutton well, and dips his bread i' the wooll.
And were a man put to his choyce to keepe,
'Tis said, a Shrew is better then a Sheepe.
But if a man be yok'd with such an Eros,
She may be both a scabbed Sheepe and Shrew.
And he that is so match'd, his life may well
Compared be vnto an earthly hell.
But to my Theame which I wrote of before,
I at this Mutton must haue one cut more.
These kind of Sheepe haue all the world ore'growne,
And seldome doe weare fleeces of their owne:
For they from sundry men their pelts can pull,
Whereby they keepe themselues as warme as wooll.
Besides, in colours, and in shape, they varie
Quite from all profitable sheepe contrarie?
White, blacke, greene, tawny, purple, red, and blue,
Beyond the Raine-bow for their change of hue:
Came ion like in alteration,
But, that bare Ayre they cannot liue vpon.
The Moones mutation's, not more manifold,
Silke, Veluet, Tissue, Cloath, and cloath of Gold:
These are the Sheepe that Golden fleeces weare,
Who robe themselues with others wooll or haire:
And it may bee, 'twas such a Beast and Fleece,
Which Jason brought from Cholcos, into Greece.
VVere it no more but so, I dare be bold
To thinke this Land doth many Jasons hold:
VVho neuer durst to passe a dang'rous waue,
Yet may (with ease) such Golden fleeces haue.
Too much of one thing's good for nought (they say)
Ile therefore take this needlesse dish away:
For should I too much of Lac'd Mutton write,
I may o'recome my readers stomacke quite.
Once more vnto the good Sheepe ile retire,
And so my Booke shall to its end exspire:
Although it be not found in ancient writers,
I finde all Mutton-eaters are Sheepe-biters.
And in some places I haue heard and seene,
That currish Sheepe biters haue hanged beene.
If any kinde of Tike should snarle or whine,
Or bite, or woorry this poore Sheepe of mine,
Why let them barke and bite, and spend their breath.
Ile neuer wish them a Sheepe biters death.
My Sheepe will haue them know, her Innocence
Shall liue in spight of their malcuolence:
I wish them keepe themselues and me from paine,
And bite such sheepe as cannot bite againe.
For if they snap at mine, I haue a pen,
That (like a trusty dog) shall bite agen.
And in conclusion, this I humbly craue,
That euery one the honesty may haue,
That when our fraile mortality is past,
We may be the good Shepheards sheepe at last.
To thinke this Land doth many Jasons hold:
VVho neuer durst to passe a dang'rous waue,
Yet may (with ease) such Golden fleeces haue.
Too much of one thing's good for nought (they say)
Ile therefore take this needlesse dish away:
For should I too much of Lac'd Mutton write,
I may o'recome my readers stomacke quite.
Once more vnto the good Sheepe ile retire,
And so my Booke shall to its end exspire:
Although it be not found in ancient writers,
I finde all Mutton-eaters are Sheepe-biters.
And in some places I haue heard and seene,
That currish Sheepe biters haue hanged beene.
If any kinde of Tike should snarle or whine,
Or bite, or woorry this poore Sheepe of mine,
Why let them barke and bite, and spend their breath.
Ile neuer wish them a Sheepe biters death.
My Sheepe will haue them know, her Innocence
Shall liue in spight of their malcuolence:
I wish them keepe themselues and me from paine,
And bite such sheepe as cannot bite againe.
For if they snap at mine, I haue a pen,
That (like a trusty dog) shall bite agen.
And in conclusion, this I humbly craue,
That euery one the honesty may haue,
That when our fraile mortality is past,
We may be the good Shepheards sheepe at last.
| All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet | |